Most Popular Books by Alena

Books, libraries, and newspapers have at last become things of the past. Now handheld Memes allow for constant communication and entertainment. They can even anticipate our needs, dialing the doctor before we know we’re sick, or prompting us with words we can’t recall. Yet a few dedicated wordsmiths are still laboring on the final print edition of the North American Dictionary of the English Language. But one evening, right before it’s released, Anana Johnson finds that the chief editor—her father—has vanished. In alternating points of view, Anana and her bookish colleague Bart follow their only clue, the word ALICE, down the proverbial rabbit hole, into subterranean passages, the stacks of the Mercantile Library, and secret meetings of an anti-Meme underground resistance, racing closer to the truth about Anana’s father’s disappearance, and discovering a frightening connection to the growing “word flu” pandemic.

Day Dreams and Movie Screens is book two in the Faithgirlz series Lena in the Spotlight, written by Alena Pitts, star of The War Room and tween blogger of For Girls Like You, and cowritten with her mother, editor and author Wynter Pitts. In this fiction story that will appeal to young girls who have big dreams, Lena works to keep her feet on the ground as she deals with sisters, school, friends, and fame. Day Dreams and Movie Screens is: perfect for young fans of realistic fiction for readers ages 8-12 suited for summer reading, as a birthday or Christmas gift, or as inspirational reading In Day Dreams and Movie Screens, eleven-year-old Lena Daniels’ summer of Hollywood starlets and movie filming alongside her favorite singer, Mallory Winston, is over. School starts soon, and it seems as though life might just pick up where it left off. But just as she begins to wonder if her summer was all just a dream, her world is turned upside down when she finds out she''s hitting the road on a two-week bus tour to further promote the film. While traveling across the country with Mallory and her band, Lena experiences adventures and challenges she never expected, while learning to step outside of her comfort zone and follow the path God has for her life! If you enjoy Day Dreams and Movie Screens check out the first and third books in the Lena in the Spotlight series: Hello Stars Shining Night

Shining Night is book three in the Faithgirlz series Lena in the Spotlight, written by Alena Pitts, star of The War Room and tween blogger of For Girls Like You, and co-written with her mother, editor and author Wynter Pitts. In this fiction story that will appeal to young girls who have big dreams, Lena’s story continues as she must determine how to best use her fame for the greater good. Shining Night is: perfect for young fans of realistic fiction for readers ages 8-12 suited for summer reading, as a birthday or Christmas gift, or as inspirational reading In Shining Night, Lena’s overnight fame as an actress continues to pull her into the spotlight, while teaching her what it means to shine for God. Now she’s faced with her biggest challenge yet. When Lena’s favorite music artist, Mallory Winston, sends her a gift box filled with photos and memories of their time on tour together, Lena finds out that the hospital they visited is closing and many of the children and friends she met there may not receive the ongoing care they need. How will Lena and her besties help the children at the hospital face their challenges? If you enjoy Shining Night, check out the first two books in the Lena in the Spotlight series: Hello Stars Day Dreams and Movie Screens

Hello Stars is book one in the Faithgirlz series Lena in the Spotlight, written by Alena Pitts, star of The War Room and tween blogger of For Girls Like You, and cowritten with her mother, editor and author Wynter Pitts. This fiction story will appeal to young girls who have big dreams, and is a reflection of Alena’s own life experiences as she reaches for the stars and keeps faith, family, and friends in balance. Hello Stars is: perfect for young fans of realistic fiction for readers ages 8-12 suited for summer reading, as a birthday or Christmas gift, or as inspirational reading In Hello Stars, eleven-year-old Lena Daniels never thought she’d get the chance to star in a movie. Headstrong and determined, she has her life planned out to the minute. But when her best friends Savannah and Emma tell her about an audition, she knows there’s nothing else in the world she’d rather do. And now that she’s gotten her wish, Lena finds that being in the spotlight is harder than it sounds. Lena tackles tough choices, learns the value of perseverance, and keeps her hopes high. And she knows her faith and family will keep her feet on the ground and her eyes on the stars. If you enjoy Hello Stars, check out the other books in the Lena in the Spotlight series: Day Dreams and Movie Screens Shining Night

THE STORY: Rose Spencer has just achieved the ultimate young-intellectual’s dream: becoming a staff writer for a prestigious New York literary/criticism journal. And her editor, the smart and attractively cynical Benjamin, is definitely flirting with her—while also respecting her writing. With the sudden rise of an Occupy-style political movement in a public park right outside the journal’s offices, Rose sees a way to participate in what may be the defining activist movement for her generation, but too quickly she must learn to recognize the difference between sincere action and skillful self-promotion.

