Blair Books

We bought the Spanish Junior version for K-3. I expected that my 3 year would be too young for this, but my 5 year old is a very bright and attentive kindergardener and she does not want to do this (and she loves other Spanish videos and audio CDs). The pace is far too slow for young children (and even my husband and I think it's boring/no fun). The books are really geared towards children with advanced reading... maybe better for grade 3+ (Amazon lists reading level as 9-12). The premise is great (an adventure on an island) and maybe the learning methods are well-researched, but they aren't worth much because it's just not much FUN! I like the idea of mixing English and Spanish, but the pace needs to be quicker, I think.

The black and white books just aren't that exciting to look at and they are NOT marked as to what track on the CD is on what page in the book, so I've had to mark each one separately as we go along, so I can get back to it later ... very frustrating. BUT the CD that came with it is good... keeps my daughter's interest much better and is interactive. It's just short, so there's not much content on it.

I can't speak for whether the Spanish is correct because I am not a native speaker and am just learning the language too. I'm going to keep searching for something better than this! I wish we hadn't spent so much money on it!

All in all, if I were given it free, I would probably still search for something else.

My daughter finished the Latin product, and especially asked for this Spanish course. She found the adventure story very interesting and was quite pleased at all she could understand.

While some have commented that the mixture of Spanish & English words may seem confusing, I've read a variety of research to back it up. When school children were told a story a day, each day adding just a few new foreign words (in the case of the study the words were Russian!), they had no trouble remembering or understanding and by the end of the year had impressive results.

It was kind of hard to find what you were supposed to listen to in the CD. They also mixed Spanish and English together in sentences. I think it is best to make the whole sentence in Spanish. It makes it easier to understand. On the songs, the words did not fit with the rhythm of the music. They also should have used native Spanish speakers because it would have been more accurate. But the stories were good for people who love mysteries.

My child received the Power-Glide Elementary Spanish 1 program thru their cyber charter school to use for kindergarten. There are several levels that can be purchased seperately OR you can purchase an ultimate course. I was skeptical at first but my child who was age 5-6 during the programs length LOVED it! The program I had acess to was the ICOMBO version with an online school and record book. (this can be purchased directly thru power-glide if that is what you are looking for.) While the stories called diglot weaves may be confusing to an adult it is very easy and natural for a young child.....Remember this program IS created for the way young children learn. My child never even asked why they were written that way. We had acess to online games and review session that are similar to rosetta stone. I think RS is a great program too but Power-glide is a better choice for younger children. My child has learned many spanish words and actually uses them!!! How great is that??? I think we will continue with the Spanish Elementary 2 in the coming year. I have even considered purchasing the Latin version myself. My child acually taught themselves and it took very little oversight from me....this alowed me a a 45 minute window to prepare for the next subject of the day. The ICOMBO course has 180 lessons in each level....my child picked things up so rapidly we completed the lessons faster. And I still can not drag my child away from the online school.

I was shocked to find out that this program is filled with Mormon theology. It is based on such theories as Suggestology, which is listed under Pychic studies in Amazon search. This is just not a program that I think any child or adult should expose themselves to.

Here is a list of the other theories this method is based on and where the information can be found:

Suggestopedy by Loranov
Total Physical Response by Asher
Silent Way by Gattengo
Comprehension Approach by Krashen
*As described in Dr. Blair's book Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching.

I didn't agree with the other reviews (I even had problems with the editorial review). This book really touched me. It had such a sadness to it. I didn't see the 3 women as being desparate as stated in the editorial review. 3 women are traveling on a cruise ship headed from America to England. They are of different ages, different backgrounds, with different goals in life. Miranda Cunningham is 40, a beauty (admired by all men) married to her sweetheart- who tends to be gone for long periods of time to excavation sights due to being an archeologist. She is missing him terribly, wanting passion back in her life. No man has turned Miranda's head until now. One stolen, passionate kiss shakes up her world. Cynthia Cunningham is a self-centered, spoiled 17 year old (niece to Miranda) being sent to London by her father to find a husband with a title for prestige of the family. Why not marry a handsome senator with money? Louisa "Kitt" McAllister is 25, unmarried (considering being a spinister at this age) independent, easy to talk to, wanting to see some of the world. Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Senator Steven James is 30, a widow, strikingly handsome (turns all of the women's heads) with personality but has never known true love. And now the one that has turned his head is married with strong commitment towards her husband and family. This is a story of lives that are tangled in a might fine web. This is a good examply how the act of 2 people can affect many others' lives. I don't understand why others had a hard time following the characters. Along with the main characters there are several others that are important to the story and that help it come to life. In the end, Miranda and Paul realized their love for each other was too strong to give up- it will take work but Miranda will recover what she almost lost with Paul. Cynthia realized Steven wasn't interested in her and settles for marriage to one with title, old family prestige, and a castle for a home. Kitt holds out for love- and gets it in the end. Stephen has turned to her for friendship and companionship in the past, missing her when she said "no more," protecting her heart. I was satisfied with the ending, though I would have liked a little more story of Kitt and Stephen coming together in the end. Oops! I hope I haven't spoiled the end for you. It is sweet- and my heart sang for Kitt, feeling that if Stephen had continued to miss her and have strong feelings for Kitt, it would develope into a strong love for each other, different from that of Miranda and Stephen's- the unforbidden love. It's a good book.

