Author: Eric J. Weiner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439109168
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Argues that sovereign wealth funds and rogue nations are threatening the security of America's financial future, explaining how they undermine the economy and the stability of banking institutions.
The Shadow Market
Author: Eric J. Weiner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439109168
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Argues that sovereign wealth funds and rogue nations are threatening the security of America's financial future, explaining how they undermine the economy and the stability of banking institutions.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439109168
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
Argues that sovereign wealth funds and rogue nations are threatening the security of America's financial future, explaining how they undermine the economy and the stability of banking institutions.
Ghosts of the Shadow Market
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1534433635
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 656
Book Description
A #1 New York Times bestseller! From #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Cassandra Clare comes an exciting short story collection that follows Jem Carstairs as he travels through the many Shadow Markets around the world. Ghosts of the Shadow Market is set in the world of the Shadowhunters. The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires. There, the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Shadowhunters to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the very heart of the Shadowhunters’ world. Jem Carstairs is searching through the Shadow Market, in many different cities over long years, for a relic from his past. Follow Jem and see—against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and spectacle—Anna Lightwood’s doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin, and Tessa Gray as she is plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Jem.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1534433635
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 656
Book Description
A #1 New York Times bestseller! From #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Cassandra Clare comes an exciting short story collection that follows Jem Carstairs as he travels through the many Shadow Markets around the world. Ghosts of the Shadow Market is set in the world of the Shadowhunters. The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires. There, the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Shadowhunters to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the very heart of the Shadowhunters’ world. Jem Carstairs is searching through the Shadow Market, in many different cities over long years, for a relic from his past. Follow Jem and see—against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and spectacle—Anna Lightwood’s doomed romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin, and Tessa Gray as she is plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Jem.
Shadow Elite
Author: Janine R. Wedel
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458759261
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 590
Book Description
It can feel like we're swimming in a sea of corruption. It's unclear who exactly is in charge and what role they play. The same influential people seem to reappear time after time in different professional guises, pressing their own agendas in one venue after another. According to award-winning public policy scholar and anthropologist Janine Wedel, these are the powerful ''shadow elite,'' the main players in a vexing new system of power and influence. In this groundbreaking book, Wedel charts how this shadow elite, loyal only to their own, challenge both governments' rules of accountability and business codes of competition to accomplish their own goals. From the Harvard economists who helped privatize post-Soviet Russia and the neoconservatives who have helped privatize American foreign policy (culminating with the debacle that is Iraq) to the many private players who daily make public decisions without public input, these manipulators both grace the front pages and operate behind the scenes. Wherever they maneuver, they flout once-sacrosanct boundaries between state and private. Profoundly original, Shadow Elite gives us the tools we need to recognize these powerful yet elusive players and comprehend the new system. Nothing less than our ability for self-government and our freedom are at stake.
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458759261
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 590
Book Description
It can feel like we're swimming in a sea of corruption. It's unclear who exactly is in charge and what role they play. The same influential people seem to reappear time after time in different professional guises, pressing their own agendas in one venue after another. According to award-winning public policy scholar and anthropologist Janine Wedel, these are the powerful ''shadow elite,'' the main players in a vexing new system of power and influence. In this groundbreaking book, Wedel charts how this shadow elite, loyal only to their own, challenge both governments' rules of accountability and business codes of competition to accomplish their own goals. From the Harvard economists who helped privatize post-Soviet Russia and the neoconservatives who have helped privatize American foreign policy (culminating with the debacle that is Iraq) to the many private players who daily make public decisions without public input, these manipulators both grace the front pages and operate behind the scenes. Wherever they maneuver, they flout once-sacrosanct boundaries between state and private. Profoundly original, Shadow Elite gives us the tools we need to recognize these powerful yet elusive players and comprehend the new system. Nothing less than our ability for self-government and our freedom are at stake.
