YCLML 001 - MCLL Lectures

Presenter: Tania Chomyk

This workshop builds on the Dream Big: Vision for Success workshop held in Fall 2024, but it’s open to anyone looking for inspiration to create or refine their vision. Participants will have the opportunity to share their goals, learn strategies to overcome obstacles, and stay focused on what matters most. Whether you’re continuing your journey or just beginning, this workshop will help you stay inspired and take actionable steps toward achieving your dreams!

Presenter: Robert Tittler

We may all know the familiar, iconic portraits of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. But there is another kind of portraiture in the Tudor era, one produced by anonymous, native English painters, outside the court circle, who were employed by, e.g., the merchants, professionals, and local officials. Its lack of refinement keeps it out of most art galleries and museums and therefore ‘hidden’ from the public view. It contrasts sharply with the formal and polite work being produced at court, but it was similarly intended to serve the social and religious requirements of its sitters.

Presenter: Maxine Ruvinsky

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: Ron Vexler

Canadians are now well into our 7th decade of universal healthcare provided without limitation to all citizens. How is that working for you? What are likely to be the challenges going forward? Can comparable models offer any insight?

Presenter: Anthony Frayne

With a federal election in front of us, perhaps the most crucial of our lifetimes, this Round Table is envisioned as an opportunity to share our thoughts on the issues and possible outcomes of this election. Will Mark Carney win easily as the polls are forecasting? Will it be a minority government? Will the Bloc have an important impact in winning a lot of seats in Québec? Please join us for a lively and interesting discussion.

Presenter: Harald von Cramon

This is a short overview of Swedish history starting with the first settlers, the Vikings. Christianization, runic writing, the Vasa kings and the Nordic Empire they created will also be explored. The decline and emigration in the early 19th century, followed by the development of a modern socialist state will be discussed including a virtual visit to Stockholm, and its film stars, and food and drink.

Presenter: Peter Watson

Arguably Van Gogh’s Starry Night is the most easily recognizable painting in existence. Recently it has received a great deal of media attention (e.g., click here), because of a claim that the picture shows that he had a profound understanding of the behaviour of liquids. So, we will look at classical paintings to see how well artists represent phenomena that they could not possibly have understood. We will start with Giotto and end with Van Gogh.

Presenters: Dale Bonnycastle & Debra Fisher

Hearing loss affects at least 30% of individuals over the age of 60. It is invisible and insidious, and its impacts are serious. This presentation will provide some basic information on hearing and hearing loss, with an emphasis on practical and useful information. We will share details on available services, communication tips, and information on assistive listening technology.

Presenter: Ron Krystynak

A retired Canadian public servant, Ron Krystynak spent most of his career involved in areas related to international trade, including trade negotiations. In this talk, he will examine the current global trading system as it faces disruption by actions announced by the new U.S. President against Canada, Mexico, China and other countries.  Ron will argue that “America First” trade policies will not rebalance trade in manufactured goods, nor satisfy the real drivers of populism.

Presenters: Sophie Duchesneau & Kim Fortin

Senior-Aware is a program intended to raise awareness about fraud and abuse towards seniors. The aim of the information sessions is to encourage discussion and reflection, with videos concerning fraud and mistreatment. These tools both help participants define the problems and provide prevention tips. To provide real, up-to-date information, the conferences are co-hosted by an SPVM community officer.

FADOQ: https://www.fadoq.ca/en/ile-de-montreal/

Presenter: Graham White

The North looms large in the Canadian imagination but few of us have spent time “north of 60.” This talk will offer an overview of society and politics in the three territories – Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Since Indigenous peoples – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – are unusually numerous and politically influential in the North, a central theme will be their role in the distinctive and innovative political arrangements found in the territories.

Presenter: Laura Carlson

In this talk, historian, writer and educator Laura Carlson will explain how history’s most influential sibling partnerships built remarkable empires in the worlds of literature, music, sports, business and beyond. We’ll be taking a tour of the Jazz Age salons of George and Ira Gershwin, soaring into the skies with Orville and Wilbur Wright and dropping by the Victorian parlors where sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte became a famous trio.

Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong

May 1941 at Port Diego Suarez (Vichy held Madagascar), Britain launched the Allies' first large amphibious landing of WW2, The Battle of Madagascar. We will discuss the importance of Operation Ironclad, the exclusion of the Free-French in the operation, the Japanese submarines' actions, and the storied role of Percy and Berthe Mayer (For more information on Percy Mayer, click here.) Amazing but little-known history of WW2.

Presenters: Martin Jones & Julian Mulock

The Waste Land, a 434-line poem by TS Eliot, is one of the most influential and difficult literary works of the 20th Century. This presentation, originally performed at the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto in honour of the 100th anniversary of the poem’s publication in 1922, consists of a spoken text from poet and study group leader Martin Jones offering an interpretation of the poem, interspersed with segments read by actor and artist Julian Mulock.

Presenter: Mark G. Peacock

Arial bombing of civilians is commonplace in contemporary warfare. It was not always so. This lecture explores Britain’s response to Hitler’s bombing of British civilians during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz through the role played by Air Marshall Sir Arthur Harris, head of RAF Bomber Command. Analyzed also will be participation of Canadian airmen, the Dam-busters Raid, and the role of the U.S.

Presenter: Thomas Conway

This lecture on estate planning is designed for those who need to create a plan to distribute assets during life or at death.

Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong

In Roman Polanski's film The Pianist, a poignant part was when the Jewish-Polish pianist W. Szpilman received help from a German army captain W. Hosenfeld. In 1998 Szpilman applied to have Hosenfeld recognized as Righteous Among the Nations - and in 2008, Yad Vashem did so. It is a story on humanity - and a special presentation for Yom HaShoah.

Presenters: Howard King & Linda Sidel

This is non-threatening. There will be a Power Point Presentation, videos and a demonstration on some fun ways to stop an aggressor. Your participation is voluntary, but in the past, everyone participated. Be prepared to be surprised at what you really can do.

Presenter: Russell Chapman

Humour can take many forms, from the subtle to the sarcastic. In his novels, Mordecai Richler uses humour in a subversive way to undermine social expectations and conventions, by challenging various groups and their norms. Richler has been described as an equal opportunity insulter ridiculing conventional values, and not in a subtle way. His novels have created memorable characters and dialogues. We will examine this in selected novels and read the passages that can leave us both grinning and cringing.

Presenter: Jean-Pierre Raymond

En français avec participation dans les deux langues officielles

Cette conférence examine l'invasion du Québec à travers les actions de la famille Lotbinière, notamment la construction du Fort Chambly et des remparts de Québec, le combat au Fort St-Jean et le soutien à la rébellion américaine.
 
This lecture is an account of the invasion of Québec through the eyes of the Lotbinière family, whose father-in-law built Fort Chambly and the Québec ramparts, the brother-in-law built Fort St-Jean. Future generations include his son who fought in Fort St-Jean, and his son-in-law who fought for the Americans. His brother became the first Catholic chaplain of the US Army. Lotbinière built Fort Ticonderoga and was sent by Vergennes to Boston to support the rebellion.

Presenter: Barry Lane

The Grand Dérangement, the deportation of 15,000 Acadians (French colonists) from Maritime Canada between 1755 and 1763 is one of the most poignant chapters in North American history, a story made famous by Longfellow’s epic prose poem Evangeline. With beautiful colour illustrations from a 19th-century edition of the poem, Barry Lane tells the dramatic tale of the expulsion, the arrival of “Cajuns” in Louisiana and Acadians’ partial return to the Maritimes.

Presenter: Ginette Charbonneau

En français avec participation dans les deux langues officielles

Parmi les nombreux maires qui ont façonné le destin de Montréal, certains ont eu un impact particulièrement significatif. La conférencière présentera une douzaine de maires montréalais et leurs actions déterminantes pour l'histoire de la ville.

Of the many mayors who shaped the destiny of Montreal, whether well-known or not, some had a particularly significant impact. Ginette Charbonneau, a Quebec educator with a deep passion for history and genealogy, will introduce us to a dozen Montreal mayors and explain how their actions were pivotal in the city's history.

