News From CALL December 2020

Open Mic Singalong on Zoom!

On December 3 – join us for some fun and singing 6 – 9 pm on Zoom!

We have opened up the Zoom invitation to Friends, and Family — Registration is required! This will help protect us against “Zoom Bombings”

Register for Singalong We will open approximately 30 minutes before the start!

Schedule:

6 – 7 p.m. – Socializing Hour. Participants will go into different break out rooms. This gives us a chance to visit with people we maybe do not know as well, in smaller, more intimate groups.

7 – 9 p.m. – Open Mic. See dropbox for listing of songs and presenters
Dropbox folder for the songs!

December CALL Café

Monday, December 14, 2020, 1:00 pm
Online by Zoom, registration details to come.

The year-end CALL Café will feature a return of Geoff King as MC as we celebrate the acheivements of a challenging year. Agenda items include:

• A photo and music presentation from the Digital Photography group.
• We will hear how CALL is thriving as well as surviving in these challenging times and give us some things to look forward to in the new year.
• A presentation by The Reader’s Theatre.
• Tamara Seiler and Ron Foyer will discuss the collaboration with the McGill group.
• A summary of the process and reading of A Winter’s Song
• Seasonal songs by the Uke Group.
• Short singalong to finish.

SAVE THE DATE: December 14, 1 pm

CALL Collaboration with the McGill Community for Lifelong Learners (MCLL)

By Ron Foyer and Tamara Seiler

In the 2020 Spring one bright spot in that dreary lockdown time was an email from Elizabeth Robinson of the McGill Community for Lifelong Learners (MCLL). She was very concerned about what appeared to be polarizing differences between the people in Quebec and the people in Alberta. She suggested that contact between MCLL members and CALL members might help us understand each other better. So, we started two groups – an Alberta and Quebec book group and a Discussion Group. Those of us involved – about eight from each of MCLL and CALL in each group – think this has worked well. In fact, both groups will be meeting again starting in January.

The Book Group

Once the original planning group set the initiative for two collaborative groups in motion, Lorne Huston, a retired professor from Collège Édouard-Montpetit, and Tamara Seiler, a retired professor from University of Calgary, agreed to co-facilitate a group that would focus on literature from the two regions. Over the summer, Lorne and Tamara planned the group in detail—via e-mail, telephone and Zoom. The result of their effort was The Prairies and Quebec Through Their Literature, a study group aimed at providing participants with an opportunity to increase, through literature, their appreciation of these two distinctive places. Twenty participants—ten from CALL and ten from MCLL—met bi-weekly on Zoom from September 15 through November 10 to discuss four novels—two by writers from each region. The books, produced in different periods and exemplifying diverse novelistic genres and styles included As For Me and My House (1941) by Sinclair Ross; The Watch that Ends the Night (1958) by Hugh McLennan; No Fixed Address (1986) by Aritha van Herk, and Suzanne (2015), by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette. Group discussions were lively as members explored various literary aspects of the works, such as point of view and characterization, as well as the insights they offered into the Prairies and Quebec. An additional session was added to allow more time to compare and contrast the four novels, and to enable members an opportunity to socialize. The group will continue in the winter term, with two new facilitators: Sandra Ens from CALL, and John Oster from MCLL.

The Discussion Group

In planning for this, Tony Frayne from MCLL and I were concerned about potential for friction and discord within the group because of the publicized differences of opinions. So, our first session dealt with how the two provinces coped with the COVID situation, hoping it would not be controversial. We got lots of personal stories to get to know each other. On another session we talked about the economies of the two provinces. After data showed that Alberta per capita earnings are much higher than Quebec’s and taxes are lower here, one McGill member asked, ‘so where do you spend all your money’. A discussion on energy was a real eye opener to me. I learned that contrary to ‘popular’ opinion, about 50% of the oil refined in Quebec comes from Alberta and the other 50% from the USA. Who knew that Quebec has its own problems exporting energy – the hydroelectricity it doesn’t need? Some Quebecers don’t like having the very large Transmission power towers and cables being built in their province. WE have all heard similar comments about pipelines. In our final session this week we are trying to cover four social issues, if we have enough time – assisted dying, immigration, wildlife in urban settings and – back to the beginning – coping with COVID. I see the group as one place where we do truly learn from each other. I am looking forward to starting again in January

CALL 2021 Ukulele Festival

Because of pandemic restrictions on in-person meetings, our CALL 2021 Ukulele Festival is going online this year. We will be offering ukulele workshops once a month from January to June.

As we wanted to support our community talent during this time, our workshop instructors will be local musicians.

The ukulele festival is free to participants as our way of giving back to the community and a way to say thank you to past participants who have helped build up our local ukulele community!

We will meet on Zoom the third Saturday of each month and participate in a workshop with a different instructor. Once registered, participants will receive information prior to each workshop.

What: CALL 2021 Ukulele Festival
Who: Ukulele enthusiasts!
When:

• January 16 - Nico Brennan
• February 20 - James Buchholz
• March 20 - Barry Luft
• April 17 - Mustafa Kamaliddin
• May 15 - Gary Glewinski & Kyle Swenson
• June 19 - The finale; a concert featuring all the instructors

Time: 9:30-11:00 am
Where: Zoom Online. The ZOOM link will be provided to registrants.

Registration

Open: December 10, 2020. The registration link for the full Festival (all 6 sessions) will be posted on the Special Programming page.

First workshop: January 16, 2021 - Nico Brennan
More information on workshops and presenters will be provided before each session.

Interest Groups and Speaker Series in January

Offered on Zoom starting in January. Details will be announced in future newsletters and on the website.

