If I get nothing out of 23 things these lessons were worth it and I didn’t even feel stupid!
I loved Goodreads. I clicked on my favorite types of books and back came of list of which I’d read about half and the other half were things that I would probably like or were already on my Book List. I selected 23 books that I liked and was looking for feedback but it was taking too long and I had to run to give a talk about Using Native Wildflowers in the Landscape. But I will try again. And hope that some of these books will be available at the library. I would like to comment on “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”. I’ve known about this issue for a long time. I grew up in Dundalk which included Turner Station where Henrietta and her husband lived after they moved from Clover. The local paper “The Dundalk Eagle” published an article about the use of her cells back in the 70’s. I knew every place mentioned on both ends of the book. I was sorry that my Dad had passed before the book was published. He would have enjoyed the book as much as my sister and I have. If you haven’t read it, check it out. Very informative and poses some ethical questions. One of the books that came up through Goodreads was “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present”. Joe will have created a monster if I ever find out how to get to these books!
Library Thing didn’t do it for me. Couldn’t figure out how to get started and Goodreads was easy and full of good suggestions so why bother.
My Literati was useful. I searched for Soils, a topic I speak about often. Information was reliable and I easily downloaded an article. There was a list of items for recommended reading on the subject and one was "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republic Party Before the Civil War”. Well I thought that sounded interesting so I reserved it and well it is waiting for me at a circulation desk at some unknown place – it could be cyberspace or a physical location. I have no clue. Hope Joe gives me some direction because I would like to read it.
The free online courses were good to know about. edX and udacity were very technical and I didn’t see anything that hit me. However on coursera there were some that I found intriguing especially Introduction to Sustainability. No date set for this but I have signed up. I am very concerned about the future of the earth especially water. Here we take fresh clean water for granted and at the rate we are mining our aquifers, this may not even last my lifetime. I love doing things online since it is a haul to go to any of the local community colleges.
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