Book Description
This is the same diagnostic system I use with my own clients and with the financial advisors I train. So, going through it will be like having me sitting beside you, whispering in your ear, guiding you every step of the way.”
–from Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map
Corporate pensions are disappearing. Social Security is in trouble. And the sizable postwar generation is reaching retirement age. With the futures of millions of Americans at stake, Ed Slott, the country’s foremost retirement planning advisor, now offers expert advice on weathering the perfect storm of financial instability that looms on the horizon. Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map, Slott’s most essential and accessible book yet, provides clear step-by-step directions through the highways and byways of IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other major accounts.
In five helpfully focused sections, Slott combines crucial facts with interactive checklists and questionnaires (those he uses with his own clients) to teach investors and beneficiaries alike the best way to save and to maximize an inheritance. Inside you’ll discover
• My Account Inventory: an overview of every retirement savings account you own, whether you’re thirty or sixty-five–from what it is and where it is to who gets it and how, plus where to put important data for easy access and where to store your essential documents (hint: not in a safe-deposit box)
• The Account Owner’s Care Solution: how to properly fill out retirement account beneficiary forms so that whatever amount of money is left in your account after you’ve fully enjoyed retirement will go to whomever you choose and not to relatives who suddenly pop up out of nowhere
• The Account Beneficiary’s Care Solution: what to do when you inherit so that you won’t lose any of the tax benefits and other opportunities your benefactor has created for you, or make a mistake that could wipe out an inherited fortune that took years to build up
• The Special Issues Care Solution: how to handle the out-of-the-box issues that could affect you or your beneficiaries (e.g., life events such as divorce or incapacity; tax issues for unmarried partners; decisions about trusts)
• The Follow-up Care Solution: how to keep your planning on track and make adjustments when circumstances change, and how to determine whether your professional retirement advisor is really up to the task of preserving and protecting your money
• Plus: the most up-to-date information on tax laws, including the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which provides major new retirement incentives that you can take advantage of
Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map is an indispensable planning solution that is sure to become the standard how-to on a complex subject that is becoming relevant to more people every day.
Customer Reviews:
A Financial Guide, not a Complete Guide.......2007-02-19
To me the title of this otherwise excellent book is somewhat misleading. It should say something like 'Your Complete FINANCIAL Planning Road Map.' That is, it doesn't go into things like should you move to the sunbelt, or how much money will you need, or medical aspects or any of these other subjects. Instead it is a very complete discussion on the tax issues of investing for retirement.
This book talks about IRA's, and Roth IRA's, and 401(k)'s, and all the other alphabet soup of the tax system in the United States. It is complete and up to date as recent as the 2006 changes to the tax laws.
A major part of the book consists of check lists that you should go over as part of your retirement/estate planning. These also are very well thought out and force you to think about things you would otherwise ignore.
A minor complaint, these checklists are printed in the book. I'd much rather see them on the web or in a CD bound into the book. He says you should fill them in using pencil in case you later want to make changes. I'd like it better to fill them in on a computer and then print them out. Once again, the information is there and more complete than you'd imagine, so you can consider this a minor complaint.
Enough info for a.........2007-01-26
small pamphlet, not a full size book. Rambling and repetitious. Read it twice and couldn't extract any useful information that wasn't available in other sources.
Comprehensive and Infinitely Practical--A Must Buy for Every IRA Owner.......2007-01-23
Ed Slott's latest book, Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map provides the most comprehensive, infinitely practical, hands-on set of checklists I have ever seen for IRAs and retirement plans. Ed, perhaps the best known and most trusted author on IRAs and retirement plans, takes the reader step-by-step through important concepts regarding IRAs and retirement plans and provides the reader with an action plan. Ed really rolls up his sleeves and gets into the nitty-gritty. Another outstanding feature of the book is that Ed has included the best questions--with complete answers--gathered from his clients and readers over the years. Chances are if you have a question, it has been asked of Ed, and you will find your answer. If you buy Ed's book and follow his recommendations, you will be better prepared and better documented than 99.9% of all the IRA and retirement plan owners.
James Lange, CPA/Attorney Author of Retire Secure! Pay Taxes Later: The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do
Mastering the complex with simplicity.......2007-01-22
I have personally been studying with Ed Slott in his Master's Elite IRA Advisory Group for the past two years. This new book is a composite of the various modules we have been studying in depth. This book gives an excellent overview in a version to be understood and simplified so that many can be aware of the many issues present in dealing with the one asset that for many represents their largest financial position. I applaud Ed's efforts to make such a text available and appreciate the opportunity I have had personally to train in depth in all of the issues detailed in his book. I would also commend serious readers and investors to his two earlier books my favorite of the two being, Retirement Tax Time Bomb and How to Defuse It. Anyone with a large IRA should be aware and get the book. It could make a tremedous difference in who ultimately winds up the beneficiary of all your hard long years of labor.
