ReviewsByLucas1

QGE=A: QUALITY GENERIC EDUCATION IS THE ANSWER
By Win Straube
Publisher:
University Press of America
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200
Latham, Maryland 20706
www.univpress.com
Copyright 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0-7618-3771-8
ISBN-10: 0-7618-3771-X
Nonfiction (Education)
Reviewed by: Lucas M.

Rising costs. Falling outcomes. Disruptive children undermining classroom effectiveness. Harried teachers who effectively serve as the only parents for many students. Students shooting each other in and out of schools. Lockdowns, metal detectors and weapons searches an increasing reality of student life. We've heard these horror stories and perhaps more about contemporary education. They may or may not all be fair generalizations of conditions in our education system, but they happen often enough for people to be (rightly) concerned.

These and other concerns have encouraged Win Straube to take up the cause of education reform. Straube has formed a company, (Straube Centers, www.straube.com) and a nonprofit organization (Straube Foundation, www.straube.org), both of which seek to promote effective, low-cost, widely available education to all who desire it. Straube's latest venture to this end is QGE=A: Quality Generic Education is the Answer (hereafter referred to as QGE), published last year.

In QGE, Straube calls for a radical overhaul of current educational practices at all levels, primary through college and graduate study,according to the principles of "Quality Generic Education" (QGE). Straube defines QGE as "that part of education a resident on planet earth in the 21st century should have in order to be reasonably knowledgeable and understood by others," and "the minimum common knowledge needed to learn the facts in various fields and how to interpret them." (pp.35-36) Insofar as is possible, Straube argues, a QGE curriculum should consist of subjects which are factually verifiable, and exclude subjects which encourage ideological, political, religious and other forms of bias. The ideal is eventually to set up "universal standards" by which people's knowledge in QGE subjects can be evaluated anywhere, under any conditions, regardless of cultural differences.

In order to accomplish this, Straube argues, education must move from its current model of large facilities and classes, and its attendant regimentation of thought and learning methods, to smaller educational settings that allow students a diversity of learning styles. Though Straube indicates many possible means of accomplishing this goal, including homeschooling, he heavily emphasizes "distance learning" through computers, the Internet and educational television. Straube sees practically unlimited possibility in "distance learning," potentially bringing lectures by accomplished teachers to any computer or TV screen, anywhere in the world, at a lower cost to all concerned than building a physical plant and transporting (or for colleges, relocating) students there.

I made my way through this book with profoundly mixed emotions. Clearly, Straube is passionately and legitimately concerned about the myriad problems surrounding modern education not only in America, but worldwide. Straube also raises many good questions about the role of various factors impacting students' education, including:

**self-motivation and discovering personal learning styles (Chapter 2),

**parental responsibility and the frequent lack thereof in many cases (Chapter 3),

**the entrenched mentality of those who oversee education at all levels, and how this often prevents needed reforms (see particularly chapters 4, 5, 7 and 10), and

**the potential for our current large class sizes to discourage individuality of thought and learning methods, and even encourage authoritarianism (chapter 5).

I also resonate with many of Straube's solutions. Having been an "inmate" of America's educational system, and having seen a bright stepdaughter struggle through a "good" suburban public high school, I can say with certainty that if I ever have children of my own, I will do everything possible to homeschool them.

I am disappointed, however, with several aspects of the book. The book's organization left me confused. For example, at 28 appendices and 113 pages, the Appendix section is actually larger than the book proper (15 chapters, 101 pages). Many of the appendices are full-length articles from other sources, but at least a few really should be integrated into the text. I speak especially of Appendix 19 (pp. 188-93), Straube's "Generic History Lesson on the Punic Wars." Straube says that he placed this sample lesson in the appendices "in order not to interrupt the flow of this book's argumentation..." (p. 42) I think Straube would serve himself better integrating the sample into Chapter 7. This is all the more true since Straube explains how he came to his conclusions about the Punic Wars in that chapter.

I am also concerned with the comparative lack of documentation and evidence in the book. Comparatively little source material is documented, even informally. Most of Straube's evidence is shuffled back into the appendices, which aggravates the problems of organization. Worse, some of the examples seem inflammatory. I cite as an example Appendix 22 (pp. 201-205) So luminaries from various professions like Billy Crystal, Calvin Klein, Morgan Freeman, and Jim Lehrer graduated from small colleges or community colleges rather than prestigious universities. Good for them. But using Patricia Hearst and her troubles as representative of University of California-Berkeley alumni isn't fair or logical. I don't know much about Cal-Berkeley, but I assume many and probably most of their alumni live productive, law-abiding lives. Yet standing to represent them, in Straube's judgment, is Patty Hearst.

