An exhibition of the drawings from the Reena Virk Trials at the IKBLC Gallery

An exhibition of the drawings from the Reena Virk Trials at the IKBLC Gallery

June 2, 2010

By Heather Spears             June 1-25, 2010

The murder of 14 year old Reena Virk by schoolmates, in Victoria, aroused deep concern in about violence among children in our society. Throughout the trials Heather Spears recorded these children and their stories in an attempt to understand what happened and why it happened. Through the interpretations of her art, this Gallery art exhibition will explore Heather’s approach of being artist rather than journalist.

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre,
1961 Main Mall, University of British Columbia

On June 24, 3-4 PM, at Lillooet Room (301) of IKBLC

Heather Spears will be present to read from her book

Required Reading, a witness in poems and drawings to the Reena VirkTrials 1998-2000

Gallery Opening Hours

Monday, Thursday & Fridays (9am – 5pm)

Tuesday, Wednesdays (9am – 9am)

Saturday (10am – 5pm)   

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Japan and the Special Olympics IKBLC Webcast

June 2, 2010

Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by the Sociology and Anthropology departments at UBC, Dr. Millie Creighton, who discusses the Winter Olympics–as occurring in Vancouver, Canada in 2010, and the 2008 election of Barack Obama–as President of the United States, reflect globalizing insights on movements surrounding minorities and marginalization in Japan that contest hierarchies of people and of space and place. This talk explores dynamics involved when Japan, a society where the disabled were once hidden (relegated to the “back recesses”), took the lead in being the first (and still only) country to host the Special Olympic World Winter Games at the same sites as the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is discussed in reference to other “coming out” movements of people with disabilities in Japan, and to President Obama’s comments on Special Olympics in a US popular culture television interview. The linkage of Obama and the Special Olympics circles back to Japan, through analysis of how, why and to what extent the US Presidential election of Obama (the “Back Horse”) coverage in Japan reflected a momentous change from prior projections of racial hierarchies and previously presented images of Blacks.

Webcast Sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

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Heather Spears – Reena Virk Trials

June 1, 2010

Heather Spears – “Reena Virk Trials”

Image credit: Heather Spears

Canadian writer and artist Heather Spears was educated at the University of British Columbia, The Vancouver School of Art and the University of Copenhagen. She is divorced and has four children.  Having lived in Denmark since 1962, Spears has held over 75 solo exhibitions and published 11 collections of poetry and 3 novels of speculative fiction (1991-96), including the Moonfall Trilogy.  The Flourish, a novel of crime fiction and the family, came out in Canada and was republished in Europe as A Muted Voice. The Creative Eye is the first of a series on visual perception.

Spears has also published books of drawings: Drawn from the Fire, Massacre, and Line by Line. Drawings from the Newborn, The Panum Poems, and Required Reading contain both poems and full-page drawings. Her latest collection of poetry, I can still draw, was shortlisted for the Lowther Memorial Award. She has illustrated numerous books and articles; and also draws courtroom, dance, theatre and childbirth. Specialising in drawing children, in particular premature and other threatened infants, she travels widely and has drawn in hospitals in the Middle East, Europe and America.

The Heather Spears archive is housed at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and is available for use by researchers and others interested.   In collaboration with the Rare Books and Special Collections, Heather Spears gave a special read from her newly published book of poems, Required Reading: A Witness in Words and Drawings to the Reena Virk Trials, 1998-2000 on June 24, 2010.  To view the webcast, please find here.

Following the exhibition, Spears’s drawings were added to the the Heather Spears fonds at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.  Her work includes drawings from other trials, writers’ festivals, music festivals and more.

To see more photos of this exhibition, please find here.

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Matt Hill and Steph Tait – Principles of Success: Changing the World One Step at a Time

May 29, 2010

Stephanie Tait: Personal Coach, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Run for One Planet
Matt Hill: Motivational Speaker, Runner and Co-Founder of Run for One Planet

Join high performance Canadian athletes Steph Tait and Matt Hill as they recount an inspiring and motivational adventure in Run for One Planet, a carbon neutral year-long run around the continent in order to inspire environmental action.

Starting May 4th 2008, both Steph and Matt ran across Canada and around the perimeter of America, totaling 11,000 miles, doing over 420 marathons as a dynamic running duo. While running a marathon each almost every day, they led a team of over 30 people spread across the continent while speaking to over 30,000 kids in more than 220 presentations. They garnered sponsorships across the continent and around the world and raised over $120,000 for their Legacy Fund for Kids.

They completed the expedition on May 8th 2009 — a day now officially known as “Run for One Planet Day” in the City of Vancouver.

To create a permanent philanthropic legacy, Run for One Planet has partnered with the Vancouver Foundation — Canada’s largest, and one of North America’s oldest, community foundations. Every year, R41P’s Legacy Fund for Kids now grants seed capital to elementary students to start their own green projects.

