bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of AI in Video Games
Authors: Ashish Bhutkuri  , Abdul Azeez  , Dheeraj Shetty  , Mohammed Saad  , Vikram  , Mr. Ramachandra H Y
Published: May 2024

AI brings up a new revolution for transforming the gaming business by improving gameplay, streamlining the process of creating new games, and opening up new avenues for user involvement. In order to better understand the many uses of AI in gaming, this review paper we will concentrate on three main areas: Automated testing, AI based NPC’s and Ethic of AI in practice. AI tools simplify the process of creating realistic settings, NPC behaviors, and dynamic storylines in game design and production. AI enhances player experience by offering tailored game experiences through intelligent teaching systems, variable difficulty, and improved NPC interactions that respond to player actions instantly. AI-driven procedural content generation makes it possible to create huge, varied game environments and objectives that provide players with one-of-a-kind, immersive experiences
Төтенше жағдай кезіндегі мемлекеттік сатып алулар.
Authors: Амирова М.А.
Published: May 2024

В данной статье описываются и анализируются нормативно-правовая база системы государственных закупок Казахстана, где в данный момент осуществляется процесс централизации, а также роль и значение управляющих ею организаций. Автор оценивает воздействие закона «О государственных закупках», принятого в 2015 году, и изменений к нему в период ЧП. Статья содержит анализ потенциальных преимуществ и рисков, связанных с дальнейшей централизацией государственных закупок в режиме ЧП, поскольку Казахстан намерен разрешить консолидацию закупочных заявок от различных государственных органов и организаций, и определяет меры, необходимые для осуществления централизации. И наконец, рассматриваются преимущества рамочных соглашений – инструмента, широко применяемого в сфере государственных закупок в странах ОЭСР.

Бұл мақалада қазіргі уақытта орталықтандыру процесі жүріп жатқан Қазақстандағы мемлекеттік сатып алу жүйесінің нормативтік-құқықтық базасы, сондай-ақ оны басқаратын ұйымдардың рөлі мен маңыздылығы сипатталған және талданған. Автор 2015 жылы қабылданған «Мемлекеттік сатып алу туралы» заңның әсері мен төтенше жағдай кезіндегі өзгерістерге баға береді. Мақалада төтенше жағдай режимінде мемлекеттік сатып алуды одан әрі орталықтандыруға байланысты әлеуетті артықшылықтар мен тәуекелдерге талдау жасалған, өйткені Қазақстан әртүрлі мемлекеттік органдар мен ұйымдардың сатып алуларға өтінімдерін біріктіруге мүмкіндік беруге ниетті және орталықтандыруды жүзеге асыру үшін қажетті шараларды белгілейді. Соңында ЭЫДҰ елдерінде мемлекеттік сатып алуда кеңінен қолданылатын құрал болып табылатын негіздемелік келісімдердің артықшылықтары қарастырылады.

This article describes and analyzes the regulatory framework of the public procurement system in Kazakhstan, where the centralization process is currently taking place, as well as the role and importance of the organizations managing it. The author assesses the impact of the law "On Public Procurement", adopted in 2015, and changes to it during the state of emergency. The article contains an analysis of the potential benefits and risks associated with further centralization of public procurement under the state of emergency, as Kazakhstan intends to allow the consolidation of procurement bids from various government bodies and organizations, and identifies the measures necessary to implement centralization. Finally, the benefits of framework agreements, a tool widely used in public procurement in OECD countries, are considered.
Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar
Authors: Clooney Francis X.
Published: May 2024

This autobiography traces Francis X. Clooney’s intellectual and spiritual journey from middle-class American Catholicism to a lifelong study of Hinduism. It explains how he came to fashion comparative theology as a way of learning interreligiously that is boldly intellectual and deeply personal and practical, lived out in intersections of his roles as theologian and scholar of Hinduism, as professor and Catholic priest, and over the tumultuous decades from the 1960s until now, in his role as Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University.

Clooney sheds fresh and realistic light on the idea and ideal of scholar-practitioner, since his wide learning, Christian and Hindu, is grounded in his Catholic and Jesuit commitments, as well as in a commensurate learning with respect to several Hindu traditions that are most accessible to scholars willing to learn empathetically and in a participatory manner.

