AFTER THE ELM.

Book Description

Whether you're considering retirement or scouting out the best location for a second home, Retirement Places Rated is an invaluable sourcebook. For more than 20 years, people have turned to author David Savageau for help in choosing the perfect location, and now that the number of Americans who are reaching retirement age is greater than ever, this information is more valuable than ever before. Nearly 200 top retirement areas in the United States, both traditional and newly discovered, are profiled.They're ranked and compared for cost of living, climate, health care, economic factors, crime, services, cultural life, and recreation. Included are climate graphs, maps of retirement regions, comparison charts, and demographic profiles of each area. A special section on relocation resources helps you set your plans in motion once you've chosen where to live.This completely updated edition includes new locations and factors in the latest statistics.

Customer Reviews:

STILL THE BEST.......2007-10-13

When the first edition of this book came out I was impressed. I am still impressed. This is one of the most extensive and detail books on locations for retirement. As I near that wonderful time in life I read, mark and digest all the information provided. WELL DONE!

This book like its readers is not getting any younger............2007-06-08

This is an excellent resource however it is in grave need of an update.

The cost of housing and the US economy have made some changes since publication date.

A wealth of facts and figures for retirement wannabes.......2006-06-14

In the growing field of books offering suggested places to live or retire, RETIREMENT PLACES RATED is one of the few to base its findings entirely on statistics rather than opinion. David Savageau, the author, has authored prior editions of this book as well as the popular PLACES RATED ALMANAC. Feeding into the statistics here come metrics on each of 203 locations from six specific areas: Ambiance (by which the author means largely historic charm and outdoor recreation), Costs of Living, Climate, Personal Safety, Services (availability of medical services, for example) and The Economy. We're also given a useful Appendix with Chamber of Commerce addresses, income-tax information, and the like.

My hunch is that people will find this book quite useful, but not conclusive. It's impossible to avoid opinion entirely, even in a statistics-gathering format like this one, because someone still has to decide what to count and how to weight it. Take the section on Climate: the very top performers are California coastal Mediterranean places like San Diego, which is not surprising. Then come snowless Pacific Northwest cliimates, desert climates, beach climates (mainly in Florida), and long-hot-summer climates (think central Texas). Although nearly half of the 203 locales rated here are not in the Sunbelt or on salt water, we have to move almost halfway down the list to get to them.

The heat doesn't seem to matter much in this author's assessment of what constitutes "climatic mildness." That's why Yuma, Arizona, where it goes to triple-digit temperatures all summer, comes in at number 10, while relatively mild four-season Charlottesville, Virginia ranks 137. (Actually, if a place has any snowfall that sticks, it's doomed to a poor rating.) Interestingly, Charlottesville placed no. 1 among places to retire in a guide for general use that also came out in 2004 (Cities Ranked & Rated), which used only slightly different metrics. As for an overall score, in RETIREMENT PLACES RATED Charlottesville comes in number 35, edging out Yuma at number 37.

A happy feature of the prior general-interest PLACES RATED ALMANAC was Savageau's use of screening or "filtering" devices to custom-tailor the rankings to people with differing tastes. There was, in fact, precisely a ranking of climatic mildness for people who nonetheless want to live in a four-season climate, not a winterless one, screening out San Diego and Sarasota and Yuma but including, say, Charlottesville. There should have been much more of that sort of thing here.

But a person doesn't have to agree with all the rankings to benefit from the stats. Data on housing costs, crime, and the local economy are all welcome. Just don't think of RETIREMENT PLACES RATED as the only book of its kind you'll ever need.

Reader Beware!.......2006-06-02

Save your valuable time and steer clear of this train wreck! Worse yet, you could be making the biggest mistake of your life if you make an important decision based on Retirement Places Rated.
Sorry, but I get upset after having my time and money wasted, and just need to vent.
I've spent a career in corporate relocation, and find myself stunned at most of the recommendations. The book's choices usually fall into the following categories; unaffordable, uninteresting, uninhabitable, unsafe, unpleasant, unhealthy, or uncomfortable.
On top of the flawed and biased reviews that might have been researched from chamber of commerce web sites, the book's layout requres endless page flipping to get the full profile of each city.
And yes, I said biased. As a West Coaster, where are the cities west of the Rockies? There are very few included, representing a strong East Coast leaning, maybe because the author sticks to what he can drive to.
Please, Mr. Savageau, invest in a Jet Blue ticket and take a trip out here. Spend some time out here, in person, and maybe you'll avoid mistakes like your #1 choice - Florence, Oregon.
I asked an associate from the Northwest about this town as the nation's top retirement spot, and she laughed, "Retire there? I don't even like to drive through Florence! Has this guy ever been there?"
Good question!

