Living and Working in Paradise: Why Housing Is Too Expensive and What Communities Can Do About It

Book Description

Affordable housing is a pressing problem that challenges communities today. Populations grow, but the supply of land remains fixed. Housing prices rise faster than incomes. Even middle-class folks can't afford to live in many communities any more. Cities and towns worldwide face a growing housing crisis.

Living and Working in Paradise: Why Housing is Too Expensive and What Communities Can Do About It delves into the theories of economics and housing and identifies housing market externalities - growth management regulations, exclusionary zoning and land-use regulations, and second-home demand - as the causes of housing market failure and the growing community housing crisis.

As a means of addressing a community housing crisis, Living and Working in Paradise presents the Community Evaluation and Intervention Process, a systematic methodology for examining and evaluating the housing market in a community for the existence of market failure or for the factors and conditions that have been shown to lead to market failure, and for developing a vision, strategy, and plan for community intervention to address market failure and provide housing for community residents.

As proof that communities can act to address market failure, the book presents the in-depth case study of four tourism communities, each experiencing housing market failure, who have effectively evaluated their housing market and intervened to address a housing crisis. Drawn from these cases are a series of lessons for the housing practitioner, the critical success factors and other keys to the development and implementation of an effective housing intervention.

Average customer rating:
Housing and real estate.(Living and Working in Paradise Why Housing Is Too Expensive and What Communities Can Do About It)(Book Review) : An article from: Journal of the American Planning Association
Jamye Long , and Paula Mathis
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000EQII8G
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of the American Planning Association, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 793 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Housing and real estate.(Living and Working in Paradise Why Housing Is Too Expensive and What Communities Can Do About It)(Book Review)
Author: Jamye Long
Publication: Journal of the American Planning Association (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 1 Page: 126(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Over the last three decades the average life expectancy of a corporation in North America has dipped well below 20 years. In fact, by 1983 a full third of the 1970 Fortune 500 companies had been acquired, merged, or broken apart. In this landmark book, one of the business world's foremost pioneers, Russell L. Ackoff, delivers this indispensable guide for those hoping to beat these odds--and to better navigate the corporate challenges of the next millennium. While most business and management schools continue to teach the functions of a corporation separately--production, marketing, finance, personnel--the reality is that for a corporation to endure each division must work with the others to create an effective system. Re-Creating the Corporation is Ackoff's masterful blueprint for understanding and creating these model corporate systems. In four comprehensive sections--Background, Process, Designs, and Change--Ackoff lays out in clear concise prose the five organizational goals of successful corporate systems: plan effectively, learn and adapt rapidly, democratize, introduce internal market economies, and employ a flexible structure that will minimize the need for future restructuring. And through a deft mix of practical and theoretical examples drawn from a wide range of applications in a wide range of firms, this book ultimately guides executives to the system best suited to meet their organizational goals. Re-Creating the Corporation, which is the culmination of a lifetime of innovative and insightful business thought from one of the business world's premier thinkers, is essential reading for those attempting to navigate the rapidly changing economic environment of the next millennium.

Customer Reviews:

Truly Ackoff's Best.......2002-05-29

Recreating the Corporation is Ackoff's best work on utilizing the use of systems thinking to understand how to make not only pieces of companies better, but how optimizing the entire company can lead to dramatic improvements. Those who know Ackoff's work will appreciate his freshening of material contained elsewhere and the addition of new concepts to make the framework wholistic.

Organizational Design to Apply The Fifth Discipline.......2000-09-25

Since Peter Senge eloquently introduced business readers to the importance of systems thinking in The Fifth Discipline, companies have been grappling with how to apply that aspect of the learning organization. In Re-Creating the Corporation, Russell Ackoff has written the most complete description of how such an organization can be created.

A system is any grouping of parts that is influenced by its parts and requires their coordination to create the best result. A car is an example. You can take the best transmission from one type of car, the best engine from another, and the best brakes from a third, and they will not work together. This is a typical quality of systems: If you optimize any part of the system, you reduce the effectiveness of the whole. But most organizations are set up to seek optimization of the part rather than the system, creating disasters like the car example I just used.