Same Rules, Easier to Understand.......2006-12-30
I have read all three of Ed's IRA books. As a Financial Planner, I find the Retirement Savings Time Bomb to be the best. However, if you are slightly less versed in tax code than a professional planner, his newest book is an excellent tool. I strongly recomend it to all (non-financial professional) qualified account owners. Good Job Ed!
Book Description
Interest in German Idealism--not just Kant, but Fichte and Hegel as well--has recently developed within analytic philosophy, which traditionally defined itself in opposition to the Idealist tradition. Yet one obstacle remains especially intractable: the Idealists' longstanding claim that philosophy must be systematic. In this work, the first overview of the German Idealism that is both conceptual and methodological, Paul W. Franks offers a philosophical reconstruction that is true to the movement's own times and resources and, at the same time, deeply relevant to contemporary thought.
At the center of the book are some neglected but critical questions about German Idealism: Why do Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel think that philosophy's main task is the construction of a system? Why do they think that every part of this system must derive from a single, immanent and absolute principle? Why, in short, must it be all or nothing? Through close examination of the major Idealists as well as the overlooked figures who influenced their reading of Kant, Franks explores the common ground and divergences between the philosophical problems that motivated Kant and those that, in turn, motivated the Idealists. The result is a characterization of German Idealism that reveals its sources as well as its pertinence--and its challenge--to contemporary philosophical naturalism.
Average customer rating:
- Good Girlz Power
- Learning Lessons from Drama
- I love this book!!
- Finally a REAL book for Christian Teens!
- Good, but we were a little disappointed
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Nothing But Drama
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
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ASIN: 1416525602 |
Book Description
The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Their lives are nothing but drama. . . .
Camille can't believe her bad luck when she's ordered to join a church youth group after hiding her boyfriend from the police. She'll bide her time if that's what it takes to get everyone off her back, but it's the last place she ever expected to make a new friend. Angel has a secret that's got her running scared, so when she sees a flyer for the group, she heads to the church, hoping to find an answer to her problem. Now Rachel, their group leader, has a task for them that may just end their daily dramas and give them a whole new beginning.
They just have to take a leap of faith. . . .
Along the way, they meet tough-as-nails Jasmine and society-darling Alexis, forging friendships built on strength, loyalty, and faith. As the girls take up Rachel's challenge to honor their parents, they find that walking a new path isn't always the easiest way to go. But together, Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis will embark on adventures that only the best of friends can share.
Customer Reviews:
Good Girlz Power.......2007-03-11
Nothing But Drama by ReShonda Tate Billingley is a wonderful coming-of-age story. The book focuses on four teen-aged girls. Camille is a good girl who finds herself in a relationship with a bad boy. Jasmine is a larger-than-life girl who expects to be attacked, so her way is to attack first. Alexis is a rich girl, who appears to have it all, but is hiding a family secret. Angel finds herself in a situation she promised her mom she would never be in, so running away seems her only option. These girls could not be more different. However, the one common ground they have is they are all convinced their mothers are clueless.
The young women end up participating in a community service group sponsored by a local church, called the Good Girlz. The group is led by Miss Rachel, the pastor's wife, who has a less than perfect past of her own. Her focus is to show the young ladies that they have options, while providing spiritual guidance. Through a series of meetings, the girls bond reluctantly becoming friends. With Miss Rachel's guidance, the Good Girlz discover how to depend on others and to accept responsibility for their actions. They also discover that mothers just might know something.
Nothing But Drama is a wonderful read for any age group. I strongly recommend this book to teens, parents and mentors.
Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub
Learning Lessons from Drama.......2007-02-10
Back with her signature style of using life's drama to teach lessons, Reshonda Tate Billingsley has created another great book titled NOTHING BUT DRAMA. This time around she is focusing on the younger generation with a new teen series which uses lessons from the Ten Commandments as its backdrop. This first novel uses the theme of honoring parents.
