The myth of Shangri-la originates in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs in beyul, or hidden lands, sacred sanctuaries that reveal themselves to devout pilgrims and in times of crisis. The more remote and inaccessible the beyul, the vaster its reputed qualities. Ancient Tibetan prophecies declare that the greatest of all hidden lands lies at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo Gorge, deep in the Himalayas and veiled by a colossal waterfall. Nineteenth-century accounts of this fabled...

The legend of Shangri-La emerged from the Tibetan Buddhist belief in beyul, or hidden lands. Tibetan prophecies proclaim that the greatest of these mythical sanctuaries lies at the eastern edge of the Himalayas, veiled by a colossal waterfall at the heart of the forbidding Tsangpo gorge. After years of research and investigation, Buddhist scholar and world-class climber Ian Baker and his team made worldwide news by reaching the bottom of the Tsangpo gorge and finding a magnificent 108-foot...

What is the Kama Sutra? Is it a spiritual text written by a visionary man of wisdom in India almost two millennia ago? Or is it the world's first mucky book? Well, it's the former - it's a spiritual text written by a visionary man of wisdom in India almost two millennia ago. Though shocking for its time, the Kama Sutra has gone on to become the world's most respected guide book on all matters sexual, and is now on top of the wardrobes or under the beds of over sixty percent of the world's ...

This book introduces materials and how advances in materials result in advances in technology and our daily lives. Each chapter covers a particular material, how the material was discovered or invented, when it was first used, how this material has impacted the world, what makes the material important, how it is used today, and future applications. The list of materials covered in this book includes stone, wood, natural fibers, metals, clay, lead, iron, steel, silicon, glass, rubber, compo...

Dive into this hilarious, fully illustrated guide packed with tongue-in-cheek tips to prepare you for an exciting new life chapter - retirement!Attention all retirees! This book is the essential guide to navigating life beyond the nine-to-five. Your freedom begins here and you're going to need all the advice you can get on how to while away the hours, make cool new friends, and avoid total boredom!Retirement is an exciting time, but you probably have a lot ...

It might have been fun and games once to have adventures, make catapults or learn about fossils, but what about now you are starting to feel a bit fossilised yourself? You just know you are going to suffer a ghastly accident if you attempt to make a tree house.The Deranged Book for Old-timers offers advice on life’s more sedate pleasures, from the afternoon snooze to how to twitch curtains properly. With a guide to being a grumpy codger and a Zimmer frame Kama Sutra, this book is fu...

Dive into this hilarious, fully illustrated guide packed with tongue-in-cheek tips to prepare you for the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime - being a grandparent!Attention all grandparents! This book is the essential guide to navigating the treacherous waters of spoiling grandchildren, mastering the art of babysitting, perfecting your cake-baking skills, and much more.Being a grandparent can come with all sorts of challenges. Perhaps you're wondering how to ...

A fascinating description of how utilizing the biochar embedded in terra preta, the recently rediscovered sacred soil of the pre-Columbian peoples of the Amazon rainforest, can cut our dependency on petrochemicals, restore the health of our soils, remove carbon from our overheating atmosphere, and restore the planet to pre-industrial levels of atmospheric carbon by 2050. The authors show that the rediscovery of terra preta is an opportunity to move beyond the West’s tradition of p...

From the former editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, a must-read account of how America suffers from a “trust deficit” that has weakened its cornerstone institutions and divided our society.AMERICAN BREAKDOWN dissects how, in the space of a generation, the pillars that sustained the once-dominant superpower have been dangerously eroded. From government to business, from media to medicine—the strength and security of the American experiment have been...

Generation after generation has come up with new forms of punishment to inflict on those guilty (and sometimes innocent) of crimes against property and person. From the stocks and pillory, to flogging, ducking and transportation to foreign lands, this volume brings to life those turbulent times of long ago. Even after suffering the ultimate in punishments — death — the bodies of the convicted could still be punished. Stories of dissection, when the body of the deceased cri...

Children in public care complain that they have too many placements. Professionals agree but little is known about the reasons for this instability or how it affects different groups of children. The Pursuit of Permanence explores this core issue for children's services.Based on the largest study of the English care system in recent years, the book examines the children (what they need and what they want), their movements into, out of and within the care system, the nature and qual...

A full-cast environmental mystery set against the evocative backdrop of the Norfolk fensMist rising over the fens. The haunting cry of the nesting bittern. But not everything is as pristine as it appears to be. The protection of nature and the pursuit of progress collide in this thrilling, full-cast, environmental drama.When Laura McLaren lands a much-needed job with the Environment Agency in Norfolk, her principal concern is the distance it involves from h...