The Republicans who run American government today have defied the normal laws of political gravity. They have ruled with the slimmest of majorities and yet have transformed the nation’s governing priorities. They have strayed dramatically from the moderate middle of public opinion and yet have faced little public backlash. Again and again, they have sided with the affluent and ideologically extreme while paying little heed to the broad majority of Americans. And much more often than not, they have come out on top. This book shows why—and why this troubling state of affairs can and must be changed. Written in a highly accessible style by two professional political scientists, Off Center tells the story of a deliberative process restricted and distorted by party chieftains, of unresponsive power brokers subverting the popular will, and of legislation written by and for powerful interests and deliberately designed to mute popular discontent. In the best tradition of engaged social science, Off Center is a powerful and informed critique that points the way toward a stronger foundation for American democracy.

A whimsical parody of modern-day sports culture presents a compilation of fake articles, editorials, transcripts, photographs, ads, and other features from a fictional sports magazine, skewering the follies and foibles of America's sports obsessions. Original. 20,000 first printing.

In this provocative study, Miyoshi deliberately adopts an off-center perspective--one that restores the historical asymmetry of encounters between Japan and the United States, from Commodore Perry to Douglas MacArthur--to investigate the blindness that has characterized relations between the two cultures.

Find out what happens when companies stop competing and start collaborating. Off-Centered Leadership considers an innovative approach to business by exploring what happens when companies stop competing and start collaborating — both externally in the marketplace and internally in building a culture of communication, trust and alignment. Brimming with lessons on entrepreneurship and culture from the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, one of the fastest growing independent brewery in the country,members of his leadership team and external mentors from the worlds of business and art, this game-changing text turns competition on its head by showcasing how competing organizations can work together—and with other local businesses—to reach a common goal. The text dives into how Dogfish Head has blazed a new trail through the development of a revolutionary business model that has called upon musicians, community organizations, and even other breweries to keep product development fresh and create engaging customer experiences. This book documents and addresses the growing pains a company experiences as it evolves from the awkward early start up years into a mid-sized sustainable company with hundreds of co-workers. Calagione is candid in sharing his personal leadership challenges and success and calls on other seasoned vets inside and outside the company who inform and influence the journey of growth and creative expression Dogfish Head is on. This book is rich with practical information entrepreneurs and business people can apply to their own professional journeys. Competition has long been the name of the game in the business world, but what if there was a different way to approach business? The collaboration over competition approach to business has been proven to foster positivity, productivity, and, ultimately, success. By partnering with your competition instead of trying to outsell them, you could actually create a memorable customer experience that will have people coming back for more! Internally as well the dogfish approach has evolved and is not traditional org chart driven top down leadership. Calagione shared the challenges of evolving from a founder-driven entrepreneurial company where he was the sole creative and strategic director into a more collaborative collective where he is now one of many creative and strategic voices in the company. Discover the methods and approaches dogfish head has used to grow a rich diverse leadership team and evolve from a company basing decisions on the gut and whims of a founder to one with a more robust wholistic strategic approach in a way that allows them to stay creative and maintain their irreverent off-centered culture. Discover how ditching your competitive nature and embracing collaboration can allow you to better serve your customers Explore innovative solutions to the challenges that today's businesses face Consider how your company can grow through the collaboration over competition business model Leverage the experiences of other companies to truly understand how collaboration can contribute to your businesss success Off-Centered Leadership is a groundbreaking book that explores the power of collaboration within the business world.

China Off Center takes as its fundamental assumption that contemporary China can only be understood as a complex, decentralized place, where the view from above (Beijing) and from tourist buses is a skewed one. Instead of generalizing about China, it demonstrates that this diverse national terrain is better conceived as it is experienced by Chinese, as a set of many Chinas. To that end, this anthology of interpretive essays and ethnographic reports focuses on the everyday, the particular, the local, and the puzzling. Together with contextualizing introductions, the readings provide students with a compelling look at some little-known but significant aspects of China from the past decade; for those already familiar with China, they furnish an assortment of uncommon viewpoints in a single, convenient volume. Foreword by Prasenjit Duara Contributors: A. Doak Barnett, Susan D. Blum, Diane Dorfman, Mary S. Erbaugh, Edward Friedman, Vincent E. Gil, Dru Gladney, Erwin J. Haeberle, Lionel M. Jensen, Andrew F. Jones, Eric Ivan Karchmer, Liu Binyan, Dalin Liu, Man Lun Ng, S. Robert Ramsey, Dorothy J. Solinger, Ann Tyson, James Tyson, Sydney White, David Yen-ho Wu, Li Ping Zhou.

Randy Grimes quickly learned one important truth as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' top draft pick: play through pain, or get cut. This is just part of being a pro athlete, he told himself. Growing up in Tyler, Texas, Grimes's life was very much on center. A childhood spent in church on Sundays and on the gridiron all week turned into a football scholarship to Baylor, marriage to his college sweetheart, and a coveted NFL roster spot. When the Bucs' starting center began piling up brutal hits, he determined to do anything to stay in the game. If the pills prescribed by the team doctors could help, Grimes would take them. All in a day's work, he told himself. Even before Grimes left the NFL, his life began slipping off center. Eventually, he lost almost everything he owned, the respect of his children, and very nearly his life, before tumbling out of the car and crawling on hands and knees into a treatment center-literally-into a life-changing miracle. Off Center is Randy Grimes's riveting story of having it all, playing the sport he loved, losing almost everything, and ultimately finding redemption and hope. Witness the addiction trap that binds millions and claims thousands of lives each year-and the steps Grimes took to reclaim his life and guide others. Today Grimes and his wife, Lydia, stage drug and alcohol interventions for professional athletes, celebrities, business leaders, and everyday Americans to find recovery from addiction. Recovery has become his playbook. His treatment center colleagues are his team. And those with addiction are his community. Above all, Grimes wants people to know: Even when the world seems to be yours, there is room to fall. And even when that world seems to slip away, there is hope.

Writing from the Center is about one very fine writer's quest for a meaningful and moral life. The center he seeks and describes is geographical, emotional, artistic, and spiritual - and it is rooted in place. The geography is midwestern, the impulses are universal. Where and how do we find meaning? Where does a writer find inspiration? How can personal, artistic, family, and community needs be blended to create a harmonious life? What aids exist in such a ""located"" life against despair? How should a writer relate to and represent his place? Twelve interrelated essays probe these questions from different perspectives. ""Buckeye"" examines the resonance of objects and the mysteries of relationships and death. ""Imagining the Midwest"" surveys how other writers have seen and related to their region. ""The Common Life"" makes an eloquent case for community values. ""Sanctuary"" is an eloquent and painful consideration of environmental degradation. ""Writing from the Center"" and ""Letter to a Reader"" deal with Sanders's decisions to locate in the Midwest, to know his place, and to write about it in both fiction and nonfiction.

The must-read summary of Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson's book: “Off Center: The Republican Revolution & the Erosion of American Democracy”. This complete summary of "Off Center" by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, two renowned political science professors, presents their exploration of the dynamics behind America's political shift to the right and their explanation of how the Republican party has maintained control, despite policies which clearly benefit affluent and ideologically extreme people and pay little heed to the broad majority of Americans. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand the American government under the Republican Party • Expand your knowledge of American politics To learn more, read "Off Center" and discover how the Republican Party maintained power and what this means for ordinary Americans.