This gripping, shocking, and exquisitely crafted survival story reveals the truth of America''s colonial history in a powerful new way—visceral and breathtaking. After the long journey from England, Ellis arrives in America full of hope. James Fort is where a better life will begin for her: where she will work as an indentured servant to Henry Collins and his pregnant wife, gain financial security, and fall deeply in love with bold, glorious Jane Eddowes. But as summer turns to fall, Ellis begins to notice the cracks in this new life—the viciousness of the colonists toward the Indigenous people and the terrifying anger Henry uses to control his wife and Ellis—leaving her to wonder if she has sentenced herself to a prison rather than a new home. Then winter arrives and hunger grips the Fort. Ellis is about to learn that people will do whatever it takes to survive. To the Bone is a riveting story of survival and horror that forcefully overturns the mythos of the American settler. It will stay with you, forever.

Cultivating Your Creative Life: How to Find Balance, Beauty, and Success as an Artist is a multifaceted book where creativity and wonder intermingle to show how to live a creative and balanced life while moving toward your goals.

Her mother’s photographs turned Lacy into an icon of childhood innocence and beauty. Now, on the night of her 22nd birthday, Lacy has to navigate between image and reality, sex and friendship, self-indulgence and responsibility. This wild tragicomedy presents a portrait of a young woman held captive by her own childhood, and a vivid picture of a generation unable to grow up.

By day, as Queen of the Amazons, I dominated the males around me. By night, I was inducted into the underworld of Hollywood, where I became the plaything of prominent men. I learned an age-old lesson, that men want more than to appreciate beauty, they want to possess it. And in those days, The Los Angeles Times called me "the most beautiful woman in the world." I discovered that the mavens of Hollywood are particularly hard wired to exploit young hopefuls. I was grabbed in elevators, below the table in restaurants and in dressing rooms. Beyond these violations, a world renowned director drugged me with Quaaludes and champagne, before he raped my inert body. Ravishing comprises a twenty-year period of my life in Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Acapulco, Los Angeles and both sides of the demilitarized zone in Korea. This narrative addresses the question, which has confounded the male species for centuries, "What Do Women Really Want?" The answer lies within...and within its pages.

Do you ever find yourself wishing for your knight in shining armor to come along and rescue you in love, riding off into the sunset together, towards your happily, ever after? Unfortunately, too many of us have gone from one broken relationship after another, that it seems sometimes our Prince Charming is just a fairy tale. But what if dreams come true after allif we only believe! In A Date with God, author Alena Kelley Harris shares her true testimony of how God pursued her year after year, to prove His love for her. Although she was trying to give her love to people who didnt deserve itnor were they part of the destiny God had chosen for her lifeGod wanted Alena to know that He is her knight in shining armor, her Prince Charming who has come to rescue her, to heal her broken heart and restore their relationship. While it may seem like a fairy tale, God can give us our happily ever after. Just as He did this for Alena, He wants to do it for you too. So, join Alena on her Date with God, and be inspired and captivated by this true love story for Gods people.

Deni walked through the childrens room, dressed in her kindergarten apron, pretending to be a princess. I am a plincess, she announced toward Bebe, her older sister. Why, you dont even have a crown, so you are no princess! I do have a clown! (Poor girl, she had no clue what she was talking about, but she didnt want to give up easily.) And where is your kingdom, if you are a princess? Bebe asked. I do have a kindom! Deni maintained her opposition, although now she could by no means understand what the talk was all about. Okay, so be it, princess. Bebe gave up the fight and left. Deni smiled happily, sat on her bed, swung her feet, and had no idea what truth she had just said. Or had she? Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom the heavens.

The Haines children have been separated from each other since their parents’ deaths five years ago, but now an unexpected opportunity appears for Brittany to join her brother in Wyoming Territory. In accepting the offer, Brittany makes two things clear. One, she will be returning east in one year since she doesn’t believe the west is a good place for her two younger siblings to grow up, and two, she will not marry a westerner. But when things go wrong the minute she steps off the stage, Brittany begins to question her decision to travel west. And when the same westerner keeps coming to her aid, Brittany is forced to admit that maybe not all westerners are bad. Nathan Lindale came to Wyoming Territory in hopes of forgetting his past, but finds that to be impossible, especially when his long time enemy Rueben Pierce appears. As tension mounts, he’s faced with the question of whether he will continue to cling to the pain the past holds or release it for something better. Will they open their eyes to the unexpected, or in clinging to their own ideas, will they let present opportunities slip past them?