I am so attracted to anything Victorian, that I thought this was the book for me. I found the descriptions of life in the Victorian age very accurate and on a whole I did enjoy the book. However, I absolutely hated the way it ended. Why would Kit want Senator James when he was so in love with someone else! Silly girl! There were to many questions left unanswered.

Frothy and as unsatisfying as cotton candy - ok I suppose if you are REALLY bored. 3 women crazy about one man, one senator, one lecher and one boy, panting after these women - and no-one gets who they want in the end. A rainy day read if you have nothing else to read. I only finished it to see who gets who in the end... It's not a BAD book, but I found the writing a bit stilted and boring to read. For instance, by far not in the same league as writer Margaret Atwood, whose writing is a delight to read. THe storyline was ok and the characters not bad. But it is not a book I would recommend or read again.

After reading the first few pages of this book, I assumed that I had somehow managed to purchase a trash-novel (in other words, a book solely based on sexual content), however, this was not the case. It seems this book not only has a plot, it has several of them. There were times while reading this title that I was very much intrigued and interested in the storyline, and there were other times where I simply felt that what I was reading was simply boring. I also found it hard to believe how quickly everything in the book managed to take place. The characters in the book seemed to be very stuck up and snotty: Instead of portraying them as elegant royalty in the Victorian era, the author makes them seem like snotty rich pushovers. The only two characters in this book that I really enjoyed reading about were Kitt McAllister and the Count d'Yveine ... all the rest I occasionally felt like smacking upside the head. The ending of this book did manage to leave quite a few things unfinished. What happens to Miranda and Paul Cunningham? What took place with Tri-Panalco? As for the writing style this book offers, I personally found the Victorian descriptions hard to understand, but I am sure that was simply my fault for not understanding certain foreign and Victorian literature. In fact, the only text-related part of this book that bothered me was on page 511 when Lady Burdon was accidently referred to as Lady Bowden. Overall, when I was finished with this book, I generally did not care much for it, and I had originally intended to give it 2 stars, but since there were many times where I did find myself deeply involved in the plot and style of this book, I raised it to a subtle 3, which is my rating for an average title. Fascination is a good book, if you enjoy romance novels ... and Leona Blair is a magnificent author, again, if you enjoy romance novels.

Leona Blair's Fascination is absolutey wonderful. The characters are vivid, sensation, and enlightning. Human passions are unearthed and revealed; this book is a continuing page turner... One can sit for the whole day just reading this book.. I finished it in a day! Next best to Jane Austen and Emily Bronte...

I tried this book specifically because of the differences in ratings and the fact that I like books of this genre. The book was well worth the price. I found it to be well paced and easy to read.

I can't figure out why it was placed in the occult, spiritualism sections of this site. If you like books in the religious fiction genre try this one.

I love this book! Being a Christian, it was nice to finally see someone make no apologies for their beliefs and not sugar coat things so that they don't offend anyone. The very first passage is offensive to anyone who isn't a Christian because it talks about, of all things, people going to hell. Heaven forbid.

The book is very well written and for those of you who aren't aware of this, it is not self published. Publish America is a very well respected small publishing company based in Maryland. A simple Internet search would have pointed this out to you.

My only complaint with the book is that it is too short. If you're a Christian get this book.

I don't normally take the time to write reviews of items, but I felt some of the reviews here were unfair. I found this book very easy to read and also thought provoking. To be sure, it does require a strong faith in christian beliefs or at a minimum the ability to accept these ideas as plausible but the author makes this requirement clear from the opening page.

As a first effort, which this clearly is, I believe the author has done quite well. The story moves swiftly and it appears that the author made a considerable effort to leave out the fluff that I find ruins so many other books. He also sticks to the point without being obvious about what is going to happen next, several times I was caught by surprise.

The ending was the books biggest flaw and the reason I gave it 4 stars. Not that the ending wasn't good, it simply stayed to close to real life where most of the time there isn't a clear resolution but simply a resolution that everyone must live with. Unfortunately most of us read to escape reality.

If you want an easy read without the page after page of description fluff that most of us skip anyway and aren't offended by Christian ideas give this book a try. If you are offended by Christian principles stay away, you won't like this one at all.

As an avid reader I found this book to bring out a great deal of emotion in me. I am not a religous person per say, but I do believe in God and the powers that both he and Satan poses. This is a must read, it will make you sit back and think. I found myself not able to put it down and when I did set it aside I couldn't wait to pick it up again.

