New!In 1904, Canada’s Prime Minister, Wilfred Laurier, predicted that “the 20th century will be the century of Canada.” Looking back at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, what do we think of Sir Wilfrid’s prediction? What does Canada’s twentieth century look like from this vantage point in the 21st century? The…
This workshop aims to touch the entire world of opera: from its early beginnings in the 16th C. to the modern day. We will learn about and listen to the music of the historic opera repertoire, the most beautiful music in the world, and view exciting performances on stage by the most enthralling voices. There…
Please join us for lively discussions of contemporary films. At each meeting we choose two films released since 2019 and available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Kanopy, to view before the next class. Decisions about cinema films will be made on a case-by-case basis. Films may be from any genre — indies, art films, documentaries,…
Genealogy involves collecting, organizing, and analyzing information about ancestors of a particular person or family. Using databases (such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, Billion Graves) and data like birth records, marriage certificates, census data, military records, wills, archives, and family stories, a family tree can be built. We will focus on people’s experiences, people’s intentions, and the…
This group will meet to extract the wit and wisdom in politics, business, finance, culture, literature and science from this influential international journal. Subscription copies can be delivered by mail (phone 1-800-456-6086) or electronically (economist@neodata.com). At each session, the group selects about eight articles and the discussion is begun by the proposer of each article…
The New Yorker Readers workshop provides provocative and thoughtful engagement with The New Yorker magazine. At each meeting, we discuss three to five items from among recent articles, commentary, reviews, criticism, short stories, poems, cartoon contests and magazine covers. Readers choose items from recent issues and online material and let the facilitator know their willingness…
Are you interested in learning more about the highest court in Canada and how it shapes our country’s laws and policies and impacts Canadian society? Do you want to find out about the Supreme Court’s rulings affecting social, moral and ethical issues including reproductive rights, human rights, medical assistance in dying, the environment and indigenous…
Our natural world is a web of wonder, beauty and complexity. In this workshop we will take a broad look at natural phenomena through many scientific disciplines. These may include psychology, chemistry, physics, geology, bacteriology and more. We will see that there are many ways in which scientific studies overlap to inform our everyday existence.…
The workshop features all aspects of jazz such as various eras, styles, musicians, groups, and instruments. Each participant is requested to select a jazz related topic and prepare one or two presentations (depending on workshop size) of 50 minutes, the majority of which will be recorded music. Discussion occurs spontaneously during and after each presentation.…
Devoted film buffs want to share their love of fine films by viewing them together and having great discussions about them. This in-person workshop is designed for just that. The 12 films will be chosen by Workshop members and the Co-facilitators. The films will be drawn from the list of 100 Best Films as ranked…
We have all lived through significant historical shifts. Think 9/11, Oct 7th, Nov 22, 1963, or the fall of a wall in Berlin in 1989. Further back in history: 1066; 1453; the shooting of an archduke in Sarajevo; the Magna Carta of 1215; December 7, 1941; 1929; 1867; 1492; the 1455 discovery of the printing…
Spain has a long and interesting history, as successive waves of conquerors have come to the land of the original Iberian peoples, each leaving its particular marks. Looking at this gives not just the flavour of Spain, but of the Mediterranean itself. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Gauls, Celts, Goths and Visigoths with early church Roman Catholicism,…