YCLML 001 - MCLL Lectures

Organizer: Alain Lessard

If you want to improve your conversation skills in French, MCLL will assign you a partner from a French-language community organization for seniors who want to improve their English. The two partners arrange between themselves when they will meet up in person for one hour of conversation per week, alternating between French and English.  Many participants enjoy this activity because, in addition to practicing a second language, they find it interesting to converse with people from a different background.

A one-time fee of $10 applies to access this workshop.

Presenter: Howard Eisenberg 

Throughout history, humanity has often embraced flawed models of reality, like the pre-Copernican belief that Earth was the center of the Universe. This lecture holds that today’s societal breakdown and the multiple looming existential threats are the consequences of another such error: the materialistic-reductionist paradigm, which views reality solely through physical matter and measurable mechanisms.  

Presenter: Frank Nicholson 

Born in 1767 to a humble family, Manuel de Godoy, a handsome royal bodyguard, rose to become Spain’s Prime Minister at just 25 (helped, it was whispered, by his intimate relationship with the Queen). Celebrated as “Prince of the Peace,” Godoy ruled at a turbulent time of war, reform and scandal, navigating fragile alliances, suffering defeat at Trafalgar and witnessing Spain’s loss of colonies. Overthrown in 1808 and exiled when Napoleon invaded France, Godoy spent the rest of his 84 years in obscurity.

Presenter: Maxine Ruvinsky

Room: 225 

This lecture is about keeping a commonplace book to spark or reinvigorate your writing, whether you write for publication or simply for pleasure (or both!).

Presenter: Russell Chapman 

Humour can take many forms, from the subversive to the sarcastic. Mordecai Richler’s novels use humour subversively to undermine social expectations and conventions. Richler has been described as an equal opportunity insulter, challenging the norms of many groups, ridiculing conventional values - and not subtly. His novels have memorable characters and dialogue. We will examine excerpts from selected novels that will have us both grinning and cringing. This on-line lecture is a repeat of a previous in-person talk.

Presenter: Romano DeSantis and Giovanna DeSantis 

A piece of visual art - a painting, photograph or sculpture – tells a story, conveys a message, and evokes emotions. So does creative writing, whether prose or poetry. The lecturer shares his personal journey comparing and contrasting these two expressive forms. He explores how they communicate meaning, using hands-on projects transforming visual art into writing and vice versa, and aided by digital tools including AI.

Presenter: Harald von Cramon

Room: 225

The practice of recording language in written form arose independently in four separate regions of the world, each employing a distinctly different approach. We will explore the evolution of written languages and how these writing systems developed thereafter.

Presenter: Randy Kritkausky 

Living in Vermont and Montreal, and working with Canadians in the international arena, has provided me with insights into two distinct cultures. What happens when Canada’s collaborative ethic and embrace of diversity confronts a rising tide of aggressive diplomacy and ethnocentrism on its doorstep? This may be Canada’s moment to seize and thereby gain global diplomatic leadership. I will present first-hand accounts of successful and unsuccessful cross-cultural encounters pointing to a path forward.

Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong 

Room: 241

Janusz Korczak was a respected Jewish-Polish pediatrician, author, and educator who - after refusing offers to escape Nazi-occupied Poland - died heroically in the Treblinka concentration camp, alongside the children from his orphanage.

(See: Janusz Korczak / Historical Figures of the Holocaust / Yad Vashem -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGwnMgEx6b8 ). This presentation is a special tribute for International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27, 2026).

Presenters: Romano DeSantis and Giovanna DeSantis

This lecture explores Flipped Classroom and Blended Learning, an approach that shifts focus from teacher-led instruction to student-driven engagement. Combining at-home prep with in-class collaboration, it’s now widely accessible and enriched by digital and AI tools. Drawing on MCLL Study Group experience, the session will review what the strategy involves, why it enhances class time, and how it can be effectively applied at MCLL.

Presenter: Jean-Piere Raymond

Room: 241

This lecture will examine how the Canadian Army mobilized, deployed, utilized, and eventually demobilized its units for service in World War II. Canada raised eight divisions and three independent brigades, which saw action in northwest Europe, Italy, Hong Kong, and Alaska. In addition, the Army was tasked with defending Canada itself and various territories considered part of its strategic defense, including Newfoundland, Jamaica, Bermuda, and Barbados.