Do yourself a favor and read this book and take the time understand what you are reading. For those of you who don't you really are missing out.

Great job Pablo, I'm very proud of you. I also think of Sarah.

Do Not buy this book, it is self published and sure shows it. The author needs to get basic grammer skills of the 6th grade. The story has zero suspense and non entertaining. The only reason why I finished reading it is since I was on a cruise to Venezuela in Bad weather, if not for that I would have thrown it over-bored!

"Cits" were merchants, traders, financiers, bankers, inventors, businessmen, builders and engineers who, as early as the 12th Century and throughout the history of the British Isles, were loyal only to the City of London, and to any English, later British, king or queen who won the periodic wars of succession fought by the aristocracy.

"The Lady and the Cit" by Blair Bancroft, is a charming little romance offering a gently amused look at a political campaign seeking the votes of one borough's freemen just before the British Reform Act of 1833 wiped out "rotten boroughs" and many strange political customs and anachronistic, aristocratic privileges.

At the time of this story, "Cits" had been helping to rebuild the British economy which had been ruined by a 22-year Napoleonic war and depressions and uproars which followed it, setting the stage for the vigorous Victorian era that began in 1837.

Aristocrats and members of the landed gentry were restricted by social ostracism from participating in "trade", (business), or in any useful occupation outside of the military or the Church of England, and were trained from birth to have contempt for Cits.

Women of the aristocracy were trained to avoid Cits, for by marrying one they would lose their position in society, as would their children, unless the men that they married were very special, and the woman had property of her own.

Warning: This is not a bodice-ripper! It is a tale of quiet heroism, stubborn attention to duty, intelligent kindness, three romances, a child saved, and bullies thwarted. These are the conflicts which made this tale enjoyable to me.

The Lady and the Cit is a marriage-of-convenience story, but a rather unusual one.

Aurelia Trevor is an heiress, but until she turns 25, she won't have control of her estate, Pevensey Park. In the meantime, her uncle and guardian is running the estate into the ground, and pressuring her to marry her cousin, the "Terrible Twyford." The solution seems to be for her to marry someone of her own choosing, but with Twyford becoming bolder and threatening to compromise her to force her to marry him, time is running short. So she writes letters to various friends and acquaintances telling them she's in search of a husband.

The Good:
The humor. Aurelia's initial prospects are quite amusing, in a 3-Bears sort of way.
The historical details. The details about elections at the time were just fascinating, and the attitudes about class differences were very realistic.

The Bad:
The heroine's attitude. Realistic or not, I couldn't stomach the heroine's attitude. She constantly put down the hero for being a "cit" (for those of you not familiar with Regencies, this means he *gasp* works for a living, in the city--a definite class difference), despite the fact that she's the one who sought him out, not the other way around.

The Verdict:
Good for a few laughs and a little insight into Regency England, but don't expect a great love story.

This is my very favorite type of book - one that tells a realistic, sensible story based on solid research, about charming endearing *human* characters, and the whole is encased in marvelous writing. Truly, I don't know what more one could wish for, unless it be more pages to the story than the prescribed format allows.

By-elections in the countryside of Regency England-Kent, for example-are not a common base for a Regency novel, and the details presented in this engaging story are fascinating. Kudos to Ms. Bancroft and her library for allowing the rest of us to know them, as well.

Aurelia Trevor is an only child, nearing her majority when the guardian of her family property dies, leaving her at the mercy of another, rather unsavory uncle. But there is no mercy forthcoming, merely the prospect of a forced marriage to Auuelia's cousin. Drastic measures are needed to maintain her hold on the family estate Pevensey Park, so with the connivance of her long-time governess and now friend, the two women head for London to search out a husband.

The chosen candidate is Thomas Lanning, an unmarried financier, but otherwise not someone Aurelia would have been likely to encounter in her life. The two engage in a `Taming of the Shrew' sort of married life, effectively stopping the efforts of her uncle and cousin to gain the property and the heiress for their own purposes.

Thomas has an agenda of his own which is a major factor in his decision to marry Aurelia. He wants to enter politics, and sees the seat at Lower Peven as the ideal place to start. Along the way, he is forced to face up to his own family responsibilities, adding a half-brother and sister to the mix at the Park, along with a new steward and other retainers. Sparks fly as old and new customs are blended together to match this new blended family.

In the end, everything works out splendidly, and the journey to get there is a most enjoyable one. It's fun to watch Aurelia and Thomas battle their way to a new understanding of each other and themselves in the process. Any reader who loves to read and savor words will greatly enjoy this book.

