Hope is fuel. For Jesus' disciples, the hope of seeing their risen Lord again, face to face, powered their endurance through persecution, their patience in discipling new believers, and their courage to renounce injustice and sinful passions. But have we set aside that fuel because the topic of Jesus' return is mired in confusion and controversy? Many Christians have lost or overlooked the importance of the Lord's appearing, resulting in a sluggish, ineffective faith. What if there is a way to recapture spiritual momentum? What if we could tap into the apostles' longing to simply be in the presence of the resurrected Christ without getting entangled in date-setting or disagreements about the Millennium? And what if this fresh hope could drive our daily responses to temptation, affliction, discouragement, and life in a broken world? In Bright Hope for Tomorrow, pastor Chris Davis points the way forward. Exploring the return of Jesus on the terms of the New Testament letters, this book looks at portraits of Jesus' appearing, rhythms necessary to maintain expectancy (including gathering, fasting, and resting), and the practical transformation such anticipation effects. Bright Hope for Tomorrow is not the next new thing. Rather, it is a recovery of what has been lost by end-times studies that have veered into peripheral concerns. Join this return to the gospel center: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

The widespread academic study of educational technology blossomed in the years following the development of the microprocessor. Of course, that is not to say that education was technology-free before the 1970s: the telephone, wireless radio, cinema, television, and mainframe computers had all in their time been heralded as educational marvels. But the scale of change, and the academic practices that responded to it, became of an entirely different order with the arrival of personal computers, promising as they did access for ordinary people to cheaper, faster, and smarter benefits of science and technology. From that historic moment onwards, it was increasingly common to hear educationalists, computer experts, journalists, and politicians proclaiming that these new technologies would transform the world of education, for better or for worse. In the midst of this excitement (and, often, hype), Education and Technology researchers have, via empirical investigation and the development of novel or revised theoretical perspectives, explored the impact of new technologies on learning, pedagogy, design, policy, and the future of educational institutions. Psychology, Computer Science, Sociology, Pedagogical Studies, Communications, and Economics have all contributed to the domain, and connections have begun to be made to create a coherent body of thought and practice. But, while Education and Technology has stimulated a tremendous amount of published material, much of that work has been contaminated by political and commercial interests. Indeed, the dizzying quantity (and variable quality) of much research makes it difficult to discriminate the useful from the tendentious, superficial, and otiose. Now, as part of Routledge's Major Themes in Education series, the editors of this new collection, two leading scholars from the University of Oxford's Department of Education and the University's Internet Institute, have undertaken the task of determining and bringing together in a one-stop resource the major works in Education and Technology. With a full index, and thoughtful introductions, newly written by the editors, Education and Technology will be valued by scholars, students, and policy-makers as a vital and enduring resource.

This book examines the presence and effects of new technologies in the lives of young people. The rapid pace of change in the development and use of digital technologies, and the likely impact this has on youth, means that the topic has wide implications for educational institutions, theory and practice. There is a demand for a concentration on the ways in which new devices such as smart phones and tablets, as well as new platforms and recent notions such as the 'flipped classroom', are affecting the way education is being provided. However, there is also still a small minority who do not have full access to the internet, and the disadvantages suffered by this group must also be addressed. The internet offers a vast range of opportunities for young people, and yet for various reasons it is not always available. This can partly be attributed to the controls that schools impose on the use of digital technology, for reasons of safety and security, and can in part be explained by the fact that policy makers have contradictory attitudes to technology. While they may argue for the need to have a well-educated and well-trained workforce, they fear the threats to privacy and safety posed by the internet. This book asserts that society needs to have more open debate about the threats and opportunities of digital technology as it is a dynamic and ever-changing topic for us all. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Oxford Review of Education.

Following the release of Ridley Scott's Gladiator in 2000 the ancient world epic has experienced a revival in studio and audience interest. Building on existing scholarship on the Cold War epics of the 1950s-60s, including Ben-Hur, Spartacus and The Robe, this original study explores the current cycle of ancient world epics in cinema within the social and political climate created by September 11th 2001. Examining films produced against the backdrop of the War on Terror and subsequent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, this book assesses the relationship between mainstream cinema and American society through depictions of the ancient world, conflict and faith. Davies explores how these films evoke depictions of the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Western in portraying warfare in the ancient world, as well as discussing the influence of genre hybridisation, narration and reception theory. He questions the extent to which ancient world epics utilise allegory, analogy and allusion to parallel past and present in an industry often dictated by market forces. Featuring analysis of Alexander, Troy, 300, Centurion, The Eagle, The Passion of the Christ and more, this book offers new insight on the continued evolution of the ancient world epic in cinema.

The popular media often presents a negative picture of young people and technology. From addiction to gaming, the distractions of the Internet, to the risks of social networking, the downsides of new technology in the lives of teenagers are often over-blown."

Teenagers and Technology" presents a balanced picture of the part played by technology in the lives of young people. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted over several years, this book offers a timely and non-sensational exploration of teenagersOCO experiences and opinions about the digital technologies they use, desire and dislike.

The book covers a range of topical subjects including:

• Social networking and online engagement in the wider social world
• Building online self-identity and group membership
• Technology in the home
• Developing technology skills in support of learning
• Drawing on technological resources in the journey towards adulthood.

Grounded in what young people actually say about using new technology in their daily lives, "Teenagers and Technology" presents a picture in which young people have in some respects a unique relationship to technology, but one that is actually not exceptional or of a completely different order to how people in general relate to it.

