Arts, Communication, & Humanities Resource Guide

Includes the origins of more than a dozen December holidays; easy ways to celebrate and observe December diversity; and self-care tips.

A timely collection of essays on the pressing possibilities and risks of gene-editing technology. Scientists and genetic engineers are becoming increasingly adept at editing the human genome. How far can--and should--they go in editing future generations? In The Promise and Peril of CRISPR, editor Neal Baer brings together a timely collection of essays by influential bioethicists, philosophers, and geneticists to explore the moral, ethical, and policy challenges posed by CRISPR technology. We are at a technological and ethical crossroads in grappling with the impacts of genetic editing. Gene-editing technology holds the promise of curing more than 7,000 known genetic diseases. Yet with that promise comes the peril of using CRISPR to edit the human genome, which could not only lead to manipulating human evolution, but also to creating and releasing pathogens capable of wreaking havoc on human, animal, and plant life. Although CRISPR has already cured several genetic diseases, it could also be used to design biological weapons or to edit the embryos of people who can afford to purchase genetic "enhancements" for their children. What role can and should the public play in discussing the far-reaching implications of gene editing? What oversights should be put in place to prevent a rogue scientist from engineering another baby - as was recently done with twins in China? Essay contributors offer informed predictions and guidelines for how the uses of CRISPR today will affect life in the future. Decisions we make now may have unpredictable consequences for future generations. For anyone concerned about the uses and potential abuses of gene editing, these essays provide a critical and comprehensive discussion of the central issues surrounding CRISPR technology. Contributors: Florence Ashley, R. Alta Charo, Marcy Darnovsky, Kevin Doxzen, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Gigi Kwik Gronvall, Jodi Halpern, Katie Hasson, Andrew C. Heinrich, Jacqueline Humphries, J. Benjamin Hurlbut, Ellen D. Jorgensen, Peter F. R. Mills, Carol Padden, Marcus Schultz-Bergin, Robert Sparrow, Sandra Sufian, Krystal Tsosie, Ethan Weiss, Rachel M. West

A hands-on guide to evolving your company with ethical AI along with thought-provoking insights and predictions from a variety of well-known industry leaders In Our Planet Powered by AI, renowned AI strategist and pioneer Mark Minevich delivers an exciting and practical discussion of how to implement groundbreaking artificial intelligence technologies at every level of your organization. You'll learn to create sustainable, effective competitive advantage by introducing previously unheard-of levels of adaptability, resilience, and innovation into your company. Using real-world case studies from a variety of well-known industry leaders, the author explains the strategic archetypes, technological infrastructures, and cultures of sustainability you'll need to ensure your firm's next-level digital transformation takes root. You'll also discover: How AI can enable new business strategies, models, and ecosystems of innovation and growth How to develop societal impact and powerful organizational benefits with ethical AI implementations that incorporate transparency, fairness, privacy, and reliability What it means to enable all-inclusive artificial intelligence An engaging and hands-on exploration of how to take your firm to new levels of dynamism and growth, Our Planet Powered by AI will earn a place in the libraries of managers, executives, directors, and other business and technology leaders seeking to distinguish their companies in a new age of astonishing technological advancement and fierce competition.

Discover the gods, goddesses, and heroes from Norse mythology with this beautiful handbook that captures the ancient stories that captivated the Vikings. Learn more about your favorite Norse gods, goddesses, and heroes with this collection of profiles that share the real stories behind the characters. With characters from Norse myths coming to life on the big and small screens, and in the pages of new and exciting fiction, this guide can give you all the details you need to understand your favorite heroes, villains, and powerful deities. With comprehensive entries that outline each character's names, roles, related symbols, and foundational myths, you can get to know the roots of these personas, and better understand the new stories we tell about them today.

