Resources
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University Unitarian Universalist Society is a lay-led congregation. This page is dedicated to University UUs (Unitarian Universalists) to share their personal favorites with one another. Many of the suggestions come from the Webmaster, and other members and friends. Please share any suggestions or comments by sending an email to the Webmaster. Updated 2008-09-21. |
Nemesis, 2007, by Chalmers Johnson is his last in his blowback triology, following "Blowback" and "The Sorrows of Empire." Many are familiar with "Blowback," published before the September 11th, 2001 attacks, and which predicting more attacks as a result of America's overseas policies. Note: The term "blowback," as he explained, is a CIA coinage that "does not mean revenge but rather retaliation for covert, illegal violence that our government has carried out abroad that it kept totally secret from the American public (even though such acts are seldom secret among the people on the receiving end)." Nemesis takes up the destruction of our republic through the uncontrolled military industrial complex, which is neither left or right, but simply growing. You may also see this fascinating discussion with Chalmers here- http://www.radioopensource.org/chalmers-johnson-and-his-nemesis/.
Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, 2006, is Jimmy Carter's latestbook. Judy Woodruff (NPR) does an interesting interview with Mr. Carter whose book has received a lot of negative press by mainstream American media which refuses to air a more objective view concerning Palestine.
Perdido Street Station, 2001, by China Miéville, is a cross between science fiction and fantasy, with a touch of horror, and a lot of complicated characters and storylines. A good, meaty read at 700+ pages...
The Time Traveler's Wife, 2005, by Audrey Niffenegger, is a character study, science fiction, but most off an inventive, well-written story about a man who travels back and forth in time. Some of you will recognize being unstuck in time as the fate of Billy Pilgrim in Kurt Vonnegut's classic Slaughterhouse-Five.
The Lovely Bones, 2002, by Alice Sebold, is a beautiful work that follows the adventures of a fourteen year old girl, Susie Salmon, after her rape and murder. Susie lives in her heaven, and like her family on earth, remains emotionally stuck. The story has an unexpected ending which enables closure for Susie and her family.
The White Hotel, 1993 reprint, by D.M. Thomas (short listed for the Man Booker Prize), is a work of genius. Thomas weaves the story of Freud along with a famous patient and succeeds in creating a novel that is larger than dreams, anxieties, or even one individual. The author was wrongly accused of plagiarism but that has finally been settled. White Hotel is both erotic and brutal, personal and historic- a must read.
Riches for the Poor, 1997/2000, Earl Shorris, is the study of the Clemente Course in the Humanities, the eight-month course in poetry, logic, art history, U.S. history and moral philosophy. Joe Scolaro
The Tropic of Night, 2003, by Michael Gruber,
is a dramatic, stylish, smart, novel, with a mix of anthropology, ethnography, sorcery, mayhem, and murder in an captivating story. Kathy Parry
The Devil in the White City, the 2003 novel by Erik Larson, is a story of opposites. Larson is a historian who has written a fictionalized account regarding the World's Fair of 1893 in Chicago. On one hand, the book is about the enormous effort to create a world class fair against overwhelming problems, including micro-management, inadequate time, conflicting egos, and the shear enormity of the cause. The other story regards an ambitious entrepreneur-serial killer who murders dozens of women, selling many of the cadavers to medical schools. The backdrop is turn of the century Chicago, where life is cheap and death occurs all too often.
The War On Freedom, How and Why America was Attacked September 11, 2001, Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, July 2002, www.globalresearch.org, the one book for understanding the September 11, 2001 attacks. In this well researched book, the author has accumulated news items available before and after the attacks, which convincingly point to different conclusions than ones generally held in the United States.
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: The Truth About Corporate Cons, Globalization and High-Finance Fraudsters, Greg Palast (2003). Uncovers the plans to bias the 2000 Presidential election. Greg is an investigative reporter and he covers the corporate globalization scene in a way you will never see in the nightly news. What is also interesting is reading how easy it is for British corporations to threaten the news media with frivolous lawsuits to silence news articles.
A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn (2003). Reverses traditional history books that are told from the elite's perspective. Instead, Zinn concentrates on individual people and their personal circumstances, including blacks, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers. Period covered ranges from Columbus to President Clinton.
The Racial State : Germany 1933-1945, Michael Burleigh, Wolfgang Wippermann, 1991, authors look at the timeline and mechanisms for persecution of "racially inferior" by the Nazi state. Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and the mentally handicapped were targeted by the state. What is generally not known, is the extent of academia involvement. A more recent book, IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation, by Edwin Black, details IBM's involvement with the Nazi state to modernize this persecution using computers.
