Showing results by narrator "Rick Adamson" in All Categories

The Electoral College that governs America has been with us since 1804, when Thomas Jefferson's supporters redesigned it for his re-election. The Jeffersonians were motivated by the principle of majority rule. Gone were the days when a president would be elected by acclamation, as George Washington had been. Instead, given the emergence of intense two-party competition, the Jeffersonians wanted to make sure that the Electoral College awarded the presidency to the candidate of the majority, rather than minority, party.

Russia and China are both believed to have a "grand strategy" - a detailed set of goals backed by expansive ambitions. In the United States, policy makers have tried to articulate similar plans but have failed to reach a widespread consensus since the Cold War ended. Drawing on historical precedents and weighing issues such as Russia's resurgence, China's great rise, North Korea's nuclear machinations, and Middle-East turmoil, Michael O'Hanlon presents a well-researched, ethically sound, and politically viable vision for American national security policy.

Eleven years ago, Los Angeles was terrorized by The Sandman, a serial killer who claimed at least twelve women's lives. Young FBI Agent Constantine 'Con' Striker stopped him, but not before enduring a devastating personal loss—his twin sister, Valerie, vanished. He believes that his sister was one of The Sandman's victims. Even after a decade on death row and confessing to twelve murders, The Sandman denies knowing Valerie Striker. Desperate for closure, Con demands the killer reveal where his sister's remains are buried. But The Sandman refuses to talk.

Medical trauma affects millions worldwide yet the condition remains largely unrecognized and untreated. It is very real for those living with the ongoing effects of challenging experiences in medical contexts, that stem from conditions such as: -Chronic and critical illness -Painful procedures...

Vanilla is one of the most expensive of flavorings—so valuable that it was smuggled or stolen by pirates in the early days—and yet it is everywhere. It is a key ingredient in dishes ranging from crème brûlée to Japanese purin. It is the quintessential ice cream flavor in the United States. Eric T. Jennings explains how the world's only edible orchid, originally endemic to Central America, became embedded in the international culinary and cultural landscape.

Railroad detective Jimmy Lee "Choctaw" Parker returns in this Gilded Age thriller when in August of 1886 he is hired by oil baron and entrepreneur Henry Morrison Flagler who is buying up railroads and building his grand new Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. But Flagler's vision of opening the Sunshine State to settlement and tourism is not shared by everyone, so "Choctaw" Parker must investigate both the sabotage against the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Halifax railroad construction, and the threats on Flagler's life.

When they were boys, Ray Dawley, Eddie Sayers, and Matthew Kauffman were the best of friends. Then new kid Bobby “Bones” Bonetti fell through the ice at Blackamore Pond. The other boys saved Bobby from drowning, but something else came out of the water that day, something dangerous that would tear their friendship apart and set one of them on a dark path.

Providing dozens of activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of every family, The Learning Household is an essential guide to bringing curiosity back to the classroom and fostering an appreciation for the intrinsic value of learning.

Living Well in a Down Economy For Dummies offers ideas for keeping more money in your pocket during a topsy-turvy economy. With more than 100 tips, it shows you how to tighten your belt without feeling a big pinch in your day-to-day life. Discover innovative and effective ways to cut expenses and boost your income in today's economy. It isn't about making sacrifices. It's about setting priorities. Gain the skills you need to take control of your spending, make smarter choices, and stop the financial drain that can accompany a downturn in the economy.

A compassionate, practical guidebook for veterans transitioning from active duty to civilian life and for the loved ones supporting their journey. "Challenging yet reassuring....a key addition to every veteran’s packing list ." --Stan McChrystal, General, US Army (Ret) and Co-Founder and CEO...

The complicated life and legacy of John Trumbull, whose paintings portrayed both the struggle and the principles that distinguished America's founding moment.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris began their transition to the White House in the most unusual of circumstances: a global pandemic, a sitting president violently refusing to accept the results of the election, and a historic racial reckoning all posed profound questions about how they would staff large parts of the government and articulate policy remedies to pressing problems in just eleven weeks.

Osamah Khalil argues that the militarization of US domestic and foreign affairs was the product of America's failure in Vietnam. Unsettled by their inability to prevail in Southeast Asia, US leaders increasingly came to see a host of problems as immune to political solutions. Rather, crime, drugs, and terrorism were enemies spawned in "badlands"—whether the Middle East or stateside inner cities. Characterized as sites of endemic violence, badlands lay beyond the pale of civilization, their ostensibly racially and culturally alien inhabitants best handled by force.

The second-century Greek physician Galen—the most famous doctor in antiquity after Hippocrates—is a central figure in Western medicine. A talented doctor, surgeon, writer, philosopher, teacher, pharmacologist, and inventor, Galen attended the court of Marcus Aurelius, living through outbreaks of plague that devastated the Roman Empire. He also served as a physician for professional gladiators. In writings that provided the foundation of Western medicine up to the nineteenth century, Galen created a unified account of health and disease.

This authoritative primer lays out everything you need to know to understand today's global food landscape.

Crucibles: History's Most Formidable Rites of Passage explores fourteen elite organizations, with a special emphasis on the onerous trials designed to cull initiates from aspirants. It analyzes the underlying commonalities of such trials, describing how they work, why people are willing to subject themselves to such rigors, and how such tests benefit or harm the organizations that require them.

The story of the United States Air Force (USAF) stretches back to aerial operations prior to the First World War and looks forward to a new era of airpower in space. Fighting from Above presents a concise account of this history, offering a new perspective on how the air forces of the United States created an independent way of warfare over time.

The Individualization of War examines the status of individuals in contemporary armed conflict in three main capacities: as subject to violence but deserving of protection; as liable to harm because of their responsibility for attacks on others; and as agents who can be held accountable for the perpetration of crimes.

In The First Fleets, Benjamin C. Schaffer reveals how, contrary to widespread beliefs, the American colonies had a long tradition of independent naval defense decades before the Revolution. He demonstrates that Anglo-American governments established and maintained significant provincial naval forces and that the history of provincial navies illuminates broader aspects of colonial history and the colonies' ultimate break with the British Crown. Based on meticulous research, Schaffer recounts the sea-borne threats that American colonies faced from the French, Spanish, pirates, and others.

A comedy about race, wokeness, and cancel culture in America. A tragedy about race, wokeness, and cancel culture in America. Part satire, part journalism, part truth serum, A. J. Rice follows up his runaway #1 bestseller The Woking Dead with a hilarious sequel that picks up where the laughs left off.