NOTHING BUT DRAMA focuses on four teenaged girls who meet when they become members of a community service group called Good Girlz. When they first meet, they seem to have nothing in common. Camille is at the meeting because she was court ordered after being arrested for hiding her boyfriend, who escaped from jail. Angel attends out of desperation, hoping to win the money being offered as a door prize. Alexis only joins to fulfill a community service requirement for another organization she belongs to, and Jasmine comes to the meetings because the leader, Rachel, insists. However, the girls become friends, creating a bond which helps each get through the drama that comes their way. All four girls soon learn that they can depend on each other, rather than try to fight their battles alone. The girls, especially Camille, also learn that honoring their parents can make life much easier for them.
Billingsley may be writing a teen series, but NOTHING BUT DRAMA is one that even adults can enjoy. Although the focus in this book appears to be more on Camille and Angel, all of the characters are well-rounded and developed so the reader becomes interested in their lives and the situations they face. Billingsley's novel is also well-paced and an easy read. She tackles issues of teenage sex, pregnancy, running away, and bullying without the story becoming too complicated or confusing. This book is good for entertaining purposes or for use in a book group for discussion. Either way, NOTHING BUT DRAMA lives up to its title and its purpose to teach a lesson.
Reviewed by Criss
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
I love this book!!.......2007-02-02
The title to Nothing but Drama was perfect for this story...this boook was a page turner.I loved it, this book is an inspiring book for teen girls who are reading for fun, or need to get their life together. This book would be great for a book talk. I am looking forward to reading more books in the series!! I would cearly recomend this book for teen girls!!!
***** stars
Finally a REAL book for Christian Teens!.......2006-11-27
You found a niche that was sorely lacking! What a wonderful way to use real today's life issues with the ten commandments to let Teens know they cannot live their life without Christ. Definitely a page turner. Cannot wait for Book 2!
Good, but we were a little disappointed.......2006-11-22
We couldn't wait to read this book because we loved the title. Our reading group loves books with drama and suspense. Instead, what we found were four girls who were members of a church group called Good Girlz. There was only one girl in the group that volunteered to be a member. The other three were sent there mandatorily. The story mainly focuses on two of the girls--Camille, a black girl, and Angel, a Mexican.
Camille's drama was that her boyfriend, Keith, was a liar and a cheat. But when her friends tried to tell her that he was no good, she didn't want to believe it because she thought she really loved him. This was a good storyline and we wished the whole book was based on this story because the drama in Camille's life was good and interesting.
Angel's drama was that she had a baby by a boy who denied it (typical). Her mother was disappointed. Angel didn't want to give her baby up for adoption, so she thought she would run away. This story was okay. It wasn't as exciting as Camille's story.
Jasmine was a tomboy and she was angry at the world for whatever reason. She didn't have any drama in her story other than the fact that she kept it real by bullying everybody in the group.
Alexis was just a prissy spoiled brat with an alcoholic mother. She had everything she wanted. She turned her nose down at anyone who wasn't on her level, but she didn't have much drama going on.
The best part of the story was when the Good Girlz went to a redneck town in Texas to try to find Angel and they ran into some good old boys. It had gotten suspenseful at times but it only remained suspenseful for about a page or two. We wanted to hear more about this part of the book but it ended as quickly as it began. The part about LaShay (Keith's other girlfriend) and Camille fighting at the jailhouse was dramatic. But why didn't Camille's mother say anything about the black eye that LaShay gave her? LaShay was so ghetto but she kept it real in the hood.
Sometimes it was hard to tell which girl was speaking because their voices sounded alike. We really couldn't tell if the story had a premise. We think it was supposed to be that Mother knows best. But in this case--NOT! We know we're supposed to honor thy mother and father, but what if your mother is an alcoholic like Alexis's mother; Or ghost like Jasmine's Mom; Or selfish like Angel's Mom was? Camille was the only one with the mother who seemed to know what was best and she had gotten the raw end of the deal by having a heart attack. Maybe the premise also could have been on making new friends and being true to them.
We were glad the book stayed focused on the teens and not on the adults. We would recommend it to other teens.
3 Snaps!!!
Teens'R'Us
Average customer rating:
- All or Nothing
- Heartwarming and Fun!
- lighthearted contemporary romance
|
All or Nothing
Claire Cross
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
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ASIN: 0425214990 |
Book Description
Witty, wonderful, and quirky romance from the USA Today bestselling author!
Jen Maitland never had any use for handsome guys with easy charm until she met Zach. He's the perfect fake date to end her mother's matchmaking scheme before it starts. The only problem is that Zach isn't as predictable as he appears...