Although he makes only limited reference to it, Professor Ackoff is clearly influenced by complexity science. He has created fractals (small versions of the whole that scale up and down) in his organization, and is trying to expose the widest number of people to the widest possible perspectives on the systems issues of an organization.

The book is designed as a series of essays to explain what systems are and how they operate; processes for planning, design, implementation and learning; organizational designs that apply the concepts of democracy, economy and flexibility; and an overview of the weaknesses of management fads and panaceas, and the benefits of working on organizational and transformational leadership instead. His goal is to create an organization that is as stable as possible in order to create an organization that is as flexible as possible. Let me explain. He wants to avoid reorganizations of roles and jobs, but he wants the organization as a system to evolve rapidly and easily in serving stakeholders.

I found the concepts to be quite consistent with the realities of a wired world, by putting a structure and a thought process together that will provide a context for gaining benefits from enhanced communication. Basically, the structure relies on creating a three dimensional organization -- one that relies on input (functional) units like purchasing, finance, and legal that are primarily used internally, output (product or service creating) units such as the manufacturing activities, and market or user defined (customer or geography) units. Most organizations emphasize one of these three dimensions or the other. By keeping them in place in a balanced way, the idea is to avoid needing to make adjustments to create or abolish any of these types of units.

A second major innovation to aid this organizational structure is the idea of using interacting boards to supervise each unit. This creates more participation, more democracy, and more interconnection across the organization.

To this, Ackoff combines a common process for systems solution creation and implementation that all would learn in the organization.

With organization, thinking, and doing processes in place, he then proposes that organizations go for transformational change rather than incremental change.

I found the book to be full of fresh thinking and interesting examples of how this can be applied based on Mr. Ackoff's consulting experiences with his well-known, long-term clients like DuPont and Anheuser-Busch.

For those who want to learn more about systems thinking at the micro level, I suggest reading the sections on that in The Fifth Discipline Field Guide. That will help you understand the concepts much better than the material in this book.

While I agree with the concept of keeping the organization as stable as possible, I found the proposals here to be a pretty ponderous way to accomplish that end. I suspect that simpler versions of this concept could work almost as well in coordinating systems thinking, and might work much more rapidly. For a newer, smaller organization, the structure would be overly complicated.

My own idea is that companies should move beyond organizational design and problem-solving structures as their focus to concentrate instead on creating an overriding mission, vision, strategy, tactics, and means of implementation (with employees and stakeholders who are energized by this diretion) that are all-encompassing in perspective and in providing direction, and perpetual in appropriateness. Then, by focusing on the key points of potential progress, the organization should constantly make large improvements in its business model that are more adaptable to the changing business environment. I think this concept of the organization that I have just described is easier to understand and apply once it is formulated in an organization than the ideas described here from Re-Creating the Corporation.

Even though I disagree with the proposed solutions in this very interesting book, I gave the book five stars for raising most of the right questions. We learn more from good questions than from the first sets of proposed solutions, and I hope that others will take these questions seriously and pursue them as well.

After you have read this book, ask yourself where in your organization you are pursuing optimization of an area or a part of the organization's activities. When will that optimization be harmful? How can you prevent that harm? What means of coordination could create a better combined result for your organization?

"There are no simple solutions to complex problems"........2000-08-21

"This book is a product of applying systems thinking to the management and organization of enterprises". Russel L. Ackoff writes, "therefore, an understanding of the nature of systems and systems thinking is essential for understanding what this book is about. Although most people can identify many different systems, few know precisely what a system is. Without such knowledge, one cannot understand them, and without such an understanding, one cannot be aware of their implications for their management and organization and for treatment of the most important problems that currently face them" (p.5).

Thus, he firstly argues that a system is a whole consisting of two or more parts that satisfies the following five conditions:

(1). The whole has one or more defining properties or functions.

(2). Each part in the set can affect the behavior or properties of the whole.

(3). There is a subset of parts that is sufficient in one or more environments for carrying out the defining function of the whole; each of these parts is necessary but insufficient for carrying out this defining function.

(4). The way that each essential part of a system affects its behavior or properties depends on (the behavior or properties of) at least one other essential part of the system.

