Newspaper stories about the oil spill created the impression that the cause of the accident was simply that the captain was drunk. This book shows that the real situation was far more complex. The captain was definitely not drunk. He did have a few drinks, which is against regulations. Even after all the analysis it is not clear what exactly went wrong. The fact that the captain had a few drinks was not the only breach of regulations. None of the officers had a six-hour off duty time in the twelve-hour period before departure. The ship was single hulled instead of double hulled as was foreseen when the oil terminal was built. When Congress granted permission to build the pipeline and the terminal one of the conditions was that there would be a state-of-the-art contingency plan for oil spills. There was nothing of the sort. A Vessel Traffic Services station was supposed to monitor the movement of the ships through the strait. Due to cost cutting measures the station was unable to monitor the movement of the ship. A major cause of inefficiency in the clean up was the lack of clarity about who was in charge, the Coast Guard or Exxon. It is not just the captain that acted irresponsibly, so did all parties concerned. This is described in one part of the book. The second part of the book describes the impact of the oil spill and especially of the clean up on the communities affected. Each of the communities split in the middle. Half of the members took the position of trying to squeeze as much money out of Exxon as possible whilst the other half did not want to have anything to do with Exxon. Exxon did not succeed in engaging the communities in a positive way. The third part describes the nature in Alaska. These descriptions are wonderful and make you want to go there. These three parts are interwoven. The advantage is that the reader gets a three dimensional understanding of what happened: the responsibility for the disaster and the clean up, the impact on different members of the community and the impact on nature. The author places the ultimate responsibility on the consumer. He writes, " the American population prefers to live in a fog and is willing to accept almost anything in return for the opportunity to keep its gas tanks topped up" (with cheap gas). The combination of corporations maximising short-term profits and consumers closing their eyes to the consequences of their behaviour makes one worried. There must be a better way.

Out of the Channel should be required reading for anyone who thinks environmentally ... not just environmentalists, but students, political and economic theorists, and most of all, writers. I had the good fortune to learn a great deal about writing from John Keeble, and reading his book is an education all by itself. As a rigorous study of the physical and human impact of the Exxon Valdez disaster, Out of the Channel is a comprehensive anatomy, a text that does not shirk any of the heavy load its vast subject demands. Without taking the easy route of righteous anger, Keeble explores every nuance of the oil spill, and he follows that tenacious blot of Prudhoe Bay crude as it seeps out of the tangible world and into the minds and spirits of the permanent and temporary inhabitants of Prince William Sound. This tenth anniversary edition, with the expanded coverage allowed by the perspective of time, is a gift that should not be overlooked.

John Keeble, whose writing focuses on the issues facing the American Northwest, paints a memorable picture of the Exxon Valdez oilspill and its aftermath. Asked by the Greenwich Village Voice to write an article on the spill, he travels to Alaska and observes first-hand the efforts made to restore the land and the wildlife. However, the more he observes the more he is haunted by two observations: 1) that the size of the oil companies, and the entangled relationship between the companies and the government, is enormously greater than we have suspected, and 2) that the vast amounts of money poured into the clean-up effort causes many to view that money as their goal. His investigations into the clean-up follow a theme he develops in his other works: that the intrusion of a company or government upon the land inevitably causes exploitation; and those who live in that land must invariably suffer the consequences. Torn between the desires to make money, to clear the oil, and to downplay the scope of the incident, the people involved with clean-up waste a good deal of their effort. The more damage Keeble assesses, the more in tune he becomes with the suffering of the people and animals truly hurt, and ultimately, the reader, too, feels the chill that shakes the author at each new discovery.

This little book by Dans and Harrell is a charming introduction to the city of Baltimore, as seen through the eyse of a young Peregrine Falcon. Endangered peregrines first returned to nesting in cities in Baltimore in the 1980's after nearly going extinct in the United States - garnering international attention. Dans skillfully weaves the birth and first year activities of a baby peregrine in with the marvelous history and architecture to be seen in downtown Baltimore. The combination of natural history and scenic Baltimore is very appealing. Kim Harrell's illustrations provide a keen perspective on the falcon's view of a beautiful city.

Perry's Baltimore Adventure: A Bird's Eye View Of Charm City is a picture book story by Peter E. Dans about exploring Baltimore from the viewpoint of an adventurous peregrine falcon. Kim Harrell's soft colors and absorbing illustrations bring to life this engaging story packed with exciting facts about peregrine falcons and the splendors of "Charm City." Perry's Baltimore Adventure would make a welcome and popular addition to any family, school, or community library collection.

