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It's Only a Bubble aims at the liberation of man from his conviction that he suffers because he is inherently sinful. The traditional religious idea that man fell from the state of perfection that he was made by God is replaced by the idea that man was made perfect in the “core field,” but he was simultaneously placed in the “dimensions” for gaining perfection also by free choice. Man moves up the dimensions by evolving, which is achieved by growing over obstacles. Obstacles are not punishments by God, but stimulation for growth. God does not interfere directly, because He wants man to act so that he can grow. Help is not offered as a result of faith or prayers but is embedded in the creation and is released automatically as one grows. The author walks the readers through the process of facing obstacles, including overwhelming events, like death. He also identifies the benefits of moving up the steps of spiritual evolution and describes how formal education can become meaningful, if it’s finally made an integral part of growth.

If it was true we all live more than one life? If we grew up remembering one of our past lives? Mystery and passion blended in a page turner novel! Katherine, called Kate by everybody, is an Italian American young woman who lives in New York. Many people are sure she has mental issues, her family included. But that’s not true: her distinctive trait is to clearly remember details of her past life, a life she lived in a place far from her birthplace. At thirty five she decides to go back to Joseph, in Wallowa county, Oregon, where she’s sure she had lived. She’s looking for her past, for her soul closed in the body of a past time woman. When she’s forced to stop in Portland because of a snow storm, she meets John and she feels an unexplainable connection with him. He will offer to help her look for traces of the past that doesn’t stop to haunt her. A painting, a kiss, a house and a journal written by herself in the second half of 1800, everything leads to a breath taking revelation saved for an end that has the ability to make this novel unforgettable.

By the end of a long day, the circumstances of life may have us feeling overwhelmed. We find ourselves in situations that are frustrating, discouraging, or maybe even a little crazy. As we spend time with God, we begin to experience the quiet reassurance of our wonderful Creator who displays his goodness and blessings in our weakest moments. Let these calming devotions, Scriptures, and prayers soothe your tension away. Spend a few minutes of your day unwinding with God and soaking in his presence. As you begin to relax, allow your mind and heart to be stilled with God’s promise of peace. “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10 NLT

An indispensable reference to the development of the Chinese economy—past, present, and future. —DALE W. JORGENSON, Samuel W. Morris University Professor, Harvard University Since China undertook economic reform and opened its economy to the world in the late 1970s, its economy has been growing at an average annual rate of over 9 percent for more than four decades. No other economy in recorded history has grown at such a high rate and for such a long period as China has done. The questions that naturally arise are: Was the Chinese economy a miracle? Or was it a mere bubble? Will the Chinese economy begin to stagnate like the Japanese economy did in the 1990s, and perhaps decline? Will it be able to escape the “middle-income trap”? If it is not a miracle, can the Chinese development experience be replicated elsewhere? This book provides a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the remarkable growth of the Chinese economy over the past decades, by scrutinising the sources of economic growth, and evaluating the strategies adopted by the Chinese government to promote the transition from a centrally-planned economy to a market-based economy by means of the “dual-track” approach. It is argued that, while the Chinese economy is unique and exceptional in many ways, its development experience can be explained and attributed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A comprehensive and detailed discussion of the remarkable growth of the Chinese economy at nearly double-digit rates in the four decades since the reforms of Deng Xiaoping in 1978. This volume will be an indispensable reference to the development of the Chinese economy—past, present, and future. —Dale W. Jorgenson Samuel W. Morris University Professor, Harvard University Lawrence Lau’s discussion and economic reasoning with regard to the economic development of China dispels the view that the Chinese economic development since the opening up in the late 1970s was bubble. I found his reasoning fascinating and his arguments that other countries can replicate the Chinese experience to facilitate their own development sound and well-reasoned. This book will be read and discussed by scholars and practitioners interested in a better understanding of the road to economic development. —Myron Scholes Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences (1997) Professor Emeritus, Stanford University The essays in this book present a rich and informed analysis of China’s long-run economic development. They provide a unique insight into the Chinese economy at a crucial point in the country’s development. The essays have deep analytical weight, reflecting Lawrence Lau’s outstanding contribution to economic thought and policy formation in China. —Peter Nolan Founding Director, Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge This is a great and well-researched book. As a distinguished scholar and renowned adviser to Chinese economic policymakers, Professor Lawrence Lau utilizes extensive data and economic models to evaluate the various sources of growth since China’s 1978 reforms from an innovative perspective. The book juxtaposes China’s experience with other East Asian economies, offering unique and deep insights into its distinctive development path. It’s essential reading for politicians, scholars, business leaders, investors, students, and anyone interested in understanding China better. —Junsen Zhang Dean and Distinguished University Professor, School of Economics, Zhejiang University Fellow of the Econometric Society

Coming into town from the south on Highway 12, youll pass a monument of Christ with His arms outstretched to bless the travelers, a statue the locals call the Flying Jesus. Back in the forties, a bunch of the city council members decided it might act as a reminder to slow folks down a little, since they didnt pay much attention to the speed limit signs. Nothing much has changed in Linden in the past twenty-five years. The hooligans who terrorize senior citizens on Main Street have graduated from roller skates to roller blades, but Paulies Theatre still changes features once every three weeks on Thursday, and most afternoons, if business is slow, you can catch Bud Newton behind the shop at work on his latest masterpiece: an eight-foot replica of Elvis made of used mufflers welded together. Hell be glad to show you some of his other creationsthe Christmas tableau is particularly touching.

This monograph presents a systematic analysis of bubble system mathematics, using the mechanics of two-phase systems in non-equilibrium as the scope of analysis. The author introduces the thermodynamic foundations of bubble systems, ranging from the fundamental starting points to current research challenges. This book addresses a range of topics, including description methods of multi-phase systems, boundary and initial conditions as well as coupling requirements at the phase boundary. Moreover, it presents a detailed study of the basic problems of bubble dynamics in a liquid mass: growth (dynamically and thermally controlled), collapse, bubble pulsations, bubble rise and breakup. Special emphasis is placed on bubble dynamics in turbulent flows. The analysis results are used to write integral equations governing the rate of vapor generation (condensation) in non-equilibrium flows, thus creating a basis for solving a number of practical problems. This book is the first to present a comprehensive theory of boiling shock with applications to problems of critical discharge and flashing under the fast decompression conditions. Reynolds’ analogy was the key to solving a number of problems in subcooled forced-flow boiling, the theoretical results of which led to easy-to-use design formulas. This book is primarily aimed at graduate and post-graduate students specializing in hydrodynamics or heat and mass transfer, as well as research expert focused on two-phase flow. It will also serve as a comprehensive reference book for designers working in the field of power and aerospace technology.