Book Description
First published to media acclaim in October 2003, Trading Up revealed how todayÂ's middle-class consumers are seeking higher levels of quality, taste, and aspiration than had ever been possible before—in their choices of cars and clothing, vodka and beer, golf clubs and dolls, and much more. The book identified a major opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators, managers and marketers, in every category of consumer goods and services. Now Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske have thoroughly revised this BusinessWeek bestseller with new research and new insights into the still- growing phenomenon of trading up.
Customer Reviews:
Great Insight, but Could Be Shorter.......2007-08-15
This book is a great reference to trends in our society and the new buying habits. There are great "buzzwords" and alot of statistics quoted. However, as you read on, there is a great deal of repetition and I believe that this entire book could be summarized in 25 pages.
Wish I had more time............2007-03-30
I have only just started to read the book, but my time is limited so I haven't really gotten to enjoy it. But what I have read so far is great!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in what makes Americans tick!
Consumer goods startups must read.......2007-01-07
I've been working for years to develop what Silverstein and Fiske describe as New Luxury products. I wish I had this book in 1999 when I started! While I have come to the same conclusions and I find that this book validates my concept and strategy like no other, the real value for me has been the better organization of the concept and suggested processes than I've been able to develop on my own. When you read the acknowledgments you'll see a huge list of people and resources that few of us entrepreneurs have available. This gives the book incredible depth and value.
Unfortunately the authors never mention ethnographic research although they are doing that science in an ad hoc way. They may not be aware of the applicability of ethnology to market and product research. Sure, ethnology was developed for studying remote tribes but mix this with neuroscience and environmental behavior research and business gets interesting.
A major feature of this book that we rarely see in biz books is the chapter at the end that explains their sources in a more useful way than the typical end notes. It would be nice if more authors would explain their sources and reasonings rather than just list sources.
- jim
Retail Marketing 101.......2006-10-03
This well written book basically outlines the consumer market as it is today: that most consumers, while buying basic necessities at discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, don't mind paying a little extra for luxury goods they feel are worth it in some way. It's a fascinating read for anybody interested in the retail business or in marketing. As somebody who is currently in marketing and who worked at Bath & Body Works for a number of years (of which one of the book's authors, Neil Fiske, is the CEO), it was interesting to learn why the store went from a country, home-spun theme in the 1990's to the upscale, urban "apothecary" it is today. Though Bath & Body Works was never used as a case study in the book, the concept of trading up is certainly applied to the store (thanks to Fiske's leadership).
Besides its commentary on the current retail market, the book presents an insightful view of our modern American society. We live in such an affluent society and presented with so many choices that we have the luxury to "trade up". Even those with relatively low incomes can trade up on a few items. It's all about the person's priorities and how they choose to distribute their money.
All this affluence and trading up has led to a higher quality of life for all. While those with low incomes are able to buy decent products at low prices at Wal-Mart and Target, middle and upper income individuals can shop at those same stores and use the extra money they've saved to buy higher-end goods.
My one caveat about the book is its overabundance of marketing jargon. Somebody outside of the marketing and business field may not understand some of the terminology. But the book doesn't seem to be written for the average lay person in any case. Just thought I'd bring that up for what it's worth.
Trading Up.......2006-09-30
Did you ever wonder why it is becoming so much more difficult to find products that either aren't luxury or low-end? The authors explain how consumers are selectively trading up for products that they value and trading down in other areas, leaving the middle. The authors use case studies to make their case. For example, some consumers are willing to shell out $2000 for a washer and dryer. Not any washer and dryer but the latest side load offering from Whirlpool. Considering that you can get a washer and dryer for $400 to $600 this is quite a premium. The authors explain how companies if they can provide a ladder of value for a product can entice consumers to trade-up, even for something as humdrum as a washer and dryer. The authors back up their concepts with marketplace facts as well as socioeconomic factors such as the increased number of women in the workforce and the state of the family.
Book Description
Praise for previous editions of The State of Working America "The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."-Robert B. Reich
"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."-Library Journal
"If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."-Richard Freeman, Harvard University "A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."-William Wolman, chief economist, CNBC's Business Week "The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."-Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former Secretary of Labor
"An indispensable work . . . on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."-Simon Head, The New York Review of Books "No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."-Jeff Madrick, author, The End of Affluence "This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."-Richard A. Gephardt "The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."-Lester Thurow
The State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people.
Customer Reviews:
the hobo philosopher.......2007-06-27
This book is exactly what I wanted. I'm a part-time journalist writing for a small town newspaper and I like numbers. Nothing is better than a percentage or a statistic to support your story. This book has them all and an explanation to support their accuracy or inaccuracy. It is a great tool. It is a must for anyone who wants to know "The State of Working America" - which I do.
Change Is Needed Now and Here's Why.......2007-04-30
If you can wade your way through the statistics, this book is enlightening and edifying, often sad. The commentary and interpretation help clarify the wealth of information. It graphically illustrates that nothing has changed after all these years of hope and promises for change: the rich keep getting richer, the poor keep getting poorer, poverty is endemic to our tired, unimaginative economic system, etc., etc., etc.
This book caused me to re-read Kevin Phillips' book "The Politics of Rich and Poor," published in 1990. It provides statistical and anecdotal evidence of the negative effects of Reagan-omics on our social system, much as Bush-enomics has. I even went farther back and re-read Michael Harrington's "The Other America," the seminal, monumental book of its time in 1962 about poverty in America.
These books along with so many others make you ask, as we've asked so many times, "When will it ever change?" I guess making people aware of the problem, although it's readily apparent in everyday life, is the place to start. These books, representing 45 years of rhetoric, make you agonizingly aware that things have gone nowhere but down. So, read all of them.
