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A White Paper on Building a Scientific Roadmap to a Carbon-Negative Agricultural System was drafted by a scientific working group of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA). At the request of the USFRA and with support from the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine appointed a six-person committee to review the draft white paper by examining its clarity of key messages, effectiveness of organization, and scientific rigor.

Use TensorFlow 2.x with Google's Colaboratory (Colab) product that offers a free cloud service for Python programmers. Colab is especially well suited as a platform for TensorFlow 2.x deep learning applications. You will learn Colab's default install of the most current TensorFlow 2.x along with Colab's easy access to on-demand GPU hardware acceleration in the cloud for fast execution of deep learning models. This book offers you the opportunity to grasp deep learning in an applied manner with the only requirement being an Internet connection. Everything else—Python, TensorFlow 2.x, GPU support, and Jupyter Notebooks—is provided and ready to go from Colab. The book begins with an introduction to TensorFlow 2.x and the Google Colab cloud service. You will learn how to provision a workspace on Google Colab and build a simple neural network application. From there you will progress into TensorFlow datasets and building input pipelines in support of modeling and testing. You will find coverage of deep learning classification and regression, with clear code examples showing how to perform each of those functions. Advanced topics covered in the book include convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks. This book contains all the applied math and programming you need to master the content. Examples range from simple to relatively complex when necessary to ensure acquisition of appropriate deep learning concepts and constructs. Examples are carefully explained, concise, accurate, and complete to perfectly complement deep learning skill development. Care is taken to walk you through the foundational principles of deep learning through clear examples written in Python that you can try out and experiment with using Google Colab from the comfort of your own home or office.What You Will LearnBe familiar with the basic concepts and constructs of applied deep learningCreate machine learning models with clean and reliable Python codeWork with datasets common to deep learning applicationsPrepare data for TensorFlow consumptionTake advantage of Google Colab's built-in support for deep learningExecute deep learning experiments using a variety of neural network modelsBe able to mount Google Colab directly to your Google Drive accountVisualize training versus test performance to see model fitWho This Book Is ForReaders who want to learn the highly popular TensorFlow 2.x deep learning platform, those who wish to master deep learning fundamentals that are sometimes skipped over in the rush to be productive, and those looking to build competency with a modern cloud service tool such as Google Colab

Use TensorFlow 2.x in the Google Colab ecosystem to create state-of-the-art deep learning models guided by hands-on examples. The Colab ecosystem provides a free cloud service with easy access to on-demand GPU (and TPU) hardware acceleration for fast execution of the models you learn to build. This book teaches you state-of-the-art deep learning models in an applied manner with the only requirement being an Internet connection. The Colab ecosystem provides everything else that you need, including Python, TensorFlow 2.x, GPU and TPU support, and Jupyter Notebooks. The book begins with an example-driven approach to building input pipelines that feed all machine learning models. You will learn how to provision a workspace on the Colab ecosystem to enable construction of effective input pipelines in a step-by-step manner. From there, you will progress into data augmentation techniques and TensorFlow datasets to gain a deeper understanding of how to work with complex datasets. You will find coverage of Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and transfer learning followed by state-of-the-art deep learning models, including autoencoders, generative adversarial networks, fast style transfer, object detection, and reinforcement learning. Author Dr. Paper provides all the applied math, programming, and concepts you need to master the content. Examples range from relatively simple to very complex when necessary. Examples are carefully explained, concise, accurate, and complete. Care is taken to walk you through each topic through clear examples written in Python that you can try out and experiment with in the Google Colab ecosystem in the comfort of your own home or office. What You Will LearnTake advantage of the built-in support of the Google Colab ecosystemWork with TensorFlow data setsCreate input pipelines to feed state-of-the-art deep learning modelsCreate pipelined state-of-the-art deep learning models with clean and reliable Python codeLeverage pre-trained deep learning models to solve complex machine learning tasksCreate a simple environment to teach an intelligent agent to make automated decisionsWho This Book Is ForReaders who want to learn the highly popular TensorFlow deep learning platform, those who wish to master the basics of state-of-the-art deep learning models, and those looking to build competency with a modern cloud service tool such as Google Colab

