I am a woman and I go to school. Although I feel privileged to be going to school at my age, there is nothing extraordinary about that statement. Not in Canada. Not in the United States, nor in many other countries. But, if you are a woman or a girl […] Read More
I was walking along science row at UBC with a school buddy last week and he started pointing out the state-of-the-art buildings. Earth and Ocean Sciences, Beatty Biodiversity Museum (the one with the blue whale in the atrium), Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory, one after the other, state-of-the art green buildings. […] Read More
I got some sweet news this week in my inbox. New Society Publishers was bought by Douglas and McIntyre a few years ago. Now, sadly, that publisher has filed for bankruptcy. But the good news is, because New Society is its own legal entity, the original owners, Chris and Judith […] Read More
Spotted this in the bathroom at the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability at UBC. Sometimes the liability police take their jobs a little too seriously.
I went to a UBC sustainability event yesterday on integrating sustainability into curriculum. It was sponsored by the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. As it was over lunch, the organizers were kindly feeding us. Julian Gonzalez was the guest speaker. He […] Read More
I’m taking a surveys course. It involves statistics. It is bending my mind in whole new ways. They say it’s good to try new things, build new circuits in the brain as you mature. Well, I’ll tell you, it’s taking some doing to get this mature student to engage those […] Read More
I went to get a haircut yesterday and my hairdresser got talking about the endless chore of making lunches for her kids, who are at university. This woman works six days a week, standing on her feet all day. “Why don’t they make their own lunches?” I asked. “They don’t […] Read More
I’ve been thinking about how little consideration is given to sustaining ourselves in this mad rush towards saving the world. And by sustaining ourselves, I mean taking time out daily to slow down, get quiet, and replenish the fuel. Restorative activities can take many forms, could be a seaside walk, […] Read More
I came home late from class last night and choked my way through a hallway of smoke to get to my suite. My neighbour is a chain smoker. At the Annual General Meeting, the owners voted down a bylaw that would have banned smoking anywhere in the building, including in […] Read More
All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone. – Blaise Pascal Seems like a very good quote for a Sunday. I was a French lit major and read Pascal’s Pensées, in French, during my undergrad. I loved the collection by the French philosopher […] Read More