I have completed this program three times now. It is one of the most grueling and rewarding schedules I have tried in my five years of lifting weights. It offers different levels of workouts for all of us who are at different levels of body building. Leo Costa Jr. deserves much praise for this unique approach to building muscle and strength. Anyone who feels they have reached a sticking point will benefit from this program. Complete this program (following all of the guidelines in the book) and you too will be a believer! And to the guy who wrote in saying it was impossible to workout so much, why didn't you try one of the easier programs? I agree, not everyone can workout twice a day all week. My schedule simply won't allow it. Maybe the once-a-day four day workout would better fit your level. There is no need for steriods (as you suggested were necessary). How about work ethic and an all-out desire to build lean well-earned muscle? It doesn't sound like you really tried the program. I never said it was easy, but that is the total opposite of what body building is about. This program is intense. And intensity is what builds muscle.

After seeing an add for this book in a Body Building magazine, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. This was about 7 years ago and I havn't looked back since. I continue to treasure my copy. To me it's gold. A message to the skeptics. You're probably reading the reviews thinking to yourself, "This seems too good to be true. No one has had anything negative to say." Well this is the real deal. It is a guarantee that after the your first workout you'll start to feel and notice subtle changes unlike anything you've ever experienced. Those using the program know what I'm talking about. You'll wonder why you've wasted so much time and energy on useless routines that produce useless results. After starting, I was left feeling energized and couldn't wait for the second workout. Big Beyond Belief examines the basic science that goes into producing results. A science that really makes sense and is easy to understand. Once you begin reading, your intrigue will carry you all the way to the end without putting the book down once.

This book is certainly worth the price. I would recommend it specifically for the seasoned, natural bodybuilder who has reached a training plateau. I purchased the book in 1995 and I still use it today for one simple reason....I continue to get good results! It's been said that the volume is far too great for most people to handle without buckets of steroids. I disagree because when using this program, you only work-out for about 45 minutes as opposed to the hours many spend in the gym, furthermore, you only do one exercise per body-part for 3-5 sets so you never tear your muscles down too far. Also, I like the fact that during each week, you train for endurance(12-15 reps), strength(10-12 reps), and power(5-8 reps). I've been using this program for about 8 years now (including some periods of lay-off) and I've increased my bodyweight from 165lbs to 210lbs in that time. Also my biceps have increased from 14.5 in. to 17 and 1/4 in. My bench has gone from struggling with 225lbs to a full set of 10 reps with 315lbs. This book lays out a clear blue-print on how to work out, all the way down to the rest intervals. What really got me hooked was the fact that I was able to make gains in size and strength immediately, even though I don't work out with a partner. I can't say enough about this book. Do yourself a favor, get it!

It is good to see that Jose Saramago is not willing to rest on his laurels after winning the Nobel Prize. This book is a beautiful and intricately written as Blindness and All the Names. As one who has read all of his books, I am astonised by his writing power. The key to savoring Saramago is to read very slowly, savoring every word and idea that appears.
This novel like All the Names addresses the challenge modern man has in connecting to other human beings in a world that is becoming increasingly homogenized,the confict between city and country, and the role of women and poor in the world.
The heart of this novel is one Cipriano Algor, a potter who loses an exclusive conract with the Center. The Center is Saramago's symbol for the globalized economy as in exist today. An economy that has widenened the gulf between the rich and the poor, and where one day can bring someone from subsitence to homelessness.
But Saramago does more than attack globalization. He creates vivid, living characters who struggle with age, who experience the ecstatic joy of creating ceramic figurines, who argue and make up, who are human and wholly believable.

