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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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This is the most detailed book for a big place like indonesia. Indonesia (outside of Jakarta/Bali) is a perfect match of lonely planet's specialty in off the beaten track and/or budget traveling. Every part of Indonesia is covered, except for the small islands between Sumatra and Kalimantan that might be cool to check out. Its not the Riau - that's covered in detail. It has minimal coverage of the Natuna islands. I'm interested in the islands further south - Tambeian Islands, Dadas Isalands, and Pulau Pejantan. Once they add coverage to these islands then this book will be perfection. This book also a lot of information on Indonesian culture, about a 40% overlap with the culture shock indonesia book.

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.

On planning a trip to indonesia I found this guide book from the Lonely Planet Series. I was attracted by the clear concept of the book that makes it easy to find the information, that you need. It provides all the necessary information for a traveller who wants to get of the beaten trak, but also includes the "must see" sights. Specially the Places to Stay and Places to Eat sections are clear and give good and reliable information. It made my trip to indonesia easy and worth a while. I strongly recomend a Lonely Planet book if you like to travel and you want to see as much as possible.

I injoyed reading this book. It is one of Verne's better pieces of writing that I heve reviewed

This is one of Verne's best books. It is full of scientific and technical/technological details (I had to use several encyclopedias/dictionaries to find some words' meaning), historical references - no doubt Verne researched the topics thoroughly. It is also humorous in places but certainly entertaining and serious on every page. As the story progresses you will discover Verne's view on society in sentences like "The world needs no new continents, it needs new people." As for the storyline, you will never guess what happens next. Every intelligent person with an open mind will find this book a must read.

Most of Jules Verne's works were hastily translated, with many "improvements" made in the process, such as deletion of scientific exposition, as well as deletion of many moments deemed by the translator as dull.

This, the Restored and Annotated version of 20,000 leagues, is a VAST improvement over previous English editions. The translation is very well done, and the annotations explain what has been changed and what previous translations accomplished.

Highly recommended!

As an early childhood educator, I was dying to get this book and have a good recording of the Sesame Street segment that this book is based on (and literally one of my favorite songs of all time). The book was fabulous. Unfortunately, the CD does not contain the original recording, on which one gender-unknown child sings all the lyrics as the faces change, thereby reinforcing the message of similarity. The recording from the book lacks any of the charm of the original. Oh well! I guess I'll have to tape it off my TV.

I checked this book out from our library initially because I loved the graphics and it seemed like an age-appropriate book for my two year old. I didn't realize until I got home that it included a CD. She loved it and wanted me to play the song more. After checking it out from the library a couple of times, I knew that this book would be one that we had to own. My six year old niece loves it as well, my daughter sings it all the time, and it is a song that I gladly know all the words to. The theme is timeless and the illustrations are fantastic.

I am a preservice teacher and 1st read this book in a teacher education class, and was pleasntly surprised! It is a great asset to any library, school or home. The pictures and words reinforce the idea that we are all the same, an idea that we need to remember in these hard times. I love the repeating line, "I am you". A catchy song sure to become a favorite is included with the book!

The strength of the book is that it is easily understandable for the layman, but lays out financial reporting issues and logical directions to proceed for the accounting and financial reporting community. I hope it causes a stir.I also found it very entertaining.

I believe all of us would agree that GAAP in its current form has many problems accurately reporting the truth regarding a company's financial picture to the users of financial statements. An excellent book entitled "Quality Financial Reporting" should be required reading for all focus investors as it provides an impressive overview of what is wrong with GAAP, why FASB has been unable to function properly, and suggests possible solutions.

The authors are straight shooters and as such I think they will find no friends among the accounting "establishment" but they certainly point out the flaws in GAAP thereby helping focus investors better understand the financial statements they are examining.

The first one I have to say was very easy, but the rest are fairly challenging. This is a pretty good book, It's really great for road trips and get-togethers of almost any kind. I would recommend this book along with other titles by Paul Sloane for anyone who likes lateral thinking puzzles and some that don't.