Zach Coxwell hates commitment, but loves a challenge. Like the pretty bar waitress who turned him down flat for a date-only to invite him to her family's Thanksgiving dinner. Zach knows he can make Jen smile, and he's betting that he can unravel her mysteries.
Despite Thanksgiving dinner becoming a familial nightmare for Jen, Zach has the time of his life and finds that Jen may be worth a commitment after all-even if he has to convince her by any means necessary.
Customer Reviews:
All or Nothing.......2007-06-02
Loved this book! The characters were so real. Zach was so sweet and the Thanksgiving dinner reminded me of my crazy family. Jen is precious. I finished this book several days ago and it is still on my mind. Even though I have read a couple of books since. This is a wonderful book and I've put a couple of Clair Cross's books on my wish list because of the quality of this book.
Heartwarming and Fun!.......2007-04-12
Zachary Coxwell is intelligent, charming, and funny. But due to unresolved family issues, he's avoided making commitments other than to his dog -- picture an apartment empty of furniture. Then he meets Jen Maitland to whom he's instantly attracted, and he dedicates himself to making her smile -- even if that means singing Elvis on karaoke night!
Jen Maitland has commitment problems of her own after a successful battle with cancer. Afraid to embrace life, she sets only short term goals, like waitressing and knitting small fruits and vegetables. She seems perfectly content until her mom threatens to play matchmaker unless Jen brings a date to Thanksgiving dinner. Enter Zachary Coxwell - gorgeous, materialistic and shallow. He's the perfect fake date to stop her zany, liberal family from meddling - they'll hate him on sight. Instead, they adore him. And when Jen sees that there's more to Zach than she first assumed, she finds herself trying to make him smile.
Zach and Jen learn they have more in common than outward appearances would suggest, and they're thrown off balance when unexpected feelings emerge. Soon, furniture appears in Zach's apartment, and Jen's knitting projects grow, symbolizing their newfound courage to move forward and their hope for the future. Still, they must learn to trust themselves, their families, and each other, if they're to get at the truth of who they are beneath their protective layers. Only when they take that leap of faith can they resurrect long-buried dreams, and love without holding back a part of themselves.
Zach and Jen's tender emotional journey is both romantic and fun. The story also celebrates family, as Jen's colorful relatives weave their way into your heart with some of the funniest and most poignant scenes in the book. Also, though All or Nothing stands alone, the endearing Coxwell family (Zach's mom and siblings), from Cross's other books in the series, makes an appearance. Be prepared to laugh and cry -- it's that kind of novel.
The author's lovely prose, rich characters, and witty dialogue help make All or Nothing a great read. I highly recommend this story.
lighthearted contemporary romance .......2007-04-05
Following her mom asking her if she is gay and ordering her to find a Yuppie to marry and have babies with, Jen needs a date for her family's Thanksgiving dinner or her matchmaking mom will provide her with one. She decides Zach is perfect as her escort. Zach agrees to go with her.
The pair have a good time together even with mom beaming. Zach wants to see Jen again and she reluctantly accepts their going on a date. When he decides he needs to know more about her, she actually surprises herself by telling him a truth she is ashamed of; although she expected him to flee in disgust Zach wants to see Jen even more as their pretend relationship feels genuine at least in his heart.
This is a fun lighthearted contemporary romance starring two likable souls who have in common an anti commitment syndrome and a love for one another. Jen is a delightful character as she barely blinks when her mom, "caught in a 1970s time warp", accuses her of being gay because she isn't married yet. Fans will enjoy the antics of this couple who insist "I'm not in love".
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
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All Or Nothing (Chestnut Hill)
Lauren Brooke
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
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ASIN: 0439859999 |
Book Description
Malory has a natural gift for riding, so it's no surprise that she's invited to try out for an exclusive summer riding team. But there are always hurdles. Malory needs to find a horse to ride, compete against her classmates for a spot, and deal with the fact that Caleb - the boy she's liked all year - is trying out as well. It doesn't help that things with Caleb have been tricky as of late, and that joining the team would mean leaving her father and Tybalt for the summer. Malory has always been methodical and reasonable, but even she struggles to make the decision that is right.