Book Description
The pleasures and adventures of cruising under sail are amazingly affordable, say Lin and Larry Pardey. But to keep your dream on budget, financially, emotionally, and timewise, you have to decide - are you a cruiser or a consumer? In this book, a logical successor to their Self Sufficient Sailor and Capable Cruiser, they discuss topics ranging from making your getaway plans to finding a truly affordable boat, keeping your outfitting costs and maintenance time in control, then learning to feel confident as you cruise farther ahead. Their chart of the gear considered necessary by many shoreside experts, compared to that carried by several cost-conscious cruisers, will give you a convenient checklist to gauge whether you are buying true necessities or overloading your budget and boat with high-tech items that can break down and steal your sense of confidence offshore. Chapters on getting the most from your cruising funds, the attributes of successful long-term voyag! ers, how to upgrade your boat using your own hands, plus answers to the ten questions most frequently asked by potential cruisers - all will help you prepare to explore under sail.
Customer Reviews:
A classic, and mandatory reading........2006-07-28
Everything by the Pardeys is good. This book cannot be too highly recommended. Still, even the Pardey's budget(at least for their super swanky boats, albiet minimalist) might seem unachievable for many. I'd get Anne Hill "Voyaging on a Small Income" and Jerome FitzGerald's "Sea-Steading" to fill out the bill.
The Cost Conscious Cruiser.......2005-09-15
This is very useful for preparing a boat (and crew) for a cruise. Helped put many things in perspective...especially what you can do without. Excellent ideas!
It Helped Me Select Gear for My Sailboat.......2004-02-28
I bought my first sailboat, a Catalina 30, in 7/02. The boat did not have much equipment. This book helped me in the selection of the appropriate level of equipment for the type of sailing I intended. In particular this book helped me avoid spending more than I would otherwise have spent and feel good about it. As an example, I followed the advice to avoid buying the very expensive "offshore" foul weather gear. However, I still spent much more that the Purdey's would say is necessary. The book helped me make better spending decisions. The writing is clear. The tables are helpful. The stories from their vast experience taught me a lot. The book is less helpful to someone who is looking to use their sailboat for just racing or day sailing.
These people have done their homework.......2000-09-15
I don't have a small boat, in fact mine is 38 feet long. But I definitely agree with the majority of what I read in this book. Not only that, I enjoyed reading stuff like the pros and cons of tiller vs wheel even though I would never give up my wheel (first because it came with the boat, second because I don't like using tillers.) The Pardey's have hooked me and I plan to read more of their books. In fact I gave my sailing partner their Care and Feeding of the offshore Sailor book and she complained because I kept reading it. Good solid advise with a good bit of humor. Their ultra simple life style appeals to me, but I don't plan to duplicate it. On the other hand, they don't seem to expect people to - but they do remind potential voyagers that taking care of a cruising boat/home is not easy when you get away from stateside facilities. Good read, good info and logical presentation.
Get out there..........2000-06-21
This and all the other Pardey books are the core curriculum for the particular cult of sailors that believe that the most important thing in sailing is to be small and self sufficient. After all, the whole point of sailing is to use the inexhaustible wind to drive you along. So why clutter up your already cramped boat with gadgets that (1) you don't need in the first place and (2) you can't repair when they let you down? Their advice that, if you can't fix it then it probably shouldn't be on the boat, is some of the sagest crusing wisdom around. And the fact that they have covered the globe in safety and comfort without an auxiliary engine is inspirational. For those who poo poo this, listen to the Pardey's spin you some tales of some of the hundreds of heartbroken sailors they have seen, up to their elbows in a diesel engine, missing out on paradise because of engine failure. Too often these unfortunates can't sail their boat well enough to do without the engine (in other words they can't get it out of the marina) and therefore are stuck in a hell of their own making. And it isn't just engines: it's radios, electronic systems, electric anchor windlasses, roller furling, refrigerators, all the doodads we are told we can't sail without. Nonsense. The Pardey's will innoculate you against such tragedy.
Average customer rating:
- Death is really a sweetie
- Beautifully done
- God how I love Death. She likes Hot Dogs!
- Sandman's most intriguing character gets another book.
- Not so bad, once you know her
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Death: The High Cost of Living
Neil Gaiman
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Similar Items:
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Death: The Time of Your Life
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The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake
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The Sandman Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
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The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds' End
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The Sandman: Endless Nights
ASIN: 1563891336 |
Customer Reviews:
Death is really a sweetie.......2007-09-17
For me, as for many fans of the "Sandman" series, the best character is Death. Gaiman conceives her not as a frightening figure in a cowl and carrying a scythe, but as an exceedingly perky young woman who wears black jeans and leotards and sports rather Goth-y makeup. She likes people -- she meets everyone eventually -- and for one day per century she takes human form, just to keep in touch. This time, under the name of Didi, she hooks up with a depressed sixteen-year-old named Sexton, who is contemplating suicide. Sexton witnesses her interaction with Mad Hettie, who is 250 years old and wants her heart back, and with the Eremite, who tries to gain power over her, and with Hazel, the pregnant lesbian who appears in volume 5 of "Sandman." Sexton observes that Didi somehow never has to pay for anything, not even cab fares. Death is particularly winning in this outing, taking job in everything and pronouncing it "Neat!" At the end of the volume is a reprinting of the groundbreaking six-page comic, "Death Talks about Life," a straight-up warning about AIDS and STDs generally, with a brief lesson (using a banana) on condoms. I don't know if it won awards, but it should have.
Beautifully done.......2007-08-23
The art, the dialog, the themes-- all brilliant. The art is not overly complex, which may distract from the importance of the story, nor is it too basic a companion to the story. Gaiman's dialog is believable and well written. The themes presented in this story are also excellent. I spent some time think about Death's remark that death is what gives life value. If we lived forever, then life would be meaningless.
If you enjoyed Neil Gaiman's Stardust or Neverwhere, this is a must read.
God how I love Death. She likes Hot Dogs!.......2007-05-10
If you enjoy many or any of Neil's work, or if you like his take on Death, you're gonna love this book. Death is quite a character and she's quite fun to chat with it seems
Sandman's most intriguing character gets another book........2006-02-07
Neil Gaiman, Death: The High Cost of Living (Vertigo, 1994)
I had a really odd "I'm old" moment when reading this, and seeing Tori Amos' bio listing Under the Pink as a not-yet-completed album to be released early in the next year. Whoa.