What would it feel like to ask, “Are you there Soul?” And you hear, “I am here.” How would it feel to always have that very in-tuned connection to the deepest part of you – Your Soul? With Hello, Soul!, readers join Alena Chapman on her journey of learning how to connect and live connected to her Soul. They learn each step she took in order to do so and how to create their own journey. Hello, Soul! helps readers feel a strong flow and ease in life knowing that they are whole and in sync with their true self on every level. It brings readers peace and the feeling that everything will always turn out well.

An intense, beautiful debut about the power of finding your voice and sharing your story after trauma. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow. Seventeen-year-old Virginia makes bad choices. In fact, she’s That Kind of Girl, according to the whispers. But as long as she has her tight group of best friends by her side, she’s able to ignore the gossipers. Until she finds herself spending time with Rumi, Poppy’s boyfriend. Breaking with tradition, she doesn’t hook up with Rumi. Worse, she falls in love with him. While Virginia and Rumi’s relationship grows in secret, she discovers that his little sister, Lyra, is being groomed for abuse. The soon-to-be-abuser is a respected member of the community, and only Virginia knows who he is and what he does. If she stays quiet, Lyra will become a victim. But coming forward feels equally impossible.

When Jessica loses both parents in a car accident, she seeks to honor their legacy of service in Willowbrook. Her parents loved the town and its people, and despite her desire for solitude, Jessica becomes interested in the lives of those around her. Grief-struck and juggling the garden along with her own business has Jessica stressed. She soon discovers the unpredictable weather reflects her internal turmoil. Fearful of her powers and worried about the town''s reaction, Jessica takes her brother''s advice to attend a grief counseling group and begin meditating. She thinks she can restrain her magic if she can control her emotions. A witch from Willowbrook''s coven contacts her and offers to teach Jessica how to use her magic. But learning does not come easy. Jessica''s power spirals. The more she tries to rein it in, the wilder it becomes. Then Zane, an attractive reporter from the city, arrives to do an investigative story on Willowbrook''s odd weather patterns. Jessica realizes if her secret gets out, everyone she loves could be in danger of a witch hunt. Wanting a change of pace, Zane moves to Willowbrook. Jessica worries he''ll be caught in the devastation of her powers. Can she learn to control her magic before she creates a Natural Disaster? And can she keep Zane from revealing everything?

The book “Imposed Morality” is written from a multidisciplinary perspective and in this sense is totally different from other books dealing with human sexuality and particularly homosexuality.

When traumatic historical events and transformations coincide with one''s entry into young adulthood, the personal and historical significance of life-course transitions interact and intensify. In this volume, Alena Heitlinger examines identity formation among a generation of Czech and Slovak Jews who grew up under communism, coming of age during the de-Stalinization period of 1962-1968. Heitlinger''s main focus is on the differences and similarities within and between generations, and on the changing historical and political circumstances of state socialism/communism that have shaped an individual''s consciousness and identity—as a Jew, assimilated Czech, Slovak, Czechoslovak and, where relevant, as an emigre or an immigrant. The book addresses a larger set of questions about the formation of Jewish identity in the midst of political upheavals, secularization, assimilation, and modernity: Who is a Jew? How is Jewish identity defined? How does Jewish identity change based on different historical contexts? How is Jewish identity transmitted from one generation to the next? What do the Czech and Slovak cases tell us about similar experiences in other former communist countries, or in established liberal democracies? Heitlinger explores the official and unofficial transmission of Holocaust remembering (and non-remembering), the role of Jewish youth groups, attitudes toward Israel and Zionism, and the impact of the collapse of communism. This volume is rich in both statistical and archival data and in its analysis of historical, institutional, and social factors. Heitlinger''s wide-ranging approach shows how history, generational, and individual biography intertwine in the formation of ethnic identity and its ambiguities.

