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The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America
From one of America's most respected political commentators, an epic, shrewd, and important big-picture analysis of the forces that have made this era in American politics as divisive and bitterly partisan as any since the Civil War. Few don't appreciate that in recent years American politics has seemingly become much more partisan, more zero-sum, more vicious, more willing to make mountains out of molehills, and less able to confront the mountains of real problems we face. And yet in poll after poll, the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as either "very conservative" or "very liberal" hasn't budged in more than a generation. What has happened? In The Second Civil War, Ronald Brownstein brilliantly diagnoses the electoral, demographic, and institutional forces that have brought such change over the American political landscape, pulling politics to the margins and leaving precious little common ground for compromise. Displaying the deep historical perspective for which he is noted, Brownstein begins with a history of the evolving climate for partisanship since the dawn of the modern political era in 1896, presenting a fresh and bold reinterpretation of American politics and the personalities who have shaped it from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Offering both sweeping analysis and intimate detail drawn from exclusive interviews with top officials and strategists in both parties, The Second Civil War captures the currents that have carried America to today's dangerous impasse, from little-understood changes in congressional rules that made it easier for parties to enforce discipline and discourage compromise to the rise of special-interest pressure groups to a vastly changed media environment that has become much more vicious and much less serious. While there was no Golden Age, and in many respects the increasing plurality of voices that get to have a say in our politics is all to the good, the net-net is a system in which compromise and conciliation are thwarted at almost every turn and big problems that require broad consensus continue to fester ominously, unaddressed and growing more and more painful to face as we approach crisis situations. But Ronald Brownstein ends with a menu of clear and compelling ways out of our collective dilemma, largely centering on the opportunity for unifying leadership. The Second Civil War is not a book for Democrats or Republicans per se but for all Americans who are disturbed by our current political dysfunction and hungry for ways to understand it-and move beyond it..
Price: $6.81
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Accessible Home Design: Architectural Solutions for the Wheelchair User
What must I do to install an elevator in my two-story home? Can I retrofit my master bathroom to include a spacious roll-in shower? How can my flower garden be made more accessible? The architecture staff of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has been solving these and other issues related to accessible design for decades. Accessible home projects have always involved intricate planning and design, but their construction is often compromised because builders are unfamiliar with the specialized concepts and techniques. The need for expert information on this area of design is critical, and in response, PVA offers this revised and expanded second edition of Accessible Home Design. Each chapter addresses accessibility related to specific building components. Subjects include entrances, residential elevators and lifts, kitchen design, bath and toilet room plans, plumbing fixtures, grab bars, doors, windows and outdoor rooms, and garden paths. With careful planning and Accessible Home Design as your guide, you can develop attractive and functional designs that not only improve accessibility, but also increase the comfort and enjoyment of your home..
Price: $28.00
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Guillain-Barre Syndrome: From Diagnosis to Recovery (American Academy of Neurology)
Guillain-Barré Syndrome causes the body's immune system to attack the peripheral nervous system, producing feelings of tingling and weakness that increase in intensity until the patient is almost totally paralyzed. Claiming thousands of new victims each year, GBS can strike anyone at any age, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Fortunately, most patients have a good recovery, but the pathway to this goal can be slow and frightening. Written by two experts in the field — one a GBS survivor himself — Guillain-Barré Syndrome addresses all aspects of the condition, including initial symptoms, diagnostic evaluation and criteria, general and illness-specific treatments, and typical outcomes. The book covers a wide range of issues, including pain without injury and other abnormal sensations unique to GBS; the rehabilitation process; workplace adjustment with incomplete recovery; sexual dysfunction; guidelines for caregivers; and much more. Written in laymen’s terms, this practical, reassuring book helps patients manage this puzzling illness. .
Price: $12.41
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Paralyzed but Not Powerless: Kate's Journey Revisited
Kate's Journey is a touching story of a woman's survival and recovery from a double brain-stem stroke. The book provides information on the warning signs of stroke and teaches us how to meet life threatening challenges with grace and valor. Kate's determination, humor and wisdom are inspiring. Her lessons are a model for anyone who struggles with a terminal illness to reach beyond the pain and fear to over come and celebrate life..
Price: $12.96
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Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog
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The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life
Like the day Elvis died or O.J. was acquitted, the Tuesday you wake up paralyzed is not a day you soon forget. For writer Allen Rucker—baby boomer, husband, father of two, aging Hollywood also-ran—life started over that Tuesday when, at the age of fifty-one, he was struck by a rare disorder—transverse myelitis—that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Why him? Was he being punished? Was it his stressful life? His frustrating career? Telling too many Christopher Reeve jokes? Dazed and paralyzed, he was forced to reevaluate everything, from the simplest bodily functions to the mysteries of the universe. In a style that is at once funny and moving, The Best Seat in the House offers an unpretentious and unapologetic account of learning to live with paralysis. Without trivializing his situation, and without sermons or clichés, Rucker invites all readers, whether disabled or not, to identify with him for better or for worse. This remarkably comic and heartfelt book speaks to the fragility of life and to the resilience and adaptability of a single, ordinary human being. Lucky for us, this human being has a sense of humor. At first, it may not look like the best seat in the house, but read on. You might be surprised. .
Price: $2.50
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PARALYZED: Physically, Mentally, Spiritually
An excerpt from PARALYZED "I began sleeping at odd hours because I was paralyzed by irrational fears. I could feel evil around me I believed these demons were going to kill me. I often saw shadowy figures scurrying about my hospital room. I believed they were reading my mind. I would often hear my mom screaming for me to come and rescue her. Someone was torturing her just next door, but I couldn't help her. Demons were causing my mind to go crazy which made me behavior more and more bizarre. I was weak and vulnerable. Demons were exercising their rule and horrible wickedness within my entire being. The doctors called my behavior schizophrenia...".
Price: $16.00
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