Death became, early on, such a popular character in the Sandman books that she got the first spinoff comic. Two collections of it exist; this is the first. It's a minor, but charming, piece of work from camp Gaiman-and-co. One day every century, Death goes among the living, the better to understand the lives of those she takes. This century, she becomes Didi, a sixteen-year-old girl whose entire family were recently killed in an accident. She starts off by stumbling upon a suicidal youth and charming him into accompanying her for the rest of the day. However, other, older creatures have been waiting a century for the earthly incarnation of Death, and they're not going to stop until they gain an audience with her.
If you like the Sandman books, and are a fan of Death, then you're pretty much guaranteed to like this. (There's a Dave McKean-drawn PSA at the end of the book that's a tad overbearing, but you can probably skip that; still, McKean is an awe-inspiring artist, and you'll love the drawings.) Easily on a par with the quality of some of the minor Sandman volumes. *** ½
Not so bad, once you know her.......2005-02-27
Death, that is. In fact, she's quite a nice young lady. Helps an old lady find something that matters to her, that kind of thing. Everyone likes her - for Death, it's always "on the house."
Unfortunately, this doesn't present Death at her best. As part of the Sandman world, she was a much more complex and active figure. I guess the other stories set my hopes unrealistically high. That's not surprising, since Gaiman set the bar so high that not even he can match his own standard all the time.
Taken by itself, this is a pleasant but undistinguished comic. As part of the Sandman mythos, however, it contributes only a little.
//wiredweird
Book Description
Popular perception of Jesus Christ is that of a tempered, genteel man who walked the earth, offering nuggets of wisdom to His followers. But what we sometimes fail to recognize is that although Jesus Christ offered a message of forgiveness, He also spoke challenging, demanding words about what being a follower of Christ requires.
In contrast to the superficiality of much modern Christian teaching, Dr. John MacArthur serves up the unvarnished truth of what Christ taught and lived. In simple, compelling terms, he spells out what is required of those who would follow Him. Going beyond Jesus' life to include the crucifixion and resurrection, MacArthur shows readers that Jesus modeled the commitment and loving obedience He requires of us by making the ultimate sacrifice for humankind.
Customer Reviews:
Make Jesus Lord? Isn't He Lord Already?.......2007-07-15
To begin, I have enjoyed John MacArthur's preaching. I once used his Study Bible in the New King James Version as my "flagship" Bible. I have enjoyed nuggets from his teaching. And I also got a lot of good things out of this book. However, looking back, I do see a couple of things wrong.
First, the whole premise of this book is that the grace of God, provided on the cross, may have been free, but not cheap. He attacks so-called "prosperity preachers" and "seeker-sensitive" approaches like "The Purpose-Driven Life", equating them with those who lead people along the wide gate of destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). In fact, MacArthur's main argument is that only those who take up their crosses and follow Jesus are truly saved. This is called lordship salvation (in comparison with free grace, mocked as "easy-believeism", which teaches that the cost of our redemption from sin has been fully paid for on the cross).
While it is true that sinners should understand their need for the Savior--salvation from sins that lead them to hell--should we make the demand to "carry their cross" and follow Him? MacArthur says yes, but does salvation immediately result in discipleship? More likely than not, a few may understand. Remember, it is the "good" soil hearer who receives and understands the Word planted in his heart. Although the apostles followed Jesus for three years, they still did not understand the work of salvation until AFTER Jesus rose, ascended into heaven, and poured out the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Only then did they understand, as the subtitle of the book goes, "the high cost and infinite joy of following Jesus".
Another question I might make is the degree of surrender required to be "saved" according to the lordship gospel. We might know about those "external sins" (adultery, sexual immorality, any addictions, etc.) that we need to repent of, but what about those that lie within (like lust, hateful and murderous thoughts, misplaced affections, etc.)? David prayed constantly to God to keep him from presumptuous sins and to cleanse him from hidden faults, and continually asked God to search his own heart for anything that kept him from God.
Also, does salvation depend on how "pure" we may make ourselves in God's sight? Aren't our own attempts at righteousness like filthy rags before Him? Lordship salvation advocates seem to tiptoe around the issue by answering that it is not a commitment that saves, but that Jesus alone saves. But you can't have it both ways: either Jesus (plus commitment) saves, or Jesus (alone) saves! If Jesus (plus commitment) is the answer, as MacArthur argues, then how much commitment is needed? And how can genuine believers know if we will fall away, since our minds cannot fathom what even tomorrow brings!
The book may also make genuine believers doubt their own salvation. While believers should examine themselves, they should do so out of pleasing their Heavenly Father. That is what David prayed (see above paragraph) in Psalms 19 and 139. He pursued God with all his heart, knowing the price he would pay, even when he sinned against God. But did he rely on his commitment to God to forgive his wickedness? No, he relied on his God and relied totally on Him--not his own commitment to God--to have his sins cleansed (see Psalms 51).
The premise MacArthur makes also comes from his own Calvinist theology. Christians for centuries after the deaths of Calvin and Arminius have argued over the role of God's sovereign grace and man's free will in his obligation to repent and believe in the gospel. I won't go into detail over this point of contention, but it seems that most of the lordship advocates are of the Calvinist persuasion. However, one thing is true: it takes a lot of grace to redeem a person's heart, and that is truly a work of God. Yet it must be a willing heart who receives Him.
In closing, I would like to make the following point: salvation is free, totally free! But discipleship, seeking after Jesus and following Him, has a cost. MacArthur makes great points, but it is obfuscated in the details.
Dr. MacArthur Speaks the Truth in Love. A Must Read!.......2007-07-01
Dr. MacArthur has authored perhaps the most important Christian polemic of our time.
Hard to Believe is a loving, yet uncompromising answer to Christianity-Lite- the "seeker-friendly gospel." The roots of this "new gospel (it should not be called gospel because gospel means "good news" and the new gospel is not good news, but rather bad as it will send you to hell)can be traced back to Robert Schuller's call for "a new reformation;" one that focuses on "self-esteem," has been propagated by the likes of Joel Osteen, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, et. al.- a doctrine of man-centeredness and the fulfillment of "felt needs," and "self-esteem," as opposed to repentance and turning from sin to be servants/prisoners/slaves to Jesus Christ.
