By Marlene Robertson
Remember how, as the last days of June approached, you couldn’t wait to get out of the classroom? As those days dragged on you knew you would probably die if it didn’t hurry up and get here. In Moose Jaw, Sask., we had a saying as the school year ended: No more classes, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks.
Well, that was then and this is now. Summer has flown by and I can’t wait to hear the attendance bell ringing for a new semester of Vancouver Island University Elder College classes. Of course there aren’t any bell ringers left, but you get my drift.
As usual, the VIU Elder College board has been working hard to offer lots of new and exciting classes, plus the Saturday Speakers series which is always interesting, and this fall is no exception. Saturday Speakers will offer four unique topics. Here’s what you can look forward to ...
On Sept. 21, Rob Wager asks the question Can Genetically Modified Crops be Used Safely? All was well on the agricultural scene until the human population grew to more than three billion. Is the genetic engineering of crops part of the food shortage solution and can it be used safely?
On Oct. 5, Dale and Penny Bent present The Lunar Society of Birmingham. The Lunar Society was a dining club and learned society of prominent figures of the English Midlands Enlightenment, from 1765-1813, and this talk describes their accomplishments. I’ve heard about this group of very smart dudes and can’t wait to attend this ‘Bent’ presentation.
A song from childhood that I probably should have forgotten goes: nobody loves me, everybody hates me, think I’ll go out and eat worms. Big fat juicy ones, small skinny slimy ones, itsy bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.
If you loved that song, which I did for some strange reason, you won’t want to miss Gail Anderson’s Murders and Maggots on Oct. 26. This talk covers Forensic Entomology, the study of insects associated with a dead body and how they help estimate the elapsed time since death. This is totally fascinating and based on true case histories.
On Nov. 16, Vanessa Oltmann covers a very important topic: Fraud Prevention For Seniors. We all think we’re smart enough to know a fraud when we see one, but that’s not necessarily so. I could tell you about the ‘rental fraud’ I was caught up in several years ago, and how lucky I was to discover it in time to save a lot of hard earned money. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, and often when we least expect it. Join us and find out how to develop your own fraud protection strategy.
For more information, or to register, please call 1-866-734-6252 or e-mail pqcampus@viu.ca.