(5). The effect of any subset of essential parts on the system as a whole depends on the behavior of at least one other such subset.

Hence, Ackoff summarizes his argument that a system is a whole that cannot be divided into independent parts without loss of its essential properties or functions, and additionally argues that when the performances of the parts of a system, considered separately, are improved, the performance of the whole may not be (and usually is not) improved.

Within this general framework, he:

* defines four different types of systems, and shows their effects on organizations and the way they are managed (more detailed discussion see Chapter 2):

(1). 'Deterministic', systems and models in which neither the parts nor the whole are purposeful.

(2). 'Animated', systems and models in which the whole is purposeful but the parts are not.

(3). 'Social', systems and models in which both the parts and the whole are purposeful.

(4). 'Ecological', systems and models in which some parts are purposeful but as a whole have no purposes of their own.

* by considering three primary forms of traditional management and planning (reactive, inactive, and preactive) and their deficiencies, discusses systems-oriented/interactive form of management and planning.

* discusses five aspects of interactive planning in separate chapters as follows:

- preparing the state of the organization or a situational analysis (more detailed discussion see Chapter 4).

- determining ideals, objectives, and goals or ends planning of the organization (more detailed discussion see Chapter 5).

- identifying the gaps between what the organization is and is now doing and where it wants to be and to be doing (more detailed discussion see Chapter 6).

- considering resources such as money, plant and equipment (capital goods), people, consumables (materials, supplies, energy, and services), data, information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and asking and answering following questions:

i. How much will be required, where, and when?

ii. How much will be available at the required time and place?

iii. How should each shortage or excess be treated? (more detailed discussion see Chapter 7).

- implementing and controlling with learning and adaptation (more detailed discussion see Chapter 8).

* describes and explaines circular type of organization as a democratic hierarchy.

* discusses internal market economies as substitution of the centrally planned and controlled economies within the organizations.

* discusses the multidimensional design and organization that eliminates the need to restructure when internal or external changes require adaptation, and argues that "the circular organization, the internal market economy, and multidimensional design can all be combined in one organization. The power of each is significantly enhanced by its interactions with the others".

* examines currently popular panaceas such as downsizing, TQM, continuous improvement, benchmarking, and process reengineering and the reasons they fail, and argues that "there are no simple solutions to complex problems. Furthermore, since problems are interdependent, their solutions should be. Interdependent problems constitute messes, systems of problems. Therefore, their solutions must also form a system. A system of solutions is a plan, and plans are complicated, not simple. It is not possible in a few minutes to find behavior that will resolve, solve, or dissolve a set of problems that took years to cultivate".

Strongly recommended.

Highly Readable and Very Articulate.......1999-12-05

I enjoyed this book very much, particulary the introduction with its synopsis of systems theories and management applications. Recommended for managers in organization redesign roles in business and government

Highly Readable and Very Articulate.......1999-12-05

Re-Creating the Corporation: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century

Average customer rating:

Re-Creating the Corporation: A Design of Organizations for the 21st Century
Russell L. Ackoff
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKUJ0C

Book Description

Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins provides a detailed guide to the principles and practice of using transgenic plants as a system for the production of heterologous proteins. It is unique in that it covers the complete process of heterologous protein production in plants, from the initial transformation of the plant, through to transcription, transgene stability and finally the downstreaming processing events for protein purification. Written by an international team of industrialists and academics, this book describes:

the fundamental issues associated with expressing heterologous proteins in plants;
a number of detailed examples of the successful small-and large-scale production of proteins;
the essentials of patenting; and
the commercial exploitation.

Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins will be of interest to plant biotechnologists, molecular biologists and protein biochemists in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Customer Reviews:

An Emerging concept - Well handled.......2000-05-21

The editors have made a sincere and good attempt at introducing the reader to the emerging concept of using transgenic plants as a production system for valuable industrial and pharmaceutical products. In the first half of the book the editors have compiled the various topics which are the fundamental aspects of recombinant protein production in plants, thus making the reader aware of the intricacies involved in genetic manipulation of plants. The editors have also included examples of industrially and pharmaceutically important proteins that have been produced in plants. A few chapters have also been devoted to highlight the potential of using transgenic plants as production systems on comparision with other systems in terms of downstream processing and commercial feasibility. The illustrations are appropriate and in compliance with the text. The editors have also included a number of references at the end of each chapter which makes useful further reading. The only drawback is that the book can be comprehended only by graduate students of biology; and a more simpler version, abundant with illustrations and graphics might be necessary to enlighten the novice. On the whole the book is well organized and a lot of effort has been put in; although there is always scope for improvement.

Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins

Average customer rating:

Transgenic Plants: A Production System for Industrial and Pharmaceutical Proteins
Meran R. Owen
Manufacturer: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBMPTQ

Customer Reviews:

Clear, Helpful and Effective.......2007-05-06

This is a great introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It's easy to read, understand and apply. I highly recommend it to anyone who is new to the cognitive behavioral model.

Book Description

This report provides a record of lifeline performance during the two most damaging U.S. earthquakes at the start of 21st century. Information is provided on current seismic practice, on the seismic resistance and vulnerability of different infrastructure, and on the present understanding of engineers who design roads, bridges, pipelines, and power systems. This monograph will be useful to researchers, practicing engineers, and administrators interested in the repercussions of building lifelines near earthquake faults, on seasonally frozen soils, on loose sands and alluvium, and in regions with complex or unknown seismicity. The Earthquake Investigations Committee of the Technical Council of Lifeline Earthquake engineering (TCLEE), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was established to initiate, organize, train for, coordinate, and evaluate the performance of lifelines following earthquakes. Topics on the San Simeon Earthquake: Seismology and Geotechnical Issues; Communications; Dams; Power Systems; Gas and Liquid Fuel; Highways and Bridges; Airports and Ports; Railroads; Water Systems; Wastewater Systems; and Emergency Response. Topics on the Denali Earthquake: Seismology and Geotechnical Issues; Highway System; Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS); Airports; Water and Wastewater; Communications; Railways; and Electric Power.

Book Description

The book is basicly an invitation to join the kayakfishing revolution and become a member of the kayakfishing community who fish anywhere from small ponds to open oceans from their kayaks. Citing the strategic, economical and convenience advantages of fishing by kayak-the most overlooked, effective, efficient, and convenient way to: fish with less hassle, fish more often, catch more fish, have more fun and save money doing it-the book makes a strong case for selling your big boat. Target readers are fishermen who have never fished by kayak before, kayakers who have never fished from their kayak before, and individuals who have never kayaked or fished but think that they might like to give it a try. The book also has plenty of tips and techniques of interest to experienced kayakfishermen as well because it draws on a wealth of information from top kayakfishing experts and pros from all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It also profiles the learning experiences of new incoming kayakfishermen with various angling interests and degrees of experience who are just as enthusiastic about helping newcomers as they are about practicing their sport. Included is advice on how to: choose the right kayak for you, choose the right accessories, and customize a kayak, including the installation of live bait tanks, rodholders, depthfinders and more. The book also teaches kayakfishing skills and techniques such as kayak flyfishing, lure fishing, live bait fishing, including kayak fish stalking, fish fighting, fish handling, including kayakfishing safety. The book also has a special resource chapter that directs the reader to "kayakfishing friendly" paddle and tackle shops in their area. It also lists sellers of specialized kayakfishing accessories, kayak manufacturers, kayakfishing schools, instructors, guides, outfitters and Internet websites where where readers can get free advice and information. Also included are email addresses of experienced kayak anglers who are anxious to help and guide newcomers, and the kayakfishing bulletin board addresses where they hang out and converse on the Internet.

Customer Reviews:

Where's the editor when you really need him?.......2007-08-18

The information in this book is good. There is no question that subtitling it "The Revolution" is accurate and likewise there is no question that anyone wanting to begin fishing from a kayak ought to read and refer back regularly to this book. However . . . and this is a BIG however . . . from a textual standpoint it's a mess. Daubert's wordprocessing program must not have a spellcheck in it because there are a number of repeated howlers. The same information is presented in more than one chapter without referring back to make sure the reader knows that the repetition is deliberate. This is the sort of book that gives self-publishing a bad name because someone really, really needed to look it over before it went to print.