What Clooney has learnt and written must be understood in terms of a love of Christ deeply informed by a Hindu instinct for loving God without reserve. A fundamental spiritual disposition – intuitions of God present everywhere - has energized his work over his long career, love giving direction and body to his professional academic work.
An Afghan Prince in Victorian England
Authors: McChesney R.D.
Published: May 2024

In 1894 Great Britain invited ‘Abd al-Rahman Khan, the amir of Afghanistan, to England for a state visit. Then at the height of its imperial might, Britain sought to strengthen ties with the strategically important Afghanistan, which shared a long frontier, not yet a border, with British India. The amir’s aim for the visit was to secure permission for an Afghan legation (embassy) in London while the British, unaware of this goal, hoped to overawe the amir with displays of military and industrial might as well as performances to show the strength and unity of British civil society. The amir, citing illness, ultimately declined the invitation but, in a calculated snub, sent his second son, Prince Nasr Allah Khan, in his place. This book narrates the events of the prince’s mission in a number of revealing ways. Using both British and Afghan sources, including the journal of a senior member of the Afghan contingent, McChesney places the visit in its international and historical context and analyzes the internal dynamics of the prince’s delegation, the seventy members of whom represented Afghanistan but included two Englishmen and two English–women. A further twenty members, representing the Government of (British) India, were as multi-ethnic and multilingual as the members of the Afghan delegation. This bilateral and complex mission left India in April 1895 and remained together for the next six months. From the beginning it was riven by incidents of misogyny, racism, and class conflict that affected its ability to perform its diplomatic functions. The reader gains insights into the goals and tactics of two asymmetrical yet competing powers as well as a rare look at the human element in this cross-cultural diplomatic encounter.
Ecocriticism and Turkey
Authors: Ergin Meliz
Published: May 2024

Situated between Europe and Asia, and surrounded by three seas, Turkey comprises a diverse environmental and cultural tapestry. Ecocriticism and Turkey is the first in-depth study to explore Turkish literary and cultural engagements with the environment. Ergin examines a wide range of ecocritical issues across four thematically organized chapters: "Sea," "Climate," "Routes," and "Animals." Each chapter addresses various dimensions of anthropogenic ecological change and highlights the role of literature in inspiring hope and action.

The book takes readers on various journeys from the coasts of the Aegean Sea to the mountains of Eastern Anatolia. Ergin converses with both twentieth-century writers to shed new light on familiar texts and contemporary writers to capture emerging perspectives, including Rum, Laz, Kurdish, and Armenian voices in her discussion. The study is further enriched by an interdisciplinary inquiry that brings literature into dialogue with climate science, political history, underwater photography, folk music, and bio-art.
The Contemporary History Play
Authors: Poore Benjamin
Published: May 2024

Something exciting is happening with the contemporary history play.New writing by playwrights such as Jackie Sibblies Drury, Samuel Adamson, Hannah Khalil, Cordelia Lynn, and Lucy Kirkwood, makes powerful theatrical use of the past, but does not fit into critics’ familiar categories of historical drama.In this book, Benjamin Poore provides readers with tools to name and critically analyse these changes.

The Contemporary History Playcontends that many history plays are becoming more complex and layered in their aesthetic approaches, as playwrights work through the experience of being surrounded by numerous and varied forms of historical representation in the twenty-first century.

For theatre scholars, this book offers a means of interpreting how new writing relies on the past and notions of historicity to generate meaning and resonance in the present. For playwrights and students of playwriting, the book is a guide to the history play’s recent past, and to the state of the art: what techniques and formulas have been popular, the tropes that are widely used, and how artists have found ways of renewing or overturning established conventions.
Theatre Lighting Design
Authors: Chapman Emma , Halliday Rob
Published: May 2024

This book provides an insight into the life of a professional lighting designer, through interviews with lighting designers at different stages of their careers plus a group interview with the designer and lighting team of the hit musical Billy Elliot.

The designers featured are Neil Austin, Natasha Chivers, Jon Clark, Paule Constable, Rick Fisher, Richard Howell, Howard Hudson, Jessica Hung Han Yun, Mark Jonathan, Amy Mae, Ben Ormerod, Bruno Poet, Jackie Shemesh and Johanna Town. Between them, they have worked all over the world on shows of every genre – collecting many awards for their work along the way.

They share inspiration and practical advice, useful to anyone embarking on a career in lighting, fascinating to anyone who enjoys going to the theatre, offering insights into:
> approaching a new design;> dealing with the challenges each new show brings, from working with a new director to being part of a creative team in realising a piece;> the use of light and dark, colour and texture;> managing collaborations, with directors, designers and their own team of associate and assistant lighting designers, programmers and electricians.> and beyond the art and craft of lighting, the practicalities of a lighting career – moving from just getting enough work to pay the bills, to lighting the world’s biggest shows.
Germany and China
Authors: Fulda Andreas
Published: May 2024

As Europe finds itself once again caught between two superpowers – the USA and a rising China – little has been written about a relationship that will have a profound influence on the international order: the relationship between the People’s Republic of China and Germany.