The Shadow Rising
Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1429960191
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 943
Book Description
The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine! In The Shadow Rising, the fourth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, Rand al’Thor now wields the sword Callandor. He is both the Champion of Light and the Dragon Reborn. Now, he seeks answers to another prophecy that lies with the warrior people known as the Aiel to put him on the path of learning how to wield the One Power. Accompanied by Moiraine Damodred, Rand arrives at the Aiel Waste and is granted permission by the Wise Ones to enter the sacred city of Rhuidean. After passing through a doorframe ter'angreal, Moiraine gains foresight while the Aiel await Rand's return, either with both arms marked by dragon symbols, validating his identity as He Who Comes With the Dawn, the Chief of Chiefs of all the Aiel—or to never emerge at all. Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. The Wheel of Time® New Spring: The Novel #1 The Eye of the World #2 The Great Hunt #3 The Dragon Reborn #4 The Shadow Rising #5 The Fires of Heaven #6 Lord of Chaos #7 A Crown of Swords #8 The Path of Daggers #9 Winter's Heart #10 Crossroads of Twilight #11 Knife of Dreams By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson #12 The Gathering Storm #13 Towers of Midnight #14 A Memory of Light By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons The Wheel of Time Companion By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1429960191
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 943
Book Description
The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine! In The Shadow Rising, the fourth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, Rand al’Thor now wields the sword Callandor. He is both the Champion of Light and the Dragon Reborn. Now, he seeks answers to another prophecy that lies with the warrior people known as the Aiel to put him on the path of learning how to wield the One Power. Accompanied by Moiraine Damodred, Rand arrives at the Aiel Waste and is granted permission by the Wise Ones to enter the sacred city of Rhuidean. After passing through a doorframe ter'angreal, Moiraine gains foresight while the Aiel await Rand's return, either with both arms marked by dragon symbols, validating his identity as He Who Comes With the Dawn, the Chief of Chiefs of all the Aiel—or to never emerge at all. Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. The Wheel of Time® New Spring: The Novel #1 The Eye of the World #2 The Great Hunt #3 The Dragon Reborn #4 The Shadow Rising #5 The Fires of Heaven #6 Lord of Chaos #7 A Crown of Swords #8 The Path of Daggers #9 Winter's Heart #10 Crossroads of Twilight #11 Knife of Dreams By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson #12 The Gathering Storm #13 Towers of Midnight #14 A Memory of Light By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons The Wheel of Time Companion By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Shadow Moon
Author: Chris Claremont
Publisher: Spectra
ISBN: 1984800035
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 547
Book Description
From two of the greatest imaginations of our time comes a magnificent novel of adventure and magic...SHADOW MOON: First in the Chronicles of the Shadow War. The genius of Star Wars(r) creator George Lucas and the vision of Chris Claremont, the author of the phenomenally bestselling The Uncanny X-Men adventures, merge in what must be the fantasy event of the year. In Shadow Moon, war and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right. But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy that could bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep. George Lucas reshaped filmmaking in the '70s and '80s with his Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. When Bantam Books asked Lucas if he had any stories he would like to develop as novels rather than as films, Lucas turned to his 1988 fantasy film, Willow. "When I wrote the story for Willow, I began with the pre-story," Lucas said, "but the full story was yet to be told." Now, Lucas's vision is being fulfilled with the talented help of Chris Claremont. Having previously taken the reins of what was for a decade the bestselling comic in the western hemisphere (The Uncanny X-Men) Claremont assumes the reponsibility of foster parent to Lucas's creation. On sale in hardcover now, and available on BDD Audio Cassette as well, SHADOW MOON is a momentous new adventure for readers looking to spend part of this summer in a fantastic world. SHADOW MOON is one of Bantam Spectra's most exciting publishing events in 1995, the year we celebrate our 10th Anniversary as the premiere publishing imprint of books of speculative fiction.
Publisher: Spectra
ISBN: 1984800035
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 547
Book Description
From two of the greatest imaginations of our time comes a magnificent novel of adventure and magic...SHADOW MOON: First in the Chronicles of the Shadow War. The genius of Star Wars(r) creator George Lucas and the vision of Chris Claremont, the author of the phenomenally bestselling The Uncanny X-Men adventures, merge in what must be the fantasy event of the year. In Shadow Moon, war and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right. But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy that could bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep. George Lucas reshaped filmmaking in the '70s and '80s with his Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. When Bantam Books asked Lucas if he had any stories he would like to develop as novels rather than as films, Lucas turned to his 1988 fantasy film, Willow. "When I wrote the story for Willow, I began with the pre-story," Lucas said, "but the full story was yet to be told." Now, Lucas's vision is being fulfilled with the talented help of Chris Claremont. Having previously taken the reins of what was for a decade the bestselling comic in the western hemisphere (The Uncanny X-Men) Claremont assumes the reponsibility of foster parent to Lucas's creation. On sale in hardcover now, and available on BDD Audio Cassette as well, SHADOW MOON is a momentous new adventure for readers looking to spend part of this summer in a fantastic world. SHADOW MOON is one of Bantam Spectra's most exciting publishing events in 1995, the year we celebrate our 10th Anniversary as the premiere publishing imprint of books of speculative fiction.