Your one-stop guide to designing, building, managing, and operating Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications Key FeaturesBuild IIoT applications and deploy them on Platform as a Service (PaaS)Learn data analytics techniques in IIoT using Spark and TensorFlowUnderstand and combine Predix services to accelerate your developmentBook Description The Industrial Internet refers to the integration of complex physical machines with networked sensors and software. The current growth in the number of sensors deployed in heavy machinery and industrial equipment will lead to an exponential increase in data being captured that needs to be analyzed for predictive analytics. This also opens up a new avenue for developers who want to build exciting industrial applications. Industrial Internet Application Development serves as a one-stop guide for software professionals wanting to design, build, manage, and operate IIoT applications. You will develop your first IIoT application and understand its deployment and security considerations, followed by running through the deployment of IIoT applications on the Predix platform. Once you have got to grips with what IIoT is, you will move on to exploring Edge Development along with the analytics portions of the IIoT stack. All this will help you identify key elements of the development framework, and understand their importance when considering the overall architecture and design considerations for IIoT applications. By the end of this book, you will have grasped how to deploy IIoT applications on the Predix platform, as well as incorporate best practices for making fault-tolerant and reliable IIoT systems. What you will learnConnect prototype devices to CloudStore data in IIoT applications Explore data management techniques and implementationStudy IIoT applications analytics using Spark ML and TensorFlow Deploy analytics and visualize the outcomes as AlertsUnderstand continuous deployment using Docker and Cloud FoundryMake your applications fault-tolerant and monitor them with New RelicUnderstand IIoT platform architecture and implement IIoT applications on the platformWho this book is for This book is intended for software developers, architects, product managers, and executives keen to gain insights into Industrial Internet development. A basic knowledge of any popular programming language such as Python will be helpful.

Knížka pro malé čtenáře a čtenářky zaměřená na výuku a procvičení anglického jazyka. Začtěte se spolu se svou ratolestí do jedenácti milých příběhů o zvířátkách kolem nás, doplněných kouzelnými ilustracemi Venduly Hegerové. Vybraná podstatná jména jsou znázorněna obrázkem, které má dítko správně pojmenovat, a text tak doplnit. Výborná a především zábavná pomůcka pro obohacení anglické slovní zásoby dítěte.

Hand-drawn by artist Alena Lazareva. Coloring book featuring the illustrations of artist Alena Lazareva. Ladies in beautiful dresses and masquerade masks, Vintage Beauty, Nostalgic Retro, decoration and Victorian architural style. Includes 22 hand-drawn amazing illustrations. BONUS 5 pictures from Alena Lazareva''s other coloring books. Page size is 8.5x11inches. Pages printed on one side only. Paper non-perforated I recommend using colored pencils, soft pastel. It is not suitable for use with wet media such as watercolor. Use sheet of card under the page you are colouring. Happy coloring!

Los Angeles, California, where the weather is always nice, and the future looks bright…at least on the surface. Welcome to Silver Lake on a warm November night, where a new generation of thirtysomethings navigate filmmaking and family planning, trying to put down roots before everything melts away.

“Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful and dramatic—this is a story of true courage." —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author She would stop at nothing to protect the women under her care. Inside a century-old row house in Brooklyn, renegade Sister Evelyn and her fellow nuns preside over a safe haven for the abused and abandoned. Gruff and indomitable on the surface, warm and wry underneath, little daunts Evelyn, until she receives word that Mercy House will be investigated by Bishop Hawkins, a man with whom she shares a dark history. In order to protect everything they’ve built, the nuns must conceal many of their methods, which are forbidden by the Catholic Church. Evelyn will go to great lengths to defend all that she loves. She confronts a gang member, defies the church, challenges her own beliefs, and faces her past. She is bolstered by the other nuns and the vibrant, diverse residents of the shelter—Lucia, Mei-Li, Desiree, Esther, and Katrina—whose differences are outweighed by what unites them: they’ve all been broken by men but are determined to rebuild. Amidst her fight, Evelyn discovers the extraordinary power of mercy and the grace it grants, not just to those who receive it, but to those strong enough to bestow it.

Celebrity, fame, wealth, the big timefor many people, these are some of the images conjured by thoughts of a career as a professional performing artist. But for the hundreds of thousands of active professional performing artists in the United States, the big time matters far less than all the time. In other words, your health needs as a performerusing your body, voice, and emotions in your workfar outweigh mainstream recommendations for optimal health. In A Wellness Handbook for the Performing Artist: The Performers Essential Guide to Staying Healthy in Body, Mind, and Spirit, Alena Gerst examines issues that go beyond the importance of training or navigating the business of performing. It is the first book to prioritize the performers well-being, your ultimate key to a long and satisfying career.

