Focuses on an everyday item - blue jeans - to learn what one simple article of clothing can tell us about our individual and social lives and challenging, by extension, the foundational anthropological presumption of the normative.

The Blue Jean is a long-overdue appreciation of this iconic piece of clothing, sure to appeal to anyone who's ever worn a pair of jeans. That means young and old, male and female, famous and normal alike. Ranging from the early days when miners wore them for protection and durability to today's hottest movie stars and singers, jeans have always covered our asses with practicality, style, and affection. It would be ne'er impossible to find the world over a single person who doesn't own at least one pair of dungarees in one form or another. Whether worn by presidents or punks, cowboys or congressmen, actors or contractors, hippies or hard rockers, blue jeans have steadfastly continued to symbolize all-American virtues: freedom, independence, and the pursuit of self-expression. The Blue Jean proudly celebrates this magnificent heritage with 135 stunning color and black-and-white documentary, fashion, and art photographs (many rarely seen before) of demin-clad personalities and cultural giants and picotal milestones from the forties up through today. The Blue Jean is a fascinating journey of rediscovery, in pictures and words, of our history with jeans and our love affair with them. Includes pictures by: Peter Beard; Ellen Von Unwerth; Danny Lyon; Bruce Weber; Helmut Newton; Ansel Adams; Santo D'Orazio; Bruce Davidson; Edward Weston; Lauren Greenfield; David LaChapelle; Larry Fink; Dorothea Lange; Kurt Markus; Eve Arnold; Mike Disfarmer; Wayne Miller; Harry Benson; Edward Steichen; Charles Peterson; Robert Mapplethorpe; Jack Pierson; Mark Shaw; Carter Smith; Gordon Parks; and, Larry Sultan, to name but a few.

The sequel to the hugely successful Jesus, CEO and The Path, this book illuminates examples from the scriptures to demonstrate how Jesus can serve as a model for daily life.

The story of denim's rise from modest workpants to high-fashion statement. Ever since Levi Strauss made the first blue jean pants in California in the 1870s, everyone has wanted a pair. No one imagined America's love of denim would travel around the world, yet jeans remain an essential part of our lives. The Blue Jean Book chronicles this love affair. Researchers suggest we're happiest when we're in our jeans. They express our personalities: compare the person who wears the latest designer label to someone who prefers the thrift store variety. The Blue Jean Book takes you deep into the world of denim. Chapters include: The Birth of the Blues: 1870 to 1900 -- Levi Strauss and the origin of jeans Movers and Shakers: 1900 to 1940 -- From workpants to play pants Blue Jean Time Machine: 1940 to 1970 -- From WWII wear to the trademark of teen rebellion The Jean Scene: 1980s -- Jeans go designer Borderless Blues: 1990s -- The politics of pants: sweatshops, ecological impacts Panting for Perfection -- 21st century jeans From their origins with hardscrabble miners and cowboys, to their popularity among laborers, rebels, and the incurably hip, The Blue Jean Book is the perfect fit for anyone who wants to know the story behind the seams.

The world no longer defines successful businesspeople by their suit and ties. Today we live in a world where any entrepreneur can create a successful, profitable, enjoyable business in whatever style suits him or her the best. And hey, if putting on a suit and heading for your corporate office is what works best for you, that's great. But if throwing on your favorite pair of blue jeans and heading for the beach works better, that's cool too. In Business in Blue Jeans: How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own Terms, in Your Own Style, you'll learn how to create and grow a business that works for you. More than just a "how to" guide, Business in Blue Jeans, contains actionable, practical that show you how to: Break through the "brain junk" that's been getting in your way to starting a business. Develop a business idea (or hone the one you already have) with real potential for success. Package your idea to attract the people who want what you have to offer and will pay for it. Become visible to your potential customers and clients so that they think of you first. Stand head and shoulders above your competitors without spending an extra dime. Build a community and network that includes the support and the connections you need, drawing people in instead of pushing them away. Hire, train, and manage a team as your business grows so that it's never out of control (and so you can hit the beach!). We live in an ever-changing economy and that can make starting and growing a business seem daunting. But with the right guidance, you, too, can have successful business that makes everything else that you want in life possible.

Here are real stories about young Buddhists in their own words that affirm and inform the young adult Buddhist experience of trying to live in the modern world, and bring Buddhism into their lives.

After a cross-country move from beautiful Montana, Scott, Maggie, and their infant daughter, Abby, find themselves in Pennsylvania, far from family and friends. Maggie struggles with anger against her husband for removing her from all she knows, and she’s not sure she can (or even wants to) make the adjustment. As Jean, an elderly neighbor, reveals the secrets of each of the neighborhood’s former residents, the truth about Maggie’s own heart and motives are exposed. Set in a quiet suburb of Reading, Jean’s tales illuminate the lives of her World War II-era companions: their joys and jealousies, their triumphs and tragedies.

In an age when the Dalai Lama's image has been used to sell computers, rock stars have used tantra to enhance their image, and for many, Nirvana calls to mind a a favorite band, what does Buddhism mean to twenty-somethings? Blue Jean Buddha offers real stories about young Buddhists in their own words that affirm and inform the young adult Buddhist experience. This one-of-a-kind book is about the experiences of young people in America-from their late teens to early thirties-who have embraced Buddhism. Thirty-three first-person narratives reflect on a broad range of life-stories, lessons, and livelihood issues, such as growing up in a Zen center, struggling with relationships, caring for the dying, and using marathon running as meditation. Throughout, up-and-coming author Sumi Loundon provides an illuminating context for the tremendous variety of experiences shared in the book. Blue Jean Buddha was named a finalist in the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Awards (Multicultural Non-Fiction - Young Adult) as well in NAPRA's Nautilus Awards, in the Personal Journey/Memoir/Biography category.

Winner of the 2004 Prix Saint-Exup�ry, an award given yearly to the best illustrated picture book in France by the family of The Little Prince author, Antoine de Saint-Exup�ry . In the big gray city, Lived a little boy who never played... With A Blue So Blue, Jean-Fran�ois Dumont has created an outstanding picture book that will dazzle the eye, stir the imagination, and warm the heart. The exquisitely written tale whisks children off of a fantastic journey across land and sea. Every page features breathtaking paintings, rich in color and detail. It is simply a magical tour de force of illustration and storytelling. The adventure begins with a little boy's marvelous dream of a perfect blue, a blue both soft and strong, a blue so blue you want to curl up inside it. Armed with a paintbrush, he travels the globe in search of this special color--from a famous art gallery to a mid-Atlantic fishing boat, from a remote blues club in the Mississippi Delta to a sun-drenched desert with a purple sky--only to realize that what he was looking for was right in his very own home after all.