Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden   

Need a break from the stress of the election? Then consider joining us for a weekly presentation of many of the classic and current stand-up comedians who have entertained us so hilariously over the years. We will cover male, female, ethnic, religious, global, and even political stand-up comedy, as well as touching on late-night comedy and sketch comedy. Background information will be provided on the performers. We will have plenty of time for questions and comments. Sid Caesar once said, "The best thing about humor is that it reminds people they are not alone", so let's get together and have some laughs with these amazing entertainers.

This course shines the spotlight on brass instruments in the context of classical music—the trumpet, trombone, tuba, and horn. Highly accomplished musicians will visit us with their instruments, talk about their musical journeys, and play for us. Along the way, we will explore the history of these instruments, the composers they inspired, and the ways our musical world combines them to delight audiences. We will learn a bit about how they are built, how they work, and why they have become such mainstays of the concert world. The musicians plan to perform a brass quintet during one of the sessions.

Seven Colorado Authors League writers will share their unique paths to becoming published in this fascinating speaker series. Learn about their books, their techniques, their successes, and their failures. Featured authors include the following:

• Jaime Siebrase, Colorado Nature and Guidebook Writer
• Jean Jacobsen, Sweet Historical Romance Writer
• Michele Battiste, Award-Winning Essayist and Poet
• Tricia Copeland, Romance Fantasy Writer and Podcaster
• Ellen Busch, Memoirist, Leadership Coach
• Harry Maclean, New York Times Best-Selling True Crime Writer
• Steve Spangler, Emmy-Winning TV Personality & Science Author

A Q&A session follows each speaker, with an opportunity to try your talents with an optional writing exercise. Please note that these are all different League authors from those who led the 2024–25 classes.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping work, democracy, and daily life—and not always in ways that serve the public good. This discussion seminar turns the tables, using AI tools themselves to analyze the dangers AI poses to society and explore what we can do about them. We'll dig into the issues that matter most: AI alignment and human control; concentrated power and democratic erosion; labor displacement and inequality; algorithmic bias and surveillance; disinformation and social fragmentation; and the global governance gaps enabling unchecked AI development. For each topic, we'll provide an AI-generated research notebook—loaded with expert warnings, documented harms, and recommended remedies—that participants can query before each class. These notebooks are as easy to use as a web search, so no other technical background is required.

For decades Americans have demonized socialism, associating it with government ownership of businesses, central planning, and the violence seen in communist countries that arose in the 20th century. This discussion course will critique this conflation to reveal a more accurate notion of what socialism is around the world today and what it could be for America in the future. We'll use Richard D. Wolff's Understanding Socialism to structure our examination of this alternative structuring of society. The book blends history, analysis, and theory to challenge false narratives while confronting failures of various socialist experiments throughout history. It provides an updated path to socialism based on workplace democracy. Facilitators will encourage participants to use the electronic version of the book so they can analyze and challenge it using AI, and will dedicate some class time to guiding participants on how to accomplish this.

Required and Preferred: Electronic version of ($9.99) Understanding Socialism by Richard D. Wolff