The 2012 election is over, but the debate over the fairness and accuracy of our electoral system continues. The courts are dealing with the alleged discriminatory impact of voter ID requirements on minority voters; privacy and vote manipulation are concerns as political campaigns utilize new technology to target voters; the news media are contending with harsh public criticism of their elections coverage; the campaign finance floodgates were opened with vast resources spent on negative advertising; and the Electoral College continues to undermine a national, democratic electoral system—Is this any way to run a democratic election? This fully updated fifth edition of Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election? by Stephen J. Wayne answers that important question by looking at both recent events and recent scholarship focused on the democratic electoral process, including new data and timely illustrations from the 2012 elections.

Has our system of checks and balances between the three branches of our federal government undergone changes for good or ill over the years since the Constitution was set as the cornerstone of our nation? How stand our political traditions, our personal freedoms, our purported equality, our sense of governance "of, by, and for the people"? Are we the democratic nation we set out to be, or do we have a distance to go to achieve this ideal? Alternatively, is approaching a democratic ideal desirable today in the light of the smaller, more integrated, and dangerous world in which we live? Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Government? examines the theory and practice of American democracy and the dichotomy that currently exists between them. The contributors assess both the reasons—and the consequences—of this division between the theory of democracy and how it is played out in actuality. Focusing on the here and now, this book is about the institutions, process, and politics of government: how well they work; whether they meet the criteria for a viable democratic system; and the extent to which they contribute to good public policy. As we begin the 21st century, with rancorous political partisanship and threats to domestic security and tranquility at an all-time high, Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Government? asks us to think seriously about the state of our much-heralded democracy, and whether or not our political system can respond to the pressing needs of a new era without jeopardizing the basic values and beliefs that underlie its very foundation.

The must-have guide for young progressives looking to run for local office, complete with contributions from elected officials and political operatives. You’ve been depressed since the night of November 8, 2016. You wore black to work the next morning. You berated yourself for your complacency during the Obama years. You ranted on Twitter. You deleted Twitter. You sent emails to your friends saying, “How can we get more involved?” You listened to Pod Save America. You knit­ted a pussyhat. You showed up to the Women’s March on Washington. You protested Donald Trump’s executive orders. You called your congressman. You called other people’s congressmen. You set up monthly donations to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. You reactivated Twitter (begrudgingly). Here’s what you do next: Run for something. To be specific: Run for local office and become the change you want to see in the world. Forget about Con­gress. Forget about the Senate. Focus on the offices that get the real sh*t done: state legislatures, city councils, school boards, and mayors. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a white man over sixty with an Ivy League law degree. (In fact, it’s better if you’re not!) It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the first thing about running for office, or never even imagined you would. That’s what this book is for. Amanda Litman, experienced in hard-fought state and national election campaigns, is here to give you guid­ance as well as wisdom and insight from elected officials and political operatives she interviewed for this book. There are half a million elected officials in the United States. Why can’t you be one of them?

This is the eBook version of the print title. Note that the eBook does not provide access to the practice test software that accompanies the print book. ¿ Learn, prepare, and practice for MCSA 70-687 exam success with this Cert Guide from Pearson IT Certification, a leader in IT certification. Master MCSA 70-687 exam topics for Windows 8.1 configuration Assess your knowledge with chapter-ending quizzes Review key concepts with exam preparation tasks MCSA 70-687 Cert Guide: Configuring Microsoft® Windows 8.1 is a best-of-breed exam study guide. Best-selling authors and expert instructors Don Poulton, Randy Bellet, and Harry Holt share preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics. ¿ The book presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks help you drill on key concepts you must know thoroughly. Review questions help you assess your knowledge, and a final preparation chapter guides you through tools and resources to help you craft your final study plan. ¿ Well-regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time. ¿ The study guide helps you master all the topics on the MCSA 70-687 exam, including the following: Windows 8.1 introduction Hardware readiness and compatibility Installation and upgrades, including VHDs Migrating users, profiles, and applications Configuring devices and device drivers Installing, configuring, and securing applications Configuring Internet Explorer Configuring Hyper-V virtualization Configuring TCP/IP, network settings, and network security Configuring and securing access to files and folders, including OneDrive and NFC Configuring local security, authentication, and authorization Configuring remote connections and management Configuring and securing mobile devices Configuring Windows Updates Managing disks, backups, and system/file recovery Managing/monitoring system performance ¿

A boy and his dog.

