#u3a — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #u3a, aggregated by home.social.
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What Do We Really Know About Microplastics?
🗓️ Start: Mon 28 Sep 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 28 Sep 2026 4:30 pmSpeaker: Prof. Iseult Lynch
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Professor of Environmental Nanosciences
Microplastics have become one of today’s most talked-about environmental issues, but how much do we really know?Join Professor Iseult Lynch of the University of Birmingham as she explores the latest scientific evidence, separating established facts from popular assumptions. Drawing on her internationally recognised research into microplastics, nanomaterials and environmental systems, she will examine what current science reveals, where uncertainties remain, and how researchers are improving our understanding of these invisible pollutants.
An engaging and thought-provoking afternoon for anyone interested in science, the environment and informed debate.
If you are not already subscribed, subscription is free and you will receive joining details and news about forthcoming Leading Edge meetings https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-leading-edge/
https://u3acommunities.org/event/what-do-we-really-know-about-microplastics/
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August is Art History Month
🗓️ Start: Tue 25 Aug 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 25 Aug 2026 1:00 pmTuesday August 25th at noon, come along to a taste of American art with ‘Scenes of American Identity’. Explore a few amazing paintings by American artists which may depict American identity.
https://u3acommunities.org/event/august-is-art-history-month/
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Let’s discuss if the novel is really dead
🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Jul 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Jul 2026 8:00 pmWe constantly hear that the novel is dead. But stories keep being written and published. So is it really?
Bring your own thoughts and exampleshttps://u3acommunities.org/event/lets-discuss-if-the-novel-is-really-dead/
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Virtual Machines, Containers and related technologies
🗓️ Start: Tue 18 Aug 2026 3:00 pm
18th August @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 18 Aug 2026 5:00 pmThis month we have a talk about virtual machines, containers and related technologies.
We will discuss how different technologies can be used to make better use of server hardware resources. Included are two explainer videos from IBM.
Plenty of time is reserved for discussions.
Joining details will be emailed to subscribers. If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.
https://u3acommunities.org/event/virtual-machines-containers-and-related-technologies-2/
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History month is July 2026
🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Jul 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Jul 2026 1:00 pmJoin us again for an afternoon of fascinating history!
Tuesday 28th July at noon.
Same Zoom link as previously but it will be included in the reminder email a few days prior to the meeting
https://u3acommunities.org/event/history-month-is-july-2026/
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Burnham’s Britain
🗓️ Start: Thu 16 Jul 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 16 Jul 2026 11:30 amIt is now all but certain that, by next weekend, Andy Burnham will become our next Prime Minister. He may have a Messianic appeal within his party, but the man himself will be under no illusions that the government he inherits – just two years on from its historic election victory in 2024 – has lost the confidence of the voters that it can still deliver on its manifesto commitments, to change Britain for the better. So, at this meeting, we’ll consider the huge challenges that Burnham will face – economic, social and political – if he is to win over a cynical public, tired of the Prime-Ministerial merry-go-round of the last ten years. Can he do it… why not come along next Thursday and tell us what you think!
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
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Antimatter Research, Accelerator Systems, and Practical Applications
🗓️ Start: Mon 27 Jul 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 27 Jul 2026 4:30 pmSpeaker: Prof. Carsten Welsch
Head of Accelerator Science, Liverpool UniversityFrom science fiction to serious science: antimatter research is now producing important advances in accelerator technology, imaging and precision instrumentation.
Professor Carsten Welsch shares insights from CERN and Liverpool into how antimatter is created, controlled and studied — and why these developments may matter far beyond physics laboratories.
If you are not already subscribed, subscription is free and you will receive joining details and news about forthcoming Leading Edge meetings https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-leading-edge/
https://u3acommunities.org/event/antimatter-research-accelerator-systems-and-practical-applications/
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Remote Access
🗓️ Start: Tue 21 Jul 2026 3:00 pm
21st July @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Aside from web browsing, sometimes you need to login or access an application on a remote server. This could be for the purposes of administration or sharing resources. So in this session we look at some of the ways you can perform remote access.
⏳ End: Tue 21 Jul 2026 5:00 pmAs always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.
Joining details will be emailed to subscribers. If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.
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Before Penicillin: Treating Infections in the ‘Olden Days’
🗓️ Start: Wed 8 Jul 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 8 Jul 2026 12:00 pmFew would argue that the discovery of penicillin, and the antibiotics revolution that followed, was one of the most far-reaching breakthroughs of twentieth-century medical science. But infection treatment itself has a much longer pedigree, stretching back hundreds or even thousands of years. And it’s that story – of mysterious moulds and improbable potions (some of which even worked!) – that Mike Trevethick of Thanet u3a will be sharing with us this month. It’s a tale of daring over dogma – and some lucky breaks along the way – so why not join us for this fascinating trawl through the history books.
To view the recording, click here… “Before Penicillin”
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch
https://u3acommunities.org/event/before-penicillin-treating-infections-in-the-olden-days/
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The Welfare State: Is it Still Affordable?
