What defines a “real” man? A “good” man? A fully developed, “self-actualized” man, untroubled by fears of weakness, inadequacy, or old school stereotypes? With Father’s Day approaching, we decided to take a look at books old and new and Web sites on the subject of manhood. The introduction to therapist Thomas Hart’s 2004 book, What Does It Mean to Be a Man? ($12) begins, “The trouble begins when a little boy is told that boys don’t cry.” The table of contents promises a rich read, with chapters on “Mastering Anger and Violence,” “Putting Sex and Love Together” and “Being a Dad.” Sam Keen’s 1992 best-selling Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man ($11) is still an extremely high-ranking seller at Amazon. It offers a brief history of manhood and asks men to look at their unconscious bondage to certain ideas about “woman,” their dependence on work for self-worth, and their “warrior psyches” and it even promotes ecological awareness as an alternative to destructive, domineering tendencies. It wasn’t too long ago that much was made about the “crisis” for boys as they fell behind in school due to supposed neglect and denial of their gender-specific needs. From higher rates of attention deficit disorder to lower test scores than girls and greater abuse of alcohol and drugs, the crisis gave us the important work of therapist and educator Michael Gurian. His 1997 blockbuster, The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, Educators Can Do to Shape Boys Into Exceptional Men, ($10.50) is the bible for how to understand and raise boys. Read Gurian’s Amazon blog to check out his philosophy. And check out Menstuff, an expansive Web site started by Gordon Clay as a not-for-profit educational clearinghouse/resource center for all things related to men’s issues.

Argan oil is the latest “miracle” ingredient in the beauty industry. The oil comes from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows in Morocco and is known there as “liquid gold” — Moroccans slather it on their faces, hands and even their children’s skin. Many Moroccan women have jobs pressing the argan nuts for oil, which allows them to support themselves and their families in a way that would be impossible without the existence of this product. This New York Times article gives a lot of useful information about argan oil, which is extremely high in vitamin E and contains three times the fatty acids found in olive oil. Fans say it helps keep your skin looking young, and works as a treatment for wrinkles, dry skin, acne and eczema. Argan Body sells a variety of products with oil that comes from a women’s cooperative in Morocco. A small bottle of organic argan oil runs $50. Two items are on sale: the night cream with argan oil ($17.50) and the Argan body mud face mask ($30). The site has a useful FAQs for those who have never tried an argan oil product before. Josie Maran Cosmetics recommends the oil ($8; pictured) not only for the face but also for hands, nails and hair, claiming it can treat torn cuticles and split ends. Among the argan oil cosmetics from Josie Maran are mascara ($22) and a cream bronzer ($30). Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Body Lotion contains argan oil as its key ingredient ($35).

Gorgeous colors and fabrics from India are making their mark this year, with Elle Macpherson sporting Indian-style tunics and Kate Hudson seen in a Dior dress that looks just like a sari. The beautiful embroidered dresses and shawls are forgiving of every figure flaw, and they’re trendy now as well. To achieve that look yourself, consider buying a sari (long wrap dress) or choli (a decorative tight-fitting blouse worn with matching pants or under a sari) from Kaneesha. This lovely rose pink and aqua choli suit ($349; pictured) and the glamorous turquoise silk choli suit ($389) are both heavily embroidered with sequins, beads and stones. MarketPlace: Handwork of India is a fair-trade, not-for-profit organization that sells clothing and home décor products made by Indian women who are part of artisan cooperatives. At their site, you can buy many pieces of Indian clothing, including the Sonali dress, made of a batik print on cinnamon-colored fabric ($68). The Kumari top has long sleeves and is decorated with various hand-block prints for a unique look ($56 to $58). Marketplaceindia also sells many clothing items in petite and plus sizes. Novahaat.com carries many fabulous saris, suitable for an evening occasion, such as the elaborate Bollywood blue wedding party dress ($154). This stunning beaded Jamavar pashmina shawl could be worn over an evening dress ($85).

