Cancer

[Book Your Classes by Clicking This Link! ](https://crowndancestudio.com/group-classes/) Start your weekend with elegance and poise during our **Beginner’s Ballroom sessions at 10:30 AM and 11:15 AM**. These classes provide a welcoming, family-friendly environment where students of all ages can learn the fundamental steps of classic dances like the Tango and Rumba. Focusing on grace, posture, and the joy of movement, these sessions are **priced at $18 per class,** offering an accessible way to master the "American Smooth" styles in a relaxed morning setting. 10:30 1 American Smooth Dance. 11:15 I American Rhythm Dance. Cost: $18 for 1 Class. $25 for 2 Classes.

**Hopeful Cafe Conversations @Panera Kentlands** * **You are cordially invited to join in the conversation to catch the positive vibe... a cup of coffee, or another of your favorite refreshment.** **At NEW HOPE CAFE CONVERSATIONS 8:30am-9:30am (3rd Saturdays, Monthly)** **Address: Panera, 285 Kentlands Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878** **Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83326239362** ===== **New Hope Workshop**: What is Negativity Bias? How do we get ahead of it to reach more positive outcomes in work, life, and relationships? Discover the difference between goals and outcomes. 1\. How do we reaffirm ones role\, despite negativity bias from others? 2\. The New Hope Community Affirmative Statements of Foundational Principles \- What are some helpful affirmations? 3\. Your Perspectives in Conversation **"Star Points Meal Deal"** If you have New Hope "Star Points 💫" you can get a discount on a meal. Also you can earn Star Points, if this is your first time attending Cafe Conversations, in-person. Ask Gene, newhope321community@yahoo.com, 240-848-0808.

● Ultra-light ball (\~1/8th as heavy as a normal 5). This allows zero chances of ball causing brain injury. (Hence the name, Soccer Zero.) It's also nice to do toe kicks! ● Injury-based foul system. This means that the rules apply even for same-team-side fouls, too. You can use your hands to protect yourself from the ball; hand balls are only called if you did it to gain an advantage. Yellow cards will cause the fouler to sit out for 120 seconds. Strong kicks of balls to anyone's head, called "face kicks", or nuts (for male players only), are yellow-card fouls even though the ball is so light it doesn't matter as much. This penalizes inconsiderate play, something we really do care about. Reckless players or anyone getting a red card is banned. (Before heading, you need to have an idea of where other nearby players are.) So, as an example, if you kicked the ball at high speed to your own teammate's head you still have to sit out for 2 minutes. ● No out of bounds. This makes it more interesting and easier to ref. ● No offsides. ● No goalies for the senior team. (The senior team is the one that is ahead in points.) This rule is used in place of an offsides rule, since it implies you cannot win by sticking some fat player who stands in front of their relatively small Pugg goal all day long. We define a goalie to be any defender intentionally within the "goal area". In turn, this *goal area* is defined as the ground in front of the goal covered by the top of the goal, were the goal to be tipped forwards onto the ground, similar to what would happen if the wind blew strongly from behind and the stakes were not secured. ● Goal resizing. Sometimes a strong player comes on mid-game after teams were picked by the two captains. If someone like Ronaldo joins a team and/or both captains agree to goal resizing to make the game more balanced the game will be stopped and the goal sizes altered to make it more even. Please don't suggest team shuffling as a better method. It destroys the team spirit. If the switched player sucks, it will add insult to injury to him or her. On the other hand, if the switched player is good, past points stack against him or her, which also destroys the game integrity, much of which is about trying to get your team to win. Goal resizing and point multiplying (each point counts as 2 for the junior team) maintains game integrity and helps maintain balance and game intensity. Games are in Silver Spring, MD. They are reffed. Clean red and blue pinnies are supplied when needed. A weekly invitation including a recap of the prior week's game is sent out to any players who want to read it. See here (https://www.meetup.com/safersoccer/boards/thread/23643732/0/). RSVPs are required. The reason is that it should increase their own enjoyment. You see, the ideal number of players for a pickup soccer game is perhaps 6x6 - 8x8; some players won't attend if they think the turnout will be low, and others will just assume the game will be cancelled even though we always play. (As a practical matter, smaller games are less fun since the comics won't have the audience they need, but, they do have two hidden benefits: shorter, more intense games/workouts and fewer face kicks/yellow cards. So we play no matter how small or large.) So non-RSVPers are a little short sighted, since they don't seem to want to maximize their own enjoyment in the long run. Rational and sane players who have a good chance of attending RSVP a week early here [and in the subgroup](https://www.meetup.com/safersoccer/). Location map (cut & paste url into a browser)(park on Plyers Mill): secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/1/7/2/600_364808562.jpeg