Miss Aurelia Trevor of Pevensey Park, Kent was up in arms over the fact that her steward was totally ignoring her directives in maintaining the estate that was left to her by her father. Unfortunately, the two executors that had been named in her father's will had both passed on leaving her Uncle Huburt as her guardian until she attained the age of five and twenty, or until she married. Aurelia, at twenty-one, even though the estate was hers, could not control it until she attained the age of twenty-five, or married.

With the threat of being forced to marry or be compromised by her odious cousin, the Terrible Twyford, Aurelia and her former governess and companion devised a scheme to find a suitable husband - one that could be persuaded to marry yet leave the running of Pevensey to her. With the war going on and most eligible sons away fighting Bonaparte, the pickings were slim, therefore she enlisted the help of a solicitor in London to find a man, who would marry her under her conditions. Aurelia couldn't believe that she would ever consider a Cit, (a man who worked for a living or was in trade) rather than a gentleman from the nobility, but from the moment she saw the very handsome `cit' she was most definitely attracted.

Thomas Lanning, had no need of an heiress having amassed a fortune of his own, but the bonus of a political power base that offered itself along with Pevensey park, was something he truly couldn't turn down. Aside from that, Miss Aurelia Trevor, the arrogant little minx, was certainly attractive enough. Coming from different worlds, these two individuals - just might make a match made in heaven but it would be doubtful when Thomas put her in her place for `hiring' a cit for a husband with the comment "... you may annoy me at times, but you don't disgust me..." !!!

*** Blair Bancroft certainly writes with an admirable knowledge of the regency era with an ability to transport her readers with the sights, sounds, language and mannerisms of that period. Although the modern woman could feel sorry for the heroine's plight, it would be extremely hard to feel any warmth towards Aurelia's arrogance and her obvious distaste towards a `cit', especially when one considers that SHE was the one that had sought him out. She obviously felt attracted to Thomas, yet having been brought up in the ranks of the nobility, and as an only child, it was difficult for her to show any kind of emotion or warmth - attraction or not! It was only from observing the interactions of Thomas and his younger siblings that she loosened up at all. While I found this to be an extremely well researched and interesting read, those looking for romance will have to wait it out until the very last couple of pages. --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---

Miss Aurelia Trevor had the misfortune of being born of female. Unless she marries, her beloved Pensevey Park will fall under the care of her dastardly uncle. Aurelia needs to find a husband--and fast. Anyone would be better than her uncle and sniveling cousin.

Enter Thomas Lanning. A cit (and therefore, not classified gentry), he doesn't really have any intention to wed, but he sees something beneficial in what Aurelia is proposing. He agrees to marry Aurelia, regardless of the fact that they always butt heads.

Throughout the book, Aurelia and Thomas are at odds. For the longest time, our hero and heroine show no interest in each other, aside from mutual attraction. At times, they seem to barely tolerate one another. If you like that in a book, you'd probably like this. However, the grueling pace kept me from enjoying it. And the author seemed to veer away from the main plot more than once. Toward the end, I felt like I was drudging through it.

On the bright side, the author does a good job at creating her characters, and showing their transitions throughout the book. Overall: 2 1/2 stars.

I read the first edition of Tariq Ali's book "Bush in Babylon" and thought it was quite informative, which is why I bought this short read. I've found Ali a consistently interesting figure to listen to on radio and I normally find myself agreeing with his take on the War on Terror. However, this book is very poor.

This tract has a lot of unflattering features in common with Norman Mailer's similarly anti-Bush "Why Are We At War?" Both books barely squeak past 100 pages even in large print, both feature the authors quoting copiously from themselves, and both are suffused with badly-thought-out ideas, repetitive sloganeering, and intellectual lassitude.

Hurled about in "Rough Music" are the usual shibboleths:

" ... in the spring of 1999, Blair would be baying for a full-scale military invasion of Yugoslavia. At this point it became clear that Blair was excited by war. He liked being surrounded by military men. He liked the smell of blood." [p. 3]

"What we are witnessing is a new round of repression by a reactionary government" [p. 68]. (Ex-Trotskyist condemns New Labour. It's hardly Stalin's NKVD, is it?)

"The climate of fear" in Britain couldn't possibly have anything to do with actual bombings taking place among real people, but instead is "perpetrated [sic] by Blair, Blunkett, Clarke and the rest." [p. 69]

On p. 67 we're told that "One particular mantra - shrouded in untruth - is constantly repeated: 'We shall not permit these attacks to change our way of life.'" Well, here's another mantra that's repeated ad nauseum: "imperialist". And sure enough, in the very next sentence, Ali condemns "imperialist policies". Such unselfconscious laziness is most unbecoming.

New Labour's elected government is apparently a "junta" [p. 8n]. In a slim volume of Blair-bashing Ali also finds the time to gripe about Britain's "unelected second chamber" [p. 15]. But wasn't it was Blair himself who succeeded in stripping power from the House of Lords years ago? This, apparently, was just "a Michael Jackson face-lift" [p. 87]. But beyond the smart-alec remark, there is no explanation as to why.

