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News From CALL January 2025
Sketchbook pages, by Jane Harrison from the CALL Sketch Club
President’s Message
- Adrienne Kertzer
For many of us, December is a busy month, not just because of seasonal celebrations but also because at the end of the month we make resolutions. In the spirit of resolving to do things better next year, here are some resolutions I recommend:
Resolution #1: Remember to keep your Zoom Client up to date.
On February 1, 2025, Zoom is implementing a Software Lifecycle Policy. If you are running an end-of-life Zoom Client version on that date, you will be logged out. If you don't have your device set up to update Zoom automatically, go to the CALL homepage and click on the link Update to the latest Zoom that appears under Technical Help. That link will take you to Zoom Support's instructions on How to Download the Newest Zoom Changes.
Resolution #2: Periodically review the list of Interest Groups and Study Programs.
Do not assume that an Interest Group that was full in the past has no room for more members in the new year. The webpage Interest Groups and Study Programs is a terrific resource for knowing which groups are accepting new members. Contact the facilitator to see if there is space and if there is not, ask if the facilitator keeps a waitlist. Don’t overlook study programs that will begin in the new year. These include Sustainability Matters: Calgary in Transition and if you’re away in January but back in March, check out Medieval History: The First Crusade.
Resolution #3: Keep informed about other kinds of CALL programming.
CALL offers a variety of programming beyond interest groups and study programs. To see what is available, click on the dropdown menu accessible from the CALL homepage under the Programs tab. The dropdown menu provides links not only to our Speaker Series, but also to independent Speaker Events and other Special Programs. There’s a lot going on!
Happy New Year!
As always, you can reach me at president@calgarylifelonglearners.ca.
Review: Water (In)security
Slides from Science and Environment presentation on Water (In)security are now posted on the CALL website.
If you don’t know what ‘water security’ is you would have had a much better understanding after listening to Dr. Tricia Stadnyk’s informative and engaging December 3 presentation for CALL’s Science and Environment Speaker series where she addressed, among other topics:
- Costs of extreme weather
- The drought of 2023-2024
- Alberta’s water supply, water sources, supply allocation, infrastructure deficit
- The societal challenges facing us
Dr. Stadnyk is Professor and Canada Research Chair at the U of C, holding joint appointments in the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculty of Arts,where she leads a team of hydrologists, engineers, policy specialists and artists who study the impacts of climate change on water supply and security. She is also the Director of Science4Action for the U of C United Nations University Hub where the mission is to translate complex scientific research to ‘bridge the gap between science, policy and society’. She demonstrated those skills in her presentation where she gave clear explanations of the many water security issues facing us.
The excellent slides used to illustrate her talk have now been posted on the CALL website. These will be available until January 10 for you to review, revisit and absorb.
The CALL Science and Environment Speaker series team (Laszlo Jamniczky, Tom Jack, Steve Mason and Steve Edworthy) plan these monthly presentations for the first Tuesday of every month from October to June. They identify and contact potential speakers, ensure that the information is made available on the website and in the newsletter and work with the CALL Zoom Team’s Michael Taylor to offer webinars that we can enjoy from the comforts of our own homes.
This year’s topics have included:
- Exploring Asteroid Bennu
- Weather Forecasting Techniques Today
- Urban Wildlife Encounters
- Is an Electric Vehicle Right for You?
Don’t miss the next presentation on January 7, Squirrels of Alberta by Dr. Jessica Haines of MacEwan University, who says she ‘fell in love with (squirrels) because they are tough animals with so much personality.’
January Events
Science and Environment Speaker Events
Squirrels of Alberta
Tuesday, January 7, 7:30–9:00pm via Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Jessica Haines
Photo by Jessica Haines
Did you know there are 14 squirrel species in Alberta? Join us as we learn more about this fascinating group of charismatic mammals. We’ll talk about where you can find squirrels, the adaptations that they have to live in their environments, and where you can download your own Squirrel ID Guide for free so you can continue learning more about squirrels after this talk. We will also talk about squirrel conservation and how you can help us learn more about declining squirrel populations in the province through submitting your observations to iNaturalist.
Dr. Jessica Haines is an assistant professor at MacEwan University. She enjoys teaching about ecology, evolution, and conservation biology and is currently studying the Franklin’s ground squirrel in Alberta, in collaboration with Nature Alberta. In her spare time she likes to be outdoors exploring nature, usually accompanied by her two Labrador retrievers.
Note, you must be a member of CALL to register for this session.
Health and Wellness
Obesity, Hypertension, and Diabetes Type 2 Epidemic
Monday, January 13, 1:30–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: Dr. Davi Rumel
Dr. Davi Rumel has spent most of his career in the field of epidemiology in Brazil and Alberta. His focus will be on Diabetes Type 2. Learn more about this speaker at the Health and Wellness page.
Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5 at the door). Registration is not required.
Treks and Travels
Cape Town to Cairo - A Unique Road Trip
Wednesday, January 15, 7:30–9:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Acres Drive NW
Speaker: Janet A. Wilson
Photo by Janet A. Wilson
Join us on a journey with Janet A. Wilson, a South Africa-born author and adventurer passionate about Africa’s wilderness, wildlife, and diverse cultures. In 2006 Janet and her husband, Tom Feuchtwanger, embarked on a daring adventure driving 40,000 km across East Africa from Cape Town to Cairo in a Land Cruiser with a rooftop tent. With her personal photos and captivating stories you’ll feel like you’re right there with her as you meet the gorillas in Rwanda, visit an elephant orphanage, traverse the Sahara Desert and more.
This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in East Africa’s rich wildlife and diverse cultures. This adventure promises to be a unique and enriching experience that will broaden your horizons and leave you with a deeper understanding of this fascinating region.
Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5 at the door). Registration is not required.
CALL Café
Calgary General Hospital: Telling a Calgary Story
Monday, January 20, 1:00–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: Deb Lee
Perhaps you were born there, were a patient, or worked there?
The Calgary General Hospital was the primary centre for health care in our city for many decades. The hospital closed and was imploded in 1998 so today, a memorial wall is the only visible reminder of its long presence in Bridgeland.
In this presentation you’ll learn about ‘the General’ from its humble beginnings in a rented house to its final years. At this event, Deb Lee will tell us about the 108-year history of the CGH and the Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association’s plans to keep the story of ‘The General’ alive.
Deb Lee spent her formative years in Manitoba and came to Alberta in 1975, arriving in Calgary in 1982. She is now a 25+ year resident of Bridgeland Riverside. After a 40‑year career in Nursing – as a front-line nurse, educator, director of care and clinical nurse specialist – she now has time to pursue other interests. Deb started to explore history and specifically that of her adopted community. This interest was encouraged by Don Smith, U of C history professor emeritus, whom she met at a CALL event. Her research has led her to get involved in a project that is very meaningful to her and her community.
Members of the public may attend without registering and at no cost. CALL Members are asked to register for planning purposes.
If you decide to invite guests after you have registered, cancel your first registrations using Cancellation Tips (under Technical Help), then register again, and finally indicate the number of guests that you will bring.
Speaker Event
Citizen Sailor Virtual Cenotaph (CSVC) Project Talk
Wednesday, January 29, 2025, 1:00–2:30pm (rescheduled after weather cancellation)
Sanctuary - Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speakers: Greg McKenzie and David Mitchell
During the Second World War, 2,170 members of the Canadian Navy died. Four hundred of these casualties were from the regular Navy. The remaining 1,769 were Naval reservists or citizen sailors. The goal of the CSVC project is to write a short biography for each of the 1,769 reserve sailors who were lost. Greg McKenzie and David Mitchell are both former Naval Reservists, local history buffs and members of the volunteer research team for the CSVC Project. They will give a presentation on the project, its process and results.
This presentation is open to members, guests and the public. Registration is not required.
February Special Program
Special Program
"They Didn't Know We Were Seeds"
Thursday, February 6, 1:00–2:00pm
Temple B'nai Tikvah, 900 47 Ave SW
Join us at the Temple B’nai Tikvah (TBT) Gallery with Curator Jennifer Eiserman as we tour “They Didn't Know We Were Seeds", an art exhibition by Saskatoon-based artist Carol Wylie, featuring 18 portraits – nine of Holocaust survivors and nine of Indigenous residential school survivors. The project began in 2016 after Wylie attended a Holocaust memorial service and recognized parallels between the experiences of these two groups, including forced family separations, dehumanization, and cultural suppression. Through her portraits, Wylie aims to honor the resilience and strength of these individuals, preserving their stories as firsthand accounts become increasingly rare.
The exhibition's title is inspired by the Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos' line, "They buried us... they didn't know we were seeds," reflecting the survivors' ability to grow and thrive despite attempts to oppress them. By presenting these personal narratives, Wylie encourages viewers to engage with the subjects' histories, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of shared human experiences.
Registration is limited to 20 attendees. Registration will be open until February 1. You must be a CALL member to register. A waitlist will be established in case of cancellations. If there are sufficient numbers on the waitlist, we may be able to schedule a second tour group. Street parking is available in front of the office doors and in the parking lot beside the temple. Enter through the office doors.