In Germany and China, leading international relations expert Andreas Fulda looks critically at the increasingly interdependent relationship between the two countries. Drawing on examples from politics, industry, the development and technology sectors and culture, the book explores how successive governments from Helmut Schmidt to Angela Merkel have pursued ever-closer ties to China in the interests of short term economic gain. Fulda explores the danger of this increasing co-dependency not just for Germany, but for Europe and the international world order
Beyond the Male Idol Factory
Authors: Mandujano-Salazar Yunuen Ysela
Published: May 2024

A star-making factory without rival, the Japanese talent agency Johnny’s Jimusho has brought fame to several generations of male stars – singers, actors and performers.Beyond the Male Idol Factoryasks what the phenomenon of “Johnny’s Idols” reveals about discourses of masculinity and national identity in contemporary Japan.

Examining the pervasive presence of these stars across a wide range of Japanese media, the book explores how Johnny’s Idols act as role models of ideal masculinity and good citizenship as well as entertainers. Taking a wide-ranging cultural studies approach, the book assesses the social, economic and demographic contexts of these familiar stars in post-industrial and post-Bubble Japanese society.
Defeating the Evil-God Challenge
Authors: Symes Jack
Published: May 2024

The evil-god challenge is one of the most popular topics in contemporary philosophy of religion. In this landmark text, Jack Symes offers the most detailed examination of the challenge to date. Exploring the nature of god through the leading schools of philosophical theology, Symes argues that it is significantly more reasonable to attribute goodness to god than evil. Drawing from a breadth of ground-breaking material – in metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics and epistemology – Symes claims to defeat the evil-god challenge on behalf of traditional theism.

Is it any more reasonable to believe in a good god than an evil god? Not according to proponents of the evil-god challenge. After all, the world contains a significant amount of good and evil for which either god could be held responsible. However, if belief in both gods is equally as reasonable, then religious believers are unjustified in favouring one hypothesis over the other. Therefore, in order to defend their faith, theists must respond to the evil-god challenge: the question of what justifies belief in good god over evil god.
The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI
Authors: Nichols Aidan
Published: May 2024

This important and illuminating book focuses on Ratzinger's status as one of the preeminent Catholic theologians of the 20th century. Aidan Nichols provides a full-scale investigation of his theology as it develops from the 1950s onward. The book presents a chronological account of the development of Ratzinger's writing which reflects a wide range of historical and theoretical interests such as: Augustine's ecclesiology, early Franciscanism and the idea of salvation history, Christian brotherhood, the unfolding of the Second Vatican Council the Apostle's Creed, explorations of the concept of the Church, preaching, liturgy and Church music, eschatology, the foundations of dogmatic and moral theology, and the problem of pluralism.

This updated and revised edition remains a comprehensive introduction to a major theologian in his own right, quite apart from his significance in the politics of the Church. For those attempting to chart the future of the Catholic faith as it struggles with the role of religion in war, women's reproductive rights, inter-religious dialogue, homosexuality, the roles of bishops and theologians, and international human rights issues, Nichol's work is indispensable as both a compass and an oracle.
Rivals in the Storm
Authors: Collins Damian
Published: May 2024

A vivid biography in cinematic snapshots of David Lloyd George, one of the world’s greatest statesmen.

Brought up in rural North Wales, David Lloyd George attended neither a grand school nor ancient university. He was very much an outsider. And yet he rose through the ranks with charisma, fierce intelligence and fighting spirit to become, as Churchill put it in his tribute, a man who ‘stood, when at his zenith, without a rival’.

But his rise was not without its hardships, and in Rivals in the Storm, experienced MP and author Damian Collins focuses on the impact of Lloyd George’s personality on other leading politicians, in driving progressive reforms through government, changing the course of the First World War to lead the Allies to victory, and cementing Britain’s alliance with America.

Covering Lloyd George’s emergence as the dominating political personality in Great Britain to the aftermath of his resignation, this fascinating biography takes you inside the rooms where the important decisions happened, and shows the bitter struggles as well as the triumphs of this great man of his or any other age, who nonetheless fell short of his own high expectations.
Operation Barbarossa 1941
Authors: Hiestand William E.
Published: May 2024

Barbarossawas the biggest German invasion of World War II. Comprehensively illustrated, this study explores the air campaign that spearheaded it, and how it evolved during the rest of 1941.

The German invasion of the USSR, OperationBarbarossa, was the apex of Hitler’s aggression. The strength of the Luftwaffe was gathered from across Europe for its opening strikes, where it faced a huge but badly equipped and ill-prepared Soviet Air Force (VVS) of 20,000 aircraft, which it quickly destroyed.

