Selasa, 16 September 2014

[C140.Ebook] Fee Download Step-By-Step Tai Chi, by Master Lam Kam-Chuen

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Step-By-Step Tai Chi, by Master Lam Kam-Chuen

Step-By-Step Tai Chi, by Master Lam Kam-Chuen



Step-By-Step Tai Chi, by Master Lam Kam-Chuen

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Step-By-Step Tai Chi, by Master Lam Kam-Chuen

Tone your body, relax your mind.

Whatever your level of fitness, Step-by-Step Tai Chi offers a simple but effective program of exercise and stress reduction, based on the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi. In addition to learning the fundamentals of Tai Chi through his carefully designed four-level program, Master Lam Kam Chuen will introduce you to Small Circle Form Tai Chi, an original method he has developed—based on classical Tai Chi styles—requiring a minimum of time and space.

Step-by-Step Tai Chi features:

* Detailed and easy-to-follow instruction for the basic movements of Tai Chi, plus Small Circle Form, complete with color illustrations that will guide you through every movement

* Specially selected exercises to help you build up strength, flexibility, and stamina in the muscles and joints of your upper and lower body

* Simple routines that you can perform in half an hour or less, with no previous experience, special clothing, or equipment required

* An ideal foundation if you wish to study advanced forms of Tai Chi

Whether you are looking for a way to reduce stress or a new way to exercise, Step-by-Step Tai Chi will keep you fit—inside and out.

  • Sales Rank: #76963 in Books
  • Published on: 1994-10-01
  • Released on: 1994-10-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 6.63" h x .30" w x 7.37" l, .89 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 144 pages
Features
  • Step-By-Step Tai Chi

Most helpful customer reviews

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful.
I got lucky buying this as my first Tai Chi book!
By carl smith
I'll be brief. This is a great introductory book for us Westerners. This is 99% physical, and 1% metaphysical. It contains nothing about Chi/Qi or Qi Gong, and the motions are not from any of the major styles. Rather, the book presents a sort of "beginer's" form called Small Circle form. The book is a methodical and organized introduction to Tai Chi movements. The things you will learn in this book through its fantastic illustrations and explinations will give you the foundation you will need to tackle a class/style. The best part of this book is the way it focuses on posture, breathing, and warming up. Its self paced, but is designed to be done slowly and practiced daily, but thats up to your goals. Worth every dime. Start here before you get too crazy on spending.

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
Best introductory book I've seen!
By A Customer
Easy to understand illustrations and clear writing make this a good book for beginners and the curious. It includes (but doesn't emphasize) the spiritual/ somatopsychic aspects, so it's good for those exploring the totality of the art, and for the merely curious looking for a low impact exercise. I think Tai Chi could be a great exercise for those with chronic illness or pain, because it targets the postural muscles (which are often lacking in those with prolonged illness or back injury/ surgery).

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
The Best Tai Chi Starting Book
By A Customer
The book explains Tai Chi really step by step. It explains philosophy of Tai Chi, warming movements, working with a partner, and 24-Movements. The book explains each movement and what to do. (how to breathe, how to stand, how to relax, etc.)

See all 73 customer reviews...

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Senin, 15 September 2014

[I725.Ebook] Download Ebook Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan

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Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan



Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan

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Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan

Film analysis starts here.

Looking at Movies is the most effective introduction to film analysis available. From its very first chapter, Looking at Movies provides students with the tools they need to become perceptive viewers of film. The Fourth Edition is not only more comprehensive, but also more accessible and sophisticated in its integration of media.

  • Sales Rank: #13931 in Books
  • Brand: W. W. Norton & Company
  • Published on: 2012-10-09
  • Ingredients: Example Ingredients
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 10.00" h x 1.10" w x 8.00" l, 2.82 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 640 pages
Features
  • Used Book in Good Condition

About the Author
Richard Barsam (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is the author of Nonfiction Film: A Critical History (rev., exp. ed. 1992), The Vision of Robert Flaherty: The Artist as Myth and Filmmaker (1988), In the Dark: A Primer for the Movies (1977), and Filmguide to "Triumph of the Will" (1975); editor of Nonfiction Film Theory and Criticism (1976); and contributing author to Paul Monaco’s The Sixties: 1960–1969 (Vol. 8, History of the American Cinema, 2001) and Filming Robert Flaherty’s "Louisiana Story": The Helen Van Dongen Diary (ed. Eva Orbanz, 1998). His articles and book reviews have appeared in Cinema Journal, Quarterly Review of Film Studies, Film Comment, Studies in Visual Communication, and Harper’s. He has been a member of the Executive Council of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the Editorial Board of Cinema Journal, and the Board of Advisers of the History of American Cinema series, and he cofounded the journal Persistence of Vision.

