'Africa is a lost cause.' This is a cynical view held widely in the West, in much of the world and even in Africa. Many people in the old European colonial powers - and not only the dwindling band of 'old Africa hands' who served in the colonies - are in despair, lamenting maladministration, corruption, civil and inter-state wars, poverty, famine and the seemingly unstoppable march of AIDS. And all in a great continent with abundant human and natural resources. The other side of the coin is that hope is beginning to dawn as Africa's plight is recognised by the Africans themselves and its vital strategic, political and economic importance in the age of globalisation is gaining universal appreciation. An 'African renaissance' may seem far-fetched but there is perhaps light at the end of the tunnel. This is the backdrop against which Andrew Sardanis's fascinating story is set. It begins with his work as a journalist in Cyprus - on the receiving end of British colonialism - and moves to Northern Rhodesia where he played a leading role as an international businessman and in the politics of independence leading to the new nation of Zambia. He was at the heart of Zambia's political and business development, and always a sympathetic but critical observer and adviser, both in government and in business, also a close but objective friend of leaders including Kenneth Kaunda.

THE OFFICIAL BOOK, FULLY ENDORSED BY QUEEN ELIZABETH II From Her Majesty’s trusted confidant and Dresser Angela Kelly LVO comes a lavishly designed book of never-before-seen photos of The Queen, Her wardrobe and Her jewels and features intimate anecdotes from Angela’s 25-year career working closely with Her Majesty. A truly unique keepsake and collectors’ item to be treasured. ‘For the nearly seven decades of her reign, Her Majesty The Queen has used clothing to create a powerful visual identity that transcends fashion and has made her perhaps the most readily identifiable person on the planet. Angela Kelly, building on the work of the great designers and milliners who have worked with Her Majesty through the years – including couturiers Sir Norman Hartnell, Sir Hardy Amies, and Ian Thomas, and milliners such as Simone Mirman and Freddy Fox – brings her own imagination to bear on an iconic ‘uniform’ that suggests continuity and tradition, and ensures that the wearer is always the most visible person in a room or a crowd.’–Anna Wintour, Vogue When Angela Kelly and The Queen are together, laughter echoes through the corridors of Buckingham Palace. Angela has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for twenty-five years, initially as Her Majesty’s Senior Dresser and then latterly as Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor, Curator, Wardrobe and In-house Designer. As the first person in history to hold this title, she shares a uniquely close working relationship with The Queen. In The Other Side of the Coin, The Queen has personally given Angela her blessing to share their extraordinary bond with the world. Whether it’s preparing for a formal occasion or brightening Her Majesty’s day with a playful joke, Angela’s priority is to serve and support. Sharing never-before-seen photographs – many from Angela’s own private collection – and charming anecdotes of their time spent together, this revealing book provides memorable insights into what it’s like to work closely with The Queen, to curate her wardrobe and to discover a true and lasting connection along the way. ‘The book documents the unique working relationship between Her Majesty The Queen and the woman who has been her Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser for more than two decades: Angela Kelly. It gives a rare insight into the demands of the job of supporting the Monarch, and we gain privileged insight into a successful working relationship, characterized by humor, creativity, hard work, and a mutual commitment to service and duty. Angela is a talented and inspiring woman, who has captured the highlights of her long career with The Queen for us all to share.’ –Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary to The Queen (2011–2018)

The Other Side of the Coin is a self-help book that addresses the addiction of compulsive debting/spending, how that behavior impacts the family and how to live in dignity and recover from those effects. This book will be of help to anyone who has spending issues or is a relationship with someone with spending issues. Although there is twelve-step jargon, the concepts can be of use to anyone in or out of a twelve-step program. The book shines the light on the shame and secrets of living with financial distress and offers a solution for all.