Ingeninous Lateral Thinking Puzzles is a puzzle-ing book! It really is ingenious! Even the first warm-up puzzle was really tricky for me. When I find a interesting puzzle that I like, I tell it to my friends and they always get stumped on it.

The book is GREAT! Perfect for road trips, get-togethers or when you're just plain bored. The puzzles are never impossible to figure and almost always make you "Geez! I KNEW THAT"! Pick up Ingenious LTP and everything else by Sloane. Well worth it!

I really enjoy books that revolve around science... especially when they were written during the 1800s and early 1900s. It is very entertaining to discover what these people believed and to compare their beliefs to ours in modern times. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is entertaining in this fashion. Jules Verne is suprisingly accurate in his depiction of a modern-day electric submarine and its workings... although he doesn't go into the minute details that I was hoping for. The ending of this book is a tremendous let-down with regards to the character of Captain Nemo. Throughout the entire book, the Captain's background is built up to be a giant mystery... which simply begs for resolution. I couldn't wait to reach the end of the book in order to find out why Captain Nemo was the way he was. This resolution never comes. Never. This left me with the opinion that Jules Verne simply wasn't a talented storyteller, and never bothered to fill out and completely think about the character of Captain Nemo. Anyone can think up fantastic situations and theories... but the real talent comes in explaining them in a plausible way to the reader. It's akin to watching a movie where lots of incredible things happen to the main characters, only to have them wake up stating that it was all a dream.

This is Verne's classic novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. What really fascinated me when reading this story and other Verne novels was not only Verne's contributions to the science fiction genre, but his founding of a whole new genre, one that, as far as I know, he has never been given credit. I think Verne was one of the first to write the techno-novel, a work that is filled with technical details ala Tom Clancy. For this novel, Verne did considerable research to describe what was known as accurately as possible. Professor Arronax and his servant Conseil board a U. S. ship that is searching for a monster that has sunk a number of other ships. They discover that it isn't a monster at all but a submarine, captained by a mysterious man known only as Nemo (Verne will present readers with Nemo once again in "The Mysterious Island"). Arronax, Conseil, and an American harpooner named Ned Land travel with Nemo and see many wonderous things and have many adventures. Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" has gotten some very poor reviews over the decades since it first appeared in 1869. In many cases, it was because of the translation and not because of Verne. A number of the early translators inserted their own sections with their own ideas and opinions and deleted much of Verne's own words. So, readers should be aware of the translator. I read an excellent translation by Walter James Miller that was also annotated. Such an annotated volume can prove to be very helpful to teenagers getting acquainted with Nemo and his submarine.

This brilliantly crafted novel of epic proportions, tell of the adventures of Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, as they are held captive aboard a submarine by a mysterious man who goes under the name Captain Nemo. Although they are in a sense prisoners, they are allowed to use all the facilities aboard the submarine. This submarine, powered by nuclear energy and christened the Nautilus, is one of Verne's many brilliant predictions of modern life made throughout many of his works. This like may others was correct. Through out the book, the reader gains a vast knowledge of marine life, and the lives of people in distant lands.

The book begins when Professor Pierre Aronnax, the narrator of the story, boards an American frigate commissioned to investigate a rash of attacks on international shipping by what is thought to be an amphibious monster. The supposed sea creature, which is actually the submarine Nautilus, sinks Aronnax's vessel and imprisons him along with his devoted servant Conseil and Ned Land, a temperamental harpooner. When they are returned to their senses, the find themselves inside a dark, gloomy, desolate, endless, predicament. They are locked in a cell. However they soon meet Captain Nemo who agrees to let them move about the ship freely on one condition. They must remain aboard the Nautilus. So begins a great adventure of a truly fantastic voyage from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole, as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villains ever created, takes his revenge on all society.

The detail that Verne pours into this book is amazing. This is one of the few books that are capable of making the readers feel that they are actually there. His descriptions of how the Nautilus operates, how Nemo's crew harvests food and his account of hunting on Hawaii are excellent, and the plot never falters. The characters are wonderfully scripted; each one having their own unique personality, and they are weaved flawlessly into the awe filled spectacle.