Listen as Steph and Matt explain their motto that “Small Steps Add Up” for environmental action and entrepreneurial success. Webcast sponsored by Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

Relevant Books and Articles at UBC Library

United Nations Development Programme. (2012). One planet to share: Sustaining human progress in a changing climate. New Delhi, India: United Nations Development Programme.

UBC Library Research Guides

Sustainability

Entrepreneurship

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Richard Epp – Physics of Innovation

May 29, 2010

Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by Alumni Weekend, this lecture explores basic mysteries such as “What are electricity and magnetism?”, “How can atoms exist?” and “What are space and time?” has led to computers, wireless communication, MP3 players, lasers, medical imaging — indeed, virtually every “high tech” device on the planet. Join Dr. Epp in a celebration of the immense power of theoretical physics to transform our world for the betterment of humanity, and learn how current theoretical explorations may hold potential for even more fantastic innovations in the future.

Select Articles Available at UBC Library

Epp, R. J. (2000). Angular momentum and an invariant quasilocal energy in general relativity. Physical Review D, 62(12) doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.62.124018. [Link]

Epp, R. J. (1995). The symplectic structure of general relativity in the double-null (2+2) formalism. [Link]

McGrath, P. L., Epp, R. J., & Mann, R. B. (2012). Quasilocal conservation laws: Why we need them. [Link]

Epp, R. J. (1998). A statistical mechanical interpretation of black hole entropy based on an orthonormal frame action. [Link]

UBC Library Research Guides

Physics

Astronomy and Astrophysics

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Stanley Coren – Animal Communication: How to Speak Dog

May 29, 2010

Since the time of Darwin scientists have been trying to understand how animals communicate. Today, psychologists know enough about this process so that it can be applied to allow you to understand the language of your pet dog, or even your pet cat (who speaks a somewhat different dialect). Stanley Coren is a psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher who has become best known to the general public for a series of books regarding the intelligence, mental abilities and history of dogs. Through television shows and media coverage that has been broadcast in Canada and the United States as well as overseas, he has become popular with dog owners, while continuing research and instruction in psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia. Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

Speaker Bio
Stanley Coren is a psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher who has become best known to the general public for his best selling and award winning books regarding the intelligence, mental abilities and history of dogs. Through television shows and media coverage that have been broadcast in Canada and the United States as well as overseas, he has become popular with dog owners, while continuing research and instruction in psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also writes for Psychology Today in the feature Canine Corner.

Select Articles Available at UBC Library

Coren, S. (2006). Why do dogs have wet noses? Toronto: Kids Can Press.

Coren, S. (1994). The intelligence of dogs: Canine consciousness and capabilities. New York; Toronto: Free Press.

Coren, S. (2000). How to speak dog: Mastering the art of dog-human communication. New York: Free Press.

UBC Library Research Guides

Animal Science / Applied Animal Biology

Zoology

 

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Alumni Weekend Live Webcasts at IKBLC

May 28, 2010

Alumni Weekend Live Webcasts

The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre is pleased to announce the live webcasting of selected events that will take place in the building’s Victoria Learning Theatre as part of UBC Alumni Weekend.   Each year, Alumni Weekend highlights the cultural, social and intellectual odyssey of UBC campus by presenting special lectures and seminars about topics that appeal to not only researchers and students, but also community and alumni members who enjoy life-long learning.   This year, three lectures will be presented that features the wide breadth of knowledge at UBC.  (Best viewed using Internet Explorer browser).

“Principles of Success: Changing the World One Step at a Time.”  Presented by Steph Tait & Matt Hill (9.45-10.45am)

Join high performance Canadian athletes Steph Tait and Matt Hill as they recount an inspiring and motivational adventure in Run for One Planet, a carbon neutral year-long run around the continent in order to inspire environmental action.  Starting May 4th 2008, both Steph and Matt ran across Canada and around the perimeter of America, totaling 11,000 miles, doing over 420 marathons as a dynamic running duo. While running a marathon each almost every day, they led a team of over 30 people spread across the continent while speaking to over 30,000 kids in more than 220 presentations. They garnered sponsorships across the continent and around the world and raised over $120,000 for their Legacy Fund for Kids.

Link to the live webcast: http://tiny.cc/ikblc-alumni-1

“Physics of Innovation.  Where does technology ultimately come from? Physics!”   Presented by Dr. Richard Epp, Scientific Outreach Manager, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics  (11.00am-12.00pm)

Exploring basic mysteries such as “What are electricity and magnetism?”, “How can atoms exist?” and “What are space and time?” has led to computers, wireless communication, MP3 players, lasers, medical imaging – indeed, virtually every “high tech” device on the planet. Join Dr. Epp in a celebration of the immense power of theoretical physics to transform our world for the betterment of humanity, and learn how current theoretical explorations may hold potential for even more fantastic innovations in the future.

