"Prince Lu suggests you make yourself heir to the King at this moment. Slay the Crown Prince here, with your arrow, and no one will know it was other than a hunting accident." Far from the first deadly Palace intrigue to shape the dawn of Imperial Chinese history more than 2,000 years ago, The Thrones of China's tale follows China's first Emperor, his conquests, and the lovers, spies and assassins that people his court - including Yuang, the enslaved country boy who rose to commander only to face betrayal by his most loyal ally. Witness the misery of the peasants who labored on the gigantic Wall of China, visit the opulent courts of the Emperor and see how he fell into fatal madness, destroying all around him. Step by intermediate step follow today's Simon, the poor black wanderer who has come to start a new life in China, only to learn how little its ancient betrayals and cruelties have changed- and finally to fall in love, with a female Party commissar who is the secret leader of a deadly rebellion, and follow her startling fate. The Thrones of China lays out the searing story of China's beginning and its present, the opulence, miseries and passions of its cultures, and why it all remains so opaque to outsiders to this day.

The consensus from a number of recent reports is that the majority of law firms will again see flat revenue growth in 2017. With external spending down, new legal service providers entering the market, and clients demanding more effective and efficient services, probably the only thing we can predict with any certainty is that competition will only get tougher. So, how do firms break out of the pack and put themselves in a position to enjoy sustained success? How to Become the Firm of Choice provides the answer: firms have to make an explicit decision to become "the firm of choice" in their chosen markets. And, in doing so, they must move their operations to the next level. This means: *Analysing and improving every aspect of the firm's operations *Ensuring all of the firm's internal operations and processes are aligned with what the firm needs to do to be successful in its markets *Maintaining an absolute commitment to being the best and a refusal to accept the status quo; and, crucially *Being one-step better than the competition Taking a fictional law firm as an example, the book examines in detail five main drivers of professional service firm performance: *Markets *Clients *People *Financial and *Underpinning beliefs Through models, matrices, and examples based on the authors' extensive experience advising leaders of professional service firms around the world, How to Become the Firm of Choice shows just how this can be achieved in today's competitive market. It explains the questions firms need to ask, and the challenges they need to overcome, in each area in order to improve each aspect - and take the firm to the next level. "It is very difficult to know how to bring about performance change in a professional service firm when either the professionals often think they know best or they don't like change. This very useful guide demonstrates not only how to do it, but also how to persuade others it's a good idea. It is easy to read with useful appendices, which you can use to apply to your own situation. So, if you want to bring about performance change, you should definitely give it a go." Nick Page, Chairman, Bond Dickinson LLP, UK

"Prince Lu suggests you make yourself heir to the King at this moment. Slay the Crown Prince here, with your arrow, and no one will know it was other than a hunting accident." Far from the first deadly Palace intrigue to shape the dawn of Imperial Chinese history more than 2,000 years ago, The Thrones of China's tale follows China's first Emperor, his conquests, and the lovers, spies and assassins that people his court - including Yuang, the enslaved country boy who rose to commander only to face betrayal by his most loyal ally. Witness the misery of the peasants who labored on the gigantic Wall of China, visit the opulent courts of the Emperor and see how he fell into fatal madness, destroying all around him. Step by intermediate step follow today's Simon, the poor black wanderer who has come to start a new life in China, only to learn how little its ancient betrayals and cruelties have changed- and finally to fall in love, with a female Party commissar who is the secret leader of a deadly rebellion, and follow her startling fate. The Thrones of China lays out the searing story of China's beginning and its present, the opulence, miseries and passions of its cultures, and why it all remains so opaque to outsiders to this day.

Sail the Seven Seas of Freedom is about changing the way you view the world and your life. The purpose of this book is showing you how to enjoy life each and every day. I will help you rediscover your core values and give you the strength to listen to your inner voice. I want you to stop living an unfulfilling deferred lifestyle and start living a happy, fun, exciting, and fulfilling lifestyle, one with complete freedom! My goal is to help you live the life of your dreams NOW by sharing how we left a normal life and began living the life of our dreams.