Paige Zhang talks about HIV and stigma. Although HIV has only been around for 30 years, this stigma is heavily prominent and important to address and correct. Part of this process is to educate the public on the need to undergo routine HIV testing.
Paige has had experience working with the S.T.O.P. HIV/AIDS project and doing HIV outreach, Here, she has encountered a lot of misconceptions around HIV – a lot of which is hurtful and disruptive to public health outreach. She hopes that her talk will not only explain origins and causes of stigma but also inspire others to look past misconceptions as an important way of fighting the HIV epidemic.
November 5th, 2011. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Filmed by Craig Ross: Video edited by David Ng
About TEDx:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Ratib Islam provides a measured look at the rhetoric of alternative medicines, and explores its lack of distinction between evidence based and non evidence based claims.
Ratib is a 6th year B.Sc. student, majoring in biochemistry with a minor in philosophy. He became interested in alternative medicine in 2009 when naturopaths were recognized as physicians and doctors, capable of prescribing drugs previously restricted to physicians with MDs.
As a result, he co-founded a club, with two medical students and a medical graduate student, called UBC Students for Science Based Medicine to educate the public about alternative medicine from a critical approach. There aim is not to debunk or offer medical advice, but to educate and empower consumers by translating otherwise inaccessible information and obscure concepts. This is largely due to the risks of relying on unsubstantiated therapies and the lack of people engaged in this kind of service.
Club website: http:/www.sbmubc.org
November 5th, 2011. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Filmed by Craig Ross: Video edited by David Ng
About TEDx:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Sometimes I feel like a tourist in my own city. Aside from the usual places (the aquarium, Granville Island, Gastown, etc), Vancouver has many other sites to boast about. And sometimes it’s right beneath our noses (in this case, quite literally).
(Photocredit sonson on Flickr)
Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton hangs dramatically in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. A total of 26 meters in length and weighing in at approximately 3 tons, it’s a jaw-dropping display for a rather inconspicuous museum.
The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is a unique facility because it serves two purposes: (1) educate and inspire the public & (2) house specimens for research. However don’t expect it to look like the Museum of Natural History. The building was originally intended just for research purposes so it doesn’t have a lot of glamourous displays. Instead it has many drawers full of specimens and insightful research stories. It also boasts an unusual and confounding layout; I suggest you take the tour to get acquainted with the place, it’s history, and their collections. Check it out. It’s free for staff and students (makes for a great cheap date).
(Photocredit Alex Grrrrr on Flickr)
Also from Feb 11th to Mar 9th, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum will be having a FestEVOLVE to celebrate Darwin and the theory of evolution. It’ll be kicking off with an evolution-themed cake baking contest on Feb 10th.
Each week, the Terry team will highlight events in and around campus that we happen to be interested in. As usual, the focus will be on global issues with an interdisciplinary angle. Be sure to check out events.ubc.ca for more.
There are some amazing lectures occurring at UBC this week. Usually, it’s good to supplement lectures with some hands-on experiences, maybe a workshop or an artsy film to broaden your horizons… but this week, I suggest you sit back and just let these people talk at you.
Jan 30
8-9 pm @ Coach House, Green College: Jonathan Lanman is a coordinator at the Oxford Centre for Anthropology of Mind, and he is a Visiting Post-doctoral Research Fellow at UBC for the 2011-2012 year. (Distinguished and temporary… get it while it’s hot!) He’ll be giving a talk entitled “Ritual, Community, and Conflict,” which will address a research project that is being conducted by both UBC and Oxford. This project, and Lanman’s lecture, explores the mechanisms of ritual that underpin child development, social behaviour, and the evolution of political systems.
Jan 31
8-9 pm, UBC Campus (just walk around campus and you’ll run into it… kidding. This is part of the St. John’s College Junior Fellow Speaker Series… exact location to be announced? The Magic School Bus fiend within me couldn’t resist posting about this other-worldly lecture, though at this point, I can’t tell you how to find it. But I can direct you to the Magic School Bus’s Outerspace Episode…): Mike Alexandersen will be speaking about the unknown objects in our solar system. Recently, the team he is working with has just discovered two more of Jupiter’s moons!
