While the late composer Stephen Sondheim is gone, it’s apparent his words and music aren’t going to fade into oblivion. Sondheim’s musicals are known both for their ardent fans and committed detractors, and Julie Kurzava will discuss and compare examples from the Sondheim canon, looking for the reasons why people still buy tickets to a Sondheim show.

It's one of the most revered movies of Hollywood's golden era, starring screen legend Gary Cooper. Yet what's often been overlooked is that "High Noon" was made during the height of the Hollywood blacklist, a time of political inquisition. In the middle of the film shoot, screenwriter Carl Foreman was called to testify about his former membership in the Communist Party. Faced with the choice between betraying his principles or losing his career, Foreman turned "High Noon" into a parable about courage and loyalty. Our program revisits a great American movie and the perilous historical era it reflects.

An Italian and a Jew, and diagnosed with tuberculosis at age 16, Amedeo Modigliani lived his life under the ever-present shadow of death. In the few short years left to him he created paintings with a distinctive look: figural works and portraits inspired by pre-classical antiquity and Renaissance painting. Market demand for his female nudes also influenced his output. His female nudes are immediately identifiable, appealing and irresistible, with bodies stretching beyond the picture frame.

Join Oasis friends for an afternoon of trivia games and light refreshments to brighten up a winter day.  Charm City Trivia has come up with a custom trivia game just for Oasis.  They've won awards like "Best Trivia 2019" by Baltimore Magazine and “Best Trivia Game in the Region” by the Capital Gazette.  They've also been recognized for excellence by the Baltimore Sun, CBS Baltimore, City Paper, & Towson Gazette.

Doreen Gentzler, one of the Washington area’s most popular TV anchors for more than three decades, talks about her long career, the state of the news business, and her recent retirement in a conversation with Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi, who has covered Gentzler throughout much of her time on the air. Gentzler will discuss changes in the TV news field, the role of local TV news, and her long association with her late co-anchor, Jim Vance, with whom she worked for nearly 30 years.

Drivers who complete this course may receive a multi-year discount on their auto insurance, depending on state regulations. Exciting new content includes information on brain health, railroad and animal crossings, plus expanded information on car technology and updates on the many new laws in Maryland. A number of tips will be offered to help reduce your chances of having an accident and getting injured. The fee is due at the start of class ($20 for AARP members and $25 for non-members). You can pay by cash or check (made out to AARP). Bring your driver's license, AARP card, cash or check, and a pen. There will be a break for lunch.

The First Amendment doesn’t apply to social media at the moment, since the amendment only protects our core freedoms from government action. But as Twitter, Facebook, Google, Instagram and more become more essential elements in daily life, have those high-tech companies and sites evolved to the point where society needs to step in on issues ranging from transparency to mis-and-dis-information?

The funeral industry has had such widespread and documented abuse that the federal government was forced to implement consumer protection regulations.  Unfortunately, there is little enforcement of these regulations. At best, family members are vulnerable to manipulative sales tactics at a time of grief.  Learn how to save money on funerals and lessen the burden on your family.  The Funeral Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting a consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified, affordable funeral.

Learn how to use Google Docs to create word-processing documents on your own or in collaboration with others. Then see how these files as well as others can be saved and backed up for safekeeping.  This is a demonstration class with time for Q&A, not a hands-on class.  See related Google classes:  #144 and #149.

French sculptor Auguste Rodin is considered the father of modern sculptor. Yet his works were deeply inspired by ancient classical and Renaissance art. He famously told French critic Paul Gsell in 1910, “Come and see me tomorrow morning . . . We will talk of Phidias and Michelangelo, and I will model statuettes for you on the principles of both.” In this talk we’ll explore both aspects of Rodin’s sculpture and examine in his voluminous output, including The Gates of Hell, his powerful fusion of tradition and innovation.