This delightful book is a great story and a vivid tour of the city of Baltimore. The color illustrations are breathtaking and really give you a sense of flying along with the falcons as they visit various points of interest in the city. The birds are accurately depicted and the detailed panoramas make you want to look again and again. Highly recommended!

"Quarter Moon Rising" is a quick-paced, fun to read book. The characters are raw, and the story is intricate without being overly complicated. While I'm not, nor have I ever been a police officer, I am a fan of the genre. This book ranks up at the top of my list, and I look forward to future releases by Perry.

A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE, WHO FAILED TO BE DEBRIEFED AFTER A TRAMATIC INCIDENT INVOLVING THE DEATH OF HIS PARTNER, STRUGGLES IN HIS PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND IN HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS UNTIL HE FACES AND DESTROYES THE DEMON THAT NEARLY DESTROYED HIM. AUTHOR PERRY WRITES FROM THE REALITY OF LIFE'S ESPERIENCES, STRIPPING OFF THE FACADE OF HUMAN NATURE, EXPOSING THE RAW BEHAVIOR AND EMOTIONS OF SELF-ABSORBED, OUR-OF-CONTROL PEOPLE. HE PROVIDES A LOOK INTO THE CONSCIENCELESS SOULS OF CRIMINALS AS THEY INFECT SOCIETY WITH THEIR VENOM, DISPLAYING A SENSELESS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE. HE EXPOSES THE POLITICS AND PRACTICES IN POLICE INVESTIGATIONS AND THE PRECARIOUS INTERACTIONS IN HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. PERRY HAS A FAST MOVING INTRIGUING PLOT WITH MANY TWISTS AND TURNS THAT KEEP THE READER GLUED TO THE BOOK IN ANTICIPATION OF THE CONCLUSION. PICTURESQUE AND COLORFUL LANGUAGE KEEP THE STORY LIVELY AND ENGAGING. EACH CHAPTER ENDS IN SUSPENSE STIRRING A DESIRE TO PLUNGE INTO THE NEST CHAPTER WITH ANTICIPATION. THE STORY CRESCENDOS TO A BREATHTAKING CONCLUSION.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. THE POLICE COMMUNITY CAN EASILY IDENTIFY WITH THE STORY AND THE CHARACTERS.

RETIRED PORTLAND POLICE OFFICER, HERSCHEL LANGE

Kent Perry recently retired after serving 28 years with the Portland Police Bureau. As a detective, he investigated more than 100 homicides, and he has brought that gritty world to his first novel, a character-driven, police-procedural story that only a real cop could have written.

Kent has a wonderful sense of story, a knack for instant characterization and the ability to maintain tension from the first page to the last. Just try to put the book down during the last 40 or 50 pages.

Quarter Moon Rising is the story of a residential robbery that turns into a can of worms. Two people end up dead and millions of dollars in paintings are stolen, including one called Quarter Moon Rising.

The lead detective, John DeSoto, must conduct his investigation while battling personal demons, an authoritarian captain and pressure from the media. Along the way, we meet a host of characters: cops, thieves, swindlers, tramps, brutal killers, and many others. Although some characters we see only briefly, with just a couple of sharply-written sentences, Kent fleshes them in so well that they instantly come alive.

Kent's writing really shines when he is describing violence: tight, raw and in your face, no doubt the result of personally seeing dozens upon dozens of victims and investigating the events that led to their last days on Earth.

He also does a wonderful job with dialogue, which can be a problem for new writers. His characters speak realistically and in character, all without drawing attention to the writing.

The paperback...runs 388 pages and at 5 ½ by 8 1/2, it's larger than the average paperback.

I highly recommend Quarter Moon Rising. Not because it's written by a fellow police officer, but because it's a darn good book.

This book has long been a family favorite---we reviewed it in draft form and enjoyed it even more as a finished product. Having known Jim Ritchie for many many years he truly is what you see is what you get kind of person-----this book is a real keeper and guarenteed to make you laugh as you see yourself in some his stories. ..Frank C. Stebbins, Jackson, Ms

You can see the cracker barrel in your mind and picture the old timers sitting around it listening to stories such as these. The stories come alive and the illustrations are terriffic! If you are from the south you will relate. If you're not from the south (too bad) you will wish you were. Great read, great fun! I recommend it heartily!