This Saturday, we celebrate more than a film premiere. We celebrate the power of storytelling, the strength of family bonds, and the love that connects us all. GYPASO. May 16th. 1:00 PM. Greenbelt Cinema. See you on the red carpet.

*Sometimes we invite Neurodivergent District members to join a virtual event from our Constellations community. We’re glad you’re here.* *Just to clarify, attending this event doesn’t include access to the Constellations member portal or membership. If you’d like ongoing access to events like this, along with curated member introductions for friendship or dating, you’re welcome to explore joining [Constellations](https://www.harringtonmatchmaking.com/constellations-membership).* Join us for a gentle, low-pressure walk at Brookside Gardens for women who want to connect in a calm, supportive environment. This is a space designed for ease: • small group, outdoors, and intentionally slower-paced • no pressure to socialize in any particular way We’ll spend time walking, talking (if you want to), and enjoying the gardens together at a relaxed pace. This gathering is created with care for those who are immunocompromised or benefit from a more accessible, lower-stimulation setting. To support participants with sensitivities, we ask that everyone consider arriving fragrance-free. **Please RSVP using the link below (not just Meetup)** so we can share the exact meeting location, route, and any weather updates. Click [here](https://harringtonmatchmaking.as.me/?appointmentType=91926732) to RSVP.

Welcome to Sunday Connection, a monthly **movement class and community potluck**. Join master teacher Ann Kite **in person on Sundays at 1:00 PM** at Carderock Springs Swim & Tennis Club. Dance is both an individual and shared experience. You’re welcome to interact as much or as little as you’d like. Please arrive with heartfelt respect for yourself and everyone on the floor. **Potluck** Bring a dish to share, plus a plate, fork, and cup to keep it simple and low-waste. If bringing food isn’t easy this week, just bring yourself. Your presence is the real nourishment. **Purchase tickets here:** https://www.annkite.com/sundays

