News From CALL Mid‑April 2023

Sketch by Susan Carpenter, a member of the Sketch Club Interest Group

April Events

CALL Café Understanding Diversity of Smart Cities

Rescheduled: Monday April 17, 7:00PM at Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church.

The April CALL Café will feature Byron Miller, Professor of Geography and Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Urban Studies Program at the University of Calgary. In his presentation, Byron will illustrate just how varied smart cities are by discussing the findings of a three-year comparative research project addressing smart city initiatives in Barcelona, Stockholm, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Calgary, and Toronto. Want to know more about the global phenomenon of smart cities? Register now for Understanding the Diversity of Smart Cities.

You must be a CALL member to register but the registration process will allow you to bring 1 to 4 guests. If you were already registered, you do not need to register again.

For more information and to register, go to the CALL Café page.

Treks & Travels: Via Dinarica – Hiking in Albania

Wednesday, April 19 7:30–9:00pm Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
Speaker: Fred Swaine

Members of the public are welcome to attend for $5.

Fred is a traveller and combines exploring local cultures with physical adventure. Trekking destinations have included Chile, Colombia, Morocco, India and Bhutan. The Via Dinarica is a long-distance hiking trail conceived and developed to promote tourism in the western Balkans. Ultimately there will be three trails, however, currently there is one that runs through Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

Albania was sometimes referred to as the “North Korea” of Europe in the latter portion of the 20th century. With the demise of communism, it is now seeking to join the European Union.

The presentation will be an overview of hiking portions of the Via Dinarica in Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro along with highlights of Tirana, the capital of Albania.

Not So Common Law: Private Health Care and Canadian Law

Monday, April 24, 1:00–3:00pm on Zoom
Presenter: Jim Conway

Do patients have a “right” to access private health care?  What are the limitations on private care enacted by the Canada Health Act and provincial health care legislation? Do these statutory provisions amount to an unconstitutional breach of a patient’s constitutional right to life, liberty and security of the person?

It is not necessary for you to register for this meeting or future meetings if you are already a member of this Interest Group. If you would like to join the group, contact the facilitator, Jim Conway

For more information and to contact the facilitator, Not So Common Law page.

May Events

CALL Café: The Calgary Atlas Project

Monday, May 1, 2:00–3:30pm Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
Speakers: Jim Ellis, Shelley Alexander and Rita McKeough

At the May Café, three speakers—an editor, a writer, and an artist—will offer different perspectives on the Calgary Atlas Project. An initiative of the Calgary Institute for the Humanities, the project is producing a series of maps, nine completed so far, that document lesser-known histories of Calgary. In his presentation, Jim Ellis, director of the institute and one of the project editors, will introduce the project, describing its goals and its commitment to local historians and artists. He will be followed by Shelley Alexander and Rita McKeough who will speak about collaborating on the latest map in the series, The Animals Guide to Calgary. Interested in how maps can tell stories about Calgary that we may have overlooked? Register now for The Calgary Atlas Project.

You must be a CALL member to register but the registration process will allow you to bring 1 to 4 guests.

For more information and to register, go to the CALL Café page.

Science and Environment: Why Alberta’s Woodland Caribou Matter – Opportunities and Challenges in 2023

Tuesday, May 2, 7:30-9:30 on Zoom
Speaker: Carolyn Campbell, Conservation Director of the Alberta Wilderness Association

Woodland caribou are amazing and beautiful. They are also indicators of the health of Alberta’s boreal and foothills forests. Carolyn will describe why caribou matter, why they’re threatened here, and how they’re driving changes to land-use decisions related to our vital wetlands, waters and forest. She’ll also outline some key concerns and opportunities ahead for Alberta caribou and their habitat.

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

Speaker Event Science of Climate Change—Why Net Zero 2050?

Monday, May 15, 2:00pm–3:30pm Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church
Speaker: Dr. David Manz

What is the science behind Net Zero 2050? What are the obstacles that must be overcome to achieve this target? In his presentation, Dr. David Manz will address these questions and explain why achieving Net Zero is only possible if citizens are informed and confident in the underlying science.

Recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence for his development of the BioSand Water Filter and for his contribution to education on the science of global warming and climate change, David will explain why understanding the science of climate change is an essential tool in achieving Net Zero 2050.

Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5).

For more information, go to the Speaker Events page.

Treks & Travels: Life in La Paz, Mexico

Wednesday, May 17, 7:30-9:00pm at Varsity Presbyterian Church
Speaker: Kim Symon

Members of the public are welcome to attend for $5.

Kim frequently visits her daughter and son-in-law in La Paz, Mexico. She loves to take her camera and explore the city and surrounding areas, learning the local customs and language.

