While historical scholarship has often downplayed the importance of Machiavelli's theory of the state, this study reconstructs the question of lo stato as the conceptual crux of his political philosophy. Peter Stacey offers a detailed reconstruction of the historical context from which Machiavelli's theory emerges, demonstrating how the intellectual and ideological contours of Machiavelli's thinking, as well as much of its content, were decisively shaped by conceptual apparatuses drawn fro...

Weak rocks encountered in open pit mines cover a wide variety of materials, with properties ranging between soil and rock. As such, they can provide a significant challenge for the slope designer. For these materials, the mass strength can be the primary control in the design of the pit slopes, although structures can also play an important role. Because of the typically weak nature of the materials, groundwater and surface water can also have a controlling influence on stability. Guidelin...

How do you pray, Daddy?   How do you answer that one as a parent? Those that go to church listen to pastoral prayers and think wow, there is no way that I can pray like that. In my opinion, prayer is a direct conversation with God. How and when you have that conversation is up to you. I think the most important aspects of prayer are frequency, sincerity and a combination of praise and “requests”. How would a parent feel if their child called them only on Easter, Christ...