Science and Environment: Alzheimer’s Disease: We’re Getting There

The event will be on January 5. Details and registration will be posted on the Science and Environment Speaker Series web page.

We are fortunate to have Jay Ingram back to relaunch our Science and Environment speaker series. Jay spoke to us last January (to a record number of attendees!) and those who were present will recall it as an excellent dive into the mysteries of Prions. This time, Jay will dig into some of the most pressing issues in Alzheimer’s research and treatment.

Jay will address the three questions most people have about Alzheimer’s disease:

• Will I get it?
• What Can I Do to Mitigate That Risk?
• If I Do Get It, What Then?

Speaker 
Jay Ingram has hosted two national science programs in Canada, Quirks and Quarks on CBC radio and Daily Planet on Discovery Channel Canada. He has written 19 books, which have been translated into 15 languages, has six honorary degrees, is a member of the Order of Canada and a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. From 2005-2015, he was Chair of the Science Communications Program at the Banff Centre. He is also co-founder and chair of the arts and engineering smashup called Beakerhead, which began in September 2013 in Calgary.

A Look At Islam - Online

NOTE: Registration ends January 7.
An online introduction to Islam will be offered in 10 sessions, first and third Thursdays, 1 – 3pm, January 7 – May 20. The instructor Joud Shafiq has a higher diploma in Islamic Studies and a Masters in Comparative Religions and is currently a Continuing Education instructor at the U of C. For details and registration go to A Look At Islam.

Online Sing-Along for Joy – Starting Again in 2021

This Interest Group will be starting again in January 2021. From January 12 to March 16 Sing-Along for Joy will meet on Zoom on Tuesday evenings, 7:30 – 8:30pm. Join to chase the Covid Cobwebs away. For more details and registration go to Online SingAlong.

Treks and Travels

Look for details in future newsletters and on the website.

Tip: Registering for a CALL Event

By Shauna Romanzin, CALL IT Team

CALL will be offering more online events in the near future as long as in-person meetings are restricted. Members must register for these events. The following information should make the process easier.

Registering for an Event

First sign in at the Login Icon on the website Home Page.
Then go to the Event page, and click the Register button and follow the instructions.

Confirmation Emails

Once you have registered for an event please check that you receive a registration confirmation email from the system, as this confirms that everything worked OK and you are registered properly. If you do not receive this confirmation, or if you have forgotten whether you have registered, feel free to try and register again (it will let you know if you are already registered and will not let you register twice) or contact webteam@calgarylifelonglearners.ca for support.

Cancelling an Event Registration

When the maximum number of registrations for an event is reached, a waiting list is established. If you are unable to attend an event for which you have registered, please cancel your registration by following the instructions on the CALL website. This allows us to register those on the waiting list.

This information is available on the website.

Indoor Meetings – Status Report

By Barbara Decker-Pearce

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic CALL has been working hard to make sure our members can continue learning and keep up valued social connections. We have adapted well to virtual ZOOM meetings and are excited that the outdoor walking groups have been so popular (over 125 registrants).

Over the summer, when the first wave of the pandemic began to recede, we considered a return to in-person meetings. We set up a process of approval, prepared protocols, designed a socially distanced meeting room at cSpace and identified a group willing to pilot our return to indoor meetings. The World Events 3 Interest Group facilitated by Donna Crawford came forward and volunteered to meet at cSpace on November 27 to test out our approach. Then … a second Covid-19 wave began to outdistance the first and Alberta faced a looming crisis. We reconsidered our plans and to the disappointment of many decided to postpone the pilot test. There will be a time to return to indoor meetings, but this is clearly not it.

While we have postponed the pilot test, we have not abandoned our desire to start meeting in person as soon as we can. We have set the groundwork and once it is considered safe again, we will be able to act quickly and ramp up our popular indoor meeting groups and special events. I am sure we are all looking forward to that time.

A Light-Hearted Invitation to CALL Writers

Suggested by Alana Gowdy

As you are safely self-isolating in your garret,
enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of wine,
wondering why it is dark at 4pm,
thinking about other times and places … .

WHY NOT … submit a mini light-hearted story on any topic – maximum 19 words (just because Covid -19) for the enjoyment of your fellow CALL members.

Writing a story that has character, setting, plot, and conclusion with a maximum 19 words is quite an effort.  However, CALL members enjoy a challenge and readers will appreciate the results.

This light-hearted example, which is not to be taken too seriously, is from Alana:

The kettle would boil soon and tea with his scone would diminish the taste. She’d never liked rats.

Send submissions by December 10 to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca for publication in the December 11 newsletter. Prize to be determined. Perhaps fame is the only reward.

New Interest Group "CALL-ing All Poets"

Starting in January, CALL members will meet to share their poems, giving and receiving constructive feedback in a supportive group.

If this interests you, please go to CALL-ing All Poets and register for this new Written Word offering.

Melvin Pasternak, one of the poets shares this poem:

Maples' Gift

Autumnal Boston, maples blaze scarlet,
crimson leaves
illuminate as if light shined
through a frail old man.
In Calgary,
my eye opens to see
redrose fire
neat-rowed bushes
barnred mute,
rose hips redripe in berry and stem
grasses in evening
burning with sun's slow fire.

Your CALL Newsletter

The CALL Newsletter is our way to communicate what is going on in our community. Usually we communicate to members about upcoming events, however, since all CALL gatherings are postponed for an undetermined period of time, we decided to use the newsletters as a way to ‘peek behind the curtain of CALL’, to give some general information about CALL groups and members.

You are invited to send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to newsletter@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. Let us know what your Interest Groups are doing and your strategies for coping with this situation in which the whole world finds itself. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity; not every submission will necessarily be published.

Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.