Dave Monahan (M.F.A., Columbia University) is Associate Professor and Chair of Film Studies at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. His work as a writer, director, or editor includes Ringo (2005), Monkey Junction (2005), Prime Time (1996), and Angels Watching Over Me (1993). His work has been screened internationally in over fifty film festivals and has earned numerous awards, including the New Line Cinema Award for Most Original Film (Prime Time) and the Seattle International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short Film (Ringo).

Most helpful customer reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Perhaps the Best General Introduction to Film (Text only)
By T in Utah
I've been using Barsam's book for several years now in my film class, having chosen it to replace Giannetti's "Understanding Movies," and before that, Bordwell/Thompson's "Film Art: An Introduction." My current students like it and so do I (and my students who have used Giannetti's text and Pramaggiore's "Film: A Critical Introduction" in other classes say they prefer the Barsam to both of those).

Barsam covers all the requisite formal elements (narrative, cinematography, mise-en-scene, acting, editing, etc.), usually devoting a chapter to each topic--as do almost all film books of this type. But Barsam's book is better organized than most. Giannetti, by contrast, has a entire chapter on movement, whereas Barsam handles camera movement in his cinematography chapter and movement within the image in his chapter on mise-en-scene--which I think makes much more sense. And Barsam strikes a nice balance between academic rigor and accessibility (I stopped using the Bordwell/Thompson, which is often considered the standard, because undergraduate students found the tone too scholarly and the discussions too obtuse). The new 3rd edition of "Looking at Movies" adds a valuable and much-needed chapter on film history and expands the discussion of film technology, production and marketing. And of course, Barsam's book (like most others) is copiously illustrated, with helpful captions (and the layout and design is better in Barsam's than in most other texts of this sort). The writing is engaging, readable and informative. In short, a great text.

The new edition does have a few weaknesses, however--at least, in my opinion. Firstly, the book now takes an awfully long time to get going: Barsam has added and re-arranged material into three long wind-up chapters introducing film appreciation, film forms and film types. The better solution--I think--would have been simply to revise the old material and include the new material (as well as some of the original material) in other other chapters where it topically belongs (moving the discussion of genres, for example, into the chapter on narrative). As is, the reader (or teacher and student) either has to wade through all that preliminary discussion prior to getting to the really meaty material, or she has to jump around in the book and split up the reading so as to address everything that is topically related in one read. Secondly, Barsam now pays almost no attention at all to film theory and theorists, even in the film history chapter (Giannetti, by contrast, has an entire chapter on theory, while other authors cover theory piecemeal throughout their respective texts). The 2nd edition had an entire chapter on film theory and criticism. It was admittedly a bit clunky, but the better solution would have been to rewrite it, not remove it entirely--which leaves a gaping hole in what is otherwise admirable coverage of all the important topics. Lastly, Barsam has a quirky understanding of mise-en-scene, broadening the concept so much that it becomes almost synonymous with the movie per se, rather than restricting mise-en-scene to a focus on the image and its composition and constituent components--although, to his credit, Barsam admits as much to the reader and then proceeds to handle his actual analyses much as everyone else does.

It is possible to buy the text bundled with a small booklet on writing about movies (which is a pretty good treatment) and a truly excellent dvd with film shorts and some of the best tutorials (by David Monahan) available anywhere. The dvd alone is almost worth the purchase price of the book, and is an invaluable student resource.

All things considered, then, (despite the puzzling loss of the theory chapter), Barsam's "Looking at Movies" is the best all-around choice for an introduction to film text, and I highly recommend it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
For a textbook, this is actually a good book to read.
By Shenandoah
Nearly finished with my class on American Cinema and I've found this book to be very useful. Before you're halfway through you will find yourself looking at movies differently. Not only is it informative but it makes the subject matter interesting. If you buy used, make sure you get one that comes with the DVD's; they are necessary. Film is a visual media and the DVD's show you what the book tells you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Perhaps the Best General Introduction to Film (Text + DVD + Booklet)
By T in Utah
I've been using Barsam's book for several years now in my film class, having chosen it to replace Giannetti's "Understanding Movies," and before that, Bordwell/Thompson's "Film Art: An Introduction." My current students like it and so do I (and my students who have used Giannetti's text and Pramaggiore's "Film: A Critical Introduction" in other classes say they prefer the Barsam to both of those).

Barsam covers all the requisite formal elements (narrative, cinematography, mise-en-scene, acting, editing, etc.), usually devoting a chapter to each topic--as do almost all film books of this type. But Barsam's book is better organized than most. Giannetti, by contrast, has a entire chapter on movement, whereas Barsam handles camera movement in his cinematography chapter and movement within the image in his chapter on mise-en-scene--which I think makes much more sense. And Barsam strikes a nice balance between academic rigor and accessibility (I stopped using the Bordwell/Thompson, which is often considered the standard, because undergraduate students found the tone too scholarly and the discussions too obtuse). The new 3rd edition of "Looking at Movies" adds a valuable and much-needed chapter on film history and expands the discussion of film technology, production and marketing. And of course, Barsam's book (like most others) is copiously illustrated, with helpful captions (and the layout and design is better in Barsam's than in most other texts of this sort). The writing is engaging, readable and informative. In short, a great text.