Book Description
Marie Curie’s story has fascinated and inspired young readers
decades. The poor Polish girl who worked eight years to be able
to afford to attend the Sorbonne in Paris became one of the
most important scientists of her day, winning not one but two
Nobel Prizes. Her life is a fascinating one, filled with hard work,
humanitarianism, and tragedy. Her work with her husband,
Pierre – the study of radioactivity and the discovery of the
elements radium and polonium – changed science forever. But
she is less well known for her selfless efforts during World War
to establish mobile X-ray units so that wounded French soldiers
could get better care faster. When she stood to profit greatly
from her scientific work, she chose not to, making her methods
and findings known and available to all of science. As a result,
this famous woman spent most of her life in need of money,
often to buy the very elements she discovered.
Marie Curie’s life and work are given a fresh telling, one that
also explores the larger picture of the effects of radium in world
culture, and its exploitation and sad misuse.
Customer Reviews:
A great read!.......2007-09-28
I purchased this book for my grandniece, to demonstrate what women can achieve, and ended up reading it first. I loved how the author presented Marie Curie and her discoveries. I loved how she presented all of the hardships she encountered along the way, yet prevailed in her work. I learned a lot about Madam Curie from this very wonderful book. I hope my grandniece and other young girls will get inspiration from the story and the woman it is about.
Delightful Reading!.......2006-12-19
I always say that if all history-based textbooks were written like some of the best nonfiction books I've read in my day (ON THE REZ by Ian Frazier, FS&G, being one of them), then kids would gobble up history in school! Carla McClafferty's SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING is one of those books. It reads like a STORY, in a delightful but informative way that painlessly imparts the facts about Marie Curie and her life's work. I read it straight through, like I would an entertaining novel! I would recommend this book to kids looking for a biography to read--and to adults, too. Excellent job.
Radium: It slices. It dices........2006-10-17
The biography for children is rarely done well, if at all. It's too easy to take the life of someone famous, slap a few facts together, and then sell copies of your newest creation to countless school libraries around the country. When it comes to bios for small fry there are two modes of thought. Either you're going to do the least interesting, simplest biography (thereby boring both your child reader and yourself), or you're going to put some work into your creation and place the subject of your biography within the context of their times. Ms. Carla Killough McClafferty has opted for the latter. "Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium" starts slow and then builds and builds until you find yourself in a remarkable world of radium drinks, pills, and miracle cures. McClafferty is no stranger to the world of radiation, having penned a history of the X-Ray for kids before. Now she turns her sights to one of the greatest female scientists in the history of the world. From stage frightened Polish child, to Parisian researcher, to her death at the age of sixty-six, Marie Curie's life is propped before us with just the right combination of kid appeal and facts.
She was born a poor Polish girl on November 7, 1867. Smart from the start, Marie Curie, born Marya Sklodowska, dreamed of someday being given the chance to study at the University of Paris. After many years of saving and unpleasantness, she was able to come to France to fulfill this dream. While there, she met and married Pierre Curie and together the two of them set about discovering a couple elements and the true nature of that most mysterious of substances, radium. Author Carla McClafferty takes Marie's discoveries and counterpoints the rise in radium popularity with the high-profile Marie reluctantly had to adapt to. She was a celebrity of her time so that just as radium caught on with the public, so too did Marie's personal life. Remarkable in more ways than one, this is a story of a scientist who broke with convention to become extraordinary. This telling matches her in magnificence.
I admit that in my ignorance I didn't think there'd be much to say about Marie Curie in a book for kids. I mean, she grew up, married Pierre Curie, discovered radium, and died of radiation poisoning, right? I thought maybe Ms. McClafferty would have a chance to make a long book if she simply stretched out Marie's early life for as long as possible. So when I got to page 32 and found the book's subject already studying uranium rays, I couldn't help but yell at the narrator, "Slow down, McClafferty! There isn't much more to say! You're going too fast!" Of course, she wasn't. This book goes at exactly the right speed, never dwelling on a dull factoid or pulling to inordinate length a moment in Mrs. Curie's life that needed no stretching. And while I knew the basic "first woman" facts surrounding Marie, I had no idea what a great person she was as well. This is someone who refused to patent radium because she felt the element belonged to the world and not just the people who happened to find it. A woman who drove mobile X-ray units into war zones to aid doctors. Who named a new element Polonium after her beloved Poland. I knew none of this before and with McClafferty's snappy writing helping me along, I feel any kid that reads this book will learn so very much.