The most important question the book asks is how do people like Warren, Osteen, et. al. (without mentioning them by name)answer Jesus' call to discipleship "If any man follow me he will deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me?" How to they reconcile their beliefs with the teachings of Jesus which state that if you do not "hate" your mother,brother,father, et. al. and even yourself, you cannot be His disciple? How do they explain that what Jesus taught was an offense and a stumbling block to the worshippers of Jehovah in that day. Remember--Jesus was not dealing with pagans, goths, heathens, idol-worshippers and the like. He was dealing with the establishment religon of that day that claimed Moses and Abraham as their "fathers." Jesus told THESE people that Satan was their father. How does the "Christianity-Lite" preachers, like Warren, Osteen, Robert Schuller, reconcile the teachings of the Gospels with their presentation? This book will force you to take a cold, hard, spiritual look at this.
If you are honest, you will see that what Jesus teaches in the Four Gospels is mutually exclusive with what Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and many like them teach. There is literally no resemblance. Did not Paul say in Galatians 1:8-9 that if even an "angel from heaven" brought a teaching that was contrary to his, let him be "accursed." Paul preached/teached/and lived the crucified life of Jesus Christ, and enjoined us through 13 letters in the New Testament to dod the same. Where do Warren, et. al get that they can bypass the Bible?
Sadly, the people to whom this book is intended will never read a work like this from cover to cover. Eschewing "the Gospel according to Jesus" as one that is based on "works" and "law," because Dr. MacArthur exegetes rather forcefully (as does Jesus and the apostle James0, that "faith without works is dead," followers of Osteen, et. al. prefer a doctrine that coddles them in their sin, rather than crucifies the "old man" on the Cross with Jesus.
I have to admit that I have not read this book fully yet. Before you give me a negative rating, please allow me this explanation. I got about 75% through the book when it dawned on me; the message of this book is so important that I must take my time and go through this book, along with my Bible, page by page---and in prayer. Although I do not subscribe to the watered-down version of Christianity that is so popular, this does not preclude me from having to examine myself to see if I am in the faith.
Dr. MacArthur did not write this book to be used "against" people, but rather to point all to The Way--Jesus Christ. I am convinced he is not writing books like this to be contrary for contrary's sake, but is doing so out of a holy zeal because we are in the last, closing moments of time when the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and given to the Jews. We are in the season of "the marriage of the Lamb as come and His wife has made herself ready...let him that is filthy be filthy still, let him that is holy be holy still, and let him that is righteous be righteous still. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus." AMEN!
If anyone be a disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him. That message has not changed in over 2000 years. This is the object lesson of this book; a call to "earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints," because "certain men have crept in unawares and have turned the grace of God into laciviousness."
A Look At Why True Christianity Will Never Be Popular.......2007-05-14
Christianity is great news. It tells how Jesus took care of our sin on the cross and that we can have eternal life. Isn't that wonderful? Wouldn't everyone want to receive the free gift?
In reality, on a minority will, which is the theme of this book. It states that true Christianity is really offensive, both in its original setting during the days of the apostles and in our current time.
This book is useful in helping us understand why so many reject the gospel. The one thing I disagree with is MacArthur's view of election, which is more Calvinistic than myself.
a must read.......2007-05-12
The most important book, next to scripture, that I've read to date.
The hard truth.......2007-02-13
Wonderful book...we are called to stand firm in a God-centered faith in the midst of a self-centered world.
Book Description
Descriptions of scenic, vibrant places, as well as essential information about the resources and activities available in the Southwest for retirees.
Customer Reviews:
Very Informative.......2006-02-17
This book is one of the better written on the southwest for retirement or relocation purposes. It gives you a lot of information to compare various areas of the state. It also allows you to compare one state to another, example AZ to NM.
Southwest Retirement.......2005-08-21
If you have lived in the Southwest (SW) in the past or have vacationed there, then you know what a magical place it is. Despite the enormous growth in the past few decades, there are still wonderful towns that have not changed and are ideal locations for retirement. My wife and I are trying to make the retirement location decision at this time and I have purchased at least a dozen books about retirement cities and towns. Most of the books focus on the financial aspects, some are merely a compilation of data from the census, FBI, Dept. of Agriculture, etc. Lots of numbers, but no other information.
"Choose The Southwest for retirement" provides the important data about each town, mentions the financial economics, and uniquely paints a picture for each location. Having lived there in the 60s and visited frequently, we thought we knew all about the SW. What nice surprises we discovered in this book!
Great, but...........2004-07-03
The book provides a fine overview of information every retiree will want to know about the communities the author includes in his survey: cultural life, health care, housing, and so forth. However, this region is the fastest growing in the country, with hordes of early retiring baby-boomers as well as Californians leaving for the cheaper, less congested Four Corners states. This means housing prices and the general cost of living have been skyrocketing in these states. Therefore, editions need to be updated with greater frequency for readers to get a better sense of what it will cost them to move into this region and what they might expect future living expenses to be.
The region also has been afflicted with the worst drought in memory, and with worldwide climatic collapse apparently well underway, perhaps the worst drought ever. A most crucial piece of information is missing in the author's descriptions of these Southwestern communities, therefore: intelligence on local water supplies. As it is, much of the Southwest is teetering dangerously on the edge, with water harder and harder to come by and populations soaring. It goes without saying that present and future life in this most beautifual part of America is going to be impacted profoundly by these changes. Before investing large portions of their retirement in purchasing property in places like Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Ft. Collins, readers need to know where and how local water supplies are obtained and what the long-term outlook is for what might be an ecological disaster in the making.
Choose the Southwest for Retirement.......2000-07-14
This book is similiar to his others which I have read and is quite good, but his omission of Henderson Nevada (2d fastest growing in Nevada) and Boulder City Both of which are rated #1 in "Retirement Places Rated" makes it less than complete.
