Wren Weiss, daughter of Reproduction Enforcers, lives on genetically segregated Genova Island. Her hopes and dreams hinge on one test, the Assessment, administered to girls when they become fertile. Wren is determined to beat the test, but her worldview is shattered when a mysterious boy exposes her darkest secret and convinces her that something sinister lies beneath the polished surface of Genova Island. Before Wren can get the answers she desperately seeks, government officials barge into her home, rip her away from her family, and transport her to a top-secret location called Ovation where egg harvesting is a sport and, to her devastation, she is the newest competitor.As violence mounts in Ovation, Wren learns of a nefarious plot that endangers her family. She must unravel government conspiracies to discover her true identity and leverage the secrets hidden in her DNA to protect those she loves before it's too late.An action-packed dystopian thriller with unpredictable twists, breathtaking confessions, and gut-wrenching betrayals.

The Scarlet Cord: Conversations With God s Chosen Women tells the story of biblical women in a new way, drawing the reader further down her spiritual path and closer to Christ. And here is why: for too long, women in the Bible have been demonized, sanctified or simply misunderstood, leaving highly stereotyped figures in their wake. As a result, passionate, faithful and bright individuals, from Eve to Ruth to Mary Magdalene, have lost meaning for many contemporary Christians and non-Christians alike. Here, through storytelling and artwork, twelve compelling women of the Bible invite readers to step further into the sacred circle of God s people, deepening their faith and joy in all of creation. That circle offers more than peace. It offers health, healing, and the knowledge that other women have also trod broken and jagged paths in their search for wholeness. By taking this step, the reader will discover that challenges experienced by biblical women are not so different from her own, including infertility, warfare, hunger, old age, grief and sexual conflict.

For the last two decades the loss of, in particular, tropical rainforest has alarmed the public in the developed parts of the world. The debate has been characterised by a lack of understand ing of the causes and effects of the process, leading to the prevailing reaction being unquali fied condemnation. Such attitude has even been observed among scientists, claiming suprem acy to biodiversity conservation. Many scientific analyses are available, but the basis for so ber debates and appropriate actions is still highly insufficient. Two recent international initia tives! will hopefully lead to improved knowledge of deforestation and forest degradation as they recognise the need for studies to critically investigate those issues. This book will pro vide useful input to the initiatives. In my opinion, the scientific analyses have not sufficiently promoted the understanding that the fate of tropical forests is first and foremost a concern of the governments of the countries in which the forests are situated. Tropical forests may be important to the global environment and their rich biodiversity may be a human heritage. But their main importance is their poten tial contribution to improving livelihood in the countries in question.