Monday Morning Talk and the Timetable
The list of Monday morning talks, the full timetable for this week, the short summary timetable, the latest version of the Handbook and a list of Zoom classes can be seen on our website.
From Amalia
Changes to note:
- Michael Baum’s fortnightly Medical Humanities in Room 1.29 at 12.50 will not take place this week ((30 November) but has moved instead to next week (7 December).
- Cercle Francais has moved to Room1.24 on Tuesdays at 11.50
- Stanley Volk’s Zoom Singalong is cancelled. His Singing For Pleasure in Room 2.21 on Wednesdays at 15.10 can, however, be accessed on Zoom.
- Gnosticism restarts on Friday 3 December at 12.00 – 13.00 on Zoom.
- Greek Modern Conversation. This is on Zoom until 1 December. From 8th December and beyond it will return to the Town Hall on Wednesdays at 12.50 – 13.50 in Room 1.28.
From Wally
Here we are at week eight and December is upon us! There will be three films again this week and all will be shown in Room 1.22 at 2.00pm. I hope you will find them interesting and thought provoking.
Monday 29th November’s film Life, Above All, directed by Oliver Schmitz, is a gem of a film from South Africa about deep human emotions, evoked with sympathy and love. Set in a township near Johannesburg, one with modest prosperity and well-tended homes, the film centres on 12 year old Chanda, who takes on the responsibility of holding her family together following the death of her baby sister. The screenplay by Dennis Foon is based on the novel Chanda’s Secrets by Canadian writer Allan Stratton. In his review of 2011, Roger Ebert described the film as being ” … a parable with Biblical undertones, recalling Cry, the Beloved Country“.
Wednesday’s 1st December’s film will transport us to Arkansas for the wonderfully absorbing and moving drama about a Korean family that is Minari. The writer-director Lee Isaac Chung based the film on his own childhood growing up on a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s. In his review in the Guardian earlier this year, Peter Bradshaw said of this film, “Minari already has the look of a well-loved classic, whose every scene feels familiar and loved …. … It is a film in which the details, the child’s-eye-view episodes, the calamities, the tenderly remembered touches, all sing together like a choir”.
Thursday 2nd December’s film is Fruitvale Station, based on a real life event and starring Michael B Jordan as Oscar Grant, with Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend and Octavia Spencer as his mother. In his directorial debut Ryan Coogler, with imagination and compassion, reconstructs the final 24 hours of Oscar’s life before this young black man was shot dead by a police officer on a train station platform in Oakland, California. According to Peter Bradshaw, “the resulting movie is a tough and moving drama about African-American lives: a film to be compared with Ken Loach and perhaps Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep or Michael Roemer’s Nothing But a Man.”
Have a great weekend and keep safe and warm.
Regards, Wally
U3A London History Walks
Join us for the final production in the U3A history walks series. Come on this virtual tour on Tuesday 30th November 2.00pm for a fresh take on some of the glories of the British Museum, picking up on the history of the place on the way. We are expecting a lot of participants.
From Carole Nolan
The yarn group which meets on a Monday afternoon in Room 1.33 desperately needs some help with the technique of crochet. I was wondering if there was a fellow member who might come and help us get started.
From Nigel Hathway
London Visits. A new venue is opening in 2023 dedicated to Anti-Apartheid heritage. In anticipation of this, we have been invited to a special meeting on the morning of Friday 7th January to (a) view the small exhibition “Fighting Apartheid In Islington“, (b) learn about the organisation’s work with schools and community groups, and (c) and take part in a creative activity to help design a new publicly accessible garden for the Centre that reflects the rich heritage of collaborative action against apartheid and provides an inspirational space for the communities to come together, reflect, learn and continue to strive for social justice.
From Stanley Volk
There will be an End of Term Concert with the Singing Group in Room 2.21 on 8th December at 3.30pm. Audience please wear a mask
If any U3A members who can play an instrument wishes to take part, please contact Stanley.
From Ai Li
I thought some of our members might like to see examples of Cheritas which are 6-line, 3 stanza [1-2-3] short form storytelling poems. Come and write your own on Mondays at 12.50 in Room 1.28.
not a sound
on
my rooftop
a snowflake
landing
on my tongue
sleep deprived
i’m up with dew
chanting
in your old
prayer shawl
dharamshala calling
French Advanced Conversation
There has been some confusion about the start of this class. To clarify – Rita will be pleased to meet you at 12.50 on Tuesdays in Room 1.30.
German Advanced Conversation
Don’t be put off by the word “Advanced”. Do come and converse with Charles and fellow German speakers on Tuesdays at 12.50 in Room 2.26.
Drama Group
Where are all you budding actors? Do come and join your fellow Thespians in Room 2.21 at 11.40 on Mondays.
From Pauline Malpas
Our Friday chat group meets every 3 or 4 weeks in person. We would welcome other members. If anyone is interested, they could contact me and then I would let them have details of the next venue. My hope is that eventually we could change the day we meet and transfer our custom to the U3A cafe.
From Marie Firestone
I attend a morning Zoom chat on Fridays at 10.30am hosted by Jim Taylor. The group has been doing it for a while and we were wondering if it could be put in the timetable for other members to join us, especially people who are unable to go to the building. It would also be interesting for the group to have new members. …
Carol Concert
We have our Maggie’s Royal Free Christmas Carol Concert on Wednesday 8 December at 7pm. We have local performers and choirs along with our centre team also joining the concert with their band and choir. Tickets are £15 and all proceeds go to our centre so we can continue providing free cancer support to the local community.
U3A
From the Third Age Trust: The Kindertransport migration
Steve Williams, of Arun East u3a, will be delivering his engaging and informative presentation which gives context to the events of 1939, on Zoom on 9 December at 14.00. Steve will present some of the key people, many with a u3a connection, involved in rescuing 10,000 children from the threats of Nazi occupation. He will also be introducing some important figures who are less well known.
After a break, Dame Esther Rantzen will be talking to u3a members whose lives were saved and transformed by the Kindertransport migration. Hear about their different experiences, from those who lived through it, from the next generation ensuring their family’s remarkable past is not forgotten, and from the British hosts, who have grown up with Kindertransport foster siblings.
Following on from this talk there are others in the series-Holocaust Survivor-Steven Frank and Christians, Jews and the Holocaust; A family’s journey through uncertainty on Thursday 16th December at 14.00
Book your place at these special u3a learning event, and many other opportunities, via our online events page
Best regards, John Bent
Trustee London Third Age Trust
To make you smile
Best Wishes from the Team
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Naomi
-
Gilli
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Herbie
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Amalia