Book Description
Have you ever wished you could . . . . . . quit your boring job? . . . take a year off to travel the world? . . . own your own home? . . . move to the country? . . . retire early? . . . have more joy and contentment in your everyday life?
Stop wishing and start reading How to Survive Without a Salary. Since its first publication over 20 years ago, this book has helped many make their dreams come true through the "Conserver Lifestyle."
Author Charles Long shows that by changing from consumers to conservers, we can regain control over the way we live. Conservers don't worry about losing their jobs or not having enough for their retirement. They do work that they love instead of settling for whatever pays the rent. They have discovered that it is possible to survive, and even thrive, without a regular salary.
How to Survive Without a Salary shows you how you can create your own practical plan for leaving the world of wages by
-avoiding consumer traps -earning casual income -budgeting effectively -finding alternatives to high retail prices -saving on taxes and insurance.
If you want to leave the rat race behind, have been forced to leave it behind, or simply want to get away from it all for a while, How to Survive Without a Salary offers a valuable combination of inspiration and practical advice that will show how you can survive economically without compromising your values or your happiness.
Customer Reviews:
Get out of the fast lane...stop keeping up with the Jones!.......2006-08-30
This book was laugh out loud funny in several places, but also has some interesting ideas about how to live one's life in an enjoyable, but far less expensive way. Much of it I had heard before, but never seen in such an easily accessible and funny/easy to read format. As simple as much of the ideas here are...and ANYONE can use them...living the "conserver" lifestyle is not for those already living at or below the poverty line...as his "method" points out you need to be out of debt and have savings and investments set up to live this way practically. So, really...like several other books I've read recently (most notably The Joy of Not Working) this is really a book for people making 30,000-60,000 (or more) and are tired of the rat race and looking for a new and "better" way to live and enjoy life.
I also think it's important to point out that How to Survive Without a Salary is NOT about living with out a job or some other form of income, it's really about taking a few steps away from the strangle hold of corporate America and living for one's self and one's family...this book isn't so much about dropping out as it is about opting out to another type of job that is more conducive to living a good family life and comes with a lot of funny anecdotes if you do it "right." I think maybe the average person working at poverty level MIGHT able to do this, but it would most likely take 5x as long as he predicts and would be a serious hardship for families (not so much for single people or married without kids couples).
What I think this book does best is demonstrate an alternate way of thinking about how we live and how we spend our money. Some of the best advice here is the logical and oft repeated, don't buy it on credit...but also he admonishes us not to run out and buy things RIGHT when the need arises (if at all possible), because often, an alternative solution will arise (sale, used item given, ect...) that winds up saving the person a great deal of money. Also a warning...the author is Canadian and this book does not deal with the health care dilemma that most of us in the US are faced with, so from that perspective, this book would require some serious thinking for the average American working class family to undertake...because we don't get health care for free. That said, I would definitely add this to my library...but as I am currently living at poverty level, I am at a place where I have to figure out extra income to make this type of life a reality for myself, at least the parts that I would like to incorporate into *my* plan.
Cheaper and Cheaper with each Edition!.......2005-07-28
I have followed Charles Long's two books on living outside of the "normal" suburban grind for years and have purchased the latest editions as they are printed. He is an extremely well-written author, a pleasure to read, with thoughtful and incisive comments on living a life without a salary (NOT without money). Quite a few people you know are living without a salary: those self-employed tradespeople, lawyers, doctors, etc. count on their own skills to bring in the money, not a salary from a company. These books give me many new ideas, no matter how many times I've read them. I've heard variations on his past themes from countless other sources. A very good read, indeed.
The CONSERVER Lifestyle VS the Consumer Lifestyle.......2004-12-07
+++++
This humorous but practical and easy to comprehend book or guide, by Canadian journalist and writer, Charles Long, is about being a conserver. A conserver is a person who learns how to get by with less and make do with what he/she has. A person who lives as a conserver lives "the conserver lifestyle."
Despite the book's title, it is actually a book for everyone: for those employed, for those without a salary, city dwellers, and country dwellers. Or to put it another way this is a book for everyone "concerned with the diminishing purchase power of their dollar."
Long practices what he preaches! All the philosophy and economic theory behind the conserver lifestyle came from him (and his family) living and surviving without a salary.
This eleven chapter book, as the author states, revolves around three key premises:
(I) Control expenditures and save money. The author shows you how in his four chapters entitled:
1. The Secondhand Market
2. Auction Buying
3. Alternatives to Buying
4. Cheap Tips
(II) Income of some sort is still required (for those who decide to survive without a salary). This income does not have to be made through employment. The author has a full chapter entitled:
5. Casual Income
(III) Preparing yourself for the conserver lifestyle takes time (especially for those deciding to survive without a salary). The chapters covering this are entitled:
6. Assessing Yourself
7. Needs
8. Getting Ready
There is even a chapter on how to answer questions if you decide to live the conserver lifestyle without a salary. It's entitled:
9. What Do You Do For a Living? (and other difficult questions).
So far I have mentioned nine chapters. Even though all chapters mention this, one chapter is devoted exclusively to the philosophy of the conserver lifestyle. (This chapter also discusses other relevant topics.) It's entitled:
10. What's the Catch?
Another chapter discusses taxes & insurance and how to save on them. It's entitled:
11. Caesar's Due.
There are three problems I had with this book:
First, there are no (foot)notes (or hardly any). True the book profiles the author's personal experiences but I did notice some numbers and statistics given that were not given credit.
Second, the author sidesteps the issue of health care. Perhaps it is because he is Canadian and they have universal health coverage. However, countries like the United States do not have this and since health care is expensive, it would be difficult for most Americans to leave a salaried position. They, however, still could be conservers and live the conserver lifestyle but with a salary.
Third, although this is not absolutely essential, it would have been helpful to have a brief summary in the form of a list at the end of each chapter.
Note that this book has no index but since its table of contents is so comprehensive, an index is not really needed.