Interest Groups and Study Programs
A Winter Session of Sustainability Matters
Calgary in Transition
Six Tuesdays, Jan. 21 to Feb. 25 10:00am–12:00pm
Crescent Heights Community Association, 1101 2 St NW
Facilitator: Dr. Noel Keough
Calgary is at a crossroads. The economy that built our city is fading under economic pressures and climate crises. But a more vibrant Calgary is within our grasp. What can we learn from cities around the world? How can we best leverage our own intellectual resources and cultural assets? What is our role and responsibility in the global transition? Explore such questions in Sustainability Matters – Calgary in Transition, a study program facilitated by Dr. Noel Keough, author of Sustainability Matters: Prospects for a Just Transition in Calgary, Canada’s Petro‑City.
For more information and to register, go to the Sustainability Matters page.
Finding Peace and Joy Within
New Session!
Wednesdays, 10:00am–12:00pm, Jan 22 to March 12
Room 310, cSPACE Marda Loop
Facilitator: Barry Ronellenfitch
There is a universal human desire to be happy and to avoid suffering. And for the wise, this desire extends to those we love and to our community. We try to fulfill that desire through our outer world – family, career, service, hobbies, recreation, etc. Through modern technology, we now have wealth, health, and social connection to an extent that our ancestors (and many in developing nations) could only dream of. Yet which of us is truly happy and free of suffering? Do you have the feeling that “something” is missing?
We have known since we were small children that we have a mind and a body. However, we have a third, inner resource that we easily overlook, that can provide a source of uncaused joy and respite from suffering.
Please join us to have a direct experience of this resource to help you have a happier and more fulfilled life.
For more information and to register, go to the Finding Peace and Joy Within page.
Announcements
The Founding Years Report
After posting the report last month, we had some very helpful feedback from Ona Stonkus – one of the founding members. Ona was able to locate an interesting document that Arlene and Bob Stamp created in 2014 recording their memories of the early years of CALL. We have added it as an Appendix to the Founding Years report and with Ona’s assistance, updated the report. It is now available at on the CALL web site:
To read this report,
| log into the CALL website with your email and password; | Then click on Member Only Resources | and find The Founding Years under Learn More. |
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December Blog Post
Having a S.M.A.R.T. Conversation
- Maureen Osis, CALL Communications Team
December means holidays, travel and family visits. Some of these will be joyful occasions. Others will be marked by tension and disagreements. It is timely to read about S.M.A.R.T. conversations.
In my career as a Marriage/Family Therapist, I met many families who were struggling to respond to situations that required sensitive conversations. Sometimes a “generation gap” resulted in misunderstanding. For others, lifelong patterns of communication got in the way.
When these individuals asked for a tool that they could use – a way that they could handle stressful conversations – I developed the S.M.A.R.T approach to communication.
Hope you enjoy reading this, and our previous Blog posts. The links are on our website’s main page.
The CALL Blog is public, so please share it with your family and friends. It is easy to do. Just copy the URL https://calgarylifelonglearners.ca/Blog-SMART-Conversations and paste into an email or text message.
If you are on Facebook, please share the web page and help us to spread the word about CALL.
Please follow us on Facebook.
If you have a topic that you would like to write with me, I would welcome your interest.
Any questions or feedback, please contact me: blog@calgarylifelonglearners.ca
CALL Blog Posts from 2024
Have you read our monthly Blog posts? In January 2024, CALL started a monthly Blog to focus on topics related to “Lifelong learning for the JOY of it – for the HEALTH of it.”
You can find the link to the Blog on the main page.
The first post described how CALL provides a unique model of affordable, innovative, and flexible learning for mid-life and older adults. In another post, CALL Member Dr. Alana Gowdy talked about the value of CALL in providing “Lifelong Learning for the Health of it”. Another CALL member, Melvin Pasternak, discussed how reading, writing or listening to poetry can improve our mental health.
You can learn more about “Intergenerational Programs” and ways that each of us can reduce “Ageism” and “Youthism”. Other posts have described “Late Bloomers” – people who have pursued a new talent or interest in later life, displayed “Resilience” or engaged in “Playfulness” to improve overall health. The final post of the year describes a S.M.A.R.T approach to communication that can help you to handle stressful conversations.
If you missed reading these posts, we encourage you to browse the topics and select those of interest to you. Please share with your friends/family and help us to promote CALL.
The CALL Newsletter
- Newsletter Team
Did you know that we appreciate receiving articles from our members? We are happy to publish articles that celebrate CALL. Your personal experience about how you have benefited would be a valuable contribution to this newsletter. Please send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to communications@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.
CALL Newsletter postings 2025
- January 24
- February 28
- March 28
- April 25
- May 23
- June 27
- August 22
Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.