China is hot. The world sees a glorious future for this sleeping giant, three times larger than the United States, predicting it will blossom into the world's biggest economy by 2010. According to Chang, however, a Chinese-American lawyer and China specialist, the People's Republic is a paper dragon. Peer beneath the veneer of modernization since Mao's death, and the symptoms of decay are everywhere: Deflation grips the economy, state-owned enterprises are failing, banks are hopelessly insolvent, foreign investment continues to decline, and Communist party corruption eats away at the fabric of society.
Beijing's cautious reforms have left the country stuck midway between communism and capitalism, Chang writes. With its impending World Trade Organization membership, for the first time China will be forced to open itself to foreign competition, which will shake the country to its foundations. Economic failure will be followed by government collapse. Covering subjects from party politics to the Falun Gong to the government's insupportable position on Taiwan, Chang presents a thorough and very chilling overview of China's present and not-so-distant future.
‘I went for a walk around the garden. A great tit warbled above a patch of coltsfoot. I felt a thousand discoveries awaited…'
Notes from a Summer Cottage by Nina Burton is a beautifully written nature memoir about the time spent renovating her late mother’s cottage in the Swedish countryside, and all the species that she encountered her during her stay.
Did you know that there are more ants altogether than the number of seconds that have passed since the Big Bang? And that in relation to their size, their anthill cities can be larger than London and New York? Or, that a bird’s migratory instinct is so strong that an injured stork once escaped captivity and was found six weeks later having walked 150 kilometres, following the migratory path of his flock on foot? What begins with a renovation of her late mother’s summer cottage swiftly turns into an exploration of nature, life and philosophy, in which Nina Burton reveals the inner lives and hitherto unknown habits of the animals with which she shares.
Within the walls, the ceiling and the floor of the cottage and its surrounding garden, she encounters a host of animals—ants, honey bees, foxes, squirrels, blackbirds, badgers, pigeons, deer and many more—all of whom have made her house and garden their home, and all of whom cause Nina to reflect on their role within our world.
El Orient-Express fue durante décadas el símbolo de una Europa diversa llena de diversos personajes, olores, colores y sabores, unidos por este tren que, más que un medio de transporte, fue una forma extraordinaria de civilización y entendimiento entre los pueblos. Mauricio Wiesenthal, con su prosa envolvente y fragante, nos transporta a países y estaciones
The fantastic little guide to learning how to use a compass!Today, we primarily use these tiny computers called cellphones that fit in our pockets to help us navigate. It's never been easier to know exactly where you are and find a route to where you want to go. Still, these fancy computers can have their fair share of problems. Batteries run out of charge, GPS lose signal outside of cities, and they can run out of data...
This is where this fantastic yet simple tool comes in handy.
Yup. You guessed it... a compass!
Although we rarely use this awesome little gadget nowadays, it truly changed the world. Best of all, a compass can always be relied on to help you find your way around no matter where you are!
This creative guide has everything to help the little explorer in your life learn how to use a compass.
- Learn the How-To's and become an expert navigator.
- The exciting history of this magical device.
- Compass anatomy explained.
- Filled with helpful tips, tricks, and interesting facts.
- Suitable for young and old explorers ages 10 and up.
Learning how to use a compass is incredibly helpful, even today. It's also tons of fun as you get to experience the outdoors and learn in a creative way. So treat the adventurer in your life (big or small), and grab this fun guide now!
No books. No long lists of vocabulary. No chance of failure.
Welcome to Learn with Paul Noble – a tried and tested language learning method that has been used by over 1 million people to speak fluently and confidently.
With Paul Noble’s simple, relaxed approach you will learn in a way that suits you – without having to memorise long lists of words you won’t use; scribbling notes as you listen; or feeling frustrated. Instead, Paul will introduce you to the basics of Japanese and guide you through over 15 hours of everyday scenarios – from simple situations like asking for directions and eating out to talking about yourself and how to master the different tenses – that are practical, fun, and applicable. Just listen, interact, and learn wherever you are.
Whatever your experience with languages, whether you’re an absolute beginner or someone with basic knowledge who wants to improve their ability, this is the course to get you speaking Japanese quickly and confidently.
A native Japanese expert will help you to perfect your pronunciation as you progress through the course. You will learn a huge range of vocabulary in no time at all, and be able to quickly make your new knowledge work for you in a variety of everyday scenarios. A downloadable booklet is also included to use as a reference and revision tool.
Paul Noble left school unable to speak a language – having found that the traditional learning methods left him feeling ‘confused, incapable and unable to really say anything’. Determined that there must be a better way to learn, Paul spent years devising his own unique method of learning languages which cuts out all the grammar, all the memorisation, and all the stress. He began using his method to teach in his Language Institute and, thousands of students later, he prides himself on never having had a student fail.
This download contains the entire course – Parts 1, 2, and 3. To continue your language learning journey once you’ve completed this course, download Next Steps in Japanese with Paul Noble for Intermediate Learners – Complete Course.
The accompanying booklet is also available here: http://collinsdictionary.com/resources.
No books. No long lists of vocabulary. No chance of failure.
Welcome to Learn with Paul Noble – a tried and tested language learning method that has been used by over 1 million people to speak fluently and confidently.
