Events, January – March 2021

TSO Events
January – March, 2021

All events are being held online. To receive email about future events and how to register for them, please see our Contact Us page to sign up for the TSO email distribution list.


Aging Stronger (Online Seminar)
presented by Autumn Needles
Monday, March 8, 2021

Body systems suffer normal wear and tear as we age but some of what we think as the inevitable results of aging are actually the price we pay for not moving enough. What if we could notably decrease the risk of falling but also decrease the risk of breaking a hip if we do fall? What if we had a free method of improving our mental health and acuity as we age? What if we could have the satisfaction of a strong grip, good for handshakes and opening peanut butter jars and, it turns out, a great predictor of quality of life in aging? Movement accomplishes all of those things! It’s not hard and we all come equipped with everything we need: a body and gravity. Let’s explore the myths and the realities of aging together while putting together a tool box of ideas and exercises that will allow us to age stronger.

Autumn Needles, PMA-CPT began dancing and practicing yoga as a child. She first encountered Pilates as a young dancer at Smith College, but didn’t begin her teaching career until almost 20 years later in 2006. She taught yoga, mat Pilates and aqua-fit, then got her comprehensive Pilates certification and in early 2012 joined the teaching team at Vitality Pilates. Autumn particularly loves working with people who come to Pilates due to struggles with injuries or chronic and limiting health conditions, with the hope of finding functional strength, balance, and health in their everyday lives, as they age. With that goal, she completed a two-year training with “Nutritious Movement” to teach Restorative Exercise based on alignment principles, in 2016 and in 2018 she became a “Buff Bones” licensed instructor. “Buff Bones” is a research-based practice designed to develop bone health and strength in those at risk for, or diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia. When she’s not teaching Pilates, Autumn can be found with her nose in a book taking a walk, or up in the air on a a trapeze.


Cryptocurrency (Online Seminar)
presented by Ted Watts
Thursday, March 11, 2021

Get rich without exertion! Fabulous returns on your investment! All that is required is to invest in something that no one understands except the anonymous person who dreamed it up. Learn about “mining”, “proof”, “blockchain”, “wallets”, and much more. It is called “Bitcoin”, and it has made some rich and many others not so. What gives an electronic signal value, why is it better than money, who regulates it, how safe is it, and much more. Or, is Warren Buffet right when he counsels investors to never buy something they don’t understand? Find out and learn along with Ted Watts.

Ted Watts graduated from Whitman College and University of Washington Law School. He had a 50-year career in Law, specifically as a Civil Litigator. He also served three years as an Assistant Attorney General in the State of Washington,

Ted has taught several TELOS classes, facilitates the Constitution Club meetings and is the current President of the TELOS Student Organization.


Hummingbirds: Masters of the Air
presented by Connie Sidles
Tuesday, March 16, 2021

With their ability to hover in place, fly upside-down or backward, and cross seas without stopping, hummingbirds seem immune to the ordinary laws of physics. Their jewel-town feathers flash in the sun brighter than rubies or realms.

Find out more about one of the fiercest birds in the animal kingdom, as master birder Connie Sidles introduces you to the wonders of hummingbirds.

Connie Sidles is a master birder and long-time member of the Seattle Audubon Society, where she has been on the Conservation Committee and Chair of the Publications Committee. She has written 4 books about nature, focusing on her favorite “backyard” Montlake Fill, on the UW campus. Connie has taught many classes for the TELOS program.


TSO Presents Spring Course Preview
Meet the Instructors
Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Take a TASTE of TELOS by previewing FIVE Spring Courses presented by the instructors:

  • Paul Schmid – Enjoy Shakespeare: Henry V
  • Ray Pfortner – PhotoStyle: The Art of Arranging
  • John Jensen – The Home Front in World War II
  • Claudia Lawrey – Ballet for Balance
  • Claudia Lawrey – Dance in the Movies

All speakers are the instructors for these courses being offered in Spring Quarter.


TSO Presents Spring Course Preview
Meet the Instructors
Thursday, March 18, 2021

Take a TASTE of TELOS by previewing FIVE Spring Courses presented by the instructors:

  • Paul Schmid – Master Your Mac
  • Ray Pfortner – Focus on Photography Composition
  • John Bishop – Brit on the Border
  • Ted Watts – Technology of the Civil War
  • Mark Waldstein – Readers’ Theatre

All speakers are the instructors for these courses being offered in Spring Quarter.


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