Product Description
THE GUERRILLA GUIDE TO CULTURE SHOCK

TWO BOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE.


YOUR GATEWAY TO SOUTH EAST ASIA & THE ORIENT

and

THIS SPECIAL BONUS EDITION includes for FREE:

CHINESE HOROSCOPES, INTERNET, SEXUAL MORES & SCAMS


The cultures of the Oriental East are uniquely different to those of the Occidental West. To the Western individual experiencing those differences in practical terms on a day-to-day basis, the new rules can potentially come as a shock.

The scenic beauty, cultural diversity and generally polite nature of the peoples of South East Asia is at most times a delight. In fact it would be difficult to find a better set of locations in which to experience a uniquely different holiday.

However, the Art of War was formulated in the Orient in ancient times, and business is conducted using those principles to this day. So if you intend to investigate the possibility of investment or trade in South East Asia and the Orient, caveat emptor (buyer beware) applies with a vengeance.

As example, during the Second World War, Siam allied itself to the Japanese. It had no alternative, the country would have been overrun by the Nipponese forces just as Singapore, Malaya, Burma and parts of China were in the same land block. Whilst supposedly allied to the Japanese, Siam assisted the Western powers via the underground. Despite having faced both ways at the same time for the best part of five years - never taking up arms and business continuing as usual - at the end of the Second World War, Siam/Thailand managed to stay on good terms with both East and West.

Unique amongst non-Western nations, Siam/Thailand was the only country in South East Asia never to have been colonised during the golden age of Western imperialism. Every single nation surrounding that country was colonised, but Siam/Thailand was not.

You’d have to look long and hard through the history books to match such dexterous feats of diplomacy.

The cultures of South East Asia and the Orient are ancient. In fact some would say superior in many ways. Whilst the Celts, Scots, Picts, Gauls and Saxons - from which the European races and majority of the North America and Australasian populations are descended - were running around with blue paint on their faces (wode) armed with spears and wearing rough hewn skins on their backs, Siam had discovered how to weave fine silk, China had a well developed commercial system, fine art was much appreciated, gunpowder had been invented, and an efficient (albeit slightly corrupt) civil service was in place.

Then there is the fact that the main Western religions - Christianity and Judaism - are not the religions of the East. Five of the countries of South East Asia are Buddhist and/or lean towards Buddhism - which does do not accept the role of a God or Deity, believing that the conduct of the individual determines the present and the future. In other parts of South East Asia, Confucianism, Taoism and Islam are the faiths which predominate.

When a business ventures into other lands, the difference between doing a deal that floats and one that does not, is cultural knowledge. An insight into the background and culture of any nation you intend to visit can also provide greater understanding and pleasure.

Bon Voyage.
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Customer Reviews (1)

THE GUERRILLA GUIDE TO CULTURE SHOCK - SOUTH EAST ASIA
This Guerrilla Guide travel package to South East Asia is the only one of its type in the world. The normal backpackers guides and the bland with lovely pictures travel guides which are the norm, and the business books with endless boring statistics, are mere surface glimpses of what are extremely complex societies. This author is able to deliver deep, highly informed knowledge obtained from long time absorption in the region, in a journalistic and reader-friendly style for a Western audience.

Regarded as an expert on South East Asia - where he has lived for much of the last 38 years - his copy has been powerful enough to have have been unofficially banned in more than one nation, due to targeting factual issues with insight and power. As an undercover journalist in the region, he used to go under the barbed wire into Cambodia with the Thai military when Pol Pot was in power, landmines both sides and gunfire in the background (photos confirm); he has ventured deep into Burma - south to north - under a Buddhist pass (conditions far worse than the West knows); and a series of published articles written under a pseudonym were powerful enough to help oust a prime minister in the region.

