'hilarious' - Cycling Weekly A delightful celebration of cycling from renowned cartoonist and multiple-bike owner Dave Walker. With over 100 full-page cartoons that give an affectionate take on cycling in all its different forms, featuring cartoons about road cycling, mountain biking and bike ownership, via sportives and commuting - celebrating the simple pleasure of getting from A to B on two wheels.

'As informative as it is entertaining - read it, you won't regret it' Paula Gooder Beards have had cultural and religious significance for thousands of years. A fascinating story is to be told of the religious significance of beards from the ancient civilisations to today. This book will survey beard theology from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia, to the Jews of Jesus's day and through to the early Church fathers who strongly promoted the beard, the Latin church which outlawed it leading up to and after the Great Schism of 1054. We will pursue the story of the protestant reformers and leaders of the evangelical revival of the 19th century all had plenty to say about the beard. This largely untold and intriguing story of the religious significance of beards and will contain a series of entertaining true historical stories, such as the cardinal who lost the papacy due to his beard, the female pharaoh who wore the fake beard and how beards were cited in the papal bull of excommunication that formalised the split of the Eastern and Western churches in the great schism. As well as providing a unique historical narrative, it also provides a subtle basis for reflection on current theological disputes and debates, gently inviting you to consider what parallels there are to the historical theological disputes which today seem trivial but caused heated passions in their day. It will entertain and inform in equal measure. 'A profound exploration of the way beliefs turn to rules . . . smart, funny and absolutely fascinating' Cole Moreton

The Golden Eagle is generally thought to be a well-known and well-documented species. However, much of the available literature is not necessarily in a form that can readily be used in the field. In fact, although much existing information about Golden Eagles has little supporting evidence it is still largely accepted without question. This book addresses this important issue and in doing so the author queries numerous long-held beliefs about Golden Eagles. He suggests that failure to recognize the limitations of the available evidence is not only detrimental to understanding eagle ecology but that it can undermine conservation efforts. The Fieldworker's Guide questions the reliability of existing knowledge and promotes a better understanding of the species through improved fieldwork. With 37 years of active, year-round investigative fieldwork experience of the Golden Eagle, the author has vast knowledge enabling him to shed light on these matters. He has a history of undertaking novel research on post-fledging studies, territories and the impact of changes in land use.In this context he discusses how best to undertake fieldwork to produce objective results, avoiding the influence of expectations and recognizing the many pitfalls into which an unwary observer might stumble. The book objectively reviews all aspects of Golden Eagle ecology, taking examples from many different locations and from site-specific studies in Scotland to compare and contrast the reliability and relevance of the evidence, highlighting the differences between casual and intensive fieldwork. It reviews all the elements of Golden Eagle ecology, from the species status, through the activities and roles of eagles of different gender, age and status, via territories, food and breeding, to habitat preferences, usage and even the influence of weather and observer activity on behavior and observations. It also gives due consideration to the failed and non-breeding elements of the population, topics that are widely ignored despite such eagles forming the bulk of the population for most of the year.To provide a better understanding of what fieldworkers and birdwatchers are likely to encounter, the author reviews the month-by-month activity of all classes of Golden Eagle and the influences that affect how their ecology is understood.

'As informative as it is entertaining - read it, you won't regret it' Paula Gooder Beards have had cultural and religious significance for thousands of years. A fascinating story is to be told of the religious significance of beards from the ancient civilisations to today. This book will survey beard theology from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia, to the Jews of Jesus's day and through to the early Church fathers who strongly promoted the beard, the Latin church which outlawed it leading up to and after the Great Schism of 1054. We will pursue the story of the protestant reformers and leaders of the evangelical revival of the 19th century all had plenty to say about the beard. This largely untold and intriguing story of the religious significance of beards and will contain a series of entertaining true historical stories, such as the cardinal who lost the papacy due to his beard, the female pharaoh who wore the fake beard and how beards were cited in the papal bull of excommunication that formalised the split of the Eastern and Western churches in the great schism. As well as providing a unique historical narrative, it also provides a subtle basis for reflection on current theological disputes and debates, gently inviting you to consider what parallels there are to the historical theological disputes which today seem trivial but caused heated passions in their day. It will entertain and inform in equal measure. 'A profound exploration of the way beliefs turn to rules . . . smart, funny and absolutely fascinating' Cole Moreton

This is an account of one man's 30-year involvement with England's rarest bird, the golden eagle. Initially employed by the RSPB as a senior species protection warden at a secret location in Cumbria, the author describes the intricacies of establishing a protection regime by wardens that would operate for the next 26 years and his efforts to protect and study this iconic species. The Lakeland eagles were at their most productive during his tenure, rearing six eaglets in the six years before he widened his interest to study eagles in Scotland as well as England. The author discovered and recorded many previously unknown facts about golden eagles. He began to plan and implement projects which would expand knowledge of the species as well as helping to secure their foothold in England. His project is the most detailed and complete study of a pair of golden eagles with, at its heart, the life and times of an eagle he followed from its arrival in 1982 until its death, 22 years later. A bird that would eventually show little fear of him and accept his presence rather than flee. The author recounts the hardships experienced by the eagle and eagle-watcher alike, and his record of behaviour at the nest is unparalleled. However, working with golden eagles is not without difficulties and the author's encounters with unsympathetic shepherds and poor decision-making are also described, as are his dealings with egg collectors who craved to add the rare English eagle eggs to their collections. His efforts to counter their intrusions even saw him rebuilding eagle eyries that had been so dispassionately destroyed! However, "Call of the Eagle" amply illustrates the close attachment and passion that drove the author to devote so much of his life to this magnificent raptor, famed as the King of Birds.

