Past Events
Film Group Oct 28, 2021
Series Thirteen – Systemic Racism
The films can be screened via the streaming sites listed with each film
Zoom discussions of each film will take place on: Thursdays: Sept 30, Oct 28 and Nov 25 at 4pm
Hosted by John LeBlanc
Series Thirteen: As a result of the US Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, the reality of racism in North America could no longer be ignored, but early attempts to come to terms with racism, such as in the 60s and 70s Sidney Poitier films, narrowly defined it as the product of deranged individuals. The recent Black Lives Matter protests, locating racism within society’s structures and institutions, such as the police, have forced us to confront the racism in the very nature of our cultures and national identity. These three films invite us to examine how the very founding of our nations and their ongoing development is grounded in racism, requiring a major self-confrontation and transformation in order to move beyond the paralysis that racism fosters. I Am Not Your Negro has the victims of racism explain its nature. Double Happiness and Beans provide a Canadian context (Asian-Canadian and Indigenous-Canadian, respectively) for the damaging impact of racism.
Oct 28 – Double Happiness (1993) – directed by Mina Shum, on the surface seems to be a simple family situation comedy but is, in fact, a sophisticated analysis of systemic forces that perpetuate racism against Asians in Canada. Focusing on a Chinese-Canadian family living in Vancouver and, in particular, on an aspiring actress (played by Sandra Oh), the film reveals the bind in which Asian Canadians often find themselves: both too Asian and not Asian enough. In particular, the film explores how the media perpetuates this bind while claiming to be Asian-positive. May be streamed through the UBC Library Catalogue streaming site. Suggested additional viewing: The Joy Luck Club directed by Wayne Wang. May be streamed through the UBC Library Catalogue.
Nov 25 – Beans (2021) – directed by Tracey Deer fictionalizes the director’s personal experience as a 12 year old during the 1990 Kanehsatake / Kahnawake crisis, a defining moment in Canada’s relationship with its Indigenous peoples. This crisis, developing out of the ongoing appropriation of Indigenous land in the Montreal / St Lawrence River region and resulting blockade revealed the racist nature at the heart of the Canadian settler project and its governing institutions. Deer’s return to this pivotal moment assists us in dealing with Canada’s past and moving forward into a more inclusive Canadian future. This film is playing at VanCity Theatre Sept 10-16: info at viff.org. Streaming options TBA. Suggested additional viewing: Alanis Obomsawin’s four documentary films dealing with the crisis: 1)Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, 2)Rocks at Whiskey Trench, 3)My Name is Kahentiiosta, and 4)Spudwrench: Kahnawake Man. All four can be streamed through the UBC Library Catalogue.
To join the group, please email john.leblanc @ ubc.ca
Travel Group October 28, 2021
Grizzly bears and hot pools - two road trips in BC.
Presented by Richard Spencer (Associate Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering and Registrar Emeritus) and Helen Spencer.
Richard and Helen will describe two road trips: one to stay at a lodge and see Grizzly bears on the Lardeau River, and the other to swim in hot pools in Ainsworth, Radium, Halcyon and Nakusp.
If you are currently not on the email list of the EC travel interest group and wish to receive our mailings, please contact Paul Steinbok at psteinbok@cw.bc.ca.
A zoom link will be sent out 2 days before each meeting.
Thursday, 28 October 2021 - 3:00pm
Photo Group October 22, 2021
The next photo group meeting will be a Zoom meeting on Friday, October 22, at 3pm. You can join for a general chat at 2.30.
The theme is “Breaking the Rules.” As always, photos from your catalog, as well as new photos, are welcome, and you can submit photos on other themes. Please send up to 3 photos, plus (if you wish) a “before” version of one of your photos before processing, to me at richard@rhspencer.ca. Please number your photos if you would like me to show them in a particular order.
You can send them as email attachments, zip files, or downloads from an online site. If you include them in the body of an email, you should avoid letting your software reduce the size of the photos to any resolution less than about 1000 x 800 pixels (within reason, bigger is generally better!).
If you would like to join, please contact Richard Spencer for the zoom-link at richard@rhspencer.ca
Friday, 22 October 2021 - 3:00pm
UBC Emeritus College Conversations - October 20, 2021
Models: A Conversation
The conversation will be on the use, misuse, distrust, meaning and utility of models in publicly important science, such as climate science, epidemics and air quality.
The conversants will be Dan Coombs, Douw Steyn and Jim Zidek.
Our moderator will be Marc Levine.
Professor Daniel Coombs is an expert in mathematical modelling applied to human health, immunity, and disease. Dr. Coombs obtained his MSc and PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Arizona and did postdoctoral work at Los Alamos National Lab, before joining the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) as a faculty member in 2003. Dr. Coombs contributes to our understanding of infection and immunity across scales from subcellular processes of immunological recognition to virus dynamics at the single-patient level, to epidemiological modelling across human communities. He works closely with experimental scientists at UBC and BC Children’s Hospital Research Centre, and public health experts at the BC Centre for Disease Control. Dr. Coombs is currently a member of the Canadian Chief Science Advisor’s expert panel on COVID19.