A couple years ago I had a chance to visit Minneapolis, Minnesota's now defunct Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. Besides the exhibits featuring ear candles and phrenology machines, there was a large section of the museum dedicated to the radium fads. It never would have occurred to me to think that Marie Curie had an indirect connection to the bottles of Radithor or the Revigator jars on display under glass cases. Even the Museum, though, didn't have half the fascinating items shown in photographs in this book. Radium was the original glow-in-the-dark paint, making everything from watch dials to crucifixes shine when the lights were low. The most frightening of all of these? The "Atomic `Bomb'" ring. Says the book, "You could see tiny flashes of light come and go as individual atoms of a radioactive material gave off energy and lit up the zinc sulfide in the ring." McClafferty knows to pepper her book with stuff of this nature, giving the book just the right amount of zing and zazz for the kiddies reading it.
One problem I do have with the book is that McClafferty doesn't really drill home the danger of all these radioactive consumer products. Take, once more, the Atomic Bomb ring. Was it really dangerous to kids or was it as harmless as the manufacturers said? Obviously McClafferty wouldn't be able to say just how harmful each and every product shown in this book was (there are, after all, quite a lot of them) but I would have liked a little clarification on a couple points. It isn't until we get to the end of the book that we learn exactly what it is that radium poisoning does to the human body. Even then, to what degree is radium outside of the body dangerous? We hear that when someone wants to view the original notebooks of the Curies they must, "sign a form releasing the library from responsibility for any `possible risks of radioactivity'". But to what extent would those notebooks be dangerous? A little more clarification on contact with radium without ingesting it would be welcome in this title.
And yet nothing eases my fears faster than an author who knows the importance of displaying their source materials. Right from the start a "Note to the Reader" explains why the author chose one spelling of Marya Sklodowska over another. Later on, Ms. McClafferty gives us copious Source Notes, a rather impressive Selected Bibliography, Illustration Credits, an Index, and (most impressive of all) a wonderful list of well-selected Recommended Web Sites. Kudos all around. What I want to get through to you is that this book is equal parts fun writing and great factual info. Sure it's chock full of great info about this great woman. But it also happens to be a gripping read and a great story to boot. Marie Curie appears here to be the kind of woman authors dream of writing biographies about. Ms. McClafferty just happened to be bright enough to tie in Mrs. Curie's life to the world around her and the fads that came about due to the radium hype. A great book and well worth adding to any and every collection in the country.
Easy To Read Fascinating Biography.......2006-06-08
I've always loved to read biographies. If you have a middle reader, you'll appreciate Something Out of Nothing. Carla McClafferty has combined solid research with excellent writing.
In the final pages of this book, she writes, "The life of Marie Curie demonstrates that one person can make a difference in the world. She overcame obstables of poverty, fear, depression, discrimination, personal grief, and public humiliation to accomplish groundbreaking scientific work."
The storytelling combined with photographs will make this a valuable book for any young reader. It's an ideal addition for any library or home.
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I AM Love: From Nothing...to All Things
Reimar A C Schultze
Manufacturer: Cto Books
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Abiding in Christ: The Essence of Christianity: A Daily Devotional
ASIN: 0972441115 |
Book Description
Although documentation on the fate of full-blooded Jews in Nazi Germany is abounding, little has been written on the part-Jews who lived each day under a cloud of uncertainty during that period. Reimar Schultze was born a part-Jew and in his autobiography, I AM Love, he chronicles his experiences in an anti-Semitic environment. He shares the horrors of the Allied bombings that killed 600,000 German civilians; he describes the family's abrupt flight from the Nazis to East Germany, only to run into the arms of the dreaded Soviet invasion. The Schultze's escape from the Russians made them part of the largest naval evacuation in history, in which Soviet torpedo boats sent 26,000 refugees and wounded to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Following this nightmare the author spent two years in a detention camp in Denmark. The author lost his father and baby sister as a youth. But in spite of tragedy and loneliness Reimar met God in a forest and began his quest for the answers to the questions of origin, purpose, and destiny. As an immigrant to the U.S., Schultze describes his difficulties in adjusting to American culture and Christianity. Disappointed with the church and ill with tuberculosis, he withdrew to a long seclusion in which he found unbroken fellowship with Jesus. He began a journey of thrills, romance and adventure that he now shares by radio and through his writing ministry with people around the globe. This book is laden with rare historical data on WWII. It is packed with extraordinary drama and piercing questions about who we are and what we need to be. It is a beacon of hope to the lost, the hungry, the hurting, the hopeless, and the forsaken.
