Download or read book Strange Days Indeed written by Francis Wheen and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2009 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Strange Days Indeed, by Francis Wheen.

Download or read book Modern British Playwriting The 1970s written by Chris Megson and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2014-03-20 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essential for students of Theatre Studies, this series of six decadal volumes provides a critical survey and reassessment of the theatre produced in each decade from the 1950s to the present. Each volume equips readers with an understanding of the context from which work emerged, a detailed overview of the range of theatrical activity and a close study of the work of four of the major playwrights by a team of leading scholars. Chris Megson's comprehensive survey of the theatre of the 1970s examines the work of four playwrights who came to promience in the decade and whose work remains undiminished today: Caryl Churchill (by Paola Botham), David Hare (Chris Megson), Howard Brenton (Richard Boon) and David Edgar (Janelle Reinelt). It analyses their work then, its legacy today and provides a fresh assessment of their contribution to British theatre. Interviews with the playwrights, with directors and with actors provides an invaluable collection of documents offering new perspectives on the work. Revisiting the decade from the perspective of the twenty-first century, Chris Megson provides an authoritative and stimulating reassessment of British playwriting in the 1970s.

Download or read book The Omen written by Adrian Schober and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2022-03-16 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer, The Omen (1976) is perhaps the best in the devil-child cycle of movies that followed in the wake of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist. Released to a highly suggestible public, The Omen became a major commercial success, in no small part due to an elaborate pre-sell campaign that played and preyed on apocalyptic fears and a renewed belief in the Devil and the supernatural. Since polarising critics and religious groups upon its release, The Omen has earned its place in the horror film canon. It’s a film that works on different levels, is imbued with nuance, ambiguity and subtext, and is open to opposing interpretations. Reflecting the film’s cultural impact and legacy, the name ‘Damien’ has since become a pop culture byword for an evil child. Adrian Schober’s Devil’s Advocate entry covers the genesis, authorship, production history, marketing and reception of The Omen, before going on to examine the overarching theme of paranoia that drives the narrative: paranoia about the 'end times'; paranoia about government and conspiracy; paranoia about child rearing (especially, if one strips away the layer of Satanism); and paranoia about imagined threats to the right-wing Establishment from liberal and post-countercultural forces of the 1970s.

Download or read book David Bowie and Transmedia Stardom written by Ana Cristina Mendes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addressing the interart, intertextual, and intermedial dimensions of David Bowie’s sonic and visual legacy, this book considers more than five decades of a career invested with a star’s luminosity that shines well beyond the remit of pop music. The book approaches the idea of the star David Bowie as a medium in transit, undergoing constant movement and change. Within the context of celebrity studies, the concept of stardom provides an appropriate frame for an examination of Bowie’s transmedial activity, especially given his ongoing iconic signification within the celestial realm. While Bowie has traversed many mediums, he has also been described as a medium, which is consistent with the way he has described himself. With contributions from a wide range of disciplinary areas and countries, each chapter brings a fresh perspective on the concept of stardom and the conceptual significance of the terms ‘mediation’ and ‘navigation’ as they relate to Bowie and his career. Containing a multitude of different approaches to the stardom and mediation of David Bowie, this book will be of interest to those studying celebrity, audio and visual legacy, and the relationships between different forms of media. It was originally published as a special issue of Celebrity Studies.

Download or read book Apocalypse TV written by Michael G. Cornelius and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-03-19 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the world may be upon us, but it certainly is taking its sweet time playing out. The walkers on The Walking Dead have been "walking" for nearly a decade. There are now dozens of apocalyptic television shows and we use the "end times" to describe everything from domestic politics and international conflict, to the weather and our views of the future. This collection of new essays asks what it means to live in a world inundated with representations of the apocalypse. Focusing on such series as The Walking Dead, The Strain, Battlestar Galactica, Doomsday Preppers, Westworld, The Handmaid's Tale, they explore how the serialization of the end of the world allows for a closer examination of the disintegration of humanity--while it happens. Do these shows prepare us for what is to come? Do they spur us to action? Might they even be causing the apocalypse?

Download or read book Idi Amin written by Mark Leopold and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first serious full-length biography of modern Africa's most famous dictator "Sharply written, forensically researched. . . . A meticulous re-examination of Amin's life, producing a narrative packed with original evidence, and one that strives at all times to be scrupulously well balanced. "--Paul Kenyon, The Sunday Times, London Idi Amin began his career in the British army in colonial Uganda, and worked his way up the ranks before seizing power in a British-backed coup in 1971. He built a violent and unstable dictatorship, ruthlessly eliminating perceived enemies and expelling Uganda's Asian population as the country plunged into social and economic chaos. In this powerful and provocative new account, Mark Leopold places Amin's military background and close relationship with the British state at the heart of the story. He traces the interwoven development of Amin's career and his popular image as an almost supernaturally evil monster, demonstrating the impossibility of fully distinguishing the truth from the many myths surrounding the dictator. Using an innovative biographical approach, Leopold reveals how Amin was, from birth, deeply rooted in the history of British colonial rule, how his rise was a legacy of imperialism, and how his monstrous image was created.