Dave Walker, cartoonist, cyclist, web editor and former church and youth worker, is the UK's most shrewd observer of the quirks of church life. His distinctive Guide to the Church cartoons appear weekly in the Church Times, and have made their way into books and calendars, onto mugs, tea-towels and T-shirts. This sixth collection of Dave's cartoons includes, among other things: * how drones, contactless payment and other new technology can come in handy in the local church * how to spot a new curate * the holiday club and how to survive it Now in a horizontal format for easier browsing - and laughing!

Dave Walker, cartoonist, web editor and former youth worker has become the UK'S leading cartoon commentator on the state of the Church. His uniquely styled Guide to the Church cartoons appear weekly in the Church Times, and many more can be found on Dave's website, www.cartoonchurch.com This fifth collection of cartoons offers advice on everything from arriving late in church to avoiding deanery synod, as well as a look into the secretive world of the sidesperson, a guide to spotting clergy in swimming pools, and advice on interviewing a new vicar. Anyone who finds themselves in church each week will find Dave's original and observant humour spot-on.

Is the Church of England in terminal decline, as some have forecast, or does it have a vigorous future? Reports of dwindling congregations, and waning influence, contrast with stories of motivated leadership, and solid growth. The Church Times decided it was time to give the C of E a thorough medical. Thirty-five specialists, including academics, researchers, parish priests, missioners and commentators, were asked to take the Church's temperature. They looked at its congregations, leadership, governance and social influence. And then they were invited to prescribe some remedies. Not everyone agreed, either about what is wrong or what needs to be done, but a serious, and alarming consensus has emerged - the patient does needs treatment, and it needs it urgently.

Dave Walker, cartoonist, web editor and former church youth worker has become the UK's leading cartoon commentator on the state of the Church. His uniquely styled Guide to the Church cartoons appear weekly in the Church Times as well as at cartoonchurch.com. From tables of churchgoing types to startling revelations of what people are thinking about during prayers, plus what actually happens to all those yoghurt pots collected for holiday club, this fourth collection of perfectly-observed cartoons will bring a smile to the face of any churchgoer.

After a botched robbery attempt, an ex-slave named Dismas - who is part of a band of callous thieves - finds himself thrust into a harrowing journey that will lead him throughout first century Judea. Despite finding a reason to care about something more than his own selfish gain, both Dismas? fate and that of the woman he has grown to love are propelled towards the band's most daring scheme yet: robbing three of the richest Jewish nobles in Jerusalem. The band will attempt all three robberies in the same night, during the city's bustling Passover season? with the help of a fanatical contact named Barabbas. But there is no honor among thieves and with much of Judea already in an uproar about an alleged messiah as well as another, more vicious, band of raiders terrorizing the roads outside of Jerusalem, Dismas will find that a swift Roman death on a cross may be the only fate possible for him.

Dave Walker, a thirty-something cartoonist, web editor and former church and community youth worker has become the UK'S leading cartoon commentator on the state of the Church (local and national). His Guide to the Church cartoons appear weekly in the Church Times, and on the paper's daily blog, and many more can be found on Dave's website, www.cartoonchurch.com. This is his third collection of cartoons. His first cartoon collection reprinted within three months and is now in its third printing. His second collection is in its second printing. His many fans will love this third volume with its Tweeting bishops, its sociological study of the average Lent group, its handy guide to weighing up the respective merits of going to a church service vs. an Alpha course, and a great deal more.

'My Pew: Things I Have Seen From It' is Dave's second cartoon collection and in it he reveals: the five worst places to sit in church, reasons to shut your eyes during a sermon, what the church can learn from the retail sector, clergy washing lines - what you can discover from them, sharing the peace - a handy mathematical formula, a tried and tested reality tv method for appointing a new vicar, a guide to deciding whether to go to church or watch the football. In addition, this publication is distinguished by including what may be the world's only wordless book introduction.

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, outsiders will have two versions of the Katrina experience. One version will be the images they recall from news coverage of the aftermath. The other will be the intimate portrayal of the determination of New Orleans residents to rebuild and recover their lives. HBO's Treme offers outsiders an inside look into why New Orleanians refused to abandon a place that many questioned should not be rebuilt after the levees failed. This critically acclaimed series expanded the boundaries of television making in its format, plot, casting, use of music, and realism-in-fictionalized-TV. However, Treme is not just a story for the outside gaze on New Orleans. It was a very local, collaborative experience where the show's creators sought to enlist the city in a commemorative project. Treme allowed many in the city who worked as principals, extras, and who tuned in as avid viewers to heal from the devastation of the disaster as they experimented with art, imitating life, imitating art. This book examines the impact of HBOs Treme not just as television making, but in the sense in which television provides a window to our worlds. The book pulls together scholarship in media, communications, gender, area studies, political economy, critical studies, African American studies and music to explain why Treme was not just about television.