Systems Science

Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein identify two overriding problems that have led Congress—and the United States—to the brink of institutional collapse. But they offer a panoply of useful ideas and reforms, endorsing some solutions, like greater public participation and institutional restructuring, while debunking others, like independent or third-party candidates. Above all, they call on the media as well as the public to focus on the true causes of dysfunction rather than just throwing the bums out every election cycle.

Despite being immensely popular - and immensely lucrative - education is grossly overrated. In this explosive book, Bryan Caplan argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skill but to certify their intelligence, work ethic, and conformity - in other words, to signal the qualities of a good employee.

Join the military and fight the demon hordes or sell his soul to the Corpos. Both options having minimal appeal to a shut-in like Jack. Thanks to the high cost of living, and his sister’s medical expenses, Jack has never given much thought to what he’d want to do with life, always living paycheck to paycheck, scrounging just enough to keep the lights on and his sister safe. However, in a strange turn of events that nearly kills him, an Angel presents him with a third option.

Late 21st-century Earth is overcrowded, her natural resources dwindling rapidly. World governments and greedy mega corporations are forced to work together toward a solution. A crew of ten humans are sent to Mars aboard Hyperion I to locate a suitable site and establish the first colony. After a months-long flight to the red planet, just as they are about to descend to the surface, problems arise. A careless accident kills a crew member, damages the ship, forcing the others to launch early. And that's just the beginning of their troubles.

Are you a student or a professional who is keen to learn about computer networks? Are you fascinated by the world of computers and every other system that is responsible for the efficient operation of such a wonderful human invention? When you deal with computers on a daily basis, you should be aware of the backbone which supports this incredible invention. The truth is: Computers and technology rule the world today, and most of us are not aware of the network that is responsible for their efficient operation

Permaculture, a Portmanteau of "permanent" and "agriculture" is growing in popularity around the world and for a good reason too. First introduced to protect nature and humankind, permaculture is both a philosophy and a practical approach to sustainable development.

Tout commence par un mail d’alerte, en février 2022, quelques mois avant le drame qui a coûté la vie à une fillette dans une crèche à Lyon. Deux ans et demi d’investigations, 200 témoins, des lanceurs d’alerte qui risquent leur vie professionnelle, des documents explosifs démontant l’enfer du décor. Ce récit saisissant révèle les secrets de People&Baby, le "premier gestionnaire indépendant français de crèches". Un groupe qui pèserait un milliard d’euros. Mais un ogre peut en cacher bien d’autres. Un secteur qui fait bloc, des mairies complices, le sommet de l’État impliqué.

Whether your garden is big or small or you are a complete beginner, building raised beds can help you achieve the perfect garden. It offers many benefits over traditional gardening, including—improving the drainage, being able to manage the quality of the soil, extending your growing season, along with many more. And you don’t need to be an expert to build and manage raised beds.

The SAD pandemic is real. Sexual Violence, Addictions, and Domestic Violence (SAD) result in too many children in care yearly, aging out to different systems such as prison, employment and income assistance programs, mental health institutions, drug rehabilitation, and homelessness. Are we going to allow the cycle to continue for generations?

Two weeks into the System Apocalypse, and the transformations are just beginning. Mutated insects, carnivorous toads, and angry drop bears were not on the school curriculum, but when the apocalypse hits, you roll with it. Parenting a teenager has prepared Kira for the worst; she just didn’t expect that to include the end of the world. A menacing conglomerate of alien hunters is breathing down their necks, and new threats lurk just over the hills. Kira and the rest of the Australian survivors of Brisbane must level up, bolster defenses, and prepare for an incoming invasion.

An ancient alien artifact could cost Captain Kirk and his crew their minds and their lives...and Spock must solve ages-old mysteries before his captain and crewmates are lost forever! Featuring a dramatic reading by Walter Koenig and enhanced with sound effects and an original score.

In Justice on the Brink, legendary journalist Linda Greenhouse gives us unique insight into a court under stress, providing the context and brilliant analysis readers of her work in The New York Times have come to expect. In a thrilling narrative, she recounts the twelve months when the court turned its back on its legacy and traditions, abandoning any effort to stay above and separate from politics.

Many believe the child welfare system protects children from abuse. But as Torn Apart uncovers, this system is designed to punish Black families. Drawing on decades of research, legal scholar and sociologist Dorothy Roberts reveals that the child welfare system is better understood as a “family policing system” that collaborates with law enforcement and prisons to oppress Black communities. Child protection investigations ensnare a majority of Black children, putting their families under intense state surveillance and regulation.

Blackout Wars is about the historically unprecedented threat to our electronic civilization from its dependence on the electric power grid. In a nationwide blackout lasting months or years, the entire population of the US could be at risk. There would be no food. No water. Communications, transportation, industry, business, and finance - all of the critical infrastructures that support modern civilization would be paralyzed. Threats to the electric power grid are posed by cyber-attack, sabotage, a geomagnetic super-storm, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from the high-altitude detonation of a nuclear weapon.

Our current democratic capitalist system is close to imploding. This book is the first to reveal the secret financial system dominating capitalism today and shows how we can create accountability to restore our democracy.

Since the Supreme Court's 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, this judicial review has been highly deferential: courts must uphold agency interpretations of unclear laws as long as these interpretations are "reasonable." But the Chevron doctrine faces backlash from constitutional scholars and, now, from Supreme Court justices who insist that courts, not administrative agencies, have the authority to say what the law is. Recognizing that Congress cannot help relying on agencies to carry out laws, Merrill rejects the notion of discarding the administrative state.

"Resistance is futile." The greatest threat the Federation has ever faced is the half organic, half mechanical Borg. Now more dangerous than ever, the Borg threatens the Federation's past, present, and future. Read by Gates McFadden, "Beverly Crusher" on Star Trek, The Next Generation!

Solar Power for Beginners uses stepwise instructions, tons of real-life examples, and various schematics that make your solar learning life easier. DIY Source authors have consulted with numerous mobile solar power DIYers, electrical and photovoltaics engineers, and off grid solar professionals to prepare a solar guide to power your adventures.

Fritjof Capra and the Systems View of Life (Great Minds, Book 3): 2017 Revised, Updated, and Reformatted Edition is a passionate study about the great contemporary physicist and a review of all of his published books, including extensive quotes. The author considers Fritjof Capra as one of the most important authors on new science and systems research and considers as genius Capra's unique gift to formulate and explain complex scientific and philosophical insights and interrelations in a way that the educated listener can understand.

Ten years have passed since Captain Kirk and the Enterprise™ crew brought back humpbacked whales from the 20th century to communicate with the mysterious Probe which threatened Earth. The Probe is returning to Earth and has plotted its course, and the Enterprise must continue to delve into the mystery of its language, and its cosmic purpose to save Earth once again.