The U.S. Supreme Court is a public policy battleground in which organized interests attempt to etch their economic, legal, and political preferences into law through the filing of amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs. In Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making, Paul M. Collins, Jr. explores how organized interests influence the justices' decision making, including how the justices vote and whether they choose to author concurrences and dissents. Collins presents theories of judicial choice derived from disciplines as diverse as law, marketing, political science, and social psychology. This theoretically rich and empirically rigorous treatment of decision-making on the nation's highest court, which represents the most comprehensive examination ever undertaken of the influence of U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs, provides clear evidence that interest groups play a significant role in shaping the justices' choices.

Voted the Best Space Book of 2018 by the Space Hipsters The dramatic inside story of the epic search and recovery operation after the Columbia space shuttle disaster. On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach, Launch Director of the space shuttle program at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history. This comprehensive account is told in four parts: Parallel Confusion Courage, Compassion, and Commitment Picking Up the Pieces A Bittersweet Victory For the first time, here is the definitive inside story of the Columbia disaster and recovery and the inspiring message it ultimately holds. In the aftermath of tragedy, people and communities came together to help bring home the remains of the crew and nearly 40 percent of shuttle, an effort that was instrumental in piecing together what happened so the shuttle program could return to flight and complete the International Space Station. Bringing Columbia Home shares the deeply personal stories that emerged as NASA employees looked for lost colleagues and searchers overcame immense physical, logistical, and emotional challenges and worked together to accomplish the impossible. Featuring a foreword and epilogue by astronauts Robert Crippen and Eileen Collins, and dedicated to the astronauts and recovery search persons who lost their lives, this is an incredible, compelling narrative about the best of humanity in the darkest of times and about how a failure at the pinnacle of human achievement became a story of cooperation and hope.

Discussion of theosis is mainly undertaken within Byzantine Orthodoxy and is usually structured around an examination of patristic and medieval sources. This work builds upon such discussions and broadens the basis by including Western sources (Catholic and Protestant) in contemporary debates about salvation. In seeking to explore a relational understanding of divine nature, a discussion of personhood and communion is held. This is filtered through the works of Zizioulas, exponents of communion ecclesiology and those such as Turcescu who have provided a critique of these understandings. This is an investigation of how understandings of theosis in the Christian Tradition have related to understandings of divine nature in terms of koinonia. It further suggests a relational paradigm for conceptualising how theosis may be understood today, drawing out implications for the Christian community and discipleship.

Against a background of extensive multi-disciplinary oceanographic investigations over a number of years, together with the long-term establishment of a Society and Institute, extensive information is available from studies undertaken in the estuarine and coastal waters of the Basque Country.

The present authors gained access to unpublished literature and reports which, together with a synthesis of internationally-refereed papers, provide a series of scientific overviews of particular subject areas. Teams of researchers (from Basque Institutes and Universities) combine to present the present 'state of knowledge', within a global context, of processes ranging from sub-seabed to air-sea interaction - incorporating data on the associated biology (including fisheries) and pollutant sources and levels. The latter are compared with regional, national and European legislation. The volume is divided into various sections: Introduction; Geography and Oceanography; Chemical Oceanography and Water Quality; Sediment Characteristics, Quality and Chemistry; Biomonitoring; Communities and Ecology; and Overall Assessment.

The topics covered include: an historical review of marine research; the impact of human activities, during past centuries; geology, geomorphology and sediments; climate and meteorology; marine dynamics; hydrography; water mass characteristics; contaminants in the waters; microbiological quality; sedimentological characteristics; contaminants in sediments; biomonitoring of heavy metals and organic components, at tissue organism level and using cellular and molecular biomarkers; bacterioplankton and phytoplankton communities; zooplankton communities; benthic communities; seabirds; biodiversity and conservation; recovery of benthic communities; the polluted systems; and assessment of human impacts. On the basis of these syntheses, future challenges for marine research in the Basque Country are identified, in terms of a 'Research Agenda'.

This comprehensive text, relating to estuarine, coastal and oceanographic processes at wide-ranging spatial and temporal scales in the southern Bay of Biscay, will be of interest to researchers, engineers and legislators - on a regional basis and within a world-wide perspective.