Presenter: Doug Woolidge

Room: 225

After looking at a map of China and learning about regional Chinese dialects, we will focus on the sounds of Mandarin and the ways Chinese characters are written and classified. Finally, we will look at aspects of the Chinese language that might appeal to those with a casual interest, as well as to others who are considering learning Chinese.

Presenter: France Bouthillette

Room: 241

This lecture, designed in partnership with the Regional Public Health Department, focuses on recognizing the various risk factors for falls among seniors and offers practical advice for changing certain daily habits. 

Presenter: Richard Flanagan

Room: 225

We will explore European life in a post-Roman world, tracing the emergence of a new European order after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This age was witness to the Viking invasions, the Crusades, the Black Death, the founding of the first universities in Bologna, Oxford, and Paris, the discovery of distant lands, and the spread of new ideas and technologies. These dramatic changes reshaped daily life, political structures, and cultural developments.

Presenter: Maxine Ruvinsky

Room: 241

Nonfiction: the only genre of writing defined by what it is NOT. Long considered a lesser form of literature, nonfiction writing has finally come into its own. This lecture addresses some methods and strategies employed by writers to produce first-class (read: creative) work.

Presenter: Harry Belsey and Frank Nicholson

Moderator of a military history study group in Cambridge, England, Harry Belsey will lay out the shadowy espionage that protected Queen Elizabeth I and her government. We’ll hear about William Cecil, his brilliant son Robert, and Francis Walsingham, often called the “spymaster general.” Their intelligence networks - built on codebreaking, informers and entrapment - foiled conspiracies, unmasked Mary Queen of Scots’ plots, warned of the Spanish Armada of 1588, and during the reign of James I, thwarted the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Presenters: Matt Del Vecchio and Mark Barbieri

Each speaker will present valuable and up-to-date information to assist seniors facing life-altering decisions: how to age in place effectively; options for financing various plans, including through a reverse mortgage; and strategies for downsizing and preparing your home to sell at the highest value. Note: Presented at the Atwater Library in 2024.

Presenter: Richard Flanagan

Room: 225

Part 2 of our exploration of European life in the Middle Ages focuses on the vicissitudes of daily existence. How did people navigate a world marked by widespread illiteracy, rampant disease, and deep-rooted superstition? And yet, despite these formidable barriers, a new world order gradually emerged, one that would ultimately eclipse the legacy of Rome. Attendance at Part 1 is not required.

Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong

Room: 241

Since winning Holland’s Got Talent in 2013 - at the age of nine - Amira Willighagen has become an international singing sensation in classical crossover music. Using a portion of her tour proceeds, she founded a charity to support underprivileged children in South Africa. An angelic voice and a generous heart make her a remarkable artist worth discovering.

Watch: Amira Willighagen – Nessun Dorma (HD) – Winner Finals Holland’s Got Talent (Dec. 29, 2013) — www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8KrpwqxE4g

Presenters: Tony Cleaver and Frank Nicholson 

Our speaker, who recently retired from teaching economics at a British university, will explain how the last fifty years have seen a trend for big businesses to “financialize” – to move away from making and selling real goods and services, to buying and selling debt. Governments have contributed to this by deregulating markets, privatizing public services and reducing taxes. The result has been recurring crises, soaring house prices, increasing social inequality and stagnated economic growth.

Presenter:  Hilliard Goldfarb 

Titian ranks as the outstanding portraitist of the Italian High Renaissance, regarded as such by his international contemporaries. Many of his portraits are relatively straightforward. This lecture will focus on four works from throughout his career, two in which the portrait allusions are subtle and significant, one that converts sacred history to self-serving ostentation through portraiture, and one of global ambition through erotic mythology. The lecturer is Emeritus Senior Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Presenter:  Suzanne Charlton 

Room: 241

Canadian classical musicians are celebrated worldwide for their genius and musical skills. Join us as we listen to and discuss the work of renowned figures such as Oscar Peterson, Glenn Gould, Maureen Forrester, Measha Brueggergosman, James Ehnes, Ben Heppner, Bramwell Tovey, and more. Composers, singers, pianists, violinists, conductors... Classical Canada has it all!

