China is certainly doing its best to keep the world mesmerized by its e- nomic achievements. The Chinese economic growth story that begun 30 years ago has in terms of dynamics and duration long since surpassed all those "economic miracles" which have brought Germany, Japan, and the South East Asian Tigers into the top-league of the industrialized world. The rapid expansion of the Chinese economy has gone along with a fu- fledged re-integration of China into the global economic system. In the course of the last 30 years China has become a major player in the global economy and today is on a trajectory towards even greater prominence. In recent years, the Chinese economy seems to have reached an imp- tant threshold line of economic development and global integration. In the first quarter century of reform and global opening, Chinese enterprises have been largely confined to a 'passive' role in the global division of - bor. Foreign enterprises as the proprietors of greatly superior business models, production technologies, management models as well as very competitively established brands have been integrating Chinese players in their value chains and global operations. Lacking the necessary production technologies, products as well as marketing knowledge to successfully - dress OECD-consumers, Chinese enterprises have been hardly able to - ter the global markets without such guidance. Now, this constellation is changing.

China is certainly doing its best to keep the world mesmerized by its e- nomic achievements. The Chinese economic growth story that begun 30 years ago has in terms of dynamics and duration long since surpassed all those "economic miracles" which have brought Germany, Japan, and the South East Asian Tigers into the top-league of the industrialized world. The rapid expansion of the Chinese economy has gone along with a fu- fledged re-integration of China into the global economic system. In the course of the last 30 years China has become a major player in the global economy and today is on a trajectory towards even greater prominence. In recent years, the Chinese economy seems to have reached an imp- tant threshold line of economic development and global integration. In the first quarter century of reform and global opening, Chinese enterprises have been largely confined to a 'passive' role in the global division of - bor. Foreign enterprises as the proprietors of greatly superior business models, production technologies, management models as well as very competitively established brands have been integrating Chinese players in their value chains and global operations. Lacking the necessary production technologies, products as well as marketing knowledge to successfully - dress OECD-consumers, Chinese enterprises have been hardly able to - ter the global markets without such guidance. Now, this constellation is changing.

Friendship is usually seen as a vital part of most people's lives in the West. From our friends, we hope to derive emotional support, advice and material help in times of need. In this pioneering book, basic assumptions about friendship are examined from a cross-cultural point of view. Is friendship only a western conception or is it possible to identify friends in such places as Papua New Guinea, Kenya, China, and Brazil? In seeking to answer this question, contributors also explore what friendship means closer to home, from the bar to the office, and address the following:
* Are friendships voluntary?
* Should friends be distinguished sharply from relatives?
* Do work and friendship mix?
* Does friendship support or subvert the social order?
* How is friendship shaped by the nature of the person, gender, and the relationship between private and public life?
* How is friendship affected when morality is compromised by self-interest?

This book represents one of the few major attempts to deal with friendship from a comparative perspective. In achieving this aim, it demonstrates the culture-bound nature of many assumptions concerning one of the most basic building-blocks of western social relationships. More importantly, it signposts the future of social relations in many parts of the world, where older social bonds based on kinship or proximity are being challenged by flexible ties forged when people move within local, national and increasingly global networks of social relations.

Friendship is usually seen as a vital part of most people's lives in the West. From our friends, we hope to derive emotional support, advice and material help in times of need. In this pioneering book, basic assumptions about friendship are examined from a cross-cultural point of view. Is friendship only a western conception or is it possible to identify friends in such places as Papua New Guinea, Kenya, China, and Brazil? In seeking to answer this question, contributors also explore what friendship means closer to home, from the bar to the office, and address the following:
* Are friendships voluntary?
* Should friends be distinguished sharply from relatives?
* Do work and friendship mix?
* Does friendship support or subvert the social order?
* How is friendship shaped by the nature of the person, gender, and the relationship between private and public life?
* How is friendship affected when morality is compromised by self-interest?

This book represents one of the few major attempts to deal with friendship from a comparative perspective. In achieving this aim, it demonstrates the culture-bound nature of many assumptions concerning one of the most basic building-blocks of western social relationships. More importantly, it signposts the future of social relations in many parts of the world, where older social bonds based on kinship or proximity are being challenged by flexible ties forged when people move within local, national and increasingly global networks of social relations.

