Jim Parsons

Yesterday, Blake Abbott was a bored 11-year-old schoolkid in Brisbane, Australia.Today, thanks to the double-dealing, treacherous Sir Hubert Tussleberry, he is now Sir Blake the Bored, the youngest knight in mad King Putrid's kingdom of Tortellini.His mother is about to be roasted by a dragon, the hideous, shape-shifting Garunchis are after him, Prince Purpleburp commands him to walk the tightrope ... up there gulp]and - worst of all - the bloodthirsty Princess Olivia wants to kiss him.Slaying a dragon is starting to look easy.

Vivid imagery and original research are the hallmarks of DFW Deco: Modernistic Architecture of North Texas, the latest in Jim Parsons and David Bush’s series of books documenting Art Deco and Art Moderne design in the Lone Star State. DFW Deco examines a vibrant architectural heritage that spans legendary eras in American history, from the Roaring Twenties through the Great Depression to World War II. DFW Deco explores the full range of modernistic building styles and some of the uniquely Texan influences that shaped the growing cities of North Texas. Classic zigzag skyscrapers promoted by Fort Worth boosters and Dallas businessmen, Art Deco storefronts in the booming towns of the great East Texas oilfield, and streamlined facilities inspired by innovations in transportation and communications all have a place in this book. DFW Deco looks not only at whole buildings, but also at their finely crafted details, ranging from vibrant tile murals depicting the scope of Texas history on Fort Worth’s monumental Will Rogers Memorial Center to stylized gold-leaf pinecones and cotton bolls in the ornate People’s National Bank Building in Tyler. Using a mix of original and historical photographs, this lavishly illustrated book promotes an appreciation of Main Street movie theaters, innovative suburban homes, and even a surprising collection of modernistic soft drink bottling plants. DFW Deco also documents the federal programs that helped build exceptional courthouses, schools, and post offices from small towns to big cities. The book ends with a chapter of short biographies of the architects and artists who created these landmarks. By illustrating the broad reach of modernistic design in North Texas, the authors hope to advance the preservation of significant buildings and encourage readers to explore the region themselves and discover their own Art Deco treasures.

You don't need a tweed jacket to be a researcher--in thousands of schools across North America, practising teachers conduct studies on best practices, alternative approaches, and effective learning strategies. Classroom teachers have experiences and opportunities unavailable to researchers in a university setting, and action research--site-based, teacher-conducted research--can have a valuable impact on the educational community. Yet many teachers don't see their work as real research, and many other teachers have great ideas for research projects but don't know where to begin. For these teachers, Engaging in Action Research demystifies the world of educational research and provides support, guidance, and encouragement. From creating a research plan to reporting findings, this book provides step-by-step instructions to help teachers conduct research projects in the classroom, using strategies that work. Get ready to investigate, analyze, and share!

We-all of us who write, organize, and read The Canadian Journal for Teacher Research-are Brock University's colleagues. And, we wish to come out from behind the scenes. Because we believe research matters, we formed this space to encourage a wider sharing and a broader consideration of educational research.We believe research can help us seek answers to key questions;we also believe engaging in research to answer our questions helps us become connected and powerful.Our agenda is to investigate all aspects of life of/in schools, focusing upon the good work of teachers and the learning of both children and teachers.We believe we are part of a large community of colleagues who wish the same.With this journal, to create a meeting place for those of us who seek to better understand teaching and learning.What is happening in the United States with teaching and learning the space we are building can be seen as a bit radical.It is our resistance to outside force.It is encouragement for us all in our difficult work.

Teacher research in Canada: Although the job might be hard the quest is worth it. It is about teacher power. We trust teachers and we believe they have powerful knowledge, insight, and experience that should be shared widely-and we mean to attempt that sharing. We are a community, bound by an ethos: we care about children and we want to help them learn. We also believe that teacher research is important and that not enough of it is done. We hope to correct that poverty. Our work is based upon three beliefs about research: 1) the WHAT is important-we need to seek and create knowledge and that knowledge should be based upon our best inquiry; 2) the SO WHAT is important. We are a community of critical action. We need to consider how what we learn SHOULD be applied; & 3) the NOW WHAT is important. We have to actually engage children in the best ways we know how, with the best of what we have learned. This is what The Canadian Journal for Teacher Research is all about. Our goal is to transform teaching in Canada.

