Democracy is being destroyed. This is a crisis that expresses itself in the rising authoritarianism visible in divisive and exclusionary politics, populist political parties and movements, increased distrust in fact-based information and news, and the withering accountability of state institutions. What is less obvious is that the sources of the democratic rot are integral to the systemic crisis generated by neoliberal capitalism, which assigns economic metrics to all aspects of life. In other words, the crisis of democracy is the political crisis of neoliberal capitalism. Over the last four decades, democracy has radically shifted to a market democracy in which all aspects of human, non-human and planetary life are commodified, with corporations becoming more powerful than states and their citizens.

Volume six of the Democratic Marxism series focuses on how decades of neoliberal capitalism have eroded the global democratic project and how, in the process, authoritarian politics are gaining ground. Scholars and activists from the left focus on four country cases – India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States of America – in which the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled and highlighted the pre-existing crisis. They interrogate issues of politics, ecology, state security, media, access to information and political parties, and affirm the need to reclaim and re-build an expansive and inclusive democracy.

Destroying Democracy is an invaluable resource for the general public, activists, scholars and students who are interested in understanding the threats to democracy and the rising tide of authoritarianism in the global global South and global North.

This delightful memoir of Mike Williams life and times will stir many memories. Cranwellians of the late 1950s and early 60s engaged in their jet conversion to Vampires will recall a good looking and sympathetic instructor who had the time and sense to make this testing time a pleasure rather than a trial. Mike stood out then as a man with charm and style. Throughout his career, Mike retained that charm and easy going approach which made him so popular in the Royal Air Force, with the other services and in the civilian world. But behind that aura lay a great professionalism and strength of character, so necessary for a test pilot, the operations floor at the Ministry of Defence and Station Commander at the Central Flying School. Without that inner core of steel, it is unlikely he would have continued to fly after the loss of one eye, and in the process become something of a legend. Looking through his Record of Service, from 1954 Initial Training at Kirton Lindsey to his retirement as Deputy Commandant at Cranwell 1984, one is struck by the number of bases no longer in being with the RAF. Kirton Lindsey, Middleton St George, Chivenor, Stradishall, Waterbeach, Little Rissington, Aden, Manby-all of them in their day lively, important stations and ones which had a profound influence on the many young men and women who spent time there. The ghosts of those days peep out from the pages of this book. They bear witness to just how great the changes have been to the RAF and how much smaller it is today. It would be easy to suggest that the era Mike Williams describes was more fun, more varied and more interesting than the essentially UK based service of today despite the fact that the RAF has been almost permanently on operations abroad since 1991. In reality, the world has changed and the armed services have had to change with it. But young men and women still join the military for much the same reason as did Mike, and they still get the satisfaction from achievements in the air and on the ground as did he. What I hope those of the modern generation who read this book will learn is that professionalism can accommodate graciousness and charm, a life outside the service without in any way compromising excellence.

This book brings together leading scholars of development to assess the current status of the 'developmental state' in several developing and transitional economies of South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, Brazil and India. Has the concept of the developmental state become outmoded? These authors would suggest not. However, they do argue that the historical trajectories of developmental states in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe suggest all too clearly that the concept must be re-examined critically and creatively. The range and diversity of their positions and their rejection of stale programmatic positions from the past will revitalise the debate on the role of the state in social and economic transformation in the twenty-first century. By bringing together careful comparative analyses of national cases, in both the Global North and South, the volume highlights pivotal conditions - economic restructuring, domestic politics, epistemic shifts and ecological limits - that are forcing revision of the goals and strategies of developmental states and suggests that states that ignore these new conditions will indeed see the 'end of the developmental state'.

Fantasy adventure directed by Sam Raimi. Acting as a prequel to the much-loved classic 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939), the film explores how the titular hero, Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a largely unsuccessful circus magician in Kansas, may have found his way to the Land of Oz and his early days in the magical realm. Seeing his new home as a world of opportunity, Oz firmly believes his luck has changed for the better when he is introduced to three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who suggest that he is destined for greatness beyond his imagination. However, before Oscar can realise his true potential, he must journey through Oz and come face-to-face with the problems that haunt the fantastic land.