Outlandishly, it is claimed throughout the book that the Guardian newspaper was soft on Blair/Bush, when one has to open barely three editions of this paper since 9/11 to know that the exact opposite is the case. Yet to the closed and Nixonian mind, enemies are everywhere, such that "so many of the Guardian editorials are sycophantic pro-government drivel" [p. 42] Worse, Ali quotes anti-war/anti-Blair comments that appeared in the Guardian, including not one but two anti-Labour articles which he himself published there! [p. 21, 47] That's just slack.

Ali condemns "the ghettoisation of all thought" [p. 7] in Britain. But by refusing to even deal with any of his opponent's arguments, it's plain that he's guilty of the same Balkanized ideologizing himself. The epigram chosen for the back cover - Herman Melville's bewildering rationale for why "Milton's Satan is morally very superior to his God" - sums up the moral confusion of this book. It's not an argument so much as a fine spray of the usual stuff we've all heard before, except this time expressed in a much less articulate manner.

In summary, it's a mess. The book represents nothing so much as a howling storm: noisy, and composed entirely of air. Which is a pity. Because there are some valid points in here about the mendacity of New Labour and in particular their bullying of the BBC. But anyone reading this book already simplistically convinced is just going to clap mindlessly; and those of us who would like to be convinced are unlikely to respond well to this insult to our intelligence.

Rare to read an invigorating polemic like this these days with most of the media so bland and uncritical. Picked up this book in a Kolkata(Calcutta) bookshop. I studied Medicine in Edinburgh in the 1980s, but left Britain during the Thatcher years. This book tells me that Blair is just as bad. Why are British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq? ROUGH MUSIC provides some answers.

I could not vote in 1997 and I did not wish to vote last time because despite my parents being lifelong Labour voters I just could not trust Blair. I found him unconvincing. A friend bought me this book for my birthday and the anger and passion with which it was written said something to me. It's great and I've bought it as a present for other friends. Even my mum admits there's a lot of truth in it. That's more than she says for BLIAR these days.

Normally don't write such reviews, but saw the others as I was checking out book's availability and was really taken aback. For those of us who live in Britain, the Blairite nightmare is not yet over which is why this angry and impassioned polemic is just what you don't get in tghe mainstream press. It reminds me a little of the wonderful essays the late E.P. Thompson used to write. Incidentally a majority of the British public now despises Blair, even more than Thatcher. The lies he told, his spin-doctors, his decision to sack the heads of BBC because he didn't like their coverage of the war, his privatisations of health and education has meant that his ratings (20 percent) are the lowest of any Labour Prime Minister. Full marks to Ali for saying in public what many feel in private.

Let us get this straight: The argument here is that, Blair is evil incarnate and those who murdered innocent Londoners are 'freedom fighters' and saints. The only thing this book gets even 10% right is that an innocent Brazilian was gunned down for no real good reason and that it is a hypocrisy for England to critisize Israel, when Israel never, after sufferign 25,000 terror attacks, murdered an innocent man bording a bus(but other innocents were killed in other ways...).

Blair apparently didnt do enough to make the extremists happy in England and for this he is called everything from a child molestor to being accused of 'liking the smell of blood' he is accused of wagging the dog of America(or is it vice versa) and poor TOny Blair is just raked over the coals for everything. This book is just a sad attempt to get itself sold. Blair is an easy target, he's been in power a long time, and its easy to poke fun. But the hate filled wrath and complete illogic of this book perhaps goes to show the very hatred that fueled those who carried out the London bombings, indeed if they read this in their prison cells they might be proud. That is a sad tribute.

Seth J. Frantzman

"in Asia" is a bit limiting/misleading.
The book is a great read and thoroughly explains the concepts behind 360 Branding. It presents a clear vision of where branding has been, and how branding anywhere must evolve and expand right now for the future. The Asia aspect comes at the end of each chapter with a short 1-3 page application/case study of that chapter's material "in Asia." It basically says, "Hey, this stuff works. Look what happened in Asia."

Yes, your communications need to be "integrated." But this shows book shows what that concept will mean in the future.

I really enjoyed the book, and thought that it was a very easy to read, easy to understand book about branding in Asia. It's examples are entertaining and sometimes surprising, and what has been achieved in the Asian market is a good example of the future of world-wide branding. If anyone is even vaguely interested in branding, and not just in Asia, I recommend you read this book.

The book is a really easy reading and the best thing is about its understanding of Asians. The 360 degree branding concept is especially good at simulating readers to think about the unlimited possibilities of what a brand can do. Being an Asian, I am tired of reading books from Westeners who actually don't recognize the characteristics of people living here. This book, on the contrary, impresses me by discussing some interesting differences of Asians against Western people in the first chapter. The observations are deep and valid. And I truly believe that this understanding is crucial to every one working in the Asian branding industry.

