Weekly Free Speech Forum
established Jan. 6, 1951
College of Complexes
The Playground for People Who Think
sustaining the academic tradition of “One Fool at a Time”
Dappers East Restaurant
2901 West Addison St. (3600 north)
Free Parking, Presentation at 6:00 PM
CTA Bus Routes 52, 82, 152
Addison stop on Blue, Brown, Red
The College of Complexes had its first meeting on January 6, 1951
January 7th
Bitcoin and the Cryptocurrency Phenomenon /
Digital Currency
Meetings # 3,406 - Patrick Stevenson, employed in the banking industry
A cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange like normal currencies such
as USD, but designed for the purpose of exchanging digital information
through a process made possible by certain principles of cryptography.
Cryptography is used to secure the transactions and to control the creation
of new coins. The first cryptocurrency to be created was Bitcoin back in
2009. Today there are hundreds of other cryptocurrencies, often referred to
as Altcoins.
Put another way, cryptocurrency is electricity converted into lines of
code with monetary value. In the simplest of forms, cryptocurrency is
digital currency."
January 14th
President Inauguration Program
What Trump Needs to Do to Be a Good
President
Meetings # 3,407 - Tim Bolger and Paul Recino will present their political
prognostications and possible challenges that a Trump Presidency, and
what Trump and the Republicans could learn form the Cubs World Series
Victory. Many of the principals and management techniques presented by
the cubs manager Theo Epstien, and the style of “teamwork” that was
promoted by the Cubs during this last baseball season have a definite impact
if Trump would apply these same principals. Come see how the Cubs can
affect Trump, and how all of our country can then fly the W flag.
January 21st
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Jigsaw Puzzling
Meetings # 3,408 - College regular Steve Kungis will share his
observations of doing jigsaw puzzles..
This presentation / discussion is designed for folks who have never done
or completed a jigsaw puzzle, as well as beginners, intermediates, and
expert folks.
Bring and give away your old (or new) jigsaw puzzles --- a time for giving
and sharing!!!
January 28th
How to Achieve the Fountain of Youth and
Reverse the Aging Process
Meetings # 3,409 - Youthful progressive thinker Tom O'Donnell
Speakers says: "Most people think aging/dying at 80 is natural and theres
nothing we can do about it, however I have research that indicates that may
not be true.
According to experts, aging is a disease is caused by poisons from food,
air, water, etc.
There are also certain animals that possess immortality qualities. For
example, biologically, you cant tell difference between 15 yr old turtle and
100 yr old turtle."
February 4th
Stop Bad Apple Gun Dealers
Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun
Violence
Meeting # 3,410 - John Gruber, Organizing Manager - works to extend
background checks and take legal action against gun dealers
February 11th
Common Cause Illinois
Meeting # 3,411 - Trevor Gervais, Lead Organizer –
Common Cause Illinois is a nonpartisan watchdog group whose mission is
to promote open, ethical, and accountable government at the local, state,
and national levels by educating and mobilizing the people of Illinois.
Common Cause achieves its goals through the hard work of a national
office of staff and volunteers in Washington DC, as well as state
organizations located across the nation and nearly 625,000 members and
supporters.
Issues
Money in Politics
Voting and Elections
Media and Democracy
Organizing and Equity
February 18th
Illinois to Fight the Corruption and Fascism
We are Now Facing
Meeting # 3,412 - Sharon Sanders "
Donald Trump is Not My President"
1) Learn how we can act in solidarity with people and our climate being
attacked by the Trump administration;
2) Discuss how we can be a voice to expose the corruption and hypocrisy
of a Trump administration that stands for the 1% corporate interests, and
show the public the danger of how Trump's personally profiting off his
presidency could impact his decisions as president; and
3) Discuss how we can continue to organize for democracy and political
equality on a local, state and national level.
February 25th
Author Sonja Perdue on Her Book Asking
"The Tough Questions"
Meeting # 3,413 - “Black America: Asking Ourselves The Tough
Questions” by Sonja Cassandra Perdue is a formalized, five-part “Q & A”
discussion that began in July 2010.
This series of books will challenge Black America to collectively
engage in a dialogue designed to initiate solutions to our collective concerns
and issues.
“Asking Ourselves The Tough Questions” is for personal
conversations, family dinners, bus rides to work, class study, mornings in
the neighborhood coffee shops and those private moments.
March 4th
The Truth Commission on Segregation and
It's Effects
Meetings # 3,414 - The United States supported Truth Commissions at the
end of apartheid, at the end of the troubles in Ireland and other troubled
regions around the world. Yet when segregation ended, no such commission
has ever occurred here in the United States.