Retirement Places Rated. David Savageau.......2006-03-14

Apart from its main function as indicated in the title, the book provides a very good source of information about our Land.
It is worth having around as a ready reference for much useful informaion and data which would be very time consuming on the PC.

Retire Places Rate (Retirement Places Rated)

Average customer rating:

Retire Places Rate (Retirement Places Rated)
Savageau
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0137505973

Retirement Places Rated: All You Need to Know to Plan Your Retirement or Select Your Second Home (Retirement Places Rated)

Average customer rating:

Retirement Places Rated: All You Need to Know to Plan Your Retirement or Select Your Second Home (Retirement Places Rated)
David Savageau
Manufacturer: Macmillan General Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Research | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Statistics | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Retirement Planning | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Parenting Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0137789297

Average customer rating:

Best Rated Retirement
Consumer Guide editors
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Retirement Planning | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 0451821742

Places rated retirement guide: Finding the best places in America for retirement living

Average customer rating:

Places rated retirement guide: Finding the best places in America for retirement living
Rick Boyer
Manufacturer: Rand McNally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Retirement Planning | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0528880705

Average customer rating:

Retirement Places Rated
David Savageau
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O919UM

Retirement places rated: All you need to plan your retirement

Average customer rating:

Retirement places rated: All you need to plan your retirement
Rick Boyer
Manufacturer: Rand McNally
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Retirement Planning | Aging Parents | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

ASIN: 0528880810

Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve

Average customer rating:

Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve
David Savageau
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NY4JEQ

Average customer rating:

Retire Places Rate (Retirement Places Rated)
Savageau
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds Inc,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIVCK0

Average customer rating:

World Retirement Places Rated
David Savageau
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0764564447

Book Description

Winston Churchill looms large in the history of our century as the chief architect of the Allied effort in Europe during the Second World War. Here, in his own unmistakable voice and those of stage luminaries Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir John Gielgud, are the great statesman's most famous speeches and some key excerpts from his memoirs.

Along with the words of Churchill are original, representative speeches from many of the other important players in the tumult of events that was World War II - including: Truman, FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Patton, Eisenhower, and Chamberlain.

From Churchill's boyhood to his warning on Poland in 1937, from Chamberlain's resignation in 1940 to Roosevelt's declaration of war in 1941, from the victory at El Alamein in 1942 to Eisenhower's D-day speech of June 6th, 1944, and finally Kennedy's proclamation of Churchill as an honorary citizen of the United States in 1963, the listener is brought back to a time in history that changed the world forever.

This unique audio captures the writings and oratorical skills for which Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1953.

Customer Reviews:

A marvellous piece of audio history.......2002-09-23

As one not old enough to have heard Winston Churchill's speeches at the time he originally gave them, I found this tape simply marvellous.

All one tends to hear nowadays of Churchill's speeches are short excerpts/the highlights. Instead of that, to hear his speeches in full and going back to before the war, is simply a revelation. Has there ever been a greater political speaker? I doubt it.

A must for anyone interested in modern political history and with the added bonus of some brief excerpts from speeches by other notable figures of Churchill's time-eg Harry Truman, FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt.

MAGNIFICENT SAMPLE OF ONE OF THE GRETEST WORLD STATEMAN.......2000-10-06

SUPERB WORK AND FIRST HAND ACCOUNT AND NARRATIVE OF THE DESTROYER OF NAZI TYRANNY IN THE WORLD. ALSO THE NARRATIVE IS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE OF HOW GRAVE THE SITUATION WAS NEVERTHELESS THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER HAD WORDS OF HOPE AND SALVATION THRU HIS OWN MADE DETERMINATION TO SAVE THE NATIONS OVERUN BY NAZI TYRANNY BUT MOST UNIQUE HIS BLIND FAITH AND CONVICTION THAT ALMIGTHY GOD WILL DELIVER THE WICKED MAN UNTO HIS HANDS FOR THE MAINTAINANCE OF CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS ON THE WORLD.

An Excellent Compilation of Speeches during WW II.......1998-07-30

I enjoyed the speeches compiled for this two tape series. They were quite informative, and reflected the mood of the man and the country before, during, and after WW II. I was disappointed the publisher didn't make an effort to clean up the radio static recorded. With digital editing these days, the static could have, and should have been removed.