This book is the literary equivalent of an Ikea coffee table: looks great on the surface, but underneath it's nothing but cheap filler.

Leave it to a group of advertising types to fill an entire book with marketing jargon, case studies and puffery that accomplishes nothing save prop up the ad agency the authors work for and fill each author's own lungs with air. This book is pure nonsense. Save your money.

The book's main premise: 360 degree branding. Translation: integrated communications. By the way, there is no secret to branding in Asia which the authors lead you to believe SEE TITLE. Integrated branding, applied correctly, in any part of the world works. It just so happens the authors' live and work in Asia and are trying to build business in that region.

If you are in marketing and don't understand that your company's website must have the same personality as its pr as its marcom as its advertising, you shouldn't be in marketing.

Save your money. Use your common sens.

This book is the literary equivalent of an Ikea coffee table: looks great on the surface, but underneath it's nothing but cheap filler.

Leave it to a group of advertising types to fill an entire book with marketing jargon, case studies and puffery that accomplishes nothing save prop up the ad agency the authors work for and fill each author's own lungs with air. This book is pure nonsense. Save your money.

The book's main premise: 360 degree branding. Translation: integrated communications. By the way, there is no secret to branding in Asia which the authors lead you to believe SEE TITLE. Integrated branding, applied correctly, in any part of the world works. It just so happens the authors' live and work in Asia and are trying to build business in that region.

If you are in marketing and don't understand that your company's website must have the same personality as its pr as its marcom as its advertising, you shouldn't be in marketing.

Save your money. Use your common sense.

For an absolute beginner who is serious about learning Chinese, I would recommend starting with Pimsleur (the mini-series) to get the pronunciation and sentence rhythms pounded into your head. I've heard so many great reviews about Pimsleur from people who have used it and then traveled to China. Then when you're ready to expand your vocabulary and speaking skills as a quicker (and more fun) pace, "Dr. Blair" fits the bill for beginner stage 2. They don't hesitate to give you goofy mnemonic tips to help you remember the Chinese. i.e. "tou fa" for hair-- "With that crazy hairstyle, you've really gone tou fa!" or "peng you" friend. "Sort of sounds like "stung yo" but it's "peng you." "Dan shi" (of course) "Sounds a bit like "darn sure." A bit crude but very helpful to get the gist of the unusual Chinese sounds.

It's very simple: if you're going to make a language CD, you should damn well know how to pronounce it correctly. The Chinese speaker on the CD is fine, but the American (Dr. Blair?) makes gross mispronunciations every sentence or two.

I'd rate it lower than one star if I could... if you pattern your speaking after him, the only people that will be able to understand your Mandarin (as my Chinese teacher used to say) is you and your dog. It's not just bad, but it's actively harmful to your efforts to learn the language correctly.

Only audio CD I've ever returned.

1. I had problems installing the CDs.
2. Their help line was very responsible even in the evening by e-mail.
3. The beginning was very good and then just fell apart.
4. It reminds me of one of those hacked together chop-socky movies that Jackie Chan was forced to make - All advertising, some, but very little delivery.

The sample has the narrative about an interesting story where I expected to solve a problem and use your language skills. Out of three hours, I bet less than 10 minutes TOTAL are spent on the story and I haven't seen anything related to the adventure in the learning. The mnemonic devices were good, that is haidou = sea pirates, Shanghai = near the Sea, but I bet less than 20% of the words used mnemonic devices. Two hours into the three hours of the course and they are stringly irrelevant phrases together, e.g. Do you want to pet my tiger? (I'm not kidding) with that... I don't know, [...].

I am so impressed by this diminutive (in both size and price) package. I bought it for the price and internet reviews of Dr. Blair's courses (they are all filled with praise). I am now a believer because the method works in the most creative of ways. I'm not yet through lesson 2 but am able to innovatively think through the construction and translation of sentences.

This is an introductory package to the Power-glide method of language learning. It includes 3 audio CDs with 6 total lessons and 1 computer CD with the written (in Simplified Chinese characters and pinyin) and spoken vocabulary that you have learned organized by lesson, additional travel vocabulary, and a diglot written story which merges both English language and Chinese pinyin to practice with.

The audio CD portion uses a story-line to start immediate learning as you listen and practice along with 'the other students'. You have to listen many times to each section in order to really absorb what you are learning. For me, each lesson (6 total) takes at least a week to truly 'get it'. So, at $12 we're talking about $2/week for fairly intensive instruction. In combination with the computer CD resources, this package can lay quite a constructive foundation in the Chinese language. What a fantastic and inexpensive way to see if you enjoy learning a new language!

Because of my positive experience with this package, I have looked into buying the comprehensive Power-glide Mandarin Chinese course which Power-glide has yet to complete. It is due by the end of 2006 and it, too, will be a bargain (25%-30% cost of competitor products). I know that this is the language learning method for me.

I've tried lots of other language programs, but Dr. Blair's is the first that held my interest long enough that I didn't mind doing the necessary work.

Chinese pronunciations are quite a challenge to westerners, but this program takes such care to demonstrate them that you'll be surprised how quickly you can make them sound authentic.

On top of the entertaining program--you sort of have to hear it to belive it--a huge plus is the CD-ROM that helps you review pronunciations and characters as well as everything else on the program.

And you can't beat the price!

the second caeoline cousins book continues the ups and downs of the three cousins relationships and their tendences for disaster and the desire of others to kill them because of their must know nature

I picked this book up on the "new" shelf at my library knowing nothing about it or the author. I was delightfully pleased with this light mystery. I enjoyed the down-to-earth cousins who wrestled with everyday trials and tribulations. It wasn't compelling, but the characters were delightful. It was just fun!

If you like stories set in the South, you will enjoy Marsh Madness since the descriptions of coastal island life and culture are "right on the money". The trio of authors, writing under the pseudonym of Caroline Cousins, really are cousins who grew up on a coastal island in or near Charleston, SC, and their feel for the people and the dialogue show their love of the South. The mystery itself is fun, has a few twists in it and there is a satisfying ending; however, the sense of place appealed to me more than anything else. If you want a quick read, one worthy of taking to the beach on a hot summer day - or conversely, curling up inside on a snowy day - then I think you might enjoy "Marsh Madness".

Second book written by the three cousins who call themselves Caroline Cousins, Marsh Madness takes place on a southern island in South Carolina. Humor abounds among the three protagonists as they try to prepare for a wedding at their pride and joy, Pinckney Mansion. But fate steps in by way of the death of a local (wannabe) celebrity's secretary - which is considered a case of mistaken identity. Follow the three women through the multitude of storylines that, to me, are VERY realistic among people who have known each other so long to the conclusion of many mysteries.

I had to give this book one star because I did not get past the second chapter. I must admit, I got the book because one of the authors used to be the literary critic for the Orlando Sentinel (where I live), so there was some local interest on my part. This book only goes to prove that critics do not make good writers. To me, the worst description a book can receive is "trite." Unfortunately, this book fits that description perfectly. I found the writing poor, even juvenile. I have two suggestions for these writers: Either try writing on an individual basis and see what can be produced separately, or, try writing for young teenage girls. Sorry to be so harsh but, as a critic should realize, a review should be honest or it is of no help.

This is essentially a collection of updated columns from Blair Kamin's 1990s-era reports on the state of architecture in Chicago. In many instances, there are "postscripts" updating the information to the new millenium.

These are pretty good items, but suffer from the architecture critic's foremost risk: the "ain't it awful" trap that can detract from the pure enjoyment of excellent design. "This is a great, beautiful building, but right across the street is a Kwik-E-Mart." Equivocation is an inevitable part of human experience, but it can also sometimes induce a killjoy effect.

Leadership means creating a vision of a preferred future state and then sharing that vision with others. Enthusiam matters. And so do results.

In Chicago architecture today, there is a whole lot more to celebrate than to decry. Let's celebrate more!

At the heart of this book, a collection of Kamin's Chicago Tribune articles spanning nearly a decade, is the author's adherence to his "consistent but flexible principles" of Activist Criticism. His critiques are not mere assessments of buildings as works of art; they are convincing arguments that as a whole show us the significant role architecture plays in a city. Far too many urban-dwellers blindly take whatever buildings go up around them and fail to realize how architecture shapes their lives, for better or worse, but Kamin implores us and our civic leaders to be more discerning, demanding worthy projects that will strengthen our cities.

Blair Kamin is not just a great critic with sharp insight: he's a terrific writer whose articles are seasoned with wit and a highly readable eloquence. Upon reading his work, it is no surprise that he won a Pulitzer Prize for criticism. It helps to be familiar with Chicago's landmark buildings, but that is not a prerequisite to learning some important lessons. This book is not just pleasure reading for architecture students, but for anyone who cares deeply about the architectural decisions being made in his or her city. By frequently reviewing proposed projects, Kamin goes on the offensive, raising some keen questions that go alarmingly unasked by the developers and politicians involved. This approach, with the resulting influence he wields, has altered the course of events in Chicago many a time (though, sadly, not always). One wishes he had the final approval on all the city's projects before groundbreaking. Architecture, as he says, is the "inescapable art" we all have to live with on a daily basis, and Kamin's activist criticism encourages us to learn from past mistakes in order to form a more livable city.

He makes clear the difference between a building as a structure and a building as part of a living city. While the examples are mainly from Chicago, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves cities.

Mr. Kamin's obvious lack of experience in actually constructing anything other than useless "Architect-talk" is all over this book. Slanted for those who cannot find their own voice - Kamin reveals nothing but garbled particles of writing, framed within his false exhalted position as critic-extraordinaire.