This is the book that predicted that there would be submarines, and that submarines would eventually go to the South Pole. It predicted the development of the SCUBA suit; it even predicted nuclear powered ships. The technology used in this book makes it easy to understand even today. This book is widely recognized as a classic- in my view, correctly.

I originally purchased the book with the hopes of learning more about the French occupation of Algeria. I was not looking to read the memoir of an assassin and torturer. Although the book did not provide much in the way of history, it did provoke much thought about terrorism, colonization, and to what lengths a nation is willing to go in order to crush terrorism...or rebellion (depending on one's definition).

During the 1950's, numerous North African nations were granted independence from colonial rule, but France maintained a hard-line in regards to Algeria. After Tunisia was granted independence, nationalists throughout Algeria began to attack French citizens, properties, and government troops in the hopes of securing their own freedom. General Aussaresses was given the task of stopping the attacks on French citizens living in Algeria, and subsequently destroy the nationalists as an entity.

The majority of the book discusses how Aussaresses developed a program of executions, assassinations, and torture in order to stop the FLN. He discusses how his secret mission was hidden from the majority of the French populous and even from some major government officials. Then, the book abruptly ends, with out giving the reader a real conclusion. There is no real explanation as to what occurred following the departure of Aussaresses, or what happened to Algeria as a nation. Certainly an epilogue would have been appreciated.

Nevertheless, the book did provide food for thought. How does a nation fight terrorism? It would seem that Aussaresses would argue that we fight terror with terror. Kidnapping and summary executions solve the dilemma, Aussaresses would say. But with the use of these tactics, a different dilemma arises. Who is the terrorist when both parties act so similarly?

This book poses many questions. What does a nation do to fight an enemy that will indiscriminately kill innocent civilians (including women and children)? How do intelligence forces get the information they need to prevent further attacks? Do the ends justify the means? General Aussaresses attempts to answer these questions in this book and I think, does so very convincingly.

It's important to understand the context of the situation. French Algeria was a colony populated by a number of ethnicities. Many muslims were pro-French and wanted Algeria to remain a French department. In addition, you had a significant French colonial population, the Pieds Noirs (the black feet) that wanted Algeria to remain French. Additionally, there were groups that wanted independence - those willing to work within a political framework, and those willing to engage in terrorism.

Aussaresses and his methods (as described in the book) were successful in subduing the rebels. France voluntarily left Algeria. De Gualle made the decision to give Algeria its independence in 1962-- the French were not forced out. In fact, many elements of the French army mutinied against De Gualle as a result of his decision -- but that's a different story.

This book describes the means by which information was gathered and applied in order to combat a foe that was willing to bomb civilians, engage in what we now call terrorist acts, and could conceal themselves within the population. The methods included torture and summary executions. But these were not the only methods employed. What Aussaresses established was a process of intelligence gathering and the application of military and police resources to act on that information. He used torture in interrogations in order to gather information. Aussaresses used the information gathered from these interrogations to eliminate operatives, foil terrorist plots, and systematically dismantle the FLN. These methods succeeded.

I think there are tough lessons to be learned from this book. How are our intelligence and military forces fighting the war on terror gathering their information to prevent further attacks? Are America and its allies prepared to do what is necessary to protect our populations? Do the ends justify the means?

Those who consider the French to be wimps who have no idea of how to handle terrorism should read this book. General Paul Aussaressess will certainly make you reevaluate your opinion France and how its military handles difficult situations such as urban guerilla warfare and terrorism. General Aussaressess was placed in charge of destroying the FLN terrorist infrastructure in the Algerian capital during the critical 1956-57 period. As impossible as this assignment was, he succeeded in dramatically reducing urban attacks during his tenure for several reasons. First, he was not afraid to employ tough measures against his enemy, including torture, assassination, and summary execution. Second and more importantly, he developed a superb human intelligence network to tracks down and eliminate the FLN. Finally, General Aussaressess worked extremely hard to get inside his enemy's head to predict when and where that enemy would strike next. Whatever people think about Aussaressess's methodologies, he definitely comes across as a thoughtful warrior. Like a good detective, Aussaressess was a man who could think on his feet to solve problems. His experience demonstrates how one person can make a difference in a war against terrorism. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with intelligence and terrorism issues, from the police officer on the street to high-level officials in Washington.

