A singular collection of original essays exploring the varied intersections of motion pictures and public value A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value presents a cross-disciplinary investigation of the past, present, and possible future contributions of the moving image to the public good. This unique volume explores the direct and indirect public value developed through motion pictures of different types, genres, and screening sites. Essays by world-renowned scholars from diverse disciplines present original conceptual work, philosophical arguments, historical discussion, empirical research, and specific case studies. Divided into seven thematically organized sections, the Companion identifies the various kinds of values that motion pictures can deliver, amongst them artistic, ethical, environmental, cultural, political, cognitive, and spiritual value. Each section includes an introduction in which the editors outline main themes and highlight connections between individual chapters. Throughout the text, probing essays interrogate the issue of public value as it relates to the cinema and provide insight into how motion pictures play a positive role in human life and society. Featuring original research essays on a pioneering topic, this innovative reference text: Brings together work by expert authors in disciplines such as Philosophy, Political Science, Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Sociology, and Environmental Studies Discusses a variety of institutional landscapes, policy formations, and types and styles of filmmaking Provides wide and inclusive coverage of cinema’s relation to public value in Africa, Asia, China, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas Explores the role of motion pictures in community formation, nation building, and the construction of good societies Covers new and emerging topics such as cinema-based fields focused on health and wellbeing A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value is an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies, and is a valuable resource for scholars across a variety of disciplines

Bishops, Boozers, Brethren & Burkhas uses cartoons from 1860s to the present day to discuss the way religion in New Zealand has been represented by our cartoonists. There is no general history of religion in New Zealand so this book is a unique contribution in providing not only a cartoon history of religion in this country but also a history via cartoons. From the 1860s, settlers viewed issues of religion and politics as problematic, but in the main, religion remained part of the fabric of society. However, religion was more of a concern for our cartoonists as New Zealand became an increasingly secular nation from the 1970s onwards. This not only reflects the generation of cartoonists whose work was published from the 1970s but also a shift in New Zealand society more generally. Overall, when religion was less of a contested identity and influence, cartoonists tended to leave religion and the church alone. However, as the country became, very quickly, a secular society from the 1970s onwards, religion was a target of cartoonists. Religion and the religious were increasingly presented as representing religious and social attitudes and beliefs regarded as out of step with a modern society.

This inspiring book explains how to meditate on eight beautiful verses that comprise one of Buddhism’s best-loved teachings, Eight Verses of Training the Mind. Composed by the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Geshe Langri Tangpa, this short poem shows how we can transform all life’s difficulties into valuable spiritual insights. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso reveals practical ways in which we can use this timeless wisdom to find meaning and lasting happiness in our busy modern lives.

In 2006, a cartoon in a Danish newspaper depicted the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb in his turban. The cartoon created an international incident, with offended Muslims attacking Danish embassies and threatening the life of the cartoonist. Editorial cartoons have been called the most extreme form of criticism society will allow, but not all cartoons are tolerated. Unrestricted by journalistic standards of objectivity, editorial cartoonists wield ire and irony to reveal the naked truths about presidents, celebrities, business leaders, and other public figures. Indeed, since the founding of the republic, cartoonists have made important contributions to and offered critical commentary on our society. Today, however, many syndicated cartoons are relatively generic and gag-related, reflecting a weakening of the newspaper industry's traditional watchdog function. Chris Lamb offers a richly illustrated and engaging history of a still vibrant medium that "forces us to take a look at ourselves for what we are and not what we want to be." The 150 drawings in Drawn to Extremes have left readers howling-sometimes in laughter, but often in protest.

It's time to reset your SPIRITUAL compassEveryday life has never been more challenging and it's easy to lose sight of who we are and who we want to be. In Spirituality, Healing and Me, Ilana Estelle draws on her experiences of emotional, mental and physical disability to show how tuning into our spiritual side can improve wellbeing, heal our minds and set us firmly back on track.Packed with inspiring messages and real-life vignettes, this positive and uplifting book shows how spirituality can help us navigate even the roughest waters.Improve emotional balance and wellness Boost confidence and self-esteem Stay self-aware, grounded and patient Appreciate life and each other Accept changing circumstances Enhance positive emotions and personal healing

With The Grail Tarot, John Matthews and Giovanni Caselli join forces to bring to together the elements of the grail legend in a wonderfully conceived and beautifully designed new tarot. The grail legend is one of the most famous and enduring mysteries of all time. At the story's center is a group of knights on a quest to find the ancient relic. The Grail Tarot relates this search for the sacred Christian relic to our desire to understand the puzzle of our own lives. The Knights Templar have long been linked with the Grail, and they and other archetypal figures associated with the Templar mysteries - as well as well-known Grail figures such as Galahad - take their place in the Major Arcana of the deck. The suits are represented by the four Hallows of the Grail: cup, spear, sword and stone.

¿Unless major changes in dogma take place soon, religion is doomed to extinction and mankind to social chaos.¿ In The Fallibility of Religion, David Weaver explores this statement without fear of its controversial nature and with a commitment to creating the much-needed clarity he believes is necessary in discussing the future of religion. Spiritual belief is, in Weaver¿s view, a personal matter, not to be imposed doctrinally, and religion is a social construct with the critical role of providing structures within which communities can prosper. We need religion to survive in order to fulfil its true purpose of providing a social structure and rules for communal behaviour, he argues, but this will only happen if the existing religious claims to infallibility and exclusivity are eliminated. Many millions of people who no longer believe in a spiritually ordered life are rejecting religion without recognising its intrinsic value as the guardian of our communal values and the rightful authority for the maintenance of social order. The one thing that religion is not, Weaver believes, is the owner of our spiritual beliefs. In this passionate thesis, Weaver asks and responds to the question, How is religion to survive and continue to play its all-important role in the modern, materialistic and sceptical environment prevalent in much of the world today?

Offers photograph illustrations and essays on numerous symbols and symbolic imagery, exploring their archetypal meanings as well as cultural and historical context for how different groups have interpreted them.

Taranto to Trieste is an account of the author¿s fascinating journey to retrace the actual path of the 2nd New Zealand Division in Italy from its arrival in October 1943 until the end of the European war. Although a personal journey with personal reflections, the real story is about the largely off-the-beaten track places which the troops passed through, what they saw and experienced along the way and, in some cases what they missed. To complement the Division¿s story, the historical context and military actions are explained with many maps as well as war-time photographs and colourful quotations from official military histories. As the author says, ¿There are many people of the post-war generation, and their children, with direct connections to the Italian campaign, who would like to know more about the small, mysterious places the Division passed through which appear in diaries, letters and on the back of photographs, but many of which do not appear on maps.¿ The author¿s own photographs, descriptions of the places visited, the landscapes travelled and the roads followed will delight those wanting to follow in the footsteps of the 2nd Division in Italy.