Aspiring data science professionals can learn the Scikit-Learn library along with the fundamentals of machine learning with this book. The book combines the Anaconda Python distribution with the popular Scikit-Learn library to demonstrate a wide range of supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms. Care is taken to walk you through the principles of machine learning through clear examples written in Python that you can try out and experiment with at home on your own machine.All applied math and programming skills required to master the content are covered in this book. In-depth knowledge of object-oriented programming is not required as working and complete examples are provided and explained. Coding examples are in-depth and complex when necessary. They are also concise, accurate, and complete, and complement the machine learning concepts introduced. Working the examples helps to build the skills necessary to understand and apply complexmachine learning algorithms.Hands-on Scikit-Learn for Machine Learning Applications is an excellent starting point for those pursuing a career in machine learning. Students of this book will learn the fundamentals that are a prerequisite to competency. Readers will be exposed to the Anaconda distribution of Python that is designed specifically for data science professionals, and will build skills in the popular Scikit-Learn library that underlies many machine learning applications in the world of Python.What You'll LearnWork with simple and complex datasets common to Scikit-LearnManipulate data into vectors and matrices for algorithmic processingBecome familiar with the Anaconda distribution used in data scienceApply machine learning with Classifiers, Regressors, and Dimensionality ReductionTune algorithms and find the best algorithms for each datasetLoad data from and save to CSV, JSON, Numpy, and Pandas formatsWho This Book Is ForThe aspiring data scientist yearning to break into machine learning through mastering the underlying fundamentals that are sometimes skipped over in the rush to be productive. Some knowledge of object-oriented programming and very basic applied linear algebra will make learning easier, although anyone can benefit from this book.

Learn to wrap and loop paper to make adorable animals—from galloping horses to mighty dragons.Paper quilling is an ancient art form which uses the elasticity and flexibility of paper strips to create seemingly complex designs. By forming basic coils, you can create your own lively menagerie.This book includes:•24 animal projects•An introduction to the art of paper quilling•Information about the 12 animals of the zodiac, Chinese culture and relevant Chinese folktales•Straightforward, step-by-step instructions that allow room for creativity and use basic quilling tools.These delicate and unique works of art can be used to decorate cards and gifts, or be framed and hung as artwork in your home.

The Paper Birds invited young people to'ask them anything'and now they're trying to come up with the answers. Inspired by the magazine problem pages they read growing up in the 90s and 00s, in Ask Me Anything, The Paper Birds become the agony aunts. Using the real letters sent to the company, this verbatim show explores what young people think, want and worry about today. Set in our teenage bedrooms, this is a show about what different generations can learn from each other whist celebrating teenagers, grandparents and everyone in between, who, like us, are still figuring it all out.

Reflecting on over half a century of study on Chinese culture, Jordan Paper explores new ways of approaching religion in China. Moving away from using Christianity as a model for examination, which has led to considerable misunderstandings between China and the West, Paper instead applies the paradigm of Familism to Chinese religion. By looking through the lens of Familism, which emphasises the importance of the family unit, Paper argues that we can understand the basis of Chinese culture, society, government, and religion. In the book, Paper explains how, when and why Familism appears in the development of human culture in the Neolithic period, as well as its ramifications in more complex societies, using the imperial Chinese state as an example. The discussion in the book includes how the Chinese state can be understood as a religious institution; the role of spirit possession; the relationship of other religions in China to Chinese Religion, including Buddhism, Daoism and Judaism; and the issue of freedom of religion in contemporary China. Chinese Religion and Familism not only challenges the discipline's perception of Chinese religion, but all of the religions of East Asia, indigenous sub-Saharan African religions, Polynesian Religion, and elsewhere.