In Book VII of his REPUBLIC, Plato observes in his allegory of the cave that the strangers imprisoned there "are just like us." This is also the central theme of Portugese writer, Jose Saramago's new, allegorical novel. Cipriano Algor is an aging potter who lives with his daughter, Marta, his son-in-law, Marcal, and a "very conscientious, sensitive . . . almost human" (p. 307) dog named Found outside The Center, an imposing complex of arcades, shops, staircases, escalators, cafes, terraces, movie theaters, discotheques, big-screen tvs, electronic games, billboards, mannequins, a church, a casino, a gymnasium, a roller coaster, and a zoo (p. 241). Marcal works there as a security guard, and Cipriano sells his earthenware pots and jugs there until he is told that they are "worthless." People prefer plastic. Cipriano decides to make ceramic dolls instead.

In his novel, Saramago's frequent allusions to Plato's cave transition from metaphorical to literal. After Marcal receives a promotion, Cipriano moves to The Center with his daughter and her husband, leaving Found behind. Cipriano soon discovers that, in The Center, residents actually prefer windows with a view of The Center itself, finding that view "much more pleasant" (p. 238). Some people, he learns, "never see the light of day" (p. 241). During excavation, Plato's cave is literally unearthed beneath The Center, containing six bodies imprisoned there with ropes, and "as if a metal spike had been put through their skulls to keep them fixed to the stone" (p. 292). When Plato's cave becomes a tourist attraction, Cipriano and his family leave The Center to "start a new life a long way from here" (p. 305).

Readers familiar with Plato's allegory of the cave will perhaps appreciate Saramago's novel most, although other readers who think there's more to existence than big city life and shopping malls will surely enjoy exploring this CAVE.

G. Merritt

It took me a long time to write this review, simply because it took a while to absorb the multitude of themes which Saramago explores in this book. Even now, I'm not sure I completely understand everything that he was trying to say. However, those statements that I do comprehend are made in a way that is both powerful and provocative.

On the surface, The Cave appears to be the simple story of a potter, Cipriano Algor, trying to sell his wares. Yet, that simple plot actually masks a challenging statement on the destruction that capitalist economies can impart on the lifestyles and the lives of individuals. Saramago makes it clear that the primary outlet for Algor's product is The Center, an ultra-modern shopping mall which serves as the metaphor for unbridled capitalism. When The Center ceases purchasing Algor's product, he struggles to create another product which The Center will purchase, thus maintaining both his livelihood and his life. In showing Algor's struggles, Saramago makes an argument that a focus on excessive profitability and economies of scale creates conditions which can lead to the destruction of lives, and also restrict choice to a point that is rivaled only by a totalitarian state.

Behind all of the statements concerning capitalism lies the specter of Plato's Cave. While I won't rehash the allegory, I will point out that Saramago's prominent use of it drives home his point that much of modern life is an illusion. Thus, to build a life around that illusion would only bring discontentment and destruction to anyone who attempted it. There is little doubt that Saramago is trying to send a "wake up" message to his readers to abandon the materialism and greed which typify the modern capitalist society.

I could also write about the other prominent themes, like the rejuvenating power of love, the mystery of creating life, and the anchoring aspect of family. But, I'm afraid I'd go well beyond Amazon's word limit for reviews. Suffice to say, The Cave is a demanding, complex work that discusses many relevant issues in a manner that challenges the reader's assumptions. This is not a book that is easily read and absorbed. However, those that dedicate the time to reading it will find a reward that is more than equal to the effort. Saramago deserves tremendous praise for composing a work as audacious and timely as The Cave.

You'll have to read the book to truly appreciate the title of my review. Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman were incredibly great together on air, and they continue this trend with The Big Show.

Not only is this book hilariously funny (two different fonts was pure genius), but it gives you an incredibly in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes making of the greatest sports' news show on television. Yes, today most of topics in the book are outdated, but you can still relate to the athletes they discuss.

The authors also share their totally different stories of their respective rises to the top, as well as discussing larger sports' stories that have been well documented in the news. In doing so, they use easy-flowing descriptive language, intertwined with their vast knowledge of sports on the whole. This funny and insightful book is a must read for all sports fans.

A book about the show that revolutionized the sports tv show by the two guys who were the stars of the show. Funniest section is where they talk about those little catch-phrases everyone gets stuck in their head. You know like, "from way downtown...bang!!" and "he put the biscuit in the basket". Hilarious!!

