Join us for discussion about this historic shift away from the liberal international order that was established in the wake of World War II. Since 1945, Pax Americana has promised peaceful international relations and an open economy, buttressed by U.S. military power. In championing “America First” isolationism and protectionism, President Trump has shifted the political mood toward selective U.S. engagement, where foreign commitments are limited to areas of vital U.S. interest and economic nationalism is the order of the day. Geopolitical allies and challengers alike are paying close attention

Emerald Ash Borer – Be Prepared!

Charlotte Tree Warden Mark Dillenbeck will speak about the Emerald Ash Borer. EAB has very recently been detected in Orange County and is expected to eventually reach Charlotte. When it arrives we can expect ash tree mortality of close to 100%. Mark will explain how to detect EAB, what the Town is doing to prepare, and what individual land owners can do to preserve select specimens.

What is malware and spyware? Learn the difference and find out what you can do to protect your computer and your personal information. This program is specific to Mac users. Please bring your laptop or let us know if you need to borrow one (limited availability). Space is limited, please register.

What is malware and spyware? Learn the difference and find out what you can do to protect your computer and your personal information. This program is specific to Windows (PC) users. Please bring your laptop or let us know if you need to borrow one (limited availability). Space is limited, please register.

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia is projecting an autocratic model of governance abroad and working to undermine the influence of liberal democracies, namely along Russia’s historical borderlands. Russia caused an international uproar in 2016, when it interfered in the U.S. presidential contest. But Putin’s foreign policy toolkit includes other instruments, from alliances with autocrats to proxy wars with the U.S. in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria. How does Putin conceive of national interests, and why do Russian citizens support him? How should the United States respond to Putin’s foreign policy ambitions?

A true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice, from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. Copies available at the circulation desk.

Songwriters Joe Delaney, Janice Russotti & Shane Bowley and Kip de Moll perform original songs. Refreshments served and discussion to follow.

A hint of the supernatural spices the latest from a mystery master as two detectives try to probe the secrets teenage girls keep—and the lies they tell—after murder at a posh boarding school...Everyone is this meticulously crafted novel might be playing—or being played by—everyone else. Join us for coffee & conversation about Tana French's fifth in the Dublin Murder Squad series. Copies are available at the circulation desk.

In the last 15 years, China has implemented a wide-ranging strategy of economic outreach and expansion of all its national capacities, including military and diplomatic capacities. Where the United States has taken a step back from multilateral trade agreements and discarded the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), China has made inroads through efforts like the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). What are Beijing’s geopolitical objectives? What leadership and political conditions in each society underlie growing Sino-American tensions? What policies might Washington adopt to address this circumstance?