Douw Steyn, Professor Emeritus of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (2015)
Douw Steyn, ACM, FCMOS is active in the fields air pollution meteorology, boundary layer meteorology, mesoscale meteorology, environmental science and interdisciplinary science. His research involves measurement and modelling studies of regional air pollution, especially in regions with complex terrain. He has published more than 100 scientific papers in the international peer reviewed literature. He is an Accredited Consulting Meteorologist, and has provincial, national and international consultancy experience in his areas of expertise, and has provided expert testimony in numerous court cases and appeal board hearings in British Columbia.
Jim Zidek, Professor Emeritus of Statistics (2004)
Jim Zidek focused on applications of statistics in different domains: air pollution, environmental health, engineering, movement of sea mammals, and the forecasting crop of yields on Canadian farms during this time of climate change. These are extensions of my career into new areas that are of concern to society. Specific examples; serving on a US EPA Committee that in 2015 led to changes in the US air quality standards for ozone; a Canadian program for monitoring the strength properties of lumber; service on task forces to estimate the burden of disease due to particulate air pollution (for the World Health Organization) the health effects of high air temperatures over the UK (for the UK Met Office).
Marc Levine, Professor Emeritus of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2017)
Prof. Levine’s teaching included therapeutics of neurological and psychiatric diseases and disorders, pain management, clinical pharmacology, and methods for design and analysis of clinical and biomedical research. The latter included the basis for diagnostic and screening tests and their application to research and clinical practice. His research interests included drug metabolism, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacokinetics and clinical trials. Since 2009 he has been Chair of the UBC Children’s & Women’s Research Ethics Board.
Privacy and Consent to Recording
Please note that this event will be recorded via Zoom and posted publicly. The recording may contain attendees’ names and images. We recognize that this may be undesirable for some participants. If you do not wish for your name or image to be used in the video, please leave your video turned off during the event. You may also change your name to something generic like “Participant” or “Anonymous” in the Zoom meeting room by selecting yourself from the participants list and editing your name. By registering for this event and clicking the Zoom link that will be emailed to you, you consent to being recorded. If you do not want to participate in the live session, the recording will be posted at a later date to our YouTube channel.
Wednesday, 20 October 2021 - 10:30am to 12:00pm
Green College Series on Intergenerational Trauma
british "home children" in canada: the untold story
Grant Charles
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Marvin Westwood - Convenor
Professor Emeritus of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education (2015)
Topic: British 'Home Children' in Canada: the Untold Story
Time: Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 5:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Green College link
Co-sponsors: Emeritus College and Green College
Tuesday, 19 October 2021 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Easy Riders - Oct 19, 2021
Easy Riders' final ride for the year:
Kay Teschke has planned and will lead our final ride of this year - a 20km circuit from the Greenway out to the River District along the 57th Avenue bikeway and back, mostly along the banks of the Fraser River (see below).
If you are interested in participating in this ride, please email me (at wynn@geog.ubc.ca) which will allow me to inform you if plans have to change.
Herewith the necessary stipulations: If you are joining this Easy Riders outing, please recognize that you do so voluntarily for recreational purposes. It is your responsibility to ensure that your bike is in good running order and thoroughly roadworthy. You must wear an approved cycling helmet, ride in a safe manner and obey all road traffic signs and rules. We are the Easy Riders - we will try to maximize use of protected bike lanes, local street bikeways, and painted bike lanes on our routes but some use of Shared Use lanes may be necessary. Generally we will try to follow the city’s AAA (All Ages and Abilities) routes. Inclines are unavoidable if riding any distance in Vancouver. Individuals should be careful not to over-exert themselves or ride beyond their comfort zones. We will have a designated route and accommodate those who need to dismount and walk or proceed slowly.
Our aim here is moderate, comfortable exercise, conviviality and enjoyment.
Kay and I have been reminded of the likelihood of rain in Vancouver in looking at the weather forecasts to schedule this ride. We have opted for the 19th at 10:00 because this seems the best weather prospect at this point (sun and up to 14 degrees) . But forecasts 8 days out are subject to all sorts of after effects from flapping butterfly wings over Hawaii or someplace. Of course things can change. I WILL MAKE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION AND DECIDE WHETHER TO PROCEED LATE AFTERNOON Monday 18th AND INFORM EVERYONE OF THAT DECISION BY EMAIL BY 8:00 PM ON 18th. IF YOU CANNOT / DO NOT RECEIVE A MESSAGE, FEEL FREE TO PHONE ME AT 236-988-0800 before 8:30 pm that day or on Tuesday morning 8:30-9:00 am FOR CLARIFICATION.
Should we decide to postpone, Thursday 21 or Friday 22 (afternoon) may be the best prospects due to other commitments Wednesday.
As always, partners are welcome to join in and feel free to recruit other emeriti. E-bikes are welcome.
