I've read this guide while living here in Costa Rica and find it paints an unrealistic picture about how easy it is to start a business. Furthermore I recently found out the author has not lived in Costa Rica for years and is somewhat out of touch with what is going on.

My wife and I have lived in Escazu, Costa Rica for years. We found this "reference" guide book to have just about all the important information newcomers need when making the move. We read this book when we first moved here and continue to recommend it to friends who are thinking about moving here. We appreciate the easy-to-read reference style of this book.

I strongly disagree with John Akins review. The over 40 pages of "starting a small business" gives an excellent overview of what a newcomer needs to know to get a small or medium business started. I didn't read one sentence that conveyed a "rosy picture" It does say how to start, what you should know, business ideas, and even gives photo's and stories of people who came and started a business. It was my favorite section.

"The Ten Most Troublesome Teenage Problems" is just another member of a recent cult of parenting and self-help books. This cult believes that all human joys and woes can be boiled down into categories, usually seven or ten. See "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective ________ " and "Ten Stupid Things Women do to Mess up their Lives".

I read the introduction thinking "Yeah, this guy has a point. We need to communicate with our teens and solve problems individually." Unfortunately the book then proceeds to portray adolescents as irresponsible, immature creatures who can be classified according to ten undesirable attitudes and behaviors.

When we learn to respect our teens the way they are instead of putting them in categories, they will have fewer "problems" with parents, peers, and society in general. And books like this will no longer sell.

As two fifty-something grandparents suddenly having a very angry sixteen year old child-woman unexpectedly thrust into our home because she disowned her mother, Bauman and Riche describe her to a T. It is like they sat in the corner of our home and observed what was happening. There were times when my wife and I got some real chuckles as they described our turbulent, resentful, self-absorbed, uncommunicative, secretive, rude and seemingly lazy sixteen year-old. Even more amusing was the perfect description of our frustration, resentment, and sometimes helplessness we felt. The book was an enormous help in showing us what and why she was doing things, and how the old techniques we used with our kids won't work any more. They just make the problems worse. We are applying some of the suggestions and they are working. Slowly, (not as fast as some of the case histories they used in the book) and not perfectly, but they are working. We are actually seeing some glimpses of the bright, wonderful person she will eventually become. Certainly, not all teens have these problems, but our extremely intelligent sixteen year old has a majority of the ten the authors used as discussion points. I highly recommend this book to any parent who is seeing some strong rebellion emerge in their teenager. If nothing else, it will help you keep your sanity.

I just used this book here in Costa Rica and found that some of the info. wasn't correct. As the Residents Asociation states the cost of living is much higher than as described in this book.

My wife and I found this guide covers the important topics for newcomers making the move. The chapters on starting a small business and stories about foreigners living there were helpful to us.

Great Book! The self-guided tour chapter was very helpful. I thought the book in general had very useful information. I also liked the chapters "Starting Small Business". What we liked most was that it was a straight forward reference book without the "fluff" found in some of the other books.

This book is useful in that it lists all of Nostradamus's prophecies and that's what I wanted. A cross-index by what Nostradamus actually SAID as opposed to what the interpreter THOUGHT would have been nice (i.e. how many prophecies referred to "the great one" (Jackie Gleason?)). However, I perceive no rhyme or reason as to how it is determined that this prophecy relates to WW II, that one relates to the 18th century, another one relates to the future, at that one over there relates to something in Nostradamus's own time. The words "clearly" and "obvious" are used with far too little justification. Single terms ("great one," "eagle", etc.) are identified as different parties in different prophecies. No pattern of literal or symbolic is evident. No hint as to why one prophecy talks about individuals while another one discusses nations. Quite honestly, the space that was used in printing the original French phrases (which were pretty much useless to me, anyway) could have been put to better discussion of the interpretations. If you're interested in Nostradamus in a casual way, like I am, this is a place to start, I guess, but it's certainly not of much use for any serious study.

Actually, for the text itself, I give it four stars, while I only give the commentary two.

First, Nostradamus-- I'll admit that I'm more or less uninterested in the prophecy side of the verses. I was interested in reading them for their historical value. As such, it's a great read. Through the verses, you get a look at the period's preoccupations-- who is named pope, the future of France, alchemy, and the desire to distinguish prophecy from astrology. Nostradamus has had an enduring impact on writing since he put his prophecies on paper, and you can trace that legacy here from the original verses.

The commentary-- Henry C. Robert's interpretation taught me more about World War II than anything else-- he seemed determined to prove that a disproportionate number of the verses referred to the second World War. Probably unsurprising, given that he first wrote his interpretations in 1947. However, he stretched so hard to fit the words to his ideas, that it unfortunately made me suspect his translation. I also could have done with more of an effort for establishing on what basis he was assigning some of the meanings (explanation of period symbolism, the alchemical references, etc.).