Still, if you want to start kayak fishing get it and read it several times . . . probably with your teeth clenched.

Great book, lots of info........2007-01-10

This is a great book if you are thinking about getting into kayak fishing of if you have a kayak and are thinking of fishing from it. Although most of the same information can be found online at the various websites and forums dedicated to the sport, this book provides all of the basic information in a nice package. The book is well written and is fun to read. I thought the profiles of the kayak fisherman was a nice touch and really got me thinking about the sport as its own individual sport, rather than fishing in a boat for people who can't afford a ranger. Good book to pass the winter away with.

Great Fishing Tool.......2006-01-06

I recently read Capt. Kens book and found it to be a great source of info on Kayak fishing. I have never fished out of a yak yet but I know when I do I know I will be prepared with the help of this book. The technical side on how to rig the kayk is the best part.

Kayak Fishing a must read.......2005-11-14

I am new to the sport of Kayak Fishing. I found this book to be extremly imformative and a delight to read. With the wealth of information I gained from this book I feel confident in continuing my pursuit of Kayak Fishing. I know it will be a book that I will refer back to many times in the future. It is obvious Ken has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, knowledge and experience for the sport and is willing to share it with the readers. I am anxiously awaiting his DVD's on Bass Fishing and fishing the flats. Keep up the good work.

Must have book for kayak fishermen.......2005-08-24

Great book for the novice or experienced kayak fisherman. Full of needed information to get your kayak set up to fish and how to effectively fish from your boat. Tips on tackle and techniques for various species top off a tremendous source of information needed to enjoy this great sport.

Book Description

People who are fed up (hasta la madre--"up to the mother") with classroom Spanish will enjoy this A-to-Z thematic arrangement of more than 5,000 colorful terms and slang expressions from across the Spanish-speaking world. Streetwise Spanish Dictionary/Thesaurus includes numerous examples, quizzes, humorous illustrations, cultural information, and help with usage. How good is that? (Que Padre!--"What a father").

Customer Reviews:

Ojala! Todos deben comprar este libro, tan llena de alegria........2007-03-19

I have used a number of the phrases unexpectedly on my friend,co-worker Spanish teacher..he laughed and asked where I had learned them....he was impressed and very surprised...as were many of the Hispanic students with which I work as a mentor. Muchisimas gracias!! Ahorita mi amigo me llama sabionda.

Full of new meanings and interesting to peruse.......2007-01-12

The various words are organized by topic and are included later in an index at the back. This is not the easiest format to reference because the first word and/or subject matter of various idioms is arguable. It is interesting to peruse the book by topic, you look up one word and end up reading the whole page. I do not actively use this book, but it is a good balance in the collection.

Great resource for colloquialisms!.......2002-07-30

This dictionary/ thesaurus was wonderfully designed to enlighten, clarify and facilitate one's understanding of Spanish slang that is used in all Spanish speaking countries. The book is well organized thematically and alphabetically with colloquial words & expressions that are used and heard in the everyday spoken language. The book offers a broad range of expressions with examples of its usage in a phrase and the country of origin. Therefore, if you are looking to clarify queries concerning slang words or expressions this dictionary/ thesaurus would prove helpful and also is a learning tool for those who wish to learn and use colloquialisms from any the Spanish speaking countries in their everyday speech. Here are some examples of slang expressions, the respective country and common usage covered in the book:

Under the theme "Going Crazy"
1) Botar la canica- to go crazy -(Mexico)
2) Caérsele un tornillo- to have a screw loose (Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador)
3) Perder la chaveta- to lose, one's head, to be off one's rocker (Mexico, Chile, Spain, Dominican Republic)

"Types of students"
1) el cuadernícolas- a serious student who studies a lot (used in most of Latin America)
2) La pollila de biblioteca -bookworm (used in most of Latin America and Spain)
3) El/ la enchufado/a -teacher's pet (Spain)

These are just a few examples of the types of expressions that the book has and as one can see they are definitely useful, heard, spoken and easy to learn. I strongly suggest purchasing this resource material if you wish to have a broader knowledge and understanding of colloquial expressions and everyday slang.