In this book, Eastern Front expert William E. Hiestand examines this shattering first campaign, as well as how theBarbarossaair war developed over the following months. He describes how between June and December 1941, Luftwaffe losses rose and aircraft readiness steadily decreased under the pressure of combat. He also analyses the evacuation of Soviet industry – including aircraft production – to the Urals, and the rebuilding of the VVS; by the time German columns stalled 25km from Moscow, the VVS had more operational aircraft at the front than the Luftwaffe. He also covers aspects such as the abortive VVS strikes on Berlin and other strategic targets, and the Luftwaffe’s strategic bombing raids on Moscow.

With striking original artwork, 3D diagrams, maps and rare photos, this book reveals the full story of the aerial campaign inBarbarossa, as the devastation began in the most brutal theatre of World War II.
X-ray
Authors: Lobdell Nicole
Published: May 2024

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

X-rays are powerful, moving through objects undetected, revealing the body as a tryptic of skin, tissue, and bone. X-rays gave rise to a transparent world and the belief that transparency conveys truth. It stands to reason then that our relationship with X-rays would be a complicated one of fear and fascination, acceptance and resistance, confusion and curiosity.

X-ray reveals the paradox of living in an age that relies on X-rays to expose hidden threats to our health and security and fears X-rays for that exposure. Nicole Lobdell explores when, where, and how we use X-rays, what meanings we give them, what metaphors we make out of them, and why, despite our fears, we’re still fascinated with them. In doing so, she draws from a variety of fields, including the history of medicine, science and technology studies, literature, art, material culture, film, comics, gender studies, architecture, and industrial design. In the 125 years since their discovery, X-rays haven’t changed, but we have.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Hong Kong as an Actor in International Economic Law
Authors: Chaisse Julien
Published: May 2024

This open access book unveils Hong Kong’s pivotal role in the realm of international economic law.

Unique to this book is its focus on the interplay between Hong Kong’s historical roots and institutional contexts, integrated into its exploration of unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral economic approaches. What sets this book apart is its in-depth treatment of Hong Kong’s distinct position as China’s Special Administrative Region. It showcases the balance the territory maintains: the autonomy it enjoys, its own robust legal and economic systems, all while being intertwined with broader global interests. Hong Kong’s position as China’s economic gateway, coupled with its adaptability amidst technological evolutions and international tensions, positions it uniquely in the global economic arena. With the Asia-Pacific economy’s rapid evolution and the Greater Bay Area’s development, Hong Kong’s role is illuminated as increasingly pivotal.

This book exposes challenges confronting Hong Kong, from political changes to the ramifications of the National Security Law, while emphasising its continued relevance and growing influence. As Hong Kong threads its path in a globalised world, its prowess in international economic law remains a cornerstone of its identity. Will the territory sustain its prominence amidst evolving challenges and global shifts? The answers lie within, and further research awaits as we track its unfolding narrative.

Specifically tailored for academics, diplomats, and researchers in international law, relations, economics, and finance, this book offers a vital perspective. Anyone with a vested interest in international economic law and policy will find this comprehensive exploration invaluable.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com.

Studies in International Trade and Investment Law: Volume 32
The Right to be Oneself
Authors: Alpa Guido
Published: May 2024

What does the right to be oneself entail? And how is it manifest in our understanding of the law?

The leading commentator on this subject explores these questions, taking an ambitious and multi-faceted approach. To answer them, he draws on private law, jurisprudence, constitutional law, as well as history, art and literature. This treatise, translated from the Italian original and expanded to give a more international perspective, is the seminal work on the development of identity-protection through law.
Family Investment Companies - 2nd edition
Authors: Clark Deborah
Published: May 2024

Covers the key issues to consider when exploring if a Family Investment Company is an appropriate vehicle to help with an individuals estate planning.

An updated version of the Tax Insight on Family Investment Companies published in 2019. Written by an acknowledged expert in this field, Deborah Clark of Mills and Reeve, this publication explores what makes a company a FIC, considers how a company works and the potential ways to make them more bespoke.

A Family Investment Company (FIC) is a bespoke vehicle which can be used as an alternative to a family trust. It is a private company whose shareholders are family members. A FIC enables parents to retain control over assets whilst accumulating wealth in a tax efficient manner and facilitating future succession planning.

The commentary covers issues on how to fund the structure, what tax issues to watch out for, what rights you might give to the shares and the pros and cons of different choices. It deals with directors’ powers, the use of an unlimited company and issues around privacy and wealth protection. Different structures are explained and their benefits and disadvantages highlighted.

The commentary is bought up to to date with the new corporation tax rates and dividend tax rates introduced since the previous edition was published. It also reflects the author’s continued practical experience in dealing with clients in this area.

