A Comprehensive Guidebook to Offshore Marine Industry Employment

The book begins with a brief history of the industry that goes back to the first oil well drilled in 1947, and brings the reader up to date on the types of jobs available today. It also catalogs “per day” wages commonly offered, such as: Mate — $60 to $80 . . . Able Seaman — $40 to $50 . . . Ordinary Seaman — $35 to $40 . . . Chief Engineer (licensed) — $60 to $80.

Lists of companies which hire workers are included, too . . . along with names and addresses of colleges and vocational schools that offer courses on marine-related jobs. Mr. Rochelle’s book is priced at $5.00 (check or money order) and may be obtained from the Offshore Research Service. — JR.

Growing Without Schooling

Holt Associates, Inc.
308 Boylston St.
Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Educational theorist John Holt has developed quite a following among parents and teachers who believe that he has found the answer to why public schools don’t educate children properly: “The reason that they’re no good at their work is that — above all — they are not serious.”

At first glance, this may seem like a simple observation, but Holt’s use of the term “serious” — in this context — is of profound importance.

A serious school (to paraphrase Mr. Holt) is one that strives to be certain that all of its children are learning. This of course is the object of education. A non-serious school is one that constantly finds excuses for turning out failing, substandard, or totally uneducated students. “When learning happens,” John explains in his newsletter, “the school takes the credit, but when it doesn’t happen, the student gets the blame.”

Mr. Holt feels that an educator, by definition, may take credit for a student’s success but must take responsibility for a student’s failure. In fact, there can be no such thing as student failure, only educator’s failure.

This interesting concept is further explained in issue No. 2 of John Holt’s newsletter — Growing Without Schooling — which promotes the concept of effective teaching while condemning the institution of “formal education” as being only an illusion (if not — in fact — an outright hoax).

Much more than theory is provided in Holt’s 8-page, 8 1-1/2 inch by 11 inch bi-monthly publication too. It contains such goodies as: specific information on how and where to purchase children’s books economically . . . guidelines for schooling at home . . . how to recycle toys . . . the legality of withdrawing children from public schools in states where compulsory-attendance laws exist . . . and how to handle education-related matters without resorting to the services of an attorney.

This unusual newsletter, in other words, is not only enlightening . . . there’s nothing else like it available anywhere! Subscription rates are $10 for six issues, or you may save money by combining your order or orders with friends: Two subs are $12, three go for $14, and so on . . . with a $2.00 charge for each additional subscription after the first $10 order (provided all are ordered at the same time and mailed to the same address). — JR.

Radios That Work for Free

Hope and Allen Publishing Company
P.O. Box 535
Belmont, California 94002

We all know about pioneer spinning wheels, hand looms, and gristmills, but how many of us have ever seen an Early American Radio . . . one that was powered by a piece of crystallized rock? Whoops, you’ve been around longer than we thought . . . sorry about that. But do you realize there actually are some young whippersnappers walking around loose these days who’ve never even heard of a “crystal set”?

It’s lucky for us all, then, that K.E. Edwards not only remembers crystal radios, but still uses ’em today . . . and he’s written a fine book all about the receiving sets and how to build one at almost no cost.

“But I can buy a transistor radio for ten bucks . . . so why build an old-fashioned galena ore-powered rig that I can’t even take on picnics?” you might well ask. “Well,” we answer, “it’s a lot of fun . . . that’s why.” You can even construct one of the “rock receivers” on a fancy wooden base to give it an authentic antique look . . . and that’s fun too.

Children, of course, will love this how-to book, especially if they like to tinker with small building projects. Perhaps we’ve all forgotten that in the 1940’s and 50’s — after AC-powered tube radios were in everyone’s home — fathers would buy their little boys a crystal set construction project just to teach them some basics about electronics. What a great idea now — in this world of plastic monster kits and Farrah dolls — to show both boys and girls how to build a strange little contraption that — without any use of electricity whatsoever — captures voices out of thin air and brings them to their ears through a little coil of wire!

Mr. Edwards’ Radios That Work For Free is 5 1-1/2 inches by 8 inches, contains 137 pages (spiral bound), and sells for $5.00. — JR.

1978 Charter Flight Directory

Travel Information Bureau
P.O. Box 105
Kings Park, N.Y. 11754

Looking for bargain charter travel? Quick, take this quiz: (1) What’s an “Open Jaw” flight? (2) What’s an ABC, ITC, or OTC? (3) How do you make the “Luxembourg Connection”? (4) Is Freddie Laker a football player or an airline pilot?

Thought you knew a little about budget airlines didn’t you? Well, travel expert Jens Jurgen has published a collection of little-known travel tips which could save you more money than you’d expect on cross-country or overseas airline flights.

You could easily spend months gathering all the data Jurgen has crammed into his 5 1-1/2 inch by 8 inch, 128-page book. And any one of those tips can repay the guide’s $4.95 price many times over. For instance:

An “Open Jaw” flight is a round-trip journey that allows you to land at one city (Paris, for example) and return from another (such as Rome) . . . which permits you to make extensive cross-country tours without having to backtrack.

An ABC (Advanced Booking Charter) saves money when you sign up for the trip 15 to 45 days ahead of departure. An ITC (Inclusive Tour Charter) pinches pennies by combining a flight with a ground-tour package. And the OTC (One-stop Tour Charter) includes the cost of hotel accommodations in a charter flight price.

And, the Luxembourg Connection is an unusually low rate offered by Icelandic Airlines to the little “whistle-stop” country (it’s stuck between France and Germany). Fly to LUX, then catch a train to Paris or Berlin. You’ll be dollars ahead.

What about Freddie Laker? Ha . . . we really got you on that one. Freddie owns the airline which recently introduced daily nonstop flights from New York to London f or only $135!

Now only one unanswered question remains: When do we leave? — JR.

As You Eat, So Your Baby Grows: A Guide To Nutrition In Pregnancy

By Nikki Goldbeck
Ceres Press
Old Witch Tree Rd.
Woodstock, N.Y. 12498

“A child born in China is said to be 9 months old on its birthday. Perhaps if you too think of the baby growing inside of you as a person who will soon be, not one day old, but 9 months of age, it will help you to realize what great importance should be placed on life in the womb.”

So begins a most readable, easy-to-relate-to, and informative guide that should be required reading for all pregnant women and those around them.

Don’t let the gentleness of that introduction fool you, though. As You Eat, So Your Baby Grows does not bog down in misty prose about the wonders of birth. Rather this concise, 5 1-1/2 inch by 8 1-1/2 inch, 16 page booklet concerns itself with the real needs of a developing child and the attendant nutritional problems concerning its mother.

You’ll find tips on what an expectant mother should eat (food groupings and a list of the recommended daily dietary allowance during pregnancy) . . . what not to eat . . . even when to eat (“During pregnancy, when your system may have difficulty handling large amounts of food at one time, you can ensure an adequate diet by eating three smaller meals and two or three between-meal snacks . . . . “).

There’s a specific section on protein and protein combinations as alternatives to meat, as well as a rundown on calcium, vitamins A, D, B, C, iron, sodium, and other essential nutrients.

And the “10 Good Diet Tips for Mothers-in-Waiting”, plus “Food Related Problems During Pregnancy”, will be a very welcome aid to the prospective father (who has to deal with “Gee, I could really go for some cream of asparagus soup and a pretzel” at 3:00 a.m.) as well as the mother.

As You Eat, So Your Baby Grows is more than worth the one dollar (postpaid) it’ll cost you . . . it’s worthwhile. — RH.