Guns of August, Barbara W. Tuchman, 1994. Pulitzer Prize winning narrative is a great history book that is written well. Helps the reader understand the characters and forces at play that led up to WWI. It's fascinating to read how inevitable the war was to everyone.
Migrations, Sebastiao Salgado, 2000. Salgado is one of the great 20th century photographers. By living with people he establishes a trust that shows in his pictures. The book is a pictorial story of people displaced throughout the world for reasons of war, famine, racial, or economics. These people and their stories are not well known. The cultures are so alien to us that it would be difficult to write such a story. Through the media of black and white photography, Salgado has captured what they are going thru. This book complements his "Workers" and "Children" books. The images are sometimes grim but the rewards for connecting with others is great. Some critics have attacked Salgado for making such art level photos of "victims". For me, Salgado demolishes the victim role and instead puts a face on humanity living in some terrible conditions.
And Their Children After Them, Dale Maharidge and Williamson, 1990. Fifty years later, this 1991 Pulitzer Prize winning book follows the individual lives of the surviving members and descendants of the Gudger, Ricketts, and Woods families from the famous book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, by James Agee and Walker Evans. A powerful book about poor sharecroppers in America.
The Story of Art, E.H. Gombrich, 1995, From Booklist: Gombrich's The Story of Art has been a treasured standard in the field, selling more than 4 million copies since its first edition in 1950. Now in its 16th edition and available for the first time in paperback, this comprehensive look at Western art from prehistoric times on up to the present has been completely redesigned and extensively revised and updated. In addition, the illustrations have all been enhanced, and a total of 443 are now in color.
Worst Pills, Best Pills, Public Citizen, 2005, This 772-page resource is filled with adverse risk factors of hundreds of medications, pairs of drugs that can cause life-threatening reactions when taken together, and 160 pills that you shouldn't take at all (includes a list of safer alternatives). Peggy Gilbert found this book helpful when involving complications with her husband's illness. Of course, you should also consult your physician, pharmacist, and other resources such as the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR). Peggy Gilbert
Iron Man (2008) - It isn't the most intelligent film... The storyline has holes in it... It's based on a comic book... However, Robert Downey Jr.'s amazing acting performance makes this film a fun, satisfying summer film.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - A creative and intelligent film directed by Julian Schnabel, based on the best selling memoir of the same name. After having a stroke, our protagonist finds that in one sense he is essentially trapped in his body like a man in a diving bell. Yet, this man comes to live more consciously as he explores his past, and uses his imagination to escape the mundane existence. Thank you Ms. Fundim.
Rendition 2007 - Explores the U.S. government's extraordinary rendition program in which the CIA has extradite foreign nationals for interrogation in secret overseas prisons, without due process. Its storyline is powerful. Much of its power comes from its personal story, which is the way that humans best understand torture, not as a mental abstraction or sheer numbers, but as a personal in your face portrayal.
The Lives of Others 2007 - At once a political thriller and human drama, THE LIVES OF OTHERS begins in East Berlin in 1984, five years before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin....
Infamous 2006 - Strong acting by Toby Jones as Capote and Daniel Craig as Perry Smith in a more involving story than Capote. Movie covers many of the highlights of Capote's life based on the book, Capote, by George Plimpton.
Tsotsi (R), DVD, 2006, This film includes some intense brutality but in the end is a spiritually moving film where the main character slowly becomes human after accidently taking a child during a car jacking.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, Movie, 2006, A moving experience as this documentary-concert film covers a 2005 tribute show honoring this Montreal poet's seventieth birthday. Highlights include Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," Nick Cave on "Suzanne" and Beth Orton and Jarvis Cocker on "Death of a Ladies Man." Cohen interprets his songs and tells of adventures that took him from New York clubs to a Zen monastery.
An Inconvenient Truth, Movie, 2006, This movie has received many kudos for its accurate presentation concerning global pollution which is causing unprecedented climate change. Al Gore worked within the Clinton administration to reflect the science, being instrumental in the U.S. signing on with the Kyoto agreement. A must see film, see Roger Ebert's Review and Climate Science from Climate Scientists.
The Da Vinci Code, Movie, 2006, It's just not that the movie is way too long and duller than watching Da Vinci's paint dry, but it takes away any of the book's little credibility and makes the flaws in it that much more obvious.