The stories are side-splitting funny and the art, makes you want to cut out the pages to frame. What a duo..husband and wife.

I'm 19 years of age and I loved it, I read the 1st, 2nd and 3rd series. I can really relate to the 1st series. I ran across the book at the point in my life when I was down. I read the table of contents and literally cried in the store, just thanking GOD for sending something similar to what I was going through. I bragged to my boyfriend on how wonderful the book was, and now he's reading them, and he's 21 years of age. The amazing part is he's enjoying them so much he's going to go buy the 4th book! I'm so proud of him, because this is my own little way of getting him back into church. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ IT!

Hi reviewers,

I am 15 yrs. old, and before I read the books in the "Payton Skky Series" (1-4) I was entering high school and I was really nervous about going. My friend actually was the one who let me borrow books (1-3) of the series. She told me how good they were and how they made her think of her life and how she handled situations similar to those in the books. I have to admit I was reluctant to read these books because I am really not a reader, but to my surprise I actually enjoyed reading the books. They were an inspiration to me. By reading the books I was able to help some of my friends and cousins through similar situations in "Sober Faith" (book 2). Not only did I enjoy reading the books My mother and best friend also enjoyed them. I can't wait to get book 5, "Surrendered Heart!" Even if you don't enjoy reading, you will learn from and enjoy these books as I did!!

I recently picked up Stephanie's Payton Skyy Series (all three) at a Christian Youth Conference. I am a parent of three and writer. I was thrilled to find books my daughter will one day be able to identify with being African-American, Christian and female. There are very few books out there for this age group. I decided to read them before putting them away for her (for when she gets older) and I found that I could not put them down. All I can say is God is good and finds wonderful ways to reach you. If I had books like these when I was in high school and dealing with the same issues, my life would have been a lot easier. Stephanie does not preach down at the reader. Instead the message is gently woven through wonderful characters. Payton Skyy is the type of girl most girls dream of becoming. This particular title was great because it deals with substance abuse. It not only helps the reader learn how to deal with it themselves, but how to help friends when they fall victim to it as well. Please pick this up and share it with any teenager you care about.

This set of 5 discs is a terrific presentation of Seeing Ear Theater's stab at Tales from the Crypt. The production and acting is quite good as are the tales themselves. Really nothing to complain about other than the lack of the 3rd story from the series THIS TRICK'LL Kill Ya.
Please someone release CITY OF DREAMS on CD, another terrific SET production.

I like this book because it's scary and fun. I haven't been listening to the television shows, but this does not hinder my enjoyment of this book. I like all the stories such as Tight Grip, and Island Of Death. The story of Tight Grip is somewhat an emotional story, but the rest of the stories are very cool. I like all of them. They are cool to listen to. I highly recommend this to future fans of this series.

This is a collection of Seeing Ear Theater's "Tales from the Crypt" episodes. For those who don't know, SET is a series of internet audio files that are like the stories on the radio from years past. There are several different types of stories in the SET stable, but my favorites have always been the TFTC stories, since I grew up with the TV show (as a freaked-out preadolescent watching the shows in syndication), and it was great to see (or hear, I guess) something new. For those who, like me, were big fans of these episodes (which were put on "hiatus" a couple years ago) when they were only available online and spent hours and hours listening to them multiple times, you'll definetely enjoy this opportunity to hear them without waiting for them to load (and without having constant buffering interruptions). For those who were fans, be aware that you are only getting 7 out of the 8 produced episodes ("This Trick'll Kill Ya" is the missing segment, but since I always thought this was the weakest of the 8, if one has to be missing, I'm fine with the fact that it's this one). For those who don't know anything about this, each episode is a horror/humor story in the vein of the TV show (or the comics). Like the TV show, celebrities star in most of the episodes (standout performances include Oliver Platt, John Ritter, Keith David, and Tim Curry). Also like the TV show, the Cryptkeeper (voiced, as always, by the great John Kassir)bookends each episode. Each episode runs between 35 and 45 minutes. You can tell that everyone involved treated this as a labor of love. These tales are worthy successors to the great TV show and Original EC Comics. .... Thanks to everyone involved from a long time "Tales" fan. Oh yeah, and to whoever is in charge of the TV episodes, a season-by-season DVD release would be fantastic.

As a regular customer of "Tea & Sympathy" I found it a great joy to get behind the scenes and find out what really goes on in the tiny space which I have grown to love so much. The story told by author Anita Naughton is always full of enjoyable stories and comical situations that the girls frequently find themselves in.
The recipes that Nicola Perry has at long last revealaed are easy to follow and produce great results.

