China's Cultural Revolution brought a halt to the everyday life of ordinary citizens, and the monotonous routine of daily life was disturbed by political accusations made by 'Red Guards'. The writer gives vivid descriptions of incidents: the burning of antiques, destroying artists' work, desecrating religious places of worship and attacking the religious beliefs of the people. Forty seven years have now elapsed, and the present generation of Chinese may be able to understand some of the political developments that opened up the country, liberalising the economy, and the beginning of some form of individual freedom. Although living in the diplomatic enclave, the writer seized the opportunity to gather information from a cross section of Chinese, and from translations of the local newspaper Shinhwa. She is sympathetic to Chairman Mao's idealism but with the advent of indisciplined and immature groups of Red Guards negating the democratic communist dream, the heroine in the novel naively believes different things could be achieved. The story is fact and fiction, as firsthand incidents that took place bring out the authenticity of this historical period in China. The characters are fictitious and if there is any resemblance to actual people it is entirely coincidental. This is the work of an author moving in an environment of diplomats and politicians during a very volatile period. Gill Graham Maw July 2013

This book describes the enduring competitive advantages of profitable Berkshire Hathaway businesses. MOATS: The Competitive Advantages of Buffett and Munger Businesses explains the competitive nature of 70 selected businesses purchased by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger for Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. This is a very useful resource for investors, managers, students of business around the world. It also looks at the sustainability of these competitive advantages in each of the 70 chapters. The moat is the protective barrier around each business' economic castle. Some of these businesses have double and triple moats of protection.

The Bridge from OneDayBow is a fictional and poetic portrayal of the Gospel. It is clever and entertaining, and yet illustrates some of the deception, moral corruption, and decay that is now and has affected societies since the garden. It exposes the battle we face and reveals the means provided to stand in His mighty strength, while we wait for our coming salvation. If the Lord tarries, I would not be surprised if it became one of the great Christian classics in the genre of Pilgrims Progress. Young and old will enjoy this book, and perhaps some will cross the bridge to the King and be saved. Pastor Nick Triveri Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel Placerville Truth doesnt matter to most people in HereAndNowat least not much. And the idea of an absolute Truth, with real Authority behind it, is well, best not to even mention. But, if there really is a King, and a Bridge built by His Son that leads to OneDayBow, that could change everything for Tim! In HereAndNow everyone is encouraged to collect bobbles, for their own good and the benefit of all societyor so the tempters say. But, whats a bobble worth, really? And why are they important to the tower and the future of humanity? Tim spent his young life pursuing bobbles in hopes of winning the Great Bobble Game. Though no one knows how many it takes to win, or what the prize actually is, you sure dont want to reach the citys end without having the most! The tempters will be the first to tell you that but, tempters cant be trusted... And all this makes Tim wonder why the tempters are so interested in his nooma, and willing to pay so much for it. Tim needs to know the Truth. Is the answer on the other side of the Bridge? One thing Tim is certain of: There must be more to life than bobbles.

A compilation of columns that appeared between 1988 and 1995 in Martial Arts Training magazine. In this ever-changing world, traditions are often being cast aside as people search for novelty and progress. The 41 essays in this book are inspired by the teachings and wisdom of the ancients who devoted their lives to instruct others. Their ideas are preserved in this volume to inspire and guide readers in training and in life for years to come.

In volume 2 of Birding and Mysticism: Enlightenment Through Bird Watching, there is no traditional table of contents; rather, there are the five main parts and their sections and subsections, which contain the substantive ideas and memes of volume 2, followed by six appendices. The main thrust of volume 2 concerns the many aspects, faces, and forms of mysticism: religious, spiritual, rational, scientific, personal, and practical.

Trevanian's Shibumi was a landmark bestseller, one of the classic international bestselling thrillers of the twentieth century. Now, chosen by Trevanian's heirs, the hugely admired writer Don Winslow returns with an irresistible "prequel": Satori. It is the fall of 1951 and the Korean War is raging. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholai Hel has spent the last three years in solitary confinement at the hands of the Americans. Hel is a master of hodo korosu or "naked kill," and fluent in over six languages. Genius and mystic, he has honed extraordinary "proximity sense" — an extra-awareness of the presence of danger — and has the skills to be the world's most formidable assassin. The Americans need him. They offer Hel freedom in exchange for one small service: go to Beijing and kill the Soviet Union's Commissioner to China. It's almost certainly a suicide mission, but Hel accepts. Now he must survive violence, suspicion and betrayal while trying to achieve the ultimate goal of satori — the possibility of true understanding and harmony with the world.