Using her photos from La Paz, she will explore the common needs of humans, birds and animals for home, food, companionship and finding her own beauty and peace.

“A splash of colour, a scene that unfolds before me…I take pictures of everything. My pictures are the stories that I will remember over time. I hope that you will enjoy my stories of La Paz through some of the photographs that I have taken.”

New Interest Groups

Finding Peace and Joy Within

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 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 and health 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 at “Finding Peace and Joy Within” 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.

Zentangle

Zentangle® is a relaxing art form that you can do anywhere. This new Interest Group will meet on four Mondays from 10:00-11:30 beginning April 24th.

For more information and to register, go to the Zentangle page.

iPhone Photography and Photo Editing

Limit – 12 participants.

This popular group will meet for five Fridays beginning May 5 from 11:00am – 1:00pm in Room 310, cSpace. Facilitator Debra Tillery will cover key subjects including hands-on application of editing tools.

For more information and to register, go to the iPhone Photography and Photo Editing page.

CALL Walks

Spring is here and summer is coming soon. Let’s get some exercise and enjoy the parks and scenic neighbourhoods of Calgary. Tuesday morning walks are continuing, usually starting at 9:30 am and ending before noon.

Starting May 16 there will also be Tuesday evening walks, usually starting at 7:00 pm and lasting about 2 hours. Currently, walks are planned for Nose Hill and Bowmont Park. The light and sounds of the evening are different from the morning. These walks may appeal to those who are busy during the day; also, the heat and chance of sunburn are greatly reduced in the evening, insect repellent may still be needed.

There are also afternoon walks on the third Sunday of each month. These walks generally range in length from 5 to 9 km. The amount of hill climbing varies from none to about 100 m of elevation gain. Please contact: activities@calgarylifelonglearners.ca to join the Walking Group and to receive information on upcoming walks. The length of walk, elevation change and expected trail conditions will be provided before you register for a particular walk.

Hope to see you.

Reports from CALL Groups and Events

Open Studio Field Trip

On a sunny spring day, members of CALL’s Open Studio Interest Group headed out to Okotoks for a guided tour of the Okotoks Library and its artwork. The Open Studio group meet via Zoom weekly, and try to get together in person every couple of months.

The Okotoks library moved into their new location, part of the Okotoks Art & Learning Campus, in 2021 and it is state-of-the-art. Along with the regular library offerings, they lend out everything from snowshoes to happy lights to film equipment. Their newest offering is Memory Kits for caregivers, which are made up of games and activities that create opportunities for caregivers and their loved one to have meaningful and engaging visits. They also offer a 3-D printing service for a fee.

Best of all, if you have a Calgary Library card, you are able to borrow items from the Okotoks library. Just keep in mind many of these items need to be returned back to Okotoks directly. The library is also a place where local artists display their work. There is artwork hanging all through the building, along with “Arts in the Hall” a collection of art that changes every 3 months. The library welcomes visitors stopping by.

The group also visited the Okotoks Museum and Archives in a beautiful old mansion on Railway Street. The visit included a presentation on period furniture, a tour of a kitchen which brought back memories for many of us, and a selection of art from the region.

Walking Made (Un)safe: Identifying Barriers to Pedestrian Safety for Seniors (a.k.a. Lifelong Learners)

– Amanda Bishop

Thank you for attending the April 10th presentation on Walking Made (Un)safe. Victoria and I had a wonderful time sharing information about our research and engaging with the CALL community. We understand there are many barriers that can make walking and/or rolling in Calgary difficult.

In our role as intermediaries, we are collecting data and using it to help make changes to pedestrian policy in Calgary. To that end, we are working and advocating for improvements in pedestrian spaces. You can assist in this effort, by visiting https://walkrollmap.org/ or by scanning the QR code on the attached postcard, to anonymously contribute information about your experience. This data will help fill the data gaps we need to facilitate wider change.

More information about our research can be found using the link below. Lastly, you are always welcome to send us an email if you want to chat more about this research.
Our contact information is:
Amanda Bishop abbishop@ucalgary.ca
Victoria Fast victoria.fast@ucalgary.ca

Bishop, A., Fast, V., Nelson, T., Laberee, K., (2023). Crowdsourcing the pedestrian experience: Who’s represented in the data? Proceedings of the Spatial Knowledge Information Canada 2023, Short Paper
8. https://skiconference.ca/2023/papers/SKI2023_paper_08.pdf

Your CALL Newsletter

The CALL Newsletter is our way to communicate what is going on in our community. It's a way to highlight events of interest, ‘peek behind the curtain of CALL’ and 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. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.

CALL Newsletter dates for posting:

• April 28
• May 12, 26
• June 16, 30

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