All in all a great idea for any Anglophile or budding Jamie Oliver.

This is far more than a cookbook -- in fact, calling it a cookbook is like calling 'Moby Dick' a fishing story. Every recipe is preluded by a hilarious anecdotal story about the author's life in New York as a waitress trying to 'make it,' and these tales create a marvelously entertaining narrative thread. The vignettes of customers are wickedly funny -- Naughton has an eye for skewering the pretentions of New Yorkers, both native and Anglo. Many of the tales are delightfully ribald -- a cross between Seinfeld and Sex and the City. A great present for the Christmas season -- the recipes suit the weather, and the stories are worth reading aloud on the long winter nights!

I have been going to Tea & Sympathy for almost as long as it has been open and this book really captures the feel of the place. Aside from all of the recipes I have been dying to have for years, I now feel privy to the repartee I always knew existed between the people who work there. What a joy! Now I can make the English food I have come to love myself AND when I go to the shop I am in the loop! If you have never been to T&S this is certainly the next best thing.

Third in the Minds series (Of Two Minds, More Minds), Out of Their Minds continues the psychic adventures of Princess Lenora of Gepeth, who possesses the ability to make whatever she imagines come true, and Prince Coren of Andilla, who can read minds. About to be married in Andilla, where reality plays second fiddle to imagination, Coren and Lenora discover that all is not well. First Lenora starts having nightmares about her old nemesis Hevak. Then it is discovered that all the Andillians have lost their mental powers and are now forced to live in a crumbling and long-neglected reality. And then there are the Skwoes, the people with absolutely no imagination...

Out of Their Minds is a fun new installment in the series, but the plot is noticeably more derivative. Fewer new and intriguing ideas are brought up; the series appears to be running a little low on fuel. Hopefully the newest one, A Meeting of Minds, will be fresher. In the meantime, enjoy this one for what it's worth.

I am giving this book 4 stars since it isn't as good as the first two but still a good book. I especially love how Matas & Nodelman brought back the characters Leni and Cori. These books are so cool and I hope they write more of them together, since they make such a great team.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! If you are looking for a follow up to Harry Potter, you got it right here. The whole trilogy keeps you on the edge of your seat and giggling the whole time!

My daughter is not an avid reader, but she started this book and could not put it down. Obviously the book teaches godly principles and keeps the reader totally engaged in the story. We are ordering all of Moore's books for our daughter to read---And they all get passed around to all teh junior high the girls at the international school here.

I have read the book, but my wife has looked it over and confirms that there is a strong moral message as well as being well written.

A few of my friends read this book and thought it was wonderful, so I had to read it. Once I started, I couldn't put it down! This book is exciting to read, and also has extremely important life lessons behind it. And because it is told from a teenage girl's point of view, I can relate to it even more. I would recommend this Laurel Shadrach series to any girl. A+! :)

"Purity Reigns" is an excellent book, and I love it! My father bought it for me because he realized how important the message was. This book is great, because it gives a realistic situation of a girl struggling with what God and the Bible require of her; peer pressure, and her own personal desires. It accurately portrays the life of a high school girl with a boyfriend who wants to take things further than she is ready for, and her friends who must face the consequences of their actions. This is a great book for teens and preteens, even if they aren't struggling with the battle of sexual purity. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, Christian or not, and give it five stars and two thumbs up!

This book presents modern Chinese language material as used in Taiwan. It helped me to have broader and more useful conversations with people which were very beneficial to field studies. The vocabulary is more current than most intermediate Chinese language materials and ensures the student is able to easily participate in most daily conversations with people of almost all education levels in Taiwan.

This book usually is intended for students who have already studied a year of chinese. However it is a bit more advanced than that, but should not pose too much of a problem. The vocabulary and text are much more interesting than texts from first year Chinese courses, and the material is much more relevent to the educated populace of China and Taiwan.

I used this book when studying in Taiwan. It is definately intermediate-level and may be too advanced for beginners. It follows American language teaching methods and has explanatory grammer sentence patterns, lots of drills, and fun practise exercises. It also has a good amount of reading material included. The English explanations are clear and Mainland-style pinyin is used with traditional characters. It is definately *the* book to learn about Taiwan and its everyday life. If you have never been to Taiwan, some of the subjects might seem confusing or odd, but it all makes sense once you are there.