Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a\npresentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive\nTree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in\nyour lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The\nworld isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much\nof its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that\nfuturists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to. (Reviewed by Tom Nissley)

Taking Sides presents current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript. An instructor's manual with testing material is available online for each volume.

Global Issues is one in a series of over 65 volumes, each designed to provide convenient, inexpensive access to a wide range of current articles from some of the most respected magazines, newspapers, and journals published today. Global Issues are updated on a regular basis through a continuous monitoring of over 300 periodical sources. The articles selected are authored by prominent scholars, researchers, and commentators writing for a general audience. The Annual Editions volumes have a number of common organizational features designed to make them particularly useful in the classroom: a general introduction; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; and a brief overview for each section. Each volume also offers an online Instructor's Resource Guide with testing materials.

At a time when events anywhere in the world have the potential to impact almost instantaneously on life in the most remote hamlet, village, or town, it is essential that students learn how to think globally. Paula Rothenberg's Beyond Borders is an interdisciplinary collection that brings today's most pressing global issues into the classroom. Designed to help prepare today's college students to assume their roles as members of an increasingly global community, this powerful collection includes 82 articles written by today's leading scholars, activists, and policymakers from around the world. In the tradition of Rothenberg's other widely acclaimed college texts, these highly readable, often gripping, articles are presented within a conceptual framework that encourages a thoughtful understanding of the complexities that have given rise to the issues they address. It has never been more important for students to learn to think critically about the world and their place in it. Beyond Borders is designed to help create such classroom conversations in courses across the disciplines. (http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/beyondborders/)

Freakonomics is a ground-breaking collaboration between\nLevitt and Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a\nmountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern lifeand-\ndeath issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of\nstudy contained in this book: Freakonomics. (http://freakonomicsbook.com/)

Renowned\ninventor Kurzweil (The Age of Spiritual Machines) may be technology's most credibly\nhyperbolic optimist. Elsewhere he has argued that eliminating fat intake can prevent\ncancer; here, his quarry is the future of consciousness and intelligence. Humankind, it\nruns, is at the threshold of an epoch ("the singularity," a reference to the theoretical\nlimitlessness of exponential expansion) that will see the merging of our biology with the\nstaggering achievements of "GNR" (genetics, nanotechnology and robotics) to create a\nspecies of unrecognizably high intelligence, durability, comprehension, memory and so\non. The word "unrecognizable" is not chosen lightly: wherever this is heading, it won't look like us. Kurzweil's argument is necessarily twofold: it's not enough to argue that\nthere are virtually no constraints on our capacity; he must also convince readers that\nsuch developments are desirable. In essence, he conflates the wholesale transformation\nof the species with "immortality," for which read a repeal of human limit. In less capable\nhands, this phantasmagoria of speculative extrapolation, which incorporates a\nbewildering variety of charts, quotations, playful Socratic dialogues and sidebars, would\nbe easier to dismiss. But Kurzweil is a true scientist-a large-minded one at that-and\ngives due space both to "the panoply of existential risks" as he sees them and the many\npresumed lines of attack others might bring to bear. What's arresting isn't the degree to\nwhich Kurzweil's heady and bracing vision fails to convince-given the scope of his\nprojections, that's inevitable-but the degree to which it seems downright plausible.\n(Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights\nreserved.)

Banker to the Poor is an inspiring memoir of the birth of microcredit, written in a\nconversational tone that makes it both moving and enjoyable to read. The Grameen\nBank is now a $2.5 billion banking enterprise in Bangladesh, while the microcredit\nmodel has spread to over 50 countries worldwide, from the U.S. to Papua New Guinea,\nNorway to Nepal. Ever optimistic, Yunus travels the globe spreading the belief that\npoverty can be eliminated: "...the poor, once economically empowered, are the most\ndetermined fighters in the battle to solve the population problem; end illiteracy; and live\nhealthier, better lives. When policy makers finally realize that the poor are their\npartners, rather than bystanders or enemies, we will progress much faster that we do\ntoday." Dr. Yunus's efforts prove that hope is a global currency. (Reviewed by Shawn\nCarkonen)

* DVD available April 2009 * Running time: 80 minutes * Description: Through the eyes of former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, I.O.U.S.A. daringly examines the history and rapid growth of the U.S. national debt and the effects that it will have on U.S. citizens and the world. A thirty minute version of the movie can be seen online at http://www.iousathemovie.com/.