Feb 1
5-7 pm, Coach House, Green College: Fabio Rossi, the Canadian Research Chair in Regenerative Medicine, Bill Milsom of the UBC Zoology department, Nelly Auersperg of UBC Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Dan Weary of the UBC Animal Welfare Program will be giving a four-pronged lecture and discussion. The topic is “Who Benefits from Animal Research?”, and this series of lectures will examine various sides of the debate: What is the value for humans of animal research? What is the value for non-human animals? What role do culture and corporate interests play in the discourses on human disease and security?
Feb 2
5-7 pm: C.K. Choi Building, Room 120: The UBC Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program presents a seminar by Dr. Jan Walls: “Corporate Craving and Buddhist Compassion: Is there a Middle Ground for Buddhism in Business?” A fascinating lecture about maintaining Buddhist mindfulness amongst corporate greed. Especially since every person and their cat is now trying to embrace yoga practice, the compatibility of Buddhism with contemporary Western society is particularly pertinent. And if you go to yoga, and this doesn’t interest you, then your commitment is shallow at best…
Yes. Yet another “Sh*t ___ Says” video but I swear I’m not just trolling you. It‘s somewhat relevant alludes to my upcoming post. Plus I think UBC students would really appreciate the campus specific nuances embedded in this cinematic piece.
Challenge:Future is offering an incredible opportunity to travel to Slovenia and share your ideas, all expenses paid. If you are between the ages of 18 and 30, and you have an idea that you want to share at the 2012 TEDx Bled Talks, this has the potential to be a life altering offer. The deadline for applications is Feb 6/12, and they are looking for focussed, 10 minute talks that fit the theme of “Inspire, Change, Impact.” To reiterate: this is an opportunity to participate in an independently organized TED Conference, travel to Slovenia, and interact with diverse, international peers for free! Go to the Challenge:Future website to learn more about how to participate.
It’s been a long time since I blogged last time. Life has been extremely busy and tough for me, but fortunately I recovered. For some reason, this phrase keeps surfacing in my mind, so much so that I think it warrants a post about it–”intangible values”.
To start with, here is a question for though: how much are you willing to pay for a white leather bag? Does it matter that it was produced by LV or Hermes? Does it matter that it actually carries the logo of these brands? And what if you can pay half the price you are willing to pay and get a replica that no one can tell from a real one?
I bet (virtually of course) that after you think of a number after the first question mark, you were thinking about revising it at one of the subsequent question marks. And that is about perception, and this is something that constantly amazes me. Once you add an LV logo or Hermes logo to a plain leather bag, all of a sudden many people are willing to pay ten times more to get it. People are paying a lot of money for practically the same bag and yet happy about it.
Some of my radically rational friends would say this is “cheating”, “lying to the customers” and people should start realising this reality. In this case of a bag, maybe. But in many other cases, the kind of intangible value created by perception is, to my opinion, a good thing.
Once we complained about the long flight home, and at the end I asked, so what does it take to make the flight better? Almost all of my friends would say a shorter trip time or more legroom on the plane would be nice. These things are absolutely important in making the journey home better. But it would cost a lot to have planes that fly faster or bigger, even though I have no background in engineering. So I said to my friends, what if the airline simply hires famous movie stars or supermodels to walk along the plane? I would imagine it costs far less than researching a faster plane and a lot of passengers would stop complaining the trip takes too long!
This is one of the reasons I believe that advertising companies are essential. From the economists’ point of view, advertisements provide more information to the consumer and to some extent correct the asymmetry of information. But most importantly, it creates intangible value, it creates perception. So what it does essentially is to create value in the economy without using much labour or machinery.
Material, as in real, values are important, as it would be quite difficult to generate the perception of being full or warm. However, as we adopt more and more internet in our life, lots of things are now virtual. Millions of exchanges and transactions are never materialised but billions of revenues generated. So while many would till call this perception/intangible value an “illusion”, it has great value and we need to accept the fact that we are willing, if not happy, to pay for it.
