[rustyp]

I was at a family reunion and a distant cousin in law pulled me aside and whispered "is it true what they say about The Villages ?". I smiled and responded it's part of our silver sneeker program.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

Mr. Blech Man's book makes a good door stop.

He's trying to hype whatever he is selling or trying to stay relevant.

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird - Andrew D. Blechman - Google Books

His Pigeons book was quite good and it looked like he researched it quite a bit.

I read his Leisureville book but skipped the salacious parts as Twila, Holly, Whit, Jane, Mary, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bob, Mary Kate, Carmel, Ed, Ed, George and many others told me about what they had read. His parts on the government of the Villages was more interesting. Holly was actually seeing red from the book.

[EPutnam1863]

My doctor in Melbourne, FL gave me a form to fill out, and on it was a question how often I had sex. I told her that was "nosey." She explained that due to the fact there was a high rate of STD in Florida, physicians were required to collect this kind of info. This was back in 2008, and things might have changed since then.

[twoplanekid]

He should be invited back for a sequel as the Villages has changed a lot since 2005.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

He should be invited back for a sequel as the Villages has changed a lot since 2005.

You can talk to him on his web-site. I have. Andrew D. Blechman - author of LEISUREVILLE and PIGEONS

A contact part will give you an e-mail address. Whether or not he replies is another matter. I tried to get him to look at TOTV but am not sure that he did. This was four years ago I believe.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by Retiring

It’s misinformation like this that has forced me to not tell friends or family where I’m retiring. When I’ve mentioned TV to friends in Orlando or Tampa I get responses like “that’s where they have sex on the town squares” or “that’s the non-stop orgy place” or “did you know that’s the STD capital of the world.” They win, I no longer say The Villages. They believe channel 2, or the paper, or the podcasts, before they believe me. It was in the news so it must be true.

Frustrating.

In the new media arena it's simply called "fake news". It's seems to be okay to outright lie about almost anything. It's been that way in the political area for sometime. People love to read the "stuff". Almost any checkout counter has the National Enquirer and many more
Similar publications. The "net" is full of fake news. Amazing how people want to believe that "junk". Maybe they don't really believe but just like to talk and fantasize about "stuff".

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by EPutnam1863

My doctor in Melbourne, FL gave me a form to fill out, and on it was a question how often I had sex. I told her that was "nosey." She explained that due to the fact there was a high rate of STD in Florida, physicians were required to collect this kind of info. This was back in 2008, and things might have changed since then.

That's just plain BS. Physicians are NOT required to "collect" any such information. I think your first instinct of "nosey" was correct.

BTW, Florida is in the middle of the pack for STD rates---2013 had a rate of 407 (per 100,000 population) for chlamydia---low of 233 in NH and high of 774 in Miss., and 102 for GC---low of 8 in Wyoming and high of 231 in Miss.

From 2013 to 2015, the Florida rate of combined STDs was 555, again right about the national average, and Sumter County's rate was 223---so much for being the STD capital of the world.

FLHealthCHARTS Data Viewer

[manaboutown]

Although I found some remarkably interesting and useful facts about The Villages in the book much of it was written to promote his agenda which highlighted his bitterness toward retirees relocating from high cost of living, heavily taxed states to senior communities in lower cost of living areas. He wants seniors to remain in place to help pay for children's schools, community's parks, hospital maternity wards and so on. He spiced things up to titillate readers and generate notoriety to sell the book. Blechman managed to find a few folks of various ages living shall we say alternative lifestyles and wrote about them at undue length. He also unfortunately published the STD myth based on a misunderstood statement from Colleen McQuaid, a gynecologist... and it is a myth.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Although I found some remarkably interesting and useful facts about The Villages in the book much of it was written to promote his agenda which highlighted his bitterness toward retirees relocating from high cost of living, heavily taxed states to senior communities in lower cost of living areas. He wants seniors to remain in place to help pay for children's schools, community's parks, hospital maternity wards and so on. He spiced things up to titillate readers and generate notoriety to sell the book. Blechman managed to find a few folks of various ages living shall we say alternative lifestyles and wrote about them at undue length. He also unfortunately published the STD myth based on a misunderstood statement from Colleen McQuaid, a gynecologist... and it is a myth.

I kind of got the impression from the book that he wanted the grandparents to be around a great deal more to babysit their grand kids and volunteer in their communities. Worthwhile things but many Villagers volunteer their time in many worthwhile activities in Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties and also grand kids are here frequently as well.

And who needs all the slippery ice when you could really hurt yourself with an older than 30 body. Not to mention driving on black ice, snow shoveling your sidewalk and driveways, and all that extra laundry required from winter layered clothes.

Blechman did have some interesting points about the developers and the various districts.

[Allegiance]

All he wanted was to make money and exploit, I hope his original Neighbor has told him what a jerk he is. It almost comical when he said he went undercover, what did he wear a fake nose and mustache?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

I kind of got the impression from the book that he wanted the grandparents to be around a great deal more to babysit their grand kids and volunteer in their communities. Worthwhile things but many Villagers volunteer their time in many worthwhile activities in Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties and also grand kids are here frequently as well.

And who needs all the slippery ice when you could really hurt yourself with an older than 30 body. Not to mention driving on black ice, snow shoveling your sidewalk and driveways, and all that extra laundry required from winter layered clothes.

Blechman did have some interesting points about the developers and the various districts.

The people that were the focus of his book and the people he supposedly visited here were not in any way related to his children. They were neighbors. Just to clear up that point.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Although I found some remarkably interesting and useful facts about The Villages in the book much of it was written to promote his agenda which highlighted his bitterness toward retirees relocating from high cost of living, heavily taxed states to senior communities in lower cost of living areas. He wants seniors to remain in place to help pay for children's schools, community's parks, hospital maternity wards and so on. He spiced things up to titillate readers and generate notoriety to sell the book. Blechman managed to find a few folks of various ages living shall we say alternative lifestyles and wrote about them at undue length. He also unfortunately published the STD myth based on a misunderstood statement from Colleen McQuaid, a gynecologist... and it is a myth.

Well said and totally accurate IMHO.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

He should be invited back for a sequel as the Villages has changed a lot since 2005.

No.

He is not a "journalist", he is a novelist. It is my opinion that he saw a book about The Villages as an opportunity to make money, which is not bad, but he embellished and flat out lied in many areas and smeared a bunch of folks who won't take lies about their home town and their sex lives and their values lying down.

If he returned, and wrote again, he would feature The SEX ON THE SQUARE because sex sells books.

Only if he were to live here as an older adult and allowed this lovely place to pound him on the head would we get a nice friendly wholesome and maybe completely positive take on our town and our way of life.

NO....he would not like the CDD part and he would vilify the Morse family as way too successful. That used to be called "jealous of another's financial success". I go back to my opinion of him as being BLECH!

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

The people that were the focus of his book and the people he supposedly visited here were not in any way related to his children. They were neighbors. Just to clear up that point.

Thanks for that clarification, graciegirl.

I assume his children are up in New England along with his parents.

[OldManTime]

I know "Mr. Midnight", and Blechman is right on target.