“The underbrush through which Mr. Paper cuts his way... would be challenging for any writer. But Mr. Paper, with an eye for character and an easy narrative style, manages to keep his subject interesting.... And even though we know how it's all going to end, Mr. Paper manages to add a measure of suspense to his narrative — a tribute to his abilities as a writer.” —The Washington TimesThis is not just another book about Pearl Harbor. It is the story of Joseph Grew, America's ambassador to Japan, and his frantic effort in the months before the Pearl Harbor attack to orchestrate an agreement between Japan and the United States to avoid the war he saw coming. It is a story filled with hope and heartache, with complex and fascinating characters, and with a drama befitting the momentous decisions at stake. And more than that, it is a story that has never been told. In those months before the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan and the United States were locked in a battle of wills. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's economic sanctions were crippling Japan. America's noose was tightening around Japan's neck — but the country's leaders refused to yield to American demands. In this cauldron of boiling tensions, Joseph Grew offered many recommendations to break the deadlock. Having resided and worked in Tokyo for almost ten years, Grew understood what Roosevelt and his administration back home did not: that the Japanese would rather face annihilation than endure the humiliation of surrendering to American pressure. The President and his administration saw little need to accept their ambassador's recommendations. The administration's policies, they believed, were sure to succeed. And so, with increasing urgency, Grew tried to explain to the President and his administration that Japan's mindset could not be gauged by Western standards of logic and that the administration's policies could lead Japan to embark on a suicidal war with the United States “with dangerous and dramatic suddenness.” Relying on Grew's diaries, letters and memos, interviews with members of the families of Grew and his staff, and an abundance of other primary source materials, Lew Paper presents the gripping story of Grew's effort to halt the downward spiral of Japan's relations with the United States. Grew had to wrestle with an American government that would not listen to him – and simultaneously confront an increasingly hostile environment in Japan, where pervasive surveillance, arbitrary arrest, and even unspeakable torture by Japan's secret police were constant threats. In the Cauldron reads like a novel, but it is based on fact. And it is sure to raise questions whether the Pearl Harbor attack could have been avoided.

Create stunning papercraft works of art for every season with this creative and easy-to-follow Chinese paper quilling book.Quilling, the art of coiling and shaping narrow paper strips into 3-D designs, has been popular with crafters for some time but the art form is hundreds of years old. Chinese paper quilling is a lovely and flexible art form perfectly suited to illustrating scenes from different seasons. This seasonal guide links beloved Western crafting with traditional Chinese Arts. Paper Quilling Four Seasons Chinese Style presents unique creations and includes the terminology, methodology and detailed step-by-step instructions you need to recreate these pieces and to design your own art.This guide offers:•Background on various Chinese art forms to help stoke your imagination.•Adaptable paper quilling methods, breaking from traditional; approaches to paper quilling.•Unique elements of Chinese paper quilling to help you discover different creation techniques.•Cultural background on the 24 solar terms, which have been used for more than 1,000 years and are still relevant today, and examples of artwork that capture these terms.Get started today with your own beautiful depictions of the four seasons with this unique paper craft. The flexibility and elasticity that paper has gives you endless possibilities. All you need to get started is strips of paper, glue, and a tool to roll the paper. You can readily get these at any craft store or use what you already have: recycled paper and a bamboo skewer or toothpick work well.

Whether you're thinking about a simple kitchen upgrade or a full-blown kitchen remodel, All New Kitchen Ideas that Work will inspire you with more than 350 design ideas and essential DIY information. Ideas range from simple, budget-friendly upgrades to full-scale remodels and new construction projects, so homeowners can make smart choices about what they want and can afford in a kitchen transformation Design trends for cabinets, countertops, color palettes, sinks, appliances, flooring, and all kinds of finish details, as well as accessibility and high-tech options for the kitchen This completely updated edition addresses all of today's kitchen design trends while also guiding the reader through the basics of organizing a remodel: budget, layout, and finishing touches.

