It was a time when there were no rules governing the sale of tax free bonds. From 1971 until 1973 I was part of group known as the "Memphis Bond Daddies". We sold tax free, bearer bonds over the phone. Our home base was Pensacola, Florida. The deregulation of the stock brokerage business in the 1970's and the huge bear market made it so that brokers could not sit behind their desks waiting for the phone to ring. They had to adapt the "cold calling" techniques perfected by the bond daddies. Today huge investment banks have managed us out of our retirement funds. Trillions have been lost, and like in the days of the bond daddy, no one will go to jail. Insurance companies sell insurance without anything to pay claims. The smart guys on Wall Street believe, if they don't get caught, it must be legal. Lawmakers get their lifeblood contributions from big firms and big banks. The regulators are young lawyers, looking to get a big paying job with the firms they are regulating. This is the account of my three years as a "Bond Daddy", and how we started it all.

The lure of fast money pulls Aaron and Jack into a world driven by high-pressure commission sales where morals and ethics take a backseat to big paydays. Best friends since high school, Aaron and Jack are hired by a brokerage firm that begins the strict training of each broker before they are licensed. Surviving the firm's grueling interview process, harsh cold-calling and aggressive tactics, each takes a different path in an attempt to endure the shark-infested trading floor. Aaron's natural aptitude with people gives him quick success; however, Jacks first sale eludes him for monthscausing marital problems and pushing him to the brink of depression. But as the friends turn into big producers, the firm's partners do more than just take them from the poor house to fancy cars. Aaron and Jack are introduced to a hedonistic lifestyle filled with wild adventures and seedy relationships riddled with dangerous vices. Inspired by actual events from a 1970s Houston, Texas, boiler room operation, Bond Daddy chronicles the successes, excesses, and failures of men pushed to their limits who end up secretly living abroad, wasting away in prison or mysteriously murdered.

Surrounded by violence, prostitution and alcoholic abuse, the familys options were very limited. The author explains their experiences with a philosophical view. How he and his brothers faced their circumstances and their efforts in finding ways to get by. With occasional concerns of others and the One upstairs, they managed to survive and avoid becoming victims of the unfavorable influences that were all around them. You will often hear of individual hardship situations. Poverty and hunger, mistreatment and abuse are evident in all walks of life. The author makes the experiences of his family vivid to even the most unbelieving reader. Battered by continual family hostilities, from a father guilty of rampant sexual appetites and alcoholic abuse, to a mother who sought any means to provide for the family in the early years, they were ultimately abandoned by their parents.

Sometimes daddies are loud and playful. Other times they are quiet and compassionate. And they are always loving. Sebastien Braun's appealing text and charming illustrations follow a day in the life of a bear and his bear cub in this celebration of the bond between father and child.

From furry bears to silky hares, Caldecott Honoree Nancy Tafuri celebrates the extra special bond between daddies and their babies in this perfect gift for Father's Day. Little ones love daddy hugs. Feathered hugs . . . whiskered hugs . . . cozy hugs. Just-daddy-and-me hugs. All across the woodlands, animal daddies and their little ones cuddle up together. From furry bear hugs to silky hare hugs, Nancy Tafuri celebrates all the hugs that are extra special because they are just-daddy-and-me hugs. A special author's note includes a list of critters to seek and find on each page, along with their scientific names.

An excellent introduction to the varied and remarkable ways animal fathers care for their young. In the vast animal kingdom, mommies are often solely responsible for the birth and upbringing of their young. But daddies can, and do, help in a variety of surprising ways. In this new natural science book for children, award-winning writer Mary Batten offers a fascinating and entertaining look at paternal behavior in the animal world. From birds and amphibians to small mammals and primates, numerous examples of males caring for their young are presented in accurate and clear language. Among the featured fathers are the blue jay, the marmoset and the beaver, who share parenting responsibilities with the mother, as well as several animal daddies (such as the seahorse, the penguin, and Darwin's frog) that perform more extraordinary roles. Finally, the human father is singled out for devoting the most time of all to raising his young until they can survive on their own. Factual information on animal development and behavior is provided throughout the text. Higgins Bond's realistic and detailed illustrations accurately depict the animal families in their natural habitats, and warmly bring to life the animal daddies interacting with their babies.

Presents a collection of magazine and newspaper stories, articles, and columns by the notable journalist, who was killed in 2003 while covering the Iraq war.

The author shares his misadventures in parenting two daughters, a journey that pitted his over-the-top personality against such challenges as boyfriends, birth control, and inappropriate teachers.

Animal babies are so adorable that their daddies can't help but cuddle and love them. In this celebration of parental love, each daddy shows how much he loves his baby in his own special way.

If so, you understand the heartbreak, pain, and guilt that creeps into your life, causing you to question your own reality. In the case of author Yvonne Jones, her uncertainty cost her everything. As she sank further into the physical and mental struggle with her abusive partner, Yvonne felt like a stranger in her own body. Her thoughts were no longer her own. She, as much as she tried, couldn't pull herself from the shackles of her husband's terror. She'd escape, only to be met with an overly-apologetic partner who quickly intensified his anger as soon as she was back in his grips. Slowly her husband's anger turned toward her innocent son. Unfortunately it went too far, and one fateful day her husband took her own son's life. In shock, the following events that culminated in her stay in prison were a blur. It wasn't until she had been locked behind bars did she realize the reality of the situation. In the process, her youngest son was taken in by the state. During her time in prison, Yvonne tackled the trauma that she'd been through. She began a prayer group and frequent bible studies to get her through. Join her as she struggles to regain her independence and self-worth while relying on the only thing in life that's forever—her savior.