The 2012 election will be one of the hardest-fought in U.S. history. It is also likely to be one of the closest, a fact that brings concerns about voter fraud and bureaucratic incompetence in the conduct of elections front and center. If we don't take notice, we could see another debacle like the Bush-Gore Florida recount of 2000 in which courts and lawyers intervened in what should have involved only voters. Who's Counting? will focus attention on many problems of our election system, ranging from voter fraud to a slipshod system of vote counting that noted political scientist Walter Dean Burnham calls “the most careless of the developed world.” In an effort to clean up our election laws, reduce fraud and increase public confidence in the integrity of the voting system, many states ranging from Georgia to Wisconsin have passed laws requiring a photo ID be shown at the polls and curbing the rampant use of absentee ballots, a tool of choice by fraudsters. The response from Obama allies has been to belittle the need for such laws and attack them as akin to the second coming of a racist tide in American life. In the summer of 2011, both Bill Clinton and DNC chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz preposterously claimed that such laws suppressed minority voters and represented a return to the era of Jim Crow. But voter fraud is a well-documented reality in American elections. Just this year, a sheriff and county clerk in West Virginia pleaded guilty to stuffing ballot boxes with fraudulent absentee ballots that changed the outcome of an election. In 2005, a state senate election in Tennessee was overturned because of voter fraud. The margin of victory? 13 votes. In 2008, the Minnesota senate race that provided the 60th vote needed to pass Obamacare was decided by a little over 300 votes. Almost 200 felons have already been convicted of voting illegally in that election and dozens of other prosecutions are still pending. Public confidence in the integrity of elections is at an all-time low. In the Cooperative Congressional Election Study of 2008, 62% of American voters thought that voter fraud was very common or somewhat common. Fear that elections are being stolen erodes the legitimacy of our government. That's why the vast majority of Americans support laws like Kansas's Secure and Fair Elections Act. A 2010 Rasmussen poll showed that 82% of Americans support photo ID laws. While Americans frequently demand observers and best practices in the elections of other countries, we are often blind to the need to scrutinize our own elections. We may pay the consequences in 2012 if a close election leads us into pitched partisan battles and court fights that will dwarf the Bush-Gore recount wars.

Spokeswoman for a generation, Jackie is saucy, sassy, and sure of herself. Now she shares her wisdom for the ageless in Who's Counting? So what does Jackie know that the young whippersnappers could stand to learn? She knows that life is too short to spend worrying over every calorie, every wrinkle, and every penny. She knows that too much of a good thing can be a very good thing. Most importantly, she knows that she can get away with anything! In addition to her piquant observations and clever one-liners, Who's Counting? features hilarious full-color photos of Jackie at her rambunctious best. See her hanging tough astride a tricked-out motorcycle, flirting with tuxedo-clad men a fraction of her age, and laughing it up with a friend (at something off-color and hardly ladylike, no doubt). There's a new and growing generation of women who are making "the good life" last and last, and Jackie is an outspoken champion for them all.

Four strangers are recruited by a mysterious monk in a cave in the Himalayas to find the last four Buddhas and keep them safe. Nathan must find a thirteen-year-old boy in in Chicago. Sarah - a baby girl in Guam. Akio - a young woman in Okinawa. And Leo must locate at newborn baby boy in New York City. If they fail? The end of the human race. Their adversary is mankind itself. And time is running out.

Get what you need to achieve your objectives and produce results Influence Without Authority is the classic guide to getting what you need from people you don't control. Getting things done requires collaboration, and convincing others to contribute requires political skill; this book introduces the Exchange Model, in which you get what you need by offering something of value in return. The key lies in knowing what the other person values—that's their "currency," and it's your immediate tool for coaxing their cooperation. This model has been proven over decades, as organizations around the world have turned away from frustration and resignation toward collaboration and results. This book shows you how to implement the Exchange Model at the personal, team, and organizational level to raise the bar for performance and leadership. This new third edition has been updated reflect the changing face of the workplace, and includes new examples and information on geographically dispersed virtual teams. Supplementary materials facilitate classroom and training use with discussions, role-play, videos, and other ancillaries that deepen understanding and promote practical application. Get what you need from the people who have it through mutual exchange Think in terms of interest, and pinpoint the "currencies" other people trade in Apply the Exchange Model across entire organizations to lead major change Learn practical real-world strategies for influencing those you do not control The ability to influence those not under your authority is becoming ever more valuable. Organizations are flattening, and outside contractors are taking on larger roles than ever before—getting results now means lateral cooperation, often across borders, time zones, organizations, and more. Influence Without Authority provides a proven model for success in this new environment, with expert guidance for real-world application.