Build the foundational data science skills necessary to work with and better understand complex data science algorithms. This example-driven book provides complete Python coding examples to complement and clarify data science concepts, and enrich the learning experience. Coding examples include visualizations whenever appropriate. The book is a necessary precursor to applying and implementing machine learning algorithms. The book is self-contained. All of the math, statistics, stochastic, and programming skills required to master the content are covered. In-depth knowledge of object-oriented programming isn't required because complete examples are provided and explained.Data Science Fundamentals with Python and MongoDB is an excellent starting point for those interested in pursuing a career in data science. Like any science, the fundamentals of data science are a prerequisite to competency. Without proficiency in mathematics, statistics, data manipulation, and coding, the path to success is “rocky” at best. The coding examples in this book are concise, accurate, and complete, and perfectly complement the data science concepts introduced. What You'll LearnPrepare for a career in data scienceWork with complex data structures in PythonSimulate with Monte Carlo and Stochastic algorithmsApply linear algebra using vectors and matricesUtilize complex algorithms such as gradient descent and principal component analysisWrangle, cleanse, visualize, and problem solve with dataUse MongoDB and JSON to work with dataWho This Book Is ForThe novice yearning to break into the data science world, and the enthusiast looking to enrich, deepen, and develop data science skills through mastering the underlying fundamentalsthat are sometimes skipped over in the rush to be productive. Some knowledge of object-oriented programming will make learning easier.

This scholarly collection examines the origins, history, and contemporary nature of Chinese Judaism in the community of Kaifeng. These essays, written by a diverse, international team of contributors, explore the culture and history of this thousand-year-old Jewish community, whose synthesis of Chinese and Jewish cultures helped guarantee its survival. Part I of this study analyzes the origin and historical development of the Kaifeng community, as well as the unique cultural synthesis it engendered. Part II explores the contemporary nature of this Chinese Jewish community, particularly examining the community's relationship to Jewish organizations outside of China, the impact of Western Jewish contact, and the tenuous nature of Jewish identity in Kaifeng.

Built-ins can make any house more functional, livable, personalized, and comfortable, and they cost much less to construct and install than a whole-room remodel. In this completely revised and updated edition of Built-Ins Idea Book, Heather J. Paper has collected inspirational and practical storage solutions for every room of the house. By reclaiming space that would otherwise go unused, built-ins offer a way to transform any house into a home. The latest volume in Taunton's successful Idea Book series, Built-Ins Idea Book is packed with creative yet approachable ideas and is richly illustrated with 260 photographs, practical sidebars, and designs of all kinds that will appeal to a wide range of tastes and budgets. Whether your goal is adding seating to a nook or other small space, creating a mudroom in your entryway to keep messes at bay, or transforming a room into a multipurpose space, built-ins offer homeowners the chance to craft a home that is uniquely their own.

The kitchen isn't just for cooking anymore, and homeowners are spending a lot of time and money to make it the true heart of their home. Older houses lack the open floor plan that allows the kitchen to become part of the living area, while an increasing number of amateur chefs are going beyond the basics to build a kitchen that's worthy of an upscale restaurant. The kitchen has become less utilitarian and more creative--a place where homeowners express their personal style as much as they would in any other room of the house. By that same token, new appliance technology allows for a more useful kitchen, while hiding the pragmatism behind aesthetics--no more avocado and harvest gold refrigeration giants. With all these new possibilities come an overwhelming array of choices and a substantial investment of time and money. Homeowners need guidance, and'New Kitchen Idea Book'will help them discover what they really want and how to achieve it.''New Kitchen Idea Book'provides inspiration for refreshing your kitchen for more enjoyment in both cooking and entertaining.'--Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma

This book makes a compelling case for male-female religious complementarity in many of the world's religions. It offers an extensive survey of female spiritual roles in a variety of cultures and provides evidence that women have exercised authority and sacred power in a variety of traditional religions.

