DIVCollection of essays which compares the gendered aspects of state formation in Latin Ameri can nations and includes new material arising out of recent feminist work in history, political science and sociology./div

In my search to find a career and to help others while so doing, I had to take a step back and realize my blessings, family and those who helped me along my journey. If I wanted to achieve my mission, I had to first reach the underserved population and help guide them in their financial journey. It is my belief in this mission that greatly influenced me to choose my financial planning career and write this book. My experiences and employment history could be repeated by many people who will not choose to pursue a career in the financial services industry but could benefit from the advantages of financial planning in caring for their families and community. My mission includes inspiring, motivating and preparing the next generation of financial planners, who truly care, to help others while pursuing a successful career.

"My real story starts with a disaster, an unmitigated, pull-the-rug-from-under-you, clean-out-the-bank-account disaster. But had it not happened, The Police would never have risen to become the biggest rock band in the world; Jools Holland would not have ended up on TV; The Bangles, The Go-Go's, R.E.M., and many other music stars might never have made it either. It's strange how a fluke, a disaster, an unlikely event can lead to incredible results. But that is in essence what happened to me . . ." Two Steps Forward, One Step Back tells the extraordinary story of Miles A. Copeland, a maverick manager, promoter, label owner, and all-round legend of the music industry. It opens in the Middle East, where Miles grew up with his father, a CIA agent who was stationed in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. It then shifts to London in the late '60s and the beginnings of a career managing bands like Wishbone Ash and Curved Air--only for Miles's life and work to be turned upside down by a disastrous European tour. From the ashes of near bankruptcy, Miles entered the world of punk, sharing a building with Malcolm McLaren and Sniffin' Glue, before shifting gears again as manager of The Police, featuring his brother, Stewart, on drums. Then, after founding IRS Records, he launched the careers of some of the most potent musical acts of the new wave scene and beyond, from Squeeze and The Go-Go's to The Bangles and R.E.M. The story comes full circle as Miles finds himself advising the Pentagon on how to win over hearts and minds in the Middle East and introducing Arabic music to the United States. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story," his father would tell him. In the end, though, the truth is what counts--and it's all here.

Charles Swindoll reminds readers that our problems are not solved by simple answers or all-too-easy cliches. Instead, he offers practical ways to walk with God through the realities of life-including times of fear, stress, anger and temptation.

August 31, 2005, was supposed to have been a wonderful day for Kimberly Wilder. She had just received a promotion at work. She had a loving, supportive husband, and she was expecting their first child together. But as the day wore on, Kimberly started experiencing abdominal cramps, and they lasted through the night. Knowing deep inside that something wasn't right, Kimberly's husband rushed her to the emergency room at two a.m. They soon found out that Kimberly was dilated to a four and would be having the baby soon—she was twenty-five weeks pregnant. Kimberly gave birth to Nathan Wilder on September 3, 2005. He was considered a micro-preemie and weighed in at a remarkably small one pound, thirteen ounces. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back chronicles the four long months Nathan spent in the hospital and the trials and triumphs his parents faced during that painful time. Kimberly shares her deepest fears and feelings of inadequacy, along with the joyous memories of getting to hear her son's first cry and holding him for the first time—when he was a month old. Kimberly's faith in God and willingness to trust her son's care to him brought her through the touch-and-go months after Nathan's birth. Parents of premature babies will learn the valuable lesson Kimberly learned: taking One Step Forward, Two Steps Back is better than not moving at all.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project comes a story of taking chances and learning to love again as two people, one mourning her husband and the other recovering from divorce, cross paths on the centuries-old Camino pilgrimage from France to Spain. “The Chemin will change you. It changes everyone…” The Chemin, also known as the Camino de Santiago, is a centuries-old pilgrim route that ends in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Every year, thousands of walkers—some devout, many not—follow the route that wends through quaint small villages and along busy highways alike, a journey unlike any other. Zoe, an artist from California who’s still reeling from her husband’s sudden death, has impulsively decided to walk the Camino, hoping to find solace and direction. Martin, an engineer from England, is road-testing a cart of his own design…and recovering from a messy divorce. They begin in the same French town, each uncertain of what the future holds. Zoe has anticipated the physical difficulties of her trek, but she is less prepared for other challenges, as strangers and circumstances force her to confront not just recent loss, but long-held beliefs. For Martin, the pilgrimage is a test of his skills and endurance but also, as he and Zoe grow closer, of his willingness to trust others—and himself—again. Smart and funny, insightful and romantic, Two Steps Forward reveals that the most important journeys we make aren’t measured in miles, but in the strength, wisdom, and love found along the way. Fans of The Rosie Project will recognize Graeme Simsion’s uniquely quirky and charming writing style.

DIVSince the end of the Cold War, the assumption among most political theorists has been that as nations develop economically, they will also become more democratic—especially if a vibrant middle class takes root. This assumption underlies the expansion of the European Union and much of American foreign policy, bolstered by such examples as South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and even to some extent Russia. Where democratization has failed or retreated, aberrant conditions take the blame: Islamism, authoritarian Chinese influence, or perhaps the rise of local autocrats./divDIV /divDIVBut what if the failures of democracy are not exceptions? In this thought-provoking study of democratization, Joshua Kurlantzick proposes that the spate of retreating democracies, one after another over the past two decades, is not just a series of exceptions. Instead, it reflects a new and disturbing trend: democracy in worldwide decline. The author investigates the state of democracy in a variety of countries, why the middle class has turned against democracy in some cases, and whether the decline in global democratization is reversible./div