New features include:
a new chapter on Estate Planning Benefitsa new chapter on Treatment on Divorceenhanced coverage of redeemable preference shares in the chapter on share capitalan expanded shareholders agreement chapter to include more information on what should be included in the agreementa new chapter on share valuationsa new chapter on accounts preparation for Family Investment Companies

The guidance given is supplemented by examples and diagrams to helpfully illustrate the concepts described.
Radiant Raffia
Authors: Panagopoulou Olga
Published: May 2024

Learn how to crochet 20 beautiful objects in raffia from bags, hats and belts to cushions, vases and table decorations.

Get your hooks ready for a crochet book which brings the warmth of summer all year round. Patterns, charts and stunning photography are intertwined to create an inspiring atmosphere where the land, sea, textures and colours of the Greek islands work in harmony with the materials and techniques.

Through step-by-step instructions discover 20 beautiful projects which show you how you can make stylish items which are 100% plant-based and eco-friendly.

Mindful and relaxing, enjoy crocheting with raffia to create lovely gifts for friends and family or fashionable summer-inspired pieces to keep for yourself. Radiant Raffia is the essential modern guide to this must-have accessory.
The Presence of the Past in Children's Literature
Authors: Lucas Ann
Published: May 2024

Time is one of the most prominent themes in the relatively young genre of children's literature, for the young, like adults, want to know about the past. This book explores how children's writers have treated the theme and concept of time. The volume starts with the application of literary theory and additionally analyzes examples of the juvenile historical novel. In doing so, it also examines changing fashions in criticism and publishing and the pressure they exert on writers. It then considers literary adaptations of myths and archetypes, constructions of history in children's literature, colonial and postcolonial children's fiction, and the treatment of the past in the postmodern era. The book looks at literature from around the world, and the expert contributors are from diverse countries and backgrounds.

While the book looks primarily at literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, it considers a broad range of historical material treated in works from that period. Included are discussions of such topics as Joan of Arc in children's literature, the legacy ofRobinson Crusoe, colonial and postcolonial children's literature, the Holocaust, and the supernatural. International in scope, the volume examines history and collective memory in Portuguese children's fiction, Australian history in picture books, Norwegian children's literature, and literary treatments of the great Irish famine.
Presidents from Taylor through Grant, 1849-1877
Authors: Coker Jeffrey W.
Published: May 2024

The years 1849-1877 were among the most pivotal in the nation's history. Over the course of three decades, the United States endured a catastrophic civil war, abolished slavery, expanded westward and added eight states to the Union, and witnessed the beginnings of industrialization. In politics, the era saw the demise of one national party, the birth of another, and the historic leadership of Abraham Lincoln. The country also faced difficult questions of state sovereignty and federal responsibility answered ultimately by secession and war. In short, it was a time of growth, consolidation, tragedy, and triumph for a dynamic and youthful nation. This resource of primary documents and commentary covers the Taylor through Grant administrations by selecting and describing five to ten of the foremost issues of the day and showing the actual text of the president's position along with the opposing viewpoint.

The presidents from 1849-1877 were men of varied backgrounds and talents. Northerners and Southerners and even Northerners with Southern sensibilities occupied the White House. The period began and ended with war heroes as presidents; among the other men who served as president were a former textile worker, a country lawyer, and lifelong diplomat. Most of the chief executives struggled and perhaps even failed to overcome the immense challenges placed before them. By providing helpful background information and commentary about the presidents and the issues of the day in addition to the primary sources, this reference guide accurately depicts this fractious time in the country's past and provides an invaluable resources to any student of American history.
Protecting Psychiatric Patients and Others from the Assisted-Suicide Movement
Authors: Olevitch Barbara
Published: May 2024

Shocked by the fact that, in the Netherlands, psychiatric patients are considered potentially appropriate candidates for physician-assisted suicide, Olevitch examines the research and data and finds that, even in the United States, the situation is threatening. She describes how the rhetoric of the assisted-suicide movement can confuse potential suicide victims and their helpers, and how surrogate medical decisions are a growing threat in the lives of incompetent patients. Olevitch argues the assisted-suicide movement is based not on the level-headed realism its advocates claim, but on a lack of information about up-to-date ways of bringing about psychological wellness, on a misguided panic about finances, a phobic view of medical procedures, a lack of understanding of the support needed by average medical patients, and a misguided belief in superficial safeguards.