The author has lived his work and took calculated risks to get truly authentic inside stories, and even got lost in the Golden Triangle on one occasion. Scary stuff. In a remote monastery in Burma, not far from the Himalayas, the paranormal was witnessed. There to edit an English language book on Burmese Buddhism, perhaps they thought they'd show the author a few things. Reviews and events suggest this gives truth and power to the author's prose?

This book has been gleaned from a long spell in the Orient, making this travel guide to culture shock original and in many respects breakthrough material for the West, the USA in particular.

Only 10% of US citizens have passports, and most use them for traditional vacations, usually not in the more far flung outposts of South East East and the Orient. When they do, they usually stay in protected resorts and guided tours. That is not travelling. As a result, even those who do venture farther outside the USA, predominately remain ignorant of the in-depth cultures of those nations. And since 9/11, never in history has the West so urgently needed knowledge of other nations' cultures. As some very hard events confirm, nations and individuals are dangerously at risk without it. An 'essential' business and leisure travel guide, as the editor of Britain's Publishing Weekly said in his review.

South East Asian Press Review:

"Your Essential Travel Guide to Culture Shock, South East Asia & The Orient' is published by the IQ Inc people and is compiled and edited by Jake Anthony. Inscribed at the bottom of the cover is, `Never at any time in history, has the world so urgently needed knowledge of other nations' cultures.'

The foreword states the obvious, in many ways there are aching chasms of difference between the Oriental East and the Occidental West; however, editor Jake Anthony then highlights those appealing factors in the East, such as the cultural diversity and polite natures, saying that it is difficult to imagine better holiday locations.

However, when the reader is someone contemplating business, or settling in the East, the aching chasms appear again. In an attempt to bridge those chasms, or at least forewarn, this book has been written.

The countries covered are Burma, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Make no mistake, this is not another of those "guides to....." which will tell you the cheapest bus to get to XYZ, and where you and your backpack can doss down for less than $5 a day. This is much more of a serious attempt to unravel the knotted conundrum of working with the Asian mentalities.

There is an initial grounding given on the size of the area with some historical facts which have a bearing on today, and other pertinent items before getting into the nitty-gritty of visas, immigration, work permits, currency and getting around.
Following those general details, the book gets into `culture shock' with each location. The Oriental `face' concept is explained in depth, and how it can affect all business dealings, especially those with foreigners.

From there the book covers `Essential Business Dealings' and `Understanding Local Customs', knowledge of all of which can also spell success or failure. Even what you should do when receiving business cards is covered, and I must admit to being errant in that regard. I now know what to do.

Each country finishes with all of the public holidays, then trade fairs and some useful addresses and some contact telephone numbers. Again, this is extremely useful data - coming to Thailand for a business trip on the first week of May would be very frustrating, with public holidays on May 1, May 5 and May 7.

This should be compulsory reading for anyone doing business in S.E. Asia. Understanding when "yes" means "maybe" and when "maybe" means "no" will cut short many weeks of fruitful/fruitless endeavours.

Whilst many of the concepts/mores/customs are common, as many of the heritages are common, there are still appreciable differences between the countries and their inhabitants.

I found the book fascinating, and there is much to absorb. It was also interesting that all of the different countries have a word to describe the `big nosed, white faced smelly foreign devil'. Yes, that's us folks! Definitely deserves a place on all business bookshelves." Lang Reid, Pattaya Mail.
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Product Description
Written nearly 2,500 years ago, this ancient text served as the basis for Chinese and other Eastern philosophies for generations, as well as for the I Ching. Meaning "the way that has to be followed," this version was translated in 2001 and is based on two scientific editions that were published in China at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as on the English translation rendered by the Buddhist Association in London. This version includes terms that are explained for and accessible to the modern reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Easily one of the best books written
You will not find a story, or a romantic love scene - you will not find action or shoot 'em up adventures - but in the Tao Te Ching you will find the most important thing of all - Yourself.