Presenter: Lewis Cattarini

Room: 225

We will screen John Frankenheimer’s 1962 classic, featuring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury. The film’s ingredients of political paranoia and psychological terror will be introduced and explored as themes of the neo-noir genre. Please note that this session will exceed two hours to allow time for the full screening (126 minutes), an introduction, and a post-screening discussion. 

Presenter: Harald von Cramon

Room: 225

In 1917, a major collection of art from the 14th through 16th century (including Botticelli, Bosch, Holbein et al) was auctioned off in Berlin. As a grandson of German jurist Richard von Kaufmann, I have always wondered where these treasures might be found today. With the help of the computer, I have been able to trace about half of the 164 paintings in the auction catalog, and I now know what they really looked like in full colour. Let me share them with you.

Presenter: Jean-François Cliche

Room: 241

Geothermal heat pumps are an elegant solution for heating and cooling homes while reducing energy needs and greenhouse gas emissions. In this lecture, I will demystify the technology by recounting my experience in installing such a system in my century-old row house in Westmount. I will discuss my motivations and constraints, the options I considered, how the system works, the available financial aid, the installation process and the performance review after a year in operation.

Presenter: John Felvinci

The Big Bang, long considered the starting point of our Universe, is now being reinterpreted in new ways. Some suggest it occurred many billions of years earlier than previously thought; others propose that cosmic inflation may have preceded it, delaying its actual “birth.” Recent measurements from the Webb Telescope and emerging ideas about dark matter point to the need for a revised understanding. This lecture will review these new developments.

Presenter: Tony Frayne

Room: 225

Between 1945 and 1960, Western Europe saw lasting transformations. In Germany, Adenauer led a long economic boom, restoring West Germany’s role as Europe’s top economy. De Gaulle brought a new constitution and optimism to France. In Britain, Attlee’s Labour government introduced the welfare state, nationalized key industries, and reduced the dominance of the elite. The era also marked the end of the British Empire and laid the groundwork for what would become the European Union.

Presenter: Frank Nicholson

This talk will tell the story of Federico García Lorca, Spain’s most famous literary figure of the 20th century. It will cover his roots in Granada; his friendships with Dali, Buñuel and other avant-gardistes; his sexual orientation struggles; his visit to the United States in 1929; his populist touring theatre company; his marvelous poems (e.g., Lament for a Bullfighter) and plays (e.g., Blood Wedding); and his murder by the Nationalists at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Presenter: Hilliard Goldfarb

Celebrated for his artistry and intellect, Poussin spent most of his career in Rome, where he painted two unique series on the seven sacraments. Drawing on early Church history and Roman antiquity, these works reflect profound scholarship and personal commitment. We’ll explore their contrasts, symbolic layers, religious context, and the role of archaeology in shaping their meaning. The lecturer is Emeritus Senior Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong

Room: 241

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935): The “tinker” and “thinker” of the Middle East. The writer of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a book praised by W. Churchill, master of the English language. A “soldier” and “spy” for the British Empire…an enigmatic and complex figure whose sudden death at age 46 gave rise to conspiracy theories. Let’s discuss the legacies of T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia).

Presenter: Marna Muray

Lise Meitner (1878 – 1968), an Austrian and Swedish nuclear physicist, played an essential role in the discovery of nuclear fission. Her long partnership with Otto Hahn, and collaboration with her nephew Otto Robert Frisch, helped her understand the splitting of the atom. Nuclear fission led to nuclear power and the atomic bomb. Meitner was invited to participate in the Manhattan Project; however, she declined, saying, “I will have nothing to do with a bomb.” See: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/89AZmxrZs0M

Presenter: Paulette Breau

In this lecture, retired Police Sargeant Breau explores the origins, evolution and role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in shaping Canada’s national identity. From its origins as the North-West Mounted Police to its evolution into today’s RCMP, the force’s contributions to frontier justice, law enforcement, and its international reputation will be examined. Join us for a nuanced look at Canada’s most iconic police institution.

Presenter: John Felvinci

Pamela Harriman, born in 1920 and first married to Randolph Churchill, became Winston’s most valuable daughter-in-law due to her important information-gathering activity during the Second World War. Called “the greatest courtesan of the 20th century”, she had, by the 1980s, transformed into a kingmaker of the Democratic Party, selecting future presidential candidates. She died in 1997 in Paris while serving as U.S. Ambassador.