People fear to dispute the agency's interpretation of its power or express doubts about the absolute primacy of its mission lest they be made into examples. The concept of "intent" has become so attenuated that it provides no limitation on prosecution.".
Out of Bounds, Out of Control measures the enforcement activities of the Environmental Protection Agency against that standard and finds them disturbingly deficient. Environmental regulation is so detailed and obscure that no one can identify all relevant mandates, let alone ensure compliance. EPA maintains broad discretion to define legal violations and resists any checks. Discretion is exercised retroactively or arbitrarily. People fear to dispute the agency's interpretation of its power or express doubts about the absolute primacy of its mission lest they be made into examples. The concept of "intent" has become so attenuated that it provides no limitation on prosecution. The EPA also blurs the lines separating governmental powers. Using its open-ended authority to "interpret" vague statutes, it makes the laws that define its own powers, then investigates, prosecutes, adjudicates, and penalizes. Judicial checks are sporadic. This panoply of authority breeds regulatory zealotry and a disregard for the rights of the regulated. The book, however, is more than a sobering look at a legal theory. In story after story specific regulatory abuses are examined, many of which are positively Kafkaesque. Moreover, many of the problems documented in the book are pandemic across the government. The ultimate lesson to be drawn is that deep structural reform is needed to restore the rule of law to administrative agencies.
Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA's Culture of Rape, Violence, and Crime is a searing indictment of professional basketball players who live in a world where criminal laws and social norms don't exist, a world where they are given license to act above the law. On the court, they dazzle us with their spectacular physical feats. They generate millions of dollars of revenue for the NBA and their teams. They inspire adulation. But underneath all the glitz, the money, and alley-oops is a seamy underbelly, a rash of lawlessness that is gripping the NBA. Based on a first-of-its-kind investigation into the criminal histories of 177 NBA players from the 2001–2002 season, Out of Bounds shows that an alarming four out of every ten NBA players have a police record involving a serious crime. They are All-Stars and they are journeymen, involved in crimes ranging from armed robbery to domestic violence to gun possession to rape. Out of Bounds takes a hard look at shocking cases, with graphic accounts of physical and sexual violence and other outrageous conduct by players. In all, more than 250 people are named, including many prominent NBA players. It exposes the environment and culture that encourages such criminal behavior. It also explains the unique challenges these cases pose for law-enforcement agencies and prosecutors. And Out of Bounds takes readers inside the hidden yet critically vital role that lawyers, agents, and fame play in insulating criminally accused players from accountability. Author Jeff Benedict, an expert on athletes and crime, draws his conclusions from exhaustive research. In addition to his criminal-background checks, the author retrieved documents from law-enforcement agencies, courts, and private attorneys. He conducted more than 400 interviews with police officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, players, agents, victims, witnesses, and coaches. What emerges is a disturbing and appalling picture of men who live above the law. A seminal and important work, Out of Bounds will forever change how we look at the NBA and its stars' lives of excess and privilege.
This book offers the first comprehensive history of a difficult and often neglected part of EPA's responsibilities - the enforcement of federal environmental standards. Drawing on extensive interviews with the political appointees, administrators, and staff who have provided the agency's direction, as well as his own professional experience with EPA, Joel A. Mintz explores the historical evolution of the agency's enforcement program, its institutional setting within the larger political arena, and its current strengths and shortcomings. This history will be important reading for students of political science, public policy, environmental law, administrative law, anthropology, sociology, and related fields. It should also be read by attorneys who represent parties in enforcement cases initiated by EPA, by the agency's own managers and professional staff, and by public citizens concerned with environmental issues.
From WNBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and global ambassador to the Special Olympics Elena Delle Donne comes the third novel in a middle grade series with as much heart as there is game. Elle is finally finding her groove and is excited about how her year is turning out. But when her team loses a major game against their rivals, Elle doesn’t know if basketball is worth it anymore. It feels like she can’t win—even when she’s improving and doing well, everyone always expects more from her. With her changing attitudes on basketball, will she let everyone she knows down if she decides to take a break?
Bright, a research assistant at the environmental educational non- profit organization Worldwatch Institute, describes and evaluates the spread of alien or "exotic" organisms that are destroying ecosystems around the world. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
An entertaining introduction to a very serious and complex issue Internal control is no longer the exclusive domain of highly trained accountants on the internal auditing staff. Corporate boards, CEOs, and employees at virtually every level are now seen as responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring these controls; few, however, have the training and background needed to fulfill this complex responsibility. Through the entertaining story of a manager's visit to the Caribbean, Internal Control: A Manager's Journey illustrates how control can be managed throughout an organization. In each chapter, Operations Manager Bill Reynolds learns the key concepts and techniques of internal control and discovers how to design, document, install, and monitor an innovative, efficient internal control policy. He discovers that effective internal control is based on risk assessment and should encourage innovation. He also learns important techniques for preventing, detecting, and correcting fraud. This unconventional, extraordinarily useful guide is peppered with practical examples and workable solutions that can be used to institute improved control and accountability in any company of any size. It's the ultimate resource for CEOs, CFOs, operations managers, and anyone involved in the design, implementation, review, or reporting of internal controls.
Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things.