🗓️ Start: Thu 18 Jun 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 18 Jun 2026 11:30 amIn Britain today, few issues provoke more heated debate than this. On one side are those who argue, on humanitarian grounds, that the less fortunate among us deserve all the support they need in order to live with at least the most basic of human needs – shelter, food, healthcare, and the means to raise a family. Against this are an unsympathetic press-pack (pictured) who decry such people, branding them as feckless skivers, brazenly scrounging off everybody else. And in the middle – as always – are our politicians, having to make hugely difficult decisions about dividing up the national ‘pot’ in a fair and equitable manner. So, at this month’s meeting, we’ll take a look at some of the data, and consider the question of whether the welfare state is still affordable in its current form.
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
https://u3acommunities.org/event/the-welfare-state-is-it-still-affordable/
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Art History Month June 23rd 2026
🗓️ Start: Tue 23 Jun 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 23 Jun 2026 1:00 pmJoin us on Tuesday 23rd June at noon for ‘Edward Lear- More Than Nonsense’ led by Kate Scott. a guest speaker
Zoom link as previously
https://u3acommunities.org/event/art-history-month-june-23rd-2026/
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Art History month is June 2026
🗓️ Start: Tue 23 Jun 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 23 Jun 2026 1:00 pmJoin members on Tuesday 23rd June at noon for ‘Edward Lear- more than nonsense’ led by Kate, a guest speaker.
Zoom link as previously
https://u3acommunities.org/event/art-history-month-is-june-2026/
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Hilaire Belloc was he a great writer or simply grumpy
🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 8:00 pmTonight, we go back in time to discuss the formidable output of some 500 works of literature across multiple genres, who at the same time managed to fall out with most of his contemporaries. So let’s discuss what he was trying to do.
https://u3acommunities.org/event/hilaire-belloc-was-he-a-great-writer-or-simply-grumpy/
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May is History Month
🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pmTuesday, 26th May at noon, join us for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Work out what the skeletons are in the cupboards of some historical figures!
Zoom link as previously
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May is History group month
🗓️ Start: Sat 23 May 2026 8:00 am
⏳ End: Sat 23 May 2026 5:00 pmTuesday, 26th May at noon, we have ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Work out what the skeletons are in the cupboards of some historical characters.
Zoom link as previously
https://u3acommunities.org/event/may-is-history-group-month/
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May is History Month
🗓️ Start: Mon 18 May 2026 11:00 pm
⏳ End: Mon 18 May 2026 12:00 amJoin us at noon on May 26th for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. What skeletons were these once famous people keeping secret?!
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May 2026 History Month
🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pmJoin us on Tuesday 26th May at noon for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of once famous people and work out what were the skeletons in their cupboards!
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May 2026 History Month
🗓️ Start: Tue 26 May 2026 12:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 26 May 2026 1:00 pmJoin us on Tuesday 26th May at noon for ‘Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of once famous people and work out what the skeletons in their cupboards were.
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History Month May 2026
🗓️ Start: Tue 19 May 2026 10:00 am
⏳ End: Tue 19 May 2026 5:00 pmJoin us at noon on May 26th for our next history group meeting. Title’ Skeletons in the Cupboard’. Explore the lives of those who were once famous and in some cases, still are famous but what were the skeletons in their cupboards?
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‘Forever’ Chemicals
🗓️ Start: Wed 10 Jun 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 10 Jun 2026 12:00 pm‘Forever’ Chemicals, otherwise known as PFAs, are a large group of synthetic organic compounds that have been around – literally – since the 1930s, when they were discovered, quite by accident, to be useful raw materials in the manufacture of plastics. Today, the problem of plastic pollution is a familiar one, but the PFAs themselves pose an even more insidious environmental threat: not only are they almost indestructible, but they’ve been found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow crops on, and even inside living organisms – including us! In this thought-provoking talk, David McLellan from Torridge u3a will describe the history, the chemistry, the risks we face, and what – if anything – we can now do about it.
To view the recording, click here… “Forever Chemicals”
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch
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Current Affairs discussion group: Open Forum
🗓️ Start: Thu 21 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 May 2026 11:30 amWith so much going on at the moment, both domestically and around the world, it’s time once again to open the floor to all of you – our members – to share your thoughts on any topic you wish. Whether it’s making the headlines right now, or it’s been squeezed out by everything else, why not come along and give it an airing!
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-open-forum-2/
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Agentic Artificial Intelligence
🗓️ Start: Tue 19 May 2026 3:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 19 May 2026 5:00 pm19th May @ 3:00pm – 5:00pm
This month we’ll look at agentic artificial intelligence … large language models are now no-longer contrained to just “chat”, they can now interface to the outside world to perform tasks. We’ll take a look at a couple of tools (opencode and openclaw), how they work and risks involved.
As always, plenty of time is reserved for discussions.
