Great State

China is one of the oldest states in the world. It achieved its approximate current borders with the Ascendancy of the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, and despite the passing of one Imperial dynasty to the next, it has maintained them for the eight centuries since. Even the European colonial powers at the height of their power could not move past coastal enclaves. Thus, China remained China through the Ming, the Qing, the Republic, the Occupation, and Communism. But, despite the desires of some of the most powerful people in the Great State through the ages, China has never been alone in the world. It has had to contend with invaders from the steppe and the challenges posed by foreign traders and imperialists. Indeed, its rulers for the majority of the last eight centuries have not been Chinese. Timothy Brook examines China's relationship with the world from the Yuan through to the present by following the stories of ordinary and extraordinary people navigating the spaces where China met and meets the world. Bureaucrats, horse traders, spiritual leaders, explorers, pirates, emperors, invaders, migrant workers, traitors, and visionaries: this is a history of China as no one has told it before.

Julie Atwood is struggling with the day-to-day challenges of being a single mom. She works for a non-profit by day and clips coupons by night. The time in between is spent doing homework with her son. She wants a stable and secure life for him, but she needs a new start for herself. That won’t come easy, though. Julie is recently divorced, financially stressed, and still reeling from a violent attack in her past. She is determined to make it on her own, however. She learns self-defense skills and enrolls in a women’s-only firearms class. That’s where she meets a like-minded woman who helps take her skills to the next level. Julie’s personal evolution continues as she uses her couponing know-how to stockpile essential food and survival supplies. She will become self-reliant—and never be a victim again. The urgency of her efforts takes on new importance as society begins unraveling around her. America is divided. Conservatives and liberals are at war. Then the newly elected president cuts funding to so-called Sanctuary States, including her home state of Oregon. Julie loses her job. Everyone who lives off the government gets desperate. Riots. Crime. Fire. Julie needs to flee to the safety of her family cabin in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Can she get there, though? There is an exodus of people, and the conservative states—now called Great States—have established border checkpoints. Refugees are being turned away. Will she be one of them? Will Steve, her ex-husband, let her take their son far away? Will he demand to go with them? There is a wildfire at hand. Civilization is crumbling. And Julie is running out of time. The Divide is the first book in the A Great State trilogy.

“A major contribution to our understanding of the rise of the Tangut as a cultural and political unity.” —Studies of Central and East Asian Religions“ Ruth Dunnell's long-awaited book on Buddhism and Tangut state formation expands on themes raised in her earlier work on Tangut history, in particular, the place of Buddhism in the early Xia state officially founded by Li (Weiming) Yuanhao in 1038 and the role of the empress dowager regents in preserving that state against external and internal enemies.” —China Review International

In The Late Great State of Israel, Aaron Klein, author of the critically acclaimed Schmoozing with Terrorists, draws upon years of experience living and working as a journalist based in Israel. His book is an urgent, clarion call to supporters of Israel around the world: The great Mideast democracy faces catastrophe. Klein shows how Israel is often its own worst enemy, and how Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and a variety of Palestinian terrorists threaten to end the Zionist dream once and for all. He also exposes the important role that America and the news media have played in putting the Jewish nation in such a dangerous position.Israel is in the fight of its life, facing perils from inside and outside its borders. Unless these perils are countered soon, warns Klein, the only remnant of the Jewish nation may be an epitaph: The Late Great State of Israel.

A New York Times bestseller—a brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry. We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state's acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ. Join him as he goes in hunt of the legendary Skunk Ape; hobnobs with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs; and visits Cassadaga, the psychic capital of the world, to have his dog's aura read (apparently, she's "very spiritual"). Hitch a ride for the non-stop thrills of alligator-wrestling ("the gators display the same fighting spirit as a Barcalounger"), the hair-raising spectacle of a clothing-optional bar in Key West, and the manly manliness of the Machine Gun Experience in Miami. It's the most hilarious book yet from “the funniest damn writer in the whole country” (Carl Hiaasen, and he should know). By the end, you'll have to admit that whatever else you might think about Florida—you can never say it's boring.

This pandemic is not a once in 100 year event but closer to a once in 30 year event. The hysteria is grossly overdone. There were WHO guidelines in 2019 about flu-type pandemics and none involved lockdowns. Australian governments including Victoria's had clear plans for all kinds of pandemics. None involved 5-km lockdowns, 23-hour curfews and mandatory masks even in the open air. These lockdowns are causing huge collateral damage while the governments remain in denial. The governments must lift the lockdowns and focus on the at-risk population. We also need constitutional and legal reforms to ensure that this doesn't occur again.

Provides a radically new interpretation of the political makeup of the Qing Empire, grounded on extensive examination of the Mongolian and Manchu sources.