Polls consistently show that Americans overwhelmingly worry about the rising national debt accumulated by the U.S. government for more than two centuries. But is it as big an economic threat as many experts contend? On the eve of a showdown in Congress over raising the debt ceiling, we examine exactly what the debt is relative to the U.S. economy and assess the arguments that the swelling red ink poses catastrophe for future generations or is largely manageable and benign.

Polls consistently show that Americans overwhelmingly worry about the rising national debt accumulated by the U.S. government for more than two centuries. But is it as big an economic threat as many experts contend? On the eve of a showdown in Congress over raising the debt ceiling, we examine exactly what the debt is relative to the U.S. economy and assess the arguments that the swelling red ink poses catastrophe for future generations or is largely manageable and benign.

With all of the recent WWII presentations that focused on various campaigns in Europe, we sometimes lose track of an equally hard-fought war in Asia. For nearly four years British and Indian forces fought a very arduous campaign in southeast Asia, not only against the Japanese but against hunger, disease, jungle conditions, mountains, and monsoons. And they did this in remote areas where there were hardly any roads, railroads or airports, and where the most reliable means of transporting supplies was sometimes on the back of an elephant! Often overlooked by the British press, the British Fourteenth Army, became known as “The Forgotten Army.” This is their story and the story of their very remarkable commander, Field Marshal William Slim.

This program will consider one of the most famous works of political thought addressing the American experiment in democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. We will explore Tocqueville's framework for understanding American democracy in the context of his larger account of the movement of history from aristocracy to democracy.

Born in Austria, Billy Wilder came to Hollywood in the 1930s and quickly became one of the best-known and most-awarded screenwriters and directors in America. Wilder's career spanned nearly 50 years and many genres of film. His film masterpieces include Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment. We'll talk about this Hollywood giant to better understand the history of how films are produced, and of course see excerpts from Wilder's great films and learn the stories behind them.

Born in Austria, Billy Wilder came to Hollywood in the 1930s and quickly became one of the best-known and most-awarded screenwriters and directors in America. Wilder's career spanned nearly 50 years and many genres of film. His film masterpieces include Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment. We'll talk about this Hollywood giant to better understand the history of how films are produced, and of course see excerpts from Wilder's great films and learn the stories behind them.

The loss of 13 American colonies shut off a transatlantic passage that the British government had previously used to dump convicted criminals in the colonies in huge quantities. In the wake of independence, the British government urgently began to search for a site for a new penal colony somewhere else. After seven tries and failures elsewhere in its empire, the ministry eventually established a new penal colony near Botany Bay, New South Wales, in 1788.

Learn the story of the groundbreaking discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, including the explorations of the caves and the excavations at Qumran, and the progress of scholarly work in the subsequent 75 years. We also will look at the key documents themselves, with an eye to uncovering the salient features of the Essene community which produced these texts. Special attention will be paid to their unique theological positions, their relationship to other Jewish groups at the time, and their connections to early Christianity.

Colm Tóibín mesmerizes readers by sharing his decades-long fascination with the Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann.  Sometimes truth does seem stranger than fiction.  The lives of Mann’s wife and their extended families give Tóibín quite the framework for his award-winning historical novel.  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.) Author: Colm Tóibín, 2021. (For other book discussions, see classes #354, 383, 431)

There is no doubt that Irving Berlin’s life and career is the quintessential immigrant story. Arriving from a foreign land as a small child with nothing, he channeled his talent, ambition and hard work to become the standard bearer of American culture. Come hear a great story, as Julie Kurzava shares the history and music of Irving Berlin’s Americana.