The Broadview Anthology of Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose makes available not only extensive selections from the works of canonical writers, but also substantial extracts from writers who have either been neglected in earlier anthologies or only relatively recently come to the attention of twentieth- and twenty-first-century scholars and teachers. Popular fiction and prose nonfiction are especially well represented, including selections from popular romances, merchant fiction, sensation pamphlets, sermons, and ballads. The texts are extensively annotated, with notes both explaining unfamiliar words and providing cultural and historical contexts.

Three hundred and twelve years old, Shelley Kesinkowsky isn't your ordinary, everyday witch; she prides herself on being a modern, computerized witch who has Internet access. She also demonstrates uncharted talents in constructing golems-virtually alive, human-type beings. When planet Earth faces trouble from the fury of the golem legionnaires of Mother Earth, the Grand Council of Wizards turns to Shelley, whose special golem-creating ability suddenly becomes a much needed commodity. The council orders her to create a custom-built golem that will, with the help of Shelley's former nemesis, High Wizard Jason Jeph, mysteriously keep Earth from destruction. Unknown to the young witch, however, is the lethal card Jason holds should Shelley's golem fail. At this point, neither Jason's extraordinarily talented but grumpy hyacinthine macaw, Byching, nor Shelley's special golem, Blue Eyes, will be able to help. Shelley fears she will not be able to create the exact spell to turn Blue Eyes into a golem-killing machine. If she fails, Jason may be forced to invoke the deadly words of the Double Pulsar Cantrip. That could cost both of them their lives.

Three hundred and twelve years old, Shelley Kesinkowsky isn't your ordinary, everyday witch; she prides herself on being a modern, computerized witch who has Internet access. She also demonstrates uncharted talents in constructing golems-virtually alive, human-type beings. When planet Earth faces trouble from the fury of the golem legionnaires of Mother Earth, the Grand Council of Wizards turns to Shelley, whose special golem-creating ability suddenly becomes a much needed commodity. The council orders her to create a custom-built golem that will, with the help of Shelley's former nemesis, High Wizard Jason Jeph, mysteriously keep Earth from destruction. Unknown to the young witch, however, is the lethal card Jason holds should Shelley's golem fail. At this point, neither Jason's extraordinarily talented but grumpy hyacinthine macaw, Byching, nor Shelley's special golem, Blue Eyes, will be able to help. Shelley fears she will not be able to create the exact spell to turn Blue Eyes into a golem-killing machine. If she fails, Jason may be forced to invoke the deadly words of the Double Pulsar Cantrip. That could cost both of them their lives.

Created by Canadian cartoonist Sandra Bell-Lundy, the syndicated comic strip Between Friends offers a near-telepathic view of the female psyche and illustrates the essence and angst of modern women today. Between Friends chronicles the highs and lows of three archetypal women in their early forties who have known each other since high school: Susan, who balances her full-time job with her responsibilities at home; Maeve, the divorced, sophisticated professional who's always searching for Mr. Right; and Kim, who works at home while taking care of her six-year-old stepson. Readers will recognize themselves and their friends in this contemporary slice-of-life strip. Susan, Maeve, and Kim talk to each other about things like aging, dating an ex, motherhood, guilt, personal time, and the pros and cons of Botox. Bell-Lundy obviously has struck a chord with countless enthusiastic fans, such as reader Valerie Hastings: "My husband teases me that you must be related or a good friend because you seem to have an inside track on my mind " Reader Kim Turner agrees: "As a working mother with a supportive spouse and two 'daycared'-for children, I continually look forward to seeing glimpses of my own life in your work." Coffee, Tea, and Reality is sure to delight the millions of women whose lives parallel the angst-driven, stress-filled glory of the Between Friends gang.

The Danube Delta is one of the largest and most valuable wetlands in Europe. Throughout history it has been a contested area and subject to conflicting claims and policies from the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine. In this volume Constantin Iordachi and Kirstof Van Assche take an interdisciplinary look at the history, policy, and culture of the development and politics of the Danube Delta.