This is a funny and poignant account of the life of a rogue of sorts. The crazy escapades and sad moments of a life lived on the brink and a character that never held back. It is ultimately the search for a love lost many years before and a search for the essence of unspoiled youth.

Lean is about building and improving stable and predictable systems and processes to deliver to customers high-quality products/services on time by engaging everyone in the organization. Combined with this, organizations need to create an environment of respect for people and continuous learning. It’s all about people. People create the product or service, drive innovation, and create systems and processes, and with leadership buy-in and accountability to ensure sustainment with this philosophy, employees will be committed to the organization as they learn and grow personally and professionally. Lean is a term that describes a way of thinking about and managing companies as an enterprise. Becoming Lean requires the following: the continual pursuit to identify and eliminate waste; the establishment of efficient flow of both information and process; and an unwavering top-level commitment. The concept of continuous improvement applies to any process in any industry. Based on the contents of The Lean Practitioners Field Book, the purpose of this series is to show, in detail, how any process can be improved utilizing a combination of tasks and people tools and introduces the BASICS Lean® concept. The books are designed for all levels of Lean practitioners and introduces proven tools for analysis and implementation that go beyond the traditional point kaizen event. Each book can be used as a stand-alone volume or used in combination with other titles based on specific needs. Each book is chock-full of case studies and stories from the authors’ own experiences in training organizations that have started or are continuing their Lean journey of continuous improvement. Contents include valuable lessons learned and each chapter concludes with questions pertaining to the focus of the chapter. Numerous photographs enrich and illustrate specific tools used in Lean methodology Check: Identifying Gaps on the Path to Success Transactional Processes contains chapters on implementing Lean, Kanban systems, line balancing, Heijunka-leveling, and the +QDIP process plus case studies of machine shop and transactional implementations. The implementation model describes the different approaches to Lean, compares them to Toyota, and explains each implementation model.

Unconditionally loving. Sovereign over all. How can God be sovereign over all things and loving towards all people while His creatures possess real freedom and responsibility for their choices? Theologians have wrestled with this question for centuries. But have our attempted solutions made the problem worse? In Wonderful Decree, Travis James Campbell suggests we cannot solve the problem by sacrificing either divine sovereignty and goodness on one hand or human responsibility on the other. While considering Arminian and Molinist alternatives, he concludes that the traditional Augustinian and Calvinist approach best allows these truths to remain in a healthy and biblically-faithful tension. Inspired by the example of Spurgeon, who preferred biblical mystery over human solutions, Campbell encourages readers to trust—even delight—in the harmony of God's love for all and sovereignty over all.

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Michael Prebo was the counselor. He did not have a psychology degree, and he certainly did not follow the profession's code of ethics. He counseled young women to take the plunge. A dozen desperate clients had followed his advice to their watery graves. The svelte and savvy TV journalist, Sullivan Hart, tracked him to California and Michigan, where Prebo set his sights and psychosexual fantasies on her. Jane Doe no. 2 (6/11/92) had been murdered. She had also been raped. Five years later, her rape kit was analyzed. It revealed DNA evidence that could lead to her killer. Michigan State Police homicide specialist Angel Vierra catches the case. He recruits his wife, Shantelle, to assist in the investigation. She had been Angel's partner on Detroit PD's homicide squad one. Although she had taken a four-year sabbatical to become a wife and mother, she jumped back into the game with zeal and guts. Critical praise for Sam Fluharty's first novel Rite of revenge: Fluharty, a former Vietnam pilot, puts his flight experience to good use in this novel and also showcases an authority on police techniques and procedure. The story is briskly paced, and the narrative remains central without disappearing behind extraneous information. An uneven romantic thriller that will appeal to genre fans (Kirkus Reviews of New York).

640 jokes, anecdotes, and limericks, complete with notes on how to tell them, from America's leading renaissance man.