Kirjahaku

Original and compelling, Laura Briggs' "Reproducing Empire" shows how, for both Puerto Ricans and North Americans, ideologies of sexuality, reproduction, and gender have shaped relations between the island and the mainland. From science to public policy, the 'culture of poverty' to overpopulation, feminism to Puerto Rican nationalism, this book uncovers the persistence of concerns about motherhood, prostitution, and family in shaping the beliefs and practices of virtually every player in the twentieth-century drama of Puerto Rican colonialism. In this way, it sheds light on the legacies haunting contemporary debates over globalization. Puerto Rico is a perfect lens through which to examine colonialism and globalization because for the past century it has been where the United States has expressed and fine-tuned its attitudes toward its own expansionism. Puerto Rico's history holds no simple lessons for present-day debate over globalization but does unearth some of its history. "Reproducing Empire" suggests that interventionist discourses of rescue, family, and sexuality fueled U.S. imperial projects and organized American colonialism. Through the politics, biology, and medicine of eugenics, prostitution, and birth control, the United States has justified its presence in the territory's politics and society. Briggs makes an innovative contribution to Puerto Rican and U.S. history, effectively arguing that gender has been crucial to the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico, and more broadly, to U.S. expansion elsewhere.

Now all politics are reproductive politics, argues esteemed feminist critic, Laura Briggs. Today's economic realities mean we are always at work, and time to care for dependents and communities has evaporated. Our households bear witness to this with trends towards later childbearing, growing use of IVF, widening racial disparities in infant mortality, and popular dependence on risky marriages and mortgages for semblances of security. Meanwhile an immigrant workforce (which is actually more female than male) cares for US households while leaving their own kids in home countries. This brilliant book outlines our crisis and explains how we got here. From Republican and Democrat stories of Black "welfare queens" and Latina "breeding machines" that helped destroy the so-called nanny state to stagnant wages in rising McJobs, and from a Queer turn to same-sex marriage to the blame game for the subprime crisis, Laura Briggs shows how from the 1980s to Trump and beyond, our current woes are anything but our fault.

Today all politics are reproductive politics, argues esteemed feminist critic Laura Briggs. From longer work hours to the election of Donald Trump, our current political crisis is above all about reproduction. Households are where we face our economic realities as social safety nets get cut and wages decline. Briggs brilliantly outlines how politicians’ racist accounts of reproduction—stories of Black “welfare queens” and Latina “breeding machines"—were the leading wedge in the government and business disinvestment in families. With decreasing wages, rising McJobs, and no resources for family care, our households have grown ever more precarious over the past forty years in sharply race-and class-stratified ways. This crisis, argues Briggs, fuels all others—from immigration to gay marriage, anti-feminism to the rise of the Tea Party.

"You have to take the children away."—Donald Trump Taking Children argues that for four hundred years the United States has taken children for political ends. Black children, Native children, Latinx children, and the children of the poor have all been seized from their kin and caregivers. As Laura Briggs’s sweeping narrative shows, the practice played out on the auction block, in the boarding schools designed to pacify the Native American population, in the foster care system used to put down the Black freedom movement, in the US’s anti-Communist coups in Central America, and in the moral panic about “crack babies.” In chilling detail we see how Central Americans were made into a population that could be stripped of their children and how every US administration beginning with Reagan has put children of immigrants and refugees in detention camps. Yet these tactics of terror have encountered opposition from every generation, and Briggs challenges us to stand and resist in this powerful corrective to American history.

"You have to take the children away."—Donald Trump Taking Children argues that for four hundred years the United States has taken children for political ends. Black children, Native children, Latinx children, and the children of the poor have all been seized from their kin and caregivers. As Laura Briggs's sweeping narrative shows, the practice played out on the auction block, in the boarding schools designed to pacify the Native American population, in the foster care system used to put down the Black freedom movement, in the US's anti-Communist coups in Central America, and in the moral panic about "crack babies." In chilling detail we see how Central Americans were made into a population that could be stripped of their children and how every US administration beginning with Reagan has put children of immigrants and refugees in detention camps. Yet these tactics of terror have encountered opposition from every generation, and Briggs challenges us to stand and resist in this powerful corrective to American history.

In the past two decades, transnational adoption has exploded in scope and significance, growing up along increasingly globalized economic relations and the development and improvement of reproductive technologies. A complex and understudied system, transnational adoption opens a window onto the relations between nations, the inequalities of the rich and the poor, and the history of race and racialization, Transnational adoption has been marked by the geographies of unequal power, as children move from poorer countries and families to wealthier ones, yet little work has been done to synthesize its complex and sometimes contradictory effects. Rather than focusing only on the United States, as much previous work on the topic does, International Adoption considers the perspectives of a number of sending countries as well as other receiving countries, particularly in Europe. The book also reminds us that the U.S. also sends children into international adoptions—particularly children of color. The book thus complicates the standard scholarly treatment of the subject, which tends to focus on the tensions between those who argue that transnational adoption is an outgrowth of American wealth, power, and military might (as well as a rejection of adoption from domestic foster care) and those who maintain that it is about a desire to help children in need.