If I get a chance to buy another translation version and compare, I probably will.

I thought I was buying a biographical if not auto- biographical text on Nostradamus. It turns out that this is a compilation of quotations by Nostradamus with interpretation and translation into English.

My rating is based on the inclusion of a single poem, one that states that equates AIDS with sin, relying on the verse from Romans that states that the wages of sin is death. I was saddened but unfortunately not surprised to find such misguided sentiment included in an otherwise lovely anthology. I don't issue this review for any other purpose than to warn those who also find that sentiment hurtful. I have once again been reminded that a religion that professes to be based on God's love would choose to vilify that which is different or unfamiliar.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in the heavens."

This two-volume set is a wonderful introduction to both classic poetry and the stories and lyricism of the Bible. Each volume presents a collection of poems by well-known poets that were either drawn from Bible imagery or inspired by the stories of the Bible. The poetic intepretations of these well-known stories are so powerful that one feels carried back to Biblical times. An excellent and absorbing read.

This book was different style than I was used to see, it is mostly based on sections of the body rather than body systems. I guess each style has its own benefits but in this one I missed systems view. You can't see circulation, endocrine, lymph drain.
Case studies were instructive, picture quality is not that great

The text is straigtforward and readable. However, it is not thorough in treating all areas, and there are some inaccuracies. Clinical applications and case studies are helpful.

While the book does present an accurate and unbiased view of world religions, the text itself is less than gripping (the writing is dry), and the book's organization is a little confusing. This may not be the best text to use if you are interested in getting a clear, overall picutre of a particular religion. It includes studies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

vraisemblance takes a beating when jake lassiter resorts to show tunes & psychological tap-dancing to stave off certain death at the hand of an uzi bearing reincarnated hawaiian god.not levine's best, though still entertaining. average.

The revisions contained in the third edition are the work of Lawrence Ziring, professor at the University of Western Michigan. Ziring is a not an obvious candidate to be writing what is designed to be a textbook on the UN. He has publicly supported U.S. policies which are contrary to the spirit and the letter of U.N. principles, including the 'humanitarian' bombings in Yugoslavia and U.S. attacks on alleged terrorist camps in Afghanistan and the biological weapons plant (which later turned out to be a pharmaceuticals factory) in Sudan. Ziring is also a member of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank with people such as Robert McNamara and James A. Baker on its board of directors. The Atlantic Council focuses primarily upon supporting expanded roles for NATO.

As might be expected, in view of Ziring's credentials, the 'textbook' is written with a consistently proUS, and generally anti-UN bias. It tends to downplay the UN's effectiveness, it attempts to demonstrate that all issues must be resolved within the context of political realism, and it implies on every occasion available that regional alternatives are to be preferred over the UN. These leitmotifs are pervasive throughout the book, with the exception of a few small patches of optimistic idealism, remnants no doubt of the second edition which Ziring failed to purge.

The biases of the book are nevertheless put forth with subtlety. When Ziring writes of the US refusal to pay its back dues to the UN, for instance, he refrains from ever using the word "refuse", opting instead for evasive locutions such as "reductions in the U.S. contributions were made necessary by subsequent congressional action...." Relative space allocations are used to forward the political agenda as much as the normative commentary: e.g. the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is given more space than on the UN Human Rights Commission, and in the entirety of this 552 page book, there are only about two or three pages-worth of information about UN environmental initiatives. In terms of security issues, the UN is portrayed as a last ditch recourse which should normally defer to 'more effective' regional organizations such as NATO and the OAS.

As an example of sophisticated pro-American propaganda, this book is high quality; as a textbook for studying the UN, however, it can only be recommended to those in search of a tool for undermining the organization's legitimacy.

This was a decent read, but it didn't have the zest or that "something" that I found enjoyable in Wood's "Worst Fears Realized." The story line is okay, but not very inspiring. Stone's old girlfriend (Arrington) is in trouble. Still in love with her, despite the fact that she's now married to and has a child by someone she dumped Stone for, he runs to her rescue. That action wreaks havoc on Stone's personal life -- or I should say more havoc.

Unfortunately, Arrington's performance in this novel is lackluster at best. It was like watching a movie and wondering why a particular actor was cast for the part. Luckily, most of the other characters were well-cast and interesting and added life to the story.

In addition to crime-solving, Stone engaged in a little womanizing in this book. However, that didn't bother me especially since under the circumstances, I saw no real reason for him not to. In fact, that helped liven up the story.

If you have time to spare and just happen to like Stone Barrington, then go ahead and pick up the book. It is a decent read, it's just not great. If you've never read Wood's work, start with something else so you can appreciate the writer's talent before giving up on him just when you're starting.