Each week, the Terry team will highlight events in and around campus that we happen to be interested in. As usual, the focus will be on global issues with an interdisciplinary angle. Be sure to check out events.ubc.ca for more.
From now until the 27th, your student union is having an election. They represent you on important matters like tuition, transit, and governance. Although the AMS has a record of dismally low turnout, they are integral to every part of student life at UBC–so vote! You can find coverage of all the races at The Ubyssey.
Speaking of political humour… From Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryer, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, and Jon Stewart, comedy has always seen itself as a stage for subversion and democratic engagement. Is this an accurate portrayal of comedy, or does it in fact reinforces racial and ethnic stereotypes? What affect have these social satirists had on journalism? This Wednesday, Green College is holding a short talk on these issues through the lens of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.
On Tuesday at 5PM, Green College’s visiting scholar Patricia Churchland will hold a talk on neuroscience and morality. What do discoveries in neuroscience tell us about our morality? Here’s an interview she had with PBS’ Bill Moyers.
Want to get involved at UBC? Want to get involved at UBC? Learn how at the CSI’s 2nd Birthday and Involvement Fair! Stop by the Centre for Student Involvement on January 25th between 12 and 3 pm to learn about campus resources, meet student leaders and get involved!
This Wednesday at 5:30PM in Mahony’s Pub, the College of Health Disciplines brings students together for a Parisian Salon to discuss issues of health and well-being for the worlds diverse populations. What is a Parisian Salon? Commonly associated with French philosophical movements, they were
gatherings of intellectual, social, political, and cultural elites under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation
Monday January 23rd, Dr. Jackson Katz is giving a lecture entitled “Men, Women, Sex and Violence”
In this multimedia lecture internationally renowned author and educator Dr. Jackson Katz explores some of the ways that social norms in male culture contribute to sexual and domestic violence, and suggests strategies to enlist men in the fight against all forms of men’s violence toward women. Topics covered include male peer cultures in schools and colleges, violence by men against other men, men’s uses of pornography, prostitution and stripping, sexism in the sports culture and the military, the many intersections between racism and sexism, and the role of homophobia in all-male groups. Katz uses entertaining and disturbing clips from his award-winning videos, including Tough Guise, to accentuate the importance of understanding – and changing – the cultural environment that condones or promotes sexism and violence.
Monday from 4 to 5PM, UBC350 is holding an organizational meeting in IBLC 191. This is a really exciting group of students and faculty committed to taking action on climate change, and I highly recommend you attend!
On Wednesday at 5:30, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions is holding a talk entitled “Limit Climate Change and Stay Healthy by Drs. Kirsten Zickfeld, SFU and Erica Frank, UBC.
Each week, the Terry team will highlight events in and around campus that we happen to be interested in. As usual, the focus will be on global issues with an interdisciplinary angle. Be sure to check out events.ubc.ca for more.
Note: This entire week is the Conference Week for the Africa Awareness Initiative! Click the link to see the full schedule.
Jan 16
Two great free lectures at Green College:
- From 5-6:30 pm, Cornell University professor Dave Pizarro will be giving a talk entitled, “The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty: The Role of Disgust in Moral and Political Judgement.” Pizarro’s research at Cornell revolves around emotion, judgement and behaviour, and this fascinating talk will explain how the emotion of disgust can affect an individual’s political and moral judgement.
- From 8-9 pm, UBC professor Samuel Johns will address a very local phenomenon in his lecture, “‘The Lonely City’: Cycling as Critique of Contemporary Culture.” Johns will address isolation and individualism in Vancouver, using cycling as a critique of superficiality.
Jan 17
Africa Awareness Week @ The Global Lounge:
- 12-1:30 pm: Africa In Research – UBC professor Dr. Gary Bull and AFRICAD present a look at the increasingly important role of Africa’s ecosystems in current environmental research.
- 7-9 pm: Africa in Film, “The First Grader.” – This award-winning, internationally acclaimed film captures the inspiring true story of an 84-year-old Kenyan fighting to receive an elementary school education.
I am re-thinking a few things: a) where intelligence comes from and b) where good ideas come from and c) whether or not those are actually 2 separate questions..