A rich, captivating, and darkly humorous look into the evolution of apocalyptic thought, exploring how film and literature interact with developments in science, politics, and culture, and what factors drive our perennial obsession with the end of the world. As Dorian Lynskey writes, "People have been contemplating the end of the world for millennia." In this immersive and compelling cultural history, Lynskey reveals how religious prophecies of the apocalypse were secularized in the early 19th century by Lord Byron and Mary Shelley in a time of dramatic social upheaval and temporary climate change, inciting a long tradition of visions of the end without gods. With a discerning eye and acerbic wit, Lynskey examines how various doomsday tropes and predictions in literature, art, music, and film have arisen from contemporary anxieties, whether they be comets, pandemics, world wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Y2K, or the climate emergency. Far from being grim, Lynskey guides readers through a rich array of fascinating stories and surprising facts, allowing us to keep company with celebrated works of art and the people who made them, from H.G. Wells, Jack London, W.B. Yeats and J.G. Ballard to The Twilight Zone, Dr. Strangelove, Mad Max and The Terminator. Prescient and original, Everything Must Go is a brilliant, sweeping work of history that provides many astute insights for our times and speaks to our urgent concerns for the future-- Provided by publisher.

A mother and race scholar seeks to answer her daughter's many questions about race and racism with an earnest exploration into race relations and affirmative action from the perspectives of Asian Americans Before being struck down by the US Supreme Court in June 2023, affirmative action remained one of the few remaining policy tools to address racial inequalities, revealing peculiar contours of racism and anti-racist strategies in America. Through personal reflective essays for and about her daughter, OiYan Poon looks at how the debate over affirmative action reveals the divergent ways Asian Americans conceive of their identity. With moving sincerity and insightful study, Poon combines extensive research with personal narratives from both herself and a diverse swath of individuals across the Asian American community to reflect on and respond to her daughter's central question- What does it mean to be Asian American? Poon conducts interviews with Asian Americans throughout the US who have been actively engaged in policy debates over race-conscious admissions or affirmative action. Through these exchanges, she finds that Asian American identity remains deeply unsettled in a contest between those invested in reaching the top of the racial hierarchy alongside whiteness and those working toward a vision of justice and humanity co-constructed through cross-racial solidarity. Poon uses these contrasting viewpoints to guide her conversations with her daughter, providing a heartfelt and optimistic look at how understanding the diversity and nuances of the Asian American experience can help us envision a more equitable future.

For the vast majority of people, the word "architecture" speaks only of what buildings look like from the outside and what the decor is like on the inside. Yet there is far more to architecture than meets the eye. Architecture itself is as old as human society and essentially illustrates the "soul" of a culture. Technically, the practice of architecture is a complex feat spanning several fields, from visual design and mathematics to physics, materials and mechanical engineering, and physical construction methods. In this volume of the Principles of Science and Technology series, articles are presented to illustrate the complex nature and long history of architecture. Every culture has its own flavor of architecture, from the igloo to the Burj Calipha, spanning tens of thousands of years, ranging in nature from the strictly utilitarian to the highly artistic. One could say that on a fundamental level these are functions ranging from pure survival necessity to creative and even fanciful expressions of visions of a hopeful future for humanity. To bring any of these visions into reality, many things must be considered, such as natural processes-wind, flooding, earthquakes, sunlight, temperature variations, and the geology on which a structure is to rest, not to mention the intrinsic mass and occupying loads the structure must support throughout its lifetime. The strengths of the materials from which the structure will be made must also be examined to ensure the safety and longevity of the structure. Mathematics is fundamental to these considerations, as well as to the actual visual appeal of the structure.

A stunning bilingual, illustrated, and photographic account of a celebrated Mexican tradition The lively Mexican holiday of Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) brings together sorrow and laughter, drawing from indigenous traditions of celebrating one's ancestors and loved ones who have been lost. It's a day of serenity, family, and exuberant creativity, where sugar and skulls can exist side by side. In this bilingual book, beloved Mexican art and culture magazine Artes de México creates a stunning written, illustrated, and photographic account that takes readers through the tradition's origins, its history and evolution, and the many ways it is celebrated today. Alongside the visually stunning displays of altars, cemeteries, costumes, and festivities, a group of renowned Mexican writers has contributed essays that cover topics including the holiday's rural and urban distinctions, occult ancestry, and indigenous rituals. Their words are imbued with spectacular personal significance--and impressive academic rigor--as they recount local legends, family traditions, and tales of life, death, and wandering souls.