The Times of Harvey Milk, DVD, 1983, Both inspiring and heart wrenching, this documentary covers the life of social activist Harvey Milk. Besides helping to acheive some level of equality for gay men and women, Mr. Milk worked hard to improve the conditions of many (senior citizens, the poor and minorities). Unfortunately his life and that of San Francisco's mayor was tragically ended in a brutal killing of both Mr. Milk and the Mayor of San Francisco that a jury ruled was manslaughter. For more information, see Harvey Milk.
Murderball, DVD, 2005, Fantastic documentary about quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby in Mad Max-style wheelchairs - overcoming all obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games.
Rize, DVD, 2005, A riveting documentary about the Los Angeles worlds of clowning and krumping. Spectacular visual experience, see also Amazon review.
Kung Fu Hustle, DVD, 2005, is a creative, fun movie that is sort of a mixture of the Matrix, Bruce Lee, and Resevoir Dogs. Unlike the Matrix, it's not pretencious and has genuine heart while being quite entertaining, including comedic.
Serenity, DVD, 2005, is an imaginative, superior science fiction film by Joss Whedon. Originally a television series called Firefly, it was a mixture of old west with good dialogue and well developed characters. Fox television showed the series out of sequence on television and then canceled it. The film follows the team after the series end, answering several questions brought up in the series. The series has new life on the scifi channel.
Junebug, Movie, 2005, is a film concerning getting to know each party's birth family. Highly recommended by Steve Hall.
The Constant Gardener, Movie, 2005, is an emotionally moving film based on a novel by John Le Carre. The film concentrates less on the detective aspects and more on the journey of a man discovering his wife after her death. The plot revolves around powerful pharmaceutical firms exploiting Africans and the cover ups involved with a compromised British government. The footage of Africa is quite haunting. This director also made the powerful, City of God.
Downfall, DVD, 2003, is a powerful film concerning the last days of the Nazi regime. The movie has been criticized for its portrayal of a human Hitler. Many people would prefer to think of him as a madman whereas he was a shrewd politician who essentially seized more land than Germany did during WWI without engaging significant resistance. The film is a reminder for citizens of all countries when their leaders are not held accountable for their misdeeds.
The Triplets of Belleville (TOB), DVD, 2004, is one of the most imaginative films I have ever seen- highly rated. TOB is an animated film with an intelligent script that draws you into its own world full of threats, mysteries, and a genuine charm not matched in many films.
War of the Worlds, Movie, 2005, a terrible film: unimaginative, horrible directing, silly script, poor editing, bad acting- avoid it.
Crash, Movie, 2005, a Lions Gate Film, takes a challenging and unflinching look at the complexities of racial intolerance in America. This film is intelligently written and directed with a superb cast that includes: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Larenz Tate. This is one of the best American films ever made.
Forbidden Passion - Oscar Wilde, DVD 1986, This film covers the life of Oscar Wilde, including his trial and subsequent imprisonment. An excellent performance by the gifted British actor, Michael Gambon. Thank you, Mark Spivey. For more information on Oscar Wilde's life, see Wikipedia's Oscar Wilde.
Vera Drake, DVD, 2005, Writer-director Mike Leigh's movie concerns a helpful house cleaner in 1950s London named Vera Drake who takes care of her own family, to shut-ins, and a lonely man. Her love ones are not aware that Vera also helps young women get rid of unwanted pregnancies, until a near death triggers an investigation, and the police show up during a family get together. The movie doesn't take a stance concerning this issue, but instead explores how the wealthy and poor cope with unwanted pregnancies. The relationships breath with life. Imelda Staunton, as Vera Drake, is outstanding in her portrayal.
Million Dollar Baby, DVD, 2004, Clint Eastwood tragic "Million Dollar Baby," explores a controversial issue, while exploring the fight world. It's a powerful film that is not recommended for children, but for anyone willing to confront bigger questions of themselves and their own responsibility. Thank you, Kathy Parry.
Super Size Me, DVD, 2004, Surprisingly good documentary were a man decides to eat at McDonald's for a month straight (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to see if there are any negative effects on his body. He has physicians who monitor him, but even they are surprised at how much his health declines in a short period of time. The filmmaker addresses personal responsibility but delves further into corporate responsibility and into school boards who have mandated less physical education and allowed junk food into many school cafeterias as a source of income to alleviate government education cutbacks, see Attack of the Food Giant.