Finally, there is another book that that gives a slightly different and perhaps a more comprehensive spin on this subject. It's called "Your Money or Your Life" by Dominguez and Robin. Another useful book is "The Joy of Not Working" by Zelinski.
In conclusion, this is a book that outlines an alternative lifestyle called the conserver lifestyle. Discover for yourself why "[t]he greatest security is not in having the most, but in needing the least!"
(revised edition first published 1996; preface; 11 chapters; main narrative 200 pages)
+++++
Some Good Ideas.......2004-09-30
This book is an introduction to living well while living cheaply. Long uses the term "conserver" to denote a person whose philosophy of life is to live better by spending less money. The book outlines how one can become a conserver and ideas for ways to manage well with less money. A conserver who achieves some measure of success at cutting expenses will soon find that needs for income are also reduced, hence a salary is no longer necessary. At that point, the conserver can quit working for a living since "casual income" will suffice. Long also provides some ideas of how to gain a casual income. Thus, the way to live without a salary is first to cut expenses, then eliminate debt, and with the new low expense lifestyle, many people will find that they no longer need a full-time job to get by.
The structure of the book is as follows: introduction to the conserver lifestyle, budgeting, needs, identifying the time when a salary is no longer necessary, casual income, buying secondhand goods, buying at auctions, alternatives to buying, taxes, insurance and retirement, and the macro-economics of the conserver lifestyle. The book does not include a list of references or an index. There are no illustrations.
Long makes some points that are well worth writing on the family bulletin board. "There is more to be gained more easily by reducing costs than increasing income," he argues in the first chapter. When sorting out needs from wants, Long notes that we must consider the maintenance and storage costs as well as additional effort required to use the item when adding up the true cost of an item that we purchase. "Given all the aggravation, do I really want it?" he has us consider before we make a purchase. Some of his soundest advice about purchasing items is to simply procrastinate. Quite often, if you put off the purchase for a while instead of going out and buying something when the need first arises, you may stumble across an equally good alternative solution that doesn't require a purchase after all, or perhaps a slightly used second-hand item at a fraction of the original price. Long has another great rule of thumb that applies to debt: "Borrow to buy resalable things whose value is inflating faster than the rate of interest on the debt." By this measure, taking out a loan to go on vacation is a ridiculous idea. So is putting a stereo system or computer on a credit card. Car loans also don't make the cut. Real estate, however, is another story. Long cites several examples of people living without salaries whose income comes entirely from real estate investments.
For me, most of the useful ideas in this book were in the first half of the book. I found the chapter on auctions a bit strange. In this chapter, Long goes into great detail about how auctions are run, how to inspect items before the sale, and how to make bids. I expected that he would mention how a person could make a casual income by going to auctions, buying items cheaply, and then reselling them later for profit. He tells us that you often end up having to buy a whole pile of items at an auction just to get the one or two things that you need from the pile, but he doesn't include suggestions of how to get rid of the things you don't need. With an emphasis on acquiring items cheaply through auctions, yard sales, and free shelves at the transfer stations, but no mention of how to get rid of unwanted stuff, there's a danger of filling your house to overflowing with cheap stuff. There's a fine line between being a conserver and being a packrat, and from his descriptions, it doesn't sound like Long keeps that idea prominent with his own family. Also, in several places, he mentions getting used appliances cheaply, but he doesn't note how this can be counter-productive for minimizing expenses, since new appliances are so much more energy efficient than old ones. In fact, conservation of energy and natural resources is one topic that doesn't receive much attention in this book. A true conserver would seek to save money by reducing energy consumption even if it requires some additional initial investment.
Overall, I found parts of the book interesting. Since there is more of an emphasis on acquiring things cheaply than not acquiring things or getting rid of unwanted things, this book takes a different approach than books about the simplicity lifestyle. Nevertheless, most of the overall suggestions and ideas will be useful for those seeking to live a better life by switching to the slow lane.
Live well - spend less - save more - be happier.......2004-08-04
I borrowed this book from the library and laughed so hard when the author tipped the reader who borrowed rather than bought his book. I haven't been able to quit my salaried job--yet--but I've learned to practice frugality thanks to my student days. I'm also an environmentalist -- no plastic shopping bag please! and am appalled by the garbage we all produce. This is why I love this book -- save money, save the world, save your sanity.
Charles Long has helped me appreciate that I don't have to be a slave to my job all the days of my healthy-enough-to-work life, and even gave me a few tips I hadn't thought of for furthering the conserver lifestyle. It's great to know that I'm on track and it helps to save scarce resources, even if I'm not as cheap as he is. (I would have put down a piece of plywood on that hole in his floor long before he scrounged up that grate.) Folks, the best things in life (like family time) are FREE. So is all the *stuff* you can get for free (or nearly so) from this throwaway society....!
Book Description
The first of two classic studies that examined the daily life of a typical small american city-in actuality, Muncie, Indiana-in the mid-1920s, using the approach of social anthropology. Of enduring interest to students of SOCIOLOGY (740), these works inspired an acclaimed six-part television series. Foreword by Clark Wissler; Index.
Customer Reviews:
Very interesting and important book.......2003-01-27
Middletown is a very interesting and important work of anthropology, sociology and history. Not just because it's the first time anthropological techniques were applied to a study of a single American city, but also Lynd's findings provide an interesting look at how by the time of his writings in the 1920s, things between then and now haven't changed in certain respects. Lynd reports disputes between parents and children over the use of the family autombile, the children out too late at parties and those parties not breaking up until the wee hours of the morning. All of this is certainly still prevalent today in many American families. Lynd also discusses how many people in "Middletown" did not vote in the 1922 elections and were cynical about politicians in general. This feeling again, is quite prevalent in American politics today.
Lynd's book serves to support the cliche, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
For anybody who thinks that the problems of American society are new and caused by a decline in morality due to technology and other recent influences, get this book. Lynd will show you that this "decline" is not new nor caused by recent outside influences such as TV, the Internet. movies or music.