Customer Reviews:
God's hand at work.......2007-01-26
Excellent spiritual lessons from a life lived for God in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Book Description
America's greatness comes from people working hard to fulfill their dreams. But today that greatness is being undermined by people using the government to steal other people's dreams (and money). Rather than participate and innovate in the marketplace, generating goods and services that benefit society, people are increasingly vying for political advantage to live at the expense of others. Something for Nothing reveals the social and personal threats inherent in this emerging "grabbing match" culture, juxtaposing free-market virtues against government vices, explaining how the something-for-nothing mentality corrupts the political system, undermines corporate success, and stifles the individual's ability to prosper and contribute long-term to society. More than exposing the dangers, however, Tracy helps readers set a personal and culture-wide agenda for change.
Download Description
"The worst day in a man's life is when he sits down and begins thinking about how he can get something for nothing." -Thomas Jefferson The United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and perhaps in all of history. Amricans are the most generous people on earth. They give more money to help others than all the countries of the world put together. America takes in more immigrants each year than all other countries. America produces 25% of all the goods and services in the world with only 5% of the population. America is the most powerful country on earth militarily, and the only country that has never sought to expand by conquest and imperialism. And yet today, America is in great danger of loosing its moral, ethical and political bearings than at any other time. In the headlong rush to get something for nothing, America is becoming a national "grabbing match" where everyone is trying to get money and benefits at the expense of everyone else. In this block-busting book, Brian Tracy explains, step-by-step how we got into this financial fantasyland, and how we can get out -starting today.
Customer Reviews:
An Eyeopener!.......2007-08-28
This is a bit of a different book than Brian Tracy's usual but I found it great! Brian has researched into how many people in society are not taking responsibility and what we can do about it. Too bad Brian isn't running for the US Presidency, he'd be great in the White House
Vitriolic discourse on responsible living.......2007-08-10
"Something for Nothing" is Brian Tracy's cry for a social reform in America where people are encouraged by law to live responsibly and everyone is taxed equally. Throughout the book he poses a question "where did people get a notion that the world owes them a living" and then points finger to different elements from the universal law of least resistance that is wired in everything in nature, including in human beings (when it gets to humans he is labelling it either "laziness" or "expedience"), to upbringing of children, and then to laws, regulations and social customs. He gives examples of situations where people who were receiving financial assistance from welfare miraculously found jobs when the support from welfare was discontinued. He sounds bewildered and enraged because the governmental system is essentially punishing people who are willing to work by taxing them and then giving that money to those who are unwilling to work - and he has a point there. It is a ridiculous system and the system should be changed to encourage all people who are mentally and physically capable to work to contribute to society in some constructive way and to be responsible for their
financial needs. I think that instead, people should be helped to discover their talents, to develop abilities and to contribute to the wellbeing of the society by sharing their skills.
Some people are more self-motivated or spiritually conscious and feel propelled to contribute to the world in some constructive way through the inner drive, an urge to justify their existence in this world through the contribution they can make, some people's souls cry for creative expression louder than those of others, while some act more like little children who need motivation and direction from the outside.
In spite of some good points, the tone of this book is rather condescending and cynical, which I found surprising coming from a man who wrote a book on the power of charm, and many other motivational books.
look, if you are a liberal AND are CLOSED minded, you won't like what you will read, because your world will come tumbling down.......2007-01-06
Look, if you are a liberal AND are CLOSED minded, then you won't like what you will discover in this book, because your world will come tumbling down. And if you are in support of large government and think that world owes you something, then you also won't like this book either. BUT, that's the worst problem about this book. The people who will hate it are actually the same people this book was intended to help.
Next, if you are open minded, and want to read some of the most compelling arguments of what is plaguing out western democracies, then this book is a must and absolutely the best place to start. I liked it so much i bought 7 of them to give out as gifts.
The next huge point to understand,,, this book is NOT just about politics. Sure, politics is the stage which Brian uses to get his point across, BUT, if you were to read this book and internally reflect about how it applies to you personally, and how it applies to those around you, you will be amazed at how powerful the societal influences have been upon all of us up until now. This book is really a book about human nature. But then again, I am just a Lazy, Greedy, Ambitious, Impatient, Selfish, Vain, Ignorant, and Expedient,,, so what do I know?
Additionally, even though Brian says that it is estimated that I am wrong at least 70% of the time, I am banking on being part of the 30% this time and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
The way I see it, your thoughts lead to your feelings, and your feelings leads to your actions, and your actions lead to your results. Let's face it, if you keep doing what you are doing, you are going to keep gettting the same results your are getting right now. So, if you want to get different results than you are getting now, then you need to start thinking differently. This book might just be that wake up call you need to change your perspective on some key things. If you adopt to even some of this new thinking, the change and results in your life will be tremendous.
