Upcoming Events

Travel Group May 20, 2021

Adventure Cruising in the Arctic—Eastern Canada and Nunavut
Presented by John Aldrich, Professor, Dept of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine

John and his wife, Sylvia, have travelled in the Arctic several times on a purpose-built level 1B ice class cruise ship. The talk will concentrate on the Canadian Arctic from Resolute in the north to Cape Dorset in south Baffin Island. Starting in Resolute, the second most northerly town in Canada, we will visit Beechey Island, with its artifacts and associations with the illfated Franklin Expedition. The first glacier we see will be on Devon Island—a mere 900 metres thick—and a close-by ill-fated RCMP post. On Baffin Island we will tour several Inuit communities including Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet and Cape Dorset, the last famous for its Inuit crafts. We will enjoy traditional music and dance,
as well as indoor Arctic Games, in several communities. And maybe even see some flora and fauna along the way…

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.

Film Group May 26, 2021

UBC Emeriti – Film Group

Series Twelve – Ecofeminist Warriors

The films can be screened via the streaming sites listed with each film

Zoom discussions of each film will take place on: April 28, May 26 and June 30 at 4pm

Hosted by John LeBlanc

Series Twelve: Ecofeminism addresses the relationship between human beings and their surrounding world from a gender-based perspective, insisting upon equality for women within a patriarchy-dominated society while also demanding the ethical treatment of a nature suffering a similar patriarchal oppression.  Unlike Hollywood films (such as Interstellar) that present the relationship with nature from the perspective of patriarchal elites, which devalues human and natural diversity and democracy, ecofeminist films emphasize that we live in harmony with nature, instead of dominating it, with women playing a strong role in redressing that imbalance.  The first two films in the series (Spoor and Woman at War) feature examples of strong European women who defy their entrenched social orders to achieve their ecofeminist goals.  The third film (Women Without Men), situated in the strongly patriarchal culture of Iran, provides a more nuanced, artistic consideration of ecofeminist activism.

May 26 – Woman at War (2018) – directed by Benedikt Erlingsson (the much-loved Icelandic film, TV and theatre actor and director) focuses on Halla (an early 50s single woman, leading an otherwise responsible life) whose attack on an environmentally insensitive new aluminum smelter in Iceland’s highlands escalates to industrial sabotage as she attempts to thwart negotiations between the corporation and the Icelandic government even though her activism threatens her upcoming adoption of a Ukrainian child.  Counter-pointing the seriousness of the issue is a humorous tone, accomplished by the repeated appearance of a musical chorus and the director’s resistance of auteur seriousness and refusal to grant storytelling the power to transform lives.  STREAM VIA UBC LIBRARY CATALOGUE: SEARCH TITLE OF FILM.

To join the group, please email john.leblanc @ ubc.ca

Easy Riders June 1, 2021

Kay Teschke and Graeme Wynn invite any emeriti with a recreational interest (or more) in cycling to join them for the inaugural gathering of the College’s Easy Rider’s Special Interest Group.

The idea for the group emerged from Kay’s Senior Scholars’ Series talk last November, and it was named with a nod to the long ago Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper film --  but with no expectation of sharing more than each other’s company and inhaling the good outdoor air.   

Our inaugural ride will commence at the Old Hastings Mill Store Museum (Alma St and Point Grey Road ) at 3:00pm on THURSDAY June 1. We will circuit False Creek . Please allow a couple of hours for this gathering – about an hour of cycling (17kms) with an occasional stop to look at the view, and some time to discuss aspirations for the group – the frequency and planning of rides, their length and type; announcement and coordination of excursions;  and so on.

We envisage intermittent, recreational rides designed for sociability as well as modest exercise. All are welcome, including ebike pilots.

If you are interested in this outing or in being made aware of subsequent rides please notify Graeme (wynn@geog.ubc.ca) beforehand.