February 6 – Dickens, insolvency and the way we live now.  Economic unrest is nothing new. In 1825, when Charles Dickens was a child, an economic crisis rocked the country, a crisis so widespread it resulted in bank failures that threatened the stability of the Bank of England itself, sending the British economy into a serious recession. Throughout his youth, the Dickens family lived precariously on the edge of financial ruin, and this anxiety is evident in every novel Charles Dickens wrote.  NCMC English Professor Suzanne Shumway, Ph.D., explores the economic dimensions of Dickens’ work and relates them to his own harrowing experience of childhood poverty.

 

February 13 – Guantanamo Bay Detention.  Commander Gary Dean Baxter, a retired member of the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps and a retired Associate Navy General Counsel will examine international and domestic law pertaining to the detention of captured Al Qaeda personnel at the facility located at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with emphasis on the legal status of such “quasi-military” personnel in relation to their detention.  Included in the discussion will be an analysis of the use of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with Hellfire missiles in attacking Al Qaeda leadership.

 

February 27 – The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).Little Traverse Civic Theatre presents a parody of all of Shakespeare’s plays in two acts, beginning March 5.   Three talented LTCT actors will present scenes from the production. The play was written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company and played in London for nine years. It is notable for holding the (self-proclaimed) world record for the shortest-ever performance of Hamlet, clocking in at 43 seconds. The Today Show says, “If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll LOVE this show!"

 

March 13 – More Respect for the Fungi, Please.  When someone mentions “fungi,” one may think of the mushroom on your pizza, our spring morel season, or the fungus growing between your toes.  But fungi are everywhere and affect our lives every day.   They are vital to us, our forests and our water quality.  Mycologist Marilynn Smith will try to instill more respect for Northern Michigan’s fungi.  Smith is a graduate of the University of Iowa and has done research at the University of Vermont and the University of Michigan. She has traveled the world studying mycology and has taught at the high school and college levels. 

 

March 20 – Dyslexia. The most common learning disability in children, dyslexia affects five percent or more of all elementary-age children.  Find out the myths that surround dyslexia and the truth.  Jane Andrews is President of Learnable Linguistics, LLC, has co-authored a K-5 language arts curriculum with Susan Vanderlinde and teaches privately.  She has more than 22 years of experience training teachers and teaching the dyslexic population of all ages.  Born and raised in Charlotte, MI, Jane is the daughter of two educators and knew from an early age that she would pursue teaching as her vocation.

 

April 17 – To Infinity and Beyond.  The Greeks found the concept unacceptable. Philosophers in Medieval times called it God. The concept is infinity, a metagrobolizing topic of both paradox and mystery.  Gary Kersting, NCMC professor of mathematics and statistics, will explore the infinite, from ideas that are infinitesimally small to the infinitely large. This lecture is for anyone who loves to think, to question and, ultimately, to understand.   Professor Kersting has worked on the orbital mechanics of guidance systems for satellite operations and the Hubble Space Telescope, and was an operations researcher for the Space Defense Initiative (SDI) during the Reagan administration’s “Star Wars” era.

April 24 – Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as autism spectrum disorders.   It is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.  Other conditions include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder.  Christine Dillon Lennon, children’s behavioral specialist with North Country Community Mental Health, presents an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Discussion will include information on diagnosis and effects of the disorder, treatment and intervention options and current research findings.