Quiet Observations Summary: This book is made up of verses about the simple act of being. You know, the moments when you are quietly reading between the lines of encounters in everyday life. How deep these waters run. I felt compelled to write these feelings in rhyme after my mother's death.I am the fourth daughter in a family of five girls. We are as different as five sisters can be. For years I did not understand how we could be so different. We did in fact; grow up in the same household exposed to the same teachings (except for the eldest).One evening shortly after my mother's funeral, I was fascinated talking to my sister Deborah about one past experience, the painful time of our parents break-up. I could not believe how we could view the same series of events and interpret them completely different. I did not see her view as wrong. There were many things she expressed that had never crossed my mind.There was great disharmony among the five of us regarding the finalization of my mother's affairs. It was much like the impact of an earthquake that changed the landscape of our relationships forever. Once your view changes, everything shifts. I began to notice more and more how each of us see life through our own filter. This filter or viewpoint seems to be made up of in-born tendencies of personality and emotion mixed with socialization. When you add it all together it equals our expectation of the world around us. This filter can cause us to see things in others that are not there or not see character traits that are there.I am an avid lover of art, music etc. I have no formal training in sociology. These writing are by no means a perfect view of anything except the view from me. I want to see how many people relate to the words on these pages. I have come to the conclusion that I am happy, sad, angry etc. because of my expectations, internal make up and beliefs, not because of other people or the world around me. The first poem I wrote was Puppy which reflects the sadness of the loss of my Mom. I come to view all events in my life in a new way. Many of the things I've perceived as painful were neither good nor bad. They were however, necessary for the birth of a new outlook. It is a blessing that I did not get some of the things I have wanted looking back over my life.Real rebirth has a period of hard labor, just as any birth would. If our lives are to be satisfying, we must go through many of these periods of hard labor repeatedly so we continue to sidestep stagnation throughout our lives. These views are reflected in Savor the sound, Torn, Turns, Expectations and othersThere is also the lighter side of life written as Child of summer, Seven Minutes from Me, Dear to Me and the poem in the book that is really close to my heart, Miles, expressing my feelings regarding my darling nephew by the same name. I have attempted to include poems from many angles. This little book of thoughts and rhymes gives the reader a chance to add your personal quiet observations in the back. I hope you come to treasure what you've added in your copy.Lastly, I realize all the things that make me different from my sisters, yet there is a long list of things we share. I apply this to my feelings toward our larger human family. We are like brothers and sisters. At times we are at odds in our viewpoint, yet always deeply connected at our core.Peace Always, Beverly

Receiving 'The Nature and Mission of the Church' is a collection of essays and assessments in which scholars from a variety of denominational, geographical and ecclesiological backgrounds attempt to discern the significance of the 2006 document 'Nature and Mission of the Church' from the World Council of Churches-thereby offering doctrinal, theological and hermeneutical perspectives and analysis on its formation and content. The essays also seek to discern the potential ecumenical ramifications of the document. Contributions also address futures for ecumenical dialogue and the development of an ecumenical ecclesiology in general. This is an apposite and timely collection of responses which includes contributions from those who witnessed its launch in the context of the WCC in 2006 at Porte Allegre. While so many books on the church already exist, the focused nature of the proposed volume, as well as the international and broad denominational range of the contributors, makes this proposed volume unique. Bear in mind, also, that the proposed volume is not, primarily, a historical study, but rather an ecclesiological study, and its original form is further accentuated.

Seeking to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical theology and ecclesiology, this co-authored volume presents an evolving conversation between four significant theologians.This co-authored volume is the outcome of an ecumenical speaking and listening that has involved a continuing conversation between four theologians over a period of more than two years. The scholars are active members of the mainline churches in the UK, Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic. They propose that the Church will live as it grows in self-understanding, in the light of the claim that her purpose is to focus attention on God, Creator, Redeemer, and Living Presence. In so doing they address key debates in the US and European contexts, as well as dealing with matters of pressing concern in the wider global church.What does it mean to say that the Church in herself and on behalf of the world bears witness to and celebrates the presence of God in contemporary ethics, worship, governance and mission? The authors have sought to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical theology, and ecclesiology. Key features are accessibility, the highly pertinent nature of the themes it covers, its academic purpose and its awareness of the parish and ministerial contexts."Ecclesiological Investigations" brings together quality research and inspiring debates in ecclesiology worldwide from a network of international scholars, research centres and projects in the field.

Elsie Collins is not your normal, everyday college professor in America. In her youth, she started out as "Kissi"-a descendent of African slaves, living in Wilson's Mill, North Carolina. Her upbringing brought her face-to-face with racism and discrimination, both subtly and overtly. The lines dividing black and white fascinated young Kissi; as she grew up, she decided to take a deeper look at race relations, nationwide. "Blessed Are the Meek, the Humble, and the Bold" is the memoir of Dr. Elsie Collins, a woman who spent nearly three-quarters of the twentieth century cutting through the color divide. Although she met with many challenges, Elsie never gave up on goals she had set for herself and her community. She never gave up on building strong relationships across lines of class, race, and culture. Elsie Collins has inspired hundreds on her long journey to personal freedom and success, from small towns in North Carolina to the big city of New York. Through the acquisition of knowledge, friendship, wisdom, she developed the judgment to discern when to be humble and when to be bold. Her story is a snapshot of race relations in America and a commentary on the insignificance of skin color in human relationships and in the search for the meaning of life.