This eleventh edition of Sales Management continues the tradition of blending the most recent sales management research with the real-life "best practices" of leading sales organizations and sales professionals. Reflecting today’s emphasis on analytics and customer experience (CX), this edition focuses on the importance of employing different data-based selling strategies for different customer groups, as well as integrating corporate, business, marketing, and sales-level strategies and plans. Sales Management includes coverage of the current trends and issues in sales management, along with real-world examples from the contemporary business world that are used throughout the text to illuminate chapter discussions. The new eleventh edition includes: · Emphasis on data-driven decision making, ethics, the use of artificial intelligence, the customer experience, leadership, sales enablement technology and new communication technologies; · Updated end-of-chapter cases with application questions and role plays, along with skill-building experiential exercises with discovery investigations and focused role plays, which place students in the role of sales manager; · Updated ethical dilemmas for students to practice ethical decision making; · Revised ‘Sales Management in Action’ boxes; · Multiple vignettes embedded in each chapter featuring sales management professionals and well-known companies discussing key topics from that chapter. This text is core reading for postgraduate, MBA and executive education students studying Sales Management. An updated online instructor's manual with solutions to cases and exercises, revised test bank, and updated PowerPoints, is available to adopters.

A look back from a future in which racism is no more--inspiring us to start taking positive action today "It's the year 2050... and racism has ended." Could this really be our future? If so, what has to happen now to achieve such a radical change? In How We Ended Racism, Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski reveal a path for real and lasting global impact--not just talking about it, studying it, or making small steps, but actually ending racism in one generation. Williams and Tygielski draw from a wide array of scientific studies, as well as their practical successes in teaching a multitude of diverse groups across perceived "divides," to show us how to shift our perspective and enact lasting change in our families, workplaces, communities, and beyond. Here they provide solid answers to the questions future generations will ask about this pivotal time in history, by laying out the eight conditions that needed to arise in humanity to realize this possibility, covering: - How was it possible? The research on large-scale social change that showed racism could end - What were the first steps? Overcoming doubt, owning our emotions, and committing to truth - What were the biggest challenges? Shadow work, big conversations, and forgiveness - Which tools actually worked? The field-tested methods that allowed us to heal and connect - Who ended racism? How we--each of us--helped our culture evolve to make racism a thing of the past "You don't fix racism," say the authors. "You don't fight it. You don't make it better. You end it. We learned how to bridge any political or ideological divide--inviting liberals, conservatives, and everyone in between to cocreate a future worth fighting for." Here is a guide that dares to envision a world beyond typical diversity, equity, and inclusion work while providing tools and action steps to create a liberated future--so that our descendants can look back at this era as the time when we decided to end racism for the good of all.

"I need help." Those three words saved Grammy Award-winning singer Michelle Williams's life. After decades of sweeping her anxiety and depression under the rug--even during her years in the spotlight with Destiny's Child--Michelle found herself planning her own funeral. Realizing that she needed immediate help and could no longer battle her anxiety and depression alone, she checked herself into a treatment facility. When she came home, she was energized and determined to check in on a regular basis with herself, God, and others. Practical, engaging, and full of wisdom, Checking In will give you the tools you need to: Tear down the walls around your vulnerability that are hindering your healing Reject the lies of anxiety and depression and replace them with the truth of God's Word Trade toxic thought patterns for lasting joy Find freedom by forgiving yourself and others An uplifting, behind-the-scenes look at one woman's path to healing, Checking In reminds you that you're not alone and that God is not yet finished writing your story. Praise for Checking In: "Michelle Williams is one of the bravest, strongest women I know. She has fought through very public struggles and dark, hidden days of depression. And now, in Checking In, she's putting it all out there for everyone to see. Her story is powerful and relatable, and she wants you to know that you are not alone. Healing is possible. And she's here to walk through it with you." --Sarah Jakes Roberts, founder of Woman Evolve, copastor of The Potter's House, and bestselling author of Woman Evolve

Singing is their passion! Miracle and Luzuko from the Eastern Cape; Thato and Kagiso from the North West: one thing brings them together in Cape Town - their determination to pursue their musical dreams. Studying in a new big city is not easy when news from home is bad, costs are high and competitors want you to fail. But the lights of the stage and the applause of the audience keep them singing...

When Jimmy Valentine is shot and left on the roof of his father's Cape Flats taxi, his outraged community is determined to find the murderer. This love and detective story confronts the nature of conflict and violence, and explores ways of resolving them.