A small price for a big reminder about character.......2006-09-09
I recommended this book to the President--not because he himself lacks character, but to remind us all that WE lack character, and large numbers of us keep expecting it to show up in the mailbox every month. How DARE we allow the government to set such minimum mediocre standards for us to achieve and be happy with! How dare we settle for such mediocrity in our lives, and then scream for more "something for nothing" in the form of handouts.
This book is full of lessons about the elements of character, how to put it all together, and finally, what to do with it. We as a nation need to turn in our rested laurels for a pair of bootstraps, and PRONTO!
If you are already in possession of a pair of bootstraps, you'll find this an inspirational read. If not, then you will find it a disgusting finger-pointing accusation of what you AREN'T doing to help this nation thrive--and you SHOULD be disgusted with what you AREN'T doing!
Manipulative rhetoric.......2006-06-24
I am (had been) a huge Brian Tracy fan. For years I've read and benefitted from his work on personal development, but this (his first political) book has really turned me off him.
I would stress that it is not his political views that make this a poor book, but the manner in which he expresses them. It starts out fine with some basic stuff about human nature leading to a predisposition to laziness and greed. It takes on this theme and explains how the US had developed into a 'something for nothing' culture which threatens it's very future. Underlying all this is an argument for a free market economics. He provides much persuasive evidence to support his case.
The strange thing is I agree with him on all this. The problems come in the last few chapters when he begins to use the manipulative rhetoric of the far right that so often damages their case. By the end of the book he is coming across as an angrier, more bitter verison of Rush Limbaugh. One example of his ridiculous and misleading generalisations is when he criticizes the environmental movement. He alludes that the movement is based on "junk science", that all they are after is "free money", and that they go on "junkets to conferences where they often travel in limousines and stay in beautiful hotels". Either Brian know this sort of generalistaion is nonsense and he is dishonest, or he thinks it is true and and is ignorant. And this from a man who spend an entire chapter discussing the importance of character and integrity.
Sorry Brian, while I agree with your views, I abhore your methods. I think it was Stephen Covey who said you can not achieve a worthy ends with an unworthy means.
Anyone interested in this type of stuff should stick to Milton Friedman's 'Free to Choose' and people who are able to display some integrity.
Customer Reviews:
This book exists for one reason...........2002-08-01
What can I say but this book is for those of us who go solo a lot and need material to fuel our fire with. IF you read this book and think that all these events actually take place you live in lala land, but that is ok as long as it gets you aroused!
Will the real publisher please stand up ...........2001-12-08
I have been reading Penthouse letters for years now long before it actually became hip ..... Penthouse publishes letter in numerous mags including, Letters, Variations and Forum
This book is a dog and after enjoying many of the letters from the above magazines this book should have been titled 'The Worst of Penthouse Letters Ever Published'
All of the letter are very very short, I guess it's geared to the reader that can't follow a story more complicated than puffed wheat. OK so maybe they didn't find any letters with eroticism in them but my goodness these letters don't even have good sex in them.
On a positive side I was able to use this book under a computer that had one it's legs broken and it works perfect the computer is now level again. ..........
Volume 4 What's New?.......2000-05-24
In the series of the "Letters from Penthouse" one might wonder what could be different from one book to the other. Well this volume offers a greater section of categories. Something for everyone. From 'True Romance', 'Someone's Watching' to 'Serendipity' it covers everything in short but tasteful bites. Enjoy alone or with someone special. I would recommend this for anyone looking for some spice in there life.
Books:
- A Hand to Guide Me
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
- A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
- America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies
- America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies
- American Cinema/American Culture
- Angels on Sunset Boulevard
- Art of Imagination: 20th Century Visions of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy
- Before the Dawn (Dark Angel)
- Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
Books Index
Books Home
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- The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation
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- Touch the Earth: A Self Portrait of Indian Existence
- Cable Television Handbook
- The Future of Success: Working and Living in the New Economy
- Economic Systems & Comparative Economics I: Harwood Fundamentals of Applied Economics
The Retirement Savings Time Bomb...and How to Defuse It
Parlay Your IRA into a Family Fortune: 3 EASY STEPS for creating a lifetime supply of tax-deferred, even tax-free, wealth for you and your family
Retirement Income Redesigned: Master Plans for Distribution: An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers' Best Years
Retire Secure!: Pay Taxes Later The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do
You Can Do It!: The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement
