Blair Books

I first found this book at my library, and was amazed at how many locations it covers! I was born in western PA, and grew up in central PA, but there were some intruiging places in this guide that I'd never heard of before. If you are a history buff and have a nice, lazy weekend to spend following the "history trail" as laid in this book - do it! What a nice way to fall in love with PA all over again. It'd be twice as nice to do in the fall when the leaves are changing. I logged on to Amazon.com today expressly in the hopes of ordering this book - I can't recommend it enough and am looking forward to taking it with me on regional trips in the future.

"When Dreams Come True" begins on a sad note when Brian McKenzie, the head gardener on a Scottish west coast estate, finds himself unemployed. After finding a job as gardener at Glasgow Green, he must move his wife and 3 daughters to a tenement in the Bridgeton section of Glasgow. But from day one of their arrival, the McKenzies find warmth and friendship among the residents of their Bridgeton close. The story centers on Norma, the oldest daughter, as she and neighbor, Midge Henderson, develop their ballroom dancing talents to the point of becoming the sweethearts of the Glasgow dance hall scene. Heartbroken when Midge deserts her, indefatigable Norma trains as a radio specialist with the allied forces during World War II. On an overseas mission, Norma falls in love with a fellow Scot. But, on their return to Glasgow, the class distinction so prevalent in those years threatens to split them apart. The analysis of characters and the value systems of the tenement areas of Glasgow make this book one you will be loathe to see end. All Glaswegians will be proud to know that out of the grime of Bridgeton a colourful panorama has been painted by Emma Blair.

I found this book among my father's books, and remembered seeing it as a child. Even though I have no interest at all in reading religious books, I found myself drawn to it and read it and enjoyed it very much. Dr. Johnstone became a minister during one of our most virulently sexist periods, when women were being firmly pushed out of the professions and into wife and motherdom. Her life was very hard; she suffered from poverty, ill-health, was hassled endlessly by the church people she served, and always seemed to survive and succeed as a minister, a writer, as well as wife and mother. It's disappointing that there's no biography of her. She was a strong woman of great achievement. The religious aspects were easily overlooked, but I imagine someone interested in those would find the book quite inspirational, and I recommend it to them.

Successful pastor and well-known Christian leader! * In the process of selling bonds to underwrite the ministeries of his churh, his television ministry, and a huge health care complex called Life Center, Dr. Charles E. Blair was indicted by a Colorado grand jury, charged with fraud. * After years of glowing successes, he was now considered a colossal failure: Humiliation swept over him. * Self-esteem floundered, as did his Christian influence. * More than a thousand people left his church. * Dreams and plans dead, he was left with overwhelming indebtedness and angry investors who felt betrayed. * Dr. Blair shares how he dealt with bitterness and depression, feeling that God had abandoned him. -- except from book's back cover

By the time I got to page three, I knew I would be up all night, every night, till I read this book to the end. An arresting plot twists around characters so real you fight to catch your breath with them on a rollercoaster ride of conspiracy, betrayal, and murder. These are real people with ideals, hopes, nightmares, and regrets which are tried by fire in the crucible that is White Flame. No one, not even the reader, is left unchanged by the end. Jim Grady's insider knowledge of Washington politics lends a chilling reality to it all. This story is so plausible, you almost expect to read about it in your morning paper. I won't give away any of the plot; you must experience that for yourself. If you like John Grisham, Tom Clancy, or any other writers in the genre, you'll LOVE White Flame. I read one of Grady's previous books, Thunder, when it was first released. If that was thunder, this is lightning!

Jayson Blair, Armstrong Williams, apparently many journalists these days are faking it. Another fake journalist, using an alias, gets access to the White House.

Politicians, of course, have spun their public image for so long most don't even remember who their real self is.

Neither politicians or the press are doing much to help us sort out truth from fiction. If anything they're all making it worse. And who cares? Everybody's watching "reality TV."

For those of us who do care the only thing left to do is laugh. Which you will if you read this book.

The characters are interesting and the story draws you along - it's a mystery as much as it is a satire. Erik Blair means well, even if he's not perfect, and the author doesn't simplify things into good v. evil. It's fiction, but it's more like things really are.

