Issues like COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, trade wars and cyberattacks add to the complexity of the U.S. political system. Schmidt/Shelley/Bardes' AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY, ENHANCED BRIEF 11th edition helps you make sense of it all while learning to be an informed citizen and active participant in the political process. A colorful design and current political news and analysis make this an ideal resource to explain fundamentals of the U.S. government and its intricate political system and how they impact your life -- now and in the future. Extremely reader-friendly, the book has been praised for its brevity, balanced coverage and clarity. Digital course solutions MindTap and Infuse are available.

When author John Caulfield was growing up in the South Bronx in the 1930s, the Irish kids were raised to be firemen, cops, or priests. From a young age, he knew his future held one of those options. In this memoir, he narrates the story of his long career in law enforcement-a path that was anything but direct.

"Caulfield, Shield #911-NYPD" tells of Caulfield's working first job at a grocery store at age ten, attending Catholic school, playing basketball at Rice High School, earning a basketball scholarship at Wake Forest College, being drafted into the army, and gaining his police shield-#911-in 1953.

It also details his experiences as an NYPD detective when assigned to its elite Bureau of Special Services and Investigations unit, whose prime mandate involved guarding visiting heads of state. In 1969, Caulfield took a leave of absence and joined the White House staff as staff assistant to President Richard Nixon; during that time, he coordinated more than ninety-three investigations. When Watergate occurred, Caulfield was serving as assistant director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms unit that investigated extremist groups in the United States. He testified before the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973.

In "Caulfield, Shield #911-NYPD," Caulfield offers unique insight into the levels of the world security events in NYPD and the White House.

Circa AD 750, both the Islamic world and western Europe underwent political revolutions; these raised to power, respectively, the 'Abbasid and Carolingian dynasties. The eras thus inaugurated were similar not only in their chronology, but also in the foundational role each played in its respective civilization, forming and shaping enduring religious, cultural, and societal institutions. The 'Abbasid and Carolingian Empires: Studies in Civilizational Formation, is the first collected volume ever dedicated specifically to comparative Carolingian-'Abbasid history. In it, editor D.G. Tor brings together essays from some of the leading historians in order to elucidate some of the parallel developments in each of these civilizations, many of which persisted not only throughout the Middle Ages, but to the present day. Contributors are: Michael Cook, Jennifer R. Davis, Robert Gleave, Eric J. Goldberg, Minoru Inaba, Jurgen Paul, Walter Pohl, D.G. Tor and Ian Wood.

Legendary lawyer of the people, Louis Brandeis, displays his knowledge of the banking financial system and describes how it asserts staggering control over the economy of the United States. As relevant today as it was when first published in 1914, this book serves to demystify aspects of the banking system which are lost on those who are not employed within the finance sector. Explaining how banks have become a powerful oligarchy, Brandeis describes how the money trusts hold enormous and growing influence upon almost every large industry in the United States and much of the wider world. The monopolies of money trusts, and their role in controlling the economy, is described in detail. The deposits and savings of millions of ordinary Americans are put to work by the likes of J. P. Morgan who both lend to and purchase other banks and parts of companies. The trend towards small banks combining into larger entities, and the anti-competitive monopolies this entails are detailed.

A must-read for psychologists—clinical and academic alike—as well as for political scientists, policy analysts, and others working in the realm of terrorism, political violence, and extremism, this book carefully explores the theories, observations, and approaches of authorities in the field and addresses how and why terrorism has perpetuated for so long. Terrorism is now a regular topic in the news rather than a rare or an unusual occurrence. The possibility of violent terrorist acts constitutes a legitimate safety concern, regardless of one's country of residence: no longer can anyone assume that their location is beyond the reach or outside the targeted areas of any number of terrorist groups. Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism: New Psychology to Understand, Face, and Defuse the Threat examines why the number of terrorist attacks has greatly increased since the attacks on September 11, 2001 occurred, including well-known events such as the Madrid train bombings (2004), the London Underground bombings of 2005, the San Bernardino and Paris attacks (2015), and countless others, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Beyond providing a careful and up-to-date assessment of the state of terrorism worldwide, which includes coverage of the religious and political origins of terrorist activities, the book pinpoints less-recognized and rarely studied aspects of terrorism, such as terrorism hysteria, sexuality, shame, and rape. The diverse perspectives within this unified volume are relevant to a breadth of subject areas, such as international psychology, military psychology, political science, political theory, religious studies, military theory, peace studies, military sciences, law enforcement, public health, sociology, anthropology, social work, law, and feminist theory.

* The only long-established American government text under 350 pages, Basics provides a brief, current, easily-understood introduction to American politics and government for beginning college and community college students. * With simple, focused chapters of under 30 pages on the key political players, teachers gain confidence that their assignments using this accessible, inexpensive, long-time student favorite will be bought and read. * A comprehensive yet compact set of features-including "Spotlight On," "A Closer Look," and "Case Study" boxes; chapter wrap-ups, Thought Questions, Learn the Terms glossary entries, and Suggested Readings-keep students engaged and offer professors easy "launching pads" into timely topics beyond the basic text. New to the 17th Edition Discusses student activism in the context of climate change. Covers the personalities and actions of the new Biden administration, as well as wrapping up President Trump's tumultuous final year in office (two impeachments, COVID, the Capitol Insurrection). Updated to reflect the results of the 2022 midterm elections, and the impact of reapportionment and gerrymandering (based on the 2020 Census). Presents recent and ongoing developments on the Supreme Court including appointment of two new justices and major decisions including those pertaining to abortion, voting rights and access, and LGBT rights. Reflects changes in voting behavior in the 2020 and 2022 elections, as well as developments regarding both voting rights and voter suppression. Explores the ongoing crisis of misinformation and disinformation on the Internet and in social media in particular. Expands the discussion of tribal politics, threats to democracy, and economics.

"Today more than ever, we need to listen to critical voices from the Venezuelan grassroots, and this is exactly what Venezuela, the Present as Struggle gives us. Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert have gathered the tools we need to navigate the treacherous straits between state and movements, economic crisis and sanctions, and to chart a radical course toward socialism." -George Ciccariello-Maher, author, Building the Commune: Radical Democracy in Venezuela Venezuela has been the stuff of frontpage news extravaganzas, especially since the death of Hugo Chavez. With predictable bias, mainstream media focus on violent clashes between opposition and government, coup attempts, hyperinflation, U.S. sanctions, and massive immigration. What is less known, however, is the story of what the Venezuelan people - especially the Chavista masses - do and think in these times of social emergency. Denying us their stories comes at a high price to people everywhere, because the Chavista bases are the real motors of the Bolivarian revolution. This revolutionary grassroots movement still aspires to the communal path to socialism that Chavez refined in his last years. Venezuela, the Present as Struggle is an eloquent testament to their lives. Comprised of a series of compelling interviews conducted by Cira Pascual Marquina, professor at the Bolivarian University, and contextualized by author Chris Gilbert, the book seeks to open a window on grassroots Chavismo itself in the wake of Chavez's death. Feminist and housing activists, communards, organic intellectuals, and campesinos from around the country speak up in their own voices, defending the socialist project and pointing to what they see as revolutionary solutions to Venezuela's current crisis. If the Venezuelan government has shown an impressive capacity to resist imperialism, it is the Chavista grassroots movement, as this book shows, that actually defends socialism as the only coherent project of national liberation.

Hilaire Belloc's landmark study Characters of the Reformation argues that Western Europe's break from the Catholic Church was driven by a land-grab and looting of Church property by European noblemen. Belloc has little admiration for the so-called leaders of the time and credits the Reformation to behind-the-scenes players.