* Released May 2008 * Running time: 270 minutes * Description: 9/11 and Al Qaeda, Afghanistan and Iraq, WMD and the Insurgency, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Fallujah and the Surge. For six years, FRONTLINE has been revealing those stories in meticulous detail and the political dramas played out at the highest levels. Now, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the full saga will unfold in this special definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in the nation's history. 270 minutes on one disc. (Description from web site at http://www.shoppbs.org/) Video available for $30. * Rating: excellent; used outside of class as an optional learning activity, related to conflict resolution

Worlds Apart is a collection of essays by leading thinkers on the subject of globalization, and related environmental issues. Used in critiquing the 7 Revs framework

* Released January 2008 * Running time: 60 minutes * Description: The entire 60 minute video of "On Our Watch," which addresses the humanitarian crisis in Darfur that has been labeled the first genocide of the 21st century, can be accessed at the following web site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darfur/view/main.html This video examines the emerging crisis in Darfur beginning in 2003 and continues to examine the dynamics of this complex situation as a UN official presses the world to act, the United Nations makes numerous ineffective efforts to intervene, and flickers of hope emerge in 2007. This powerful and informative video is supported by web links to additional information about the crisis in Darfur. (DVD also available for $30 from web site at http://www.shoppbs.org/) * Rating: excellent ; used selected sections in class, related to conflict revolution

* Released April 2007 * Running time: Eleven 50 minute episodes * According to multiple reviews, this is THE best nature and wildlife series ever made. The film covers the world's different habitats in 50 minute pieces, including mountains, caves, and desserts, ending with a three-part discussion of sustainability and the current environmental threats that our world faces. This series is not to be missed by anyone interested in natural resources, the environment, sustainability, and the future of our planet.

This is a new periodical from Scientific American that is ideal for a 7 Revs class. It deals primarily with issues of our future planet including well-written articles on water, energy, green-technology, biodiversity, population and even conflict. The graphics, images and charts are easy to understand. Articles present scientific interpretations of problems, many with a future focus. Excellent for use in all course topics.

National Issues Forum publishes pamphlets on topics such as education, energy and environment, government and politics, and other current issues. Available as class sets, they present multiple sides of an issue. Many include a moderator's guide and questions. An example is The New Challenges of Immigration http://www.nifi.org/stream_document.aspx?rID=13784&catID=13&itemID=13780&typeID=8

* Filmed: December 2007 * Running Time: 19.34 * Description: Kevin Kelly describes what the Internet is today and predicts where it is going. He begins with interesting statistics about how the Internet is used today, then makes some predictions of how the Internet will change in the next 10, 20 and 30 years. Draft 81 * Rating: Good: Interesting stats but it's a bit slow at times. * 7-Revolutions Sections: Technology, Information Processing.

* Filmed: August 2006 * Running Time: 17.38 * Description: Nicholas Negroponte discusses his work to provide cheap ($100), portable, self-charging laptops to developing countries. He talks about how these laptops can change education and ultimately reduce poverty. * Rating: Good * 7-Revolutions Sections: Technology, Information Processing.

* Originally released November 2006 * Running time: 96 minutes * Description: Former Vice President Al Gore presents a compelling look at the state of global warming in the fascinating and startling documentary. Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the most talked-about documentary of the year. An audience and critical favorite, An Inconvenient Truth makes the compelling case that global warming is real, man-made, and its effects will be cataclysmic if we don't act now. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional, always fascinating. In the end, An Inconvenient Truth accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer shaken, involved and inspired. Description from http://www.climatecrisis.net/aboutthedvd/ and from amazon.com, where it is available for $16 * Rating: excellent; used inside and outside class; directly related to climate change topic within "resource management" revolution

* Filmed: March 2008 * Running time: 27.54 minutes * Description: In this talk, Al Gore updates his thinking on laws, policies and global efforts necessary for environmental challenges including global climate change, acid rain, etc. * Rating: Excellent * 7-Revolutions Section: Resources

* Released February 2007 * Running time: 240 minutes * Description: China from the Inside is a series of four documentaries that survey China through Chinese eyes to see how history has shaped them and where the present is taking them. Episodes include Power and the People which deals with the governance of China, The Women which talks about the past and future for Chinese women, Shifting Nature, a look at China's environmental challenges, and Freedom, an exploration of China's conflict between personal freedom and governance. Produced in 2006 with 240 minutes on one DVD. Description from web site at http://www.shoppbs.org/ Video available for $30. * Rating: very good * Used outside class as optional learning activity; related to several revolutions