Keith Olberman and Dan Patrick truly speak from the heart and give their inside approach to what they think of the sports industry. I've already recomended it to some of my friends and they love it also so BUY THIS NOW!

I used a previous edition of this book as a guide when I was an exchange student in Costa Rica. This book contained everything that I needed. I spoke little Spanish in the beginning of my stay, and this book helped me to travel the country with easy. It contains information about everything from restaurants to travel to ecological information. Prior to using the New Key, I had never used a travel book. After using it, I wanted to buy a travel guide for every trip. Though I have now used several travel books, unfortunately, I have never found another book that is so comprehensive and useful as the New Key. This book explains a lot of inside information that one needs to know and hotel and restaurant tips. I highly recommend it. I only wish the makers of the New Key would do New Key books for other places,especially other Central American countries. I would buy any New Key book even if it were over my own home city so that I could let my visitors use it. I would buy the full set without hesitation. My few words can hardly do justice to this excellent book. If there were a nobel prize for travel books, this book would have won it. If you are taking a trip to Costa Rica, buy it!

I traveled to Costa Rica for a study abroad program with my college, and I found The New Key to Costa Rica to be the perfect guide book. I loved all of the recomendations the book offered while I was in Costa Rica: places to visit, places to eat, places to stay, etc. So, when I planned to return to Costa Rica I consulted the book again. However, I do not suggest using Americas Tours and Travel to buy tickets to Costa Rica, as the book suggested. I did, and I regret it. This is my only complaint about the book. Otherwise, it is the best that can be offered.

Also newly updated is Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher's New Key To Costa Rica, which promotes eco travel and outdoor adventures. Opinionated reviews cover both historic sites and outdoor adventure journeys, making for an absorbing and revealing guide.

If you're ever in Costa Rica and you need to say "I'd like mayonnaise on that" or "I'm a heroin addict" -- this is the book for you. It will help you decode restaurant menus and realize when you're in the wrong bar. You'll learn how to talk to children, go on a date, or get a doctor. In the back of this pocket-sized phrasebook is a handy two-way dictionary for anything you can't find. I have yet to test this book in Costa Rica, but I'm definitely taking it with me.

I am the author of this phrasebook and would like to respond to recent criticisms on the content of the book. Please excuse my star rating of my own text, but ... will not let you post a review without a rating. I would like to make 3 basic points.

1. This is a phrasebook for travellers, it is not the official Costa Rican Colloquial Dictionary, nor a list of idiomatic expressions. It was written to help travellers to conduct themselves in Costa Rica, not to determine every aspect of the Costa Rican dialect. Many of the more esoteric expressions that were originally included in the book were cut in order to appeal to Lonely Planet's market. Once again, this was not intended to be a dictionary for Ticos.

2. There was consultation and editorial assistance by a bilingual Costa Rican throughout the entire writing process. He is credited in the acknowledgements. Although I am not a native speaker, my experience in different parts of Latin America enables be to determine regional differences in the language.

3. This is a unique book, unlike other phrasebooks on Latin American Spanish. Perhaps if Mr. Mora were not Costa Rican, he would have the perspective to see how the Spanish in the book differs from the Spanish of other parts of Latin America and other phrasebooks. He is taking many of the vocabulary and grammar nuances for granted.

This is a phrasebook to help travellers to communicate and conduct themselves specifically in Costa Rica. If that is what you want, this book will help you in ways that other phrasebooks cannot. Thank you, Thomas

A friend of mine bought me this book after I returned from Costa Rica. It has great tips on Costa Rica and helped me to understand all of the slang and expressions that I could not follow when I was there. The chapter on the language of Limon state is interesting and helpful too. I will have to study up on this book before my next trip to paradise.