Download or read book The Craft of Governing written by R.A.W. Rhodes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-08-02 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Bargaining and puzzling; power and thought; dealing and agonising; compromise and commitment. These are two sides of political practitioners whether politician, public servant or campaigner. Understand the interplay and we can, just sometimes, make sense of the real world we seek to interpret.' Patrick Weller's observation comes from half a century of contemplating politics in action. The question of how government works lies at the heart of political science, and it has also been the career focus of this pioneer in the field. The Craft of Governing offers a tribute to the contribution of Patrick Weller to Australian political science, with chapters from leading political commentators including Michelle Grattan, Peter Shergold, Bob Jackson and James Walter. Contributors consider the role of the prime minister, approaches to studying executive government, the continuing significance of senior public servants and the nature of leadership in public bureaucracies. They also reflect on how insights from the study of domestic public policy can be applied to international organisations, challenges faced by Westminster democracies and approaches to political biography. The Craft of Governing is an invaluable resource for readers interested in approaches to studying politics and the development of political science as a discipline.

Download or read book BOOM a baby boomer memoir 1947 2022 written by Ted Polhemus and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-01-04 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll . . . Straight from the fridge - I Love Lucy meets The Sopranos in The Twilight Zone. From Elvis to Johnny Rotten, Neptune, New Jersey (with Greetings from Asbury Park) to Swinging London. Some say 'it all happened in the 60s' but in BOOM! anthropologist and social historian Ted Polhemus shows how the roots of our (post) modern age go back to the heady years just after WWII. If you like Mad Men, Blade Runner, American Graffiti, Blow-up, The Wild One . . . wish you'd caught Monk at Minton's Playhouse in 1947, Springsteen at The Stone Pony or The Pistols in London in 1976 (or not) . . . Ted Polhemus' other works include Streetstyle, Fashion & Anti-fashion, Style Surfing and Body Styles.

Download or read book The Palgrave Handbook of Security Risk and Intelligence written by Robert Dover and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook provides a detailed analysis of threats and risk in the international system and of how governments and their intelligence services must adapt and function in order to manage the evolving security environment. This environment, now and for the foreseeable future, is characterised by complexity. The development of disruptive digital technologies; the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure; asymmetric threats such as terrorism; the privatisation of national intelligence capabilities: all have far reaching implications for security and risk management. The leading academics and practitioners who have contributed to this handbook have all done so with the objective of cutting through the complexity, and providing insight on the most pressing security, intelligence, and risk factors today. They explore the changing nature of conflict and crises; interaction of the global with the local; the impact of technological; the proliferation of hostile ideologies and the challenge this poses to traditional models of intelligence; and the impact of all these factors on governance and ethical frameworks. The handbook is an invaluable resource for students and professionals concerned with contemporary security and how national intelligence must adapt to remain effective.

Download or read book Uncertain Allies written by Klaus Larres and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction -- 1. Golden age : years of reconstruction -- 2. Thinking of Europe and beyond : Nixon and Kissinger's priorities -- 3. Special relationships : a journey to a continent in transition -- 4. Living with deficits : economic predicaments -- 5. Downward spiral : monetary turmoil and the end of the old order -- 6 Turning point : the United States and the end of "benign hegemony" -- Conclusion.

Download or read book Global Glam and Popular Music written by Ian Chapman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-12 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first to explore style and spectacle in glam popular music performance from the 1970s to the present day, and from an international perspective. Focus is given to a number of representative artists, bands, and movements, as well as national, regional, and cultural contexts from around the globe. Approaching glam music performance and style broadly, and using the glam/glitter rock genre of the early 1970s as a foundation for case studies and comparisons, the volume engages with subjects that help in defining the glam phenomenon in its many manifestations and contexts. Glam rock, in its original, term-defining inception, had its birth in the UK in 1970/71, and featured at its forefront acts such as David Bowie, T. Rex, Slade, and Roxy Music. Termed "glitter rock" in the US, stateside artists included Alice Cooper, Suzi Quatro, The New York Dolls, and Kiss. In a global context, glam is represented in many other cultures, where the influences of early glam rock can be seen clearly. In this book, glam exists at the intersections of glam rock and other styles (e.g., punk, metal, disco, goth). Its performers are characterized by their flamboyant and theatrical appearance (clothes, costumes, makeup, hairstyles), they often challenge gender stereotypes and sexuality (androgyny), and they create spectacle in popular music performance, fandom, and fashion. The essays in this collection comprise theoretically-informed contributions that address the diversity of the world’s popular music via artists, bands, and movements, with special attention given to the ways glam has been influential not only as a music genre, but also in fashion, design, and other visual culture.