Many parents, thanks to historians of schooling, are figuring out that state schooling is a recent phenomenon in mankind's history that was invented by elites to control the rate of learning among the population - to slow it down. It is not unusual to find homeschooled students scoring several years ahead of their state-schooled counterparts on national examinations such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Blair Adams is a Protestant Christian who has written, along with Joel Stein and Howard Wheeler, a well-researched account of the American struggle for educational freedom between parents, especially homeschoolers - and the State. Their book is written from a spiritual perspective and was first published in 1983 by Truth Forum in Waco, Texas - the town where the federal government's FBI later violated the first amendment rights of the Branch Davidians and massacred them. This revised and expanded edition is the authors' fifth.

Their book begins with a 14-paged Preface: "The authors of this book underwent the complete educational socialization (colonization?) . . . we served our time under compulsory education laws that sentenced us to twelve years in governmental schools . . . by the Empire as it colonized our minds"(pxxiv). The fifteen subsequent chapters and conclusion are grouped into three parts: 1) The Dilemma Stated, 2)Drawing the Line: God-given Parental Authority versus the Authority of the State, and 3) The Total Conflict. This is followed by seven appendices, notes, bibliography, and an index that ends on page 692. Including the preface, there are over 700 pages in this tome.

Part One addresses the issue of "Who owns the children?". Chapter One makes the case that a value-neutral education is a myth and demontrates that all education is inescapably spiritual in character. The authors show, too, how the key motive behind compulsory education is simply the power to culturally program the minds of children. Chapter Two examines then refutes the justifications in favor of compulsory education, while also accounting for U.S. court decisions concerning parental right in education. Chapter Three looks at the issue of ultimate control over the education of our children.

In Part Two, which covers chapters four through ten, the authors seek to provide legal ammunition for parents willing to risk fines, incarcerations, and the State's confiscation of their children in the confrontation between Liberty versus Power. This section can be weighty reading, but affected parents will find the information valuable.

Part Three covers chapters eleven through fourteen, where the authors unveil the tyrannical assumptions and implications that stand behind compulsory education laws. These statist attitudes toward parental authority are examined in other areas such as complusory medicine, child birth, and child abuse laws. Chapter fifteen and the Conclusion consider the consequences of tearing down the wall between Church/School and the State for individual conscience, family rights, and the right to assembly.

In the appendices, Appendix Seven: Scriptures on the Education of Children reveals the authors Biblical perspective which leads them to say that God is the True Teacher, God gives children to their parents, educational responisibility belongs to parents, "we" rather than "they" are to teach the ways of God, we are not to teach ungodly ways, the fruits in our children's lives results from our faithfulness to God, and the consequences in our children's lives results from our disobedience to God.

With so much riding on correctly following God's guidance, one should check out how much of today's Bibles reflect original Guidance. To check out the New Testament, see Prof Bart D. Ehrman's "Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium" and "The New Testament: A historical introduction to the early christian writings". To understand the Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, see Richard Elliott Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?". The issue of separation of school and state is addressed at www.sepschool.org .

Why Public Schools? Whose Public Schools?: What Early Communities Have To Tell Us by David Mathews (former President of the University of Alabama, former Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and current Trustee and President of the Kettering Foundation) is a close and analytical look at how frontier communities such as those in Alabama came together to build their schools, extracting lessons from history that can be applicable to the present and the future conditions of education. From scrutinizing past attitudes, to the profound impact of the Free Public School Act of 1854, to unintended consequences of the state system of public schools, and more, Why Public Schools? Whose Public Schools? is a thoughtful, highly recommended historical survey of the groundwork from which our current system originated -- with all its flaws and achievements.

This african folklore has won the "Caldecott Honor Book". As you read it, it's not surprising. A short book with interesting, fun art. Easy for even young children to understand.

My grandchildren loved this book.

The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks is a fascinating examination of the wild horse herd that exists on an island at the remote southern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks. This wild animals are protected from direct human intrusion, and their natural herd behavior studied by scientists; at the same time, circumscribed "wilderness management" involving genetic testing and immunocontraception is necessary to prevent the herd from overgrazing its own food supply. Are these animals truly horses, or ponies? Did the originate from horses that were cast off from foundering Spanish galleons, or did they come to the island much more recently? Are they a threat to the island's ecology? Readily accessible to readers of all backgrounds, The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks offers a sweeping overview of perspectives and theories concerning the herd, the history of how it came to be protected, and why they are popularly beloved among visitors. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this "must-have" for equine fans.