James Carville famously reminded Bill Clinton throughtout 1992 that "it's the economy, stupid". Yet, for the last forty years, historians of modern America have ignored the economy to focus on cultural, social, and political themes, from the birth of modern feminism to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now a scholar has stepped forward to place the economy back in its rightful place, at the centre of his historical narrative. In More, Robert M. Collins reexamines the history of the United States from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, focusing on the federal government's determined pursuit of economic growth. After tracing the emergence of growth as a priority during FDR's presidency, Collins explores the record of successive administrations, highlighting both their success in fostering growth, and its partisan uses. Collins reveals that the obsession with growth appears not only as a matter of policy, but as an expression of Cold War ideology--both a means to pay for the arms build-up and proof of the superiority of the United States' market economy. But under Johnson, this enthusiasm sparked a crisis: spending on Vietnam unleashed runaway inflation, while the nation struggled with the moral consequences of its prosperity, reflected in books such as John Kenneth Galbraith's The Affluent Society and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. More continues up to the end of the 1990s, as Collins explains the real impact of Reagan's policies and astutely assesses Clinton's "disciplined growthmanship," which combined deficit reduction and a relaxed but watchful monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. Writing with eloquence and analytical clarity, Robert M. Collins offers a startlingly new framework for understanding the history of postwar America.

In Challenging the Status Quo: Diversity, Democracy, and Equality in the 21st Century, David G. Embrick, Sharon M. Collins, and Michelle Dodson have compiled the latest ideas and scholarship in the area of diversity and inclusion. The contributors in this edited book offer critical analyses on many aspects of diversity as it pertains to institutional policies, practices, discourse, and beliefs. The book is broken down into 19 chapters over 7 sections that cover: policies and politics; pedagogy and higher education; STEM; religion; communities; complex organizations; and discourse and identity. Collectively, these chapters contribute to answering three main questions: 1) what, ultimately, does diversity mean; 2) what are the various mechanisms by which institutions understand and use diversity; and 3) and why is it important for us to rethink diversity? Contributors: Sharla Alegria, Joyce M. Bell, Sharon M. Collins, Ellen Berrey, Enobong Hannah Branch, Meghan A. Burke, Tiffany Davis, Michele C. Deramo, Michelle Dodson, David G. Embrick, Edward Orozco Flores, Emma Gonzalez-Lesser, Bianca Gonzalez-Sobrino, Matthew W. Hughey, Paul R. Ketchum, Megan Klein, Michael Kreiter, Marie des Neiges Leonard, Wendy Leo Moore, Shan Mukhtar, Antonia Randolph, Victor Erik Ray, Arthur Scarritt, Laurie Cooper Stoll.

The term denomination is now widely used to describe a Christian community or church. But what is a denomination? In this highly creative collection of essays representatives of all major Christian traditions give an answer to this question. What does the term mean in their own tradition? And does that tradition understand itself to be a denomination? If so, what is that understanding of denomination; and if not, how does the tradition understand itself vis vis those churches which do and those churches which do not understand themselves as denominations? In dialogue with the argument and ideas set forth in Barry Ensign-Georges essay each essay offers a response from the perspective of a particular church (tradition). Each essay also consider questions concerning the current landscape of ecumenical dialogue; ecumenical method and the goals of the ecumenical movement; also questions of Christian identity and belonging

Collins traces Communist strategy in the so-called Cold War from its ideological roots, through its successes, to the system's collapse. He demonstrates that Communist ideology made the Cold War inevitable, shaped Communist strategy and the resultant structure and purpose of Communist states, and assured that Soviet and other Communist states and party strategies would be subsets of a larger Communist world strategy. Collins challenges American perception and conduct of the Cold War as essentially a conflict between Great Powers in a bipolar world, demonstrating that it was in fact a real war, with its objective to create a Communist world. He illuminates the central role of internal strategy conflicts in fractionating the Communist world, and the direct linkage between the failure of Communist world strategy and the system's collapse. This is a major synthesis that will be of interest to scholars and researchers of international Communism and security issues as well as lay readers.