Bonhoeffer, 2003, a compelling story of a Theologian who gave his life stop the tyrannical rule of the fascist Nazi party. Bonhoeffer went to great efforts to protect the Jewish people, while many other churches were more concerned with accommodating the Nazi party. It is a must see for all those who believe their personal beliefs should reflect back on how they live their daily lives.
Genghis Blues, DVD/VHS, 2000, fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable documentary connecting a blues musician, the country of Tuva, physicist Richard Feynman, and throat singing. Paul Pena is a blind blues musician who makes a journey to the country of Tuva to express his joy of their ancient throat singing. Two college kids created this excellent film.
My Architect, 2003, a legendary architect dies alone in a train station men's room and his illegitimate son begins a journey to understand the father he never knew. "My Architect" is a riveting story of this unfolding tale. Louis I. Kahn is considered by many architects to have been one of the most important architects in recent history. Kahn's artistic effort was a search for truth and clarity, yet his personal life was filled with chaos and betrayal. The son, Nathaniel, explores his father's life in search of knowing his father.
Mystic River, DVD, 2003, Clint Eastwood's film, based on Dennis Lehane's novel, is a gritty crime fiction with the themes of violence, honor and guilt. Sean Penn and many others put forth excellent acting performances. This is an excellent film that is not recommended for children.
Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision 1995 Academy Award winner for best documentary. This film covers the work of a courageous young woman who as a Yale college student designs the winning Vietnam memorial. For me, the story is about discovering our own chosen path. The film spends sometime on this story in itself which is interesting in itself. Later, it covers some of her other works, including the Civil Rights Memorial.
42 Up, DVD, 1999. Fascinating film follows the life of fourteen British children from age 7 through adulthood. The film maker revisits each of them every 7 years, uncovering the decisions they make and their consequences, successes and failures and the social-economic factors that affect us all.
9/11, DVD, 2002. Heartfelt documentary by award-winning French filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet, who started out to make a movie about a rookie NYC fireman's transition to manhood. Instead, their film is a witness to the tragedy and courageous efforts of fireman and relief workers at the World Trade Center on 9-11.
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition) (1964) Stanley Kubrick's cold-war classic is a satire of political and military insanity. Peter Sellers plays three roles- Dr. Strangelove, (a mad scientist) a British colonel, and the President of the United States. George C. Scott nails his performance as a general.
Fight Club, DVD/VHS, 2000, Fincher's late 20th century psychological masterpiece. A powerful film whose title is inappropriate; it's not so much about fighting with others as it with yourself. Intense film with violence, strong language, and explicit sexuality, not suitable for children.
Rabbit-Proof Fence, DVD, 2000. This true story covers the life of three young girls who are forcibly taken from their families in 1931 as part of Australian's government program, now known as Australia's Stolen Generation- this program continued into the 1970s. For more information, see Australia's Stolen Generation. Kathy Parry recommends The Fatal Shore, The epic of Australia's founding, by Robert Hughes (1986).
21 Grams, 2004, excellent movie about injuries to ourselves and others. Twenty one grams is supposed to be the weight we all lose at the moment of death- some used to think this was the weight of the soul. Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn deliver powerful performances. Intense film with violence and explicit sexuality- not suitable for children.
Podcasts are available for download to your PC/Mac/Linux machine. Most are free and are available in a staggering array of topics. (One myth about Podcasts is that they only run on an iPod.) For general searches see, http://www.podcast.net/, http://www.podcastalley.com/ and iTunesPodCasts. Some recommendations follow: (Section added 11-06)
- Radio Open Source is an intelligent podcast where experts discuss topics (many of which are supplied by the audience). In my opinion, this show is the best of what radio can be. This talk concerning America's new policy of tortue was both compelling and sobering- http://www.radioopensource.org/torture-part-3-the-philip-gourevitch-version/.
- Informed Comment Juan Cole offers some enlightening coverage of the Middle East, History and Religion.
- Leonard Lopate's Underreported covers the news we don't here about. This is an especially good source for finding out what is happening throughout the world.
- On Point covers a broad range of current topics from politics, economics, and the sciences. Unfortunately, many of its experts have limited imaginations as to what is possible.
- Democracy Now Outstanding news coverage about what is not being talking about in mainstream American news shows. For example, Democracy Now covered the protests and police state tactics against those protesting both the 2008 DNC (Denver, Colorado) and RNC (St. Paul, Minnesota) conventions. As of this writing, city officials and police departments have not been held accountable, which apparently is acceptable under the rules of the Patriot Act.
