The Enoch Pratt Free Library continues its Rachel Carson/Silent Spring program series with a film screening of “Playing with Poison” in the Central Library’s Wheeler Auditorium and an Insect Zoo presented by the Carrie Murray Nature Center in the Central Library’s Meyerhoff Children’s Garden on Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 2 p.m. A family program featuring the musical duo MAGPIE will be held in Meyerhoff Children’s Garden at 2 p.m. and “The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson” will be screened in the Wheeler Auditorium at 3 p.m on Sunday, October 20, 2002 . The Rachel Carson exhibit continues through December 8. For a complete list of programs and events, call (410) 396-5494 or visit epfl.net.

The Baltimore Art Research & Outreach Consortium (BAROC) has launched “Maryland ArtSource,” a web site that offers visitors a way to learn about Maryland artists through biographies, online collections and many other resources. Visitors can also find out more about Maryland institutions, browse online painting collections, link up to institution library catalogs, read the latest art news, and join Maryland ArtMail to be updated on news and events.

The address is http://www.marylandartsource.org.

Towson University will host the Baltimore Writers’ Alliance’s 9th annual writing conference “Back to Basics: Writing and Getting Published” on Saturday, November 23, 2002 from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come meet, discuss and hear from published writers, agents, publishers and teachers. Gain insights into writing and marketing your manuscript. Authors may choose to have their work critiqued by professionals. The conference will be held at: University Union, Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD. Cost is $75 for members of the Baltimore Writers’ Alliance and $85 for non-members. For more information, call (410) 377-5265 or visit our site.

Cylburn Arboretum Association hosts a workshop, “Holiday Herbal Gifts and Arrangements” on November 3 at 2:30 p.m. Barbara Steele of Alloway Creek Gardens and Herb Farm will conduct the workshop at Cylburn Mansion and Grounds, 4915 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209. Advance reservations are required. Admission is $5 per person. For more information, call 410-367-2217 or fax 410-367-7112.

Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies holds a Fall 2002 Mini-Course: Rescuing Paul, 7-9 p.m. on the following Thursdays: October 3, 10, 17, 24, November 7, 2002 at Woodbrook Baptist Church, 25 Stevenson Lane. $35 for members (membership is valid for 12 months from date of your last annual fund gift of $50 or more). Members may register an additional guest or family member for $25. If you wish to become a member of ICJS please include your $50 tax-deductible donation to take advantage of members’ registration fees. $65 for non-members. Please make checks payable to: Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies, 1316 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217.

Tri-Churches Housing, Inc. is offering a free Homebuyer’s Seminar on Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 6:30 p.m. in the upper hall of the St. Jerome Head Start Center on 765 W. Hamburg Street (bus route 11). Meet industry professionals and learn how to avoid the “pitfalls” in homebuying. The seminar is open to the public and no registration is required. This seminar is certified by HUD to count toward the 15-hour requirement for the Easy K and $1,000 Incentive Programs. For more information, call 410-385-1463.

Come to a free series of introductory talks and discussions on Quakerism’s values, history, and community life. Sundays, 9 - 10:30 a.m. on October 6, 13, 27, and November 3 and 10 at Stony Run Friends Meetinghouse, 5116 North Charles Street. For more information, call 410-435-3773.

Maryland Institute College of Art is pleased to present a slide lecture by the legendary radical abstract artist Bill Jensen on Tuesday, October 24, 2002 at 7 p.m. in the Mount Royal Station Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410-225-2300 or visit mica.edu.

Sanho Tree of the Institute of Policy Studies will speak on “our failed drug war” at First Unitarian Church at Charles and Franklin Streets on Sunday, October 13, 2002 at 7 p.m. The talk is sponsored by The Baltimore Anti-War & Anti-Terrorism Coalition, Baltimore Action for Justice in the Americas and by Howard County Friends of Latin America. The Baltimore Anti-War & Anti-Terrorism Coalition meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at the Community Mediation Center, 3333 Greenmount Avenue. All are welcome. For more information, call Bob Kaufman at 410-728-8611 or email Dave Greene at dgreene@allsystems.com.

Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will hold its next meeting on October 10, 2002, 12-1:15 p.m. at Goucher College in Heubeck Hall. Kay Camp will show “Crossing Borders,” a 32-minute video on WILPF’s early history to go along with a light lunch and small group discussion. For more information, call 410-825-3552 or 410-254-1481.

