There is a broad and enduring international consensus that good governance and the rule of law are important for the attainment of sustainable development results. But recognizing that good governance is important for development is one thing; carrying out effective international programs to support improved governance is something very different. It seems logical that international cooperation efforts intended to help achieve such results should include programmatic support for these impo...

George Gamow, the famous cosmologist and nuclear physicist, conjectured that the Universe may be rotating and this may be the cause of galaxy rotation.The author models a complex rotational configuration for the Universe demonstrating that such a spin configuration would have impacted directly on how the Universe developed and behaved.From first principles and using basic concepts in school physics, a young spinning ellipsoidal Universe is modelled to determine possible beh...

A LIFE FORESEENBorn with the family gift of foretelling dreams, Hugh LeCuir met his angel at the age of seven. Every year since, on the Summer Solstice, she comes to him in his dreams, growing from a darling babe to a beautiful woman.This Summer Solstice, he is bound by orders from his king.As captain of the King's Guard, he and his men are charged to protect and escort Lady Astrid, her party, and her dowry to Bordeaux, where she is to marry Count Robert in an all t...

STAR CROSSEDA northern princess captured by pirates is sold into slavery and gifted as dowry to the cruel father of a prince betrothed to a woman he despises. So is the lot of Oona, the Swan, an exceptional singer and dancer, stolen from her father's ship along with her sister, the Dove. Of all the horrors that awaits them, including training to be pleasure women for the brutal king, Oona never would have believed his son, Asad, the lion, Prince Black Mane of the Southern Great Val...

WE ARE OUR FUTUREAlyssa asked Jerrik to marry her when she was eight-years-old. When he finally makes good on his promise to return when she's old enough to wed, nothing could prepare her for what becoming his queen truly means.Jerrik is haunted by a tortured past, and has done everything he can to avoid any ties to his parents' mistakes. Life has other plans, and against his wishes, he agrees to assume the cursed throne that has taken the lives of his loved ones. Now a kin...

Unfortunately for Ike Krane, his parents had a wicked sense of humor.So, early on, he decided to embrace his challenges rather than run from them, which is how he become a ghost hunter and ended up visiting Redemption, Wisconsin.The problem—trouble seems to follow Ike just as it did his fictional predecessor.First, there’s the sound of a horse galloping down the neighborhood streets at night, even though there’s never a horse to be found.Then, Ike’s on-again...

Five friends went into the woods. Only four came back.If something ails you, Charlie Kingsley likely has a tea to fix it.So, when Charlie witnesses a young woman faint on the side of the road, she has no choice but to offer her services. (Along with a cup of her famous tea, of course.)In no time at all, the young woman is back to normal, which is good news, as she's about to go camping with her friends.Charlie thinks that will be the last of it … so...

Awarded the 2016 Nautilus Gold Medal for Parenting and Family!Spirit Rock founder, author, and teacher James Baraz’s Awakening Joy offers his large and devoted readership a program to gain contentment and happiness by cultivating the seeds of joy within. Here he joins with Michele Lilyanna, a classroom teacher for 25 years, to offer caregivers and children ways to find joy in each day together.This unique offering nourishes both adults and kids. Ja...

Zaiya the phoenix and her human companion Kin Woodsmith almost have the perfect life and perfect family. They have a phoenix daughter, and the trio is set to settle down to a peaceful, quiet life. But manipulative, sinister forces have cruel intentions aimed at this magical family.In order to rid their daughter of a curse, the phoenix and the carpenter must once more adventure into the heart of danger. This time, they’re caught in the middle of a battle between vengeful kings for c...

Zaiya, a powerful phoenix with a terrible past, descends from the skies to find a mate. Instead, captured by Rikka, the sorceress, the firebird is forced to attack a village. When the inhabitants fight back, the phoenix is nearly destroyed.But fate decrees that she is be rescued by a kind carpenter, Kin Woodsmith. As the phoenix and the carpenter grow closer, the young man helps Zaiya to regain her powers and overcomming her past. In return, she gives him special gifts, and togethe...

Carefully organized and tightly edited, this insightful book considers potential causes of men′s violence against women, utilizing a variety of theoretical perspectives. It summarizes what is known about the multiple causes of men′s violence against women and the importance of identifying men′s risk factors in order to prevent future violence.The editors′ approach is unique but systematic. In chapter 2, the editors present a preliminary multivariate model that explains men′s violen...

Foreword by José CasanovaAsian Catholicism and the Remaking of Contemporary Families attends to the ways in which Asian Catholics navigate and negotiate the ethical ideals, normative discourses, and devotional practices of their religion as they construct and reconstruct their understandings of the family in contemporary society. In addition to family structures based on biological ties, contributors to this volume also examine other kinship groups based o...