Roman Raleigh Raptors Book 2

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Robots That Talk and Listen provides a forward-looking examination of speech and language in robots from technical, functional, and social perspectives. Contributors address cultural foundations as well as the linguistic skills and technologies that robots need to function effectively in real-world settings. Among the most difficult and complex is the ability to understand and use language. Speech-enabled automata are already serving as interactive toys, teacher’s aides, and research assistants. These robots will soon be joined by personal companions, industrial co-workers, and military support automata. The social impact of these and other robots extends well beyond the specific tasks they perform. Contributors tackle the most knotty of those issues, notably acceptance of advanced, speech-enabled robots and developing ethical and moral controls for robots. Topics in this book include: •Language and Beyond: The True Meaning of “Speech Enabled” •Robots in Myth and Media •Enabling Robots to Converse •Language Learning by Automata •Handling Noisy Settings •Empirical Studies of Robots in Real-World Environments •Acceptance of Intelligent Robots •Managing Robots that Can Lie and Deceive •Envisioning a World Shared with Intelligent Robots

As the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, you’d think my skills would get more notice than my face. Ridiculous, but I’ve been dubbed the “pretty boy” since rookie year. Pair the looks with my multi-million-dollar career, and it’s a recipe to get used. I’ve been burned before, and it’s never happening again. Then I meet Delaney Collins—Charleston’s impossibly sexy librarian. She’s brilliant, funny, and the chemistry between us crackles every time we touch. But she doesn’t have a clue who I am. Delaney treats me like a normal person, seeing straight to the heart of me. And all it wants is her. Only problem? She hates celebrity athletes. Her own dark past has ensured she’ll never take a chance on one again. But the deeper we get, the harder it is for me to admit what I do on the ice. All I’ve ever wanted is for someone to love me for me—not the paycheck, the fame, or the face. But I’m not sure love will be enough to save us when the truth comes out. --Back cover.

An “insightful cultural history of the mythical, self-immolating bird” from Ancient Egypt to contemporary pop culture by the author of The Book of Gryphons (Library Journal). The phoenix, which rises again and again from its own ashes, has been a symbol of resilience and renewal for thousands of years. But how did this mythical bird come to play a part in cultures around the world and throughout human history? Here, mythologist Joseph Nigg presents a comprehensive biography of this legendary creature. Beginning in ancient Egypt, Nigg’s sweeping narrative discusses the many myths and representations of the phoenix, including legends of the Chinese, where it was considered a sacred creature that presided over China’s destiny; classical Greece and Rome, where it appears in the writings of Herodotus and Ovid; medieval Christianity, in which it came to embody the resurrection; and in Europe during the Renaissance, when it was a popular emblem of royals. Nigg examines the various phoenix traditions, the beliefs and tales associated with them, their symbolic and metaphoric use, and their appearance in religion, bestiaries, and even contemporary popular culture, in which the ageless bird of renewal is employed as a mascot and logo. “An exceptional work of scholarship.”—Publishers Weekly

Charles Darwin presented On the Origin of Species to a reading public whose affective response to the natural world had been profoundly influenced by Wordsworth's understanding of nature as benign, harmonious, a source of moral inspiration and spiritual blessing, and a medium through which one might enter into communion with the Divine. As the 19th century's two most prominent theoreticians of nature's life, Wordsworth and Darwin competed for attention among those seeking to understand humanity's relationship with the natural world, and their disciples engaged in a productive, mutually transformative dialogue in which the poet's cultural authority influenced the way Darwin was received, and Darwinian science adjusted interpretation and evaluation of the poetry.

A world-renowned paleontologist reveals groundbreaking science that trumps science fiction: how to grow a living dinosaur. Over a decade after Jurassic Park, Jack Horner and his colleagues in molecular biology labs are in the process of building the technology to create a real dinosaur. Based on new research in evolutionary developmental biology on how a few select cells grow to create arms, legs, eyes, and brains that function together, Jack Horner takes the science a step further in a plan to "reverse evolution" and reveals the awesome, even frightening, power being acquired to recreate the prehistoric past. The key is the dinosaur's genetic code that lives on in modern birds- even chickens. From cutting-edge biology labs to field digs underneath the Montana sun, How to Build a Dinosaur explains and enlightens an awesome new science.

Gage McPherson was the Seattle Shark's best Grinder, until he shattered his shoulder last season. Time heals all wounds...but the heartbroken single dad has more than his share of trust issues. The playboy only lets one girl close to his iced-over heart--his pint-sized daughter who's the center of his world. She's the only thing more important to him than hockey, and he trusts no one with her...except me.We've been friends since we were kids, and I love his daughter like she's my own, so what's the easiest solution to help Gage out? Move in and be his live-in nanny for the season. As far as she goes, the arrangement is perfect. But her drop-dead-sexy father? Frustrating on every possible level.There is a thick, professional line drawn between us by his own hand, and despite understanding the terms, my body is practically begging him to cross it. Our chemistry is off the charts, but one misstep, and we could hurt the one person we love most. This game is all-or-nothing. Can I risk my heart on a guy who is known for the shut-out, on and off the ice?

