Albany County Hall of Records, 95 Trovoli St, Albany. 10/16, 1 PM: “People of Courage, People of Hope, Seekers of Justice: Albany’s Underground Railroad Story.” 436-3663.

Albany Law School, 80 New Scotland Ave., Albany. 10/21, 7:30 PM: “Does America Need Tort Reform? Personal Injury and Public Policy” Free and open to the public. 392-4949.

Albany Public Library, Main Branch, 161 Washington Ave., Albany. 10/18, 11 AM: Children’s author Dirk Wales will talk and read from his new book “Owney.” Free to all. 10/22, 7:15 PM: “Personal Journeys in Taking Back Time” a panel discussion. 427-4344.

Altamont Village Community Room, 10/16, “Anti-Semitism: Everything Old is New Again,” a discussion forum presented by Linda Bakst, part of the series “Who Hates and What to Do About It.” 861-7239.

Bard College, Bertelsmann Campus Center, Annandale-on-Hudson. 10/17, call for times: “International Perspectives on Household Wealth” Presented by The

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Registration required. 10/20, 4:30 PM: “What is Enlightenment?” Film screening of Eric Rohmer’s My night at Maud’s. (845) 758-7279.

Bennington Museum, West Main Street, Bennington, Vt. 10/16, 6:30 PM: Social historian Ray Raphael will present his lecture “Founding Farmers: New England Militiamen and the American Revolution.” (802) 447-1571.
Berkshire Museum, 39 South St., Pittsfield, Mass. 10/18, 11-1 PM: Anatomy of an Exhibition: Expression of Culture. Tour the new exhibit and discuss the new paintings added. (413) 298-3926.

Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown, Mass. 10/18, 9-5 PM: Panel discussion entitled, “American Art Now: Aesthetics and Politics.” 10/21, 5:30 PM: “Art and the Religious Life of Eighteenth-Century Europe,” by Clark Fellow Nigel Aston. (413) 458-2303.

College of Saint Rose, Thelma P. Lally School of Education, 1009 Washington Ave., Albany.10/22, 2:30-4 PM: “Bringing Products to Life in the Life Sciences Industries,” presented by Lynn Momrow and Joanne Moon. 454-5184.

East Greenbush Community Library, East Greenbush. 10/19, 2 PM: “The Legacy of the Trenchcoat: Lessons from Columbine,” presented by Sgt. Renise Holohan of the New York state police. 479-3499.

Guilderland Public Library, 2228 Western Ave., Guilderland. 10/18, 2 PM: “Cultural Encounters in the New Netherlands.” Free and open to the public. 10/19, 9 PM: Goodbye, Mr. Chips. 10/22, 7 PM: “Outside Agitators and Hometown Bigots in the News,” a discussion forum presented by Mark Lindeman, part of the series “Who Hates and What to Do About It.” 435-0591.

Hudson Valley Community College, Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium, 80 Vandenburgh Ave., Troy. 10/20, 1 PM: From Homophobia to Gay Marriage: A Short History of Gay and Lesbian Politics (1951-Present). Admission is $5. Students are free with proper ID. 629-7336.

Lake George Arts Project, Old County Courthouse Building, 1 Amherst St., Lake George. 10/22, 7 PM: “Shakespeare in Film” A look at recent film based on Shakespeare’s plays. Free admission. 668-2616.

New York State Library, Cultural Education Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany. 10/22, 5:30 PM: Dr. Janny Venema will discuss her new book, “Beverwijck: A Dutch Village.” 474-5124.

New York State Museum, Museum Theater, Albany. 10/16, 7 PM: Scholar of the Year Lecture by Andrew Delblanco. “Melville’s World” 474-5877.

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Mass. 10/18, 1 PM: “Drawn to Bears,” an afternoon with Berenstain Bears artist Michael Berenstain. This even goes along with its current exhibit on the famous bears. Free with museum admission. (413) 298-4100.

Pine Hills Branch Library, 517 Western Ave, Albany. 10/20, 6 PM: “What White Supremacists Tell Us About Society,” a discussion forum presented by Marcia E. Sutherland, part of the series “Who Hates and What to Do About It.” 482-7911.

Schenectady Jewish Community Center. 2565 Balltown Road, Niskayuna. 10/16, 11:45 PM: Hy Rosen, cartoonist, will be the guest speaker at the Third Thursday luncheon meeting. 377-8803.

Skidmore College, Gannett Auditorium, Saratoga Springs. 10/22, 12:10-12:55 PM: Gallery Talk: Darby English, Assistant Professor of Art History. 580-5597.

Ulster County Community College, Vanderlyn Dining Hall, Stone Ridge. 10/16, 7 PM: Ben Katchor will deliver his slide lecture “The Great Museum Cafeterias of the Western World.” Also appearing will be stand-up poet Mikhail Horowitz and acoustic guitarist Gilles Malkine. Admission is free and open to the public. (845) 687-5262.

