Why do representatives of different religious traditions find the transhumanist vision of the future not only theologically compatible but even inspiring? Transhumanism is a global movement seeking radical human enhancement. The trans in transhumanism marks the transition from the present stage in human evolution into the future, namely, post-human existence. Containing chapters written by adherents to a variety of religious traditions, Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics provides first-hand testimony to the value of the transhumanist vision perceived by the religious mind. In addition, the contributors critique both secular and religious transhumanism in light of realistic science and commitment to social justice.

What do dogs mean in America? How do Americans make meaning through their dogs? The United States has long expressed its cultural unconscious through canine iconography. Through our dogs, we figure out what we're thinking and who we are, representing by proxy the things that we don't quite want to recognize in ourselves. Often, it's a specific breed or type of dog that serves as an informal cultural mascot, embodying an era's needs, fears, desires, longings, aspirations, repressions, and hopeless contradictions. Combining cultural studies with personal narrative, this book creates a playful, speculative reading of American culture through its canine self-representations. Looking at seven different breeds or types over the last seven decades, readers will go on an intellectual dog walk through some of the mazes of American cultural mythology.

Throughout history, humans have explored new places, making both good and bad moral decisions along the way. As humanity proceeds to explore space, it is important that we learn from the successes and not repeat the mistakes of the past. This book provides the first comprehensive introduction to ethics as it applies to space exploration and use. It examines real-world case studies that exemplify the ethical challenges we face in exploring beyond Earth: space debris, militarization in space, hazardous asteroids, planetary protection, the search for extraterrestrial life, commercial and private sector activities in space, space settlements, very long duration missions, and planetary-scale interventions. Major themes include human health, environmental concerns, safety and risk, governance and decision-making, and opportunities and challenges of multidisciplinary and international contexts. Ideal for classroom use and beyond, the book provides ways of thinking that will help students, academics and policymakers examine the full range of ethical decisions on questions related to space exploration.

Throughout history, humans have explored new places, making both good and bad moral decisions along the way. As humanity proceeds to explore space, it is important that we learn from the successes and not repeat the mistakes of the past. This book provides the first comprehensive introduction to ethics as it applies to space exploration and use. It examines real-world case studies that exemplify the ethical challenges we face in exploring beyond Earth: space debris, militarization in space, hazardous asteroids, planetary protection, the search for extraterrestrial life, commercial and private sector activities in space, space settlements, very long duration missions, and planetary-scale interventions. Major themes include human health, environmental concerns, safety and risk, governance and decision-making, and opportunities and challenges of multidisciplinary and international contexts. Ideal for classroom use and beyond, the book provides ways of thinking that will help students, academics and policymakers examine the full range of ethical decisions on questions related to space exploration.

For many of us, the only way we meet "dangerous" dogs is through news reports about vicious attacks, and films and TV shows that feature out-of-control versions of man's best friend. But there's more to the Bad Dog's story than sensational headlines and movie beasts. A deeper look at these representations reveals a villain much closer to home. This book takes the reader on a rich journey through depictions of violent dogs in popular media. It explores how press accounts and screen stories transform canines into bloodthirsty hunters, rabies-infested strays, ferocious fighters, rogue law enforcement partners and diabolical pets, all adding up to a frightening picture of our usually beloved companions. But, when media tell the dangerous dog's story, it is often with a deep connection to the person on the other end of the leash.

At age 60, Susan Hartzler has learned to accept, even love, the single life, provided she has good friends and a dog or two by her side. Always attracted to the quintessential bad boy with his good looks and charming ways, she was sure she could change "the one" into a devoted partner and loving father, but her compulsive giving and fixing behaviors went hand in hand with her disappointing and disastrous romantic relationships. On a purposeful trip to the pound, she hoped to find a dog to care for, one that would sniff out the bad guys, give her a sense of purpose, and help her find meaning in her crazy world. Thoughtful and funny, this memoir follows Susan's life through the many ups and downs on her way to finding unconditional love. Her journey is a personal one, full of the hard decisions it took to learn to put herself first and stop entering and staying in unhealthy relationships. By saving a dog, she rescues herself, learning to love herself as much as her dog loves her.

The Custers and Their Dogs is the first book to seriously explore the little known history of General George Armstrong and Libbie Custer as wholehearted dog lovers. At the time of Custer's death at Little Bighorn, they owned a rollicking pack of forty hunting hounds-including Scottish Deerhounds, Russian Wolfhounds, Greyhounds, and Foxhounds. Told engagingly through a dog owner's lens, this biography of the Custers' life covers their first dogs in the Civil War and Texas, hunting on the Kansas and Dakota frontiers, entertaining tourist buffalo hunters such as a Russian Archduke, English aristocracy, and The Great Showman, P. T. Barnum (all whom presented the general with hounds), Custer's attack on the Washita village (when he was accused of strangling his own dogs), and the 7th Cavalry's march to Little Bighorn with an analysis of the many rumors about a Last Stand dog. Duggan also reveals how the Custers' pack was re-homed after Armstrong's death in the first national dog rescue effort-and the strange fate of Libbie's favorite staghound. Included is an appendix discussing depictions of General Custer's dogs in art, literature, and film.

