Buddhism is one of the world's major religions. It is also appreciated, from the non-religious perspective, as an influential philosophy and a discipline that encourages scientific inquiry into the true nature of reality. Learn about the life and core teachings of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived 2500 years ago and explore how the major currents of Buddhism developed as these teachings took hold within different cultures. The program will also review the variety of Buddhist organizations and centers that have sprung up in NH in recent years.

The Camino de Santiago is a 500 mile pilgrimage walk in Spain along old Roman roads and trade routes. Thousands walk this path each year in search of spiritual enlightenment, physical challenge, and personal growth. Hear what it is like to be a modern-day pilgrim walking this journey.

This course will explain how to identify frauds and scams, how to protect yourself from them, and what to do if you do get scammed. In this day and age, education and knowledge about various scams is a powerful prevention tool. Handouts will be available.

Freedom isn't free and neither is the Internet. Some of the world's largest corporations are stalking you, collecting data and selling access to you (personally) to others, including political campaigns and nation-state propaganda. To maximize their profit, they seek to dominate your screen time with kittens, fear and outrage. At the same time they censor or de-prioritize content they consider objectionable from hate speech to controversial topics. This class may help you pop your filter bubble and get a better idea of who is doing what to you and why when you are online.

The candidates are already here and have been since March 2019. Who are the serious candidates? Who has dropped out already? We in New Hampshire are fortunate; we get to hear and see them and see them in person. What are they discussing? What issues are important to voters? Class will be followed by the usual 'Graduation Party' on October 15 at noon at the Stark Mill Brewery with a guest speaker.

There are always new developments in the world of immigration, with implications for the Dreamers, refugees, Temporary Protective Status seekers, children separated at the border, immigration checkpoints on I-93 and progress on building The Wall. Legal immigration is getting much tougher and more expensive. Will the President's merit point based immigration proposal help? Should the census ask citizenship information? Your discussion and questions welcome.

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is long and touches many of us locally in a personal way because of ties of family, faith, community or work. For many, the conflict presents moral and spiritual dilemmas. We will look at the history of the population and settlement of the land, the rise of and philosophies within the Jewish and Palestinian national movements, and major periods such as 1947-1949, 1967 and its aftermath, and the Oslo peace period. What is the situation today and what are the visions of what is possible? We will try to answer questions, be rooted in facts and acknowledge biases. The instructor is a rabbi who has studied and lived in Israel for two extended periods and has been involved in the religious Zionist peace movement.

Manchester is a magnet for Presidential aspirants, and their intimate interactions with Queen City residents are the subject of a photographic exhibition at the Manchester Historic Association's Millyard Museum. Longtime journalist John Clayton will discuss the multitude of candidates, explore their favorite haunts and delve into some of the controversies that have erupted while the candidates broke bread, shared drinks and otherwise communed with the citizens of Manchester.

Learn about this New Hampshire-based ponzi and life insurance fraud scheme through the eyes of the Special Counsel to the NH State Bank Commissioner who was at the center of unraveling it. The course will include a discussion of work with the FBI and the US Attorney's office to prosecute those principally responsible for the fraud. It will also describe how the State Bank Commission was able to obtain funds to help compensate the victims who had lost approximately $26 million. Learn about some red flags that will help people avoid becoming victims of fraud.

This course will discuss a selection of current and recent Supreme Court constitutional cases. Possible subjects include Janus v. AFSCME, about whether labor unions can require nonmembers to pay union dues; Drumpf v. Hawaii, about the travel ban; and South Dakota v. Wayfair, permitting states to collect sales taxes on internet sales. The actual cases addressed will evolve as new cases are decided and the class members' interests are expressed.

In this course, we will discuss some of the most significant cases the Supreme Court has decided throughout American History. Likely cases include Marbury v. Madison (1803), establishing the role of the courts in judicial review of Congress; McCullock v. Maryland (1819), establishing the federal government's implied power over the states; and Korenmatsu v. US (1944), permitting internment of the Japanese during World War II.

Spring 2019 found South Sudan in a state of relative peace; what is it like today? What are the factors promoting or interfering with a permanent peace, including the economic, political, religious and foreign involvement issues? War has left so many orphans in South Sudan and the neighboring refugee camps that there is a dire need to develop resources for foster care facilities within the country. Pastor M'noor shall describe the methods being used to create the necessary homes and foster parenting. One marvels often at the courage and strength of children to survive in a war-ravaged environment, separated from their parents whom they may never see again. Hope may often waver but it continues to be seen in the smiles of the orphans of South Sudan.

Four PowerPoint presentations will stimulate class discussions. (1) How do we find truth in our media with its Fake News? (2) How can we make earth cool again? (3) How do we balance economics with ethics? Does economic inequality contribute to the opioid epidemic? (4) How did cooperation between elementary particles create our cosmos? How does human cooperation impact religion, government, culture and civilization?

These workshops will help participants understand what they need to do and how far in advance they need to do it when selling their home; staging, downsizing, buying another home, open houses or not, and many other real estate options and answers. This course is designed for those who need to prepare their homes and themselves for a monumental, and often emotional, process of selling the homestead. NOTE: Class occurs on Monday, Wednesday of same week.

This two-session course provides unbiased basic financial education designed for women, to help them face the complex world of finance. The first class includes techniques to detect/prevent fraud. We shall also cover how to evaluate financial salespeople and unscrupulous sales. The second class includes special considerations of investing when retired, understanding common investments and simple estate planning concepts. We shall review recent studies on senior investing psychological tendencies and common investing mistakes made by women. Free educational materials will be provided as well as extensive Q & A time. Of course, men are also encouraged to come.