In Dudesong, the Coen Brothers' cult classic film "The Big Lebowski" is reimagined in the style of a Homeric epic poem. All the fans' favorite characters are here and no moment from the film is missed in this meticulous translation. Follow along with The Dude as an unfortunate act of vandalism thrusts him into a world of ransom and rewards, pornography and high art, white Russians and pale Germans. A hero's tale deserves a heroic format, and Dudesong faithfully delivers.With a foreword by Oliver Benjamin, founder of Dudeism
John Gardner's career was permanently changed by his publication of On Moral Fiction (1978), a controversial and derided assessment of the state of literature as Gardner saw it. By arguing for a return to greater seriousness and moral commitments in literature, Gardner found himself attacked on all sides by critics and writers who found his conservatism suspicious or simply irrelevant.In this short tribute to Gardner's late intellectual concerns, Phil Jourdan looks at some of the difficulties in On Moral Fiction, and asks whether Gardner was rigorous enough in his deployment of various philosophical concepts through his book. Convinced that, despite any problems of argumentative method or intellectual honesty, On Moral Fiction's basic message should not be dismissed outright, Jourdan tries to determine what is superfluous to the book, so that we may focus on its core: a call for writers not to forget their moral influence on readers.Now that Gardner's career is half-forgotten, it is worth remembering this impassioned and public debate on the role of literature has been around far longer than we care to pretend: throughout the centuries, as literature attempts to define itself over and over, the question of morality is always lurking in the background. In John Gardner: A Tiny Eulogy, Phil Jourdan tries to separate the man from the argument, and insists that the latter should not be dismissed because of the imperfection of the former.
Within these pages is an introspective expos on the thoughts that strangle the mind of a young poet, in a world that is trying so hard to stray from the truth. This compilation of poetry and illustrations was pieced together to demonstrate that we are not alone in our struggle for balance. Moreover, to spread a sense of urgency for us to save the Earth by preserving ourselves, and to show the inner battles that led up to the author deciding to live a life parallel to society. This publication is in itself, the author's means of travel in his attempt to dispel clarity, by shedding light on our true state of self and its influences. It will be brought to open mics, open corners, open living rooms; open arms, minds, and eyes the world over as part of the awakening of an era forthcoming.
This text will provide an introductory overview of the burgeoning field of computational biology. Its primary function will be as a text for computational biology and bioinformatics courses.
Just one step at a Time.When you commit yourself to verse but with only limited resources, You'll need commitment and tenacity to become your chief enforcers, And as well a wide range of subjects to enable you to amass a fair quantity, And lots of perseverance to avoid a trend that'll drift towards inequality, You try to incorporate humour while keeping it all authentic and sublime, And you endeavour to tell a story but maintaining your statute is in rhyme, Because your aim is to have it written in a language easily understood, And if easily read and comprehended, then you've done all you should.As a first time author I present for your approval a humble book of verses, Written in a simple form of language and not interspersed with foul curses.And if you can enjoy it only half as much as I, while composing and compiling, Then we can sit comfy on our lounges, relaxed, contented, and all
Fully illustrated profiles of Australia's top 12 most legendary surfers. The Immortals of Australian Surfing celebrates Australia's greatest ever board-riders. It takes the Immortals concept used elsewhere in sport and applies it to surfing, choosing the best of the best from over 50 years of the Australian scene and the world tour. Renowned surfing writer Phil Jarratt selects his top 12 riders then delves into the careers of the true greats. Legendary riders selected and profiled include pioneers Midget Farrelly, Nat Young and Layne Beachley; the world champs of the seventies and eighties such as Mark Richards; Tom Carroll and Pam Burridge; to modern era greats Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore. The book tells the remarkable stories behind each Immortal's rise to the top and the adversity faced through their careers.
Senior Sergeant Tony Signorotto and his loyal team of blue have fought many battles against crime in the heartland of the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton.Now a new threat has emerged, and it is one of their own in the blue uniform. Do they trust him to see if he can save himself and his career? Or do they give him just enough rope to hang himself?This thrilling conclusion to Phil Copsey's 'Justice' trilogy will take them on a journey that spans illegal gambling, the Russian mafia, an international begging scam, and down a one-way path of murder and kidnapping.In a fight to contain the destruction, Tony Signorotto and Phil Stone put their careers on the line. Signorotto leads from the front and tries to save his wayward colleague; Stone faces the ignominy of a forced retirement if they cannot stop a ruthless Russian gangster. Can a local police force do its job when international diplomacy is muddying already muddy water?The Hand of Justice is an intriguing mix of politics, policing, and power. The stakes are high and reputations will be made or lost.