A dramatic and tragic episode in British military history that will soon not be part of living memory. More than 100,000 British troops fought in Korea between 1950 and 1953, of which just over 1,000 died, with a further 1,000 captured and held in atrocious conditions by the Chinese and North Koreans. At least half of those captured died in prison camps. More than 70 per cent of those who fought were teenagers doing National Service – poorly trained and ill-equipped. The Korean War: Memories of Forgotten British Heroes tells the story of these men in their own words. Most of the veterans are now advanced in age and there is a pressing need for them to tell their tale. So soon after the Second World War, this was a conflict Britain did not need, but she remained steadfast by the side of the Americans, fighting more than 6,000 miles away in a country barely anyone could point to on a map. Yet while we remember those conflicts in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Korean War remains largely forgotten.

Learn Rails the way the Rails core team recommends it, along with the tens of thousands of developers who have used this broad, far-reaching tutorial and reference. If you're new to Rails, you'll get step-by-step guidance. If you're an experienced developer, get the comprehensive, insider information you need for the latest version of Ruby on Rails. The new edition of this award-winning classic is completely updated for Rails 5.1 and Ruby 2.4, with information on system testing, Webpack, and advanced JavaScript. Ruby on Rails helps you produce high-quality, beautiful-looking web applications quickly---you concentrate on creating the application, and Rails takes care of the details. Rails 5.1 brings many improvements, and this edition is updated to cover the new features and changes in best practices. We start with a step-by-step walkthrough of building a real application, and in-depth chapters look at the built-in Rails features. Follow along with an extended tutorial as you write a web-based store application. Eliminate tedious configuration and housekeeping; seamlessly incorporate Ajax and JavaScript; send emails and manage background jobs with ActiveJob; build real-time features using WebSockets and ActionCable. Test your applications as you write them using the built-in unit, integration, and system testing frameworks; internationalize your applications; and deploy your applications easily and securely. New in this edition is support for Webpack and advanced JavaScript, as well as Rails' new browser-based system testing. Rails 1.0 was released in December 2005. This book was there from the start, and didn't just evolve alongside Rails, it evolved with Rails. It has been developed in consultation with the Rails core team. In fact, Rails itself is tested against the code in this book. What You Need: All you need is a Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux machine to do development on. This book will take you through the steps to install Rails and its dependencies. If you aren't familiar with the Ruby programming language, this book contains a chapter that covers the basics necessary to understand the material in the book.

Andrew Klavan’s MindWar Trilogy—now available in one volume. In the tradition of Ender’s Game and The Matrix, MindWar is a complex thriller about a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers a hidden gift—a gift that could make him a hero . . . or cost him everything. MindWar When Rick lost the ability to run, he came one step closer to becoming a hero. Hostage Run Rick is faced with an impossible choice: save the life of his best friend Molly . . . Or save the free world. Game Over Rick emerged victorious from The Realm twice. Is his luck about to run out?

Contemporary Irish Documentary Theatre is the first anthology of Irish documentary drama. It features five challenging plays by Irish writers, and one by an international author, interrogating and commenting on crucial events of Irish history and of the diaspora, with introductory essays by established academics. Together these plays represent the most innovative development in contemporary Irish theatre and illuminate the social and political realities of contemporary Ireland. The first two plays, of 2010 and 2013, deal with scandals of clerical and institutional abuse, and use as source material the Ryan Report of 2009, and the documents from the 2008 Irish Bank Guarantee. The next two, of 2014 and 2013, concern interpretations of the most iconic moment of Irish history: the Easter Rising. The first of these is based on published statements of participants in the event and the second on the lived experiences of those in the contemporary Republic whose founding ideals have not been realized . The last two plays, of 2015 and 2016, widen the view to the history of the Irish in the diaspora: one retelling the history of emigration to England based on published research material; and the other tracing Roger Casement's experiences in the Amazon and his subsequent participation in the Easter Rising using extracts from his diaries and other writings. The plays included and discussed are: No Escape by Mary Raftery Guaranteed by Colin Murphy Of This Brave Time by Jimmy Murphy History by Grace Dyas My English Tongue, My Irish Heart by Martin Lynch The Two Deaths of Roger Casement by Domingos Nunez