Fair Park Deco is a fascinating tour of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. Like every American exposition in the 1930s, it began in economic depression. Although its economy had been buoyed by major oil discoveries in the early '30s, Texas agriculture was hard hit by the Great Depression. By the middle of the decade, state officials had set their sights on a great centennial celebration to help stimulate the economy and attract tourist dollars. “If during the next six months the people of the state could become filled with the idea of holding a big celebration on the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Texas independence,” the state’s centennial commission speculated in July, 1934, “it would have the effect of creating a general forward-looking spirit through the state. It would be more stimulating than anything we can think of, and this effect would be immediate.” This book focuses specifically on the Art Deco art and architecture of Fair Park—the public spaces, buildings, sculptures and murals that were designed for the 1936 exposition. Most of the chapters in the book represent different areas of Fair Park, with buildings and artwork effectively arranged in the same order that a visitor to the Texas Centennial Exposition might have seen them. The art and architecture are featured in original photography by Jim Parsons and David Bush as well as in historic photographs. Fair Park is one of the finest collections of Deco architecture in the country, but it is so much more: the embodiment of Texan swagger, it is a testament to the Texanic task of creating a dazzling spectacle in the darkest days of the Depression.

Using a host of vibrant images, David Bush and Jim Parsons’ Hill Country Deco: Modernistic Architecture of Central Texas captures the essence of the Art Deco style of architecture as represented in the Hill Country of Texas. Hill Country Deco explores how the rich history of these structures collides with progressive notions of historic preservation for remodeling buildings and restoring façades. This collection of historical and modern photographs will encourage a newfound appreciation for Art Deco as seen in Central Texas. The Art Deco style covers a range of buildings, from commercial to residential. The sweeping curves of the Alameda Theater in San Antonio exhibit typical Art Moderne style. The Austin U. S. courthouse brings WPA Deco up to date from the 1940s, and the San Antonio Express-News Building showcases the classic style of what most people today think of as Art Deco. Not only does this book of photography embrace the history of Art Deco, it takes a series of edifices and recognizes the artistic elements and economic purposes of each one. The authors offer insight on architectural preservation while providing an appreciative view of sometimes overlooked corners of Central Texas. Some buildings are obscure and hardly recognizable as what they once were; others were fortunate enough to have their Deco style maintained over the span of decades. Bush and Parsons have made it a personal mission to ensure that the readers of Hill Country Deco will, upon viewing these beautiful buildings, yearn for a road trip to some of these sites to discover Art Deco history for themselves.

The Bournley's of Beetle Creek - you'll love 'em ... but you'll be so glad they're not your family. DAD has a philosophical bent, steals the odd sheep and scrounges for choice items at the local garbage dumpMUM judges the annual CWA scone-making contest, protects her brood fiercely, and handles herself well in a street fightDENNY, aged 7, traps rats on the bedroom window sill and does a nice little sideline in blackmailLUCY, aged 12, is a spooky recluse who foretells the future of each family memberMARCIE, aged 15, discovers lust in the dust and never looks backDAVO, aged 16, the Beetle Creek Casanova, is no stranger to hard yakka or sexual benevolenceUNCLE WALLY is fresh out of jail ...and JACK is writing it all down This rollicking tale in the traditional Australian bush yarn genre is definitely NOT for children, as it has adult themes. It is set in the Aussie bush - in a small fictional village in northern New South Wales in the 1950s.

This report presents the findings from one of the first evaluations of a British programme to integrate drug and alcohol treatment with mental health services, and education, training and employment support - the 'From Dependency to Work (D2W)' programme. It provides an invaluable insight into the challenges and difficulties of integrating services in this way and highlights important lessons for central and regional government on funding and working with the voluntary sector to deliver services. With the recent launch of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), designed to get statutory and voluntary sector agencies working together to tackle the social factors associated with drug misuse and crime, stakeholders across the country will need to develop effective multi-disciplinary working in this field. This report provides all those involved, from a strategic level to frontline practitioners, with a clearer understanding of the issues.