Chris Evans

Why advertising fails is an in-depth look at why 95% of all advertising for wedding professionals fails, and how to fix it

This book explores a number of critical issues related to tax systems around the world. Drawing upon a wealth of literature, it compares and contrasts modern tax systems in developed and developing countries, identifying factors that suggest they are converging and others that continue to distinguish them. It addresses the taxation of incomes (personal and corporate), wealth and consumption at the local, national, supranational and international levels; considers the use of environmental taxes; provides an analysis of modern trends in tax administration including issues of tax complexity and of tax compliance; and addresses the process and outcomes of tax reform. Readers will include anyone interested in how tax systems are formed, how they operate in practice, and how they are reformed. An ideal text for academic study at the intermediate or advanced levels This text explores and answers questions including: Why are the tax systems of developing and developed countries converging and how do they still differ? Why is the property tax the most widely used tax for local government? Why has income become the predominant tax base in developed countries? Do we need corporate income taxes? Why are wealth taxes relatively under-utilised in all countries? Why have so many countries adopted a VAT as their general sales tax? How do taxes help governments to deliver environmental objectives? Can we avoid complexity in tax system design or are we stuck with it if we want effective taxes? Why do taxpayers comply, or not comply, with their tax obligations? Where should we go next in designing tax systems for the 21st century? ... and many others.

In the bestselling and legendary traditions of J. R. R. Tolkien, Bernard Cornwell, and Terry Brooks, the second novel in the acclaimed epic fantasy series following A Darkness Forged in Fire--where musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy all vie for supremacy in an empire teetering on the brink of war. Disgraced elf officer Konowa Swift Dragon of the Calahrian Imperial Army has been forcibly returned from exile to resurrect the regiment he once led, the Iron Elves. These elves, born bearing the mark of an elf witch known as the Shadow Monarch, are shunned by their own people. In hopes of proving the mark false, the elves volunteer to fight for the Calaharian Empire in its quest to rid the world of dark magic. The regiment became legendary for its fighting ability, but all was lost in an instant when their commanding officer, Konowa, murdered the Calaharian Viceroy of Elfkyna, casting the loyalty of the elves into question. The regiment was banished to the desert, while Konowa was court-martialed and disappeared. Now, having found the mythical Star that was rumored to have fallen from the sky in a remote land, things couldn't be worse for Konowa and the Iron Elves regiment as they trek through the blazing desert on their quest to defeat the Shadow Monarch once and for all.... Packed with wit, high adventure, and political intrigue, The Light of Burning Shadows will have readers hooked on this bold and exciting fantasy series.

This is a celebration of running, and what lots of us think about when we run. Part escape, part self-discovery, part therapy, part fitness. Part simple childlike joy of running when you could be walking. Vassos Alexander shares the highs and lows of falling in love with running, from his first paltry efforts to reach the end of his street to completing ultra marathons and triathlons in the same weekend. Each of the 26.2 chapters also features a fascinating insight into how others first started, from Paula Radcliffe to Steve Cram, the Brownlees to Jenson Button, Nicky Campbell to Nell McAndrew. Funny, inspiring, honest - the perfect read for anyone with well-worn trainers by the door (or thinking of buying a pair...)

'Today and every day for me, up until May 2016, is all about the first episode of the brand new Top Gear. The show I've been hired to save from becoming mere ashes blowing across the hinterland of the golden age of television. A show as infamous as it's revered the world over. A show that somehow exploded from a monthly regional BBC Midlands half-hour magazine programme in the late Seventies into the global anarchic phenomenon it is today. 'What follows is the story of the television equivalent of being asked to take over from The Beatles. Just as there was John, Paul, George and Ringo, in this case there was Clarkson, Hammond, May and Andy Wilman, their producer. Just as The Beatles scored hit after hit from 1962 to 1970, The Four Amigos have scored hit after hit from Birmingham to Bratislava for the past decade or more. Under their reign Top Gear became the most illegally downloaded programme of all time and the biggest car show, ever not to mention the subject of several international diplomatic stand-offs, climb-downs and general ongoing rumpuses. On top of all that, they have produced consecutive bestselling Christmas DVDs and toured the planet with their live stadium shows.'Now consider this if you will, as I have been doing practically every minute since being offered the biggest job in television. There's only one of me. I've had no hits whatsoever, I've never been on any world tours of any kind, only a handful of people outside the UK have the first clue who I am - and I don't even have a band (yet). 'Beginning to get the picture? 'To say I'm a little tense and distracted would be one way of putting it. To say I'm absolutely sh***ing my pants would be a little closer to the mark.'

During his run into turning FIFTY, CHRIS EVANS is on a MISSION. To take stock of WHERE HE IS and WHERE HE'S AT in order to figure out how BEST to get the MOST out of what he BELIEVES are the BEST YEARS yet to come. His typically positive and upbeat journey involves ONE HUNDRED DAYS of contemplation, research, focus, frustration and DECISION MAKING while SECRETLY:*Training for The London MARATHON*Bringing back his cult Nineties TV show TFI FRIDAY*And the small matter of suddenly being asked to take over TOP GEAR. HEALTH, LOVE, MARRIAGE, SEX, DEATH and even RELIGION all come under his witty microscope as he poses the conundrum - MIDLIFE: CRISIS vs OPPORTUNITY ? There can only be one winner.