- Pacifica Radio A large assortment of broadcasts concerning health, cultural, news (Democracy Now), etc.
- New York Times Selected items, including book reviews, op-eds, etc.
- Naked Scientists Interesting science show that offers a lot of depth.
Radio:
90.7: WMFE, http://www.wmfe.org/907/weekday.asp The local PBS station, 90.7, offers several interesting shows during the weekday: Classical Music, BBC World Update, Morning Edition, the Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor, Fresh Air with Terri Gross and All Things Considered. Fresh Air runs at 3pm on weekdays where host Terri Gross interviews filmmakers, writers, scientists, politicians, and news makers of all types. Weekend shows, http://www.wmfe.org/907/weekend.asp offer several shows that are fun, Car Talk, This American Life, and A Prairie Home Companion. Why 90.7 won't carry DemocracyNow or Open Source is a total mystery.
91.5: WPRK, http://www.rollins.edu/wprk/schedule.html WPRK is an interesting channel. It's motto is "The Best in Basement Radio!" Their programming is so diverse that it's difficult to describe. Music includes Hip-Hop, Classical, Folk, Rock, Jazz, and Techno. News worthy is Counterspin and Voices of Our World that airs on Wednesdays from 12PM-1PM. Commonwealth Club features major public figures addressing the issues of the day, available on Thursdays from 12PM-1PM. Gay Orlando Talk runs from 12pm-1pm on Fridays, and covers what's happening around Central Florida.
XM Radio:
XM is a terrific resource that once you've used it, you'll probably never go back to local AM-FM stations full of advertisements, bland popular songs, and shock jocks. XM spans the range from world music, jazz, blues, rock, talk, news, and sports. My favorites are channels 133: Public Radio (Bob Edwards, Leonard Lapote, To the Point, Radio West On Point), channel 74: Bluesville (blues), channel 50: The Loft (acoustic rock), channel 132: C-Span. XM will really take off when people can decide to pay less for only a group of channels that they want to hear.
Battlestar Galactica (BG) is scifi channel's powerful remake of the late '70s campy show. BG is loaded with both great writing and acting, often addressing current American issues. Air time is Sundays at 10 PM. BG is also available through iTunes and Universal HD (HD but older repeats).
The Wire has ended its successful 5 year run. However, it is an outstanding show that covers police versus drug dealers in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. No subject is off limits as the show explores this gritty world with outstanding acting and writing that makes you feel that you truly know the characters. It is well worh it to pickup a DVD or digital download.
House is Fox's improbable but satisfying show of a smart doctor who is politically incorrect, but continues to solve difficult cases.
http://www.pbs.org/now/ Now with David Brancaccio, a thought provoking news television show which features in depth articles and interviews with very interesting people. This show has run on PBS channel 24 on Friday evenings, but WMFE no longer shows it on its schedule. Either way, NOW is available as RSS and Podcast (http://www.pbs.org/now/podcast.html) .
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ Frontline is an excellent news show that covers many topics, top notch reporting. I recall one show which showed how democratic and republican presidential candidates must sign up to work for their party's goals if elected. In this episode, presidential candidate Bill Clinton signed up to work for the passage of NAFTA while campaigning against it.
News Sources
http://www.americanfreepress.net/ American Free Press, an uncensored weekly newspaper.
http://www.americanprogress.org/ Center for American Progress, insightful, progressive think tank; it comments on daily news events in all areas, has policy and opinion papers on domestic & foreign issues, with action items that people can take part in.
http://www.coffeeshoptimes.com/ The Coffee Shop Times, an excellent cultural magazine.
http://www.commondreams.org/ Common Dreams, an excellent source of news throughout the world.
http://www.c-span.org/ Find out what your government is doing. Tune in to C-Spans coverage of the federal government. This is also available on a cable television channel.
http://www.democracynow.org/ Independent news show that hits on many topics you will not see broadcast on mainstream American news programs. Whereas Fox News makes money biasing news, DN does it the old fashioned journalistic way.
http://www.eff.org/ Electronic Frontier Foundation Defending Freedom in the Digital World
http://www.fair.org/ Offers well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. FAIR works to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalizes public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.
http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/index.php Intervention Magazine, war, politics, and culture.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/ Founded in 1976 and dedicated to informing & analyzing popular movements for social, environmental and economic justice while providing a forum for discussing the politics that shape our lives. A well made magazine.
http://mediamatters.org This is David Brock's web site; he is concerned with current news items and their factualness/objectiveness.
http://www.morningsedition.com/ Air America Radio, interesting progressive show that is not broadcast in Central Florida, only one Miami station carries it.
http://www.neravt.com/left/ Jay's Leftist and Progressive Internet Resources, lots of links to articles.
http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/ The Global Beat: Resources for the Global Journalist, thoughts and trends on ethnic wars, economic globalization, proliferating weapons, global crime and corruption, refugees and migration, the rise of NGOs, and more.
