We’re kicking off a new book discussion series this semester! With our new Classic Favorites series, we will discuss past best-sellers. Book lovers might well have read these “way back when”; whether or not you have, with our mature life experiences discussing these “big impact” works now and thinking about those impacts then and now make these choices even more interesting for book discussions. Ken Kesey’s best-selling 1962 novel, set in a psychiatric hospital inpatient ward, spoke to contemporaneous approaches to mental health care including therapies like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and policies like institutionalization; medical authority and decision-making; and patients’ rights in terms of general civil rights. On some of these approaches the pendulum has swung in more than one direction since 1962. The novel was adapted into a 1963 Broadway play, and then a 1965 movie that won five Academy awards, six BAFTA awards, and six Golden Globe awards. Please read the book so you can participate in our structured, facilitated, Zoom discussion. (Note: Please join the meeting at 3 pm if you would like some assistance using the features of Zoom. Otherwise, join us at 3:15 pm for the start of our discussion.)

By way of an interview-style format, Philippino journalist Christian Esguerra will talk with foreign correspondent Lewis Simons about Simons' Pulitzer-prize winning story that led to the toppling of the Marcos regime, followed by a discussion of the recent return to power of the Marcos family.

Did the bard know he would inspire some great Broadway musicals? From Kiss Me Kate and West Side Story to the recent "Something's Rotten" the plays found a way to be reinvented with song.

Frustrated with all the long incomprehensible passwords that you need to stay safe online? Are you using the same password everywhere, or using passwords that are not secure because it’s so hard to keep track of them? This class will show you how to really ramp up your online safety easily by using a password manager app. You’ll learn what popular apps to look for, and how to install and use one of the most popular apps on your desktop and mobile device. This is a lecture, not a hands-on class.

By the latter half of the 19th century, American scene painters were beginning to free themselves from the “tyranny” of the European academic tradition. They painted distinctly American subjects: genre scenes of everyday life and our landscape in all its variety and glory, from Manhattan’s gritty streets to purple mountain majesties. We associate Winslow Homer, with Prout’s Neck, Maine but he also worked in the Adirondacks and vacation spots from Canada to the West Indies. Largely self-taught, Homer rejected the academic tradition to seek his own path to success. This art history lecture examines the milieu and works of Winslow Homer, painter in oils and watercolors of distinctly American subjects.

With a steady foreign policy approach mixing economic benefits and an array of coercive measures, China has gradually displaced the United States as the most important power in Southeast Asia in the past decade. The Donald Trump administration was aware of the importance of this region for American interests in avoiding China's dominance in Asia but was inconsistent in policy implementation. The Joseph Biden administration has established a more systematic approach in an up-hill effort to counter China's influence.

Established in 1983, Manna Food Center distributes approximately 12,000 pounds of food daily.  More than just a food bank, Manna is a center of distribution and nutrition education. For this volunteer event, participants will go to Manna’s warehouse and help check expiration dates and sort non-perishable food items into designated bins.  Volunteers may also be asked to help with sorting/bagging bread or meat or other tasks as needed.  The tasks involve bending, reaching, and standing. Participants provide their own transportation and will meet at the Manna warehouse at 9311 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg, MD  20877.  Volunteers may park in the lot directly in front of Manna. Wear casual clothing and sneakers or work boots. Bring a penlight or magnifying glass to read expiration dates Limit: 10