With a focus on the three-month period following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, marketing consultant Fraim explains how American symbols are created, communicated, managed, and understood. He discusses the emergence of symbols from their traditional residence in religion, art, dreams, and particular cultures to a new ubiquitous global status and argues that future wars will be increasingly fought over and won through the use of symbols. Distributed by Continuum. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

From the ampersat and amerpsand, via smileys and runes to the ubiquitous presence of mathematical and other symbols in sciences and technology: both old and modern documents abound with many familiar as well as lesser known characters, symbols and other glyphs. Yet, who would be readily able to answer any question like: ‘who chose π to represent the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference?’ or ‘what’s the reasoning behind having a ⌘ key on my computer keyboard?’ This book is precisely for those who have always asked themselves this sort of questions. So, here are the stories behind one hundred glyphs, the book being evenly divided into five parts, with each featuring 20 symbols. Part 1, called Character sketches, looks at some of the glyphs we use in writing. Part 2, called Signs of the times, discusses some glyphs used in politics, religion, and other areas of everyday life. Some of these symbols are common; others are used only rarely. Some are modern inventions; others, which seem contemporary, can be traced back many hundreds of years. Part 3, called Signs and wonders, explores some of the symbols people have developed for use in describing the heavens. These are some of the most visually striking glyphs in the book, and many of them date back to ancient times. Nevertheless their use — at least in professional arenas — is diminishing. Part 4, called It’s Greek to me, examines some symbols used in various branches of science. A number of these symbols are employed routinely by professional scientists and are also familiar to the general public; others are no longer applied in a serious fashion by anyone — but the reader might still meet them, from time to time, in older works. The final part of the book, Meaningless marks on paper, looks at some of the characters used in mathematics, the history of which one can easily appreciate with only a basic knowledge of mathematics. There are obviously countless others symbols. In recent years the computing industry has developed Unicode and it currently contains more than 135 000 entries. This book would like to encourage the curious reader to take a stroll through Unicode, to meet many characters that will delight the eye and, researching their history, to gain some fascinating insights. ​

Reasonable and Holy addresses the conflict over homosexuality within the Anglican tradition, demonstrating that the church is able to provide for and support faithful and loving relationships between persons of the same sex, not as a departure from that tradition, but as a reasonable extension of it. It offers a carefully argued, but accessible means of engagement with Scripture, the Jewish and Christian traditions, and the use of reason in dealing with the experience and lives of fellow-Christians. Unlike most reflections on the topic of homosexuality, Reasonable and Holy examines same-sex relationships through the lens of the traditional teaching on the “ends” or “goods” of marriage: procreation, union, the upbuilding of society, the symbolic representation of Christ and the Church, and the now often unmentioned “remedy for fornication.” Throughout, it responds to objections based on reason, tradition and Scripture. Based on a series of popular blog posts, it includes a number of independent, but related resources in the form of side-bars and single-page expansions of particular themes, suitable for reproduction as handouts.

The unvarying essential meanings of around 1,000 symbols and symbolic themes commonly found in the art, literature and thought of all cultures through the ages are clarified.

Information technology is arguably the most important scientific topic needed for understanding and participating in our increasingly complex technological world. Using simple physical arguments and extensive examples, Information and Measurement, Second Edition shows how this theory can be put into practice. Twice awarded the UK National Metrology Prize by the National Physical Laboratory for his outstanding contributions to measurement science and technology, the author includes the basic mathematical, physical, and engineering concepts required, illustrating their interrelationship in a clear, concise manner. The broad coverage includes topics taught in a variety of courses. This book will be an invaluable study aid for senior undergraduate and graduate students in physics, electrical engineering, and computer science, specifically studying instrumentation, measurement science, and information science. It will also be a useful reference for practicing scientists and engineers.

By no means do I think that the mythos I’ve developed is the only one for you. There are many works that get you off commonly accepted paradigms and from these sources you may be able to take a little here and a little there in the search for what personally makes sense. Many of the books and films I deem valuable are cited within this text. But as to why I believe the information encased herein to be important, I must say that what I have seen for explanations of reality outside of my own belief structure still leaves many areas unexamined, so I included a number of sources; perhaps in total they will amount to something greater than their individual parts. Also, in many correct and important theories the ideas I have come in contact with do not go far enough. I see doors that I want to make ajar, windows that I seek to get unstuck; like a whale, I always want to dive deeper. And so my promise to you as the reader is that you’ll have an opportunity to see subjects that you may have thought you knew portrayed in a different light, interpretations coming from a different angle and ideas new to you.

Provides a historical, theological and literary study of first-century Judaism and Christianity, offering a preliminary discussion of the meaning of the word god within those cultures and explores the ways in which developing an understanding of those first-century cultures are of relevance for the modern world. Original.