As a Bangladeshi-American, I am disturbed at the number of publications potraying her as destitude, poor and disaster prone. Novak tries to disprove this 'theory of Bangla desh' and shows Bangladesh in the reality, like any Bangladeshi would. Reading the book at times felt like a Bangladeshi has written it. Novak's description of water, seasons and women of Bangladesh are true to the bone and I wish more people in the American media would have read this book before writing their presentations on Bangladesh. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to know more about Bangladesh or for anyone visiting Bangladesh and for all Bangla deshis outside of Bangla desh.

I was shocked to find out that someone from a western country could comprehend how a Bengali feels about Bangla desh. Me as a Bangla deshi always knew Bangladesh like the way Novak describes her. And quite the opposite of how the US media potrays Bangladesh! I thank Novak for writing such a wonderful book. I hope more books like this are written rather than media's obsessive relience on negative stereotyping of Bangladesh. PS: This book was published in 1993 and I think a next edition has become essential since the democtatic transition of the 1990's.

This is absolutely the best book to read about BanglaDesh. I loved the way Novak describes the seasons and connection to the Bangladeshi people. I have visited Bangladesh a few months back and I am glad I read this book before. But I do wish there was a newer edition as this version was written a few years back.

I bought this book because i ever believe in the soul. But i never imagine the kind of things that Claire Sylvia said's. In my opinion is a good book, with incredible moments, things that make you think about the death and the life. A good work by William Novak, who help people like Nancy Reagan, and Magic Johnson to make their biographies before. The history of woman, who needs a new heart. the history of a woman, who star a new life.

I've known Claire Silva for many years. I knew her well before her body started to fail. This book is her reality. It unfolded just as she states. If her story seems amazing, consider how it must have felt to her, miraculous, beyond belief. She is ever so rapidly dying, then a chance to receive a heart and lung, (the first in New England, "experimental surgery") suddenly, out-of-the-blue. Friends rush her to Yale, New Haven, CT. she receieves a new life. New heart, new lung, more than that. New cells, old memories. The dreams begin. She has incorporated new celllular tissue, new DNA residue and the doctors have warned her that the tissue could be rejected. Incredibly,the memories of a dead young man begin to flood her dreams, her senses. I met Claire after the surgery. We spent quite a bit of time together. A change of person and heart had taken place. Read this book and trust that there are some things that science and medicine may never unravel. Draw from your own knowledge, intuition and experience. Your reality is within you. Claire chose to share this experience. Her experience is something that will cause you to think about how you live your own life. It will cause you to realize how special and extra-ordinary you are as a result of your own unique genetic, societal, physical and psychological composition. It may cause you to dream and wonder and question the courage you fail to exhibit to the world for fear of being ridiculed. Finally, this is a book about a woman with the courage and the desire to live and the willpower and curiosity to explore and investigate her changed life and her changed reality. 143

Claire Sylvia's Change of Heart is a great book because it makes you think about things you never thought would possibly happen. It's like "The Others" (the Other Side) or "The X-files" but in real - but not in a way that you don't believe it. I really believe that she feel that he - the teenaged boy who died in a motorcycle accident -is apart of her. Read this special book if you want a new view of your life!

The XP book market is getting increasingly crowded; this book differs from the pack as it walks through examples in an easy to grasp format. The book is geared towards Java developers; this is not a problem per se but non-Java developers should be aware of this. My copy of this book is beaten and worn!

I think this is one of the only XP books that links back into Agile Modelling. This is very helpful as XP readers sometimes get the impression that XP throws the baby out with the bathwater; design is still important!

Another aspect I liked was the inclusion of quite few photographs; this helps bridge the gap between the words and understanding. If you're seriously interested in using XP you should get this book.

Where was this book 2 years ago!

No muss, no fuss; just a straightforward exposition of what XP is, and what it is not. If you are wondering what all the fuss over XP is all about, this book won't disappoint you. XP is commonly characterized as "Forget planning, just code!" This book clarifies that misconception, and others. It is really directoed at answering the question "How come XP projects don't collapse in chaos?" After reading this book, XP didn't sound nearly as crazy as it does on the newsgroups.

Although I have been a follower of XP and have read David Astels works before, I was initially apprehensive on reading another book on XP programming.

One of the goals of XP is to be succinct and iterative - ironically I had difficulty finding XP books that had followed the goals of XP. My assumption is that many of the books have been rushed to publication.