Average customer rating:
Streetwise Spanish Dictionary / Thesauru
Mary McVey
Manufacturer: MCGRAW-HILL BOOK COM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K28W6C

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Spider-Man gets the dreaded parent teacher consultation. Even worse, an impostor is running around committing crimes while wearing his costume. This ends in tragedy, and a chance in his own living arrangements.

Scratch one girlfriend, as well. He gets patched up by the Wasp. Whether meeting her, or any of th e Ultimates is a good thing is highly debatable.

Very Good.......2007-02-27

I never like to read spider man before I picked up Ultimate. i love to follow Spider-Man and the rest of the main cast. I find it to be very interesting, I would never expect to see what happends in this book. I am now hooked.

ultimate spidey rules..........2007-02-02

ultimate spider-man by bendis and bagley is one of the best series out there. not as much action and non-stop bad guy fighting, but a good mix of that and a lot of peter parker being a teenager with problems (girls, bullies, being grounded, etc.) along with his spidey life.
the series is great great great. only a few minor things that could be better:
1. i don't like how nick fury comes in and tells spider-man he's going to work his whole life for him and shield. the idea of peter being...trapped in a web? haha...well it isn't too cool. superheroes need to fight the good fight because they want to, not because shield will go and take away their superpowers (as fury has threatened) if they don't comply. plus the issues where the ultimates come in aren't that great, the whole series gets hijacked by them and not a lot of spidey. imo, the ultimates are easily the worst part of the ultimate universe. beyond ultimate spider-man and the ultimate fantastic four the ultimate universe isn't too great.
2. bendis needs to cut down on the tuchas talk. seriously if parker grew up in nyc today he'd more likely speak spanglish than yanglish.
3. geldoff.

Public Scrutiny, Private Torment.......2005-07-14

This review refers to Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 5 paperback edition: Public Scrutiny

While the previous four volumes of Ultimate Spider-Man have dealt with Peter's private life in the background, and a big league bad guy (or two) in the foreground, this volume is almost exclusively about Peter Parker's home life, his social life, and his love life. As if his career as Spider-Man isn't filled with enough people that hate him, someone else is posing as Spider-Man and robbing people. It's actually much worse than it appears at first, when yet another person close to Peter is killed, this time by the Spider-Man impostor.

His love life is also complicated more, here. With Gwen Stacy in need of comfort, she runs to Peter and his Aunt May for comfort. How much of Gwen wanting to be with Peter is friendship and how much is romance isn't revealed, but it does bend MJ to the breaking point. While I did enjoy MJ and Peter's close relationship from the off, this tension and disharmony is more in keeping with the regular Spider-Man continuity, at least in the beginning.

The writing and art are perfect. Bendis and Bagley are a great duo, who work very well together. This fan girl is wishing them many happy years of collaboration.

Public Scrutiny reprints Ultimate Spider-Man #28-32 and is a fine addition to any Spider-Man collection.

Highly recommended!

A preminition to "The Six".......2003-08-23

...

Now,, On to my Review...

Book Description

The latest ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN hardcover collects the stories from ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL. 9: ULTIMATE SIX and ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL. 10: HOLLYWOOD, plus a hefty helping of DVD-style extras! The Green Goblin. Doctor Octopus. Electro. Kraven the Hunter. Sandman. Five of Spider-Man's deadliest foes have banded together as an unstoppable force of evil! Will the combined forces of Spider-Man and the Ultimates be enough to stop these criminal masterminds before their reign of terror spreads across the world? And who will be named as the final member of the "Sinister Six"? Plus: A major movie studio is making a summer blockbuster about Spider-Man, and the Ultimate Wall-Crawler swings by the set to give the producers a piece of his mind. But someone else is even hotter about being in the film than Spidey: Doctor Octopus, who just may shut the production down if he doesn't get final edit! As the cameras roll, the real wall-crawler and Doc Ock go head-to-head behind the scenes!