In the past two decades, transnational adoption has exploded in scope and significance, growing up along increasingly globalized economic relations and the development and improvement of reproductive technologies. A complex and understudied system, transnational adoption opens a window onto the relations between nations, the inequalities of the rich and the poor, and the history of race and racialization, Transnational adoption has been marked by the geographies of unequal power, as children move from poorer countries and families to wealthier ones, yet little work has been done to synthesize its complex and sometimes contradictory effects. Rather than focusing only on the United States, as much previous work on the topic does, International Adoption considers the perspectives of a number of sending countries as well as other receiving countries, particularly in Europe. The book also reminds us that the U.S. also sends children into international adoptions—particularly children of color. The book thus complicates the standard scholarly treatment of the subject, which tends to focus on the tensions between those who argue that transnational adoption is an outgrowth of American wealth, power, and military might (as well as a rejection of adoption from domestic foster care) and those who maintain that it is about a desire to help children in need.

In Somebody's Children, Laura Briggs examines the social and cultural forces-poverty, racism, economic inequality, and political violence-that have shaped transracial and transnational adoption in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first. Focusing particularly on the experiences of those who have lost their children to adoption, Briggs analyzes the circumstances under which African American and Native mothers in the United States and indigenous and poor women in Latin America have felt pressed to give up their children for adoption or have lost them involuntarily.The dramatic expansion of transracial and transnational adoption since the 1950s, Briggs argues, was the result of specific and profound political and social changes, including the large-scale removal of Native children from their parents, the condemnation of single African American mothers in the context of the civil rights struggle, and the largely invented "crack babies" scare that inaugurated the dramatic withdrawal of benefits to poor mothers in the United States. In Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina, governments disappeared children during the Cold War and then imposed neoliberal economic regimes with U.S. support, making the circulation of children across national borders easy and often profitable. Concluding with an assessment of present-day controversies surrounding gay and lesbian adoptions and the struggles of immigrants fearful of losing their children to foster care, Briggs challenges celebratory or otherwise simplistic accounts of transracial and transnational adoption by revealing some of their unacknowledged causes and costs.

In Somebody's Children, Laura Briggs examines the social and cultural forces-poverty, racism, economic inequality, and political violence-that have shaped transracial and transnational adoption in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first. Focusing particularly on the experiences of those who have lost their children to adoption, Briggs analyzes the circumstances under which African American and Native mothers in the United States and indigenous and poor women in Latin America have felt pressed to give up their children for adoption or have lost them involuntarily.The dramatic expansion of transracial and transnational adoption since the 1950s, Briggs argues, was the result of specific and profound political and social changes, including the large-scale removal of Native children from their parents, the condemnation of single African American mothers in the context of the civil rights struggle, and the largely invented "crack babies" scare that inaugurated the dramatic withdrawal of benefits to poor mothers in the United States. In Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina, governments disappeared children during the Cold War and then imposed neoliberal economic regimes with U.S. support, making the circulation of children across national borders easy and often profitable. Concluding with an assessment of present-day controversies surrounding gay and lesbian adoptions and the struggles of immigrants fearful of losing their children to foster care, Briggs challenges celebratory or otherwise simplistic accounts of transracial and transnational adoption by revealing some of their unacknowledged causes and costs.

A search for historic secrets may uncover a present day love' Writer-historian Jenna Cade has spent her life in search of the past, particularly with her latest quest to document abandoned cemeteries of the South and the stories behind the stones. But her search for a forgotten graveyard in quaint Sylvan Spring leads her to more than the ghosts of graves untended by human hands'it leads her to the doorstep of reclusive stone carver Con Taggart. Still grieving his wife's death, Con has shut himself away from the world, But then a beautiful historian shows up at his door seeking a link between mysterious burial stones and a legend that lingers in the town's history. Working together to uncover the truth behind the lost cemetery may form a deeper connection between them than either realizes. Can the ghosts of graveyards past show these two how to trust in God and to find a love more tangible than any legendary tale of apparitions?

Start and Scale Your Freelance Business The world's freelance workforce and the rise of a permanent gig economy are growing at a rapid pace, but the lack of proper training about how to run a freelance venture sets most freelancers up for failure. With even established freelancers facing new competition, he need is real and the time is now for freelancers to learn how to take their businesses and their paychecks to the next level. The Six-Figure Freelancer is a proven path, a battle-tested guide that works for freelancers of all types, based on the author's years of trial-by-fire lessons to help you find, land, and amaze your clients. The book follows an outline of proven tactics to grow a business to the six-figure level and keep it there: Knowing the current phase of your freelance businessGetting into the right mindset to shift your money powerKnowing how to spot high-value, high-dollar clientsDetermining the structure of your six-figure business (solo or agency model?)Speeding your process up and structuring your ideal freelance workdayPutting together a client benefit-focused marketing tools planRaising your rates and transmitting value to prospective clientsAvoiding those six-figure earner pitfalls Throughout this book, readers will have guided action plans and checklists to customize their own specific freelance business.