Winston Churchill's most famous speeches on audio cassette........1998-05-01

Just after the tragic death of Princess Diana in August 1997, Mr. Churchill, a distant relative of the late Princess, began showing up in my dreams. Though I had never been much interested in history before, the dreams compelled me to consume every fact and facet of Winston Churchill's life, and his life has deeply inspired me.

Months ago, I wished aloud that I had an audio tape of Mr. Churchill's speeches -- and then I discovered these tapes from Amazon quite magically. Coincidence? Perhaps. Or maybe the enigmatic Mr. Churchill still has influence in our world.

The cassettes aretapes of Mr. Churchill's most famous speeches before, during and after World War II when he was the most important man in the world -- the prophet of truth and the architect of peace. The tapes also include some of the more famous speeches of Adolph Hitler, portrayed by actor Tonio Selwart. Other speakers include George VI, Eleanor Roosevelt, Goerge S. Patton and Harry Truman. Two of the world's most talented actors -- Sir Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud lend their talents in reading excepts of Mr. Churchill's memoirs.

The tapes containstunnning oratories by Winston Churchill who reaches through the veil even now to inspire and support us through whatever battle of mind, body or spirit that engages us at any given moment. Mr. Churchill was a Visionary. He always saw the possibilities. He always had hope. His advice to us is, "Never despair!" And somehow, his words, his voice, his optimistic spirit will help see us through our own darkest hour and inspire us to be victorious over the forces of darkness, without or within.

History comes alive!.......1998-04-05

It's interesting to use the word "read"; this cassette presentation of the immortal Winston Churchill allows the 'listener' to picture in her/his mind the late, former PM of England and to capture those great and perilous moments of early 20th Century history. Well done!

Churchill in His Own Voice and the Voices of His Contemporaries Roosevelt Truman Eisenhower Chamberlain George VI and Others

Average customer rating:

Listening is an inspiration!

Churchill in His Own Voice and the Voices of His Contemporaries Roosevelt Truman Eisenhower Chamberlain George VI and Others
Laurence Olivier , and John, Sir Gielgud
Manufacturer: Caedmon Audio Cassette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0694503797

Customer Reviews:

Listening is an inspiration!.......2000-03-15

Both inspirational and humbling to listen to the voice and intellect of such a great man. Such command of the English language and speaking skills unmatched! After listening to him speak you will see how pathetic in intellect and moral character our politicians of today are. I've finished his biography as well and coupled with these speeches he emerges as one of the greatest men of our or any time. I cannot recommend enough these tapes or his biography, it filled me with a renewed sense of purpose and conviction in life. If there was a phrase to sum him up it might be "never give up" on life or one's possibilities to achieve. Buy these tapes!

Amazon.com

Any parent who has suspected something was off with their baby will empathize with the first chapters of The Boy Who Loved Windows, which recounts the familiar tale of medical practitioners refusing to run tests or offer diagnoses. You'll empathize even more when it turns out that mom (and author) Patricia Stacey was right: young Walker is autistic. It's partially the empathy that makes this such a compelling read. Some chapters are devoted to Walker's life at home; others mix his development with medical details. The facts are wrenching: an estimated 1 in 500 people has some level of autism, causes are unclear, and the expectation for a cure is microscopic. But midway through the book, the family meets up with Dr. Stanley Greenspan (The Child With Special Needs), who introduces new techniques that spread rapidly to Walker's assorted therapists. Progress begins, if at a glacial pace. Stacey lets readers into her emotional process over the years she details; her anger, frustration, and concern over the rest of her family and her wild joy at some seemingly minor events provide a roller coaster in contrast to the more methodical research explanation. As a complement to more direct parenting books on autism or simply as a fascinating look at the early development of an atypical child, this book makes good on the promise of its intriguing title. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

This enthralling memoir is the day-by-day story of how one little boy was saved from a path leading to autistic isolation. It is also a first-hand account of the new model of research and treatment pioneered by Stanley Greenspan, M.D. that makes this recovery possible for others. Walker, whom pediatricians worried would never walk, talk, or perhaps even hear or see, was lucky enough to be born to a family who would not accept defeat. Pat Stacey reveals the darkest fears, struggles, exhaustion, tiny victories, and eventual joys her family faced as they gradually brought Walker into full contact with the world.