One of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dogs, the Saluki traveled throughout the Middle East with a number of nomadic desert tribes, who favored the dogs for their unparalleled ability to hunt desert gazelles. Famously carved into the walls of the Pharaohs' tombs, the Saluki have an exotic history that piqued the interests of dog enthusiasts and breeders during the early 20th century, including notable Edwardian men and women who played significant roles in popularizing the breed and importing the Saluki to Europe and the United States.This book tells the unique, true story of the characters who brought the Saluki to the West, most notably the Honorable Florence Amherst, who became smitten with the breed during a family tour of Egypt and went on to breed a staggering number of 50 litters and 199 registered puppies. The author also brings into the story a range of other prominent world travelers who fell under the Salukis' spell, including Lady Jane Digby, Lady Anne Blunt, Austen Layard and Gertrude Bell. Also covered in this book are a number of lesser-known but just as dedicated Saluki aficionados, mainly military officers who became addicted to hunting with their hounds in the deserts of Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt and who sought to replicate that addiction upon their return home.

In these articles Professor McGuire explores the riches of the Cistercian exemplum tradition. These texts are made up of brief stories, often with a miraculous content, which provided moral support for novices and monks in Cistercian abbeys all over Europe in the High Middle Ages. The Cistercians have been seen mainly in terms of their great writers like Bernard of Clairvaux and the impressive buildings they left behind. But Cistercian literature also provides us with more humble insights from daily life, shedding light on questions of sexuality, anger, depression, and bonds of friendship, also between monks and nuns. They bring a freshness of insight and immediate experience, and their seeming naivety lets us be aware of monks' commitment to each other in individual and community bonds. In Cistercian storytelling, the Gospel's message meets an historical context and bears witness to a transformation of Christian life and idealism, while at the same time allowing us precious insights into how ordinary men and women, not just monks and nuns, lived and thought.

Dogs have a storied history in health care, and the human-animal relationship has been used in the field for decades. Over the years, certain dogs have improved and advanced the field of health care in myriad ways. In this book, the author presents the stories of these pioneer dogs, from the mercy dogs of World War I, to the medicine-toting sled dogs Togo and Balto, to contemporary therapy dogs. More than the dogs themselves, this book is about the human-animal relationship, and moments in history where that relationship propelled health care forward.

In this intimate portrait of one of the Middle Ages' most consequential men, Brian Patrick McGuire delves into the life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux to offer a refreshing interpretation that finds within this grand historical figure a deeply spiritual human being who longed for the reflective quietude of the monastery even as he helped shape the destiny of a church and a continent. Heresy and crusade, politics and papacies, theology and disputation shaped this astonishing man's life, and McGuire presents it all in a deeply informed and clear-eyed biography. Following Bernard from his birth in 1090 to his death in 1153 at the abbey he had founded four decades earlier, Bernard of Clairvaux reveals a life teeming with momentous events and spiritual contemplation, from Bernard's central roles in the first great medieval reformation of the Church and the Second Crusade, which he came to regret, to the crafting of his books, sermons, and letters. We see what brought Bernard to monastic life and how he founded Clairvaux Abbey, established a network of Cistercian monasteries across Europe, and helped his brethren monks and abbots in heresy trials, affairs of state, and the papal schism of the 1130s. By reevaluating Bernard's life and legacy through his own words and those of the people closest to him, McGuire reveals how this often-challenging saint saw himself and conveyed his convictions to others. Above all, this fascinating biography depicts Saint Bernard of Clairvaux as a man guided by Christian revelation and open to the achievements of the human spirit.

Learn everything you need to know to start selling on eBay and making money Do you have countless old items lying around that you've been meaning to sell? This book will have you fetching top-notch prices for your old items For many years, eBay has been one of the largest marketplaces on the internet. At times it can be daunting; there are millions of listings, each at different price-points, quality, and listed in different categories. This selling on eBay book will give you complete and concise instructions on how to create a powerful listing, get your products seen and sold, and the how to close the deal. This guide will help you build the foundation to making thousands per month This Selling on eBay complete user guide will cover: Getting started and setting up your eBay account Writing a powerful product description Deciding what your product is worth and how to get top dollar for it Overseeing your auction and what to do once your product is sold Note from the Author, Brian Patrick ""With many years of experience using various online retail channels, I have become an expert at selling on eBay, and recommend it as the best e-commerce platform for selling unique, rare, and personal items. If you dedicate some time to it you can run a full-time business on eBay "