The new edition does have a few weaknesses, however--at least, in my opinion. Firstly, the book now takes an awfully long time to get going: Barsam has added and re-arranged material into three long wind-up chapters introducing film appreciation, film forms and film types. The better solution--I think--would have been simply to revise the old material and include the new material (as well as some of the original material) in other other chapters where it topically belongs (moving the discussion of genres, for example, into the chapter on narrative). As is, the reader (or teacher and student) either has to wade through all that preliminary discussion prior to getting to the really meaty material, or she has to jump around in the book and split up the reading so as to address everything that is topically related in one read. Secondly, Barsam now pays almost no attention at all to film theory and theorists, even in the film history chapter (Giannetti, by contrast, has an entire chapter on theory, while other authors cover theory piecemeal throughout their respective texts). The 2nd edition had an entire chapter on film theory and criticism. It was admittedly a bit clunky, but the better solution would have been to rewrite it, not remove it entirely--which leaves a gaping hole in what is otherwise admirable coverage of all the important topics. Lastly, Barsam has a quirky understanding of mise-en-scene, broadening the concept so much that it becomes almost synonymous with the movie per se, rather than restricting mise-en-scene to a focus on the image and its composition and constituent components--although, to his credit, Barsam admits as much to the reader and then proceeds to handle his actual analyses much as everyone else does.

It is possible to buy the text bundled with a small booklet on writing about movies (which is a pretty good treatment) and a truly excellent dvd with film shorts and some of the best tutorials (by David Monahan) available anywhere. The dvd alone is almost worth the purchase price of the book, and is an invaluable student resource.

All things considered, then, (despite the puzzling loss of the theory chapter), Barsam's "Looking at Movies" is the best all-around choice for an introduction to film text, and I highly recommend it.

See all 106 customer reviews...

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, 4th Edition, by Richard Barsam, Dave Monahan PDF
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Senin, 08 September 2014

[W497.Ebook] Download PDF The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks

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The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks

The Culture – a human/machine symbiotic society – has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empure of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game...a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life – and very possibly his death.

  • Sales Rank: #1860286 in Books
  • Published on: 1990-11
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 7.09" h x 1.18" w x 4.21" l,
  • Binding: Mass Market Paperback
  • 399 pages

Amazon.com Review
In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's a playground society of sports, stellar cruises, parties, and festivals. Jernau Gurgeh, a famed master game player, is looking for something more and finds it when he's invited to a game tournament at a small alien empire. Abruptly Banks veers into different territory. The Empire of Azad is exotic, sensual, and vibrant. It has space battle cruisers, a glowing court--all the stuff of good old science fiction--which appears old-fashioned in contrast to Gurgeh's home. At first it's a relief, but further exploration reveals the empire to be depraved and terrifically unjust. Its defects are gross exaggerations of our own, yet they indict us all the same. Clearly Banks is interested in the idea of a future where everyone can be mature and happy. Yet it's interesting to note that in order to give us this compelling adventure story, he has to return to a more traditional setting. Thoughtful science fiction readers will appreciate the cultural comparisons, and fans of big ideas and action will also be rewarded. --Brooks Peck

From Library Journal
The Culture's greatest game player travels to the Empire of Azad to participate in a complex competition that could settle the fates of two civilizations. Theauthor of Consider Phlebas vividlyportrays an empire ruled by arcane conventions and sophisticated brutality in an ambitious novel of gamesmanship and intrigue. Supple prose and subtle manipulations of plot produce a thought-provoking story which is highly recommended.-- JC
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION Poetic, humorous, baffling, terrifying, sexy - the books of Iain M. Banks are all these things and more NME Banks is an incredibly talented writer. All his books are lively and entertaining. They are laced with a wry humour, fascinating characters and inspired plots. THE PLAYER OF GAMES, I am pleased to say is no exception... Go on, treat yourself, you won't be disappointed. STARBURST In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's Brooks Peck, AMAZON.CO.UK

Most helpful customer reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
The Place To Start Your Culture Journey
By G-Dexter
About six months ago I decided to finally dip my toes into the big pond that is "The Culture," a series of ten books set in a vast galactic civilization. I started with Banks' first book in the series, "Consider Phlebas" - an entertaining if somewhat improbable adventure in which the main character is actually an enemy of The Culture. While I enjoyed that book, I never really got a very thorough understanding of what the Culture itself was all about, who they were, how they were structured, or reasons behind the war in which they were engaged.

