In this highly acclaimed short history, Mark Mazower sheds light on what has been called the tinderbox of Europe, whose troubles have ignited wider wars for hundreds of years. Focusing on events from the emergence of the nation-state onward, The Balkans reveals with piercing clarity the historical roots of current conflicts and gives a landmark reassessment of the region’s history, from the world wars and the Cold War to the collapse of communism, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the continuing search for stability in southeastern Europe.

    . . and today the influence of Irish culture can be felt around the globe. This book helps you find out why, taking you on a rollercoaster journey through the highs and lows of Ireland's past. . . including invasions, battles, executions, religious divide, uprisings, emigration and . . . Riverdance!Mike Cronin is a lecturer at the Centre for Irish Programmes, Boston College, Dublin. He has written 5 books on Irish history.DISCOVER: • When and how Ireland became Celtic• Ireland and Britain's complex relationship• The evolution of Irish culture• How Irish emigration has affected the world• Northern Ireland's rocky road to peace

    Yet beneath the surface glitter of the Regency lay an underlying malaise, a pervasive hollowness and sense of loss, along with an explosive undercurrent of popular unrest and political radicalism.It was indeed a tempestuous, quicksilver era, haunted by war and the human wreckage of war, and by fears of Luddite violence and risings of the overtaxed, underfed poor. A time of financial uncertainty when fortunes were made and lost amid high risk and the ever-present specter of bankruptcy.And it was, memorably, a time studded with larger-than-life personalities: the aged king in his slow decline into delusion; the flamboyant Prince Regent in his extravagant Brighton Pavilion; the Duke of Wellington, hero of Waterloo; the debauched, tragically fissured Lord Byron, hero to the women of fashionable London. These and many others are brought to vibrant life in this wide-ranging, captivating social history--a history as dramatic as the times themselves.

    But with the plethora of information available on the Internet, it can be difficult to know exactly which foods an anti inflammatory diet consists of—and moreover, how to easily incorporate it into your daily life. The Easy Anti Inflammatory Diet is the most complete, easy-to-use resource for fighting inflammation through diet and nutrition. This book presents a unique approach to the anti inflammatory diet that singles out the 15 most effective anti inflammatory foods and presents a collection of simple recipes that incorporate each one. 15 anti inflammatory foods create the basis for the recipes, maximizing the pain-relieving effects of each superfood. 95 easy, effective recipes take 30 minutes or less to cook, use 5 main ingredients or fewer, and include at least 1 top inflammation fighter, while excluding foods that contribute to inflammation. Expert guidance from one of the most trusted voices in restrictive diets, Karen Frazier, author of best-selling wellness cookbooks such as The Easy Acid Reflux Cookbook and The Hashimoto’s Cookbook and Action Plan. With additional features like the easiest-to-use chart of anti inflammatory foods, and additional tips for saving time and money, The Easy Anti Inflammatory Diet is your all-in-one guide towards starting the anti inflammatory diet—and sticking with it.

    By thirty-three, she had overthrown her husband in a bloodless coup and established herself as Empress of the multinational Russian Empire, the largest territorial political unit in modern history. Portrayed both as a political genius who restored to Russia the glory it had known in the days of Peter the Great and as a despotic foreign adventuress who usurped the Russian throne, murdered her rivals, and tyrannized her subjects, she was, by all accounts, an extraordinary woman. Catherine the Great, the first popular biography of the empress based on contemporary scholarship, provides a vivid portrait of Catherine as a mother, a lover, and, above all, an extremely savvy ruler. Concentrating on her long reign (1762-96), John Alexander examines all aspects of Catherine's life and career: the brilliant political strategies by which she won the acceptance of a nationalistic elite; her expansive foreign policy; the domestic reforms with which she revamped the Russian military, political structure, and economy; and, of course, her infamous love life. Beginning with an account of the dramatic palace revolt by which Catherine unseated her husband and a background chapter describing the circumstances of her early childhood and marriage, Alexander then proceeds chronologically through the thirty-four years of her reign. Presenting Catherine in more human terms than previous biographers have, Alexander includes numerous quotations from her reminiscences and notes. We learn, for instance, not only the names and number of her lovers, but her understanding of what many considered a shocking licentiousness. The trouble is, she wrote, that my heart would not willingly remain one hour without love. The result of twenty years' research by one of America's leading narrative historians of modern Russia, this truly impressive work offers a much-needed, balanced reappraisal of one of history's most scandal-ridden figures.

         Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise--slow and steady--won the race, right? So why, when it comes to weight loss and fitness, does everyone want to be the hare, speeding toward the finish line in a desperate attempt to drop pounds in record time? In Lose It Right, fitness consultant and writer James Fell offers the cold, hard truth about what you really need to do to lose weight and get fit.      In his trademark irreverent style, Fell offers a slow, steady and science-based approach to improving health that will motivate and inspire readers. He explains the critical role of exercise in adopting healthy eating behaviours, and provides a step-by-step road map for integrating exercise and making dietary changes. Through the Virtuous Cycle, a leveled eating and exercise program, Fell shows you how to gradually transform your health, the way your body performs, and the way you look.      With its big-picture approach to lifestyle planning, and its insistence that there are no quick fixes or miracle cures, Lose It Right will appeal to readers who suspect the tortoise was right: slow and steady really does win the race.

    In it, we follow them from sixth-century Alexandria to ninth-century Baghdad, from Muslim Cordoba to Catholic Toledo, from Salerno’s medieval medical school to Palermo, capital of Sicily’s vibrant mix of cultures and – finally – to Venice, where that great merchant city’s printing presses would enable Euclid’s geometry, Ptolemy’s system of the stars and Galen’s vast body of writings on medicine to spread even more widely. In tracing these fragile strands of knowledge from century to century, from east to west and north to south, Moller also reveals the web of connections between the Islamic world and Christendom, connections that would both preserve and transform astronomy, mathematics and medicine from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Vividly told and with a dazzling cast of characters, The Map of Knowledge is an evocative, nuanced and vibrant account of our common intellectual heritage.

    

     ·Sixty-four million people have heart disease in some form. ·Fifty million Americans suffer with allergies and 20 million have asthma. ·More than 18 million people have diabetes, with 1.3 million newly diagnosed each year. ·Sixty-five percent of American adults are over-weight or obese and 16 percent of children are overweight. At best, these conditions destroy our quality of life; at worst, they are painful, debilitating, and fatal. What can possibly account for the sharp increase in these diseases over the last few generations? Is there a connection between these afflictions? Is there anything you can do to protect yourself? As this groundbreaking book makes clear, the root cause of diseases as disparate as heart disease, eczema, and asthma is unbridled inflammation. And the major culprit is right in front of us -- on our plates. Every day we make food choices -- some of which are perceived as "healthy" -- that introduce poisonous levels of certain fatty acids to our bodies. These fatty acids (found in myriad foods, from farm-raised salmon and eggs to roasted turkey) help to inflame our immune systems. Backed by twenty years of research, and by an unprecedented six clinical trials, Dr. Chilton presents two anti-inflammatory dietary programs: One is designed to provide a solution for those of us who currently suffer from an inflammatory disease, and the other is designed to prevent the rest of us from getting one. Complete with a new food pyramid and eight weeks of easy-to-follow meal plans developed in collaboration with a world-class medical school, the book also includes charts detailing which types of fish are the best inflammation fighters, which carbs you should enjoy or avoid, and the patented Inflammation Index, which gives you the inflammatory potential of more than 250 foods. If you're already suffering from one of these diseases and follow the Chilton Program, you will see improvement in your health in as few as seven days. If you think you've dodged this bullet altogether, this book will make it very clear that no one is safe, and it will convince you to completely change the way you eat from this moment forward.

    The end result is this very straightforward, simple and easy-to-read book, where Bailor bridges the gap between the academic world and the everyday world to dispel the myths, lies, and corporate sales hype that have fueled the current obesity epidemic. More than any other author in this new century, Bailor has separated scientific fact from weight loss fiction--to deliver a proven, permanent and easy-to-implement fat loss solution. Based on clinically proven research--not trendy opinions--Bailor uses biology and common sense to bring reason to the topic of diet, exercise and weight loss. ------Endorsements------- Proven and practical. Dr. Theodoros Kelesidis Harvard & UCLA Medical Schools The latest and best scientific research. Dr. John J. Ratey Harvard Medical School An important piece of work. Dr. Anthony Accurso Johns Hopkins Smart and health promoting. Dr. JoAnn E. Manson Harvard Medical School The last diet book you will ever need to buy. Dr. Larry Dossey Medical City Dallas Hospital Revolutionary, surprising, and scientifically sound. Dr. Jan Friden University of Gothenburg Compelling, simple, and practical. Dr. Steve Yeaman Newcastle University Stimulating and provocative. Dr. Soren Toubro University of Copenhagen Amazing and important research. Dr. Wayne Westcott Quincy College Brilliant. Will end your confusion once and for all. Dr. William Davis Fellowship of the American College of Cardiology, author of Wheat Belly Bailor's work stands alone. Maik Wiedenbach World Cup and Olympic Athlete Bailor opens the black box of fat loss and makes it simple for you to explore the facts. Joel Harper Dr. Oz Show fitness expert A groundbreaking paradigm shift. It gets results and changes lives. Jade Teta, ND, CSCS