By providing a nuanced view on the topic, "Teenagers and Technology" counters the extreme accounts of OCydigital youthOCO, and exaggerated anxieties created by the mass media. It will be of interest to students and academics working in the fields of adolescent and Internet studies, along with education professionals, practitioners, teenagers and their parents. "

The popular media often presents a negative picture of young people and technology. From addiction to gaming, the distractions of the Internet, to the risks of social networking, the downsides of new technology in the lives of teenagers are often over-blown. Teenagers and Technology presents a balanced picture of the part played by technology in the lives of young people. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted over several years, this book offers a timely and non-sensational exploration of teenagers' experiences and opinions about the digital technologies they use, desire and dislike. The book covers a range of topical subjects including: Social networking and online engagement in the wider social world Building online self-identity and group membership Technology in the home Developing technology skills in support of learning Drawing on technological resources in the journey towards adulthood. Grounded in what young people actually say about using new technology in their daily lives, Teenagers and Technology presents a picture in which young people have in some respects a unique relationship to technology, but one that is actually not exceptional or of a completely different order to how people in general relate to it. By providing a nuanced view on the topic, Teenagers and Technology counters the extreme accounts of 'digital youth', and exaggerated anxieties created by the mass media. It will be of interest to students and academics working in the fields of adolescent and Internet studies, along with education professionals, practitioners, teenagers and their parents.

Despite the substantial decline of coal mining in the UK over the last three decades, until recently, coal was still a vital energy source for the nation's power stations. During 2013 and 2014, coal accounted for 36 per cent of all UK rail freight, but that amount plummeted in 2015 due to the doubling of the top-up carbon tax, a measure implemented to encourage power stations to use greener fuels. With the government's phase-out of all coal-fired power stations by 2025, many have already closed. South Wales is one of the last places in the UK where coal is still mined and despatched by rail for domestic consumption. Aberthaw power station was the principal customer for this coal until 2017, when they turned to imported coal. This measure was taken to reduce toxic nitrogen emissions at the plant and was the beginning of the end for the power station, which finally closed in late 2019. Coal is still mined in South Wales and is supplied by rail to Tata steel in Port Talbot, to British Steel's Scunthorpe works, to Breedon cement works in Derbyshire and to Immingham for export. However, the future of the industry remains uncertain as we move away from fossil fuels towards more eco-friendly forms of energy. This book looks at the last of the coaling operations in South Wales, from 2013 to early 2020, and features over 190 colour images of coal trains running to and from the mine sites along the scenic South Wales Valleys and the picturesque stretch of coastline that the Vale of Glamorgan line takes to Aberthaw.

‘The Rules of Engagement’ is a raw and gripping novel that grabs you hard around the collar, pulls you in and doesn’t let go, exploring friendship during the toughest of times. Jamie, known affectionately as ‘Taz’, plays rugby league for his local team on a Saturday. But he struggles to forget his ex-girlfriend, and his life starts to crumble. As he falls into a deep depression, his teammates step up in an effort to pull him out.

The head of a large and prosperous family walks for no apparent reason into the path of an advancing express train; a disgraced Royal Navy officer and his heiress wife fail to make their fortune in 1870s South Carolina; a young girl, abused by her stepfather, grows up looking for love and someone she can trust; a modern young vicar with a relish for progress marries into a family still clinging to their Victorian certainties; Charlie Chaplin roams the mean streets of south London, while in Oxford William Morris destroys the life of an innocent young bluestocking; young soldiers go to war and are never seen again. This is an engrossing tale of a family that insists on correct behaviour and the avoidance of unpleasantness, even if the truth of their lives is often somewhat different. The story takes us from the height of Victorian power and confidence, through the social and technological upheavals of the early twentieth century, and into the First World War. At the heart of the story are three women: sisters Nell and Mary Harriette, one living life to the full and the other wishing she could, and Nell's daughter Frances, who exchanges the unpredictability of life with her mother for the only too predictable world of her aunt back in England. The novel follows them and the people they love as each one navigates the narrow path between family expectation and private happiness.

Following the release of Ridley Scott's Gladiator in 2000 the ancient world epic has experienced a revival in studio and audience interest. Building on existing scholarship on the Cold War epics of the 1950s-60s, including Ben-Hur, Spartacus and The Robe, this original study explores the current cycle of ancient world epics in cinema within the social and political climate created by September 11th 2001. Examining films produced against the backdrop of the War on Terror and subsequent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, this book assesses the relationship between mainstream cinema and American society through depictions of the ancient world, conflict and faith. Davies explores how these films evoke depictions of the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the Western in portraying warfare in the ancient world, as well as discussing the influence of genre hybridisation, narration and reception theory. He questions the extent to which ancient world epics utilise allegory, analogy and allusion to parallel past and present in an industry often dictated by market forces. Featuring analysis of Alexander, Troy, 300, Centurion, The Eagle, The Passion of the Christ and more, this book offers new insight on the continued evolution of the ancient world epic in cinema.

Amid the rising nationalism and racial politics that culminated in World War II, European countries wishing to "purify" their nations often forced unwanted populations to migrate. The targeted minorities had few options, but as R. Chris Davis shows, they sometimes used creative tactics to fight back, redefining their identities to serve their own interests. Davis's highly illuminating example is the case of the little-known Moldavian Csangos, a Hungarian- and Romanian-speaking community of Roman Catholics in eastern Romania. During World War II, some in the Romanian government wanted to expel them. The Hungarian government saw them as Hungarians and wanted to settle them on lands confiscated from other groups. Resisting deportation, the clergy of the Csangos enlisted Romania's leading racial anthropologist, collected blood samples, and rewrote a millennium of history to claim Romanian origins and national belonging-thus escaping the discrimination and violence that devastated so many of Europe's Jews, Roma, Slavs, and other minorities. In telling their story, Davis offers fresh insight to debates about ethnic allegiances, the roles of science and religion in shaping identity, and minority politics past and present.