Do a Google search for “plastic shoes” and the first site to come up is Crocs (pictured). Originally intended as a slip-resistant boating and outdoor shoe when introduced in 2002, the bulbous, brightly colored sandals quickly became wildly popular with kids and adults around the world, much to the chagrin of the style-conscious. (See I Hate Crocs, a site devoted to destroying the omnipresent footwear. There’s even a store where haters can purchase anti-Croc T-shirts and pins.) Those who swear by their Crocs love Croslite, the foam resin from which they are made, which forms itself to the foot and causes them to be extremely comfortable and durable, not to mention relatively inexpensive when compared with Birkenstocks, another popular, much maligned “ugly” shoe. To view the wide array of shoe styles now available from Crocs, including heels, check out the company’s footwear section. But wait. These are plastic. Plastic is bad for the planet, right? It sits in landfills and ends up in the stomachs of wildlife. Aren’t we all trying to be more ecologically aware? That’s where SolesUnited comes in. Launched by Crocs, Inc., in January, the footwear donation program aims to get folks to recycle their old Crocs, which will be made into new “quality footwear for people in need worldwide.” Crocs has already donated more than one million pairs of shoes through SolesUnited, with celebs such as Madonna and Wyclef Jean lending their support to the program. Meanwhile, Brazilian-made Melissa Shoes, also plastic, are the product of a socially responsible company that employs sustainable practices and pays its employees above-average wages and benefits. Check out the Desire & Triton Red Hot Heels ($58) and other styles at Kaight. All shoes are made from Melflex, a recyclable, extremely flexible PVC. The company also recycles 99.9 percent of the factory’s water and waste and even recycles overstocked styles into next season’s collection.

Artisans in Uganda, the Philippines, Vietnam, Ghana and other developing countries make some of the world’s most beautiful baskets. Thanks to websites like Ten Thousand Villages and The Blessing Basket, you can buy baskets and be assured the artisans were paid fairly. Ten Thousand Villages works with more than 100 artisan groups in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The company is a program of the Mennonite Central Committee, whose aim is to improve the lives of the disadvantaged in developing countries. You can buy jewelry, home décor, baskets and other gifts. Their basket selection includes a beautiful multicolored Nubian fruit basket, made by artists in Uganda, for $78. From weavers in the Philippines, a pine cone basket, $24, would fit into a holiday decorating scheme, and a bamboo casserole serving dish, $24, looks great for appetizers. The Blessing Basket’s motto is “weaving hope into the world one basket at a time.” The Blessing Basket, a non-profit company dedicated to reducing poverty by selling baskets for what they call ”prosperity wages.” The project employs 3,000 weavers in six countries. The Ghana shopping baskets come in a lots of sizes, each a unique, hand-woven item from a Northern Ghana village. They are made of dyed elephant grass, with goat-leather handles. The butterfly blue baskets, $20, from Uganda could store items in your bedroom or family room. From Papua New Guinea, these artistically patterned baskets made with bamboo vines are $190 for a set of four.

Long before you had a computer on your desk, way back in 1971, a college student named Michael Hart began making works of literature available in electronic form. His goal? To create an online repository of useful books the public could download free of charge some day. He named his endeavor Project Gutenberg, after the German who invented the revolutionary idea of movable type printing. His first e-book was the Declaration of Independence. Now, thanks to an international community of volunteers, Project Gutenberg has more than 24,000 items in its collection, which grows each week by an average of 50 new e-books. You won’t find the latest bestsellers at the site, because they’re copyright protected, but a quick tour of the online book catalog allows you to search for whatever you desire — by author, title or language. The database is updated nightly, so you can browse “recent” additions or yesterday’s “Top 100 Books.” What might you find? Because all of the books must be in the public domain, there are novels by Jane Austen (pictured), Jules Verne and Charles Dickens, as well as classics like The Art of War by Sunzi, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Homer’s The Iliad. The titles can be used on almost any computer and everyone is invited to contribute books and participate in enlarging the archive. You can even do some proofreading, even as little as one scanned page per day. Other “products” available at Project Gutenberg include audio books, CDs, DVDs and digitized sheet music. Visit soon and remind yourself that it’s visionaries such as Michael Hart that made the web a revolutionary force of, for and by the people.