Blair Books

While nominally a history of the Class A Carolina League on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the subject, the national pastime, inevitably evokes the nation itself in the form that it is most recognizable, the small town and the hopes and dreams of its young people during the history of the recent century.

This isn't to say that the partisan of modern big league ball doesn't have much here of interest: for example, the portrait of Albert Belle (back when he was still known as Joey) is revealing as he throws self-destructive tantrums and goes AWOL in the middle of an RBI record run as a member of the Kinston Indians.

This work, Silence of Snakes, is an extremely well crafted piece of prose. Set in the North Carolina mountains early in the 20th century, the sense of place is incredibly strong and faithful to the land and the people. This is a beautiful combination of a study of mountain folk, the redemption of a drunken newspaper man, and a gruesome murder. Mr Green's voice is true and steady throughout the book and he does not disappoint. The story and the images will stay with you for a long time, like a disturbing, comforting, gritty echo of long ago.

I thought that this was a terrific book! Most of the maps are clear and concise but not all. I would like to see a little better quality throughout. I would imangine there is a reason that not all the maps are clear. I was disappointed that the book is a 1997 version. There have been lots of improvements thoughtout the hills and I would love to see them. I would definately buy this book again. Just let me know when the most current version is available. Vail is missing here?

This book was used in my sport facilities class and was a great read. The way the chapters are set-up results in smooth reading and does a great job of relating to today's facility culture.

There were some very good insights provided in this book. They used other sources that I didn't already know of. They cover a broad range of topics. One topic that I think we need more of in youth ministry literature is about what they call student preaching. They address communication skills that are important for an effective communicator in youth ministry.

Hugo Young's untimely death has robbed us of his sharply focused and brilliant mind. This series of articles about our contemporary times and the immediate past only serves to illustrate how great that loss is.

This is an interesting account of the tragic plane crash in the Andes mountains in October 1972, which saw forty five people go down with the plane, many of them members of a Uruguayan rugby team. Of those forty five, ultimately sixteen would come off the mountain alive, but it would not come to pass until they had spent approximately seventy horrific days and nights trapped in unforgiving and alien territory high in the Andes mountains.

This book recounts for the reader the travails of those trapped in this remote and inaccessible place, as well as the faith that helped see them through their horrific ordeal. A few of the photographs in the book are a little shocking, as they show the remains of the survivors' anthropophagy. They did, however, what they had to do in order to survive. It is definitely an amazing story. It makes one ask of oneself, "What would I have done under the same circumstances?" Read the book to see if you can answer that question.

The 1992 approach of DTV in this title is now out of date. I know it is very difficult to catch up a very variable technology, but, after the Grand Alliance, we need another edition of this book, or maybe a new appendix, featuring the new developments on Digital Television. The rest of the book is of course, a bible on the subject. Almost every topic of TV engineering is covered here, execept maybe for audio for television, barely bordered. We can not even find Stereo TV or mutichannel audio for TV. They should be approached in the upcoming edition.

The first part of this booklet is a re-publication of an article written by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for Prospect magazine (March 2001). It is a curious article which appeals for an end to attacks on his "third way" on the basis of a bogus left unity: "for the left itself to join in is a curious form of self-mutilation. Constructive criticism is healthy: lazy negativism is not" (p.3). This implies that the "left" is a monolithic whole and that this whole identifies with the Blair project. Of course neither is true. The hurt tone of Blair's comments does indicate, however, that he has been stung by criticisms of his project...

His counterblast uses NuSpeak about NuLabour. He describes those who work for charities and the voluntary sector as "social entrepreneurs". Is this the way they see themselves? Isn't the analogy between society and the market just too stretched here? Blair also makes attempts to equate his "third way" with the term "progressive politics". The implication is that there is no other way forward. The misuse of language by Blair certainly jarred with me. I was pleased to see that others felt likewise. The two critics of Blair writing in part two of the pamphlet point out a number of his strange language habits including stating contradictions "as if they were combinations" (p19) Can anyone using language in this way ultimately avoid deluding themselves?

Tony Blair highlights six areas where we need "to grapple new issues" (p.6). These are harnessing new technologies; transforming education; inequality and social mobility; overhauling government and public service provision; renewing democracy and international engagement. I found the most amusing in the list "renewing democracy and overcoming the alienation and disconnection from politics that is a marked feature of our lives" (p.7). The last General Election saw one of the poorest turn-outs ever. Most of those questioned as to why they didn't vote stated they did not believe it would change anything. The constitutional changes brought in by NuLab have not heightened interest in politics significantly or raised the level of debate. More and more people are interested in issues which appear to remain unaddressed by any of the establishment parties. Many regard the rituals of a representative democracy - like the placing of a cross on a ballot paper every few years - as outdated and of little effect. The more intelligent view the establishment parties as simply the enabling mechanisms of big economic interests.

Blair nowhere suggests that a real transfer of power is needed to revitalise our democracy. Power relations are seldom discussed by Blair at all. Blair says that "Democracy needs to respond to people's demand that they have a right to be listened to even if decisions do not always go the way they want".(p.7) It seems that people are asking for the right to be listened to before they are ignored. A curious demand.

We in the real Third Way have argued for years that measures that transfer power are needed to build an active and responsible citizenry. We favour Swiss-style direct democracy, reform of the voting system and measures to ensure fair allocation of media time amongst others. Blair does not even consider these options.

In Part Two of the booklet, Ken Coates and Michael Barratt Brown reply to Blair. They are uncompromising in their criticism. They say Blair's "third way" has simply "afforded a media friendly cover for the extension of neo-liberal politics of de-regulation, the untrammelling of market forces, privitisation and the roll-back of welfare."(p.10) Elsewhere they say "the Third Way is the takeover of Labour by Capital"(p.14)

These critics are far from lazy. They ask pertinent and sensible questions. Quoting one of Blair's mantras on dynamic markets combining with strong communities they ask "how is that to be done when the jobs are gone on which the communities depended?"(p.16). They rightly point out that in the list of Blair's social innovations, the University for Industry, NHS Direct etc "Any transfer of power involved in these initiatives moves away from popular involvement."(p.18) The ethos of NuLab is really top-down, we know better than you.

Ken Coates and Michael Barratt Brown address the real issue -- power. This is something Blair never does. As they say "If fairness means social justice we need not what Blair keeps offering us which is 'a sense of social justice', but the reality. That means the actual redistribution of power and income, not only by a fundamental revision of our system of taxation and public spending, but by a genuine shift in the balance of wealth and power." (p.19).

The critics neatly summarise where we are heading: "Effective markets mean the domination of the largest accumulations of capital and globalisation means that these will be primarily American".(p.19)

 

My father-in-law recently made a visit to Eastern Canada and Halifax was one of the destinations. He brought this little book back and loaned it to me. I'm glad he did as I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

The book's title admittedly isn't the most captivating, but it is very descriptive of the contents. And the contents themselves are indeed captivating as they provide a level of detail that takes us back in time to the days immediately before and after that fateful date of April 15, 1912. The book provides interesting background on the ship and its crew, but primarily concerns itself with the details of the victims - who they were, how they were dressed, what effects were found on their persons, and wonderfully poignant anecdotal stories about their role onboard ship (if staff) or their families and circumstances if passengers.

As the closest North American port to the site of sinking, both the rescued and the dead were transported to Halifax. Ultimately 150 of the 328 bodies recovered were buried there, with the remainder either buried at sea or transported elsewhere for burial at the request of the families. The book is richly detailed and includes many photographs and newspaper clippings that immerse the reader in the culture, gossip, news, and activities of the day surrounding the Titanic and its tragic demise.

In many ways, it felt to me like a PBS documentary. In fact, it is a story that would lend itself well to such a medium on the History Channel or PBS. Although most of us have seen the movie "Titanic" and the resurgence of interest it created, the movie was more the story of an unlikley but passionate love affair between two passengers from opposite ends of the social spectrum. In contrast, this book provides a look at not just a handful of the victims, but all of them, with details that I found more captivating than even the movie.

I can highly recommend this book, regardless of whether you are a Titanic "buff" (which I am not) or just have a passing interest. If you have never been interested in the topic, this book will capture and hold your interest because it makes the many tragedies personal, putting faces and details and families and stories to the long list of names that lost their lives.

Thank you, Mr. Beed, for capturing this fascinating slice of history.