Reed Books

I am a professor of City and Regional Planning and I found this book a much-needed addition to the urban-planning literature. The book is written at a level appropriate for a wide range of audiences including planning students, policy makers, politicians, urban planners, and community activists. The comprehensiveness of the work provides a much-needed explanation for students yearning for a broader understanding of how an ensemble of urban elements can help American cities accommodate growth while sustaining a sense of community for their dwellers.

What is unique about Portland's current land-use system? If planning is so popular, how does one explain the recent backlash? Where would be the balance between regulatory rules and other possibilities? These are examples of questions asked by The Portland Edge (edited by Connie Ozawa), written by a team of academics at Portland State University's School of Urban Studies and Planning. The thirteen chapters of the edited book are organized in four sections. The first section presents the demographic, economic, and civic character of the Portland region by presenting data on key dimensions of economy, equity, and environment. The second section traces Portland's growth-management policies and details the institutional structures by describing a range of the roles of regional and city bodies, such as Metro (the elected regional planning authority), the Portland Development Commission, citizen-involvement mechanisms, and neighborhood associations. The third section unveils Portland's social structures that allow people to create collective visions of community and offers examples of how the underrepresented groups and the citizen advocates work to voice themselves. The last section lays out several issues of the most interest, such as the liveliness of downtown and neighborhoods, housing affordability, implementation of state transportation and environment policies at the local jurisdiction level, and Portland's responses to the homeless.

Those interested in examining the ways in which urban policy and planning have made a difference in the Portland region will find that the book offers a valuable overview of the region, a helpful background of the stressors on the current urban political and social system, and an effective explanation of current conditions in the context of the people and social institutions that have been influential in shaping today's Portland. The book offers the reader a comprehensive range of matters: each chapter picks a different angle of the inquiry--for example, the struggle between the well represented and the underrepresented, the competition between the central city and the suburbs, the rivalry between highways and transit, and the balance between Portland's natural landscapes and the interests of today's property owners. The bulk of the book presents a balanced view of Portland today through operationalizing the concept of quality of life. The book contributes in integrating environmental, social, and economic issues in a systematic evaluation framework that allows other communities to carry out critical and empirical inquiry to examine civic identity and urban environment in their communities. The book does a good job of what it intends to accomplish: to detail successes and challenges in Portland communities.

What a great book of RK Post's warped and beautiful visions of fantasy and horror. This hardcover book has a comprehensive selection of the cream of the crop (to date) that RK has painted and drawn, including Klick Klack, Unmask (Magic The Gathering card art), Avatar of Hope, Avatar of Will, and, yes, it has the girl gunslinger in the black duster coat as well.

I only wish that RK had put in comments for each of the works.

If you liked his paintings that appeared in the yearly Spectrum books, this would make a great addition to your library.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (12/07)

Victor Banis' cookbook came at a perfect time - I didn't know what to prepare for dinner. Having fresh chicken in the fridge, I resorted to trying out the recipe for "Garlic Chicken." I was surprised I needed 40 cloves of garlic which sounded like a lot, but it ended up being only two heads. There was a note at the beginning of the recipe saying not to get nervous at the amount of garlic. I proceeded to try the recipe because I had everything the recipe called for. I must say, it is Delicious!

As a side to this meal I tried the "Savory Wild Rice." The simple recipe is most appetizing. Of course, the 1 stick of butter and 6 strips of bacon would enhance any dish!

I was pleased to see a recipe named "Low Carb Cool and Easy Parfait" in the section "Diabetic Friendly Deserts." It topped off the meal very nicely, was easy and quick to make.

At this point I've only tried these three recipes but my intent is to try some others. Browsing through the book I see a lot of great recipes and the best part, I have most of the ingredients in my pantry.

Victor J. Banis did an outstanding job collecting a variety of recipes that anyone would enjoy to make. I find cookbooks with recipes contributed by individuals intriguing and they are usually easy to make. In most cases the contributors give their most prized recipes for us to try out. And, I must say, what I've seen in "The Pot Thickens" I can vouch they are simple and prized.

This book is a basic text that would be useful for a public speaking class or training seminar. This textbook covers all the important tools and techniques that would be helpful in preparing informative, persuasive and argumentative speeches. The book also includes excellent examples and illustrations. This should be a required book for every public speakers bookshelf

Lord St Leonards (otherwise known as Sir Edward Sugden) sat in the House of Lords, and wrote this and another fundamental text (on property law). This book on "powers" went into 8 editions.

Not only is this text written with great authority and gravity, it is also written in the most delightful english. A specimen about the origin of trusts will serve:

"The increasing commerce of the country, and the consequent necessity of frequent and secret transfers of property; the desire of evading forfeitures for treason; the frauds of the clergy to increase their possessions; the desire so natural to all men of disposing of their property by will - all these circumstances concurred in sharpening men's wits to discover a mode of evading the strictness of the common law, and rendering estates transferable by the secret delivery of a deed, subject to all the capricious dispositions of the owner, as well by act inter vivos as by will."