"Practical Guide to XP" has many more plusses than minuses. There are actual hands-on examples, with code. About a quarter of the book is devoted to test and source code from an XP project. I am normally not a big fan of having complete source code from a project in a book - aside from making the book heavier it generally serves little purpose. In this particular case, it makes sense as the processes of XP can be "followed through". XP is a development process/philosophy - as such it is better for newcomers to follow an actual implementation to fully appreciate the concepts.

This book will help somewhat to clear the fog on the many views on XP. XP, like all development methodologies, is a combination of art and science. There will be many views on methods of practicing XP and each project will be unique. This book will help you decide what you need to use for your particular project.

Hope this helps - please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

It's brief, cuter-than-thou, and pleasant accompaniment to the charming "Down With Love" movie. With a few bonuses (book excerpts and photographs), this is sort of a cliffs' notes to the film. Cute, fluffy, and might be a nice diversion even if you've seen the movie.

In the early sixties, when women could vote and have jobs but not win respect, Barbara Novak wrote the controversial feminist manifesto "Down With Love." The book urged women to have "sex a la carte," relationships without love, and wean themselves onto chocolate instead of men. It turns the dating world upside down and turns Barbara into a feminist icon.

Things go wrong when she is supposed to have a business dinner with Catcher Block, an incorrigible man-about-town with a keen interest in stewardesses. After he cancels their business talk three times, Barbara disses him on a talk show. Catcher's revenge: Make Barbara abandon her own principles and fall in love with him.

This novelization is a cute enough retelling, although the warring viewpoints grated on me after awhile. The writing is very plain-vanilla, with very few details included; it's best suited to those who have seen the movies and have a clear idea of what the characters look like. Sometimes the cuteness of the first-person narrative works (the final chapter), and sometimes it doesn't (the phone marriage proposal, which is simply silly).

It wouldn't be worth buying if it weren't for the bonuses: an array of behind-the-scenes photos in the middle of the book, featuring more commentary on the clothes than the actual actors (admittedly, the clothes are gorgeous). Then there's a humorous few chapters from "Down With Love" ("You've got to do what men do, and put yourself first.") And finally, Catcher's expose on Barbara, very funny and more than a bit self-serving.

If you liked the movie then this might be a nice companion piece. At the very least, it's cute and has some photographs worth looking at. (Nice shot with the space helmets)

If you are a fan of love stories you should read this book. If you are a fan of determination read this book. If you are a fan of chocolate buy this book! I have never read a book as good as this one. It makes me feel happy just thinking about it. If you believe that love should conquer all, then you will love Down With Love!

I like it very much. Funny and sounds real.

This book gives some useful information about the planes to those who don't want to buy the Planescape products.The characters weren't so good as in the Finder's Stone Trilogy but I still enjoyed this book.I recommend this to those interested in the planes.

My only complaint would be the fact that the plot rests on Lathander being far stupider than is likely. Besides that, this is excellent stuff.

What can I say, it's a good story.. Especially in the creation of the boundaries of what each god from another sphere may do. As for Lathandar's foolishness.. *smile* Some folks never learn, I'd like to refer to the Avatar series and Crucible as further proof.

I bought this as a review text since I've been away from Russian for several years and needed to improve my verbal fluency. While I like the layout of the lessons (dialog first, break down of dialog next and finally an examination of grammar point by point), I have been disappointed to find that in virtually every chapter there are mistakes, either spelling (nedlyu instead of nedel'yu-i.e. accusative singular of the word for week) or persistent errors such as ubirat' v komnati instead of ubirat' komnatu. (This mistake was made 4 times in one chapter). In some languages, spelling errors are not a big deal because the word doesn't change form depending on its usage (English is an example of that). In Russian with its 12 case endings and many words which significantly change form depending on case, spelling errors can be very misleading (and ultimately defeating) to the beginner. For my purposes, as a review text, this has been great. Hence, the 4 stars. But, I can't recommend it for someone taking his first steps into the mind-boggling complications of Russian.

I am studying Russian five days a week, six hours a day, from an almost complete beginner (I knew Cyrillic, basic pronounciation and about 50 words). I am moving to Moscow for a year and want to be able to speak the language before arrival.
However I am not new to Moscow having spent 6 months there last year (hence the basic knowledge).

I did have a look at the Linguaphone course, this is probably slightly more comprehensive (and a lot more expensive) and unlike other Linguaphone courses is not available on CD (but neither of course is the Ultimate Russian), nor has it been updated since 1970. I found when I opened the course manual and saw a line illustration of a 1960's propeller aircraft that maybe something more contemporary was in order. Hence the Ultimate Russian Course.