Your brand is unique. Your website content should be, too.Many businesses believe they know what sets their brand apart from the competition, only to discover they aren’t connecting with their audience. With Content is King as your guide, you’ll uncover your accurate Unique Value Proposition, so you can reach the customer-base that’s been searching for you. Learn to craft quality, authentic content that converts window-shoppers into returning customers. In an increasingly digital age, website content is the pinnacle launch pad that prompts your audience to act. Establish your brand values, determine the needs of your niche audience, and curate a website that highlights the exclusive opportunities only you can offer with Content is King as your go-to handbook.Discover how to: Build your content marketing strategy from scratch Define your Unique Value Proposition and tell your own storyNavigate Search Engine Optimization and direct high-volume traffic to your platformDiscern your buyer’s journey to customize and enhance your patron’s experienceTake your content to new heights with top-grade editorial, today!

The perfect feel-good summer romance for 2018 for fans of Debbie Macomber, Jenny Hale and Debbie Johnson. Tessa has always dreamed of her own business. And when a beautiful tumbledown house comes up for sale in the Southern town of Bellegrove, she knows it has perfect potential to be an amazing one-stop wedding shop. Teaming up with wedding planner to the stars Stefan, cake-baker extraordinaire Ama, and dress designer Natalie, they're ready for big things. They've even found their first client - a sweet old lady called Bianca, who's desperate to give her grandson a spectacular wedding. (Even though he's equally determined to keep it simple and romantic.) But as the big day approaches, things start to go wrong. Handsome handyman Blake Ellingham breaks the news that the building needs re-wiring and the bill for renovations is longer than a royal wedding train. And then Stefan suddenly quits... Can Tessa pull off the dream wedding? Can Blake be convinced to help? And if the electrics are broken, why are so many sparks flying between him and Tessa? What readers are saying about Laura Briggs: 'I love Laura's writing style - it'll make you laugh out loud... just what you want from a chick lit novel ' The Cosiest Corner 'I like her writing style, her descriptions and characterisations as well as her sense of humour' Rachel's Random Reads 'Winsome, lighthearted, and fun ' What's Better Than Books?

If only falling in love was as easy as baking a cake... Ama's loved baking ever since she can remember. Desserts, cakes, cookies - anything sweet, delicious and sinful. The kitchen is the only place where she can be truly herself. But - as she starts work on the biggest cake she has ever made - for a couple's magical winter wedding - she realises just how much she secretly dreams of falling in love too. Then she meets a handsome man on a motorbike who sets her pulse racing. But Ama knows it can never be. Because he's her very traditional parents' absolute worst nightmare... And she knows she can never let them down. Do her family know best? Or can she trust her heart? And, as the snow begins to fall, will she ever find out what really does go into the recipe for true love? The perfect feel-good winter romance for 2018 for fans of Debbie Macomber, Jenny Colgan and Jenny Hale. Praise for Laura Briggs: 'A little bit of everything to tempt you... You know when you near the end of a story and wish it could carry on well this is exactly what I was feeling when I was reading those last few chapters... Beautiful, sweet and romantic ' Rae Reads, 5 stars 'Loved this ... sweet romance and the storyline was great I highly recommend ' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I absolutely loved this gorgeous story, straight from the beginning I was hooked on the characters and the storyline... a wonderful, sweet, feel-good read... Get whisked away by Laura to the charming town and enjoy your stay there.' Katie's Book Cave, 5 stars 'I absolutely loved this.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'A little gem of a read... I was fully invested in Tessa and the girls and backed them all the way, wanting everything to work out for them, so they could all achieve their dreams.' Zooloo's Book Blog 'A sweet and lighthearted read, perfect for summer ' Read More Sleep Less 'This is perfect chick lit.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'The story is lovely and fluently written. I loved all the characters... An entertaining feel good book for everybody who loves a good wedding and people who are not afraid to take their future in their own hands.' B for Book Review, 5 stars 'Light hearted and entertaining... tender and loving... such a lovely romantic book... Would definitely recommend ' Stardust Book Reviews

If you are a military spouse considering remote work, this practical guide is for you You'll find strategies and advice to help you define your remote work goals, land the right job, handle stress, and grow your career While there are many rewards in military life, maintaining meaningful employment can be challenging when you're constantly relocating for your service member's next assignment. Military spouses often experience interruptions in valuable work experience, missed advancement opportunities, state-to-state re-certifications, and what seems like a never-ending job search. Remote work has many benefits for military spouses and employers In Remote Work for Military Spouses, military spouse author Laura Briggs offers a road map for military spouses looking for career continuity, financial stability, and fulfilling work amidst a mobile military lifestyle. Strategies and tips in this ultimate guide include: Deciding if remote work is the right fitHow and where to search for remote positionsAdjusting application materials to reframe resume gaps and military affiliationPreparing for remote interviews and the challenges of remote workLearning to pivot and adapt after landing a remote jobManaging work-life balance between the demands of military life and remote employmentCreating a professional development plan to grow a meaningful mobile career