This book helps to strengthen bonds of affection and to discover the secrets of the sexual massage of the ancient Chinese Taoists. You will discover and better get to know the most erotic places on your partner’s body, their erogenous zones, and the tricks that awaken their desire and predispose them to pleasure. Chinese erotic massage reunites traditional knowledge of a millennial culture and puts within your reach all the techniques to enjoy a better sex life. You will learn: ? To discover with your fingers the most sensitive parts of the body through the techniques of acupressure that favor the flow of internal energy ? The most appropriate massage for every occasion to obtain the best results ? How to apply the appropriate amount of pressure during a massage ? And so much more! Learn to let the energy flow through the interior of your body, quiet your mind, and feed the spirit through the caresses. Communicate with your partner and understand your desires without necessarily expressing them out loud; little by little, your sexual life will open itself to a new world full of possibilities!

Bones jutted from the sand at angles--not odd angles, though, for that would suggest that there were ways bones could protrude that made sense--and the eyes of those still living stared and saw nothing. Amidst a scene of carnage on a desert battlefield blanketed in metallic snow, Major Konowa Swift Dragon sees his future, and it is one drenched in shadow and blood. Never mind that he has won a grand victory for the Calahrian Empire. He came here in search of his lost regiment of elves, while the Imperial Prince came looking for the treasures of a mystical library, and both ventures have failed. But Konowa knows, as do the Iron Elves--both living and dead--that another, far more important battle now looms before them. The campaign in the desert was only the latest obstacle on the twisted, darkening path leading inexorably to the Hyntaland, and the final confrontation with the dreaded Shadow Monarch. In this third novel of musket and magic in Chris Evans's Iron Elves saga, Konowa's ultimate journey is fraught with escalating danger. A vast, black forest finds a new source of dark power, spawning creatures even more monstrous than the blood trees from which they evolve. The maniacally unstable former emissary of the Shadow Monarch hungers for revenge, leading an army of ravenous beasts bent on utterly destroying the Iron Elves. A reluctant hero, Private Alwyn Renwar, struggles to maintain his connection to this world and that of the loyalty of the shades of the dead. And in a maze of underground tunnels, Visyna Tekoy, whom Konowa counts among those he has loved and lost, fights for her life against the very elves he so desperately wants to find. And so Konowa sets off from this Canyon of Bones, pursuing his freedom from a curse that has cast his life in darkness. For though his long, violent trek may indeed lead him to his destiny, he is ill prepared for the discovery he will make . . . with the fate of the Iron Elves, and the world, hinging on the courage of one wrathful elf.

The role of artillery on the Eastern Front should not be underestimated. While dashing aerial battles waged overhead and panzers and T-34s rumbled across the vast steppes, it was the artillery that rained down the most destruction. Steel Thunder takes the reader deep into the action, illuminating the massive array of weapons that were constructed by both sides in an effort to literally smash their enemy into the earth. From light artillery pieces that could be man-handled by a small crew to guns so monstrous they had to be transported in pieces, and from rockets that wailed like screaming death to fully tracked armoured artillery vehicles designed to pulverise concrete, steel, and flesh, the sheer quantity and variety of weapons designed to hurl high explosives fills these pages. About the Author Chris Evans holds a master's degree in military history and is history editor for Stackpole Books. He lives in New York City.

This collection of photographs offers a glimpse into what it was like for a soldier to fight and live in the jungles of Vietnam. All aspects are covered here: weapons, from M-16 machine guns to grenades; uniforms, including boots, headgear, and wet-weather gear; equipment, such as rucksacks and binoculars; rations; ground vehicles like jeeps, armoured personnel carriers, and tanks; aerial vehicles like helicopters and troop transports; terrain and jungle conditions; conditions in camp; the effects of combat; leisure time activities like drinking and smoking; USO performances; and Vietnamese civilians. Most of the photos are colour, and most of them come from private collections and have never been published before. Complementing the photos, in addition to captions, are anecdotes from the men who served in Vietnam, who knew the “bloody jungle” firsthand. This is a unique look at a war that looms large in recent history.

The Calahrian Empire is collapsing. All across the realm native populations are rising up to throw off the shackles of colonial rule. Two key factors drive this -- the return of the Stars of Power and Knowledge and the spread of the Shadow Monarch's forest. The result is that the Calahrian Imperial Army is stretched thin trying to maintain order at the critical moment when it is needed to fend off the advances of the elf-witch. For the Iron Elves regiment, their loyalty is tested to the breaking point. The Prince is devastated by the destruction of the Lost Library and the realization that the Empire he is to inherit is crumbling. Major Konowa Swift Dragon is determined to lead the living survivors of the regiment while Private Alwyn Renwar -- an emissary with his own agenda -- commands the dead. Together, their only hope is to break the oath that binds them, but doing so means making the perilous journey to the Shadow Monarch's mountain in a final confrontation that may be the ultimate trap. There is only one way to find out…