Joining details will be emailed to subscribers. If you aren’t a member, it’s free to join here https://u3acommunities.org/subscribe-to-computing-forum/.
https://u3acommunities.org/event/agenic-artificial-intelligence/
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Daniel Defoe… The ignored classical author
🗓️ Start: Tue 28 Apr 2026 7:00 pm
⏳ End: Tue 28 Apr 2026 8:00 pmSadly, the man who wrote tales like Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders is an ignored author in the current rush to reread the Classics. Why? Is he marred by some of his other more erotic and non-mainstream titles? Let’s discuss
https://u3acommunities.org/event/daniel-defoe-the-ignored-classical-author/
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Art History
🗓️ Start: Sun 26 Apr 2026 8:00 am
⏳ End: Sun 26 Apr 2026 5:00 pmArt History: April 28th at NOON-1pm
Guest speaker, Zoe who has a talk about the life and works of David Shepherd and Ronnie Wood
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Rosalind Franklin: The Triumph and the Tragedy
🗓️ Start: Wed 13 May 2026 10:30 am
⏳ End: Wed 13 May 2026 12:00 pmIn 1953, the scientific world was abuzz with the discovery of the structure of DNA by James Watson & Francis Crick, but back then, few were aware that it was only made possible by the painstaking work of another, equally brilliant scientist who, as a woman in what was still largely a man’s world, had long struggled to be taken seriously. She would go on to make ground-breaking discoveries in the study of viruses, until, in 1958, she was tragically cut down in her prime by cancer. She was just 37. Had she lived, who knows what else she might have accomplished, but her moving story – told here by Barry Zussman (Torridge u3a) – would become her greatest legacy, and an inspiration for women in science everywhere.
To view the recording, click here… ‘Rosalind Franklin: The Triumph & The Tragedy’
(recordings are for personal/private use only – please do not share this link)To contact us about the Science & Technology group, click here… Get in touch
https://u3acommunities.org/event/rosalind-franklin-the-triumph-and-the-tragedy/
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Good News Stories from 2024
🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Dec 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Dec 2024 11:30 amAs another year draws to a close, and the nights draw in, it can sometimes feel like the most significant events of the last twelve months were all doom and gloom. So instead, as the festive season beckons, let’s raise our spirits by taking a look back at some of the good news stories of 2024. Whether they’re of global, national, or even just local interest where you live, this is your opportunity to share them with the rest of us, so why not join us for an hour of uplifting conversation!
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
https://u3acommunities.org/event/good-news-stories-from-2024/
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The Middle East Crisis: Stepping Back from the Brink
🗓️ Start: Thu 21 Nov 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 21 Nov 2024 11:30 amA year on from the brutal Hamas incursion into southern Israel, the bloody chain of events it triggered has left tens of thousands dead across the region, and has brought Israel and its arch-enemy Iran to the brink of war. Diplomacy has failed, peace talks have stalled, and now the impending return of Donald Trump to the White House has added even more uncertainty to this seemingly intractable crisis. So is there any hope of avoiding what some are already calling a new Armageddon. What do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively discussion about this most divisive of issues.
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-21st-november/
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Assisted Dying: The End of Unnecessary Suffering, or a Slippery Slope Towards Execution of the Unwanted?
🗓️ Start: Thu 17 Oct 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 17 Oct 2024 11:30 amOur subject for this month’s meeting could hardly be more topical, coinciding as it does with the introduction, in the House of Commons, of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying for the terminally-ill in England & Wales. While all previous attempts, most recently in 2015, have always been decisively voted down, public opinion in favour of a change in the law has only hardened, and especially so since Esther Rantzen joined the campaign. So the outcome this time is expected to be much closer. But what do you think? Why not join us for an hour of lively debate on this most contentious of issues!
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: Subscribe to the Current Affairs group
https://u3acommunities.org/event/next-current-affairs-group-meeting-thursday-17th-october/
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America at the Crossroads: The Battle for the White House, and Why it Matters so Much More This Time Around
🗓️ Start: Thu 19 Sep 2024 10:30 am
⏳ End: Thu 19 Sep 2024 11:30 amBy popular demand, the Current Affairs Discussion Group is up and running again, so we’re looking forward to welcoming back some of our old friends, and hopefully many new ones as well. And for this, our first meeting, the topic could hardly be more momentous. In barely two months time, Americans will cast their votes for one of two candidates whose sharply divergent opinions on how the country should be run, and its role in the wider world, are dividing the electorate perhaps more than at any other time in modern US history. Who will win is anybody’s guess, but of one thing we can be certain – whichever way it goes, the consequences for America, and the rest us, will be far-reaching. So why not join us as we look ahead – nervously! – to the outcome.
If you haven’t yet done so, there’s still time to join our mailing list, which will ensure that you receive those all-important Zoom log-in details… just click here: “Subscribe to the Current Affairs group”
https://u3acommunities.org/event/current-affairs-discussion-group-grand-re-launch-meeting/
