The Post-Communist World in the Twenty-First Century presents studies by senior scholars and practitioners that are highly relevant to contemporary political challenges. The democratic vision that accompanied the collapse of communist regimes in the Soviet Union and East Central Europe has been replaced by a range of authoritarian, semi-authoritarian and democratic regimes, and growing division between Western and Russian influence. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to renewed tensions ...

Reformers had high hopes that the end of communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union would lead to significant improvements in legal institutions and the role of law in public administration. However, the cumulative experience of 25 years of legal change since communism has been mixed, marked by achievements and failures, advances and moves backward. This book—written by a team of socio-legal scholars—probes the nuances of this process and starts the process to explain them. It...

The Judicial System of Russia paints a portrait of the courts of the Russian Federation under Putin, how they work in practice, and what shapes the behaviour of its judges. It stresses the dual nature of a judicial system, where ordinary cases are for the most part handled fairly, but where cases of interest to powerful persons are subject to influence--a common situation in authoritarian states. In so doing, the authors trace the origins of some contemporary practices to the Sovi...

Examine the Old Testament from within the living tradition of the Catholic ChurchThe seventeen New Testament volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS) series have been widely acclaimed. Now the series editors offer readable Old Testament commentaries that integrate the best of contemporary biblical scholarship with the traditional understanding of the Old Testament as prophesying and prefiguring Christ.Wisdom of Solomon, by Mark...

Uncover the secret annals of untold history in these eighteen medieval manuscripts. Each tortured scribe will bring you face to face with ancient horrors lurking in cursed castles, wild woodlands, haunted hamlets, and mysterious monasteries.Including a lineup of authors both established and emerging, HOWL Society Press presents the first-ever anthology of historical horror from the medieval period, fittingly introduced by the writer who arguably started it all: Christopher Buehlman...

“You’re dancing with the Devil, Ethan. Did you not think you’d get burned?”Ethan Chase’s old friend and mentor Mohammed provides Ethan with a clue that sends him on the trail of a priceless treasure that dried the River Jordan and laid low the walls of Jericho: the Ark of the Covenant, along with the lost wealth of King Solomon.Frankie and Mei once again join Ethan on a globe-trotting adventure that takes them from the deserts of the Middle East, t...

Learn the skills to get in on the crypto crazeThe world of cryptocurrency includes some of the coolest technologies and most lucrative investments available today. And you can jump right into the middle of the action with Cryptocurrency All-in-One For Dummies, a collection of simple and straightforward resources that will get you up to speed on cryptocurrency investing and mining, blockchain, Bitcoin, and Ethereum.Stop scouring a million different ...

What happens when the artificial intelligence (AI) technology we rely on becomes the greatest threat to human survival?Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking warned: “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”In 12 Years to AI Singularity, Peter Solomon delivers a gripping, near-future epic that follows the humans, sentient robots, and large language models, LLMs, racing toward the most pivotal ...

This extract from the Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible provides Hayman's introduction to and concise commentary on the Wisdom of Solomon. The Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible presents, in nontechnical language, the best of modern scholarship on each book of the Bible, including the Apocrypha. Reader-friendly commentary complements succinct summaries of each section of the text and will be valuable to scholars, students, and general readers.Rather than attempt a ve...

Uncover the secret annals of untold history in these eighteen medieval manuscripts. Each tortured scribe will bring you face to face with ancient horrors lurking in cursed castles, wild woodlands, haunted hamlets, and mysterious monasteries.Including a lineup of authors both established and emerging, HOWL Society Press presents the first-ever anthology of historical horror from the medieval period, fittingly introduced by the writer who arguably started it all: Christopher Buehlman...

An Ocean of Wonder: The Fantastic in the Pacific brings together fifty writers and artists from across Moananuiākea working in myriad genres across media, ranging from oral narratives and traditional wonder tales to creative writing as well as visual artwork and scholarly essays. Collectively, this anthology features the fantastic as present-day Indigenous Pacific world-building that looks to the past in creating alternative futures, and in so doing reimagines relationships betwee...

What if Stephen Hawking was right—and we have less than a century to avoid extinction?When EMT Liz Arvad is shot while saving a life, her recovery sparks a deeper awakening. Maybe the world isn’t just chaotic, it’s unraveling. Alongside her genius sister, Aster, and politically charged cousin, Milo, Liz makes a vow—do something, anything, to help save humanity. It starts with a promise in a sunlit room, and becomes a mission that could change everything.In ...