I acquired this book after enjoying other books in The West and the Wider World Series (Harris' The Sins of the Father, Seaman's Paper Airplanes in the Himalayas). Unlike the other books, The Cloud and the Light provides little insight into the relationships and the interactions between cultures. In part, this is due to the others being written by children of missionaries, authors exposed to both worlds as a child. A large part, however, seems to be Dr. Kawano's desire to be positive and not critical. He speaks against the horrors of radiation poisoning, suicide and smoking, but seems hesitant to criticize any person or cultural group. The absence of comments regarding America's use of the bomb are notable.

The first chapters of this autobiography provide revealing descriptions of what it was like to live and to provide medical care in Nagasaki during and after the bomb. The middle chapters, however, focus on other aspects of his life - his work in neurology and his support of suicide hotline and anti-smoking campaigns. The final chapters provide more wartime background and address how Dr. Kawano became a Christian.

Readers interested in "inspirational" lives may enjoy this book. Those interested in Japan and Japanese medicine during and immediately after the bomb should read the first chapters. Most will probably find the translated prose readable but dry.

THE CLOUD AND THE LIGHT Memoirs of a Japanese Christian Surgeon from Nagasaki

The West and the Wider World Series, Vol. XII By Martin Kawano, M.D.

In an extended memoir, Dr. Martin Kawano reviews his life from the rare perspective of a Protestant inter-denominational surgeon who, while a medical student, survived the bombing of Nagasaki. This intensely personal account casts more light on the bombing and its immediate aftermath than other existing classic works.

Dr. Kawano had studied Protestant theology, but set these pursuits aside to join the army. Following his stint in service, he began medical studies. He has been a surgeon all his professional life and a crusader against smoking. In his world-wide service as a social reformer he worked with many well-known people such as Maria Von Trapp and the daughter and granddaughter of Albert Schweitzer.

"Like my father Albert Schweitzer, who influenced him, Martin Kawano has made his life his argument. From the time when as a medical student he miraculously escaped death from the atomic bomb which fell on Nagasaki, his life has unfolded in steady service to mankind. From his studies in the USA, Germany, Switzerland and Canada, he has brought back to Japan unique capabilities for helping where he sees the greatest needs, without consideration for his career or his personal life. His story is inspiring, the testimony of a man with unwavering faith and dedication." Rhena Schweitzer Miller, 1996

Having previously read "Netware Professional Reference" by Karanjit Siyan, I hoped this edition would follow in the same light. This book is a real help for network administrators as it gives good examples and solutions of day to day problems.

This book is designed as a reference not a study guide.This is one of the best Intranetware books I have read to date.

I have all of my "favorite places" marked for quick reference. The book is not organized to study for CNE exams. However, it has the information for Intranetware Network Administrators need for managing their networks. It contains a great index for quick look-ups.

Good grief, this sort of thing sounds like TORTURE. People become accountants because they failed at something else. And they actually read stuff like this?

This book is very practical and covers all the pertinent information needed for a good foundation in Accounting. The book is easy to understand and gives practical examples and useful exercises.

I am an accounting Professor. I am also an accountant. I am so surprised that you thought people became accountants because they failed from something else. It is totally wrong. I am so pround of it. I am 27 year old. I have a good car, have a good house (no debt at all; I just repaid all my mortgage recently.) I do not think that people who are in the field from which you mentioned they failed can make money and have good reputation like I do. Do you know that an auditor money as much as a lawyer (I am a good auditor; please do not talk about other case)

For this book, I found it is very good. I used Prof Skousen's textbook in first accounting class as well as intermediate. My students like them so much. However, they give a little bit too much detail. A professor should adapt it when using in class. This book is a excellent alternative to another book published by Wiley.