Olevitch describes how Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy can be used to help terminally ill or disabled people overcome their profound depression. Another cognitive focus is added as she presents material answering questions including what patients are really thinking when they request assisted suicide or when they decline medical procedures. Well-known psychologist Albert Ellis says of the volume, Carefully read this unusual book and see how it can be useful to you, whether you are a physician, a mental health professional, or an unfortunate patient
Protest and Survive
Authors: Lewes James
Published: May 2024

Drawing from more than 120 newspapers, published between 1968 and 1970, this study explores the emergence of an anti-militarist subculture within the U.S. armed services. These activists took the position that individual GIs could best challenge their subordination by working in concert with like-minded servicemen through GI movement organizations whose behaviors and activities were then publicized in these underground newspapers. In examining this movement, Lewes focuses on their treatment of power and authority within the armed forces and how this mirrored the wider and more inclusive relations of power and authority in the United States. He argues that this opposition among servicemen was the primary motivation for the United States to withdraw from Vietnam.

This first book length study of GI-published underground newspapers sheds light on the utility of alternative media for movements of social change, and provides information on how these movements are shaped by the environments in which they emerge. Lewes asserts that one cannot understand GI opposition as an extension of the civilian antiwar movement. Instead, it was the product of an embedded environment, whose inhabitants had been drafted or had enlisted to avoid the draft. They came from cities and small towns whose populations were often polarized between those who wholeheartedly supported the war and those who became progressively more critical of the need for Americans to be involved in Vietnam.
The Psychopathology of Serial Murder
Authors: Giannangelo Stephen J.
Published: May 2024

In this book, criminologist Stephen Giannangelo offers an original theory of the origins and development of the serial murderer. The author constructs a two-part model of the serial murderer's development. The first part outlines biological factors and concomitant psychological anomalies that can predispose individuals toward homicidal behavior. Then, in developing the second part of his model, Giannangelo describes how a traumatic environmental stressor may trigger a cyclical pattern of violent behavior in those persons predisposed to kill. Having constructed his archetype of the serial killer, the author concludes by suggesting how diagnostic tools could be constructed and employed by psychologists, criminologists, and law enforcement officials to recognize the serial killer and to arrest the cycle of violence.
The Psychopathy of Everyday Life
Authors: Kantor Martin
Published: May 2024

Is there a mild psychopath near you? Or in you? If so, what can and should you do? Find out in this riveting exploration of a personality disorder usually dismissed by the mental health profession, and never before the topic of in-depth scholarly exploration. We all recognize the true, full-blown psychopaths—the Hitlers, Stalins and Gacys of the world. But what professionals and lay people, alike often do not recognize is that we are surrounded by mild psychopaths, people who do not reach the level of their infamous counterparts, yet still share some of their traits. Fifteen-time author Kantor, a psychiatrist whose last work,Understanding Paranoia, also zeroed in on everyday problems, explains how to recognize, understand and cope with the mild psychopaths one encounters every day.

Who are these everyday psychopaths? They are politicians who lie to get votes, swindlers who phish the Internet to steal identities, salesmen who push cars or other products they know are lemons, businessmen who dupe the public in ways that barely skirt the law, doctors who perform unnecessary surgery because they need the money. The list goes on. Some would argue that each of us must use some of the means of the mild psychopath to be successful in life. Where is the line, and what do you do when those around you cross it? ThePsychopathy of Everyday Lifehelps you decide.

Kantor spotlights and disproves widely-held beliefs about mild psychopathy, then shows us methods to deal with such people, and such traits in ourselves. His conclusions and vignettes drawn from the treatment room and from everyday life, for example, show that psychopathy is a widespread problem, not one confined to low life' people in jails, or to men and women in mental hospitals. Psychopaths are not all failures in life who could be labled either bad' or mad;' many are quite successful and held up as models. And they are not all guilt-free with no conscience; some do want to escape their aggressive and socially harmful world where being honest, forthright and ethical is abnormal. Kantor offers an eclectic approach based on classic therapies to facilitate help and self-help methods for the victim and the psychopath.
Public Executions
Authors: Kudlac Christopher S.
Published: May 2024

The death penalty is one of the country's most controversial issues. The fairness of its application is debated in coffeehouses, classrooms, political arenas, and the media. However, despite its representation in the media, most death cases receive surprisingly little national media attention. In fact, of the 1000 people executed in the United States since 1977, and the 3,500 inmates currently awaiting execution, only a handful of cases can be recalled by the public. Those that are memorable are so because only a few are dramatically represented in the media. Why is it that those that receive the most serious penalty are virtually nameless, while the death penalty in general is one of the most discussed aspects of the criminal justice system? What makes some executions more newsworthy than others? What are the implications of this coverage for the public's understanding of this significant issue?