Download or read book No Future written by Matthew Worley and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-21 with total page 419 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An innovative history of British youth culture during the 1970s and 1980s, charting the full spectrum of punk's cultural development.

Download or read book A Wilderness of Mirrors written by Mark Meynell and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2015-05-19 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite our material and technological advances, Western society is experiencing a deep malaise caused by a breakdown of trust. We’ve been misled by authorities and institutions, by businesses and politicians, and even by those who were supposed to care for us. The very cohesion of society seems tenuous at times. The church is not immune from these trends. Historically, it has a dubious record when it has wielded power; personally, many of its members are as afflicted by our culture’s breakdown as anyone. In A Wilderness of Mirrors author Mark Meynell explores the roots of the discord and alienation that mark our society, but he also outlines a gospel-based reason for hope. An astute social observer with a pastor’s spiritual sensitivity, Meynell grounds his antidote on four bedrocks of the Christian faith: human nature, Jesus, the church, and the story of God's action in the world. Ultimately hopeful, A Wilderness of Mirrors calls Christians to rediscover the radical implications of Jesus’s life and message for a disillusioned world, a world more than ever in need of his trustworthy goodness.

Download or read book The Undead and Theology written by Kim Paffenroth and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-09-21 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The academy and pop culture alike recognize the great symbolic and teaching value of the undead, whether vampires, zombies, or other undead or living-dead creatures. This has been explored variously from critiques of consumerism and racism, through explorations of gender and sexuality, to consideration of the breakdown of the nuclear family. Most academic examinations of the undead have been undertaken from the perspectives of philosophy and political theory, but another important avenue of exploration comes through theology. Through the vampire, the zombie, the Golem, and Cenobites, contributors address a variety of theological issues by way of critical reflection on the divine and the sacred in popular culture through film, television, graphic novels, and literature.

Download or read book Anatomy of a Killing written by Ian Cobain and published by Granta Books. This book was released on 2021-05-08 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A concise and gripping history of the Troubles, revealing the people behind the pain and violence” from the award-winning investigative journalist (Vice). On the morning of Saturday 22nd April 1978, members of an Active Service Unit of the IRA hijacked a car and crossed the countryside to the town of Lisburn. Within an hour, they had killed an off-duty policeman in front of his young son. In Anatomy of a Killing, award-winning journalist Ian Cobain documents the hours leading up to the killing, and the months and years of violence, attrition and rebellion surrounding it. Drawing on interviews with those most closely involved, as well as court files, police notes, military intelligence reports, IRA strategy papers, memoirs and government records, this is a unique perspective on the Troubles, and a revelatory work of investigative journalism. “As gripping as a thriller, except that this isn’t fiction but cold, spine-tingling reality.” —Daily Mail “A remarkable piece of forensic journalism.” —Ed Moloney, author of Voices from the Grave “Reads like a work of fiction . . . True and harrowing.” —Irish Sunday Independent (Books of the Year)

Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to Ian McEwan written by Dominic Head and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-04 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Companion showcases the best scholarship on Ian McEwan's work, and offers a comprehensive demonstration of his importance in the canon of international contemporary fiction. The whole career is covered, and the connections as well as the developments across the oeuvre are considered. The essays offer both an assessment of McEwan's technical accomplishments and a sense of the contextual factors that have provided him with inspiration. This volume has been structured to highlight the points of intersection between literary questions and evaluations, and the treatment of contemporary socio-cultural issues and topics. For the more complex novels - such as Atonement - this book offers complementary perspectives. In this respect, The Cambridge Companion to Ian McEwan serves as a prism of interpretation, revealing the various interpretive emphases each of McEwan's more complex works invite, and to show how his various recurring preoccupations run through his career.

Download or read book The Politics of Pain Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism written by Fintan O'Toole and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I read The Politics of Pain: Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism by Fintan O’Toole and wished I’d written it.” – Zadie Smith, Wall Street Journal From one of the most perceptive observers of the English today comes a brilliantly insightful, mordantly funny account of their seemingly irrational embrace of nationalism. England’s recent lurch to the right appears to be but one example of the nationalist wave sweeping across the world, yet as acclaimed Irish critic Fintan O’Toole suggests in The Politics of Pain, it is, in reality, a phenomenon rooted in World War II. We must look not to the vagaries of the European Union but, instead, far back to the end of the British empire, if we hope to understand our most fraternal ally—and the royal mess in which the British now find themselves. O’Toole depicts a roiling nation that almost ludicrously dreams of a German invasion, if only to get the blood going, and that erupts in faux outrage over regulations on “prawn-flavored crisps.” A sympathetic yet unsparing observer, O’Toole asks: How did a great nation bring itself to the point of such willful self-harm? His answer represents one of the most profound portraits of the English since Sarah Lyall’s New York Times bestseller The Anglo Files.