**Join us in Falls Church for conversations that go beyond small talk.** Higher Grounds – Falls Church is where this growing network of gatherings began: a space for thoughtful, authentic dialogue about what matters most. Whether we’re exploring the nature of happiness, the challenges and possibilities of midlife, spirituality, culture, capitalism, parenting, or the role of art and travel in a meaningful life, every conversation is shaped by the people in the room. There’s no set leader or rigid agenda—just a shared commitment to listen as much as we speak. We start with brief introductions focused on what makes you *you* (not your LinkedIn bio), then dive straight into whatever is on people’s minds. The direction of each meetup emerges organically, making every event unique. MANDATORY: PLEASE REVIEW OUR COMMUNITY GUIDELINES IN THE GROUP DESCRIPTION. Everyone is expected to engage in respectful conversations and listen deeply as well as share. We have a zero tolerance policy of sexual harassment and hate speech. Come ready to share, reflect, and connect with others in Falls Church who are also seeking deeper conversations. **Suggested Questions: Life Stages & Transitions** 1. What did you think you'd have figured out by now that you're still completely winging? 2. When did you realize your parents' advice was for a world that no longer exists? 3. What are you finally old enough to stop pretending to care about? **Suggested Questions: Identity After the Roles** 1. Who are you when nobody needs anything from you? 2. What dream keeps resurfacing even though the "practical" time has passed? 3. How do you handle having the freedom you always said you wanted? **Suggested Questions: AI & Being Human** 1. What human experiences will AI never truly understand? 2. If machines handled all your have-to's, what would you actually do? 3. What becomes more precious as everything becomes automated? **Suggested Questions: Belief & Meaning** 1. What certainties have you given up, and what rushed in to fill that space? 2. How has knowing someone who died changed how you live? 3. What do you believe now that would shock your younger self? **Suggested Questions: The Modern Psyche** 1. What anxiety do you carry that previous generations didn't have? 2. Which of your survival strategies are you ready to retire? 3. What uncomfortable truth about happiness did it take you years to accept? **Suggested Questions: Work & Purpose** 1. When did you stop believing that your job would complete you? 2. What would you do for work if money and status weren't factors? 3. How has your definition of "making it" changed over the years? **Suggested Questions: Relationships & Connection** 1. What relationship dynamic do you keep recreating, and why? 2. When did you realize your parents were just people trying their best? 3. What kind of loneliness doesn't go away even when you're with others? **Suggested Questions: Time & Mortality** 1. What are you running out of time to say or do? 2. How differently do you spend your time knowing it's finite? 3. What will you regret not trying, even if you fail? **Suggested Questions: Society & Culture** 1. What social convention do you follow even though it makes no sense? 2. Which generation do you understand least, and what might you be missing? 3. What aspect of how we live now will seem insane in 20 years? **Suggested Questions: Personal Philosophy** 1. What rule for life did you create after learning something the hard way? 2. When did you stop believing that everyone else had it figured out 3. What paradox about life have you learned to live with?

This is an absolute beginner Bachata group class. It is specifically designed for those with no prior experience in Bachata and participations does not require having a partner. $25 per person for 90 minute class. [Click Here to Sign Up](https://form.jotform.com/250681156839162) Every Other Sunday: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm Beginner Bachata.

April showers bring May flowers! We are NPS Weed Warriors and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists and you should volunteer with us on Sunday, May 17 to learn about nature and remove invasive plants from everyone's favorite urban island. Meet us at the entrance to the bridge (on the parking lot side, look for the sign) at 10:00 and bring your garden gloves and loppers/pruners if you have them. If not, we can provide gloves and tools. Wear long sleeves and pants and don't forget a water bottle. We will have tasks ranging from easy (cutting English ivy and honeysuckle vines from trees) to hard (sawing down bush honeysuckle). Parking at TRI can be tight if it's a pretty day. When the parking lot is full, you can park in Rosslyn and take the trail down. If you can bike or walk or take public transit, that's wonderful. We'll see you there! Erica, Stephanie, and Heidi P.S. If you can't wait until then to RIP (Remove Invasive Plants!), go here to find more volunteer opportunities in Arlington parks: [Volunteer to Restore Native Habitat – Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (armn.org)](https://armn.org/volunteer-opportunities/)

