Book Notices
Time to bust the sprawl status quo!
Sprawl Kills: How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health and Money
by Joel S. Hirschhorn
Sprawl Kills is exciting, provocative, and filled with unique
information. The tipping point for a revolution in the housing and
transportation markets is within sight. Healthy active living can be
promoted by replacing blandburbs with walkable real neighborhoods,
designed on smart growth and New Urbanism principles. Sprawl Kills
gives a new picture of what American society can and should be. Learn
how "sprawl politics"--aided by right-wing sprawl shills--have corrupted
government and deprived Americans of housing and transportation choices,
caused environmental damage and loss of greenspace, and harmed public
health. Check out the book at www.sprawlkills.com.
from the publisher
Less Stuff, More Time
Rational Simplicity
by Tim Covell
Eighty-one percent of Americans agree with the statement, "More and
more, I am looking for ways to simplify my life." Yet in a world
dominated by consumerism, most don't know where to start. Tim Covell's
new book, Rational Simplicity (iUniverse, $11.95, 100pp) offers a path.
Rational Simplicity is a program with no rules, steps or excessive
paperwork. Instead, it provides a series of suggestions to help change
the reader's relationship with money. "Less stuff, more time," is the
theme of the book.
Covell explains that at its core, simple living is living on less than
you earn. But simple living has the final goal of escaping from paid
work and pursuing what is really important to you. The opposite of
simple living is consumerism. Consumerism is the belief that things will
make you happy. Simplicity is the acknowledgment that they will not.
Covell retired eight years after setting course to a simpler life. He
says, "I do not have a pension and I have never earned more than $25 an
hour. I am not a millionaire. I have enough money to live comfortably. I
do not use an alarm clock. I go to bed when I am tired. I wake when I am
rested. I do not commute, dress up for work or worry about pleasing the
boss."
Covell explains, "Getting ahead financially is similar to losing weight.
The concepts behind weight loss are easy. You either exercise more, eat
less, or both. Similarly, getting ahead financially is easy. You either
spend less than you earn, invest, or both. Everyone can grasp these
concepts. However, complex roadblocks keep us from achieving our goals.
To diet successfully, you do not need to count calories as much as you
need to change your relationship with food and exercise. Likewise, to
get ahead financially it is not enough to budget. You need to change
your values."
Visit
www.rationalsimplicity.com
for more information and a free bumper
sticker that says, "Less stuff, more time."
from the publisher
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