Why buildings matter should be re-released and re-titled "why do we need architecture critics?" I have walked down the streets of NYC and learned more about why architecture matters. Buildings are inert without the culture surrounding them. Critics are inert without practical experience to draw from.

pass on the book, grab a coffee and stroll the streets of your hometown instead.

Pass of Kamin and his pretentious thesaurus of architectural "criticism".

Okay, first, why mistitled?
This book is a compilation of columns and articles Blair Kamin wrote for the Chicago Tribune. He writes passionately (and well) about architecture, and the book is definitely worth reading. But the title is all wrong. If you want to know "Why Architecture Matters," don't buy this book. It won't tell you. If Kamin has a thesis about why architecture matters, he never comes out and says what it is.
What you will get, if you buy this book, is excellent commentary on the state of contemporary design, particularly as it relates to that most architectural of cities, Chicago. Kamin covers his beat well, and has opinions which are, as Michael Feldman would say, "well reasoned and insightful." Particularly powerful is his extended analysis of how architecture does and does not impact the social pathology of public housing in Chicago. This is great stuff--well researched, well reasoned and well written. Kamin looks past the conventional wisdom about the evils of high-rise public housing to what's really going on there--and whether what's going on has anything to do with the architecture or not. As I said, great stuff.
If he'd just called the book "Architecture Matters," I'd have given him 5 stars. The "Why" in the title begs for a thematic core that, unfortunately, is just not there.

88 WAYS TO DIE by Johnnie Mitchell: Interesting PI tale self-published by the author earlier this year. Black PI Ellis Mason is a small businessman in Chicago in 1988 who gets caught up in a murder case when the girlfriend of his client is killed. As he is pulled deeper and deeper into the matter he hooks up with Brad Royce, a big time agency owner who numbers among his clients a congressional candidate looking for dirt on a rival. It is Chicago, after all, so, its not surprising that Mason and Royce are soon swimming upstream in a river of murder, greed, and political corruption. As with many self- published efforts, this book could have benefited from some tighter editing, more street time and less "bed time." I hope Mr. Mitchell does well enough to produce some more, as Mason could potentially be Chicago's answer to LA's Eazy Rawlins.

--Jack Quick Bookbitch.com

An ex-con, two detectives-different agencies, two women working for
a brokerage firm, an international finance mogul, a local politician
and a campaign manager; were somehow connected. A determination of
how, will give the solution to the mystery 88 WAYS TO DIE.

The ex-con hires detective Ellis Mason to keep tabs on his girlfriend.
The Congressional candidate hires detective Brad Royce to find dirt on
a political rival; which involves tailing the rival's girlfriend. The

detective's paths cross when the women they are following are both
murdered. The ex-con is arrested for killing his girlfriend and the
other woman's death is charged to a drive by shooting. But the police
believe because the women knew each other, the killings are related.
Now that addresses the ex-con, the detectives, and the women at the
brokerage. But that is only the tip of the iceberg, what roles do
the campaign manager and the international mogul play in this puzzle?

That is what the dectectives have to find out.

88 Ways To Die is an intriguing story set in Chicago during the
Presidential Election of 1988. Where everyone seemed to be caught in
a web of murder, dirty politics, shady deals and high profile women.
The intrigue however was over shadowed for me because there were too
many names to remember, too many secondary characters and not a clear
picture of who the primary characters were. I would love to have been
able to focus my attention on 'whodunit', instead my focus was on who
the players were. I do suggest you pick up a copy and figure this one
out for yourself.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

Set in Chicago during the presidential election of 1988, Johnnie Mitchell's debut
mystery, 88 WAYS TO DIE, introduces African-American private detective, Ellis
Mason. Ellis is hired by ex-con Armad Drew for a simple case--following Armad's
girfriend, Donna Beck, who he suspects is cheating on him. But the case quickly
becomes complicated when Donna is murdered and Armad is arrested for the crime.
When Armad begs Ellis to help him, Ellis reluctantly agrees not knowing what he's
getting himself into. Ellis discovers that Donna's murder is only the tip of the iceberg
and after one of his own employees is murdered, soon find himself teamed up with
Brad Royce, another PI who happens to be working for a congressional candidate. Both
men find themselves attracted to Francine Darden, a beautiful co-worker of Donna
Beck's who has secrets of her own and is the link between both men's cases. Ellis and
Brad find themselves up to their necks in murder, blackmail, corruption, and politics
and must find their way out before they're the next victim's.

Johnnie Mitchell tells a good story and introduces a strong character in Ellis Mason.
The book would have been greatly enhanced by editing as the typos proved to be a bit
of a distraction. At 162 pages, I would have liked for the book to have been a little
longer. Otherwise, I look forward to reading more of Ellis Mason's adventures and will
be curious to see if he teams up with Brad Royce next time around.