The Hard Count

American democracy relies on an accurate census to fairly allocate political representation and billions of dollars in federal funds. Declining participation in previous censuses and a general waning of civic engagement in society raised the possibility that the 2000 count would miss many Americans—disproportionately ethnic and racial minorities—depriving them of their share of influence in American society and yielding an unfair distribution of federal resources. Faced with this possibility, the Census Bureau launched a massive mobilization campaign to encourage Americans to complete and return their census forms. In The Hard Count, former Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt, D. Sunshine Hillygus, Norman H. Nie, and Heili Pals present a rigorous evaluation of this campaign. Can a busy, mobile, disengaged public be motivatived to participate in this civic activity? Using a rich set of data and drawing on theories of civic mobilization, political persuasion, and media effects, the authors assess the factors that influenced participation in the 2000 census.. The Hard Count profiles a watershed moment in the history of the American census. As the mobilization campaign was underway, political opposition to the census sprang up, citing privacy issues and seeking to limit the kind of data the census could collect. Hillygus, Nie, Prewitt, and Pals analyze the competing effects of the mobilization campaign and the privacy controversy on public attitudes and cooperation with the census. Using an internet based survey, the authors tracked a representative sample of Americans over time to gauge changes in census attitudes, privacy concerns, and their eventual decision whether or not to return their census form. The study uniquely captures the public's exposure to census advertising, community mobilization, and news stories, and was designed so people could view video clips and photos of actual campaign advertisements on their sets in their homes. The authors find that the Census Bureau campaign did in fact raise awareness of the census and census participation. The mobilization campaign was especially effective at increasing participation among groups historically undercounted by the census. They also find that census participation would have been higher if not for the privacy controversy, which discouraged many people from cooperating with the census and led others to omit information from their census form. The findings of The Hard Count have important policy implications for future census counts and offer theoretical insights regarding the influence of mobilization campaigns on civic participation. The goal of full and equal cooperation with the decennial census and other government surveys is an important national priority. The Hard Count shows that a mobilization campaign can dramatically increase voluntary participation in the decennial headcount and identifies emerging social and political challenges that may threaten future census counts and contribute to the growing fragility of our national statistical system.. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Census Series

Nico Medina’s world is eleven miles away from mine. During the day, it’s a place where doors are open—where homes are lived in, and neighbors love. But when the sun sets, it becomes a place where young boys are afraid, where eyes watch from idling cars that hide in the shadows and wicked smoke flows from pipes. West End is the kind of place that people survive. It buries them—one at a time, one way or another. And when Nico was a little boy, his mom always told him to run. I’m Reagan Prescott—coach’s daughter, sister to the prodigal son, daughter in the perfect family. Life on top. Lies. My world is the ugly one. Private school politics and one of the best high school football programs in the country can break even the toughest souls. Our darkness plays out in whispers and rumors, and money and status trump all. I would know—I’ve watched it kill my family slowly, strangling us for years. In our twisted world, a boy from West End is the only shining light. Quarterback. Hero. Heart. Good. I hated him before I needed him. I fell for him fast. I loved him when it was almost too late. When two ugly worlds collide, even the strongest fall. But my world…it hasn’t met the boy from West End.

Features numerous job profiles in the casino and gaming industry and includes appendixes covering professional organizations, schools, associations, unions, and casinos. Career profiles include blackjack dealer, casino host, concierge, and hotel publicist.

Resourceful companies today must successfully manage the entire supply flow, from the sources of the firm, through the value-added processes of the firm, and on to the customers of the firm. The fourteenth Global Edition of Operations and Supply Chain Management provides well-balanced coverage of managing people and applying sophisticated technology to operations and supply chain management.

If there's anyone who could say,"I didn't sign up for this," it's Texas A&M quarterback David Walker. This is the incredible story of Walker's demanding, provocative, bitterly fought career, and the most miraculous comeback of all time. Now the hardest-fighting Fightin' Texas Aggie who ever lived reveals his life as the A&M Field General inside the cold-blooded arena of college football.Join fans now in discovering the most disturbingly fascinating career in NCAA history with the youngster who lived it, including unique stories of a superb high school coach and the all-time game-changers for Aggie football, the Wishbone Gang! Walker is the only college-level quarterback to ever publish a book based on his experiences in amateur athletics, and remains the youngest starting college quarterback ever. He held the single-season passing record at Sulphur High for 40 years and the single-game QB rushing record at Texas A&M for 35 years; a true dual-threat quarterback. Enjoy the flavor of Southwest Louisiana and the adopted Texas swagger in his unique voice as he takes you down a one-of-a-kind path you could never imagine possible in the modern era of college football. In so doing you will uncover what may be the best amateur sports story of all time how David Walker met the greatest challenge in NCAA history.