Draws on interviews with interest groups, lobbyists and government officials to assess private organizations' efforts to influence federal policy in agriculture, energy, health and labour policy. They reveal and explain the absence of any central core of influentials in the policy process.

The first major scholarly defense of the centrality of the Framers' intentions in constitutional interpretation to appear in years.

Jace Warin never wanted anything more than to attend the School of Swords and Serpents to escape the labor camps and restore his family's stained honor. But the determined young martial artist soon discovers the school he's always dreamed about is teeming with secret plots and sinister designs. To survive, he will have to master long-lost jinsei techniques, repair his wounded soul, and face down a most unexpected enemy: The Academy's ruthless headmaster and cunning professors. Hollow is the first book in the School of Swords and Serpents series, a tale of wuxia adventure, cultivation mastery, and lurking threats. "Wow, this book is crazy-good. If the Harry Potter series were somehow violently smashed together with the characters from Mortal Kombat, you might have something that comes close to the School of Swords and Serpents." -James A. Hunter, Bestselling Author of Rogue Dungeon, Bibliomancer, and the LitRPG epic Viridian Gate Online

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

In this volume of the sweeping epic, after six centuries of peace conflict continues to spread through the Matriarchy as the domination of the guilds is challenged. Against this tumultuous background Natacha Celandine, gentle and bright, becomes sucked into the murderous games of the mighty. Toughened by betrayal and hardship she starts to face life on her own terms. A chance event gives her real power and she is no longer a pawn in this game. This brings new challenges. Can she retain her better virtues as she deals with the threats to her and her loved ones? Or will she succumb to the temptations of the powerful? How can she bring peace to the planet without renouncing the Book of Founders? A love story with a difference, a science fiction where the science is consigned to the background, a tale of strong passions and difficult choices, the second volume of The Last Heiras is filled with complex characters and vivid invention.

After over six centuries of peace, conflict has spread through the Matriarchy as the domination of the guilds is challenged. Against this tumultuous background Natacha Celandine, gentle and bright, becomes sucked into the murderous power games of the mighty and their opponents. Toughened by betrayal and hardship she starts to face life on her own terms. A chance event gives her command and she is no longer a pawn in this game but a queen. This brings new challenges. Can she retain her better virtues as she deals with the threats to her and her loved ones or will she succumb to the temptations of the powerful? How can she bring peace to the planet without renouncing the Book of Founders? A love story with a difference, a science fiction where the science is consigned to the background, this is a story of strong passions and difficult choices, the first of three volumes.

The former FIP Commission Prefabrication drafted the FIP Recommendations on the design of Precast prestressed hollow core floors, published by FIP in 1988 (Telford, London, ISBN 0-7277-1375-2). That document was highly appreciated by designers and public authorities because of the lack of guidance available elsewhere, especially with respect to some specific features of the product, for example the absence of transverse reinforcement. It has also served as a reference guide for national standards and especially for the CEN product standard on prestressed hollow core slabs. During the production of that report it was felt that some design rules were incomplete or missing. In addition, research carried out since has resulted in complementary knowledge on the behaviour of hollow core floors, for example in combination with slender floor beams. The present guide to good practice is intended to complement the existing recommendations. The research for the different items was carried out at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), VTT (Finland), University of Nottingham (United Kingdom), Building Research Institute (Poland), and the University of Rome (Italy).