A New Type of History.......2001-12-23
When this book was written, it was absolutely revolutionary: it was the first time someone had used anthropological tecniques on a modern American town! The authors studied newspapers, visible trends, and interviews with many of the inhabitants of Muncie, Indiana (which they picked and renamed "Middletown" because it was supposed to be an average American town). What they created was a vibrant picture of modern America.
Now, seventy years later, the book is an incredibly important historical work about the 1920's. Yet it's also a great read: my favorite part was the chapter where all the teenagers complain about how their parents never let them do anything, and the parents complain about how their teenagers have too much freedom and are probably getting into bad things.
I definately reccomend this book to anyone who is interested about the 1920's. Even if you don't like the book, you'll understand why Muncie, Indiana is used in so many pop culture references to average mid-western towns!
Average customer rating:
- roy strikes again
- Your opinion is required
- Powerful
- Dams, poverty, and nuclear insanity
- Aware; insightful
|
The Cost of Living
Arundhati Roy
Manufacturer: Modern Library
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Binding: Paperback
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Power Politics
ASIN: 0375756140
Release Date: 1999-10-12 |
Book Description
From the bestselling author of The God of Small Things comes a scathing and passionate indictment of big government's
disregard for the individual.
In her Booker Prize-winning novel, The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy turned a compassionate but unrelenting eye on one family in India. Now she lavishes the same acrobatic language and fierce humanity on the future of her beloved country. In this spirited polemic, Roy dares to take on two of the great illusions of India's progress: the massive dam projects that were supposed to haul this sprawling subcontinent into the modern age--but which instead have displaced untold millions--and the detonation of India's first nuclear bomb, with all its attendant Faustian bargains.
Merging her inimitable voice with a great moral outrage and imaginative sweep, Roy peels away the mask of democracy and prosperity to show the true costs hidden beneath. For those who have been mesmerized by her vision of India, here is a sketch, traced in fire, of its topsy-turvy society, where the lives of the many are sacrificed for the comforts of the few.
Customer Reviews:
roy strikes again.......2007-07-11
Arundhati Roy is more or less guaranteed to hit below the belt. For an American reader, she is also guaranteed to teach you something you probably knew little about. She invariably does so in a marvelous fashion; her prose is unmatched. If you enjoyed her work of fiction, The God of Small Things, I encourage you to try her non-fiction works.
This book focuses on the dams on India; it's a passionate argument against damming and in favor of considering people, all the poor people of India.
Roy also discusses India's testing of the atomic bomb, another topic which most Americans probably haven't spent a great deal of time considering. Roy is convincing and writes from the heart in a way very few politicians or politicists do.
Your opinion is required.......2006-07-22
My India-born spouse once described the difference in how he and I had been taught, through subtle societal reward, to make and respond to assertions. "If you say, 'The sky is blue,'" he said, "I think, 'Ann thinks the sky is blue.' But if I say to you, 'The sky is blue,' you say, 'Oh, it is?' You're ready to believe, just because I stated it as fact. That's why you hedge your thoughts with the words, 'I think,' rather than just saying what you think."
I recall that conversation as I read Arundhati Roy's The Cost of Living, in particular, the essay "The Greater Common Good." Because her voice is clear and compelling, my first response is, "Fifty million people have been displaced by ineffective dam-building in India! Good god, what can be done?"
Then I slow down. Remember. "Arundhati Roy thinks that fifty million people have been displaced in India, by dams she thinks are ineffective. Does she make her case?"
She does.
"The Greater Common Good" means to persuade, but its reportage is separable, sentence by sentence, from the argument. Roy's research is compiled, not from debunkable interviews, but from government plans and records, World Bank reviews and estimates of economic benefit and capital cost, and from statistics such as river flow, reservoir levels, areas of irrigated land, numbers of malaria cases, and megawatts of power produced. More than careful, Roy gleefully points out that the Indian government has produced no studies to verify the difference from the lowest baseline calculation of displaced people, or to quantify agricultural benefits gained from completed dam projects.
To follow along, you'll need to work through numbers and a cast of characters, as with any story about accounting and the preservation of power. The payoff to your attentiveness is that once you gather who's done what and at what cost in India's dam-building plans, you are as fully armed as Roy herself to examine the rest of her assertions. You'll have enough facts to agree or disagree with her thesis, "Carelessness cannot account for fifty million disappeared people... Let's not delude ourselves. There is method here, precise, relentless, and 100 percent manmade."
Roy doesn't leave the American reader the familiar out: "I don't live there. I don't have the right to an opinion." Roy works in facts as well as narrative; you'll be hard pressed to evade responsibility for your assent or dissent from her conclusions. Like this one: "Resettling 200,000 people in order to take (or pretend to take) water to 40 million--there's something very wrong with the scale of operations here. This is Fascist math." You can agree or disagree... but reading "The Greater Common Good," you can't wheedle your way out of having a stance.
Two treasures are secreted away inside "The Greater Common Good." One is the story of modern Satyagraha--the practice of nonviolent resistance--how the villagers of the Narmada valley walked into the valley when it was to be flooded, willing to drown. They won a postponement and an independent review of the dam project. The other is a thin, brilliant thread through the narrative: Roy's support of her right as a citizen to research and respond to her government's decisions. It implies the reader has an obligation to respond as well.
In a single sentence, in the heart of the essay, Roy says, "The people whose lives were going to be devastated were neither informed nor consulted nor heard." Her challenge to the reader echoes, unstated: So what do you think of that? What do you think?
Powerful.......2004-01-16
This is the first book by Roy that I read, and my favorite. In comparison to The God of Small Things, that's saying a lot. The first essay is the most powerful and clear explanation I have ever read anywhere about the failings of organisations such as the WTO; however, it is not only an attack on international financial institutions. It also discusses the abuses that occur on a national and local level in conjunction with the work of international groups. I suggest this book to anyone who is having trouble understanding the objections to globalization and the WTO.
