Annotation This is the first study of "hard" country music as well as the first comprehensive application of contemporary cultural theory to country music. Barbara Ching begins by defining the features that make certain country songs and artists "hard." She compares hard country music to "high" American culture, arguing that hard country deliberately focuses on its low position in the American cultural hierarchy, comically singing of failures to live up to American standards of affluence, while mainstream country music focuses on nostalgia, romance, and patriotism of regular folk. With chapters on Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., Merle Haggard, George Jones, David Allan Coe, Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, and the Outlaw Movement, this book is written in a jargon-free, engaging style that will interest both academic as well as general readers.
Reimagining Rural: Urbanormative Portrayals of Rural Life examines the ways in which rural people and places are being portrayed by popular television, reality television, film, literature, and news media in the United States. It is also an examination of the social processes that reinforce urbanormative standards that normalize urban life and render rural life as something unusual, exotic, or deviant. This includes exploring the role of the media as agenda setting agent, informing people what and how to think about rural life. Further it includes scrutinizing the institution of formal education that promotes a homogenous urban-oriented curriculum, while in the process, marginalizing the unique characteristics of local rural communities. These contributions are some of the only studies of their kind, investigating popular cultural representations of rural life, while providing powerful evidence and unique challenges for an urban society to rethink and reimagine rural life, while confronting the many stereotypes and myths that exist.
Barbara G. Walker, bestselling author of The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets and past winner of the American Humanist Association’s Humanist Heroine Award, takes a hard look at religion in her latest book: Belief & Unbelief. Walker’s 22 new essays cover the spectrum, from “The Islamic Holocaust” being perpetrated against women to the dizziness of crystal-gazers in “Encountering the New Age.” Walker explains in depth how religion has been perverted from its naturalistic roots in the celebration of the mystery of new life to a patriarchal orgy of violence. In “Does Religion Make People Good?”, Walker responds with an emphatic “No!”, citing extensive evidence of “Bible Morality” to produce today’s Christian “God the Monster.” Women have borne the brunt of patriarchal religion’s evils – Walker even argues cogently for “Religion As the Root of Sexism.” Yet in her conclusion, “Family and the Future,” the ever-upbeat Walker imagines a return to the original, best traditions of religion as a metaphor for the wonder of the universe.
In the best-selling tradition of The Spirit of the Chinese Character comes a beautiful companion, The Nature of the Chinese Character. Masterfully crafted earthly symbols are displayed throughout these rich, colorful pages--from sky and wind to water and sand. Each is accompanied by a graceful drawing illustrating the organic form that inspired the calligraphic representation and an enlightening description of the meaning, lore, and construction of the character. At once an inquiry into centuries of thought and a paean to the oldest functional art form, The Nature of the Chinese Character is exquisite in its own right-an elegant keepsake that both informs and enchants
Accompanied by the advent of animal cloning, the technique of nuclear transfer produced alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase-knockout (Gal-KO) pigs in many institutes, including the ones in Japan, at the beginning of 21st Century. In addition, the controversy of the risks of PERV has gradually minimized, because of the fact that there are no cases of PERV infections reported in humans. Furthermore, a large clinical wave for islet allotransplantation resumed the interest of xenotransplantation, especially porcine islet transplantation and some exceptions. Clinical trials were done in many countries so far, such as Sweden, China, Mexico, USA (Inventory of Human Xenotransplantation Practices - IXA and HUG in collaboration with WHO). In addition, a new clinical trial was approved by the government, and resumed the porcine islet transplantation research in New Zealand two years ago.
Best-selling author Barbara Berger’s new book is a practical spiritual handbook that offers readers a complete guide to the awakening consciousness that is emerging on planet Earth. In this book, Barbara not only maps out the incredible power of mind, but she explains how to use this power wisely. The message of the book is very relevant for everyone in this time of crisis because the book offers a roadmap of how to use so much of the information that is floating around today in so many spiritual books. It’s a major work and the best book Barbara Berger has written so far. The promise of this book is that it shows readers how to find a way out of suffering by waking up to the nature of reality and the nature of mind to find the peace and happiness they seek in the present moment.
The collaborative effort of nearly 100 China scholars from around the world, this unique one-volume reference provides 89 in-depth biographies of important Chinese women from the fifth century B.C.E to the early twentieth century.
Walker's 22 new essays cover the spectrum, from "The Islamic Holocaust" being perpetrated against women to the dizziness of crystal-gazers in "Encountering the New Age." Walker explains in depth how religion has been perverted from its naturalistic roots in the celebration of the mystery of new life to a patriarchal orgy of violence. In "Does Religion Make People Good?," Walker responds with an emphatic "No ," citing extensive evidence of "Bible Morality" to produce today's Christian "God the Monster." Women have borne the brunt of patriarchal religion's evils - Walker even argues cogently for "Religion As the Root of Sexism." Yet in her conclusion, "Family and the Future," the ever-upbeat Walker imagines a return to the original, best traditions of religion as a metaphor for the wonder of the universe.
China in 1923 was a far cry from the exotic land Chloe Cavanaugh envisioned; but Chloe was married to the Chicago Times' most famous correspondent, and this squalid, teeming land was her new home. Yet the winds of change were blowing: the sleeping giant of revolution was awakening. Chloe befriends Madame Sun, wife of Sun Yat-sen, the people's hero, who is fighting for modernization and for a government that will finally free China from feudalism. Chloe's friendship with Madame Sun will lead her to realize her own dreams -- as a famous journalist in her own right, and as a woman whose soul is ignited by four unique men. From the violent cities of Shanghai and Canton, to the war-torn mountains and great rivers; from the private tables of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse-tung, and Chou En-lai, to the bitter struggle of a country at war, Chloe grows from being a naive girl in a strange, forbidden land to being a courageous woman, whose ideals, enthusiasm, and dedication to a land, a people, and the sweet calling of her heart lead her on a breathless odyssey.
In traditional Chinese medicine, oranges are known to weaken your immune system, bananas cause fatigue, and yogurt doesn't help weight loss. The ancient Five Element Diet (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) describes the foods and preparation methods best suited to each element, the parts of your body most affected, and the healing forces unleashed with each dish. Your eating habits will change simply because you know more about the effects of foods on long life, love, sexual capacity, and prosperity.In traditional Chinese medicine, oranges are known to weaken your immune system, bananas cause fatigue, and yogurt doesn't help weight loss. The ancient Five Element Diet (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) describes the foods and preparation methods best suited to each element, the parts of your body most affected, and the healing forces unleashed with each dish. Your eating habits will change simply because you know more about the effects of foods on long life, love, sexual capacity, and prosperity.
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