After a short interval to reflect, I've now read the second book in the series: "The Player Of Games," in which Banks has done a great job of laying out the basic precepts of his universe. I now have a much better understanding and appreciation for the complexity and scale of his vision. Indeed, I can now grasp some of the actions taken by various characters in "Consider Phlebas" and the story makes better sense to me in reflection. While the first book had autonomous "Minds" and petulant "Drones," they all seemed fanciful and somewhat nonsensical. Now I more clearly understand their actions and motives.

As for the actual story, "Player Of Games" is a tightly structured examination of one individual, the ultimate strategist and grand wizard of gaming in the galaxy. This is his story as he is inserted into a barbaric and backward empire whose social structures, religions and politics all center around a complex series of games (or one large game) from which all wealth, privilege and power is derived. Is he there as an ambassador, a subversive spy for The Culture, or just to play the game? Even he doesn't know for sure. The characters are great, the story is complex yet very fast paced and highly entertaining. There are no slow spots - just taught story telling of the highest caliber.

As with all great science fiction, there are plenty of corollaries and allusions to our real world issues, which ultimately makes the book worth reading; more than just a ripping good yarn. If you're like me, a relative newcomer to The Culture books, I cannot imagine there is a better place to start than with "The Player Of Games." I wish I had read it first, as it has given me a greater appreciation for Phlebas. I'm well an truly hooked now, and will plow on through the rest of the series with great anticipation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
The second Culture novel
By TChris
Iain M. Banks began his series of novels about the Culture in Consider Phlebas. I enjoyed that novel but thought it had a number of flaws. To my mind, Banks hit his stride as a science fiction writer with his second Culture novel, A Player of Games. It is an impressive examination of how social, political, and cultural structures are used to control individuals, as seen primarily from the standpoint of a gamer.

Jernau Gurgeh is a famed game player. He has mastered pretty much every popular game, no mean trick for someone who does not specialize in any particular game. He has devoted his life to game scholarship which, in Banks’ utopian future, is as good a way of using up your life as any other.

The Contact section of Culture has been interacting with a galactic empire that acquires power over other planets by the ruthless use of force. Leadership in the empire is determined through a series of games. The ultimate winner becomes the Emperor, while a good showing assures political or military appointments. None of that would bother the Culture except for the empire’s cruelty toward pretty much everyone who isn’t in power, including residents of the planets it conquers.

The Culture manipulates Gurgeh into playing the empire’s game after manipulating the empire into inviting Gurgeh to play. Having accepted the challenge, Gurgeh experiences a series of emotional highs and lows as he confronts his feelings about the game, the empire, the Culture, and his life as a game player.

The novel has some funny moments, mostly involving Gurgeh’s interaction with the prissy machine that the Culture has assigned to assist him, but the novel isn’t humor-based, as are some of Banks’ later Culture novels. Banks includes a nice mix of action scenes, but The Player of Games isn’t really an action novel. It’s more of a psychological thriller in a science fiction setting. Playing the games takes a toll on Gurgeh, as do his discoveries about the nature of the empire and the consequences of the game he has chosen to play. His turmoil and the evolution of his character is the novel’s strongest feature.

The Player of Games has something to say about the nature of empires and of any political or social system that relies on subjugation or that denies freedom. None of its insights on those subjects are fresh or surprising but that doesn’t lessen their importance. A stronger and subtler theme, I think, is that games are not a model for governance. Banks makes the reader understand that competition, while fun in a harmless game in which honorable players do not cheat, leads to war and corruption when it becomes the basis for acquiring political power.

The Player of Games is fun, smart, exciting, and meaningful. I think it’s one of Banks’ best science fiction novels, and one of his best novels overall.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
A good story about alien societies
By James F. Mcenanly
This book is different from others along similar lines in that both societies are radically different from ours. The featured civilization, the Culture, uses neural networks for biological people, like our protagonist Gurgeh, to communicate directly with cybernetic people. The other society is the Empire of Azad, which is trisexual society, ruled by the Apices, who are bisexual, taking advantage of both the males and females, who they basically treat as slaves. The Empire takes its name from their game of A sad, which is to chess what chess is to rock, paper scissors.
There was a mention of a labyrinth prison, which I took to be a Chekhov's gun, something that the protagonist would have to deal with later on. It is, instead, a metaphor for Azadian society, which is a dictatorship, where even the highest members of the ruling class can be summarily tortured and executed. Sometimes the torture and execution are the same act.
The author shows us great detail of the Empire, from Imperial palaces to red light districts to slums. The climax is set on a world with an ever raging fire which sweeps around the planet. The author shows great imagination in constructing and describing these places.
I hadn't read the first book at the time of this writing, but I was able to grasp much of the workings of the Culture. I will have to read the first book as soon as possible.

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The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks PDF
The Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks PDF