In the seventeenth century, Veracruz was the busiest port in the wealthiest colony in the Americas. People and goods from five continents converged in the city, inserting it firmly into the early modern world's largest global networks. Nevertheless, Veracruz never attained the fame or status of other Atlantic ports. Veracruz and the Caribbean in the Seventeenth Century is the first English-language, book-length study of early modern Veracruz. Weaving elements of environmental, social, and cultural history, it examines both Veracruz's internal dynamics and its external relationships. Chief among Veracruz's relationships were its close ties within the Caribbean. Emphasizing relationships of small-scale trade and migration between Veracruz and Caribbean cities like Havana, Santo Domingo, and Cartagena, Veracruz and the Caribbean shows how the city's residents - especially its large African and Afro-descended communities - were able to form communities and define identities separate from those available in the Mexican mainland.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME..."

Slipped under the door of her Georgetown home, the note was an ominous reminder of Pat Traymore's past. The beautiful young television journalist had come to glamorous, high-powered Washington to produce a TV series. Her subject: Senator Abigail Jennings, slated for nomination as the first woman vice president of the United States.

With the help of an old flame, Congresman Sam Kingsley, Pat delves into Abigail's life, only to turn up horrifying facts that threaten to destroy senator's reputation and her career. Worse still, sinister connections to Pat's own childhood and the nightmare secrets hidden within are surfacing -- secrets waiting to destroy her.

Today has a lot going for it: It's here, it's now, and it's already yours. Today is the only day that comes with a guarantee. You've been waiting for today, even though you might have been calling it something else. You might have been calling it tomorrow or someday or even the future. But now, it's the present, and the best thing to do with any present is open it, delight in it, and appreciate it for what it is. Begin something something small or something bold, something that will grow bigger with time. It might just be the day you've been waiting for. So start here, start, now. Start today.