Presenter: Prithu Mukhopadhyay

Loneliness is a universal emotion and not a personal failure. Science is clear, loneliness affects our physical and mental health. What can we do about it? The truth is each of us is unique. Instead of adopting habits, we can bring small changes to our habits. Each time we change our habits we develop a new identity. Our past must not dictate our present. Our present mindset will shape our future ones.

Presenter: Lewis Cattarini

The lecturer will screen the John Cromwell film (1951) starring Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan, exposing the confrontation between two firebrands: a gangster and a policeman. Afterwards, the narrative's pervading sense of cynicism will be discussed as a theme of film noir.

Presenter: Jacques Lalanne

This lecture will explore the concept of fasting as an ancient therapy re-discovered in today’s world. Participants will enjoy a lively discussion led by an experienced practitioner. 

Presenter: Gordon Postill

A “Poetry Excursion” primes the pump for what really matters, getting us out of our heads and into our hearts. Using an understated delivery, the presenter will recite poems of universal appeal by renowned poets such as Mary Oliver, John Updike, and Jane Kenyon with themes like awe, sadness, affection, death, hope, and longing. Each poem will be recited twice for clarity, followed by ample time for personal introspection and shared reflections.
 

Presenter: Neil Matheson

Discover the principles related to successful long-term financial investing from one of our members who recently retired from a career in institutional investing. Long-term investing involves extremely long investment horizons. In portfolio construction, asset allocation is the #1 determinant of return. The aim is not to beat the market! Don’t chase the next “big thing”. The aim is to meet your needs and to take only as much risk as is required to meet your targets. What are your goals?  Income? Legacy? Medical care? In personal retirements, total return after inflation may be the goal. There are no “right” answers… needs are different for different people.

Presenter: Iryna Malynovska

The lecture is devoted to the impact of speech manipulation on individuals and society as a whole. At the backdrop of the substantial illustrative material, various methods and techniques of speech manipulation in advertising, business, politics as well as everyday life are considered. The discussion focuses on how to recognize and control linguistic manipulations.

Presenter: Raymond Stern

There were significant differences between Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture - not simply with the built form but driven by the contrasting cultures which became expressed in stone. Whereas the Ancient Greeks sought sublimity in design, the Ancient Romans strove for an expression of power. Each had three basic design concepts, which will explain their priorities. There were fundamentally different patterns of life and architecture. This period greatly affected all walks of life, particularly the path taken by architecture, and still affects us today in many ways. This lecture will have a dynamic image-driven format.

Presenter: Alan Freeland 

This talk throws the spotlight on a towering figure who reshaped history, Catherine the Great. Rising to power at a time women were rarely allowed to lead; Catherine became one of the most remarkable and complex rulers of all time. Her reign from 1762 to 1796 saw bold reforms, artistic flourishing and a relentless drive to expand the Russian empire, including taking in southern Ukraine. Visionary, cunning, and unapologetically ambitious, Catherine set an example undoubtedly in Vladimir Putin’s mind. 

Presenter: Mark G. Peacock

How General Sir Arthur Currie came to be revered in Canada and Britain for his military and civilian accomplishments is the focus of this lecture. By exploring his character, mind, leadership and commitment to the ordinary soldier, we will learn about Sir Arthur’s contributions both on the battlefield and at McGill, including the Montreal Neurological Institute. Two darker chapters will also be dissected for the lessons they provide, along with his creative approaches to problem-solving.

Presenter: Christopher Neal

Montreal journalist and author Christopher Neal reviews the evolution, ruptures and change that mark our city's literary history, citing the work of selected writers, poets and playwrights, in both English and French.

Presenter: Wolfgang Schneider

Based on Andrea Wulf’s biography, we will explore the life of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a visionary German naturalist and polymath whose discoveries forever changed the way we understand the natural world. He is famous for his explorations in South America, his descriptions of nature as an interconnected web of life, and for warning of man-made climate change. His writings became the basis of ecology and climate science. He was also a global superstar, the most famous man after Napoleon according to his contemporaries; yet his name has been all but forgotten today in the English-speaking world.