“A soft whisper on the lips”. Prose about love, about a woman,about feelings, autobiographical stories, fantasy-monologue.“Good deeds are so good, and pleasant moments are always beautiful. You shouldn’t think of life as a shortcut. Consciousness is alive as long as the soul is alive”. “Peace of mind is a core value that will not appear without a noble life, no matter what end of the universe you live in. All that matters is the state of your soul. Sincerely, Jakelli Alena

Newly available in paperback, this landmark volume is the definitive study of the work of visionary American artist Nancy Holt (1938–2014). Since the late 1960s, Holt’s wide-ranging production has included Land art—particularly the monumental Sun Tunnels (1973–76)—as well as significant projects in sculpture, installation, photography, film, and video. A comprehensive representation of Holt’s working process in both word and image, Alena J. Williams’s momentous publication illuminates the artist’s interest in physical space and reveals how the geographic variety and boundlessness of the American landscape afforded her numerous opportunities to develop large-scale projects beyond the confines of New York City’s gallery walls. Contributions by a distinguished group of writers—including Pamela M. Lee, Lucy R. Lippard, Ines Schaber, and Matthew Coolidge—chart Holt’s fascinating trajectory from her initial experiments with sound, light, and industrial materials to major site interventions and environmental sculpture. James Meyer’s valuable interview with Holt and Julia Alderson’s illustrated chronology expand our knowledge of this groundbreaking artist and the crucial contexts in which she worked. More than twenty original writings by the artist and a rare selection of her concrete poetry, documentary photographs, and preparatory drawings reveal Holt’s revolutionary concepts of space, time, optics, and scale.

Třetí román úspěšné české autorky. Existuje-li něco, co prověřuje opravdovost lidského života, pak je to utrpení. A existuje-li něco, co život znehodnocuje, pak je to utrpení, které člověk působí jiným. Jenže co když je přesto nevinen? Co když je to všechno jen shoda okolností a člověk je pouze bezmocným nástrojem osudu? Je zima roku 1954 a devítiletá Mira se přes zákaz rodičů vypraví k řece jezdit na ledových krách. Spadne do vody, čímž se její neposlušnost prozradí, a je za to potrestána tím, že na rodinné oslavě nedostane zákusek. Nevinná příhoda z dětství však pro Miru znamená zásadní životní zvrat. Následuje tragédie, která ji na dlouhá léta připoutá k nemluvné a depresivní tetě Haně a odhalí pohnutou rodinnou historii, jež nadále popluje s proudem jejího života jako ledová kra. Příběh, který vychází ze skutečných událostí, popisuje Alena Mornštajnová ve strhujícím tempu a se smyslem pro dramatičnost, až má čtenář pocit, že sleduje napínavý film. Zůstává jen otázka, zda se kra osudu nakonec přece jen rozpustí…

A beautiful GRAYSCALE coloring book featuring the illustrations of Alena Lazareva . This book includes 25 unique different hand drawn funny illustrations: cats, hares, elephant, giraffe, tiger, snail, cheerful pig, elephant, hamster, chicken, owl, caterpillar, fish. Please seethe back cover of the book for all images included. * 25 grayscale illustrations * Page size is 8.5x11inches. * Pages printed on one side only. * Paper non-perforated I recommend using colored pencils. Use markers just for small touch ups as well as gel pens (use sheet of card under the page you are colouring). Happy coloring!

Radikalizace a extremistické projevy představují pro vězeňské prostředí, především pak ve vazbě na jeho specifičnost, významnou bezpečnostní hrozbu. Dynamická povaha radikalizačního procesu ve spojení s vzájemným působením procesů ve vnější společnosti na vězeňské prostředí a naopak způsobuje, že radikalizační proces nabývá (nejen) ve vězeňském prostředí nových podob. V tomto kontextu je významné monitorování těchto projevů, ať už s ohledem na realizované aktivity, průnik nedovolených látek a předmětů, nebo symboliku. Publikace Extremismus za mřížemi je studií mapující nejen povahu a proměny extremismu a radikalizace obecně, ale vztahující tuto problematiku také k českému vězeňskému prostředí, četně v komparaci se zahraniční praxí. Významnou částí publikace jsou fotografie z archivu autorů, kteří kladou důraz nejen na projevy extremismu samotné, ale i na vizuální a ikonickou manifestaci extremismu, ať už ve formě vězeňské tetuáže, tak ve formě materiálů na podporu odsouzených. Publikace je rovněž doplněna o případové studie a bohatý fotografický materiál dokladující význam radikalizace a extremismu nejen v rovině praktické, ale také symbolické, kdy ať už nabývá jakékoliv podoby, je potenciálním nástrojem rekrutace v prostředí za vysokými zdmi a vězeňskými mřížemi, které je pro svoji povahu pro tento proces doslova živnou půdou.