Strategic Risk examines a fundamental issue in the field of strategic management and organizations: how to study changes in the competitive outcomes of firms. Collins and Ruefli develop the concept of ordinal risk and extend this concept and its associated measures to the more general framework of state-defined systems. The book makes the state-defined risk methodology more accessible to strategic management researchers, and to social scientists in general. The need for quantitative frameworks with which to analyze the dynamics of strategic management has been apparent for some time. The state-defined risk methodology has the advantage of being based on a common usage definition of risk, and is also based on a mathematically well-behaved function. It permits investigation of the chance of gain while yielding a measure of environmental uncertainty. Finally, the development is general and permits applications employing a variety of performance dimensions over a range of entities in a diversity of contexts. The authors demonstrate the practicability and reliability of this approach by applying the model to mutual funds, large mining and manufacturing firms, and public firms on an industry by industry basis.

In Supreme Bias, Christina L. Boyd, Paul M. Collins, Jr., and Lori A. Ringhand present for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of race and gender at the Supreme Court confirmation hearings held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Drawing on their deep knowledge of the confirmation hearings, as well as rich new qualitative and quantitative evidence, the authors highlight how the women and people of color who have sat before the Committee have faced a significantly different confirmation process than their white male colleagues. Despite being among the most qualified and well-credentialed lawyers of their respective generations, female nominees and nominees of color face more skepticism of their professional competence, are subjected to stereotype-based questioning, are more frequently interrupted, and are described in less-positive terms by senators. In addition to revealing the disturbing extent to which race and gender bias exist even at the highest echelon of U.S. legal power, this book also provides concrete suggestions for how that bias can be reduced in the future.

In Supreme Bias, Christina L. Boyd, Paul M. Collins, Jr., and Lori A. Ringhand present for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of race and gender at the Supreme Court confirmation hearings held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Drawing on their deep knowledge of the confirmation hearings, as well as rich new qualitative and quantitative evidence, the authors highlight how the women and people of color who have sat before the Committee have faced a significantly different confirmation process than their white male colleagues. Despite being among the most qualified and well-credentialed lawyers of their respective generations, female nominees and nominees of color face more skepticism of their professional competence, are subjected to stereotype-based questioning, are more frequently interrupted, and are described in less-positive terms by senators. In addition to revealing the disturbing extent to which race and gender bias exist even at the highest echelon of U.S. legal power, this book also provides concrete suggestions for how that bias can be reduced in the future.

In the past few decades, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become an indispensable tool in modern medicine, with MRI systems now available at every major hospital in the developed world. But for all its utility and prevalence, it is much less commonly understood and less readily explained than other common medical imaging techniques. Unlike optical, ultrasonic, X-ray (including CT), and nuclear medicine-based imaging, MRI does not rely primarily on simple transmission and/or reflection of energy, and the highest achievable resolution in MRI is orders of magnitude smaller that the smallest wavelength involved. In this book, MRI will be explained with emphasis on the magnetic fields required, their generation, their concomitant electric fields, the various interactions of all these fields with the subject being imaged, and the implications of these interactions to image quality and patient safety. Classical electromagnetics will be used to describe aspects from the fundamental phenomenon of nuclear precession through signal detection and MRI safety. Simple explanations and Illustrations combined with pertinent equations are designed to help the reader rapidly gain a fundamental understanding and an appreciation of this technology as it is used today, as well as ongoing advances that will increase its value in the future. Numerous references are included to facilitate further study with an emphasis on areas most directly related to electromagnetics.

This story is a Cinderella story about a girl who is too beautiful for her own good. One who has had some saving graces, 'feelings, ' 'hunches, ' and 'intuitions.' She finds it hard to make friends.

Even as a first grader teachers resented her. That was the pattern but she knew why. The book tells her story.

How is a changing climate affecting hurricanes, and how are these changes intersecting with our changing exposure and vulnerability in ways that affect tropical cyclone risk? Crucially, how should this understanding be incorporated into risk management practice? This book takes a cross-sectoral look at how damaging tropical cyclone characteristics are changing and presents novel approaches to integrate science with risk assessment. In this new era of tropical cyclone impacts, understanding effective risk management practice in a changing climate is more important than ever. This book details the outcomes of new research focusing on climate risk related to hurricanes in a changing climate. Topics include characteristics of tropical cyclone risk, perspectives on hurricane risk management strategies in the built environment, and implications for commercial risk. Inspired by the Symposium on Hurricane Risk in a Changing Climate, this book brings together leading international academics and researchers, and provides a source reference for both risk managers and climate scientists for research on the interface between tropical cyclones, climate, and risk. 8 chapters are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book of historic fiction depicts a love story between Peter Lauck and Amelia Heiskell, ancestors of Collins. It covers life in Winchester, Virginia, from the mid-1700s until the end of the American Revolution. It displays quaint Virginia customs, beliefs, medical treatments, hex and witchcraft practices, as well as housekeeping and clothing traditions. Unique, long-forgotten mores yield fascinating details of life in the colonies before and during the American Revolution.