Maybe all you potential academic starlets are smart partly because you can conduct good post-mortems on failure of all sorts. For example- commerce, from a previous Terry post.
Right after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig incident, William J. Broad of the New York Times noted
Disasters teach more than successes.
While that idea may sound paradoxical, it is widely accepted among engineers. They say grim lessons arise because the reasons for triumph in matters of technology are often arbitrary and invisible, whereas the cause of a particular failure can frequently be uncovered, documented and reworked to make improvements.
Each week, the Terry team will highlight events in and around campus that we happen to be interested in. As usual, the focus will be on global issues with an interdisciplinary angle. Be sure to check out events.ubc.ca for more.
January 9th-15th.
Author Meets Critics: Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children: Joel Bakan “Vancouver’s Best Public Intellectual” (Georgia Straight) and author of the best seller “The Corporation” is back with an alarming new book about how big business is mercilessly targeting children. This Wednesday, Green College is hosting him at UBC Law. Want a sneak peak? He recently spoke to George Stroumboulopoulos.
Whether or not you’re into science, you’ve heard the name. Stephen Hawking is a modern-day science legend, a hero. And, today, defying all odds, he is celebrating his 70th birthday.
Hawking suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease in which life expectancy is 2-3 years after diagnosis. He has managed to overcome the limitations of the disease and still maintain his reputation as one of the best theoretical physicists of all time, all without the ability to speak on his own, breathe on his own.
Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time” is a phenomenal book; he manages to explain the most complicated of topics in such a way that virtually anyone can understand, albeit with a dictionary at hand. Hawking knew to cater to the general public as well as the scientific community, which is truly rare. His sense of humor, combined with his intellect, make him a very unique individual.
What other theoretical physicist/cosmologist is featured in a Pink Floyd album, has been on Conan O’Brien, and played themselves so often on the Simpsons as to warrant their own Simpsons action figure?
When asked about his IQ, he replied, “I have no idea. People who boast about their I.Q. are losers.” I mean, how unbelievably cool is that?
Stephen Hawking is an incredible man, in all aspects of his life. His perseverance has influenced people worldwide, including myself. So happy birthday, Stephen!! Keep on inspiring the world with your brilliance.
-Michelle
It’s the first week of the year, first week of the term… A time of reflection and projection. A time to mix things up and try new things. How do you plan to enrich, expand, and innovate in 2012? How about through interdisciplinary engagement?
As fans of the Terry project, you’re likely already familiar with the benefits and possibilities of interdisciplinarity. The Terry project is committed to promoting interdisciplinary dialogue through its TEDx student conference, ASIC 200, the Global Speaker Series, and through the Terry blog. Did you know that Terry also promotes interdisciplinarity in classrooms across UBC? Yep! UBC Mix is designed to partner instructors, students, and courses together to create innovative and enriching learning activities.
I’m the UBC Mix Student Coordinator. I help to connect interested instructors and brainstorm ideas with them for interdisciplinary activities, assignments, and events. Here are some examples of past student Mixes and Mixes in the works:
- Data mash-ups: Statisticians and biologists working together with statistical models and fresh data to produce a common report
- Guest speakers: Economists and applied scientists in engineering engaging in discussion after listening to a guest speaker who is homeless and living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
- Ethical debate/discussions: Ethics students pairing up with genetics students to discuss the ethical implications of genetics research and application
- Joint lecture/reading series: Students from a range of disciplines – forestry, anthropology, engineering, economics – meeting up to listen to speakers from the UBC Reads Sustainability initiative and engage with their ideas
Can you think of other examples you’ve experienced? If you could create interdisciplinary learning opportunities in your classrooms, what would they look like? (Parisian salon? Competitive debate? Project-based learning? Service learning?)
Who would you like to interact with and learn more about on campus? How would you Mix up your education?
Email me at ubc-mix@interchange.ubc.ca or leave a comment! Let’s see what we can come up with by Mixing things up!
