I had "Urban Economics" for one of my urban planning courses at graduate school. It was a pleasure to study the principles and processes of city building, growth and dynamics, through this book. Every chapter in the book can be a title for a separate volume. So this is a very comprehensive overall general view of economics as a determinant of urban development and form.

I particularly liked the chapters on Urban Poverty and Housing. The chapter on poverty explains issues like income transfers, food stamps and their effect on consumer behavior, problems of inner cities and development policies needed to change that.

Housing has a great chapter devoted to the peculiarities of housing as a commodity and the effect of race and discrimination on housing patterns. The most interesting part concerns the "filtering" of housing from the upper income to lower income populations.

Also explained is the auto oriented transportation vs mass transit and their specific roles in shaping cities.

Highly recommended. Easy to read and understand.

Finally, an overview of the spiritual truths of the world that incorporates the various perspectives of the world's religions. The book's insights lead one through a well-organized revelation of the ancient mysteries, esoteric knowledge, and religious traditions to expand one's perspective of reality. The author generously shares his insights on the path of Wisdom and the true nature of reality. Highly recommended.

Hidden Doe becomes a medicine woman. She has to learn about plants, work hard. She meets a white girl, and thinks: She is just like me, only her skin is white. Het tribe has to move around, but she goes back to find her Grandmother. On her way she meets a with woman and learns about the differences between her and White Gull.

Reading this book got me rich 6 times-Boyakka Shar

With his latest book of collected poems, Mark Irwin once again proves that he is one of the finest poets writing today. With a voice that is at once ephemral and yet schooled in hard earth, he writes poems of beauty and transcendence. Similar to Jorie Graham or Pinsky in scope and texture, Mark cleaves a path of his own here. This book is wonderful and I reccommend checking out his earlier collection Quick, Now and Always for more of the same.

Now in its third edition and featuring a foreword by President Jimmy Carter, The Words Of Peace collects selections of commentaries on peace drawn directly from speeches by the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. A deeply moving and inspirational anthology filled from cover to with uplifting and emotional messages aspiring to the best of human nature, The Words Of Peace is especially timely and enthusiastically recommended reading in this present international situation of a global war on terrorism.

This book is in print. It is available from Open Books,232 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, Oh 45387. Phone: 937-767-l966. FAX 767-l968. Thank you.

Can a book about your skin be elegant? I think this one is, not because of gorgeous or flashy graphics, but because it is easy to read and reference, thorough without being overly technical, and full of straightforward information about our skin. If you are looking for information about skin care that cuts through the sales pitches and pseudo-science we're bombarded with in magazines, on TV, and at the cosmetic counters, this is the book to get.

Is laser surgery the solution for you? Dr. Irwin will help answer that question and tell you what to expect before, during, and after the procedure. How can you shrink your pores? Despite what the label may say on that pricey potion you bought, Dr. Irwin will tell it like it is -- you can't. But she'll let you down easy, telling you what you can do to at least make them look smaller.

I swear anyone following Dr. Irwin's advice will save money on their everyday skin care routines. For one thing, you'll probably learn you need about half as many separate lotions and potions as you currently use. Also, she'll tell you which drugstore cleansers and creams work just as well -- and even better -- than the expensive ones.

Written by a woman doctor who understands our desire to look our best, this book is warm, practical, and intersting to boot. (Did you know there is a gene for blushing?) Definitely a great buy.

Plato's Republic is unquestionably the origin of philosophical lines of thought which are still undoubtedly relevant today. Written in dialogue form (i.e. like a discussion between many characters), the main exponent of the argument is Socrates, Plato's friend and mentor who was executed by the Athenian government - an event which led Plato to effectively denounce democracy as an impractical system. The Republic is the result of this denouncement: beginning with the philosophical question 'What is justice?', it proceeds to lay out the nature of the ideal state. Along the way, we are given Plato's legandary Theory of Forms, including the fantastically simple Simile of the Cave - a brilliant philosophical exposition of the difference between this world and the 'proper', 'real' world of which Earth is only a shadow. Desmond Lee's translation makes the very best of a particularly tricky task, and compromises on several key passages with effective authority. The main problem for the modern layman is in getting used to the Socratic form of argument in textual form - seeing Glaucon and Adeimantus answering with "Yes", "I agree" and "That's quite right" for 350-odd pages will drive anybody a little crazy after a while! That (very minor) nitpick aside, there are two excellent appendices regarding the philosophical passages in the text, plus a detailed bibliography for those who wish to follow up on the book. And it's worth it, believe you me.

