
Weekly Online Timetable
As usual, we have sent you the timetable as a separate document so that you may access it more easily. You may also see it if you click here.
The Monday Talks
In this week’s Monday Talk at 10.30 Ruth Sober talks about her ’15 years as a Metropolitan Police Volunteer’ As a Met police volunteer on the front counter at four of the Met’s police stations, she works mainly in a triage situation. Undertaking many jobs in the station, volunteers act as a police support network, allowing the officers to take statements, arrest criminals and fulfill other policing roles. In addition, Ruth has spent 5 years working at the Peel Centre in Hendon, helping to train probationary officers and CID through role play.
Next week 8 March: Mike Schraer talks on ‘The death of tolerance in medieval Spain’ Mike is an independent researcher in medieval Spanish history. Mike enjoyed a career as an economist and strategy director and, on retiring, studied for a PhD at Cambridge, on the economic lives of the Jews of medieval Aragon and Catalonia. He also researches aspects of inter-religious relationships in medieval Spain, between Christians, Muslims and Jews. He teaches at City Lit on all aspects of Spanish history.
Troubles with Zoom
Many of you are aware that we have had recurring problems with a few classes. Last week no-one could get into Stephen McGhee’s popular music talk which sadly never took place as a result. It was very frustrating for him and his audience. We know the reason; the previous class using the same U3A Zoom platform had not been shut down properly.
We have written to those of our coordinators who use our U3A platforms to remind them to “claim Host” and close down their meeting properly at the end, Gilli has shown them how to do this and would be very happy to run through the procedure again it they still can’t manage it, a responsible member of the group should volunteer to be the host. Gilli will give them the code.
Finally, if all else fails and there is no host, absolutely everyone MUST leave at the end of a meeting and only then will it close down. We must all help to keep our programme running smoothly.
From Naomi
A road map out is both wonderful and exciting. Suddenly all doors appear to be within sight of opening. Unfortunately, the small print is always there and tends to be played down so that the shine should not be taken off.
The Government has made it very clear that it hopes all restrictions are removed on 21 June, but what has not been made clear is its policy on social distancing. That will remain in place for everything whilst it is under review. The review is not scheduled to be held until the week before 21 June.
Consequently, even if it is removed then, there is not sufficient notice to put everything in place, especially the timetable, for a very quick return to the Town Hall. As much as we all want to meet again face-to-face, that cannot now happen until September. Even then, it will depend on the review held in June.
Keep smiling because the end of our enforced separation is coming. Stay well
Naomi
Footnote from Amalia
I have written to all our coordinators to find their views about returning and I want to emphasise the words that Naomi has written above. Many of them have raised the issue of social distancing too and I am sure you are aware that this will be a problem for us. Therefore, although we really hope that we will be able to open again in September and we are beginning to make plans accordingly, we cannot be sure of our situation just yet.
We will, of course, be keeping you informed.
For the fans of Wally Howard
Four talks in all this week: the penultimate and concluding episodes of The Execution of Private Slovik in the miscarriages of justice series together with parts 30 and 31 of his Memories at 95.
Watch “The Execution of Private Slovik – Part 2” on Vimeo:
Watch “The Execution of Private Slovik – Part 3/ conclusion” on Vimeo:
Watch “Memories at 95 – Part 30” on Vimeo:
Watch “Memories at 95 – Part 31” on Vimeo:
Duplicate Bridge – Enroll now!
Alan hopes he will be able to start the sessions this week. You don’t have to be a member of Alan’s regular Monday duplicate group – anyone from U3A can join but you should know how to play duplicate Bridge..The sessions will take place on Friday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00. If you would like to join the list of participants, you should email Alan to let him know that you are interested. There will be a registration fee of £5 for the nominal amount charged by Real Bridge (this amount will cover all the sessions until the Summer term ends in mid-July). If you wish to pay by bank transfer, Alan will send you his bank details.If you would rather pay by cheque, ask him to send you his postal address. Please make the cheque payable to Alan.
He will send you the link each week. All you need to do is to click on the link.
From Howard Shelter
Should you wish to listen to it I have made a single upload of short compositions of mine forming a “novelty music medley”, on Vimeo. This is fully orchestrated – click here to hear it. This link may require several attempts to work.
To make you smile
Oxford University researchers have discovered the densest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (symbol=Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called pil!ocks..Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert.
However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 to 6 years.It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganisation in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganisation will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as a critical morass. When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium (symbol=Ad), an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium, since it has half as many pil!ocks but twice as many morons.’
Some Church Notices
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hostility.
Pot-luck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
Black humour
A woman went on holiday and before she left she asked her husband to take special care of her Siamese cat. As soon as she arrived, she phoned home to ask after the cat. Her husband said ‘the cat just died!’ She burst into tears and sobbed, ‘How can you be so blunt? Why couldn’t you have broken the news gradually? Today you could have said it was playing on the roof. Tomorrow you could have added it fell off the roof and broke a leg. The third day you could have added the poor thing died during the night. You could have been more sensitive about the whole thing.
By the way, how is my mother?’ He said ‘She’s playing on the roof’
Best Wishes from the Team
Naomi Gilli Herbie Amalia and Gerta