This eleventh edition of Sales Management continues the tradition of blending the most recent sales management research with the real-life "best practices" of leading sales organizations and sales professionals. Reflecting today’s emphasis on analytics and customer experience (CX), this edition focuses on the importance of employing different data-based selling strategies for different customer groups, as well as integrating corporate, business, marketing, and sales-level strategies and plans. Sales Management includes coverage of the current trends and issues in sales management, along with real-world examples from the contemporary business world that are used throughout the text to illuminate chapter discussions. The new eleventh edition includes: · Emphasis on data-driven decision making, ethics, the use of artificial intelligence, the customer experience, leadership, sales enablement technology and new communication technologies; · Updated end-of-chapter cases with application questions and role plays, along with skill-building experiential exercises with discovery investigations and focused role plays, which place students in the role of sales manager; · Updated ethical dilemmas for students to practice ethical decision making; · Revised ‘Sales Management in Action’ boxes; · Multiple vignettes embedded in each chapter featuring sales management professionals and well-known companies discussing key topics from that chapter. This text is core reading for postgraduate, MBA and executive education students studying Sales Management. An updated online instructor's manual with solutions to cases and exercises, revised test bank, and updated PowerPoints, is available to adopters.

Master today's most effective professional selling concepts and skills with SELL, 7E by 4LTR Press. Updated, streamlined chapters cover the most relevant topics and current industry selling practices. This edition covers recent technology, including artificial intelligence, for use in the selling process. New or expanded coverage addresses storytelling in sales, customer engagement and the customer experience. This edition's visual presentation is complemented with new chapter-opening vignettes and new coverage of the latest ethical dilemmas and virtual selling strategies. Study tools and activities like case studies and role play videos help you prepare for real-world situations. MindTap digital resources let you read or listen to chapters and study with flashcards and practice quizzes. When it's time to review, you can easily gather everything you've flagged or noted into a guide you organize. Track your scores so you know where to focus efforts to reach your learning goals.

Thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor. Jonathan McQuarry (McGregor) is an accountant who is growing tired of his mundane life. When his new lawyer friend, Wyatt Bose (Jackman), introduces him to an underground sex club known as The List, he becomes besotted by a mysterious woman known as 'S' (Michelle Williams). However, Jonathan's life is turned upside down when the woman vanishes and he is named as the prime suspect in her disappearance.

Acclaimed musical artist Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child shares the intimate, never-before-told story of how, even in the midst of enormous fame and success, she battled depression, leading her to find her true calling as an advocate for mental health, especially her own.

“I need help.”

Those three words saved Grammy Award–winning singer Michelle Williams’s life. After decades of sweeping her anxiety and depression under the rug—even during her years in the spotlight with Destiny’s Child—Michelle found herself planning her own funeral. Realizing that she needed immediate help and could no longer battle her anxiety and depression alone, she checked herself into a treatment facility. When she came home, she was energized and determined to check in on a regular basis with herself, God, and others.

Practical, engaging, and full of wisdom, Checking In helps us understand that

• building walls around our vulnerability can hinder our healing;
• we need to reject the lies of anxiety and depression and replace them with the truth of God’s Word;
• joy can be found when we release toxic thought patterns;
• childhood wounds need to be healed;
• freedom can be found when we forgive ourselves and others; and
• a beautiful life comes from living honestly.

An uplifting, behind-the-scenes look at one woman's path to healing, Checking In reminds you that you are not alone, and that God is not yet finished writing your story.

Winner of the 2014 UKLA Award Deo is a great footballer, a fierce protector of his older brother, Innocent. His brother is easily nervous, easily happy but good at keeping score on the dusty fields of Zimbabwe where the boys play. Then Mugabe's soldiers come, destroying the only home the boys have known. Now, Deo has nothing but his brother, and a football stuffed with billions of worthless dollars. And so starts their journey to find their father. But with soldiers everywhere, they have only one chance to cross the border, one chance to escape. In face of such a challenge, it is Deo's brotherly love that endures, his belief that he will lead them both to safety. Micheal Williams's is a masterful storyteller who pulls you along the journey of a lifetime. Deo and Innocent's journey is a universal story of hope in the face of despair, and the search for a better life.

