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Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places: 5th Edition (Robert Young Pelton the World's Most Dangerous Places)

Robert Young Pelton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 107 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The long-awaited fifth edition of Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places comes fresh from the danger zones. An underground classic among the CIA, mujahadeen, special forces, NGOs, and savvy adventurers, DP has now become the de facto standard in understanding the groups, the players, the places, and tensions that fuel conflicts around the world. Pelton and his contributors tell it like it is in a brutally honest and personal style that delivers crisp, insightful, and useful information. DP5 gives the scoop when the media and guidebooks -- and even governments -- won't dare. The ground truth and hard-won experience inside DP5 will open your eyes and may save your life.

In addition to the exclusive first-person reports, DP5 also includes thousands of hard-to-find contacts, Web sites, e-mails, survival tips, travel ideas, adventures, and even safety schools for war journalists. No walls, no barriers, no bull. The most dangerous countries from five stars (Hell on Earth) to one star (dangerous rep).

Arabian Sands

W THESIGER

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The magnificent obsession 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The Rub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter, or as the Arabs called it, The Sands, is one of the most inhospitable places on earth, and one of the least populated as a result. Like Mt. Everest, or the South Pole, each of which became the obsession of some men, sometimes costing them their lives, the Empty Quarter became an obsession of Wilfred Thesiger. He was not the first Westerner to cross it, Bertrand Thomas was, in the `30's, and then Harry (Abdullah) St. John Philby after him, but Thesiger is deservedly the most famous, due to this wonderful account that is difficult to put down. His birth and childhood in Abyssinia, in 1910, the son of the first British Ambassador, seems to have marked him for the "path less traveled." To fully appreciate "Arabian Sands,' it helps to have read "The Life of My Choice," his autobiography.

The first part of "Arabian Sands" covers his youth in Africa, and his initial desert trips in Dhaufar, and in the Danakil country. The end of the book involves his travels in then "forbidden" Oman. The heart of his story though, is his two epic crossing of The Sands. Unlike other Westerner explorers, he was unsupported in his efforts, by other Westerners, save for the financial support of the British Anti-Locust Board. He had to live by his wits, establishing firm and trusting relationships with his beloved Bedouin (Bedu) who were the essential element in his success. In so doing, he developed an understanding of the conditions of their very harsh life, and enthusiastically emulated them. In addition to coming to terms with the "ship of the desert," the camel, and adapting to the rhythms of desert travel with such transport, he also had to stay one step ahead of central authorities, and deal with the tribal politics, which invariably meant that some tribes would be hostile to both him, and his traveling companions solely for tribal reasons. Furthermore, since he was not a Muslim, he had to deal with those individuals and tribes who were hostile due solely to his non-adherence to their religion and beliefs, but Thesiger was wise enough to realize that much of the hostility resulted from the fact that all the other Westerners who were exploring were looking for oil, and the natives feared a loss of their land - it was hard for them, or even most Westerners to understand his motives of doing it solely "because it was there." After his second crossing he was arrested in the town of Sulaiyil by adherents of the Ikhwan, the fundamentalist brotherhood that very well may have made an "example" of him, "to encourage the others", and executed him. It was only the direct intervention of his friend, Philby, with the Saudi king, Abdul Aziz, which secured his release.

The book contains numerous excellent maps, which outline his trips, as well as the tribal areas. It also includes some excellent black and white photographs, many of them of his traveling companions. On a personal note, he inspired a passion to visit Yabrin, on the northern edge of the Empty Quarter, and I was able to see it develop into a significant town, over a 23 year period, a far cry from the absolute absence of people at this oasis when he passed through in 1948.

I couldn't give the book a 5-star however. As one other reviewer indicated, it would help if we looked a bit at the man himself, and his reference frame. The book was written around 12 years after the events, and he admits to not maintaining accurate notes, so how much was changed in his memory? Certainly he experienced "comradeship," like men do in war, but does that mean we should have wars for this experience? It seemed that he unduly romanticized the hardship, and bemoaned that the bedu would loose their remarkable way of life with the coming impact of the modern world. And there is no question that there are only a few real bedu left on the Arabian peninsula, as they have enthusiastically embraced the conveniences of the modern world in the subsequent 60 years. It should be noted that Thesiger carefully picked the timings of his travels, to do so only in the winter. If he had spent a couple of summers with the bedu, I strongly suspect that much of his romanticism would have evaporated, and the hum of an air-conditioner would be much appreciated. Also, there may have been more than an aversion to the modern material world behind his passion for the remote areas of yore - throughout his life, including his days in Kenya at the end, there was always a youthful companion with him.

Setting aside these caveats, and realizing that the prism may be distorted, his achievements are remarkable, and we are fortunate to have an enthralling narrative of this vanished way of life.