I read this book because of the title. The author tells us a story about death and unexpected moments in life. After I read this book I've found myself thinking "tomorrow in the battle think on me" very often! Also this book changed my views on death, on dealing with it, and what happens to those left behind after someone's gone.
Great book about thoughts and ideas not so much about events.

Javier Marias has definitely written a riveting novel! Once you pick it up you can't put it down. Read in the original spanish none of the nuances are lost. The emotional and psycological roller coaster ride the protagonist boards upon the death of his "lover", in search of the answers he seeks, is uniquely written and has the reader glued to the book until the unexpected finish. A must for anyone who enjoys this type of novel!

In this book we follow in the footsteps and the thoughts of a man who experiences the worst: his (firts-time) lover dies in his arms and leaves him in a house he does not know with a two-year-old. Nevertheless, Marias succeeds in writing a rather light-hearted book. You could call this a psychological novel, or a stream-of-consciousness novel. It is both, and it is more: it is a book about life lived to its fullest and about thinking about life. A superb read!

I was given this cookbook as a gift a few weeks after I returned from a semester living in China. I was so excited, expecting that I'd be able to replicate (or at least approximate) the wonderful Chinese textures and flavors that I missed so much. Unfourtunately, most of the recipes in this book didn't achieve authentic (or, frankly, even very good) tastes. This could be because Simonds seems intent on lowering the fat/oil content of most dishes, but there are two other persistent problems with the recipes: most sauces are thicker/stewier than they should be and flavors aren't strong enough.

The photos and anecdotes are interesting, but there are too many of them. I felt like Simonds was more intent on dropping Asian foodie names than she was on sharing the techniques and ingredient ratios that make Asian cooking so enjoyable.

If you want to learn how to make good fried rice, this book has somethign to offer you. If you want to learn how to make other Chinese (and other Asian) dishes, I'd advise that you look somewhere else (you might try Madhpur Jaffery's World Vegetarian - all of the Chinese dishes I have cooked from that book have been excellent).

I absolutely love this cookbook! I have searched for years to find a good Asian cookbook and this is it. Next to my Joy of Cooking, I can't live without it. The recipes are delicious, simple, easy to make; the ingredients easy to find (and I live in an area where not many people seem to be into Asian cuisine, unfortunately). Even those who don't care for most Asian food will find recipes they love in this book. My children love these recipes, and they are typical McDonald's lovin' preschoolers. Two thumbs up! You must give this cookbook a try! It is definitely the best Asian cookbook I have ever tested.

I first saw Nina on PBS and ran to the computer to see if I could find her book. I have ordered many a cookbook and resold a few because they only had a recipe or 2 that I could use. Not this one. It has many soy sauce and oil stains because I use it so much.

This book is great because it is truly authentic. I say this because I found several recipes for dishes that my Chinese mother-in-law cooks when she comes over from Honk Kong. Nina's Noodle Cookbook is a great book to get, too. My husband's favorite recipe is the spicey Chinese peanut sauce, which we have a lot of during the summer as a cold noodle salad.

Nina also gives lots of variations on her recipes so it is easy to vary a recipe according to what you have on hand or what you are able to find in the grocery store. Speaking of that, many of the ingredients are easy to find in non-Asian food markets.

This book is a must read for any aspiring softball player, or any female athlete! I knew who Dot Richardson was before, but reading this book really introduced me to her personal life, and i cold definetly relate. In this book, Dot tells of her journey to the top, and her struggles along the way, starting from when she was a little girl right up to winning the gold in atlanta. Her stories are inspiring, some funny, others very touching. Any serious softball player or athelete can relate to her experiences some way, and that, along with wonderfully entertaining stories are what makes this book a true 5 star must read!!

I would recommend this book to any female that likes sports and softball in particular. It tells of the struggles that Dot and women around the country went through to play sports. She is one of the most inspirational people in sports today. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it and i was finished in two days. Dot is an exceptional athlete and human being, and one of my heroes!

