Well-documented story of the Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church. The second part of this work analyzes Vatican II and its effect on our world today. The turbulent history of the Catholic Church will come alive as the centuries unfold before the reader. God's tender care for His children amid life's storms and tumultuous times is evident and unmistakable.

A rare insider's account of the inner workings of the Japanese economy, and the Bank of Japan's monetary policy, by a career central banker The Japanese economy, once the envy of the world for its dynamism and growth, lost its shine after a financial bubble burst in early 1990s and slumped further during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. It suffered even more damage in 2011, when a severe earthquake set off the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. However, the Bank of Japan soldiered on to combat low inflation, low growth, and low interest rates, and in many ways it served as a laboratory for actions taken by central banks in other parts of the world. Masaaki Shirakawa, who led the bank as governor from 2008 to 2013, provides a rare insider's account of the workings of Japanese economic and monetary policy during this period and how it challenged mainstream economic thinking.

More than 100 themes of affirmations grounded in neuroscience. We live in complex and unsettled times. The issues before us are unimaginably difficult, and range from the personal to the global. This beautiful little book accompanies readers toward a greater sense of peace and self-compassion, reminding us that even though our world is so turbulent, we can still have quiet places within, filled with love, that make it easier to live and to breathe with ourselves. Rooted in the neuroscience of affirmations, and covering more than 100 themes (including health, self-care, issues at work, and connection with loved ones and with the planet), this book is a companion for daily life. With the help of questions and wonderings about what may be important for readers, the book gently encourages acceptance of what is. The affirmation for each theme reminds readers of their own strengths and reservoirs of calm, and helps them to remember and reclaim their innate gifts and resources.

Hope and History is both a memoir and a call-to-action for the renewal of faith in democracy and America. US Ambassador William J. vanden Heuvel presents his most important public speeches and writings, compiled and presented over eight decades of adventure and public service, woven together with anecdotes of his colorful life as a second-generation American, a soldier, a lawyer, a political activist, and a diplomat. He touches upon themes that resonate as much today as they did when he first encountered them: the impact of heroes and mentors; the tragedy of the Vietnam War; the problems of racism and desegregation in America; tackling the crisis in America's prisons; America and the Holocaust; and the plight and promise of the United Nations. Along the way, he allows us to share his journey with some of the great characters of American history: Eleanor Roosevelt, William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan, President John F. Kennedy and RFK, Harry S. Truman, and Jimmy Carter. Throughout, vanden Heuvel persuades us that there is still room for optimism in public life. He shows how individuals, himself among them, have tackled some of America's most intractable domestic and foreign policy issues with ingenuity and goodwill, particularly under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and those who sought and still seek to follow in his footsteps. He is not afraid to challenge the hatred and bigotry that are an unfortunate but undeniable part of the American fabric. He exhorts us to embrace all the challenges and opportunities that life in the United States can offer.

Using a progressive approach to political economy, contributors propose alternative policies and practices that might secure more decent livelihoods for workers and their families.

This book provides a comprehensive narrative and analysis of major developments, key figures, and significant moments in Major League Baseball, from the integration of Jackie Robinson in 1947 to the owners-instigated catastrophic players’ strike of 1994-95 that cost the national pastime a championship season.

This collection of essays, sermons, and prayers urges the church today to be the sort of community that sustains a vigorous and continuing conversation within itself as to who has called it into being, to whom it is responsible, and what it is called to be and to do. Jones reminds the church that it is an alternative political community called into being by the Gospel. This collection explores what it means to be such an alternative community in tumultuous times, in times when it is tempting to look to the world for answers, and to confuse loyalty to the nation-state with loyalty to God. A theme throughout all the writings is that the church is the necessary context for becoming and being a Christian.