Take your Japanese to the next level and further your fluency with Paul’s simple, relaxed approach and learn in a way that suits you – without having to memorise long lists of words you won’t use; scribbling notes as you listen; or feeling frustrated.
Instead, Paul will help you to you build on your existing Japanese knowledge and guide you through 12 hours of essential tenses and grammar that you need to independently construct sentences and feel confident speaking Japanese in a variety of scenarios. Just listen, interact, and learn wherever you are. This course also contains a handy downloadable booklet to help you revise and reinforce your learning.
Next Steps is an intermediate course, for non-beginners, which follows on from the Learn Japanese with Paul Noble for Beginners – Complete Course.
Paul Noble left school unable to speak a language – having found that the traditional learning methods left him feeling ‘confused, incapable and unable to really say anything’. Determined that there must be a better way to learn, Paul spent years devising his own unique method of learning languages which cuts out all the grammar, all the memorisation, and all the stress. He began using his method to teach in his Language Institute and, thousands of students later, he prides himself on never having had a student fail.
To continue your language learning journey once you’ve completed this course, download Learn with Paul Noble Complete courses in a variety of languages: Spanish, French, Italian, German and Mandarin Chinese.
The accompanying booklet is also available here: http://collinsdictionary.com/resources#next-steps
Learn to scuba alongside Alycea, a claustrophobic bubble watcher determined to overcome her anxiety and explore the reefs.
After a failed scuba class triggered her panic, Alycea swore never to try diving again. But when her husband fell in love with the sport, she faced a decision: overcome the fear or accept her fate as a bubble watcher.
Alycea clung to her identity as a free-spirited explorer as she struggled to master the mechanics of diving. Her focus on self-reliance blocked her from trusting her dive buddy and this conflict extended beyond diving. Was she harming her marriage with her inability to rely on others?
In lyrical prose, this journey is fraught with panic, humor, and dogged determination. From the coral reefs of Florida to the muck sites of Indonesia, you'll revel in the beautiful scenery and triumph in overcoming fear so you can live the life you choose.
This memoir will have you cheering for small successes and reflecting on what it means to trust your partner.
Why couldn't I occupy the world as those model-looking women did, with their flowing hair, pulling their tiny bright suitcases as if to say, I just arrived from elsewhere, and I already belong here, and this sidewalk belongs to me?
When her marriage suddenly ends, and a diary documenting her beloved Opa's escape from Nazi-occupied Netherlands in the summer of 1942 is discovered, Naomi Lewis decides to retrace his journey to freedom. Travelling alone from Amsterdam to Lyon, she discovers family secrets and her own narrative as a second-generation Jewish Canadian. With vulnerability, humour, and wisdom, Lewis's memoir asks tough questions about her identity as a secular Jew, the accuracy of family stories, and the impact of the Holocaust on subsequent generations.
GuíaBurros Rutas por lugares míticos y sagrados de España descubre los enclaves míticos que no aparecen en las guías de viajes, desde el Pico Sacro, pasando por la cueva de Río Escondido, hasta los mitos esotéricos en la sierra de Aracena.
Esta obra ofrece la perspectiva de la tradición esotérica e iniciática del Camino de Santiago. Las características del esoteros consistían en que era un conocimiento que debía ser expresamente solicitado , que era transmitido solo oralmente y sobre el que se debía guardar secreto. Las claves esotéricas del Camino han estado discretamente ocultas en un mutus liber. Este es el del Juego de la Oca que muestra un mapa de las etapas del Camino con sus hitos y pruebas. Este conocimiento se llamaba buen saber y tenía su propia 'lectura' que se muestra en las etapas olvidadas de la 'Casa del Grial' y las del 'Camino de Resurrección'.
'Der Hotelier sagt, das ist kein Wind. Ich versuche, die Basstölpel zu fotografieren, aber der Wind, der keiner ist, schlägt mir immer wieder die Kamerahand weg. Ich habe meine Kapuze festgezurrt und lehne mich bei jedem Schritt nach vorn, um überhaupt voranzukommen.'
In der erlesenen MARE-Inselreihe folgt in diesem Sommer ein Ausflug mit Isabel Bogdan nach Helgoland, wo der Wind so weht und das Meer überall und so blau ist, Erinnerungen an James Krüss aufkommen und das Schreiben leicht von der Hand geht.
She walks unseen through our world.
Cares for our children, cleans our homes.
Her voice unheard.
She has a story to tell.
Will you listen?
Nisha has crossed oceans to give her child a future. By day she cares for Petra's daughter; at night she mothers her own little girl by the light of a phone. Nisha's lover, Yiannis, is a poacher, hunting the tiny songbirds on their way to Africa each winter. His dreams of a new life, and of marrying Nisha, are shattered when she vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a domestic worker, except Petra and Yiannis. As they set out to search for her, they realise how little they know about Nisha. What they uncover will change them all.
Set in her native Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a powerful, redemptive story of loss, of the triumph of the human spirit, and of the enduring love of a mother for her child.
'I've never read anything quite like Songbirds - a beautifully crafted novel that sits at the intersection of race and class.' Jodi Picoult