Peacekeeping in the late 1990s is a complex and diverse task, in which civilian and military personnel are working together to a greater degree than ever before. However, when an international body such as the UN takes strategic decisions, it does so with inadequate input from the military; in the field, there are clashes of culture, confusion over command and control arrangements and insufficient operational coordination. These issues also affect regional organisations such as NATO. The awkward management of operations and their uneven level of achievement have contributed to a decline in the number of UN peacekeeping operations since 1994. This paper argues that the balance between civilian and military expertise and advice at all levels of a peacekeeping mission - strategic, tactical and operational - needs to be reappraised. At the strategic level: * mandates must be clear, and must respond both to the needs of the situation and to the resources available * there must be regular dialogue between all the principal players, military and civilian; the military-staff capacity at UN headquarters should be made more effective, and should be responsible to the Security Council * major troop-contributing countries should be systematically involved in determining mandates, as well as in reviewing operational plans * senior military officers from all large troop-contributing countries should be based at a mission's field headquarters. At the operational level: * the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General - the head of a UN peacekeeping mission - should be strengthened. In non-UN operations, the authority of the High Representative needs to be increased * a cadre of civilian officials with peacekeeping experience needs to be developed; standard operating procedures for the civilian head of a mission to follow when dealing with the military need to be developed * greater emphasis should be placed on the 'softer' aspects of military science - managing resources, civilian control and human rights * the reluctance of civilians and non-governmental organisations to engage with the military should be addressed. Much experience has been gained from the peacekeeping operations of the 1990s, but both military and civilian participants must make considerably more progress before they can be said to have forged a partnership that makes them an effective intervention force

This book provides a clear overview of current thinking on the teaching and learning of geography. It is an ideal companion to all students beginning a career in teaching the subject in secondary schools. The chapters are written by experienced teacher educators and bridge both theory and practice. The writers focus on the continuities, whilst setting them in the context of the changing curriculum. The book is divided into four parts. Part One examines the historical context of geography teaching. Part Two looks at issues of course planning, design, syllabuses and programmes of study. Underlying this section is the assumption that geography should not be considered in isolation from other subjects, but rather as part of a whole curriculum. Part Three concentrates on teaching and learning, and includes chapters on the use of maps, field work, IT and first hand experience within a community. The final section covers the issues associated with assessment, across the whole school age range.

Double bill of documentary-style horror films. 'The Blair Witch Project' (1998) follows three students from Burkittsville - Heather (Heather Donahue), Josh (Joshua Leonard) and Michael (Michael Williams) - as they head into the woods to investigate the local legend of the Blair Witch, a spirit blamed for the deaths of various children. After trekking deep into the forest, the group lose their map, quickly become lost and are forced to spend extra days trying to find their way back out. Confronted by terrifying noises and with strange artefacts appearing around their camp, panic sets in as the students are driven further into the woods by an unseen and sinister force. In 'Blair Witch' (2016), college student James Donahue (James Allen McCune), accompanied by a group of friends, ventures into Maryland's Black Hills Forest in search of his missing sister who disappeared 20 years earlier while searching for evidence of the Blair Witch. After an uneventful hike deep into the woods, the group begin to feel a menacing presence in their camp as the night draws on. When a number of mysterious figures then appear in the trees around the camp, the panicked group begin to realise that the legend is real and more sinister than they could have imagined...

Seraki Mandindi's Soweto neighbourhood is terrorized by gangs. Then he becomes part of a successful theatrical group that performs on Broadway. However, success is far more complex than he realized.

Feed your curiosity of the Bible by exploring the deeper meaning behind familiar Old Testament passages. Below the surface of every seemingly ordinary Bible verse lies a deeper meaning just waiting to be discovered. And these hidden insights aren't just reserved for scholars, academics, or pastors. Anyone who knows where to look can uncover the surprisingly significant messages that the biblical authors intended for us to hear. In 30 Old Testament Passages with Deeper Meaning, Michael Williams seeks to lead believers to a deeper comprehension and appreciation of biblical truth. In each easy-to-read chapter, Williams focuses on one Old Testament verse or passage, and: Examines its cultural, historical, linguistic, and/or theological context. Explains how it is enhanced by the added context and perspective. Provides questions to facilitate further reflection, study, and discussion. Helping to bridge the gap between the academy and the church, this broadly accessible and edifying book will help everyday Christians get more out of their Bible. Plus, the insightful questions at the end of each chapter make this an ideal small group, Bible study, or expository preaching resource.