Jim Jones wasn't a fundamentalist because he was part of a "mainline" church denomination? News flash--mainline Christian bodies contain plenty of fundamentalists, typically at least a sizeable minority. Jim Jones may or may not have been a fundamentalist, but not because he was in a mainline denomination.

What really takes the cake, however, is the claim that contemporary African-American leaders "do not make their expert knowledge responsive to the social needs of Black society. Instead, they use it to the detriment of Black people." Maybe there is truth to this, maybe not; but it sure would be nice of Straube to indicate how and why he thinks this is so instead of making such an inflammatory generalization without evidence.

In fact there's some, but not enough, how and why in QGE as a whole. This is disappointing because I think many of Straube's ideas can work, and because education is at a crisis point where new ideas like Straube's need to be seriously considered. But how are people involved with education going to take even good ideas seriously, when the ideas are weakly supported and are punctuated with bad and even inflammatory generalizations? When evidence is indifferently documented and organized (thwarting reader's full ability to "look at the facts" for themselves)? It sounds like "preaching to the choir," as it were; but I am part of the choir and I still have trouble digesting this book happily.

While QGE works well as a critique of the American and world education systems and as a source of ideas, it does not work so well in supporting these ideas. As such, on a scale of A to F, I can only give QGE a B-.

c Reviewed by Lucas M., gottawritenetwork.com

February 26, 2008

A WALK FOR SUNSHINE: A 2,160 MILE EXPEDITION FOR CHARITY ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
By Jeff Alt
Dreams Shared Publications
P.O. Box 18188
Cincinatti, OH 45218
www.awalkforsunshine.com
Second Edition: Copyright 2007
Original Copyright: 2000
ISBN-13: 978-0-9679482-2-5
ISBN-10: 0-9679482-2-3
Nonfiction
Reviewed by: Lucas M.
On March 1, 1998, Jeff Alt began one of the most extreme "walkathons" ever attempted. Over the next 147 days, he hiked from one end of the Appalachian Trail to the other, from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. As motivation, Alt used his journey as a fundraiser for Sunshine, Inc., the owners of the residential care facility where his brother Aaron, a cerebral palsy patient, is a resident. In the end, Alt walked nearly 2,200 miles, up and down mountain trails often reaching well over a mile altitude, and in weather ranging from 10 foot snowdrifts to thunderstorms. He also raised $16,000 (out of an original goal of $10,000).

Alt tells the story of his hike in his 2000 book A Walk For Sunshine, reprinted in 2007. In 35 short chapters, organized chronologically and each dealing with one or two notable events on the way, Alt gives the reader a fairly detailed idea about what is involved in "through-hiking" the Appalachian Trail (hereafter AT or Trail).

Some details of what hikers experience along the Trail are surprising. For example, one assumption is that the entire hike is made in wilderness regions of varying mountain terrain and weather. This is indeed true most of the time but not always. Mountain towns exist on or near the Trail; many of these, being tourist traps, have comfortable-to-luxurious facilities for dining, rooming, and even medical care. And no, it's not considered cheating (not by experienced hikers anyway) to take advantage of these. If you're starving, though, due to increased metabolism, be prepared to eat a lot in town--and be prepared, as Alt had to be, for some funny looks. (Though Alt's explaining himself as a "through-hiker" seems to cover a multitude of sins.)

Even between towns, moreover, volunteers maintain shelters approximately one day's hike apart. These vary in quality, but most are free (some donations are suggested), and most protect reasonably well from cold, wind and wet weather--hikers' most lethal enemies on the Trail. On rare occasions ranger stations and even outdoorsman shops supplement these. On the other hand, bring your cell phone but use it only in emergencies; cellphone usage is discouraged because mountains along the trail have exploded with unsightly cell-phone relay towers over the years. And hope there is a tower near you when you need it.

Although Alt had had some experience hiking before his 1998 AT through-hike, A Walk For Sunshine details some of his surprises on the way. Every ounce of weight carried counts more than Alt would have thought as the days and miles progress. Even minor injuries can be disastrous--Alt gets his trail nickname, "Wrongfoot," when he mismatches his arch supports in his hiking boots--and the pain from the resulting blisters hampers his travel rate for days. Alt reaches Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and finds ten feet of snow on the ground--in mid-March, no less. Meeting temporary friends is an inevitable, necessary, and often enjoyable part of staying "on-track" and coping with stress. Under such conditions, hunting mice at shelters with mousetraps can become a competitive sport. Strength in numbers also gives one some protection against creepy belligerent hikers and environmental extremists who abuse people for minor and unintended sins against AT etiquette.

