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Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America
More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland. Between 250,000 and 400,000 Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, traveling in groups of families and bringing with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition, and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working class America, and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself. Born Fighting is the first book to chronicle the full journey of this remarkable cultural group, and the profound, but unrecognized, role it has played in the shaping of America. Written with the storytelling verve that has earned his works such acclaim as “captivating . . . unforgettable” (the Wall Street Journal on Lost Soliders), Scots-Irishman James Webb, Vietnam combat veteran and former Naval Secretary, traces the history of his people, beginning nearly two thousand years ago at Hadrian’s Wall, when the nation of Scotland was formed north of the Wall through armed conflict in contrast to England’s formation to the south through commerce and trade. Webb recounts the Scots’ odyssey—their clashes with the English in Scotland and then in Ulster, their retreat from one war-ravaged land to another. Through engrossing chronicles of the challenges the Scots-Irish faced, Webb vividly portrays how they developed the qualities that helped settle the American frontier and define the American character. Born Fighting shows that the Scots-Irish were 40 percent of the Revolutionary War army; they included the pioneers Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston; they were the writers Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain; and they have given America numerous great military leaders, including Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Audie Murphy, and George S. Patton, as well as most of the soldiers of the Confederacy (only 5 percent of whom owned slaves, and who fought against what they viewed as an invading army). It illustrates how the Scots-Irish redefined American politics, creating the populist movement and giving the country a dozen presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. And it explores how the Scots-Irish culture of isolation, hard luck, stubbornness, and mistrust of the nation’s elite formed and still dominates blue-collar America, the military services, the Bible Belt, and country music. Both a distinguished work of cultural history and a human drama that speaks straight to the heart of contemporary America, Born Fighting reintroduces America to its most powerful, patriotic, and individualistic cultural group—one too often ignored or taken for granted..
Price: $8.11
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The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception
Right now, Truth is under attack, and much is at stake. Christians are caught in the crossfire of alternative Christian histories, emerging faulty texts, and a cultural push to eliminate absolute Truth altogether. As a result, many churches and Christians have been deceived. Worse still, they propagate the deception that poses itself as Truth! In The Truth War John MacArthur reclaims the unwavering certainty of God's Truth and anchors Christians in the eternal, immovable promises that are found in His Word..
Price: $8.35
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Stealth Boat: Fighting the Cold War in a Fast Attack Submarine
The mission of the U.S. Navy's fast attack submarines during the Cold War was a closely guarded secret for many years, but this look back at the period and the part played by those submarines in winning the war gives readers a close-up view of life in one of those subs, USS Sturgeon (SSN637). McHale's memoir covers the years from 1967 to 1970, when as a teenager he was assigned to the nuclear submarine. Readers come to understand how those years profoundly affected the way he lived the rest of his life. The book focuses on McHale's experiences and those of other men with whom he served who have remained his lifelong friends..
Price: $17.45
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DK Readers: Jobs People Do -- A Day in a Life of a Firefighter (Level 1: Beginning to Read)
This Level 1 book is appropriate for children who are just beginning to read. The fire alarm goes off! Rob Green and the other firefighters go into action. Is there time to save a little girl's dog? This unique Level 1 series accurately portrays real-life situations that help young children identify with and learn from while helping them improve their reading skills. Presented in classic DK style, young readers will enjoy photographically illustrated information in an entertaining package. For children who are just beginning to read and who have a limited vocabulary, these 32-page Level 1 books-about everything from tadpoles to puppies-use word repetition and simple sentences to convey meaning. Picture dictionary boxes with word labels "show" the meanings of words. These books contain between 400 and 450 words each, and they are 80 percent pictures and 20 percent text. The Dorling Kindersley Readers combine an enticing visual layout with high-interest, easy-to-read stories to captivate and delight young bookworms who are just getting started. Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these engaging books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade 4..
Price: $0.95
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The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The Nhl
Ice hockey has always been a sport steeped in a culture of violence, and players universally calibrate the level of physical contact by adhering to unwritten rules known simply as "the code". "The Code" picks up where the rule book leaves off and fills in the gaps, all in an effort to govern the game and its players - allowing them to complete in a manner deemed fair and respectable. To fully understand the significance and history behind "the code", Bernstein interviewed more than 50 past and present players and coaches. Their insights and stories explain why fighting is allowed, and how players police themselves on and off the ice..
