Wide-ranging, vivid and authoritative, this is the first book to treat chivalry as part of the wider history of medieval England. The world of medieval chivalry is at once glamorous and violent, alluring yet alien. Our popular views of the period are largely inherited from the nineteenth-century romantics, for whom chivalry evoked images of knights in shining armour, competing for the attention of fair ladies -- with pennons and streamers fluttering from castle battlements. But what is the reality? Were the rituals and romance of chivalry designed to provide an escape from the brutal facts of almost continuous warfare? Or did they instead help regulate the conduct of war and moderate its violent excesses? Nigel Saul charts the introduction of chivalry by the Normans, the rise of the knightly class as a social elite, the fusion of chivalry with kingship in the fourteenth century and the influence of chivalry on literature, religion and architecture. He shows us a world of kings and barons, castles and cathedrals -- a world shaped by Richard the Lionheart and the Crusades, by Magna Carta and the rule of law, by battles like Bannockburn and Crecy, by the Black Death and by tournaments, round tables and the cult of Arthurianism.
In this stunning book, photographer Brian Howell takes us into the world of celebrity impersonators--the faux famous people who make a living at pretending to be someone else. Taken at various impersonator conventions and stage shows throughout North America, the photographs are both startling and poignant--for all of the frivolity and double takes (''Isn't that Paris Hilton?'') there is also a sense of the real person beneath the makeup and the artifice. Accompanying the portraits are first-person narratives by many of the subjects, many of whom feel personally close to those they are impersonating, even if they have never met them. In addition, in two essays, cultural critic Norbert Ruebsaat looks at the history of celebrity culture, and Geist magazine editor Stephen Osborne delves into the nature of photographing impersonators. As such, the book investigates the nature of fame in this era of celebrity blogs, stalkerazzi, and reality television-and how our obsession with famous people says as much about us as it does about them.
This book traces the roots of modern notions of celebrity, fame, and infamy back to the Hellenistic period of classical antiquity, when sensational personages like Cleopatra of Egypt and Alexander the Great became famous world-wide.
The summary of The Wisdom of Life – Schopenhauer's take on will and deliberation presented here include a short review of the book at the start followed by quick overview of main points and a list of important take-aways at the end of the summary. The Summary of The short philosophical work titled "The Wisdom of Life" was written by Arthur Schopenhauer in 1851. It discusses the factors that lead to human happiness. Schopenhauer develops his own ideas on what people require to be happy by beginning with the concepts that ancient Greek philosophers had developed regarding human happiness. The Wisdom of Life summary includes the key points and important takeaways from the book The Wisdom of Life by Arthur Schopenhauer. Disclaimer: 1. This summary is meant to preview and not to substitute the original book. 2. We recommend, for in-depth study purchase the excellent original book. 3. In this summary key points are rewritten and recreated and no part/text is directly taken or copied from original book. 4. If original author/publisher wants us to remove this summary, please contact us at [email protected].
John Piper has had a profound impact on countless men and women over his nearly thirty years of ministry. From his online ministry with Desiring God to his preaching ministry at Bethlehem Baptist to his writing ministry in over thirty books, his faithful service has encouraged and challenged many with God's Word. Piper's influence does not stem from his own abilities and accomplishments, but finds its source in his consistent and humble leading of others to Scripture, where the breathtaking glory of God is displayed in all its wonder. We rejoice and are changed as we encounter glorious truths about God in Piper's ministry. It is in this spirit that friends and colleagues of Piper, including Wayne Grudem, D. A. Carson, Randy Alcorn, and others, honor him by presenting essays covering topics central to his ministry: prayer, the sovereignty of God, justification, Jonathan Edwards, Christian Hedonism, and more. Pastors, scholars, and lay leaders will benefit from this tribute to a man who has labored so faithfully for the fame of God's name.
Parashari Jaimini and Tajik are the three most popular systems of Vedic Astrology. Parashar gives more importance to the planets while Jaimini considers the rashis to be more important. Tajik is mainly used in Prashna Shastra and in Varshaphal. Tajik diverts slightly always from the main stream of the traditional methods and employs newer techniques of Astrology. 'Tajik Neelakanthi', of Acharya Neelakantha, which was composed in the 16th century AD, is the base of Taik Jyotish. This does not mean that Varshaphal and Prashna techniques were not practised in vedic Astrology before this. 'Uttar Kalamrit' of Kalidas mentions and describes the computation of Varshaphal dasha which is different from the 'Mudda dasha' of Varshaphal. Apart from this, 'Shat Panchashikha' of Prithyushyas is the established classic of Prashna Shastra, which was composed centuries before 'Tajik Neelakanthi'. Ancient Kairaleeya Jyotish is also well known for considering Prashna to be their main technique. The influence of Greek and Arab culture is clearly seen on the word 'Tajik'. Arrival of the invaders from Western Asia initiated the exchange of culture between India and West Asia. This exchange introduced some newer techniques to our Vedic Astrology. One of these techniques was Tajik. This has been marked as the beginning of Tajik jyotish. Tajik word does not belong to Sanskrit. There are different opinions regarding this issue. Some scholars consider it to be a distorted from of the word 'Jatak'. Another view is that meaning of Tajik is a horse in Turkish and Persian language. The speed of this technique has been compared to that of a horse and for this reason it has been named Tajik. In any case the influence of Mohammedans on this knowledge is very clear. This is also confirmed by the other words of Tajik, namely mudda, muntha, sahams and the names of the Tajik yogas like Ithasal, Ikkabal, Ishraf, nakta, radda and khallasar etc. Moving at the average speed of 1° per day, Sun completes one round of the Zodiac in one year. For casting the annual horoscope we select the time when Sun reaches the longitude of the natal Sun. The horoscope cast for that date and time becomes the annual horoscope and the Varshaphal is decided on the basis of this horoscope. In a similar manner prediction for any year of the person's life can be given on the basis of the annual horoscope. In other words the annual horoscope is based on the longitude of the natal Sun and not on the date and time of birth. This also means that the date, day and time of the annual horoscope is generally different from that of the birth horoscope.