This tale recounts early Virginia history and the Battle of Quebec in 1775 (Benedict Arnold's ill-fated attempt to take Quebec as the 14th American colony) where Peter Lauck served under the command of Captain Daniel Morgan. Morgan trained and took 96 riflemen from Winchester into the battle at Quebec. Peter, his brother, Simon, and four close friends from Winchester formed the historic "Dutch Mess." The book also traces some events in the military role of George Washington's second cousin, William Washington.

The book describes the origin of Peter Lauck's Red Lion Inn (where George Washington stopped) and Lauck's mansion, Edgehill, in Winchester.

Edna also wrote "Dog Mysteries" in 2006, "Who Killed Who-the Little Dog Knew " in 2007. She wrote a novel, "The Woman Was a Devil" in 2008.

Behavioral, biobehavioral, and biomedical interventions are programs with the objective of improving and maintaining human health and well-being, broadly defined, in individuals, families, schools, organizations, or communities. These interventions may be aimed at, for example, preventing or treating disease, promoting physical and mental health, preventing violence, or improving academic achievement. This book provides additional information on a principled empirical framework for developing interventions that are more effective, efficient, economical, and scalable. This framework is introduced in the monograph, "Optimization of Behavioral, Biobehavioral, and Biomedical Interventions: The Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST)" by Linda M. Collins (Springer, 2018). The present book is focused on advanced topics related to MOST. The chapters, all written by experts, are devoted to topics ranging from experimental design and data analysis to development of a conceptual model and implementation of a complex experiment in the field. Intervention scientists who are preparing to apply MOST will find this book an important reference and guide for their research. Fields to which this work pertains include public health (medicine, nursing, health economics, implementation sciences), behavioral sciences (psychology, criminal justice), statistics, and education.

HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory: A 21st Century Approach to Effective Crime Lab Leadership introduces the profession of forensic science to human resource management, and vice versa. The book includes principles of HR management that apply most readily, and most critically, to the practice of forensic science, such as laboratory operations, staffing and assignments, laboratory relations and high impact leadership. A companion website hosts workshop PowerPoint slides, a forensic HR newsletter and other important HR strategies to assist the reader.

Superior defense plans fuse political, economic, military, technological, and sociological power in ways that cover state interests, while conserving resources to the greatest prudent extent. Poor products can increase costs without reducing risks, because forces and funds that support slipshod schemes often fail to furnish security. This critical appraisal of the U.5. defense planning system seeks to serve a five-fold purpose: set assessment standards, appraise U.S. planning in principle, appraise U.5. planning in practice, identify U.S. planning problems and present optional courses of corrective action. The study shows how domestic and foreign policy inputs from the White House, National 5ecurity Council, and State Department affect defense planning.

Two decades after the American Civil War, no name was more closely associated with the nation's inventive and entrepreneurial spirit than that of Thomas Edison. The restless changes of those years were reflected in the life of America's foremost inventor. Having cemented his reputation with his electric lighting system, Edison had decided to withdraw partially from that field. At the start of 1885, newly widowed at mid-life with three young children, he launched into a series of personal and professional migrations, setting in motion chains of events that would influence his work and fundamentally reshape his life. Edison's inventive activities took off in new directions, flowing between practical projects (such as wireless and high-capacity telegraph systems) and futuristic ones (exploring forms of electromagnetic energy and the convertibility of one to another). Inside of two years, he would travel widely, marry the daughter of a prominent industrialist and religious educator, leave New York City for a grand home in a sylvan suburb, and construct a winter laboratory and second home in Florida. Edison's family and interior life are remarkably visible at this moment; his papers include the only known diary in which he recorded personal thoughts and events. By 1887, the familiar rhythms of his life began to reassert themselves in his new settings; the family faded from view as he planned, built, and occupied a New Jersey laboratory complex befitting his status. The eighth volume of the series, New Beginnings includes 358 documents (chosen from among thousands) that are the most revealing and representative of Edison's work, life, and place in American culture in these years. Illustrated with hundreds of Edison's drawings, these documents are further illuminated by meticulous research on a wide range of sources, including the most recently digitized newspapers and journals of the day.