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/page_one/index.php USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review, excellent news.
http://www.progressive.org The Progressive, a journalistic voice for peace and social justice.
http://www.roadtopeace.org Roadtopeace, an excellent resource to understand complicated issues.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/ This is a blog by Josh Marshall; opinion and comments on current news items, primarily politics, culture and foreign affairs.
http://www.thenation.com/ The Nation, Unconventional wisdom, since 1865.
http://thinkprogress.org/ News Blog.
http://www.tompaine.com/ Each day, tompaine, scours the country—from Capitol Hill to newspapers to think tanks and activist groups—and highlight the news, ideas and actions that you need to stay fully informed. Thanks, Dutton Ashcraft and Derrie Frost.
http://www.workingforchange.com/index.cfm Working for Change, a good progressive news journal.
http://www.zmag.org/weluser.htm Znet, a community of people committed to social change.
Relating to the 02/03/08 talk, see: Meet Marc Adams website and HeartStrong, Inc..
General
Alan Nordstrum Blog Alan is an English professor at Rollins College and an occassional speaker at the Triple U. On his blog, Alan has posted some of his latest writings.
The Prometheus Project As outlined by John Scolaro of Valencia Community College, the Prometheus Project uses the humanities to enrich the life of the poor.
Orlando Insight Meditation Group Peter Carlson is the founder of the Orlando Insight Meditation Group. Peter spoke to the Triple U for a second time on June 1st, 2008. The Orlando Insight Meditation Group is a non-profit organization formed to support the practice of insight (vipassana) meditation in the Orlando area.
Sheila T. Harty Sheila has given many intellectually stimulating talks at the Triple U. Ms. Harty's experience and education have taken her around the world, giving her a first-hand view of the political arena and a rich perspective on life. In her theological studies, she majored in Catholicism, minored in Islam, and wrote her thesis in Scriptural Judaism. Her two decades as a writer and editor in Washington, DC, began with winning the "George Orwell Award for Honesty and Clarity in Public Language" for her first book, Hucksters in the Classroom. Her political experience includes ten years with Ralph Nader at his Center for Study of Responsive Law as well as work with former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Her academic experience includes a sabbatical year as lecturer in "Business Ethics" at University College Cork, Ireland.
Eco-Action is a wonderful group of volunteers who have made an effort to cleanup Central Florida's waterways using canoes. Beth Hollenbeck is a founding member of this group, and our contact person. This group is great to donate either your time or money to help them in their efforts to help clean our waterways of trash that not only takes away from its natural beauty but is detrimental to wildlife.
Science
http://www.sciencedaily.com/ Science Daily has a good collection of news articles from various sources.
http://www.sciencenews.org/ Science News is a high quality weekly science site and magazine.
http://www.sciam.com/ Scientific American
http://www.sciencemag.org/ Science Magazine limits content and charges extra to view articles.
http://www.nature.com/ Not recommended. They limit content and charge a premium to view articles.
Talk Reason: Web site presents a collection of articles which aim to defend genuine science from numerous attempts by the new crop of creationists to replace it with theistic pseudo-science under various disguises and names.
Merck online manual of medical information Explains disorders, symptoms, how they're diagnosed, how they might be prevented. Provided free of charge on the Internet by Merck & Co., Inc., as a public service on a non-profit basis-- thanks Dutton Ashcraft.
Institute of Medicine is a nonprofit created to provide science based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health.
http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/ Good for general health info
References
Wikipedia is an excellent free online encyclopedia.
Merriam-Webster Online is a free online dictionary and thesaurus.
Bartleby.com is a free online reference of great books.
http://www.citizen.org/ Public Citizen Public Interest Group, with assorted divisions
The Barnes Review Excellent historical site with an emphasis on truth.
Organizations
Lifelong Learning Institute is an outreach of the Winter Park Library and offers many excellent seminars, workshops, and courses for free or at a nominal cost.
September Eleventh Families For Peaceful Tomorrows Interesting website.
Amnesty International A worldwide movement for internationally recognized human rights.
Peace Quotes - collected quotations comprised of wisdom from the ages.
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