The Ultimate Course is excellent, with carefully structured and graded lessons. It is very strong in grammar (like the Linguaphone and most of the comprehensive courses) and the cassettes are clear although I agree with other reviewers, the speakers are much too fast and sometimes I have to rewind a number of times and even then I cannot "get" the word.

There are cultural sections, and when the author states that "sheremetyevo-2 is like many international airports" I had to laugh. If you have ever visited Moscow you will know nothing could be further from the truth. This surely must be Russian bias! I am reading the cultural sections now with an open mind!

Why 4 stars instead of 5? I have been studying this course now for four weeks on a daily basis. Sometimes vocabulary is introduced into examples with no pre discussion of its meaning. Also I feel slightly uneasy learning phrases parrot fashion without understanding the individual components and grammar. Some of the grammar explanations are also somewhat long-winded and/or could have better explanation.


An excellent companion to this book is "Teach yourself Beginners Russian Grammar". Coupled with a good Dictionary you'll have a complete language lab at your disposal.

I'm thoroughly impressed with this Russian course, as well as with all the other Living Language Ultimate courses. They're more modern, streamlined, and complete than any other commercially available self-study language courses on the market.

So why did I give it only a four-star rating? Why not five? Because it's really nothing more than an extended version of Living Language's own Complete Russian Course. The Ultimate course follows along the same trite "listen and repeat" lines as the Complete course. The main differences are: The Ultimate course assumes the student has at least a basic grasp of the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, and how each letter is pronounced. As a result, whereas the Complete course begins with names and personal words to "baby-step" the student into how Russian sounds and works, the Ultimate course's lessons begin with a dialogue to get the feel of the language. I guess this is a theoretically better approach to language learning, but it will likely leave the student with no idea of how to pronounce the language lagging a bit behind at the start.

When it comes time to repeat the words, there isn't much time to say it (you get what seems like just one second of silence to voice your response), especially on the cassettes designated for listening "On The Go." I'd advise the beginning student to make frequent use of his cassette player's pause button while enduring these exercises. When a reasonable proficiency is achieved, it might be worthwhile to simply let the cassette play and see if he can speak the correct response in that short silent interval.

All things considered, it's still one heck of a way to learn Russian, or any of the other languages available in the Ultimate course series. Just keep an open mind and maintain your enthusiasm--and you'll succeed.

FYI, as an alternative self-study course, I'd recommend "Just Listen n' Learn Russian," published by Passport Books (NTC Publishing Group).

The personal tragedy of the death of his wife stimulated Peter Novak to go on a 10-year odyssey about what happens to us after the death of the physical body. He examined a whole host of religions and cultures along with the depth psychology of Freud and Jung. Novak found an amazing thing: we do not have just one soul. Rather we have a soul that relates to the unconscious mind and a spirit that relates to the conscious mind. Unless the person is fully integrated while alive, the soul and the spirit go on their separate paths after death. Novak calls his concept "Division theory." With this theory, Novak is able to show the differences between Western monotheistic religions such as Christiantity and Islam - which describe the fate of the soul and its afterlife travels to either heaven and hell - and Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism - which describe the fate of the spirit which repeatedly reincarnates. Division theory is exceptional because it shows there is historical and scientific verification for the concept of a spirit and soul with separate fates. All is not lost, however, as Novak shows us how to integrate the two haves to have a fully-integrated spirit-soul that can travel to eternal bliss with the Supreme Being. The concept is brilliant, and the book is well-written. It was a stimulus for me in my own book, "Searching for Eternity." I recommend "The Division of Consciousness" without reservation for all those who are puzzled about what awaits us in the afterlife and how we can help ourselves achieve eternal bliss.

I started reading Novak's "The Division of Consciousness" and couldn't put it down until I finished it. Having read a great multitude of books on the afterlife and metaphysical thought, I have to say that this book ranks up there with the best that I have read. This material is fresh, thought provoking and you will not be satisfied in just reading it only once.

I am very impressed with this theory. I am glad that he relies on the Gnostic writings because I feel they are more authoritative that our modern Bible which has been tampered with through the ages. Also, Edgar Cayce in his psychic readings, while knowing absolutely nothing about Gnosticism in his waking state, has confirm that Gnosticism is the highest form of Christianity. Much of what Novak writes agrees with Cayce's revelations. Cayce talked about the body (conscious mind), mind (subconscious mind) and spirit (superconscious mind). According to Cayce, at death the conscious mind is shed and the subconscious mind becomes the conscious mind. At the higher dimensions of the spirit world, this conscious mind is shed and the superconscious mind becomes the conscious mind. As far as I know, Cayce did not reveal what happens to the subconscious mind (the astral body according to some metaphysical sources) after it is shed.