I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANY FEMALE ATHLETE, OR THE PARENTS OF ANY FEMALE ATHLETE. DOT RICHARDSON IS A PHENOMENAL SOFTBALL PLAYER, ATHLETE, AND PERSON. SHE HAS SUCCEEDED IN MANY ENDEAVORS WITH HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE. I HAVE A TEEN-AGE DAUGHTER INTERESTED IN SPORTS AND THIS BOOK EXPLAINS MUCH OF WHAT A FEMALE ATHLETE GOES THROUGH. A YOUNG GIRL READING THIS BOOK WOULD HAVE TO COME AWAY EDUCATED, REFRESHED AND READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD! ASIDE FROM ALL THAT, IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING READ AND A GREAT SPORTS BOOK. I HAD A TEAR IN MY EYE WITH ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER. TO REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY THE WAY DOT DID WOULD HAVE TO BE THE GREATEST HONOR IN SPORTS.

I just went to Costa Rica a few months ago and found this guide above the rest in depth and eco-friendly suggestions. Mr. Praiser is a great travel writer and it is little surprise that he won the "Lowell Thomas" award for best travel book.

As the President and Founder of the B & B association, I have visited more than 300 of our B & B's . I highly recommend Harry S. Pariser's "Explore Costa Rica". Mr. Pariser travels frequently to Costa Rica and his book is attractively designed and well written and updated. He also supplies information on more of the out-of-the-way places wich other guides fail to mention.

Having lived in Costa Rica for nearly two years and traveled extensively throughout the country, Explore Costa Rica is the ultimate travel guide to have on hand. The book has excellent maps and time saving tips that I wish I had known about prior to my travels. I have used Pariser's books on many occasions and believe they are the best resource on the market. Most importantly, Explore Costa Rica provides the traveler with information that goes well beyond which hotels to avoid and which bus to catch. It provides a fresh perspective that many travellers seek: an historical, social, cultural, and environmental understanding of the places they visit and grow to love.

This book is well constructed, with developed, motivated characters and a surprisingly believable plot. The hapless but curious travlers, Belinda and Jonathan, are stranded in a creepy old priory, with three mute but very helpful servants and a long-lived sorceror who feeds off of pleasure. The Count has a secret, and badly needs Belinda's help to resore him to his beloved. Add two more sorceresses, one good, one evil, and you have a full house. Belinda and Jonathan develope their realtionship while Belinda agrees to help the Count.

If there is one hitch in this book, it is the tendancy to "fade to black" just when things are getting good. Any scenes much more risky than vanilla, they simply fade out, and some of the sexual potential is never fulfilled. Light BDSM, some very vague same-sex scenes. If you are looking for sexy, risky scenes, this isn't the book for you, but if you want a tender, interesting plot-driven story with some sex, buy this one.

This is the first of Portia Da Costa's books I have read and the first 11 pages of the books Prologue are so hot that it was worth the price of the book for me. The Prologue details the plot where our hero, the count Andre, at his engagement (betrothal at that time) party to his beloved virginal Belle, meets the evil, but oh so delicious, countess Isidora.

Sizzling love is made, spells are cast and, in Chapter one, we are thrust into the future where Andre and Belle are trapped to meet up with Belinda and Johnathan, a young couple who lost their way on a dark and backwoods road. Our young couple abandon their car and find refuge in what appeared to be an abandoned priory hidden away in the middle of nowhere. Our cast of characters are revived to while away the days surrendering to the most base, and erotically yummie, desires of the flesh.

The erotic sex is fantastic and superbly written and it's little wonder you'll have trouble finding any of this author's books in stock because most of them will be hidden away to be read at those most private of moments.

A new story from Portia Da Costa is always a pleasure, and this has to be one of her best. 'Gothic Blue' has the lot - a gripping story, a delicious setting provided by a remote Gothic priory, incredible sexual chemistry, obsession, the paranormal and the exciting aristocrat André von Kastel. The sex - and there's lots of it! - is tense, powerful and relentless from start to end. A great book, and one I know I shall read again and again.