University at Albany, Performing Arts Center, Uptown Campus, Albany. 10/16, 7:30 PM: Professor Lawrence Wittner speaks on “How Citizen Activism Saved the World from Nuclear War.” Free and open to the public. 442-4789. 10/20, 7 PM: William Pope.L will speak. 442-5620.

William K. Sanford Town Library, 629 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville. 10/17 & 10/19: A discussion of Leos Janacek’s Jenfua. Registration is required. 458-9274..

Events/Workshops

Academy of Holy Names, New Scotland Avenue, Albany. 10/22, 7 PM: The Way of the Bodhisattva (Part II). 439-7618.

Albany Public Library, Main Branch, 161 Washington Ave., Albany. 10/16, 7-8:30 PM: Intermediate Word Computer Class. 10/22, 1-2:30 PM: Introduction to Excel. Basic computer and mouse skills required. 427-4303.

Albany Public Library, Pine Hills Branch, 517 Western Ave., Albany. 10/17, 10-11 AM: Introduction to the Internet. 482-7911.

Albany Public Library, Schuyler & Broad Streets, Albany. 10/22, 10:30 AM: Advanced Internet class. Previous experience required. 427-9485.

Ann Waldorf Family Center, 516 Washington Ave. Albany. 10/18, 11 AM: Entering the Spiritual Path. 786-0670.

A Peaceful Place Massage & Wellness, 1733 Route 9, Clifton Park. 10/19, 9-6 PM: Workshop on the ancient art of healing called Reiki. 371-2225.

Berkshire Botanical Garden, Routes 102 and 103, Stockbridge, Mass. 140/18, 2-5 PM: Stone Steps, Pathways and Copings, a workshop given by Mark Mendel, master mason. (413) 298-3926.

Delaware Branch Library, 485 Delaware Ave., Albany. 10/20, 6:30 PM: Workshop on Meditation and Balanced Living. Free. 463-7521.

Dyken Pond Center, Grafton. 10/18, 8:30-4:30 PM: Outdoor skills workshop that’s geared to enjoying and surviving in the outdoors. Pre-registration required. 658-2055.

East Greenbush Public Library, 10 Community Way, East Greenbush. 10/22, 6:30 PM: Workshop on Meditation: A Way to Balanced Living. Free. 463-7521.
Hancock Shaker Village, Routes 20 and 41, Pittsfield, Mass. 10/16-10/18, call for times: Shaker Rocking Chair with instructor Peter Hindle. 10/18-10/19, call for times: Shaker Chisel Forging I with instructor Bob Rodriguez. (413) 684-3223 or (413) 684-3612.

Hubbard Hall, 25 E. Main St., Cambridge. 10/18, 10 AM-noon: Flower and foliage arranging workshop for adults. Registration fee is $16. Please register in advance. 10/18, 10-11 AM: Beginning of series of workshops about Beginning and Continuing Foil. Registration fee is $48. Equipment fee is $30. Call for more details. 10/23, 5:30-7 PM: Movement/Voice Improvisation workshop for teens-adults. Cost is $15. 677-2495.

The Hyde Collection Art Museum, 161 Warren St., Glens Falls. 10/18, 10:30-noon: Art Inside the Box. Free to Hyde members and $2 for non-members.
Iroquois Indian Museum, Caverns Road, Howes Cave.10/18, 10/19, call for times: Two one-day workshops in which participants create a feather wallhanging using all-natural materials. 296-8949.

Inkberry, 63 Main St., North Adams, Mass. 10/18, 2:30-4 PM: Poetry workshop given by Laure-Anne Bosselaar and Meg Kearney. (413) 664-0775, www.inkberry.org.

Lunar Mist Healing Arts, 307 Hamilton St. Albany. 10/19, 2-5 PM: An Afternoon of Centering, Connecting and Expressing. Come join us for an afternoon of serenity and joyful expression. $30 for the session. Call to reserve a space. 374-8791.

National Bottle Museum, 76 Milton Ave, Ballston Spa. 10/21, 5-9 PM: Glass Animals class. Prior registration is required. 885-7589
Schenectady County Public Library, McChesney Room, 99 Clinton St., Schenectady. 10/21, 7 PM: Learning Express computer class. Call to register. 355-2010.

Spencertown Academy, 790 Route 203, Spencertown. 10/18, 2-4 PM: A Taste of the Holidays: Ramadan, a workshop for the whole family. $5 per person. 392-3693.

Starbucks, Village Plaza 9, Clifton Park, 10/18, 10 AM: Tasting Seminar. Taste many of Starbucks delicious brews. 373-5794.

Troy Public Library, Lansingburgh Branch, 27 114th St., Troy. 10/16, 6 PM: Workshop on Benefits of Meditation Free. 10/20, 6 PM: Stress and Nutrition: The Facts. Free and open to public, but prior registration is required. 10/21, 6:15 PM: Résumé and cover-letter writing workshop. Free and open to public, but prior registration is required. 235-5310.

Women’s Building, 79 Central Ave., Albany. 10/18, 3-4:30 PM: Start of 3-part series on self-defense. Pre-registration required. Sliding fee scale. 822-1210 box 3, 465-1597.