In business circles, I’m known for being cutthroat and demanding. Robert Dumont is a hardass, they say. And it’s true. I thrive on challenges. Taking the family-owned restaurant chain to the next level is my passion. When my sister’s marriage implodes, I head back to New York, to be there for her and my niece. These are my only two priorities: growing the business and taking care of my family. My new neighbor is a temptation I hadn’t counted on. Skye Winchester is bold, sensual and I just can’t keep my distance. I’m determined to make her mine. But once I’ve touched her, I want more. I want to worship her all night long. As a business owner herself, Skye’s got enough on her plate. I was expecting her to run in the opposite direction when she realizes how complicated my life is. Instead, she does the opposite: making my sister laugh, charming my niece… She completely wins me over. Neither of us expected our attraction to grow until it obscures everything but each other. And neither of us can afford to allow that. But how can we stop now?

Formulary for Laboratory Animals is an invaluable reference for treatment of laboratory animals and pocket pets. Drugs are listed alphabetically and categorized in five sections based on pharmacologic activity and animal species. This at-a-glance pocket reference is valuable for students and practitioners of veterinary medicine, researchers and laboratory technicians who prescribe or administer drugs used on common laboratory animals. The third edition includes a stronger international component, coverage of several new drugs, hundreds of additional dosages, and a thorough update throughout based on the most current research. The third edition also includes a chapter describing how to estimate drug dosages among species using allometric scaling methodology.

Entertaining and informative, the newly updated Britannica Student Encyclopedia helps children gain a better understanding of their world. Updated for 2015, more than 2,250 captivating articles cover everything from Barack Obama to video games. Children are sure to immerse themselves in 2,700 photos, charts, and tables that help explain concepts and subjects, as well as 1,200 maps and flags from across the globe. Britannica Student is curriculum correlated and a recent winner of the 2008 Teachers Choice Award and 2010 AEP Distinguished achievement award.

A delicious new After Dark novella featuring a strong, protective bodyguard and the beautiful, brilliant hotel heiress he protects...I shouldn't want my bodyguard the way I do. His job is to protect me. It's not to fulfill all my nighttime wishes.And so I resist him, fighting the enticing pull of the powerful man who watches over me.Until the night we combust in my penthouse suite.It won't happen again, we say the next day.Besides, my mission is singular - pull off the event of a lifetime - a one-night only concert with one of the world's biggest rock stars.A man my bodyguard happens to know.And a good bodyguard knows all sorts of things about his client. Turns out he knows my secret desires, and he wants to make them come true. Including a VIP engagement so I can experience both men at the same time...I want to say yes, but what if I fall even more in love with the man whose mission is to keep me safe?One Night Only is a standalone romance novella.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is about anger over the loss of what the shapeshifting Garou hold dearest: Gaia, the Earth itself. Corruption from without and within has caused the destruction not only of the Garou's environment, but also of their families, friends and culture, which extends in an unbroken line to the very dawn of life. No matter how righteously the Garou hold themselves, no matter how they prey on their destroyers, the corruption spreads. Now the time for reconciliation is past. This grave insult against Gaia can end in only one way: blood, betrayal... and rage. Details the werecrocodilians of the World of Darkness.

There’s one bed and she’s my best friend... For over two centuries, I’ve been the king’s assassin—his master of combat. It’s my job to strategize and to train potential warriors, but I’ve never looked at any of them the way I look at Olivia—my best friend. She’s all subtle curves, rich chocolate eyes, and as deadly as she is sexy. With a new war knocking at our borders, the king orders us to awaken the Hunters—six of the world’s most lethal vampires. Olivia’s family has guarded them for almost as long as she’s kept her secret from her parents: She’s not some docile, mated lady-in-waiting, she’s actually a royal bodyguard. But to convince her archaic family to wake the Hunters, Olivia has to come home with her mate. No problem. How hard can it be to fake it for a couple of weeks? But the line between pretending and reality quickly gets blurred. The longer we play the part, the more I realize that Olivia and I are a perfect match. Now I’m not only battling a nefarious plot against us, but my own primal urges to claim Olivia. I might be the most lethal vampire on the planet, but she’s the only one who can bring me to my knees. And when I’m forced to choose between my heart and my duty, everything we’ve worked for could come crashing down.

"Hard pass."That's what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse-and I never saw her again. It doesn't matter that I'm a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face. Beauty might only be skin deep for some-but I know better."Pay up." That's what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Desperate to sell a set of rare baseball cards, she's clever and entertaining. I'm instantly smitten, but nowhere ready to reveal myself. Thank god she has no idea who I am-or what I look like. I'm a professional athlete--how hard can playing the love game be?

I'm the Seattle Shark's newest Bruiser.The fighter. The protector. On the ice, I end the battles others start.Off the ice, I'm just trying to keep my name out of the tabloids.After all, that's what got me traded from Ontario.Donating to a Big Brother program for the good press was easy.But then I meet Elliot, the ten-year-old spitfire who lives for sarcasm and hockey, and I can't help but volunteer to mentor her.That is, if her mom will let me.I've wanted Shea Lansing from the moment we met last season.She's an incredible single mom.Sexy, sharp, stubborn, and hates hockey almost as much as she despises violence: A.K.A¿.me.Her past is darker than mine, and she'll do anything to ensure it never touches her daughter. Mentoring Elliot has Shea and I crossing paths-and wires.Our connection is electric. Undeniable. Unstoppable.But when her past comes back to haunt her, I'll have to lay everything on the line to keep them.I'm used to violence on the ice, but fighting for what I love? That's a whole different kind of game.One that could ruin us in the end.