Editorial Review:

The author recounts his travels in the Empty Quarter of Arabia between 1945 and 1950, and describes the vanishing way of life of the Bedouins.

Weird Pennsylvania

Matt Lake

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Bad writing, silly stories 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A friend lent me this book. I was looking for interesting places to visit in PA. This is not a useful book for that.

The stories are not researched. Similar stories can be found in any mediocre book of ghost or weird stories. Nothing about the book is "Pennsylvania." How many books have stories about spontaneous combustion? What makes this a PA story? Stories about large fish? How is that PA?

There is a story about a cemetery on Blue Myst road related by Anonymous. There is no other information about the location of the cemetery. There is nothing PA about this story. Sure, it's local lore, but local to whom?

I'd enumerate some of the writing faux pas, but you don't care. The problem with too many books is that people read them and don't like them but don't know why. It's because of the bad writing. This book is afflicted by bad writing.

I am glad I got a chance to look at this book before investing any money.

Very interesting, PA!!!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you live in or been to the Keystone state than you must own this book. After read this book I did not there were so many abandon insane asylums outside of Philly. There are many interesting stories that are must read for anyone who likes weird and the unusual. If you read it you will like it !!!!

Zagat 2009 America's Top Restaurants

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Travel Tool 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you are going to a really large city, I would recommend the City specific guides over the America's Tops (and thus the 4 stars instead of 5). Still, this guide is a must have for the traveler or even for your own city if it does not have a city specific guide. The information is very accurate and up to date. However, there is a disadvantage to the only top restaurants approach. Also, for example, the Cleveland section includes no Akron restaurants. That may be helpful for the business traveler staying in a downtown hotel, but for most other people it would paint a distorted or limited picture of the available choices. Still, for the price, this is a great deal.

Editorial Review:

For almost thirty years, ZAGAT has reported on the shared experiences of diners. Here are the results of the 2009 AMERICA'S TOP RESTAURANT SURVEY, covering 1,222 restaurants. No matter the economic climate, our appetite for lively dining destinations continues unabated, inspiring ever bolder ventures. For every notable closing, there's another restaurateur waiting in the wings, often joined by an expensive team of architects and designers and ZAGATSURVEY is always there to note the changes. So whether you are looking for the hippest restaurant, where to dine with celebs or find a lunch bargain, the new ZAGATSURVEY 2009 AMERICA'S TOP RESTAURANT SURVEY rates and reviews over 1,250 of America's best restaurants. The newest guide delivers ZAGAT'S signature comprehensive coverage, rating each restaurant on appeal, decor, service and cost.

Greece (Country Guide)

Paul Hellander

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

not the best guide to geece 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

i used to only use Lonely Planet for my travels and loved it. this guide was very dissappointing. the athens info was ok, but with the islands we ended up going to it had very little info on them. even on santorini we saw tons of stuff there that was not in the book, and there were no tips on how to get resonably priced villas, which we did on our own anyways. the places we ended up staying were not in the book. the only thing we ended up using it for was fact-checking.
i would recommend 770 greek islands, the other book we had with much more info on everything.

Editorial Review:

Discover Greece

Get distracted by Acropolis views watching a startlit film at one of Athens' open-air cinemas
Melt into a hot tub and chat to the locals amid the thickly forested Rhodopi Mountains
Rope up and scale the monastery-topped sandstone pinnacles of Meteora
Discover your very own secret cove on Samos' little-visited eastern coast

In This Guide:

Six expert authors, over 3000 hours of on-the-ground research, 169 maps, 147 gyros devoured
New full-color sections cover the country's top experiences, off-the-beaten-track delights, and architectural highlights

The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak

Jason Surrell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Great Book for Fans of Disney Parks 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed this book. This the third book Jason Surrell has written about rides in the disney parks and although it isn't the most detailed of the three, it's still excelent in it's own right. His first two books,
The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies &
Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kindom to the Movies (Welcome Book)
are excelent very detailed stories of each ride at the various parks. The only reason The Disney Mountains comes in 3rd, is because it covers ten different rides (One of which, never came to be) and obviously cannot fit the same amount of detail in a book the same length as the previous two. Still though, a great read and fun for people that love the Disney Parks.

Editorial Review:

How high? How fast? How'd they do that? The top favorites at any Disney Theme park always include the roller coasters. The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak will tell you that and more-not only about the current Disney mountain range and its show enhancements, but about mountains unclimbed and mountains yet to be. Attractions include:

Disneyland: Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain - old and new, Splash Mountain; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Never built: Big Rock Candy Mountain and the Western River Expedition

Disney's California Adventure: Grizzly Peak and Grizzly River Run

Tokyo Disneyland: Mysterious Island (Journey to the Center of the Earth)

Disneyland Paris: Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain

Walt Disney World: Space, Splash, and Big Thunder at Magic Kingdom Park; Mount Mayday and Mt. Gushmore, and the latest mountain-Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

Chile & Easter Island (Country Guide)

Carolyn McCarthy, Jean Bernard Carillet

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Editorial Review:

This title features expanded coverage of Patagonia, including new adventure options in Puerto Natales and more information on Chile's crown jewel, Torres del Paine National Park.Strong cultural coverage gets under the skin of this skinny country including a special feature on wine from a noted Chilean vintner.More DIY coverage lets readers find their own new and exciting adventures.It includes GreenDex mini-index that quickly identifies the properties, tour operators and activity outfitters that operate according to sustainable principles.

