This is a valuable text for the economical traveller who wishes to enjoy the people,customs and natural beauties of this country.

It has all the usual features many have come to expect from the 'Lonely Planet' guides.Good area/city maps,travel details, pointers for the culinary delicacies of particular areas,good information on inexpensive places to stay,as well as fascinating sights,places and people to visit,a brief introduction to the(amazingly simple and easy to learn)language,and interesting cultural,religious and other useful notes.

This edition and it`s excellent predecessors have played a major part in assisting me in all of my travels to Indonesia,in both the planning and research stages,and during the travel itself.I am certain that I would not have travelled to some of the unique and rarely visited places that I was privileged to see without the aid of this weighty and at times indispensible tome.

However,the most important thing to take with you is an open mind and heart,a friendly nature,and a desire to get to know the people and their customs.(Language is a great help too.)These ingredients(and the book !)tend to make for a most memorable and enjoyable stay. Bon Voyage !

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So far I plan a 2 month trip to indonesia. Fly to hong kong, spend 1-2 nights there. Then fly to malaysia or jakarta (whichever is cheaper). Then take a boat to Pontianak, spend some time there and sinkawang (probably a week). Check out the islands between kalimantan and sumatra (1-2 weeks). Then go to the todgean islands, getting their via ujung padang to ambon and then spend the rest of the time (probably a month) chillin and snorkeling / scuba diving. Then go back trhough jakarta or malaysia, spend another 1-2 nights in hong kong, and then come home.

If you should wish to kidnap someone, in Scotland, and be reasonably certain of getting the ransom money without police interference there is a quite detailed description of how to do it. Also a very safe way to launder money. I was interested to read about the role of the collator, I had known about them before but this story showed how important the meta-data really is as the pieces fit slowly together.

A satisfying book to read.

From the dust cover of the Ulverscroft edition...

When a man is found in Glasgow's prosperous West End district, his face blown off by a point-blank-range shooting, the P Division detectives quickly establish the identity of the Man with No Face. Establishing an identity, though, is easier than penetrating the mystery surrounding this killing - a mystery that deepens at every turn. Amid all the murkiness, the only thing that seems clear is that P Division has become involved in one of the most complex cases it has ever come up against - and the most dangerous.

MYSTERY

Four years ago in Glasgow, petty thief Ronald Grenn is convicted of robbery and arson of Cernach Antiques in a crime that seems way beyond the ability of the criminal. Within a few hours of being released from prison, Ronald is found dead in the opulent West End district of the city. His face was blown off by the point blank range of the shot.

Questions soon abound. How could a no-talented bum like Ronald commit the crime? What was a lowlife like him doing in the wrong side of town? Why did the owner of the antique store visit him while he served time? Even worse, why is the supposedly destroyed inventory of Cernach appearing in other antique stores? The Glasgow police begin their inquiries into these questions, hoping to learn who killed Ronald.

THE MAN WITH NO FACE is a fantastic Scottish police procedural that will imbue fans of the sub-genre with an intense need to find the series' previous eight novels. The police investigation into the murder mystery with its link to two other crimes is cleverly developed by Peter Turnbull. The characters provide much depth to the profound plot. However, what makes this book so good is Mr. Turnbull's homage to Glasgow, which, in turn, provides the impetus to a terrific tale that adds luster to an already stupendous series.

Harriet Klausner

James Spada is an absolutely top-notch biographer. His detailed book on Peter Lawford, a pleasant, eager-to-please, nominally talent, gentle-spirited soul, is not only historically accurate, but is historically important. Why? Because Peter Lawford, a performer of modest ability only deserving of a footnote in American film history, if any at all--was also a well-bred, well-traveled, well-liked and well-associated gentleman who easily cultivated significant relationships with significant people. He had a romance with Princess Margaret of England, and even married the sister of the a man soon to be the most beloved 20th century American president. Lawford was intimates with and loved by major players in both industry (the Fords) and Hollywood (Monroe, Garland, Taylor, Sinatra).

James Spada's gentle but non-editorializing understanding of human nature, his interest in his subject, his research, organization and writing style are among the best I've ever seen. I say that this work on Peter Lawford is, in many ways, a relevant companion and addition to an American presidential history reading list as is the assiduously-researched and reported Doris Kearns Goodwin book, "THE FITZGERALDS and THE KENNEDYS".

Many times, movie personality biographers conclude their works with a paragraph that they hope gives a hindsight summation to their subject's life. Without indulging in writer's ego, Spada allows Lawford's captivating, charmed--and ultimately, pathetic--life to speak, loud and clear--for itself. Gently, painfully, Spada leads the reader through Lawford's train-wreck of late-life, showing that Lawford's salvation was impossible for the actor...speaking out--talking about his enchanted but isolated early years; his formidable, mentally ill mother; his personal choices; the strange, dead-ending professional roadblocks--his PAIN--was something Lawford--and all sweet, lost souls--need to do to save themselves...to survive...to heal...to move on...to live. Lawford was unable to listen to his own horrific life truths, and was therefore helpless to save himself. And this is why "PETER LAWFORD--THE MAN WHO KEPT THE SECRETS" is such a poignant, true, morality tale.

Definition and scope of target costing as explained in the book:

The target costing process is a system of profit planning and cost management that is price led, customer focused, design centred, and cross-functional. The target costing initiates cost management at the earliest stages of product development and applies it throughout the product life cycle by actively involving the entire value chain.

The difference between target costing and cost management is that the latter focuses on reducing the cost when they are already occurring, that means when the product design and the process are already defined. The target costing approach on the other hand helps to identify the allowable cost for a product in the design stage, the cost at the manufacturing stage are therefore known to be achievable and competitive. Further cost improvements are achieved by kaizen costing (continuous improvement).

With these thoughts, and since this book predates a multitude of changes in the 90's through today (crime rate reduction, Clinton years, deficit reduction, and of course 9/11), revelations such as "Does America have moral leadership?", "Are the Japanese superior to Americans?", and "Do we still see ourselves as Number 1?" appear to ring somewhat hollow as concerns of today - but maybe they have not fully gone away. The book retains its currency because, even in the midst of the changes which occurred in the last decade, the thoughts and attitudes in the book represent the foundation upon which today's attitudes and values derive. It remains fascinating reading, and leads the reader to examine his own core values and how they may have changes with time.

Some of the contents are rated X, as far as some "confessions" of the interviewees, and vary from adultery, to beastiality. Not for the faint. The geographic nature of the book breaks the United states into segments, and gives an interesting picture to how the people in the "Bible Belt" relate to the world around them differently than say the people in the "Pac Rim".

This book also works as an Ice breaker, party mixer, truth or dare game provoker, and jumps starts idle conversations. I have become more out going and find the fascinations people have about this books contents leads to hours of fun, and interesting exchanges of ideas.I highly recommend it for Tea parties, Socials, and other multi-personal events. Hours of enjoyable reading, discovering some of the humorous to darker secrets of our fellow "John Q. Public" A terrific read.