Customer Reviews:

good intro to floortime.......2007-10-15

I have a 7 year old on the autism spectrum. There was much I could relate to, especially the logistic nightmares of having a kid that needs a lot more as well as having two younger siblings. The parents in the book are extremely devoted to the floortime program and also are very fortunate to receive a lot of help from various sources. I thought the book was a good intro to the principles of floortime.
There is one complaint I have and it is the same that would go for a book like 'let me hear your voice' (ABA): It is the 'I went through hell and cured my kid and so could you if you were just working harder at it' mentality. For one - not every kid will respond to every or any treatment. Also - a kid or person does not have to be neurotypical to be loved and loving. I hate this genre of books where the writer never matures emotionally into being able to love their kid unconditionally. All love is put into changing or 'curring' the kid. In both books are segments where the writer looks at someone elses kid with autism and feels compelled to tell the parent that they need to work harder to change that kid and that it is not okay for your kid to sit there stimming or whatever. If you can only look at a person with a disability thinking that they are not okay and your love can only come in the form of wanting to change them, then you need to do some work on yourself ! I am not saying that you should not try treatments that will help but your love and life should not depend on them becoming neurotypical. If Walker would not have been one of the kids who were able to improve dramatically the writer would have lost her marriage and probably her sanity. She gambeled her life on curing her son and she won. But most people doing the same gamble will loose because it is a gamble and at the end of the day you better have some core strength and love for your kid and family to be okay if there is no cure.
I don't consider her a role model. For a role model read a book like 'Elijah's cup'.

Nice to see Floortime represented.......2007-09-23

My son is on the autism spectrum. He sees an occupational therapist and speech therapist who have been trained in the Floortime approach used in this book. He also is in a therapeutic preschool program based on Floortime principles. These therapies have helped our son tremendously and, by extension, ehanced our family life.

Based on my experience, it seems that the child in this book has a sensory processing disorder, rather than autism.

The author is lucky that she caught it as early as she did. Most of us don't have the luxury of therapy starting when our children are 6 months old. In my son's case, we had Early Intervention services, but the therapists were inadequate. This author had a therapist who would stay three hours at a time, twice a week -- again, most of us don't have this luxury. The author also was able to ignore her other child to focus her energies on her affected child. For most of us, this is not possible.

When reading autism memoirs, I've been annoyed because Applied Behavior Analysis is presented as "the only way". I'm glad that in this memoir, Floortime is getting some attention.

The book changed our lives........2006-06-17

When we were frustrated with the lack of fun during the ABA sessions, and my child had a very hard time with them, I read this book where Mrs. Stacey share her experience with a much more flexible model of therapy for her son, this model worked for my child and he started to learn.
I am from Brazil and I was no able to find a floortime therapist. I contacted Mrs.Stacey and she OFFERED to help me guiding me WITHOUT charging a dollar!
Then we found a therapsi but I must say not only the book is wonderful but Mrs Stacey is a wonderful woman with a big heart, taking her time to answer emails from someone she does not know and offering free help!
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Simone.

This book gave us hope and helped us to deal with our emotional.......2006-06-17

This book gave us hope and helped us to deal with our emotional dificulties. When we first received the diagnosis we did not know anything about autism. When we had strict ABA my son only cried after reading this book we started seeking the floortime approach and also used VBA and my child started to learn having fun. Recovery is possible. It is a hard work and we are still working as hard as we can but we have seen the light coming. The book is like if Pat were my friend giving me support and hope whenever I need it.
Thanks, Mrs. Stacey.

Worst personal account of "autism" I've ever read.......2006-01-23

I bought this book because it had so many favorable reviews on this website. I've read approximately 25 books written by parents who have a child with ASD. This book is, by far, the worst I've read. I frequently found myself rolling my eyes while reading it.

First of all, I firmly believe the mother is out of touch with reality. I wasn't surprised when, in the middle of her story, she writes that people were trying to get her to check into the local psychiatric ward. Her inability to spend time with her son and the rest of her family was unbelievable. She "weeped" when the REACH program wouldn't provide someone to take care of her son for most of his waking hours. The program supervisors told her time and again that her son did not need services - that he wasn't autistic!

Second of all, her son was sensitive, not autistic! She didn't cure him of anything! Many babies like to look at windows because they like the color contrast. Many babies dislike a lot of noise. Her son, Walker, was pointing by his first birthday. He was talking like a pro by his second birthday. He was playing with other children, laughing, pretend playing, gesturing. Anyone who knows anything about ASD knows that these traits are commonly deficient in ASD children.

As a parent of a child with ASD, I was irritated by her whole story. There are so many parents out there who really DO have children with ASD and we're doing everything we can to help them, including getting services through our local and state programs. To think that this author demanded so many resources from REACH, when they could have been given to a child who really DID have ASD is very sad. I really believe the author should change the subtitle of her book and remove the word "autism". Maybe she should have written - A child threatened by SENSITIVITY.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books