Current Events   

Do you like to keep up with current events?  Join us to discuss and share ideas that affect us and the world we live in. You don't have to be an expert! We will discuss local, state, national and international news in a civil, open-minded environment. Discussion will be moderated. 

View and discuss two engaging TED Talks (visit TED.com) in a salon-type setting where free-thinkers spark each other's minds and hearts through spirited presentations and conversation.
Be stimulated, and become better educated and acquainted. Salons such as this were popular occasions for sharing knowledge and building friendships from Renaissance times up until the 1940s. TED has again popularized this concept with TEDx - local, independently organized events - in vibrant learning communities all over the world.
Participants are sure to leave motivated and more meaningfully connected with the world around us.

The importance of computer chips (also known as semiconductors or integrated circuits) cannot be overstated. These tiny yet powerful components are at the heart of modern technology. Computer chips serve as the building blocks for electronic devices, from smartphones and laptops to servers and supercomputers. Power in the modern world – military, economic, geopolitical – is built on a foundation of computer chips.

Access to cutting-edge chip technology is crucial for military systems, including radar, communication, and encryption. Nations vie for control over chip manufacturing to ensure their security and defense capabilities. The United States has dominated advances in chips, but that edge is in danger of slipping. China is pouring billions into a project to catch up. The United States and China are engaged in a high-stakes race to dominate chip production. Making computer chips has become the new arms race.

"Whoever controls the past, controls the future. And whoever controls the present, controls the past." Throughout American history, there have been ongoing efforts to shape the national narrative. These efforts often reflect deeper questions about identity, memory, and truth. As some have observed, "Efforts to control history are a sign of political fear- not national strength."

The history of slavery remains one of the most complex and often debated aspects of our past. It played a critical role in the founding of the United States, and its legacy still influences the present. As William Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead; it's not even past." The Founders' decision to allow slavery had long-term consequences that continue to affect the nation's pursuit of domestic tranquility.

This presentation explores how our understanding of history shapes the present, and how, as the saying goes, "The sins of the fathers have been visited upon their children." (Exodus 34:7)

View and discuss two engaging TED Talks (visit TED.com) in a salon-type setting where free-thinkers spark each other's minds and hearts through spirited presentations and conversation.
Be stimulated, and become better educated and acquainted. Salons such as this were popular occasions for sharing knowledge and building friendships from Renaissance times up until the 1940s. TED has again popularized this concept with TEDx - local, independently organized events - in vibrant learning communities all over the world.
Participants are sure to leave motivated and more meaningfully connected with the world around us.

If one word captures the American journey, it is the pursuit of equality, a goal still evolving today. While Jefferson famously wrote that "all men are created equal" and called it "self-evident," history has shown that equality has never come easily.

America has served as a testing ground for turning this ideal into reality, often in ways Jefferson couldn’t have imagined. Despite setbacks, the nation has made real progress. Yet today, that shared hope feels increasingly uncertain.

View and discuss two engaging TED Talks (visit TED.com) in a salon-type setting where free-thinkers spark each other's minds and hearts through spirited presentations and conversation.
Be stimulated, and become better educated and acquainted. Salons such as this were popular occasions for sharing knowledge and building friendships from Renaissance times up until the 1940s. TED has again popularized this concept with TEDx - local, independently organized events - in vibrant learning communities all over the world.
Participants are sure to leave motivated and more meaningfully connected with the world around us.

Concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have become increasingly visible in recent years. Today, 39% of white adults believe DEI increases discrimination against white people. However, the roots of discomfort with racial and cultural change in America go back to colonial times. This presentation traces a consistent historical pattern of efforts to preserve a narrowly defined national identity, which stretches from early immigration fears to present-day debates.

Figures like Benjamin Franklin voiced concerns about immigrants, including Germans, whom he viewed as too "swarthy." This reluctance to fully welcome those seen as racially or culturally different is not new, and yet it remains underexplored. This presentation offers original research on how these attitudes have shaped, and continue to influence, American society.

View and discuss two engaging TED Talks (visit TED.com) in a salon-type setting where free-thinkers spark each other's minds and hearts through spirited presentations and conversation.
Be stimulated, and become better educated and acquainted. Salons such as this were popular occasions for sharing knowledge and building friendships from Renaissance times up until the 1940s. TED has again popularized this concept with TEDx - local, independently organized events - in vibrant learning communities all over the world.
Participants are sure to leave motivated and more meaningfully connected with the world around us.