In one of the most iconic images from World War II, a Russian soldier raises a red flag atop the ruins of the German Reichstag on April 30, 1945. Known as the Victory Banner, this piece of fabric has come to symbolize Russian triumph, glory, and patriotism. Facsimiles are used in public celebrations all over the country, and an exact replica is the centerpiece in the annual Victory Parade in Moscow’s Red Square. The Victory Banner Over the Reichstag examines how and why this symbol was created, the changing media of its expression, and the contested evolution of its message. From association with Stalinism and communism to its acquisition of Russian nationalist meaning, Jeremy Hicks demonstrates how this symbol was used to construct a collective Russian memory of the war. He traces how the Soviets, and then Vladimir Putin, have used this image and the banner itself to build a remarkably powerful mythology of Russian greatness.

Based on the author's previous publication The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, this handbook contains an array of symbols and motifs, accompanied by succinct explanations. It provides treatment of the essential Tibetan religious figures, themes and motifs, both secular and religious.

Death is often thought of as the inescapable terminus of life"€"something which, in the end, overpowers and conquers us. But in Christian theology, the death of Christ has central significance for our salvation. Christ died victoriously, conquering death and triumphing over his and our enemies. His death is our life. This glorious truth occupied a large place in the thinking of Scottish theologian Hugh Martin (1822"€"85). Martin is best known for his mind-stretching books such as The Atonement and The Shadow of Calvary, and for his insightful character study of Simon Peter. But there exists a significant corpus of largely forgotten shorter writings from his pen which major on the significance of the cross of Christ. This volume brings together a number of Martin's sermons, essays and letters, many of which have not been published since the nineteenth century.

There have been reports of the amazing capacity of some of the Tibetan Buddhist Monks practicing Tummo meditation in Tibetan Buddhism at temperatures of around -250 C in the Himalayas. A team of scientists from USA and Israel went to these spots by carrying some dry towels with them. When these towels were made wet in the snow and spread on the naked bodies of the semi-nude meditating monks practicing Tummo meditation, to the surprise of these scientists, these towels were getting dried up in no time. Subsequently the analysts came to the conclusion that this meditation generated a lot of heat (inner fire) in the bodies of these meditators who were using it for the spiritual purpose. This incident triggered me to go deep in not only about Tummo meditation but many other profound meditation practices in Tibetan Buddhism in this book.