A compelling chronicle of what a highly evolved extra-terrestrial race reveals about Planet Earth.On the 6th April 1966, students and a teacher from Westall High School in Melbourne, Australia, report seeing a flying object in the sky. On the 29th July, 1969, on his thirteenth birthday, Alan Holmes has his own unique encounter with an extra-terrestrial space craft in outback New South Wales. Even though his encounter is dismissed by almost everyone around him as routine air force testing exercise, young Alan believes otherwise.This well-liked, good natured and adventurous youngster grows up to be a keenly intelligent and charming astrophysicist, specialising in the study of celestial bodies. Forty years after his never-forgotten alien encounter and while working for an astrospace facility, Alan develops a digitally enhanced Morse code (DEMC). DEMC is a simple set of highly audible dots and dashes that Alan broadcasts into the universe on a whole range of different frequencies. He believes these signals could be intercepted and deciphered by civilisations beyond Earth.He is right.So begins an extraordinary dialogue and encounter with a race of beings from Planet Univiah, a civilisation 1,695 light years from Earth, which rocks the very foundations of all human belief systems.
Is free will just an illusion? Are scientists correct to say that all our apparent 'choices' are determined solely by our 'nature and nurture'? On what basis does a religious/spiritual person claim to have free will? Is free will located in the heart or in the intellect? If free will is located in the heart, what does this actually mean? If LOVE or fear are our only alternatives, how does free will relate to nature and nurture in the decision-making functions of the intellect? What is this 'peace that surpasses all intellectual understanding'? In One Degree of Freedom: Solving the Free Will Problem, Beyond Judgement and Retribution, psychologist Dr Phil Harker takes you on a deep journey through the inherent flaws in scientism, religious fundamentalism and secular humanism, right to the heart of these timeless questions. Using an interpretive framework of Transcendental Idealism, Dr Harker shows that "Who am I?" and "What choice do I have?" are, in essence, the same question and hence have the same answer. The idea of a separated, autonomous personal 'self' is without foundation in ultimate reality. Harker introduces multiple reasons for refuting the generally accepted individual self as our true and only identity. Rather, he proposes that both our true identity and free will reside at the unseen focal point of the structure of Being-Itself. This is the all-powerful answer to the questions addressed in this book. It will then be shown how free will can seamlessly interface with the laws of nature that govern the function, though not the purpose, of our fleeting experience of individuating temporality, full of risk and limitation, in a space-time universe. Building on his solution to the free will problem, Harker returns to the foundational religious literature of the West to reveal that this concept of free will, though concealed in allegory and metaphor, has been hidden in plain sight in the seemingly historical stories of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Arguing from the central theme that in material forms we experience a kind of 'death' in space and time via a cosmic dream of separation and specialness, he inverts the traditional concept wherein 'life' is followed by 'death'. Having served its transcendent purpose, this dream of 'death' is ended by the awakening and return to spirit life, which is our true and eternal Identity. This offers an astoundingly beautiful, perfectly safe meaning and purpose to an otherwise meaningless experience in a world of suffering and death. Harker also shows that this perennial philosophy is entirely consistent with the earliest spiritual literature of the East as it arose in India. The saying 'failure is not an option' is revealed to be finally true in this surprising story of hope for a world that offers no lasting hope at all.
This is the story of a remarkable pioneer Baptist missionary who established churches, and influenced communities, along the Great Southern Railway in Western Australia from 1898-1929. William Kennedy was an ordinary man who lived a life of extraordinary influence with his unerring faith and his determination to "find a way or make one". Although his name is immortalised in Kennedy Baptist College, William Kennedy Way in Narrogin, and several other organisations, he could not be considered famous or well known. He spoke out against social evils, including alcohol, and yet even publicans respected him and supported his causes. Publican, pioneer and mayor of Narrogin, Michael Brown, said that 'Me and Mr Kennedy built Narrogin". Kennedy had such a gift for water locating (or divining), that the WA Government gave him a first-class rail pass to travel throughout the southern half of the state to find water for remote farmers and communities - even though Kennedy claimed he had no idea how he did it. He and his wife lived a life of poverty and sacrifice, struggling with health issues on numerous occasions. Why? Because of a love for Jesus Christ, to whom he gave his entire life without reserve.
Bogdan Vulpe's empire is ruled with an iron fist. No one disobeys. That had been his way in Romania; so why should the City of Melbourne be any different?Killing Justice leads you into a world of unbridled violence. Murder, extortion and anything else that Volpe needs to succeed will be used. If he has to take retribution against officers of the highest court in the land, so be it. This latest challenge to Tony Signorotto and his loyal team is his toughest yet. Not only is he battling a violent criminal gang, but changes in the ranks of his beloved Carlton police force will pit him against an ambitious, careerist police Superintendent more interested in glory than justice. The fight to uphold the laws of the State continue in the gripping fourth instalment in the Tony Signorotto crime series.