Yes, the book is written from the perspective of a man used to writing about the disabilities of a femme covert. Yes, you do have to work a little to undertand some of the old conveyancing steps described. BUT - are you a real lawyer, or just some functionary with a licence to appear in court?

This book compares well against Farwell on Powers, though the later Thomas on Powers describes the modern use of this flexible concept - eg in superannuation/pension funds. The Australian book, MacLean on Powers, is also worth snapping up.

If you have trouble getting Sugden from this source, visit Proquest's UMI "Books on Demand" - like I did. Produced from microfilm, on demand, in soft covers, the text is nevertheless quite readable, and book is very satisfying to work from.

In short, if you have a difficult problem about powers, read Sugden, then Thomas, then Farwell, and MacLean (being much shorter and more compact) may have something on the question as well. By the way, Thomas will set you back AUD800, so don't think it is any cheaper than getting both Sugden and Farwell!!!

This book is really detailed and is useful for real estate professionals who counsel their clients on how to increase cash-flow to their investments. No other book around provides the detail and instruction that this one provides. Bravo to the authors.

Though Arabic fiction has been typically characterized as "realist" this novel extends fair beyond the borders of traditional narratives (both Western and Mid. Eastern) and into the realm of poetics, metafiction, folklore, and abstraction. A solid achievement on every level. Though even the author has expressed doubts about the validity of translated texts, I found the book, despite whatever has been lost by its transition into English, to be astoundingly poignant and surprisingly surreal. My only complaint, in fact, is that Nasrallah has virtually no other works that have been translated into a language that I can actually read. Not yet at least...

The book, though not directly political, can do nothing to prevent itself from depicting the disillusionment and frustration of an entire generation of Palestinians living in exile- the theme of identity loss, IMO, is intricately connected with this reality. Nasrallah is also more of a poet than a fiction writer (this is actually one of his only novels, he's famous mostly for his poetry) but I think this serves to give his narrative a fresh voice and structural style that most traditional novelists lack.

A must read, especially for those with even the remotest interest in the Middle-East.

Avery Gorman's book is about a girl who is date raped and her fight to regain her soul. It raises an important question about our whole approach to sexual morality. In our society it is increasingly suggested that we should by sexually desirable and experienced in order to be popular and happy, and that our qualities be publically and even aggressively transmitted. Sex comes first, then, possibily, respect, love, commitment. I suggest this is all back to front. ANY sexual encounter can lead to rape. If we viewd relationships differently, that truly fulfilling sex only follows after respect, love and commitment, there would be no date-rape. This is NOT to say that a girl who is date-raped was "asking" for it: there is no excuse for aggressive assault. But young people need to be educated to realize that true relationships develop from character rather than physical attraction and that true popularity wuill come from maintaining that stand.

From the back cover:

The Book That Proves They're Right

"The public is entirely justified in thinking that a lot of American journalism is unfair and inaccurate."

Robert MacNeil

"Certain issues are deliberately passed over in silence in order that others may be unduly emphasized."

Pope John-Paul II, in Burbank, California

"There is no such thing as objectivity. Any reporter who tells you he's objective is lying to you."

Linda Ellerbee

Objectivity "was invented by journalism schools. It has very little to do with real life."

Geraldo Rivera

"The press, the radio and television stand indicted of the crime of failing in their great and growing responsibility to give the American people an honest picture of the news of the day."

Barry Goldwater

How the news media are deceiving the American people... that's the sub-title.

This book is nearly ten years old, but it is here because its message is still just as pertinent and true as it was when it was written.

The news media is, indeed, biased in their reporting, and Accuracy in Media (Irvine's organization)has been documenting their subterfuges, mis-characterizations, leftist propaganda, coverups, overstatements and whitewashes for years.

This book is replete with proof, documented cases of individuals within the media deliberately deceiving the American people. It names names, and cites the actual words and pictures. The smear jobs, the quietly covered scandals, the dirty tricks...they're all in here. Well, not ALL, because nobody knows about ALL of them, but the ones that could be uncovered and reported.

Why are so many journalists left-leaning? Perhaps that is the wrong approach to the question. Perhaps it should be "Why does a person enter journalism as a profession in the first place?" Because they truly want to simply report the news to their fellow man? Too many of them are driven by the need to be crusaders, to save the world, to save the trees, to save the whale, to save the ozone layer. Who knows what drives a zealot.

In any case, they are the ones who decide what news deserves to go on the front page, and which politician to excoriate (and, of course, which one to protect from discovery.)

This is a good book. If you haven't read it, you should try to get it.

I am not really into comics, but after picking this one up, I was impressed. Great graphics, especially after I found out it was done by Photoshop, and an easy to understand story. I think it was very well done and I look forward to seeing and reading more graphic novels in the future.