Customer Reviews:

Bendis Does it Again!.......2007-09-16

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 5 Collects "Ultimate Six" and "Hollywood" and both are great stories. However I am more partial to the Hollywood story arc, just because it was that amazing.

Ultimate Six also kind of bugged me because it fell out of the story line (came before the Cats and Kings story line sorta) but i don't hold it against it. Also i had one other beef with the artist for Ultimate Six, just because he made Peter Parker look like a buck toothed retard. Although the Ultimates did look snazzy and so did the action.

But you should defiantly pick this up along with all the other USP hardcovers.

I want spiderman not ultimate 6.......2006-04-13

Half of this books consists of the poorly drawn ultimate 6 series. I may be biased because I hate the way the ultimate 6 series was drawn/colored. The story was fine but I found the art shockingly bad. You will immediately see the difference. The ultimate 6 art ruins this book for me. You will probably want it anyway for a complete set because if you are up to vol 5 most likely you have the others. Just skip the ultimate six pages - granted its almost half the book.

The best in the Ultimate Spiderman series.......2006-03-13

Though the second half of the book was a little lame in my opinion, the first half was outstanding! Ultimate Six is by far the most amazing mini-series that Ultimate Spiderman has seen! It is chilling and just a lot of fun to read. Seeing the Ultimates team-up with Spidey to take on some of his greatest foes was a blast. My only complaint is that there wasn't any real cool Sandman fight-scene, but he definitely made an impact.

This is a must-buy for Spidey fans!

Intersting side step.......2005-10-17

Ultimate Spider-Man 5 is quite a departure from the previous instalments... Well, the first half at least. The first half is the collected Ultimate Six series, which is very much an Ultimates story, with a spider-man add in. While Spidey plays a pivotal role, the focus is very much on the Ultimates.
It is nice to have the diversion, I must admit, but I really didn't enjoy it as much as I have the previous stories. I like the Ultimates, but not enough to go out and buy any of the Ultimates comics or books, so I'm not sure I really wanted to buy this one. Having said that, I am quite happy to have it... Just not as happy as I have been in the past.
The artwork of Mark Bagley has a clean, almost caricature element to it. It is very easy to see what is going on, and there is a wonderful feeling of pace and movement, particularly on frames where the subject is repeated. The Ultimates artists, Trevor Hairsine and Joe Quesada have a much more realistic, gritty style. It is lovely to look at, and shows emotions very well. I just find it very hard to see what is happening. Blurring is used extensively to show movement, but this seems to make the frame hard to understand.
All in all I found the Ultimate Six story less enjoyable than previous ones, but still pretty good.
The second half of the book is a fun Spidey V Doc Ock battle, with the making of a "Spider-Man film" thrown in for good measure. It is very enjoyable, and, as with previous editions, very real in its character portrayals.
This is a big book, but it is all story, there is very little by way of extras. There is a deleted frame a sketch of Sandman. They've continued to put the covers throughout the book, which is good, but I would have liked a little more by way of extras. I have really enjoyed the discussions or commentaries on building stories that previous volumes have had.
Not a bad buy (I'd say about 3.5). The stories are good, but I'd recommend looking at the book first, before buying it. The first half is different enough that I'm sure many will not be happy with it.

Ultimate Spider-Man ebbs a little.......2005-09-23

Ultimate Spider-Man is best for its character moments, and its attempt at a realistic portrayal of adolescence (plus super-powers). It is sort of like the best Marvel TV show that was never made--their answer to the teen drama of Smallville.

The first storyline here (originally presented in the ULTIMATE SIX limited) is a pitch battle between the Ultimate Sinister Six, and the Ultimates--with hapless Spider-Man caught in the middle. The consequences seem more dire, and the conflict more serious, than years of similar stories in the mainstream Marvel Universe.

The second storyline ("Hollywood") feels like filler. I assume this story of Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus fighting at the shooting of a film about them is sort of a plug for the SPIDER-MAN 2 film. In the collection, it may not read quite as pointless and drawn out, but in the individual issues it felt like a long wait for a non-existent payoff.

Even without pacing issues, nothing much happens to advance Peter Parker's "story."

There are more rewarding Ultimate Spider-Man storylines before and after this one.

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