Norbert Elias (1897–1990), author of the modern classic The Civilizing Process, was one of the most fascinating scientists of the twentieth century. In Norbert Elias and Human Interdependencies leading scholars from Europe, the United States, and Canada introduce, evaluate, and apply Elias's achievements and explore the interdependence of individuals in an increasingly global society. While the opposing paradigms of globalization and fragmentation compete in often bloody and destructive ways in the world today, this book convincingly reminds us of the importance of finding out more about the complex and changing ways in which we are connected. The authors demonstrate that the more we understand our connectedness and deal with its consequences, the less dependent and helpless we become. The critical, multidisciplinary perspectives they offer cover a wide range of subjects, from the world wide web to medieval poetry, nations and gender, cancer narratives and money, emotion management and the financial markets, and the American civilizing process and the repression of shame. The contributions bear witness to Elias's innovative achievements while the authors continue his stunning explorations, extending them into other areas of the humanities and the sciences, and presenting their own wide-ranging and penetrating insights into our mutual dependence. Contributors are Jorge Arditi (SUNY-Buffalo), Godfried Van Benthem Van Den Bergh (emeritus, Erasmus University, Rotterdam), Reinhard Blomert (Humboldt University, Germany and Karl-Franzens University, Austria), Stephen Guy-Bray (University of Calgary), Thomas M. Kemple (University of British Columbia), Hermann Korte (emeritus, University of Hamburg, Germany), Helmut Kuzmics (University of Graz, Austria), Stephen Mennell (National University of Ireland), Thomas Salumets, Thomas J. Scheff (emeritus, University of California in Santa Barbara), Ulrich C. Teucher (University of British Columbia), Annette Treibel (Pedagogical University of Karlsruhe), and Cas Wouters (Utrecht University, Netherlands).

Take a coin. Toss it in the air. Now call it. Heads? Tails? What if you could choose both sides? Elisa Morgan birthed the "prayer coin" idea as she was struggling in her own prayer life. Should she be blatantly honest about her desires or just leave everything to God and let Him lead? An epiphany came when Elisa noticed how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus Christ begged for relief from the trial He faced, while utterly complying with what He knew the Father's will to be. Honesty and abandon--in the same breath. Elisa discovered that Jesus invites us to both. And the emotional back-and-forth, between full-out honesty and "giving it up" in abandon, actually drew her closer to God. If Jesus--our Savior, Mentor, and Friend--could pray both sides of the prayer coin, could we as well?

Mac Lewis was a crew boat operator for a small boat rental company. On that blistering Louisiana afternoon, he was to conduct crewmembers of a large, inland oil-drilling barge to the latest drilling station. It was business as usual, and he brought his rowdy, roughneck farers to work without much ado. When night descended upon the waters, however, Mac found himself unable to sleep. After much tossing and turning to the sound of heavy drilling engines and clanging of pipes, he finally drifted into a listless sleep. However, Mac would wake up to an entirely new realm of existence. The clanging sounds and thunderous drilling were gone, to be replaced by an eerie quiet, a most unusual phenomenon in the midst of a drilling station. Not only that, but he would begin to realize that his entire body was different, too different to be his ? too different to be a man?s. With the final, unmistakable assessment to verify that his manhood was nonexistent, the unbelievable reality set in with dawning horror. Mac was now a man in a woman?s body. Who was this woman and why was he in her body? Why had it happened? Where in the world was he? The questions would come forth unrestrained and unanswered. Thus, begins the greatest adventure of Mac?s life, a surreal adventure indeed as, for the first time, he would view the world through the other side of the gender fence ? with the eyes, body, and life of a woman. As the questions drive him to seek for answers, he would find out just how it would feel to literally be in a woman?s shoes, dodging compromising situations, experiencing a much heightened danger on the streets and the ever-present emotions that course through a woman?s being. Lucas? The Other Side is absolutely riveting, a compelling read that readers will find hard to put down.

Featuring a Lieutenant Eve Dallas novella, this collection of paranormal romance stories from five New York Times bestselling authors will take you to a realm where suspense, desire, and love have no bounds... In J. D. Robb's "Possession in Death," Lieutenant Eve Dallas has always sought justice for the dead, but now, a victim will seek her own vengeance—through Eve. In Mary Blayney's "The Other Side of the Coin," an earl and his countess struggle to understand one another, until they spend a day in each other's shoes-and bodies. In Patricia Gaffney's "The Dancing Ghost," a woman hires a spirit investigator to prove her ancestral home is haunted, but they end up debunking the mystery of love. In Ruth Ryan Langan's "Almost Heaven," a couple who dies in a car accident struggler to stay in their daughter's life to save her from the wrong man. And in Mary Kay McComas's "Never Too Late to Love," a practical woman is faced with the most impractical ghosts, who can't rest in peace until they find what they have lost.