The works of three men dominated speculative writing from the 1940s through the 1960s.  Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert Heinlein produced most of their great works during this time.  All have had at least one story turned into a film.  In this course we will take a look at the lives and works of these men, spending time on plots, viewpoints and themes of their work.

In the first session, we will look at today's complex food landscape, deciphering nutrition labels and marketing claims, and how they can be overwhelming. In the second session, we will go beyond food and look at the products we use on our bodies daily and how they significantly impact our health and well-being.

In this 2-part seminar, the instructor will share his experience planning, orchestrating, and pulling off a very successful family reunion, a four-day set of events honoring his ancestor’s journeys and their personal sacrifices coming to America to make a better life ‘fur die Kinder’.  We’ll describe how you can create a similar weekend of celebration, commemoration, collaboration, chowing down, and chuckling.  The approach can be used as the template for your get-together - there is no need for previous experience, only bring your enthusiasm, imagination…and the unique knowledge of your family’s journey.  You’re sure to be motivated to jumpstart the creative process for organizing your next extended family reunion!

We'll also share interesting experiences about seemingly random coincidences in meeting people with information about his family, or insights he’s uncovered seemingly by happenstance in the course of his decades of research, and what you can do to 'create your coincidences' to advance your knowledge of your family's story.

This is a follow on to the last Recent History seminar with new topics!  Most Americans know Alistair Cooke as the popular host of the PBS series Masterpiece Theater.  But for over five decades Cooke was also a regular contributor to the BBC through his Letters from America radio broadcasts in which he describes daily life and current affairs in America.  In this seminar we’ll use Cooke’s Letters as an aperture for viewing late 20th century history.  Since the events all take place within our lifetimes, we’ll have the opportunity to see how “current affairs” morph into “history”, and reflect how our own views on these topics have evolved (or not) over time.

This seminar will use film clips from great movies to explore universal themes about life, meaning, and human nature. Each session will include 40 to 45 minutes of selected clips followed by discussion of topics such as heroism and villainy, love and meaning, and the power of paradoxes. Participants will consider what memorable films can teach us about ourselves and the world around us.

Many of us think of Peanuts' Snoopy when we think of the Red Baron, but he was a real person who has inspired many myths and much misinformation. In this seminar we will do a deep dive into Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the top fighter pilot of World War I, using a well-researched biography by Richthofen expert Peter Kilduff, along with Richthofen’s autobiography, recent articles, and historical film footage and documentaries.