This DivisionTheory makes perfect sense to me. So much of what Novak has written agrees with everything I know concerning metaphysics, while adding much new information that ties everything together perfectly. Before I heard of Division Theory, I have come across many characteristics of the afterlife that would affirm Division Theory to be true. For example, I have read that the personality we currently project is but one facet of our entire soul, like a multi-faceted "diamond" to use an analogy. The personalities of our many past lives, taken all together, is the true representation of our soul, who we really are, what is written on our "Akashic record" or also known as "the Book of Life", our total experience as individuals separate in personality from the Whole, of God.

Accordingly, our complete experience in individuality and our complete personality is so immense, we can only project a small portion or aspect of our complete personality at a time. In other words, the personality we project here in the physical is only one facet of our entire soul personality that we desire to develop and perhaps change for the better.

Before a person incarnates into this physical world, it is said that they have a vast array of destinies, lessons, and people for which to choose to incarnate. Because of the immenseness and multi-facetedness of our soul, we can only choose that destiny, lesson, incarnation that will better help us develop a particular facet of our soul. Once in the flesh, that aspect of our personality we choose to develop can be better expressed by the incarnation we choose. A good analogy would be that our present personality is but a drop in a bucket of water representing our soul.

After reading Novak's book, it is very difficult to deny the fact of our multiple personalities and the multifaceted soul we have that exists only in the higher realms of consciousness. This is my take on the situation in light of Peter Novak's wonderful revelations. His book definitely ranks up there with one of the best. Wonderful and enlightening reading.

People who have had near death experiences report seeing their friends and relatives waiting for them. People who undergo past life regression discover that they lived many other lifetimes, in a variety of bodies. Both kinds of experience appear equally valid. How can we change bodies with each lifetime, yet appear to those who love us in the same body in which they last saw us?

Peter Novak attempts to answer this question in his book, The Division of Consciousness: The Secret Afterlife of the Human Psyche. Novak spent ten years studying psychology, theology, thanatology, comparative religion, biblical archaeology, past-life regressions, and near death experiences before formulating his theories. He says that "we still don't understand death or agree about it at all. Our sciences don't agree, our religions don't agree, our ideas don't even agree."

Novak says that we are composed of three parts: body, mind, and soul. Only the body "dies" at death: the mind and soul continue. He refers to the mind as "conscious" and the soul as "unconscious," and believes the conscious and unconscious split from each other after death. He has named this "Division Theory." Division Theory, he says, reconciles the "East's doctrine of reincarnation and the West's doctrine of heaven and hell."

He analyzes various theologies and philosophies, showing how Division Theory reconciles traditional differences. His assertions are carefully documented and supported.

Readers may or may not agree with Novak's Division Theory. As Novak says, "something profound changed" when he began his research. "A door opened; a new perspective dawned; an alternate possibility presented itself." Considering the theories presented in The Division of Consciousness will enable readers to open their own doors to what happens in the afterlife.

In this book, Oliver North writes primarily about his role in the Iran-Contra affair, giving his side of the story. However, he also gives an insight on his life beginning from his childhood, including when he was fighting in Vietnam. North points out that there were "two Vietnam wars," with North's involvement being in the northern part of South Vietnam--as opposed to the majority of U.S. troops, who were fighting further South. North explains the war he fought there "was more straightforward," explaining that if he and his men were to set up an ambush and spotted the enemy, they could be sure it was the enemy. "We didn't have to deal with that terrible problem of Vietnamese civilians who weren't civilians, or with Viet Cong guerrillas who would melt off into the countryside and disappear." North and Co. were fighting "NVA regulars--well disciplined troops with reinforcements close behind." (p. 93) He also explains how his deep involvement in the war caused him to go into deep depression, and almost cost him his marriage. On Iran-Contra, he gives some details of his meetings with the Iranians. In addition, gives details about his rise to the National Security Council and various assignments there until the Iran-Contra affair was exposed, when he was then fired. He is pro-Israel, and correctly criticizes Caspar Weinberger and some Middle East "experts" for being anti-Israel, and in some cases, anti-Semitic, (pp. 155-156) as well as criticizing Weinberger and George Schultz for advocating a pro-Iraq policy (pp. 287-88). He also explains the ordeal he went through in his six days of testimony before the House and Senate Select Committees--the text of which can be found in Taking the Stand, with an introduction by Daniel Schorr--and his subsequent trial. He also explains his life after his trial and appeals process were over through the end of 1990/early 1991. Overall, this book is useful in reading North's side of the story of the Iran/Contra scandal, as well as on his early life, his experiences in Vietnam, his personal life, his rise to the National Security Council Staff at the White House, right through the immediate aftermath of his trial. This book also has some humorous moments. North also occasionally quotes from the Bible. However, while North makes an issue of how much Ronald Reagan knew about Iran-Contra (pp. 10-11, 401-403), he says nothing about Vice-President and (then) President George Bush (the father of the current President) and of how much Bush knew about Iran-Contra. This is why I gave this book only a four-star rating instead of five. To find out why North is silent about Bush, this book should be read alongside The Crimes of a President, by Joel Bainerman--especially pp. 48-61--and The Secret War Against the Jews, by John Loftus and Mark Aarons, including their quoting from The North Diaries that was declassified under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

