We are all guilty of it. We call people terrible names in conversation or online. We vilify those with whom we disagree, and make bolder claims than we could defend. We want to be seen as taking the moral high ground not just to make a point, or move a debate forward, but to look a certain way--incensed, or compassionate, or committed to a cause. We exaggerate. In other words, we grandstand. Nowhere is this more evident than in public discourse today, and especially as it plays out across the internet. To philosophers Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke, who have written extensively about moral grandstanding, such one-upmanship is not just annoying, but dangerous. As politics gets more and more polarized, people on both sides of the spectrum move further and further apart when they let grandstanding get in the way of engaging one another. The pollution of our most urgent conversations with self-interest damages the very causes they are meant to forward. Drawing from work in psychology, economics, and political science, and along with contemporary examples spanning the political spectrum, the authors dive deeply into why and how we grandstand. Using the analytic tools of psychology and moral philosophy, they explain what drives us to behave in this way, and what we stand to lose by taking it too far. Most importantly, they show how, by avoiding grandstanding, we can re-build a public square worth participating in.

This book covers the International Concrete Society Conference held at the Cardiff International Arena and will be of interest to architects and planners, facility managers and consultants in the fields of engineering, environmental control and services and leisure managemnet, media facilities and to client organizations planning major sports and 'landmark' stadia.

How many fat quarters does it take to make a quilt: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14? The choice is yours! America's favorite fabric cut gets a fun makeover in a dozen all-new patterns from popular blogger Andy Knowlton. In her signature happy color palette, Andy shares easy-to-sew quilts that will inspire quilters to break into those bundles, unfold their singles, or even cut yardage into 18" × 22" chunks of fabric to re-create her cheerful designs. Stars, pinwheels, arrows, and Churn Dashes are just a few of the classic motifs that get Andy's fresh fat-quarter treatment. No more excuses and no time to lose - quilters will love reducing and restocking their stashes to make these fat-quarter-friendly projects.

"Susan, George, and Dumpling have a special life in Midwest City, where they live with their college-professor dad and mystery-writer mom. Not only can they watch the university's football games from the tower of their house on College Avenue, but now Tommy Tokarynski, who mows their lawn, is famous. He's the university's star quarterback! There's only one problem: Tommy's grades are dreadful, and he might get kicked off the team before the homecoming game. As Susan, George, and Dumpling team up to save their beloved quarterback, they also outsmart their naughty neighbors, rescue animals, and start a new business that just might help out the whole family. It's never a dull moment when the Ridgeway kids are involved!"--Dust jacket flap

The little-known American Balloon Service worked in combat to help direct artillery fire more accurately and provide essential intelligence on enemy troop movements during World War I. German use of observation balloons to direct artillery fire in August of 1914 forced the Allies to develop a similar force. With the U.S. entry into the war in 1917, the balloon service, starting from scratch, evolved into an effective, disciplined fighting unit, whose achievements are unfortunately overshadowed by those of the flying aces. Reminiscences from balloon veterans form the basis of this book, the first to picture life as a gasbagger in the three major American engagements of the war. Amazingly, life as an observer suspended in a wicker basket under an elephantine hydrogen balloon proved less deadly than piloting an airplane. From his grandstand seat, the observer kept tabs on the war below him and telephoned vital information to headquarters command. These reports were often the only accurate intelligence available. Balloonists remember the war as a great adventure, one which many of them lived to tell about.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a young architect by the name of John Carr began a glittering career by designing a grandstand at York Racecourse in England. This was not merely York's first grandstand, nor was it only the first grandstand of any thorou

"As Justin Buchler shows, an election is a mechanism by which voters hire and fire public officials. It is not a consumer product market--it is a single employment decision. Thus, the health of democracy depends not on regular competitive elections, but on posing a credible threat to fire public officials who do not perform their jobs well....Thus, competitive elections, by most definitions, are indicative of a failure of the democratic system" -- from cover.