Eat the Rich

P.J. O'Rourke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 108 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Laughing at suffering. Psychopathic. 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 38 people found this review helpful.

Smug rich people and their propagandists don't make me laugh, no matter how cute they think they are.
Regarding why some countries are poor and others rich, it's not complicated. The rich nations have been imposing disastrous neoliberal economic policies upon the poor nations that concentrate wealth, destroy local economies, and decimate labor and environmental protections.
Generations of invasions and colonialism haven't helped matters either.
Moreover, those people who work for economic justice are often oppressed by the state forces the rich countries arm and train. For example, the U.S.-backed Colombian forces and paramilitaries kill a couple hundred union activists each year. Subtle Voices: Cries from Colombia and The Profits Of Extermination: How U.S. Corporate Power is Destroying Colombia

O'Rourke does what the rest of the corporatists do, they co-opt the brand "conservative" while they divert their audiences from the realities of geopolitics.
For some actual understanding of economics, I'd recommend When Corporations Rule the World andThe Corporation.

"The money hunger grows on what it feeds. So everyone is compelled to take part in the wild goose chase, and the hunger for possession gets an ever stronger hold of man. It becomes the most important part of life; every thought is on money, all the energies are bent on getting rich, and presently the thirst for wealth becomes a mania, a madness that possesses those who have and those who have not.
Existence has become an unreasoning, wild dance around the golden calf, a mad worship of God Mammon. In that dance and in that worship man has sacrificed all his finer qualities of heart and soul - kindness and justice, honor and manhood, compassion and sympathy with his fellowman. Each for himself and devil take the hindmost. Is it any wonder that in this mad money chase are developed the worst traits of man - greed, envy, hatred, and the basest passions? Man grows corrupt and evil; he becomes mean and unjust; he resorts to deceit, theft, and murder."
-Alexander Berkman

Editorial Review:

"I wanted to know why some parts of the Earth prosper and others suck", writes P.J. O'Rourke, to explain his two-year round the world sojourn in search of the bottom line. In this book, he samples good capitalism on Wall Street and bad capitalism in Albania, with stopovers from Hong Kong to Moscow.

Fodor's Costa Rica 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

Fodor's

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Editorial Review:

Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Costa Rica!

•Updated annually, Fodor’s Costa Rica provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s Costa Rica features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Costa Rica.

•Experience Costa Rica like a local! Fodor’s Costa Rica includes unique photo-features that impart the country’s culture, including driving the Orosi Valley Loop, hiking the Arenal Volcano, taking a canopy tour, lounging on the beach, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Includes 8-page color insert and over 30 maps

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Rick Steves' Provence and The French Riviera 2009

Rick Steves, Steve Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

one of the best books I have read, lots of information and put in a great book form, have purchased his other books.

Provence by Rick Steves 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Rick Steves Provence and the French Riviera 2008-- I find it quite helpful and entertaining.

Trip to Nice, France 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is the second Rick Steves book I have taken to Europe. This trip took me to Nice and the French Riviera, and with this travel book it made the trip stress free. Two tips from the guide book were taking the public bus trip from Nice to Menton and traveling inland to the French Grand Canyon. We took the bus trip on Sunday, which only cost us one euro per person for an hour and 15 minute trip, in a clean, comfortable bus and my boyfriend was able to enjoy the views since he didn't have to drive. The second item from the guide book was a trip inland to the French Grand Canyon. What a beautiful ride and the views were spectacular. Worth the trip - but only would have know about it with the guide book.

Editorial Review:

Enjoy the flavors of Provençal cuisine, relax on the beaches of Nice, or view Roman architecture at it’s finest at the Pont du Gard—Rick Steves’ Provence & The French Riviera 2009 allows any traveler to experience all that this remarkable region has to offer—economically and hassle-free. The heart of the region is it’s cuisine, and Rick covers the plethora of delicious dining options in Provence, from L’Atelier, the world-renowned restaurant in Arles, to the unpretentious cafés dotting the Luberon region. With expert advice on transportation and accommodations, a full Chagall Museum tour, and a healthy dose of humor, Rick Steves’ Provence & The French Riviera 2009 is the definitive guidebook to Southern France.