Dams, poverty, and nuclear insanity.......2003-11-17
This is a short but effective book. It's divided into two parts. In part one, Arundhati Roy writes about dam-building in India. This heavily-footnoted chapter gets a longer treatment in her next book, Power Politics. Here she introduces the topic, adding a lot of context to the statistics. Her outrage is palpable. This leads into the second part, and angry essay about India and Pakistan becoming part of the nuclear fraternity (both countries publicly tested nuclear weapons in May of 1998). Both countries have so many problems --- and so much tension between them over Kashmir --- that this development can only be considered a disaster for the hundreds of millions of people in the region.
Arundhati Roy is someone we should all listen to. She's an activist, novelist, and a great writer. This book is a good introduction to her work.
Aware; insightful.......2003-06-18
Contrary to her critics, I do not believe this woman can be neatly dismissed as a 'Marxist'. In many places she describes how these kind of huge, overblown, poorly considered projects are the natural result of India's huge, titularly 'socialist' bureaucracy. Like me, and unlike Noam Chomsky or others, she does not traffic in conspiracy theories. That is, she does not insist that a hidden, evil intelligence is in charge of the events she describes. Rather, she is aware of the DISorganization that naturally occurs whenever human beings get together in large groups--like militaries or bureaucracies, leftist or rightist, with good intentions or ill.
It would also be a mistake for anyone to think this book pertains only to India. As an American, I can see many of the same sorts of elements she describes: a failure to understand the links between ecology and economy; false economies (that is, technology that awes in its scale yet fundamentally degrades rather than improves human life); misplaced government priorities; rule by the courts, etc.
Book Description
We all value freedom, family, friends, work, education, health, and leisure-"the best things in life." But the pressure we experience to chase the dollar in order to satisfy both the demands of the bottom line and the demands of our seemingly insatiable desire to consume are eroding these best things in life. Our children now value profit centers, not sports heroes. Our educational system is fast becoming nothing more than a financial investment where students are encouraged to expend more energy on making the grade than on learning about their world. Our business leaders are turning young idealists into cynics when they cut corners and explain that "everybody's doing it." The need to achieve in our careers intrudes so greatly on our personal world that we find ourselves weighing the "costs" of enjoying friendships rather than working. In this book, psychologist Barry Schwartz unravels how market freedom has insidiously expanded its reach into domains where it does not belong. He shows how this trend developed from a misguided application of the American value of individuality and self-pursuit, and how it was aided by our turning away from the basic social institutions that once offered traditional community values. These developments have left us within an overall framework for living where worth is measured entirely by usefulness in the marketplace. The more we allow market considerations to guide our lives, the more we will continue to incur the real costs of living, among them disappointment and loneliness.
Customer Reviews:
Vision of the Future.......2004-09-30
The Costs of Living isn't what you'd call light reading. Published in 1994, its subject could be broadly classified as the meaning of life. But the subtitle, "How Market Freedom Erodes the Best Things in Life," offers the constraint on the topic that prevents this book from being endless.
It's an enchanting but difficult read. Barry Schwartz, whose more recent Paradox of Choice garnered a New Yorker review and positive press for dealing with the same topics on the level of the individual, here demonstrates instead the powerlessness of the individual to stop the relentless advance of market forces into every domain of life. Moving from business to medicine to law to sports to love to education to democracy, Schawrtz shows how the things we purport to value most in life are now subject to market influence--and argues, persuasively, that they are far worse for it.
This is enchanting because Schwartz is a fantastic writer, good at using examples to make his points and capable of humor and serious concern in equal measure. The reading is made difficult by the fact that the book was written in 1994. Rather than the doomsday prophet that Schwartz surely seemed upon publication, he now appears oddly prescient about the continuing advances the market would make into all spheres of life if people did not band together to stop it. While he could not have anticipated the ways in which people's yearning for community in the face of these forces would be exploited by politicians willing to wield those communities' principles as marketable commodities--and how those politicians would use their resulting power to help the market forces advance ever faster--the ingredients of that recipe for disaster are all quite plain to the reader with benefit of knowledge of the ensuing decade.
Can we still turn things around? The task is undoubtedly even more difficult now than Schwartz suggested it would be ten years ago. But we ought to try, and Costs of Living still offers a good way to start constructing the framework by which we might begin to do so. Highly recommended.
Thoughtful, Provocative, and Readable.......2001-05-11
Ever worry that your doctor has the HMO profit margins in mind more than your care? Ever get disgusted by big time college sports? Ever worry about the erosion of values and cohesion in your community? Then this book is for you.
This is a marvelous book that explores how people should think about their places in our society. Schwartz, a Professor at Swarthmore College, has a well-deserved reputation for debunking commonly held myths promulgated by economists and others who seek to explain all human behavior by supply and demand curves, and irresistible biological imperatives.
Yes, we do have a choice about how we want our communities to function, and Schwartz tells us how we can ``reintroduce the language of responsibility and morality into our public life.''
Schwartz also has a rare gift for making complex topics seem easy to understand. This is a surprisingly readable book, full of anecdotes and examples that will help you relate the ideas to your own life. Its conclusion, about a dilemma Schwartz faced in his own community, is notable for its drama as well as for the fact that Schwartz declines to offer easy answers.
Read this book, and you will think differently (and more perceptively) about the world around you. It is *that* good.
A good description of the choices of middle class life........1999-06-27
A good attempt at explaining the costs of living in capitalism. A bit dated considering the World Trade Organization, computerization and downsizing, but he makes points most people need to hear and consider. Well worth reading and thinking about. Order a copy and begin to think!
A fantastic and important book.......1999-02-19
Read this book if you have ever been concerned about how some of our societies great institutions are being weakened by the market pressures of today. Ever worry that your doctor has the HMO profit margins in mind more than your care? Ever get disgusted by big time college sports? Ever worry about the erosion of values and cohesion in your community? Then this book is for you.
Books:
- Understanding Health Policy
- Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen
- Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don't Learn
- Who Rules America? Power, Politics, and Social Change
- Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
- Why Lincoln Matters: Today More Than Ever
- Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism
- Without a Trace/A Race Against Time/False Notes/High Risk (Nancy Drew: All New Girl Detective 1-4)
- A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time (Second Edition, Revised and Updated)
- A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet
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