This book looks at those death row cases that received the most intensive media coverage from the 1970s through the present, and why. At the same time, it focuses on changes in public opinion about the death penalty and how newspaper coverage and evolving mass sentiment relate to one another. Kudlac covers such celebrated cases as Karla Faye Tucker, Timothy McVeigh, Aileen Wuornos, John Wayne Gacy, and others that captured the attention of the American public and affected public opinion about the death penalty through the help of the media. He considers issues such as religion, politics, race, gender, and class as he reveals the reasons for our attention to certain cases above others. The book concludes with a consideration of where we go from here. With new investigative techniques that have helped to exonerate some death row inmates, and various other considerations that have come into play in recent cases, the future of the death penalty will continue to be shaped by the media and the public.
Public Policy and Social Issues
Authors: Breger Marshall J.
Published: May 2024

Designing public policies to meet the needs of a diverse society is challenging, and the variety of necessary perspectives are often clouded by competing ideas about social responsibility, personal freedom, religious beliefs, and governmental intervention. Here, prominent Jewish scholars and commentators address various social issues and public policies from a Jewish perspective, using Jewish sources and documents to elucidate responses and propose solutions that are in keeping with Jewish law as set out by the major documents of the Jewish faith.

Abortion, stem cell research, welfare reform, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and other hot-button issues are topics of primary concern to politicians, lawmakers, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens alike. Designing public policies to meet the needs of a diverse society is challenging, and the variety of necessary perspectives are often clouded by competing ideas about social responsibility, personal freedom, religious beliefs, and governmental intervention. Here, prominent Jewish scholars and commentators address various social issues and public policies from a Jewish perspective, using Jewish sources and documents to elucidate responses and propose solutions that are in keeping with Jewish law as set out by the major documents of the Jewish faith. Their conclusions about ways to consider issues of public concern and private consideration, and their adherence to conservative politics, may surprise readers. What emerges is the notion that Jewish thought can contribute to the American political discourse and is available to anyone looking for answers to today's toughest questions.

Creating a public policy to address social issues that is both responsible and morally guided can be a difficult proposition for lawmakers. Making personal decisions about these same issues can be even more difficult as people struggle for guidance. Addressing many of the issues that are hotly debated in the media and in the corridors of our government, conservative, reform, and orthodox commentators carefully outline an approach for lawmakers and individuals. This approach incorporates Jewish law into a public policy philosophy that is both conservative-leaning and politically available. Taken as a whole, the essays underscore that Jewish tradition mostly (albeit not invariably) leads one to the politically conservative side of the aisle.
Race and Racism in Literature
Authors: Wilson   Jr. Charles E.
Published: May 2024

Issues of race and racism permeate American society and are of central concern to students and teachers. The chapters in this reference explore how these issues have been addressed inThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,Native Son,The House on Mango Street,Ceremony, and other major novels widely read by high school students. The works discussed reflect racial issues from a range of cultural perspectives. Each chapter is devoted to a particular novel and provides a plot summary, an overview of the work's historical background, a literary analysis, and suggestions for further reading.

Issues of race and racism have long permeated American society and continue to be among the most important social concerns today. This volume explores how racial issues have been treated in a dozen major novels widely read by high school students and undergraduates. The works discussed are from different historical periods and reflect a range of cultural perspectives, including African American, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Italian American, Jewish American, and Jewish-Arab experiences.

The volume begins with an introductory essay on race and racism in literature. Each of the chapters that follow examines a particular novel, including: ;The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn;Native Son;The House on Mango Street;Ceremony;The Chosen; And others. Each chapter includes a plot summary, an overview of the work's historical background, a discussion of overt and subtle racism in the novel, and suggestions for further reading.
Race Relations in the United States, 1940-1960
Authors: Davis Thomas J.
Published: May 2024

The 1940s and 1950s were decades of far-reaching change and mobilization in the United States. White culture strove to make nonwhites invisible with segregation and discrimination as Southern blacks continued the Great Migration north and the government brought in Mexican labor via the Bracero Program to take up labor slack while U.S. troops were overseas. The rise of the civil rights movement and Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down segregation in schools 1954, were some results. This volume is THE content-rich source in a desirable decade-by-decade organization to help students and general readers understand the crucial race relations of the war years into the Cold War. Race Relations in the United States, 1940-1960 provides comprehensive reference coverage of the key events, influential voices, race relations by group, legislation, media influences, cultural output, and theories of inter-group interactions.

The volume covers two decades with a standard format coverage per decade, including Timeline, Overview, Key Events, Voices of the Decade, Race Relations by Group, Law and Government, Media and Mass Communications, Cultural Scene, Influential Theories and Views of Race Relations, Resource Guide. This format allows comparison of topics through the decades. The bulk of the coverage is topical essays, written in a clear, encyclopedic style. Historical photos, a selected bibliography, and index complement the text.
Radio
Authors: Regal Brian
Published: May 2024

This book chronicles the history of radio as technology and as media. Radio grew from a clumsy, temperamental form of wireless telegraph to a system that is so ubiquitous and easy to use that it has disappeared to users as a technology and became part of the fabric of human existence. This biography charts the growth of the technical end of radio, starting with the history of electricity, and moving through the invention of vacuum tubes, the heterodyne, FM, transistors, and microchips. But the history of radio is not just wires and electricity—it's the story of strange characters, deep thinkers, visionary mystics, hyperactive minds, ambitious souls, power hungry demagogues, and utopian humanists; all of whom strove to make radio into what they thought it should be.