Well, Stone is back and in a big way. Stuart Woods immediately continues some of the plotlines started with the book that immediately preceded LA DEAD and does he ever turn up the heat.

As LA DEAD opens, Stone Barrington and his friends Dino and Mary Ann Bachetti are on their way to Venice where Stone, who had not heeded Dino's advice where Dolce Bianchi is concerned in WORST FEARS REALIZED is all set to take his first plunge into marital bliss. After the Italian civil ceremony, but before the Catholic church wedding, Stone receives news that his friend Vance Calder, husband to his former love Arrington has been murdered at his home in Beverly Hills, CA. Everyone in the wedding part encourages him to fly to California and he immediately does so.

Trouble begins shortly after Stone arrives in Los Angeles. It is fairly obvious that Arrington, Vance's widow will be charged with the crime and Stone makes immediate preparations for her defense, as well as the handling of Vance Calder's huge estate. This plot twist is predictable, but Stuart Woods lays the groundwork well and carries the story line through to a less than logical conclusion. Along the way, he injects all of the little plot twists the Stone Barrington stories are known for. Fans of the Stone novels will NOT be disappointed with this latest installment.

All of the other features that Stone fans have come to know and expect are also present. As usual, Stone makes his way effortlessly in the world of the rich and beautiful. For a man raised by two extremely left wing parents, he has no trouble at all dealing with the trappings and material things that come from wealth. While he may not be a right wing Republican, it is obvious that Stone is comfortable with and accustomed to all of the good things that money can by. Stuart Woods keeps that part of Stone's character consistent and LA DEAD is no exception.

Despite the fact that Stone has married Dolce Bianchi in a civil ceremony, her erratic behavior after he leaves Venice to help Arrington forces him to reassess his relationship with her. His decision regarding the relationship and the marriage itself will come as no surprise to Stone fans. In addition to his reappraisal of his short marriage, Stone must come to grips with his feelings for Arrington. After Vance Calder's death, that door is once again opened and Stone must decide whether to reopen a part of his life that he once thought was lost. How he deals with all of the decisions he must make throughout the story is what makes Stone such a fun and interesting character to follow.

Because almost all of the significant action and drama takes place in California, Stuart Woods again exposes his readers to the the lifestyles of the "rich and aimless." He does a yeoman's job of detailing the sordidness behind the glitz that makes up the showbiz community. In doing so, and despite his confusion regarding Arrington and Dolce, Stone again gets to show his propensity for "musical beds." LA DEAD proves once again that fidelity is not one of Stone's long suits. His handsomeness makes him a natural target for beautifil women and in this chapter in the "Stone Barrington Saga," Stone's ability to bed the most desirable women on the planet continues unabated.

I often wonder whether Stone has a conscience, especially when he professes to love Arrington. In any case, his carnal behavior looms large in this book, as it did in all the others before it.

Like all of the other Stone stories, Stuart Woods paces LA DEAD at a breakneck speed. These books are very hard to put down and I read this one in one over night sitting. Mr. Woods' prose style is spare and long on dialog and conversations. He uses description of legal, police and other procedures only when necessary. That ability is what keeps the stories moving forward at a quick pace. I'll bet it's one of the things his readers like best; that he doesn't bore them with arcane detail and trivia about locales or his characters.

As this book ends, Stone receives an unexpected surprise and it was I twist I didn't see coming. Once again, Stuart Woods has left himself an easy opening for another Stone Barrington thriller. I look forward to it with considerable anticipation.

I have one recommendation to other readers before they read LA DEAD. If you haven't read WORST FEARS REALIZED first, do so. Much of the groundwork re: Stone's relationship with Dolce Bianchi starts with that novel and reading it first will provide the natural continuity for LA DEAD.

As Stone Barrington is planning his wedding to Dolce, he receives the devastating news that a friend, Vance Caldwell, has been murdered. Stone postpones his church ceremony, and rushes off to L.A. to find out what happened. Once in L.A., Stone, is shocked to find his one-time lover, and the now widow of his dead friend, Arrington, accused of the crime.

As Stone begins to investigate the crime he will uncover enough dirt on the so called friends of Vance to send half of L.A. to jail, and he will be forced to confront the feelings he still has for Arrington.

Not far behind is Dolce, the new Mrs. Stone Barrington, who wants her husband back home with her.

Stone, under the impression that his marriage is not legal, must clear Arrington of the murder charges, put an end to his marriage while keeping peace with Dolce's mafia connected father, and catch the real killer.

L.A. Dead is another winner from bestselling author, Stuart Woods; the pace is fast, the plot exciting, and as always the novel is peopled with colorful characters.

Mr. Woods doesn't disappoint with this Hollywood mystery...his legion of fans will no-doubt enjoy the latest entry in the Stone Barrington series.

Nick Gonnella