Price: $14.27
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Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone
Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other way—out of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian-roulette, Congo style, with him. During his first year, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered and Devlin was widely thought to have been entrusted with (he was) and to have carried out (he didn't) the assassination. Then he saved the life of Joseph Desire Mobutu, who carried out the military coup that presaged his own rise to political power. Devlin found himself at the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country on the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. He met every significant political figure, from presidents to mercenaries, as he took the Cold War to one of the world's hottest zones. This is a classic political memoir from a master spy who lived in wildly dramatic times. .
Price: $5.99
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Greatest Moments in Notre Dame Football History
To be a fan of the Fighting Irish is to revere the tradition, understand the legend, and experience the pageantry of Notre Dame--all for the glory in the end zone. Greatest Moments in Notre Dame Football History illuminates the team's storied victories and dignified defeats and proves once and for all why this school is the one by which all other college football programs are judged. Even the most casual Notre Dame football fans can recount the greatest Irish games: the landmark home victories over No. 1 Miami in '88 and No. 1 Florida State in '93; the unforgettable 10-10 tie with Michigan State in '66; the green-jersey game against USC in '77; Harry Oliver's epic 51-yard field goal to beat Michigan in '80; and the long list of bowl wins against the likes of Texas, Alabama, West Virginia, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Florida. Don't forget the birth of the Four Horsemen, the "Win One for the Gipper" game, plus four straight seasons under Frank Leahy without a loss. Greatest Moments in Notre Dame Football History gives you the scoop on all those games and more. In categorizing dozens of the most memorable Irish gridiron achievements, readers will learn which games changed the face of Notre Dame football; get an inside look at Notre Dame bowl wins; discover which contests were rated "games of the century"; relive unbelievable endings and amazing individual performances; and even consider a list of losses that still have Notre Dame fans pulling their hair out. Games are recounted in rich detail, supported by statistics, scoring summaries, and memorable quotations from the coaches and players involved. The book is illustrated with a generous helping of exclusive color photographs from the Notre Dame archives. A bonus highlight DVD includes interviews and historic footage of some of the greatest Fighting Irish moments also featured in the book. Greatest Moments in Notre Dame Football History is a book no Fighting Irish fan will want to be without..
Price: $17.10
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The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression
First it was the Bloodhound, sensationalized in the dramatizations of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Then it was the Doberman, symbol of the Nazi menace. Today, it is the Pit bull that is vilified for the depravity of his masters. Today, police chase down fleeing Pit bulls in the street, firing dozens of wild shots in response to media-fed rumors of supernatural Pit bull abilities. Politicians coach and nurture this fear with their own brand of rhetoric used to assist in the passing of quick and ineffective legislation created to pacify communities ignorant of the real cause for dog attacks. Hundreds of animal shelters throughout the country kill all unclaimed Pit bull-looking dogs, as they are deemed "unadoptable" solely on their physical appearance. This has occurred because the human/dog bond, the most complex and profound inter-species relationship in the history of mankind, has been reduced to a simple axiom: Breed of dog = degree of dangerousness. We have come to accept that hanging entire breeds of dogs in effigy for the sins of their owners is an acceptable solution to canine aggression because we have been placated by a Pit Bull Placebo. Like the pharmacologically inactive sugar pill dispensed to pacify a patient who supposes it to be medicine, eradication of the Pit bull is the placebo administered to ease the public's anxiety about dog attacks. The book, The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression, explores how our views and beliefs about canine aggression have changed over the last 150 years and how our perceptions about the nature and behavior of dogs has been influenced by persons and organizations who often times disseminate information about dog attacks which is tailored to further an agenda unrelated to the improvement of the human/dog bond. We are in the midst of a social hysteria about Pit bulls because we have abandoned centuries-old common-sense and have been duped by inaccurate reporting from the "Pit Bull Paparazzi" and by politicians who traffic in rumors, myths and pseudoscience in their efforts to pass legislation that demonizes dogs while exonerating criminal and abusive owners. If we truly believe that the extremely rare cases of fatal dog attacks merit extreme measures in the management of dogs, if our concern and shock is genuine, then we must be equally genuine and sincere in seeking out and addressing the real causes for these incidents. Only by stepping back from the swirl of present-day hysteria surrounding isolated cases of severe canine aggression and examining the problem from a broader and more objective perspective can we hope to understand and address the human and canine behaviors which contribute to these incidents..
Price: $24.95
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