The word blat refers to the system of informal contacts and personal networks which was used to obtain goods and services under the rationing which characterised Soviet Russia. Alena Ledeneva''s book is the first to analyse blat in all its historical, socio-economic and cultural aspects, and to explore its implications for post-Soviet society. In a socialist distribution system which resulted in constant shortages, blat developed into an ''economy of favours'' which shadowed an overcontrolling centre and represented the reaction of ordinary people to the social constraints they faced. In social and economic terms, blat exchanges became vital to the population, and to the functioning of the Soviet system. The book shows that the nature of the economic and political changes in contemporary Russia cannot be properly understood without attention to the powerful legacy of the blat economy.

“Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn''t have done justice to its subjects – fictional and real – any other way.” —Popsugar One of Good Morning America''s Best Books of April! From the acclaimed author of Mercy House comes a gripping new novel about a young woman’s dreams of Olympic gymnastic gold—and what it takes to reach the top For Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs. For her mother, Charlene, hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to the authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about his treatments, thus preserving favor. Their friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t she? Sera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring her family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of gymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the cost. The Happiest Girl in the World explores the dark history behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It''s about the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the sacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s about the price of greatness.

Changes in the demographic structure of the modern workforce and strategies for increasingly globalized business are resulting in a multitude of questions about cultural diversity and its management within organizations. "Cultural Diversity Management in Organizations" focuses on the status quo of empirical and theoretical research within the demesne of cultural diversity management, providing a topical insight into research in that field, describing the consequences of Diversity for organizations and the psychological variables targeted in cultural diversity management initiatives, and highlighting the possibility of influencing individual-level psychological variables to produce beneficial organizational outcomes.

During the Soviet era, blat—the use of personal networks for obtaining goods and services in short supply and for circumventing formal procedures—was necessary to compensate for the inefficiencies of socialism. The collapse of the Soviet Union produced a new generation of informal practices. In How Russia Really Works, Alena V. Ledeneva explores practices in politics, business, media, and the legal sphere in Russia in the 1990s—from the hiring of firms to create negative publicity about one''s competitors, to inventing novel schemes of tax evasion and engaging in "alternative" techniques of contract and law enforcement. Ledeneva discovers ingenuity, wit, and vigor in these activities and argues that they simultaneously support and subvert formal institutions. They enable corporations, the media, politicians, and businessmen to operate in the post-Soviet labyrinth of legal and practical constraints but consistently undermine the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. The "know-how" Ledeneva describes in this book continues to operate today and is crucial to understanding contemporary Russia.

The Healing Guide to Flower Essences shows you how to connect with the magic and frequency of 100 flower essences. The power of Nature to heal has been accepted for many millennia. Flowers inspire us with their beauty, beguile us with their fragrance, and can have medicinal properties in their oils and plant matter. However, the healing properties of flowers go even deeper. Each flower holds a unique energetic fingerprint or essence that can be used for healing, wellness, and self-discovery. Organized by categories such as transformation, inspiration, boundaries, and self-esteem, you will be able to easily find the right remedy for your wellness and self-discovery. For example, you can use Larch for overcoming doubt and insecurity, Gentian for perseverance and optimism after a setback or Cherry Plum for surrender and trust in one''s soul path.You''ll also learn about the history of flower essences and the original 38 Bach flower remedies. Learn how to connect more deeply with the properties and messages of the flowers by making your own flower essence remedies. Written by noted artist, Alena Hennessy, The Healing Guide to Flower Essences is also lovingly illustrated with original botanical art and illustration.

In times of global economic and political crises, the notion of solidarity is gaining new currency. This book argues that a solidarity-based perspective can help us to find new ways to address pressing problems. Exemplified by three case studies from the field of biomedicine: databases for health and disease research, personalised healthcare, and organ donation, it explores how solidarity can make a difference in how we frame problems, and in the policy solutions that we can offer.