I enjoyed this book because it told about Iran-Contra Affair from Oliver North's perspective. It also told about his life, his years in the United States Marine Corps, his service in Vietnam and with the National Security Council. The book describes how the White House and the CIA attempted to aid the Contras in Central America. I also liked the book because it also talked about Oliver North's life after his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. This book is really interesting and is worth reading.

This book is a little more then most people thought it would be i.e. it does cover his life before his Iran - Conta moment in the sun. The Viet Nam information was interesting and something I had not heard much of before. I was less interested in the details about his childhood and his marriage. Basically we all bought he book to review the Iran - Conta affair and the trail and the book does not disappoint in this area. His coverage of the dealing with the Iranians was very well constructed.

The good flow of the book and the fact that it keeps you interested is probably in part due to the skill of co-author William Novak. The details about his life during the testimony before the House and Senate Select Committees, the media harassment and the trail are very informative and insightful.
As with almost any government scandal there are any number of versions of the story, usually about 25% more stories then actual people involved, and this book is the Oliver North version. He told his story in a very believable, humble and somewhat apologetic fashion. I think if you are interested in the story this is one of the books you should read to gain an understanding, but not the definitive version of the truth - if that will ever really come out. Overall it is a well-written and interesting book.

After finishing this book, i got the impression that the author has touched something about the philosophical grounding on capitalism, however, the book is not deep enough in analysing these grounds. 1 the moral basw which the author inspected is of the christian ( or rather ) catholic culture, the reasons of the christian culture is the most suitable one to suit with the capitalism are not yet fully explained 2 its hidden presumption on pratising ideal capitalism is having a good government, good smaall societies to support the neighbours or citizens, good law system etc, but if i live in a place full of corruption, business law system not well developed, what should i do? he does not suggest any means 3 the model which he inspected is the usa, he also studied catholic, i would rather say, it is like, when someone got a hammer, all things can be solved by using it 4 i cannot agree more than that, doing business must have moral and courage if you have interest in discussing with me in this book or others, pls email me

The view going in is very different than the view coming out. Novak's idealism helped to encourage me in my own. I read this book as an undergraduate business student struggling to find the balance that I saw in between greed and good. I so enjoyed his language, examples, and message that I recommended it to my Business Ethics professor. Last I heard, he was planning on using it as one of the textbooks. I gave it a 4 star rating because although it was a good read, it could always be better. Let's leave some room for improvement.

This book was reccomended by a friend and I was fascinated by the title. The book is a quick read with many references to socio-economic theory and the Catholic way. The book was written by Mr. Novak, a distinguished author who grasps both the economic and theological apsects of modern day business activities. He does a good job of portraying work as a means to help the common good of all society.The idea that being productive as a person in business can benefit others in unseen ways is worthy. Even business can work in its' self interest while helping advance society. Business as a calling tied together many aspects of faith, work and finding meaning in a career. This book should be on the must read list of every young MBA or CEO.

Rocco Buttiglione is an absolute cretin. A servile henchman of the cancerous worldwide catholic lobby and a junior partner in Berlusconi's neofascist bloc, he contents himself with the few crumbs that fall from his master's table... like a faithful, mangy little dog. May Jah have mercy upon him and upon the misguided souls who have nothing better to do than to read his insignificant works.

The book is hard to understand not only in philosophical thought but also some polish history would help.
As a casual reader I found the book to be more of a task then I wanted.
A challenge is good if you have the patience for the subject mater. I rated the book high because it was well written and informative but a little over my head. I simply didn't have the back round knowledge I needed to get full understanding.
There are other books on Pope John Paul 2 that would be more beneficial for the causal reader.

The reader seeking to understand the thinking of Pope John Paul II will find no better introduction than this remarkable book. Buttiglione is a major philosopher in his own right--as if evident from his careful discussions of Adorno, Sartre, Marx, and other thinkers he brings into dialogue with Wojtyla. Highly recommended.