Link to the Live webcast: http://tiny.cc/ikblc-alumni-2

“Animal Communication: How to Speak Dog” by Dr. Stanley Coren, Professor of Psychology, UBC  (2.45pm-3.45pm)

Since the time of Darwin scientists have been trying to understand how animals communicate. Today, psychologists know enough about this process so that it can be applied to allow you to understand the language of your pet dog, or even your pet cat (who speaks a somewhat different dialect).   This talk will be illustrated.

Link to the live webcast:  http://tiny.cc/ikblc-alumni-3

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Judy Fong-Bates – The Year of Finding Memory

May 28, 2010

In partnership with Random House Canada, UBC Community Partners for Learning, the Chinese Canadian Historical Society (CCHSBC), the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW), Schema, the North American Association of Asian Professionals (NAAAP), and ExplorAsian, the IKBLC presents author Judy Fong-Bates’ reading of “Year of Finding Memory.” An elegant and surprising book about a Chinese family’s difficult arrival in Canada, and a daughter’s search to understand remarkable and terrible truths about her parents’ past lives. Growing up in her father’s hand laundry in small town Ontario, Judy Fong Bates listened to stories of her parents’ past lives in China, a place far removed from their every-day life of poverty and misery. But in spite of the allure of these stories, Fong Bates longed to be a Canadian girl. Fifty years later she finally followed her curiosity back to her ancestral home in China for a reunion that spiralled into a series of unanticipated discoveries. The Year of Finding Memory explores a particular, yet universal, world of family secrets, love, loss, courage and shame. This is a memoir of a daughter’s emotional journey, and her painful acceptance of conflicting truths. In telling the story of her parents, Fong Bates is telling the story of how she came to know them, of finding memory. Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

Select Articles and Books Available at UBC Library

Bates, J. F. (2004). Midnight at the dragon café. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.

Bates, J. F. (1997). China dog and other tales from a Chinese laundry. Toronto: Sister Vision.

Bates, J. F. (2011). The year of finding memory: A memoir. Toronto: Vintage Canada.

Ng, M. N. (1998). Chop suey writing: Sui sin far, Wayson Choy, and Judy Fong-Bates. Essays on Canadian Writing (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Toronto), 65, 171. [Link]

UBC Library Research Guides

Chinese Studies

Chinese Canadians

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Connects – Annual Report 2009/10

May 25, 2010

The spring 2010 issue of Connects, the newsletter of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, is now available. This issue serves as the Learning Centre’s 2009/10 Annual Report.

You can view the issue at Connects – Annual Report 2009/10.

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Author Judy Fong-Bates Comes to IKBLC

May 24, 2010

Sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, with support and partnership from UBC Community Partners for Learning (CPL), ExplorAsian, the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHSBC), and the North American Association of Asian Professionals (NAAAP), and the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS), the IKBLC welcomes Judy Fong-Bates on May 28th 5-7pm, as she reads from her much anticipated Year of Finding Memory.   An elegant and surprising book about a Chinese family’s difficult arrival in Canada, and a daughter’s search to understand remarkable and terrible truths about her parents’ past lives.

Growing up in her father’s hand laundry in small town Ontario, Judy Fong Bates listened to stories of her parents’ past lives in China, a place far removed from their every-day life of poverty and misery. But in spite of the allure of these stories, Fong Bates longed to be a Canadian girl. Fifty years later she finally followed her curiosity back to her ancestral home in China for a reunion that spiralled into a series of unanticipated discoveries. Opening with a shock as moving as the one that powers The Glass Castle, The Year of Finding Memory explores a particular, yet universal, world of family secrets, love, loss, courage and shame. This is a memoir of a daughter’s emotional journey, and her painful acceptance of conflicting truths. In telling the story of her parents, Fong Bates is telling the story of how she came to know them, of finding memory.

As Fong-Bates recalls,

In the fall of 2006, years after my parents had died, I returned to China for the first time since my arrival in 1955 with my mother to join my father at his hand laundry in Allandale. What started out as a family reunion spiralled into a series of unanticipated discoveries. I ended up returning for a second time the following fall. What I learned from those visits changed everything I thought I knew about my parents. From my point of view they were typical, hard-working, albeit unhappy immigrants. My discoveries in China led me to a deeper understanding of my family and ultimately myself. The result is my memoir, The Year of Finding Memory.

As part of a series of events in Canada in honour of Asian Heritage Month, come join us as Fong-Bates will read at the Lillooet Room (301) at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre followed by a tour of the IKBLC Gallery’s ‘Generation One’ exhibition featuring art work from across the generations of Asian Canadians. For directions, please visit our online map.

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