<p>We're in the midst of autumn, and kids are back in school.</p><p>While I don't miss the note-taking, paper-writing and test-taking part of college, I do miss other aspects of academia. One thing especially: attending informative, interesting lectures. You know the kind I mean: Experts passionately share about history, an idea or something else they're knowledgeable about, and it's so interesting you forget you're in class.</p><p>If you're like me and find yourself feeling nostalgic for school, don't worry there are a lot of great opportunities for learning in our own community (and there's no test-taking required).</p><p>First there are the special speaker events. The recent centennial commemoration of the Ghadar Indian nationalist political party founded in Astoria in 1913 is a good example. It provided a riveting panel discussion in early October. The audience in the Liberty Theater listened attentively as visiting researchers and college professors shared the history of the Ghadar party and how and why it was formed. Events like this don't happen all the time, but when they do, they're worth checking out.</p><p><a href="http://www.coastweekend.com/yourcw/learn-something-new-at-a-local-lecture/article_ecb4e7a0-34f8-11e3-b415-0019bb2963f4.html">Keep reading...</a></p>