The Promise of Rain
Author: Shana Abé
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307833917
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 329
Book Description
They call him the Hound of Hell.... Lord Roland Strathmore has been ordered by the king to find and capture Lady Kyla Warwick, a noblewoman running from rumors of scandal and murder. One of England's fiercest warriors, Strathmore is torn between his loyalty to the king and his pledge to the elusive woman he has never met. For Strathmore was once betrothed to the fiery Lady Kyla--until her family's fall from grace halted plans for their union. When Kyla is seized by Strathmore, she vows to seek vengeance against the man she considers a traitor. But she's surprised when her hatred for her newfound enemy is matched by a powerful attraction--a temptation at odds with her desire to reclaim her freedom. Fueled by his own unspoken passion, Strathmore is willing to risk everything to help his beautiful captive discover the truth about her shocking past--even if only the most desperate act will save her from further ruin...or perhaps even death.
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0307833917
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 329
Book Description
They call him the Hound of Hell.... Lord Roland Strathmore has been ordered by the king to find and capture Lady Kyla Warwick, a noblewoman running from rumors of scandal and murder. One of England's fiercest warriors, Strathmore is torn between his loyalty to the king and his pledge to the elusive woman he has never met. For Strathmore was once betrothed to the fiery Lady Kyla--until her family's fall from grace halted plans for their union. When Kyla is seized by Strathmore, she vows to seek vengeance against the man she considers a traitor. But she's surprised when her hatred for her newfound enemy is matched by a powerful attraction--a temptation at odds with her desire to reclaim her freedom. Fueled by his own unspoken passion, Strathmore is willing to risk everything to help his beautiful captive discover the truth about her shocking past--even if only the most desperate act will save her from further ruin...or perhaps even death.
What Goes Up
Author: Eric J. Weiner
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316030708
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 540
Book Description
The ups and downs, the schemes and scams, the IPOs and hostile takeovers, the egos, the brilliance, the greed and the glory-this is the story of Wall Street, told by the men and women who made it happen. Once upon a time, Wall Street was just a footpath near the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Today it is the center of the financial world, the pivot point on which economies turn, companies rise and fall, and daring men and women go from rags to unbelievable riches, and sometimes back again. Along the way, Wall Street also has transformed itself and society, growing from an exclusive gentlemen's club to the place that millions of people now trust with their financial futures. Never has it been more important to understand how modern Wall Street truly works. And never before has the story of modern Wall Street been told by those who were there, personally, in their own words, uncensored, unfiltered, unbound. Now, in What Goes Up, acclaimed financial journalist Eric J. Weiner gives us the unvarnished, first-person truth in a riveting story based on hundreds of interviews with Wall Street insiders that captures the booms and busts of the past half century in America's financial capital in gripping detail. From Warren Buffett to Michael Milken, Sandy Weill to Henry Kravis, Peter Lynch to Alan Greenspan, from the birth of the mutual fund to the Internet bubble, from trading scandals to global meltdowns, from the rise of tycoons to the fall of giants. What Goes Up is a remarkable weaving together of larger-than-life characters and insider accounts. Eric J. Weiner has spoken to just about everybody-from CEOs to the barber in the basement of the stock exchange. For anyone who wants to understand how Wall Street became what it is, who wants to know how the biggest deals really happened, who wishes they had been a fly on the wall when it all went down, this is the book.