    They planned their future together, secure in the belief that their love could survive anything, even Hitler. Then, in March 1944, the Germans invaded Hungary.Here is the moving and dramatic account of one woman's courage in the face of war, and of a love that spanned three decades. From the agony of separation to the horrors of a concentration camp, from her marriage to Otto Schimmel, an Auschwitz survivor who promised her a new life in America, through the joy and struggle of raising a family, Betty never forgot her first love. Then, in 1975, she returned to Budapest and saw someone across a crowded room...To See You Again is Betty Schimmel's wrenching memoir of survival and sacrifice, of love lost and love found. A true story that unfolds with all the suspense of a novel, it is one that will not soon be forgotten.

    It was a seismic event that radically transformed France and launched shock waves across the world. In this provocative new history, Peter McPhee draws on a lifetime’s study of eighteenth-century France and Europe to create an entirely fresh account of the world’s first great modern revolution—its origins, drama, complexity, and significance. Was the Revolution a major turning point in French—even world—history, or was it instead a protracted period of violent upheaval and warfare that wrecked millions of lives? McPhee evaluates the Revolution within a genuinely global context: Europe, the Atlantic region, and even farther. He acknowledges the key revolutionary events that unfolded in Paris, yet also uncovers the varying experiences of French citizens outside the gates of the city: the provincial men and women whose daily lives were altered—or not—by developments in the capital. Enhanced with evocative stories of those who struggled to cope in unpredictable times, McPhee’s deeply researched book investigates the changing personal, social, and cultural world of the eighteenth century. His startling conclusions redefine and illuminate both the experience and the legacy of France’s transformative age of revolution.

    Jackie Walters hasn’t seen. And now, in her new book, the widely-adored OB-GYN invites you to put your feet in the stirrups and investigate. Whether she’s covering libido, contraceptives, labiaplasty, or fertility, Dr. Jackie educates readers with her characteristic grace and pragmatism. Both funny and informative, she brings you on a quest through the female reproductive system—answering all the burning (and itching, and smelling…) questions you’ve always been afraid to ask.Dr. Jackie knows that every woman is different, and she’s designed a reading experience that’s tailor-made for each individual. After taking a fun quiz to uncover your own vaginal personality (V.P.), you'll embark upon an eye-opening journey of self-discovery. Are you a Mary Jane, a Sanctified Snatch, or a Notorious V.A.G.? What’s the shape of your vaginal flower—rosebud, tulip, or carnation? Dr. Jackie reveals the answer and doles out advice so personal you’ll feel like you’re in the office talking to her.For every time you've been draped in a paper gown and too embarrassed to ask that question, Dr. Jackie has you covered. Her book is a woman's guide to self-awareness that will educate, entertain, and empower others to achieve vaginal liberation. It's a must-read for anyone who owns (or loves) a vagina.

    As the ad campaign for the show says, Ruby doesn′t know how she got to this weight, but she knows its killing her. Having been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and told by doctors that she would die if she continued to carry all that weight, Ruby is changing her life to save it. Her honesty, optimism and genuine commitment to uncover all the underlying causes of her addiction--mental, physical and emotional--are inspiring millions of others in the process. So too is her progress. (She′s now down to 360 pounds!)While Style′s cameras have been following Ruby′s personal journey as she sheds the weight, gets healthier, battles discrimination daily, and struggles to recover lost childhood memories, these excerpts, taken from the journal Ruby carries with her everywhere on the show, include her most intimate reflections, insights and discoveries regarding her life "before" and "during" this incredibly transformative experience. It also includes her fears, hopes and dreams for life after her goal is realized. In addition, the book will feature thoughts from the doctors, dieticians, trainers, therapists, friends and family supporting Ruby′s mission. Everyone following and touched by Ruby′s story will want to read this book.

    Eighteenth century Admiralty Regulations forbade women living on board ship, but many found ways around this. George served on a number of ships, both as a man and unmasked. As Nan narrates her mother’s history she becomes obsessed by the idea that Nelson could have been her father. She meets a young man, Baltic Nelson, who clings to the same belief. Could her mother’s wild stories really be true?