Plato's The Republic, is not only a classic work of the fourth century B.C., but a masterpiece of utopian literature as a whole. Mr. Lee's translation brings into light the political and poetical wisdom of Plato into English from the original Greek. In The Republic, Plato raises questions that are still at the heart of many modern conflicts and heated debates. What is justice? What is goodness? What is the right political authority? Plato examines these questions as aspects of a single theme. He offers a portrait of an ideal state in which power is entrusted to the philosopher king(s), and other men and women accept the authority of the wise and the good. If no one has read The Republic, then he or she has not read anything!

Plato's Republic is the fount from which nearly all Western thought flows. Pretty much everything written in that tradition either borrows from Plato or refutes him, and the Republic articulates his philosophies more fully than any of his other works(although the Timaeus is more mature and the Symposium is an amazing discussion on a single point). I must disagree with both of the main camps on this site; it is neither just a work of political philosophy NOR just a work of moral psychology(how to order your mind). Plato thought that all things should reflect the ultimate good, so that the ideal society would be ordered in the exact same way that the ideal human being would be. Thus, every part of one's psyche would correspond to a part of society(it's a microcosm!), and the "higher" parts of one's mind would be mirrored in the Guardians, the "higher" parts of society.

With that said, it is easy to see that the Republic proposes many things that disgust most modern human beings: censorship for political stability, ostracism of those with "weak" (read: human, sensitive, or some equivalent) emotions, killing young children, government regulation of sexual activity, and such. Even when Plato tries to give women equal rights, an _extremely_ radical idea in Ancient Greece, his ancient prejudices show up when he calls them "equal but weaker in all ways(morally, intellectually, and physically)".

Despite all of its shortcomings, the Republic was the work that singlehandedly separated the real from the ideal in Western civilization, and it also defined the kinds of questions that Western philosophers would try to answer until the 20th century. Pick up a book of Western philosophy at random, and I guarantee you that some issue introduced in the Republic will hit you within the first five pages. Even the Communist Manifesto rips off his discourse on women and his notion of work defining human beings. The Republic was the first work of real philosophy in the conversation of ideals that continues to this very day in fields as diverse as politics, philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and religion. (PS: If you think Plato's an idealistic fool, read Aristotle. So did he.)

I choose Tower Treasure because my teacher recommended it because I told her I was interested in mystery books,and it was a good choice.
This book is about two young teenage boys who want to be detectives like their father.They are out to solve a mystery of stolen jewels.This is a mystery they want to solve quick to clear a friend's father who is innocent.During their journey they find many clues,but to find out the amazing ending you'll have to read it.
I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy mystery books.It is exciting as you near the end,but you have to give it a chance in the beginning.I'm sure you'll enjoy this mystery book.

This was a fairly good Hardy Boys book. Can't say it is the best though because other books have more suspense, mystery. However, this book was the first and therefore did not need to be the best. Frank and Joe Hardy are the sons of celebrated detective Fenton Hardy. Apparently even though it does not go into details, they just helped them on a case. They hear that the Tower Mansion, one of the bigges houses in town has been robbed. They find out that the suspected is one of their best friend's dad Henry Robinson. Using a lot of brainwork because of a deficit of details they figure out the solution of the mystery. To find out what it is, read it.

I first read this book when I was twelve years and it was one of the first of many Hardy Boys I read. Unfortunately, in my youth I read the 1960's version, but this version, written in the 1920's, is much much better (I'm 39 now and read it to my son).

I think the most interesting thing about this book is that a lot of the problems that today's parents/teachers/politicians complain about are the main topic in this story. Without giving away the storyline, it has car jacking, crime, violence, false judgments of youths, neglected children and murder. I guess it just goes to show that the good old days weren't always what they seem to be.

Briefly the storyline is as follows. A rich person house is broken into and jewelry, money, and bonds are stolen. The Hardy boys investigate and find out that this burglary is related other things going on in town. Eventually, the boys with the help of their father solve the mystery.

A nice bonus for this book is that for those of you who always wanted to know about Franklin W. Dixon, a very brief biography is presented.