Not everybody who aims for a "through-hike" succeeds. Between 85 and 90% do not, most quitting within the first 500 miles. Although Alt encounters many difficulties along the way, his will not to quit is constant and nearly unshakable.

The first edition of the book concludes with Alt having to "ride home"--a radical experience for him after nearly five months on foot --and simultaneously readjust to "normal life" while reflecting on his experience both alone and for news media. Alt writes an Epilogue for this edition emphasizing "life lessons" he learned from the AT, particularly the importance of humor, persistence, and pursuing dreams while one is able rather than later, when one may not be able.

I liked the book for many of the reasons given above. It was well organized and through Alt I learned many things about the AT that I would not have known otherwise, even being a Tennessee native and a frequent visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains park over the years. I knew such a venture as Alt accomplished would take much planning, support and inner persistence, but I had no idea precisely how much. His will to push on in spite of injury, bad weather, exhaustion, and other challenges--not least the loss of trail partners as they quit the Trail--is exemplary.

I did, however, want to hear more from Alt about the historical and environmental issues he likely faced walking the AT--although in fairness, much of Alt's inclination to this end may have been stifled by the simple, overwhelming necessities of self-care and survival. In Chapter 25 for example, Alt has reached Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, where he really does want to tour the historical areas, (Besides being the location of John Brown's insurrection, Harper's Ferry had during the Civil War been passed back and forth between Union and Confederate armies several times.) Alt goes out, finds a rock on which Thomas Jefferson made a political speech…and then starts suffering intense hunger pangs. One can sympathize with him--and yet, the AT apparently not only touches Harper's Ferry but also either touches, or runs within sight of, Gettysburg, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields of the Civil War, and other historical areas. I wish Alt had been able to drop by a few of these areas and do some reflection on visiting these.

As for the environment...I don't know what shape the Great Smoky Mountains park was in when Alt visited (other than obviously the snowdrifts) but I do remember my last trip to the park in winter 1999, about a year after Alt visited. I didn't find ten foot snowdrifts, but I did climb Clingman's Dome to find, to my horror, that every tree seemed dead from about 500 feet elevation downward from the summit, and that it seemed this way on every mountain for miles around. I don't know what caused it or whether the trees have started growing back since then. But surely Alt found similar disquieting areas? Or maybe he was lucky and did not. I don't know, and I wanted Alt to tell me what he could more proactively than he did.

Still, A Walk for Sunshine is an excellent book--a good hiker's resource for people planning an AT "through-hike" or something similar, and a good tonic if you need inspiration to push through a more mundane problem. My rating: four trees out of five and throw in a sapling.

© Reviewed by Lucas M., gottawritenetwork.com
March 30, 2008

THE SPIRIT CONNECTION: HOW THE OTHER SIDE INTERVENES IN OUR LIVES
By Dr. Hans Holzer:
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
www.schifferbooks.com
Copyright 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7643-2892-3
Nonfiction
Reviewed by: Lucas M.

"I have written this book for the benefit of people who may not realize that life does not end at death . . . Knowledge is a great deal of importance, prevalent for dismissing fantasy, skepticism, and doubts."

--Hans Holzer, excerpted from the forward to "The Spirit Connection"

How would you feel if you could know--not merely believe, but know, for certain based on objective evidence--that after you died you would live on eternally apart from your earth body, that you would not go to Hell as described by various religions, that your "afterlife" would be much like your life on earth only better, and that you could come back for a another life on earth if you wanted to or felt like you needed to? If you knew that you could, if the need were great enough, even contact loved ones back in Earth's physical realm?

It would greatly put your mind at ease concerning death, wouldn't it?

It is for this as well as other reasons that Hans Holzer has recently written "The Spirit Connection: How the Other Side Intervenes in Our Lives." At 128 pages, "The Spirit Connection" is a summary of Holzer's theories about life after death, and other pertinent aspects of the psychic and paranormal, developed over several decades of research.

These principles can perhaps be summarized as follows:

1) Human beings possess an "inner body" for which the physical body is essentially a shell. Though made of far lighter substance, the "inner body" is nonetheless as tangible apart from the physical body as is the physical body itself.

2) At physical death, the "inner body" usually passes from the physical body to a realm which Holzer terms the "Other Side," a dimension separate from the physical world. In the Other Side people are recognizable to themselves and to loved ones as themselves, though they can revert to a younger appearance if desired. People are assigned work in the Other Side, fulfilling work commensurate with their gifts and accomplishments in their physical life.