This is my favorite version of the book and I order several a year to give as gifts. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive and vivid history of Laos is an ideal introduction for tourists, business travelers, and students. Informative and portable, it chronicles the history of Laos from ancient times, when the dynastic states of the region waxed and waned, to the turmoil of the Vietnam War and independence from France. This guide investigates these key events under a new light and presents serious challenges to the conventional views about Laos's intriguing history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A quick history of Laos.
A well written account how it all happened and how and why Laos was the catalyst for the America Viet Nam War.

Useful Background for Laos
As someone who is contemplating a work assignment in Laos, this book provides needed background on the cultural and political environment likely to be encountered.In addition to the coverage of people and events, I would have appreciated more elaboration on the typical lifestyles of lowland and upland people of Laos and how that has evolved recently.This was an interesting read, but it felt a bit disjointed at times and the writing does not measure up to the skill of better-known modern historians such as David McCollough and Walter Isaacson.

Comprehensive, insightful, culturally-sensitive
For a newcomer to Laos, Dr. Evans's volume would seem an excellent introduction to its history, politics and culture.For someone like myself, who had his own intense introduction to Laos in the late 60s and looks forward to a return, the book is an insightful refresher and update.It has helped me put my own experience in context and rethink the Laos I once thought I knew.This short history is thoughtful, well-written, and largely devoid of moral judgments.

The subtitle "The Land in Between" sums up an unfortunate reality -- for much of its history Laos has been caught between more powerful neighbors and sometimes their even more powerful patrons.But Evans does not stop with such a facile explanation of the Laos that has emerged.I particularly appreciate his continuing emphasis on the deep and enduring cultural roots of the peoples who inhabit Laos -- and the interplay among them.

With so many Western writers and readers still caught up in the battles that we fought in Laos in the 60s and 70s, Evans's book is a refreshing reminder that Laos merits attention -- indeed fascination -- in its own right. ... Read more

Product Description
A follow-up to the 1992 bestselling classic Asian Americans—with all-new interviews that brilliantly illuminate the vibrant, ever-changing communities of Asian America.

"Everybody thinks I'm crazy. They think a Japanese country singer can never make it in the U.S. But I followed my dreams."—Hank Sasaki, country and western singer/songwriter, interviewed in Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century

The collective term "Asian American" comprises more than twenty distinct nationalities and ethnic groups, and today there are more than 12 million Asian Pacific Americans living in the United States. In this all-new collection of fascinating interviews with students, lawyers, engineers, politicians, stay-at-home moms, and activists, Joann Faung Jean Lee again draws upon her great skill and sensitivity as a journalist to reveal a rich mosaic of Asian American identities.

We hear a range of voices: Dale Minami recounts his historic involvement in a landmark legal case that changed the way America understands the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; Ruby Chow remembers how she used her position as a beloved restaurateur to launch a successful campaign for county councilwoman in Seattle, Washington; and Daniel Jung speaks of the complexities of African American and Korean relations in Los Angeles, where his father owned a liquor store when Daniel was a teenager in the 1990s.

Candid and compelling, the interviews reveal intimate and often conflicting thoughts about Asian American identities, immigration, family, relationships, and educational and professional achievement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A compilation of oral histories of first-generation to fourth-generation Asian-Americans
Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century is a compilation of oral histories of first-generation to fourth-generation Asian-Americans with roots in China, Japan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, or Laos. The first-person testimonies are grouped by general topic - from a passion for music that transcends cultures, to education and work, to the difficulties involved in carrying on after the 9/11 attacks. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this compelling anthology of riveting testimonies. Asian Americans in the Twenty-First Century is both a worthy contribution to multicultural studies shelves and an extraordinarily fascinating experience that readers of all backgrounds can enjoy. "More than ten years ago the conditions in China weren't that good; it was hard to make a living, so everyone wanted to come to the united States... Today, not everyone wants to come to the United States. It is sort of half and half. There are jobs now in China, people have money, and life is even better than in the United States - there is a chance to live in a nice place, earn money, and have a good job, so coming to America isn't what it used to be in terms of demand."
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