How did segregation work in the U.S.? What were our race laws? Michael
Flores returns to hold a Truth Commission at the College of Complexes, on
segregation's effects, wounds and international influence.
March 11th
Illinois Environmental Council
Meetings # 3,415 - The Illinois Environmental Council engages in education
and outreach and provides a forum for environmentalists, and serves as the
environmental community’s eyes, ears and voice in Springfield.
Since its founding in 1975 by a group of dedicated grassroots
environmentalists, IEC has sponsored issue advocacy campaigns and
projects by allowing environmental organizations to pool their resources
and create a higher profile for environmental issues. Today, IEC represents
60 environmental and community organizations and nearly 300 individuals
from throughout Illinois.
March 18th
Authoritarian Personality Theory and the
US Right-Wing
Meetings # 3,416 - Charley Earp - a seminary student, political theorist, and
socialist - will propose that the "Authoritarian Personality" theory helps us
to understand the social forces that elected Donald Trump and
are propelling the rightward shift in the US after the Obama administration.
The Authoritarian Personality theory was proposed by Max
Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and took elements from Freud and Marx
to analyze the path Germany took towards Hitler's fascist regime. I will
apply an updated version of this theory to our present political situation.
March 25th
Fraudulent Cold War:
Prelude to Bogus War on Terror
Meeting # 3,417 - Historian Ted Aranda’s political analysis
April 1st
The Homeless Encampments of Chicago
Meeting # 3,418 -Photojournalist Lloyd DeGrane and Tribune Reporter
Kari Lydersen who for 6 months visited with the residents
April 8th
Book Talk:
Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Democracy
by Jerry Harris
Meeting # 3,419 - "Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Democracy is a
seminal work which addresses the major questions raised by neoliberal
globalization. This volume should be read and used in classrooms and study
groups to stimulate a conversation about the new era of globalization, and
the prospects for building twenty-first century socialism."
This wide-ranging book makes a critical contribution to understanding
the times in which we live and possible solutions to the increasingly acute
crisis of global capitalism. Harris critiques with great perspicacity the
ideology and destructive practices of hegemonic neo-liberalism as well as
the failure of 20th century socialism to provide a viable alternative and the
limitations of anarchism. All three ideologies are found wanting in the quest
for human liberation. In this new globalized information age our
emancipatory potential, he suggests, lies in freeing democracy from the
constraints of capitalism through a more balanced relationship between the
state, market and civil society.
Jerry Harris is a preeminent scholar on global studies, particularly on
global capitalism and transnational class theory.
April 15th
Open
Meeting # 3,420 - contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you
would like to speak at (312) 714-7790 cell, (312) 842-5036 office, or by
email to [email protected]
April 22nd
Special Earth Day Debate
Meeting # 3,421 - Dennis Nelson vs. Tim Bolger
April 29th
A Look at Conditions in Hispanic American
Countries
Meeting # 3,422 – a trip report with photographs by Peter Pero
Saturdays
Presentation at 6:00 PM
Please Note: New Location
$3 Tuition, dinner optional
Dappers East Restaurant until 9:00 PM
2901 West Addison St. (3600 north)
Free Parking, 152 CTA Bus Route, 1 block west of California
Addison stop on Blue, Brown, Red Lines
www.collegeofcomplexes.org
To Disquiet the Minds of the People
Watch Videos of Previous Presentations (150+)
CofC Lecture Library
http://www.collegeofcomplexes.org/LectureLibrary.html
or go to main page for link
Solicitation for Speakers
If you would like to make a presentation, or know of an individual or organization
we should invite, contact: Charles Paidock, Program Coordinator at (312) 842-5036
or (312) 714-7790 cell, email: [email protected]
“One Fool at a Time”
Ongoing
Continue Your Education All Week Long
on our electronic discussion group - to join send a blank e-mail to:
[email protected]
Statement on Free Speech
Our constitution and laws encourage the freest possible exchange of opinions, ideas, and information. In part,
that recognizes our worth and dignity as human beings. To forbid us to speak our minds demeans us and makes
us more like slaves or robots than citizens of a free country. But as important as freedom of expression is for
us as individuals, it is perhaps more important to society at large.
facebook: College of Complexes
“the legendary forum for free-thinkers and iconoclasts”
“the entire spectrum of ideas…to the very far out”
“always ahead of its time, or completely out of step with it”
“people who have strong opinions on every topic under the sun,
or beyond it”
“a weekly debate group that attracts outsiders and political obsessives”
“rabble rousers who argue the pros and cons of everything”
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