Why do things get slow this time of year? I use my computer most while hibernating during the winter; it's the summer when I'm rarely online outside of work time. (Of course that would only be significant for people who live in cold weather climates during December

Chris: Michael Albert's book doesn't even remotely fit in this category.I think it does. Albert's book explores his lifetime of political activism, analysis of power, and development of economic theory...all towards his particular (but hardly his alone) vision of the good society; one that protects freedom of thought, speech and the advancement of civil and human rights. It chronicles one person's struggle against political orthodoxy and economic hegemony; as well as the challenges facing those who try to organize meaningful, lasting and effective liberation movements. I think his efforts at supporting independent media outlets, building publishing houses, and creating one of the planet's most popular left/progressive web portals (ZNet) will prove a great topic for freethinkers who think freedom of speech and the flourishing of independent news, analysis and opinion are important topics. I also think his work regarding Participatory Economics (Parecon) will offer ample space for defining what sort of economic system is necessary for the "good society", one that supports freedom, liberty, and protection of human and civil rights. Albert is a secular radical who has spent a lifetime working for the advancement of social justice and personal liberties. I think it fits in well.

D.H.: will prove a great topic for freethinkers who think freedom of speech and the flourishing of independent news, analysis and opinion are important topics. If we want to discuss, as important topics, issues dealing with freedom of speech and free expression, I heartily encourage us to pick a book that actually focuses on the First Amendment. The book that I suggest above would not be appropriate for a discussion about freedom of speech, since Haiman focuses more specifically on freedom of/from religion, and the establishment clause. Either way, if we want to genuinely discuss these issues, I think it necessary to ground ourselves in a solid foundation.

Any final suggestions should be made soon.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Whyby Bart EhrmanQuote:From BooklistThe popular perception of the Bible as a divinely perfect book receives scant support from Ehrman, who sees in Holy Writ ample evidence of human fallibility and ecclesiastical politics. Though himself schooled in evangelical literalism, Ehrman has come to regard his earlier faith in the inerrant inspiration of the Bible as misguided, given that the original texts have disappeared and that the extant texts available do not agree with one another. Most of the textual discrepancies, Ehrman acknowledges, matter little, but some do profoundly affect religious doctrine. To assess how ignorant or theologically manipulative scribes may have changed the biblical text, modern scholars have developed procedures for comparing diverging texts. And in language accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman explains these procedures and their results. He further explains why textual criticism has frequently sparked intense controversy, especially among scripture-alone Protestants. In discounting not only the authenticity of existing manuscripts but also the inspiration of the original writers, Ehrman will deeply divide his readers. Although he addresses a popular audience, he undercuts the very religious attitudes that have made the Bible a popular book. Still, this is a useful overview for biblical history collections. Bryce ChristensenCopyright

Its the true story of a boy living in the Sierra Leone durring the outbreak of a civil war. He gets caught up in the violence at first fighting for one of the factions, and eventually just fighting to survive. The story follows both his life as soldier, and the process by which he was turned into a killer and the much longer process that eventually restored him to a relatively normal member of society.-reviews/0374105235/sr=8-1/qid=1173362729/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/104-7052280-7442305?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1173362729&sr=8-1">www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-revi ... 729&sr=8-1 Every story must come to an end.

The next book polls need to go up soon, so now would be a great time for all of us to go back through these suggestion threads and look over the book suggestions closely. We don't really need additional suggestions, but we do need further input on the ones we currently have before us.If you suggested a book please sell us on it. All of the short posts without any additional personal endorsement are hard to read or interpret. Tell us why you like a particular book. Tell us why it might be good as a group selection. And also look at other peoples book suggestions and tell us what you think. Would you read their book suggestion if it won? Or does it not appeal to you in the slightest? Narrowing down all these selections is much easier if there are some real explanations accompanying the suggestions. So please share your opinions so we can have an awesome discussion period in 2nd quarter of 2007!

Quote:I'm suggesting this one mostly because I'm interested in what Griffin's suggested reconciliation entails, and because I think that we've been making very partisan suggestions and decisions regarding our group readings lately, and this one seems to be suggesting a third position.That sounds like my kind of book. Every story must come to an end.

I am almost done with Atheist Universe by David Mills and I do recommend it. Maybe not for this quarter, but we should have this on the list in the future.It is intense in parts, like the Dawkins book but not as pervasive, but it clearly spells out the conflicts between the Christian faith and an atheist worldview...and of course, it is not the atheist that needs to do any "soul" searching to reconcile those conflicts.The softies here will probably be offended by some of the phrases Mills uses, but he is only speaking the truth...a fact that the softies will probably ignore and rather focus on the words Milss uses rather than the point, not unlike the obfuscation that was brought to the Dawkins book.Mr. P. I'm not saying it's usual for people to do those things but I(with the permission of God) have raised a dog from the dead and healed many people from all sorts of ailments. - Asana Boditharta (former booktalk troll)The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.What is all this shit about Angels? Have you heard this? 3 out of 4 people believe in Angels. Are you F****** STUPID? Has everybody lost their mind? - George CarlinI came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

I'm not sure if I am one of the "softies" you refer to, Mr. P., but does Atheist Universe speak to any other issue outside of theism v. atheism?