A community forum on the development of microbicides in HIV and STD prevention is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2002, starting with refreshments at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program from 7 - 8:30 p.m. The forum will be held at First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church, 210 W. Madison Street, Baltimore. Street parking permitted after 6 p.m.

The honorable Paul Simons, Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, will deliver an address entitled “Status and Prospects of United States Counter Narcotics Programs” before the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday, October 9, 2002 at the World Trade Center, Baltimore at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. Members free of charge. Membership is open to the public. $15 fee for non-members. For membership and/or ticket information, call (410) 727-2150, write to the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, Suite 1611, World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, or email at bcfaprograms@aol.com.

The honorable Robert A. Bradtke, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, will deliver an address entitled, “NATO Expansion and U.S.-European Relations” before the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, on Thursday, October 24, 2002 at the World Trade Center, Baltimore at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. Members free of charge. Membership is open to the public. $15 fee for non-members. For membership and/or ticket information, call (410) 727-2150, write to the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, Suite 1611, World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, or email at bcfaprograms@aol.com.

Sheppard Pratt Health System will join health care providers and advocates across the nation in providing free, anonymous mental health screenings, educational materials, and referral information for those in need on National Depression Screening Day, Thursday, October 10, 2002. The screenings will be offered at six locations throughout central Maryland; among them, Sheppard Pratt Conference Center, 6501 N. Charles Street, Towson, Hours: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.; Dulaney Station, Inc., 1931 Greenspring Dr., Timonium, Hours: 2 - 4 p.m. For more information about the screening site locations and hours, call Sheppard Pratt at 410-938-3120 during business hours, or visit sheppardpratt.org.

The 28th annual Irving Blum Memorial Seminar, hosted by The Associated: Jewish Community of Baltimore, will be held Sunday, November 3, 2002, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Suburban Country Club, 7600 Park Heights Avenue. The guest for the seminar is award-winning author and syndicated columnist Jeffrey Zaslow. The cost is $18 per person, which includes kosher breakfast. For reservations or more information, call Deborah Adler Harrick at 410-369-9252 or email dharrick@jcfb.org.

The Maryland Disabilities Forum, a cross-disability network of individuals, advocacy organizations, and agencies supporting people with disabilities announces the 2002 Gubernatorial Candidates Disabilities Forum to be held on Thursday, October 10, 2002 from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. at the Baltimore Inner Harbor Hyatt Regency Hotel. Both Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Robert L. Erhich will be present. The general public is invited and encouraged to attend. There is no registration or cost to this event. For more information, call 410-666-0086 or 410-358-3646.

Project Lift and the United Way of Central Maryland present a free one-day educational conference on substance abuse issues and treatment: “The Whole Picture: Substance Abuse in Central Maryland,” Thursday, October 17, 2002 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., with registration at 8:30 a.m. The conference will be at the Maritime Institute, 5700 Hammonds Ferry Road, Linthicum Heights, MD. To register, call 410-895-1467, email janice.nolley@uwcm.org or log on to projectlift.org.

The Second Presbyterian Church of Baltimore continues its 2002-2003 Sunday Adult Seminar Series with four programs on “Media & Religion.” On Sunday, October 6, linguist and language specialist Charles “Chip” Kauffman will present “Appreciating Cultural Diversity Through Language.” WBAL broadcast journalist Alan Walden offers “Walden’s Ponderings” on October 13. “Media Coverage of Religion” will be Baltimore Sun reporter John Riviera’s topic on October 20. College of Notre Dame of Maryland professor Dr. Stephen Vicchio will end the month with his presentation on “Ethics and Media” on October 27. All of the seminars are presented on Sunday mornings in the church chapel, 4200 St. Paul Street, Baltimore. Programs begin at 9:45 a.m. and are free to the public. For more information on the seminar and to confirm both dates and times, visit the church’s web site at secondpresby.org or call 410-467-4210.

Chuck Michaels, author of No Greater Threat: America after September 11 and the Rise of a National Security State, will be at The Enoch Pratt Free Library in Wheeler Auditorium for a presentation and a book signing on Saturday, October 5, 2002 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. The library is located at 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md.