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316030708
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 540
Book Description
The ups and downs, the schemes and scams, the IPOs and hostile takeovers, the egos, the brilliance, the greed and the glory-this is the story of Wall Street, told by the men and women who made it happen. Once upon a time, Wall Street was just a footpath near the southern tip of Manhattan Island. Today it is the center of the financial world, the pivot point on which economies turn, companies rise and fall, and daring men and women go from rags to unbelievable riches, and sometimes back again. Along the way, Wall Street also has transformed itself and society, growing from an exclusive gentlemen's club to the place that millions of people now trust with their financial futures. Never has it been more important to understand how modern Wall Street truly works. And never before has the story of modern Wall Street been told by those who were there, personally, in their own words, uncensored, unfiltered, unbound. Now, in What Goes Up, acclaimed financial journalist Eric J. Weiner gives us the unvarnished, first-person truth in a riveting story based on hundreds of interviews with Wall Street insiders that captures the booms and busts of the past half century in America's financial capital in gripping detail. From Warren Buffett to Michael Milken, Sandy Weill to Henry Kravis, Peter Lynch to Alan Greenspan, from the birth of the mutual fund to the Internet bubble, from trading scandals to global meltdowns, from the rise of tycoons to the fall of giants. What Goes Up is a remarkable weaving together of larger-than-life characters and insider accounts. Eric J. Weiner has spoken to just about everybody-from CEOs to the barber in the basement of the stock exchange. For anyone who wants to understand how Wall Street became what it is, who wants to know how the biggest deals really happened, who wishes they had been a fly on the wall when it all went down, this is the book.
Dead Witch Walking
Author: Kim Harrison
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0061742090
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
The first book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series! All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party . . . and to feed. Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining—and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized. A bounty hunter and a witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead . . . or undead.
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0061742090
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
The first book in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series! All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party . . . and to feed. Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining—and it's Rachel Morgan's job to keep that world civilized. A bounty hunter and a witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she'll bring 'em back alive, dead . . . or undead.
Teachers as Tutors: Shadow Education Market Dynamics in Georgia
Author: Magda Nutsa Kobakhidze
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319959158
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has become a global phenomenon but has different features in different settings. This book explores the ways in which teacher-tutors’ beliefs, social norms, ideals about professionalism, and community values shape their economic decisions in the informal shadow education marketplace. Through theoretical lenses of economic sociology and anthropology, this study uncovers strong social and moral embeddedness of the shadow education market in social relationships, cultural norms and moralities in post-Soviet Georgia. The book questions some of the basic assumptions that the predominant neoliberal discourse promotes worldwide. The book is based on Kobakhidze’s PhD dissertation, which won the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Gail P. Kelly Outstanding Dissertation Award. “[A] theoretically innovative and substantively enlightening account of shadow schooling in Georgia... A landmark achievement.” Roger Dale, University of Bristol “... an important and timely topic ... addressed with exceptional thoroughness. It constitutes a solid piece of academic work and clearly makes a significant contribution to the field of shadow education.”Heidi Biseth, University College of Southeast Norway, Chair of Gail P. Kelly Award Committee in 2017 “...through robust critical analysis, Kobakhidze invites a humanistic re-visioning of economy and society.“ Ora Kwo, The University of Hong Kong
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319959158
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has become a global phenomenon but has different features in different settings. This book explores the ways in which teacher-tutors’ beliefs, social norms, ideals about professionalism, and community values shape their economic decisions in the informal shadow education marketplace. Through theoretical lenses of economic sociology and anthropology, this study uncovers strong social and moral embeddedness of the shadow education market in social relationships, cultural norms and moralities in post-Soviet Georgia. The book questions some of the basic assumptions that the predominant neoliberal discourse promotes worldwide. The book is based on Kobakhidze’s PhD dissertation, which won the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Gail P. Kelly Outstanding Dissertation Award. “[A] theoretically innovative and substantively enlightening account of shadow schooling in Georgia... A landmark achievement.” Roger Dale, University of Bristol “... an important and timely topic ... addressed with exceptional thoroughness. It constitutes a solid piece of academic work and clearly makes a significant contribution to the field of shadow education.”Heidi Biseth, University College of Southeast Norway, Chair of Gail P. Kelly Award Committee in 2017 “...through robust critical analysis, Kobakhidze invites a humanistic re-visioning of economy and society.“ Ora Kwo, The University of Hong Kong
The Lost Book of the White
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1481495127
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 400
Book Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu comes the second book in the Eldest Curses series and a thrilling new adventure for High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, for whom a death-defying mission into the heart of evil is not just a job, it’s also a romantic getaway. The Lost Book of the White is a Shadowhunters novel. Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway. Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter. Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too. Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them. Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the source—the realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1481495127
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 400
Book Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu comes the second book in the Eldest Curses series and a thrilling new adventure for High Warlock Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, for whom a death-defying mission into the heart of evil is not just a job, it’s also a romantic getaway. The Lost Book of the White is a Shadowhunters novel. Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway. Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter. Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too. Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them. Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the source—the realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?