In addition,Radio: The Life Story of a Technologylooks at the technology as a cultural phenomenon, including the corporate aspects and history of the business of radio. In the middle of the 20th century people saw that radio could be used as an agent of social change, both good and bad. The transition of radio from private corporate device to public news provider to entertainment box back to political tool is at the heart of this work.
Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture
Authors: Bynoe Yvonne
Published: May 2024

Hip Hop music is comprised of several art forms: 1) MC-ing or rapping 2)B-boying or breakdancing 3)Deejaying (music) and 4) Graffiti art (visual art). This encyclopedia examines all four elements of Hip Hop Culture, providing students, scholars, and music fans with a complete history of the thirty-year music genre. Tracing its early roots from black DJs talking over music in the 1960s, the B-boy dancers in the 1970s, and the scratching and sampling techniques of the '80s to the founding of Def Jam productions, the current East Cost-West Coast rivalry, and superstars such as Eminem and 50 Cent, hip hop fans will find this an indispensable resource.

This encyclopedia includes approximately 100 photographs, discographies after each entry, and a for further listening list at the end of the volume. Also included is the Hip Hop Declaration of Peace.
Ray Bradbury
Authors: Reid Robin Anne
Published: May 2024

Reviewers and critics have not always agreed on how well the science fiction label fit Ray Bradbury, but the immense popularity of works likeThe Martian ChroniclesandThe Illustrated Manleaves no doubt as to the enduring status of this important writer. This Critical Companion examines, in a Literary Heritage chapter, the situation of Bradbury's works within the science fiction genre and explores thematic concerns that set works likeFahrenheit 451andDandelion Wineapart from conventional popular SF writings. This introduction to Bradbury, written especially for students, traces Bradbury's interesting life, examining his early literary efforts, his forays into Hollywood, and his recent writing projects. Eight of Bradbury's major works are discussed at length, each in its own chapter, including two works published within the last ten years:A Graveyard for Lunatics(1990) andGreen Shadows, White Whale(1992). Clear, thoughtful analysis is also given forThe Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man,Something Wicked This Way Comes, andDeath Is a Lonely Business.

In each chapter, analysis of the important literary components is given: plot, setting, characters, and themes. In addition, the genesis, critical reception, and an alternate reading of each work is also discussed in clear terms for students and general readers. Suggestions for further reading on Bradbury and his writings are also provided in a select yet extensive bibliography. This volume is ideal both for students reading Bradbury for the first time and for dedicated Bradbury fans who wish to appreciate his work with a deeper critical perspective.
Read On...History
Authors: Frolund Tina
Published: May 2024

Make history come alive! This book helps librarians and teachers as well as readers themselves find books they will enjoy—titles that will animate and explain the past, entertain, and expand their minds.

This invaluable resource offers reading lists of contemporary and classic non-fiction history books and historical fiction, covering all time periods throughout the world, and including practically all manner of human endeavors. Every book included is hand-selected as an entertaining and enlightening read! Organized by appeal characteristics, this book will help readers zero in on the history books they will like best—for instance, titles that emphasize character, tell a specific type of historical story, convey a mood, or are presented in a particular setting. Every book listed has been recommended based on the author's research, and has proved to be a satisfying and worthwhile read.
A Reader's Guide to Haydn's Early String Quartets
Authors: Drabkin William
Published: May 2024

The six string quartets comprising Joseph Haydn's Opus 20 (composed in 1772) are the first works in the genre to have received consistent critical attention from writers on music. The twenty-two quartets Haydn wrote before this date, though rarely discussed by historians and theorists and seldom performed in public, are nevertheless fundamental to the development of the quartet and thus inseparable from Opus 20 itself. This thoughtful discussion provides a basis upon which to study the quartet by showing how the relationship among the four players can best be understood as a musical dialogue. A methodology is developed for analyzing these quartets by focusing on the characteristics of string instruments that inform not only the style of the music, but also the materials of the composition. The changing relationships among the instruments reveal the level of sophistication evident in Haydn's early works and attest to the affinity these works have with his later masterpieces. Music scholars and educators will appreciate the generous musical examples and clear prose that explains the more detailed analysis of the Opus 20 set.