This year’s winner: the 2012 Republican candidates for the President of the United States (article)
Some choice quotes:
Rick Santorum: “There is no such thing as global warming…it’s just an excuse for more government control of your life and I’ve never been for any scheme or even accepted the junk science behind the whole narrative.” (source)
Mitt Romney: “My view is that we don’t know what’s causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us.” (source)
Ron Paul: “I think war and financial crises and big governments marching into our homes and elimination of habeas corpus — those are immediate threats. We’re about to lose our whole country and whole republic! If we can be declared an enemy combatant and put away without a trial, then that’s going to affect a lot of us a lot sooner than the temperature going up.” (source)
Newt Gingrich: ““I’m an amateur paleontologist…I spend a lot of time looking at the Earth’s temperature for a very long time. I’m a lot harder to convince than just looking at a computer model.” (source)
Rick Perry: “I do think global warming has been politicised … We are seeing almost weekly or even daily scientists are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing our climate to change. Yes, our climate has changed. It has been changing ever since the Earth was formed. But I do not buy into a group of scientists who have, in some cases, been found to be manipulating data.” (source)
My sister had a great idea for our family for next Christmas. We have a big family that live from Western to Eastern Canada and it is hard to do the gift giving thing from year to year.
Next year we are going to buy a family gift from Plan . The family could all donate X dollars and then one of the kids could draw names and go through their catalogue to decide which gift to donate where.
Dispatches on CBC did a piece about a documentary being made about tracing a goat through Plan – which is extremely entertaining and informative. Look for “Where’s my Goat?” And think about it for your family next year.
a) why trains are roomy versus why airplanes are crammed and b) why the popularity of hats in Britain has never quite translated over to this side of the pond.
Whoa. Writing that just freaked me out substantially. However, I am determined to help you find your last minute gifts for your loved ones. One day at a time.
My first pick is a truly awesome and beautiful book for the hip foodie in your life. The hip foodie in my life reserved her copy of this fantastic cookbook well before most, and even alerted me to its existence – I am embarrassed to say.
Gift Pick #1: For The Foodie In Your Life
Mission Street Food by Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz, is from the new cookbook imprint from McSweeney’s , and defies convention as a restaurant, much like McSweeney’s itself pushes the boundaries of the publishing world. This cookbook is a testament to the work that chefs at Mission Street Food do for their community (75 cents from every entree goes to the San Fransisco Food Bank and $10 from every book bought through McSweeney’s goes to Slow Food USA ) as well as a tribute to lovingly and carefully prepared food.
Not to mention lovingly and thoughtfully prepared books.
Richard Kemick delivers a scathing and very very funny diatribe as he laments the disparity between the “have” and “have not” University Faculties.
“Richard Kemick is originally from Calgary, Alberta and is studying English Literature and History at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He has a semi-erotic obsession with Shakespeare, Canada, and Tibetan independence (the latter in no way influences the political neutrality of his presentation). Richard loves his mother.”
November 5th, 2011. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Filmed by Craig Ross: Video edited by David Ng
About TEDx:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Laura Bain speaks about living with Bipolar Type II Disorder, the trials and tribulations, but also how it informs her vibrant character and wonderful sense of identity.
“Laura is a very passionate person and as a 5th year Biology student she is a lover of Science. She is an avid cyclist, a teacher, an artist and a silly dancer. She is a windsurf instructor, the former vice commodore of the UBC sailing club, and a summer landscaper. She is a friend, roommate, a well-loved daughter and baby sister to three big brothers. She is also an auntie to the cutest little niece ever. Oh, there is one more thing, she is living with Bipolar Disorder.”
November 5th, 2011. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Filmed by Craig Ross: Video edited by David Ng
About TEDx:
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
(Click on image to watch video)
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Christmas Pick 2: The Little Bookish Stocking Stuffer
from hitRECord.org
First, it’s so cute.
And it says “tiny” in the title.
But also, it’s monumentally cool – especially for the hipster artsy girl in your life.
hitRECord is a creative collaborative website directed and started by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of (500) Days of Summer and other films). It is really ambitious and interesting and power-to-the-people-ish and it really impressed me. And if you are even remotely creative yourself, it is also a tad inspiring.
So, hey! This holiday season: if nothing else – get inspired! And maybe inspire somebody else with this wee book.