BECOME AN ARMCHAIR ACTIVIST

This is no easy task, comfortable armchair notwithstanding! The study of issues facing us as individuals in the context of self and society is a formidable task, Learning to select source materials for study and to cross check facts as we begin to arrive at conclusions about the world is a risky business. When we pluck from the tree of knowledge, we become by turns, disquieted, outraged, amused, challenged, absorbed, frustrated and even threatened in our complacency about the world we thought we once knew. Once you embark upon such discovery, there is no turning back as you discover the excitement and despair of taking a bite out of that apple. Perhaps we can no longer continue in Eden with a fuller understanding of how the world works but that same understanding keeps us from ever being imprisoned by ignorance and apathy. Make your choices, ladies and gentlemen to enter a wider world or remain in isolation. We can select our own state of mind even when our physical conditions restrict our choices in other venues. And take a friend with you on the journey if you can...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Al Gore may not have invented the internet but he certainly increased everyone's awareness of it! Learning to navigate the information "superhighway" can be done simply and inexpensively via a webtv or by the most sophisticated computers.

What Do You Want to Learn About?

Your interests may be in your own back yard or in the events taking place on the other side of the world. Information sources are plentiful although one must be wary at all times about reaching conclusions based upon a single source of information. Know the source - and look for supporting data in another location - before reaching conclusions to ensure you are not being taken in by clever writers substituting opinion for fact or presenting only hearsay evidence. Below are links to websites where you can find newspapers from most major cities in the U.S. and international publications allowing us to examine current events as they happen. Good news writers also present background information to aid you in a search for related materials to expand your view of the subject matter at hand. Newspapers are plentiful around the globe but remember: they rarely present in depth studies of issues and are only as good as the sources they tap for their stories. Sponsors also limit how far "out on a limb" they may go in pursuit of information. Nonetheless, newspapers will print your opinions about recent stories giving you an opportunity to inform or make people think about other views when your letter to the editor gets printed. By choosing newspapers in other locales besides your hometown, you increase the likelihood of having your viewpoint printed. Letters to editors are also good writing excercises in developing clarity and brevity of thought...after all, if it is not well written, it won't get printed so success lets you know how you are progressing! U.S. Newspapers: http://newslink.org/daym.html International Sites for Newspapers: http://www.world-newspapers.com/ http://www.newsdirectory.com/news/press/eu/

News magazines offer more in depth coverage per article on a given subject. Some magazines require subscriptions to read on line while others can be accessed more freely. Here is a link to a wide variety of popular news magazines to get you started! http://www.newsdirectory.com/news/magazine/

We are often challenged to obtain background information left out of many stories we read as the authors "assume" one knows something about the topic already. Those of us who are disabled are often too ill or too busy taking care of our needs to stay abreast of many issues and need to fill in such gaps in our knowledge base. This can be done through the use of "search engines" on the web which offer us a wide array of good (and not so good!) sources to study. As you "play" with these engines, you will decide which are easiest for you to use for your purposes. Here are a few I use with some frequency: Google http://www.google.com/ Dogpile http://www.dogpile.com/ Yahoo http://search.yahoo.com/ Altavista http://altavista.com/ Ask Jeeves http://ask.com/ Metacrawler http://www.metacrawler.com/

Specialty sites are important in researching legal and medical information. Journals are an excellent source of articles in which you can get an in depth look at a narrow focus of study while also having access to the authors' bibliography for further source material. Call your local library and a librarian can give you the names of journals relevant to the issues you wish to study. Then you need to find out if you can access them on line as many require subscriptions. For those die hard researchers-to-be out there, you can hook up with your library for a fee to access on-line journals. I like to receive free abstracts from current medical journals although the articles themselves are generally not for free public consumption until some months after the publishing date. I receive such notices from The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, The British Medical Journal and Journal of the American Medical Association. I have had letters published in several medical journals where the desired physician audience can read about a patient's perspective. The feedback has been very encouraging. For general searches on medical topics, I use Medscape (free registration) at http://www.medscape.com/px/urlinfo

LEGAL EAGLES GATHER HERE For those of you determined to influence local, state or federal legislation, you will want to monitor recent and pending legislation on your key issues. It may seem hopeless at first to try to influence government but it can be done! You can sign up with a variety of groups to receive "action" notices when pending legislation exists with respect to your own interests. Just remember that the political orientation of the groups you choose will be reflected in the amount and type of information they offer you for a bill ready to go through the Senate or the Congress. I find such notices useful but then go directly to the Congressional information site and read the complete text of the bills myself. One can also read testimony offered during hearings on bills and see who stands for what principles (or are unprincipled!). Then you can contact local, state or federal legislators directly by mail, emal, phone etc. and register your opinion. I like to contact entire legislative committees dealing with bill formulation. Such committees are also accessible on the web. It is a real excercise in citizenship and an eye opening view into our country's operations. Political Action Notices: Moving Ideas links to multiple advocacy groups: http://www.movingideas.org/ Legislative Watch is a link to environmental issues concerning the NRDC (National Resources Defense Counsel): http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp Public Interest Research Groups are organized by State: http://www.pirg.org/ ----------------------- Congressional Links: THOMAS: U.S. Congress on the internet http://thomas.loc.gov/ Senate: http://www.senate.gov/ U.S. Senate Committees Home: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_teasers/committees_home.htm Congress.org Write to Congress, the President and State Legislators: http://congress.org/congressorg/home/