3) However, some people, typically because of a traumatic death, do not succeed in passing to the Other Side. These Holzer refers to as ghosts. Ghosts remain in the physical world but not of it, and they often do not realize they have died. As such they may be confused and frustrated, which drives them to certain behaviors in an attempt to contact loved ones. Only a trained psychic professional such as a medium (and apparently only one still living in the physical realm), can help a ghost resolve the issues attendant on his or her death and pass over.

4) While fundamentally good, the Other Side faces limits and imperfections just as we do in the physical realm. It's neither omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent. Limited resources means the Other Side cannot watch over all people in the physical wold freely; as such the Other Side concentrates on people with special abilities. Intervention by the Other Side in human affairs is comparatively rare; the Other Side usually does not intervene in trivial matters, even by request, and one must state specific concerns to the Other Side in order to successfully ask it for intervention.

5) People can increase their connection to the Other Side before their deaths, by living a spiritual (as opposed to merely religious) life. The main components of an honestly spiritual life include recognizing and taking responsibility for one's place in the world, doing good to people and other creatures and refusing to do them harm, and in particularly not taking any lives except as needed to procure food (and ideally not even the last).

"The Spirit Connection" is a meticulous book, especially for its comparatively small size, showing Holzer's extreme concern for garnering objective evidence and for excluding evidence that smells too much of subjectivity or even charlatanry. To this end Holzer, at least in The Spirit Connection, relies largely on evidence gained from mediums and from accounts of near-death experiences, the people in both categories scrutinized for their honesty. In this way, Holzer tries to base theories about the fact and nature of life after physical death as empirically as possible, giving people objective reason not to fear death, as opposed to religious platitudes that may or may turn out correct.

I cannot and do not presume to judge existence or nonexistence of an "Other Side" as envisioned by Holzer or otherwise. It does worry me that much of the evidence that withstands Holzer's scrutiny is anecdotal; but this is not necessarily fatal, and in any case is inevitable within the limitations of our current scientific tools. (After all, if there is an "Other Side," who's going to go in there from the physical realm with survey forms, punch cards, and scanning computers to survey everybody there?)

Presuming for present purposes, however, that there is an "Other Side" and it looks more or less like Holzer's description, I do have issues with Holzer's view of that world One particular issue I have is that Holzer's theories seem inordinately "Earth-centric," in the negative sense that suggests our Earth is, or for practical purposes may as well be, the only place in all the universe where intelligent life exists. In Holzer's view, we live our physical lives on Earth. We re-incarnate back to Earth if we choose or if karma should make it necessary. Even the dimension where the Other Side exists seems tied more or less exclusively to Earth. Perhaps I got confused, but I'm hard put to rule out this "Earth-centricness" as at least implicit in Holzer's theories, as written in the present book.

Here's the problem, though: the odds against our being "alone" in the universe and its myriad galaxies (and their constituent stars and planets) are astronomical. We can't prove intelligent life exists elsewhere with our current evidence, but the sheer size of the universe prevents us from ruling the possibility out either. As such, and assuming there are in fact life-bearing worlds elsewhere, what prevents souls from re-incarnating in another, totally different world light years away? If the Other Side is tied somehow intrinsically tied to our Earth, then what happens if Earth is depopulated or even destroyed in a catastrophe? Is the Other Side affected? (Remember Holzer admits that the Other Side, while good, is not perfect.) Is there a single "Other Side" encompassing the whole universe, or a smaller one for each life-bearing planet, or something in between? If one of the latter two, how are they connected, or are they connected at all? Can it/they be destroyed by a sufficient catastrophe? Can the disincarnate souls living there be killed the same way? Again, I ask these questions hampered by having only this one book (out of about 150) to go on; but these issues, plus who knows how many other related issues I can't think of at the moment, are important, and Holzer in my opinion really should have devoted more time to these issues than he did.

Even so, this an well written, and well conceived book, though its usefulness to you will depend on what you bring to it. Needless to say people who already tend to believe in an afterlife will find it more helpful, and more reassuring, than people who do not. If you flatly don't believe in an afterlife, or believe in one but are wed to sectarian religious views thereof, you'll probably flip the front cover with debunking weapons at the ready. I don't presume to know if Holzer is right or wrong when he speaks on the afterlife. I do think Holzer has, in good faith, done the best he can with his arguments on a subject that, with the limitations of our current scientific methods and tools, really does not lend itself as well to empirical study as Holzer thinks.

This is a good read, even if you wind up disagreeing with Holzer in part or in full. Rating: 8 1/2 out of 10.

cReviewed by Lucas M., gottawritenetwork.com

April 18, 2008