Web Programming for Business: PHP Object-Oriented Programming with Oracle focuses on fundamental PHP coding, giving students practical, enduring skills to solve data and technical problems in business. Using Oracle as the backend database, the book is version-neutral, teaching students code that will still work even with changes to PHP and Oracle. The code is clean, clearly explained and solutions-oriented, allowing students to understand how technologies such as XML, RSS or AJAX can be leveraged in business applications. The book is fully illustrated with examples, and includes chapters on: Database functionality Security programming Transformation programming to move data Powerpoint slides, applied exam questions, and the raw code for all examples are available on a companion website. This book offers an innovative approach that allows anyone with basic SQL and HTML skills to learn PHP object-oriented programming.

Sure to delight the myriad and diverse group of crafters who have fallen in love with quilling, this lovely book uses traditional Chinese arts to create an array of paper quilling projects with a distinctly Chinese design. A flexible and limitless art form, paper quilling allows so much individual expression that it has attracted fans around the world. By showcasing the bold and inventive use of color, composition and traditional symbols, this book is sure to bring a new level of depth and beauty to your work. With simple tools and materials easily found at most craft stores, you will be able to explore the boundaries of Western handicraft and traditional Chinese culture and your own creativity!

All new and totally updated! Our best-selling Decorating Idea Book has been completed revised and updated to reflect today's most popular styles and the concerns of budget-conscious homeowners. Packed with more ideas than ever, the All New Decorating Idea Book features inspiring and practical design solutions for every room of the house, including new approaches to refeshing an outdated look, small-scale renovations, and major transformations. House Proud. As the real estate market continues to flounder, why not make the home you already own into your dream house? Richly illustrated with gorgeous, inspiring photographs throughout, this redesigned bestseller will help you fashion your own design style in every room. Practical design solutions Updating a tired-looking room Small-scale renovation Total remodel Simple solutions for renters Ideas for decorating on a shoe-string or remodeling on a larger budget A design pro answers all your questions. Sifting through interior design websites and blogs can be overwhelming, often leaving you perplexed. This must-have resource book by respected interior designer, Heather J. Paper, answers those nagging questions like:'Is this the best buy?''What are the pros and cons?''How do I put it all together?'and many more. From DIY to total renovation. Whether you are an interior designer, contract, renter, or weekend DIY-er, you will find al the design ideas you need for your home: Color choice Style Furniture Room arrangements Window treatments Wall and floor covering Storage Lighting Decorative accessories Finishing touches and more

The life story of the Kentucky-born son of immigrants who became part of American history in 1916 as the first Jewish Supreme Court justice. This vivid biography reflects the fullness of Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis's personal and professional lives. Born in Kentucky shortly before the Civil War, Brandeis rose to national fame as “the people's attorney”—the first public interest lawyer—and went on to become an adviser to Woodrow Wilson and a confidant of Franklin Roosevelt.

An eye-catching collection of 27 handmade, cross-stitched greeting cards and gift tags to craft and share with friends and family, this carefully selected assortment of holiday and special occasion items provides hours of stitching and paper-crafting enjoyment. Simple stitching instructions and charts combine with clear, comprehensive card-making instructions to make it easy for crafters of all skill levels to enjoy this creative adventure. A helpful Getting Started section contains basic information for cross-stitch and card-making tools, terminology, and techniques, and detailed finishing instructions with step-by-step photographs are included for each project. Create stylish, meaningful gifts all year round with these impressive beginning to intermediate patterns.

Potential health effects from chemicals that disrupt endocrine function pose an environmental health concern because of their ability to interfere with normal hormone function in human and wildlife populations. The endocrine system regulates biological processes throughout the body and is sensitive to small changes in hormone concentrations. Endocrine-disruptor research has focused primarily on chemicals that affect three hormone pathways that play important roles in reproduction and development - the estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone pathways. Some of this research has identified dose-response relationships that have nonmonotonic curves. Nonmonotonic dose-response curves (NMDRs) are of concern because they do not follow the usual assumption made in toxicology that as dose decreases the response also decreases. The existence of NMDRs has been a controversial topic for decades, and there has been considerable debate about their implications for how chemicals are tested and for how risks from such chemicals are assessed. Toxicity tests are designed to identify hazards and to characterize dose-response relationships, so tests are aimed at finding a (high) dose that elicits a response, and dose-response is explored by testing lower doses spaced to identify statistically a no- or lowest-observed-adverse-effect level. The concern for NMDRs is that such studies, as currently designed, might not detect the inflection of the dose-response curve if only a few doses are tested or if the change in inflection occurs below the range of doses tested. Another concern is that some NMDRs are found for biological effects that are not usually evaluated in toxicity tests. If current testing strategies are inadequate to account for NMDRs, changes to risk assessment practices might be necessary. To help address these issues, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a draft State-of-the-Science Evaluation: Nonmonotonic Dose Responses as they Apply to Estrogen, Androgen, and Thyroid Pathways and EPA Testing and Assessment Procedures. EPA asked the National Research Council to conduct an independent review of this evaluation to ensure that it is scientifically sound and of high quality. Review of Environmental Protection Agency's State-of-the-Science Evaluation of Nonmonotonic Dose-Response as they Apply to Endocrine Disrupters evaluates whether EPA's evaluation presents a scientifically sound and high-quality analysis of the literature on NMDRs. This report reviews how well the EPA evaluation described how the assessment was performed, whether consistent methods and criteria were applied in the analysis of different evidence streams, and whether appropriate methods were applied to evaluating the evidence. The report makes recommendations to improve EPA's process and strengthen the evaluation.

A thousand years ago, the Chinese government invited merchants from one of the Chinese port synagogue communities to the capital, Kaifeng. The merchants settled there and the community prospered. Over centuries, with government support, the Kaifeng Jews built and rebuilt their synagogue, which became perhaps the world's largest. Some studied for the rabbinate; others prepared for civil service examinations, leading to a disproportionate number of Jewish government officials. While continuing orthodox Jewish practices they added rituals honouring their parents and the patriarchs, in keeping with Chinese custom. However, by the mid-eighteenth century—cut off from Judaism elsewhere for two centuries, their synagogue destroyed by a flood, their community impoverished and dispersed by a civil war that devastated Kaifeng—their Judaism became defunct. The Theology of the Chinese Jews traces the history of Jews in China and explores how their theology's focus on love, rather than on the fear of a non-anthropomorphic God, may speak to contemporary liberal Jews. Equally relevant to contemporary Jews is that the Chinese Jews remained fully Jewish while harmonizing with the family-centred religion of China. In an illuminating postscript, Rabbi Anson Laytner underscores the point that Jewish culture can thrive in an open society, “without hostility, by absorbing the best of the dominant culture and making it one's own.”

“Perfect captures our hearts as it carries us back to the golden age of baseball and the more innocent world of the 1950s.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning Author of The Bully Pulpit On October 8, 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen took the mound for game five of the World Series against the rival Brooklyn Dodgers. In an improbable performance that the New York Times called'the greatest moment in the history of the Fall Classic,'Larsen, an otherwise mediocre journeyman pitcher, retired twenty-seven straight Dodger batters to clinch a perfect game and, to date, the only World Series no-hitter ever witnessed in major league baseball. Here, Lew Paper delivers a masterful pitch-by-pitch account of that fateful day and the extraordinary lives of the players on the field—seven of whom would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Meticulously researched and relying on dozens of interviews, Paper's gripping narrative recreates Larsen's feat in a pitching duel that featured legendary figures such as Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, and Roy Campanella. More than just the story of a single game, Perfect is a window into baseball's glorious past.

It's beautiful going green. The home furnishings industry is undergoing a renaissance of amazing new products that are less toxic for people, are made with renewable resources, and avoid processes that can harm the environment. The surprise is how sumptuous these new green choices are. With more than 475 full-color photos, Knack Green Decorating and Remodeling showcases all the beautiful, environmentally friendly options you'd love to have in your home.Whether you're remodeling, redecorating, making a single product decision, or looking for that perfect finishing touch, here are new ideas that will delight you from a decorating expert with phenomenal taste. From first steps to gradual changes to guiding principles, this book shows how easy it is to make your home a little greener, starting todayFeatures covered include ideas for:Furniture and fabrics Wall and window coverings Floors and countertops Bed and bath Lighting Babies and children Pets Outdoor living Finishing touchesAn extensive resource guide with more than 500 Web sources is provided as well.

Representative Native American religions and rituals are introduced to readers in a way that respects the individual traditions as more than local curiosities or exotic rituals, capturing the flavor of the living, modern traditions, even as commonalities between and among traditions are explored and explained. This general introduction offers wide-ranging coverage of the major factors—geography, history, religious behavior, and religious ideology (theology)—analyzing select traditions that can be dealt with, to varying degrees, on a contemporary basis.As current interest surrounding Native American studies continues to grow, attention has often been given to the various religious beliefs, rituals, and customs of the diverse traditions across the country. But most treatments of the subject are cursory and encyclopedic and do not provide readers with the flavor of the living, modern traditions. Here, representative Native American religions and rituals are introduced to readers in a way that respects the individual traditions as more than local curiosities or exotic rituals, even as commonalities between and among traditions are explored and explained. This general introduction offers wide-ranging coverage of the major factors—geography, history, religious behavior, and religious ideology (theology)—analyzing select traditions that can be dealt with, to varying degrees, on a contemporary basis.Covering such diverse ceremonies as the Muskogee (Creek) Busk, the Northwest Coast Potlatch, the Navajo and Apache menarche rituals, and the Anishnabe (Great Lakes area) Midewiwin seasonal gatherings, Paper takes a comparative approach, based on the study of human religion in general, and the special place of Native American religions within it. His book is informed by perspective gained through nearly fifty years of formal study and several decades of personal involvement, treating readers to a glimpse of the living religious traditions of Native American communities across the country.

The Deities Are Many is a lively and learned introduction to polytheism. Drawing from both his scholarly research and his personal experience, author Jordan Paper is the ideal guide into this milieu. Paper was drawn to polytheism through his love of nature, seeing it as a source of the divine. In this book he focuses on Chinese and Native American religious traditions, as well as West African, African-Brazilian, Hindu, Polynesian, and circum-Polar traditions, to describe the theology of polytheism. The book provides a topology of polytheistic deities, focusing on the cosmic couple, Father Sky and Mother Earth; animal, plant, and mineral deities; ancestral spirits; divine ghosts; and culture heroes and tricksters. Paper also shows how monotheists misunderstand polytheism and provides a polytheist perspective on what it means to be human when the'deities are many.'This is a fascinating, illuminating book, especially for those raised in monotheistic societies.

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The mystic, zero, or void experience—the ecstatic disappearance of self along with everything else—is considered by those who have had it to be the most beautiful, blissful, positive, profound, and significant experience of their lives. Offering both a descriptive and a comparative perspective, this book explores the mystic experience across cultures as both a human and cultural event. The book begins and ends with descriptions of the author's own mystical experiences, and looks at self-reported experiences by individuals who do not link their experiences to a religious tradition, to determine characteristics of this universal human experience.These characteristics are compared to statements of acknowledged mystics in diverse religious traditions. The mystic experience is also situated within other ecstatic religious experiences to distinguish it from similar, but distinct, experiences such as lucid dreams, shamanism, and mediumism. Jordan Paper goes on to look at how the mystic experience has been considered in various fields, such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, biology, and comparative religious studies.

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