News from CALL February 2021

 

Photo by Della Ho, CALL Digital Photography Group

Creative Projects New Session

Composition: Registration Open

Beginning February 3 we will be exploring the various principles of composition: the golden ratio, the rule of thirds, the rule of odds and focal points for the next 6 weeks. Working materials and subject matter are personal choices. Sessions will develop through collaboration and shared leadership.

In this group we explore how creativity moves us forward, brings us joy and connects us to each other. We are visual learners with a wide variety of interests and outcomes. We experiment with materials, learn some basic concepts and apply these skills to our own work. No previous art experience required. Materials are simple and easy to find.

First and third Wednesdays, 10:00am – 12 noon (Feb 3, 17; Mar 3, 17; Apr 7, 21) 2 & 4 weeks optional project time with shared leadership.

For more information and to register go to the Creative Projects page.

CALL-ing All Poets

New Members Welcome

You don’t have to be Margaret Atwood
to join our group!

We are a supportive group sharing our writings in a safe and instructive manner.

For more information and to register go to the CALL-ing All Poets page.

CALL Events in February

Check the CALL website for details of the following events. Registration is required for all these online events. You must be a member to register.

Tuesday, February 2, 7:30 – 9:00pm. Science and Environment

Capturing Carbon for Planet and Profit
Speaker: Madison Savilow
CO₂ and other greenhouse gases (GHG) represent an existential threat to our planet. We must reduce our production of the gases that are disrupting climate and our ecosystems. GHG’s already produced will remain in our atmosphere for hundreds of years and continue to degrade our environment, unless we are able to remove them.

For more information and to register go to the Science and Environment page.

Thursday, February 11, 1:00 – 3:00pm (first of 10 sessions). A Look At Islam
Registration for all sessions will end on February 10.

Instructor: Joud Shafiq, PhD
In response to overwhelming interest, this 10-session series will be offered a second time, beginning on February 11, on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month (Feb 11, 25; Mar 11, 25; April 8, 22; May 13, 27; June 10, 21)

This 10-session series will serve as an introduction to Islam, or if some prefer, Islam 101. Please plan to attend all sessions if at all possible. No drop-ins – no single session registrations.

For more information and to register go to the A Look At Islam page.

Wednesday, February 17, 1:00 – 3:00pm. Your Alberta Pensions in the Time of Climate Change

Presenter: Adam Scott
If you or someone you know is currently receiving or contributing to a defined benefit public sector Alberta pension plan this webinar will be of interest.

Do you have concerns about how responsibly your pension fund is invested? Are the moneys being invested to bring the best return on your dollar in the long term? Are they being managed in the best interests of the pension holders and the health of the planet?

For more details and registration go to the Your Alberta Pensions in the Time of Climate Change page.

Wednesday, February 17, 7:30pm. Treks and Travels

France by Bike and Barge
Presenter: Patricia Fosbrook
It was a new and exciting idea to join a group of family members to bike and barge in France. There were 17 people in this guided biking group. New friendships were formed with travelers from Sweden and the US during a wonderful and safe trip of lasting memories.

For more details and registration go to the Treks and Travels page.

Saturday, February 20, 9:30 – 11:00am. Ukefest 2021
We are going ONLINE this year! Our Festival Workshops will be once a month from January to June, 2021. (For this event only, membership is not required.)

For more information and to register go to the Ukefest 2021 page.

Thursday, February 25, 10:00am – 12:00 noon Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and How it is Accessed in Alberta

Presenter: June Churchill
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has been legal throughout Canada since June of 2016. In Alberta, (June 2016-August 2020), 1,351 have died using MAID, and 190 have applied but did not meet the legal criteria. MAID accounts for approximately 2% of all deaths in Alberta.

This presentation will explore MAID as an end-of-life option, the application process, criteria, and current legislation. You will also hear a first-hand story about a family’s experience with MAID, and we will answer your questions.

For more details and registration go to the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and How it is Accessed in Alberta page.

New Creative Arts Coordinator

We are pleased to announce that Diane Devonshire has volunteered to take on the role of Creative Arts coordinator. Diane has supported CALL for several years and has enjoyed being a member of Great Director Film Series as well as the Sketching classes. She is currently participating in the Prairie and Quebec Novels group as well as the Prairie and Quebec Current Issues (Vive La Difference) series. Diane grew up in Montreal and has been in Alberta since the 1970s. She considers herself the beneficiary of the best of what the Canadian mountain and urban landscapes have to offer. She worked as a Management Consultant at The City of Calgary and as a sessional instructor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. Her interests include travel, abstract landscape painting, reading and hiking in the Bow and Elbow Valleys.

Creative Arts provides programming for CALL members who would like to share and stretch their creative talents. If you have an idea for new programming in this area, we are sure Diane would be happy to hear from you. CALL programs start with volunteers who have a passion for learning and a willingness to get involved. Thanks Diane for your willingness to take on the task of supporting and coordinating our Creative Arts programs.

CALLing all Writers and Visual Artists

Do you have a story to tell? Are you a poet, an essayist, a short story author, a visual artist? Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy (BULLA) is compiling a collection of works that explore the themes of hope and resilience in the time of COVID.

Hope and Resilience Under Covid-19 will be published as both a paperback and an e-book in summer, 2021. All genres welcome: fiction, memoir, haiku, flash fiction, photography, drawings, paintings. Deadline for submissions March 20, 2021. For more information, download the project announcement and the submission details.

CALL Limericks

Thanks to Alana Gowdy we called – and you answered!

By Shauna Romanzin Although he was eager to learn, Catching COVID became a concern. So with iPad in hand, His CALL world did expand, Now Gramps is a technical nerd.	By Brenda-le Graff: "Back in Jr. High, Grade 8, when our English teacher instructed our writing class, my limerick submission won. It must have tied a wonderful emotion to my memory because I have never forgotten that little ditty some 50+ years later." I wish that my room had a floor, I don't so much care 'bout a door, But this walking around Without touching the ground Is getting to be quite a chore!	By Kathy Newman The group had a certain appeal Free music at home was a steal But thinking it through She wondered anew If this was too good to be real. With limited interest she went This knowledge won’t pay for the rent However she decided And also was guided To check out what it all meant. Although he was eager to learn Offered classes he did spurn This is my earned time To work on a rhyme For leisure is what I yearn.
By Ron Beugin Although he was eager to learn, Often his brain would just churn. But after he joined CALL It was no problem at all And his worries were no longer a concern.	By Julia Melnyk Although he was eager to learn He didn’t have money to burn So he signed up for CALL And had a real ball Then he offered to help in return. With limited interest she went To her very first CALL event Although she used Zoom She found there was room To learn and enjoy the time spent.	By Gail Kingwell With limited interest she went To a CALL Science event. The speaker was wise, On him were no flies. Now Alzheimer's she can prevent!

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.