**This talk has completely sold out in advance and no additional tickets will be sold at the door. A repeat of the talk at Penn Social in DC on Monday, May 18 still has tickets available.** [Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“How AI Alters Thinking,”** on dealing with artificial intelligence’s capacity to change and undermine our thought processes, with Eli Alshanetsky, assistant professor of philosophy at Temple University, principal investigator at its Cognitive Integrity Lab, and author of an upcoming book on AI and freedom of thought. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-how-ai-alters](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-how-ai-alters) .] Doctors who give bad advice can be sued for malpractice. Teachers belong to a profession with set standards. When artificial intelligence guides you, however, that guidance comes with a disclaimer: Use at your own risk. Every day millions of people take that risk, and usually AI seems genuinely helpful. But even if AI gives us good answers, might its use over time do bad things to how we think? Explore the relationship between AI and our own minds with Eli Alshanetsky, whose Cognitive Integrity Lab studies how artificial intelligence changes how we think, learn, and build trust. Author of *Articulating a Thought* and the upcoming book F*reedom of Thought in the Age of AI*, he’s on the cutting edge of efforts to answer AI-related questions such as: How can we tell when work is truly our own? How can technology support rather than replace authorship and reflection? What does trust mean when AI mediates our relationships with others and with our own thoughts? To set up his discussion of potential consequences of AI, he’ll describe how social media’s impact on society serves as a preview. Social media didn’t just give people what they wanted to click on, it actually changed what they regarded as click-worthy. It broke attention spans and fueled radicalization across millions of very different people. It left us with people who doom-scroll for hours, who can’t focus, who don’t know what to trust anymore. If you’d shown people this version of themselves ten years ago, would they have chosen it? Artificial intelligence is making a similar deal with us, but the stakes are higher. It isn’t chasing clicks. It’s optimized for giving you the most satisfying response to whatever is on your mind right now. The risk over time isn’t just that you’ll get lazy. More profoundly, even when you think hard, your sense of what counts as good thinking—as well as what sounds like you—will shift to match what AI has been feeding you. We’ll consider what kind of person this produces and whether this is someone we want to be or want children to become. Professor Alshanetsky will lay out a practical framework, which he calls “the interaction layer,” for using AI without letting it replace the thinking it’s supposed to support. He’ll also talk about what AI-related concerns should be the focus of parents and educators. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Illustration by David S. Soriano / Creative Commons.

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

## Candle Making Night at The Arcane Foundry \| Design Your Own Custom Candle **SPECIAL PROMOTION**: Buy 3 and get 1 Free! Step into The Arcane Foundry and create your own custom candle from start to finish. This is a laid back, hands-on experience where **you’ll blend fragrances, choose your vessel, and pour your own candle using 100% soy wax**. Whether you’re coming solo or with friends, it’s designed to be simple, creative, and a good time. We’ll walk you through the entire process, from picking your scents to choosing between a traditional cotton wick or a crackling wood wick. You can go with one fragrance or mix your own blend to create something completely unique**. No experience needed**, just show up and we’ll handle the rest. While your candle sets, feel free to hang out, play a game, explore the shop, or just relax and talk. Drinks and snacks are available, and the atmosphere leans into the **fantasy**, **dark academia**, and **gothic horror** vibe The Arcane Foundry is known for. Learn More: [Candle Making in Columbus, Ohio at The Arcane Foundry](https://thearcanefoundry.com/candle-making/) *** ### What to Expect: * Guided candle making experience * Choose your own vessel, wax, wick, and fragrance * 100% soy wax candles * Optional drinks and snacks * Time to relax while your candle cools *** ### Important Notes: * Please arrive on time so we can start together * Candles will need time to set before taking home * This is a beginner-friendly event *** ### RSVP Required Reserve your spot on Meetup to lock in your seat. **Candle Making** (includes vessel, your choice of wick, wax, scented oil, labels and lids) 5oz Glass Jars $15 8oz Candle Tins $25 12oz Glass Candles $35 12oz Amber Jars $40 16 oz Skull or Jack o Lantern Candle Mugs $65 (Limited Edition!) **All materials included. You just bring yourself (and your drink of choice).** **Payments accepted:** * Credit Card * Venmo: @Daclaud-Lee * Cashapp: $DaclaudL

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

Join Neurospicy Columbus at the Stauff's for coffee and then a stroll through the Book Loft nearby! This will be a friendly chat for like minded individuals with Autism and/or ADHD (or somewhere on the Neurodiverse Spectra).

**✅ Bachata Mondays with Todd Smith!** **👉 Beginner Bachata Class** **$15 In Advance / $20 At the Door** . 7:00 pm – 7:15 pm … Registration 7:15 pm – 8:15 pm … Beginner Class . **👉 Intermediate Bachata Class** **= $15 In Advance / $20 At the Door** . 8:15 pm – 8:30 pm Registration 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm Intermediate Class . **👉 If You Take Both Bachata Classes** **= $25 In Advance / $35 At the Door** . **👉 Buy Advance Tickets Now at:** . https://columbussalsadancing.com/bachata-mondays-dance-class-tickets/