lectures

Dr. Matthew Levitt: Negotiating Under Fire: The Impact of Terrorism on the Middle-East Peace Process

Written
by
Katie
on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
.

When: Monday, March 15th, 2010 @ 6:00pm

Where: University of Ottawa Desmarais Building (DMS 3120)

What: Matthew Levitt is a senior fellow and director at the Washington Institute’s Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. He is also a professorial lecturer in international relations and strategic studies at John Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). From 2005 to early 2007, he served as a deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, playing a central role in efforts to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse and to deny terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other rogue actors the ability to Finance threats to the U.S. national security. Dr. Levitt has written extensively on terrorism, the Middle East, and Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, with articles appearing in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Weekly Standard, Daily Star (Beirut), Jerusalem Post, The Australian, National Post (Canada), and numerous other publications. He is also a frequent guest on the national and international media, including NPR, CNN, BBC, FOX News, ABC, CBS, and NBC. His latest books include Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of the Jihad (Yale University Press, 2006) and Negotiating Under Fire: Preserving Peace Talks in the Face of Terror Attacks (Rowman &Littlefield, 2008)

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Gardening to Maximize Backyard Biodiversity - lecture at Canadian Museum of Nature

Written
by
Katie
on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
.

What can you do to support the International Year of Biodiversity? Positive decisions by individuals can have considerable impact on diversity, such as creating a naturalized garden instead of maintaining a lawn. Everyone who stops spraying and starts to garden with wildlife in mind are contributing another link in urban wildlife corridors. Wildlife corridors are a concept usually associated with attempts to interconnect large, disparate forest regions. However, corridors are relevant on a much smaller scale, too. During this talk, Jeff Skevington, Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, will explore several aspects of naturalized gardens, providing a case study of moving from a “monoculture of grass” to a diverse urban landscape. He will highlight some ideal plants to grow, and introduce us to some of the magnificent mini-beasts that occur in such naturalized settings. Time: 7:00 p.m. Fee: $5. Registration is recommended. Call 613-566-4791. Location: 240 McLeod Street (corner of Metcalfe St), Ottawa.

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OCIC Ottawa Regional Forum ~ Strategies for Cohesion in Engaging Civil Society

Written
by
Katie
on Monday, March 8, 2010
.

OCIC Ottawa Regional Forum ~ Strategies for Cohesion in Engaging Civil Society
Friday, March 12, 2010 from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM (ET)

Promoting an understanding of local and global issues and encouraging people in taking action is an important part of international cooperation work. Through a look at relevant case studies of civil society mobilization this Forum will provide opportunities to reflect on root challenges to cohesiveness in social justice organizing for international cooperation. Attention will focus on highlighting practical tools and strategies for building and strengthening movements that walk the talk of working together for positive social change. Panel presentations will highlight successes, challenges and lessons learned related to social justice organizing.

Speakers include:

o Farrah Miranda (No One is Illegal Toronto) on grassroots mobilization and influencing Social Policy

o Graham Saul (Climate Action Network) on lessons from the Climate & Environment sector

o Manu Sharma (Ottawa Centre for Research & Innovation) on the potential of Social Media

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Launch of Revolutionary Traveller at Octopus Books

Written
by
Katie
on Monday, March 8, 2010
.

REVOLUTIONARY TRAVELLER

by John S. Saul

Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm at Octopus Books (116 Third Ave)

John S. Saul draws on a series of his own occasional articles written over a span of forty years which, together with a linking narrative, serve to trace not only his own career as an anti-apartheid and liberation support movement activist in both Canada and southern Africa but also help recount the history of the various struggles in both venues in which he has been directly involved.

613-233-2589 www.octopusbooks.ca

No admission fee.

The store is accessible but the washrooms are not.

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Meet and greet with Brian Jungen at the National Gallery of Canada!

Written
by
Francois
on Wednesday, March 3, 2010
.
Photo courtesy of murdocke23 on Flickr.

Photo courtesy of murdocke23 on Flickr.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
gallery.ca

Brian Jungen: Thursday, March 4 at 6 pm

Brian Jungen will discuss his artistic practice. A bilingual question period will follow.

Brian Jungen creates thought provoking sculptures through the reconfiguring of familiar objects. His work comments on a range of issues, from mass production and globalization to the consumption of Aboriginal imagery through museum practices. He first came to prominence with Prototypes for New Understanding (1998-2005), in which he reconceived Nike footwear into objects that suggest Northwest Coast Aboriginal masks. Since then his work has been exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally including at the Vancouver Art Gallery (British Columbia), Tate Modern (London), the New Museum (New York), the Biennale of Sydney (Australia), and Vienna Secession, (Austria). The National Gallery of Canada collection currently holds four works by Jungen including Peoples Flag, 2006; Vienna, 2003; Vernacular, 1998-2001; and Shapeshifter, 2000.

In the Lecture Hall. Free admission.

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O-Town Hosts Good Po’t Bök Tomorrow: Joy!

Written
by
trevor
on Wednesday, March 3, 2010
.
Bök Bök Bök

Photo courtesy of blurasis on Flickr

Let’s be clear about one thing: Christian Bök will never be employed to write verse for Hallmark cards. (Although if I’m wrong, they will be the most awesome Hallmark cards EVER, and I will collect them all.) For those of you not up to speed on your avant-garde Canadian poetry, Bök - a University of Calgary English professor by day - is the mad genius behind the best-selling 2001 collection Eunoia, which features five chapters of poems made up of words using the same single vowel. Seriously. There’s an “a” chapter, an “e” chapter, and so on until the end of the alphabet. (Bök once said he wrote Eunoia - which is not only Greek for “beautiful thinking” but also the shortest word in the English language containing all five vowels - to show how each vowel has its own personality. If that’s so, I might suggest not inviting “u” to tea with your grandmother.)

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Science Cafe takes on Enzymes

Written
by
Karen
on Monday, February 22, 2010
.
Photo courtesy Arbonne National Laboratory on Flickr.

Photo courtesy Arbonne National Laboratory on Flickr.

Enzymes. We’ve all got ‘em, we all need ‘em, but do we really know ‘em? These little proteins catalyze chemical reactions, helping them along by reducing the amount of activation energy required for the reaction to begin.

But how do they work? These enzymes are basically tiny machines, working away methodically and mechanically to help those chemical reactions along. But how do they really function at that oh-so-detailed molecular level? This week at Science Cafe, Susan Aitken of Carleton’s department of biology will help us all understand these important molecules better.

As always, Science Cafe is held down at the Wild Oat (817 Bank), starting at 6:30pm on Wednesdays - including this one, Feb 24.

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Photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo tells the little-known story of Canada’s migrant workers

Written
by
Katie
on Sunday, February 21, 2010
.

Octopus Books and Between the Lines invite you to meet acclaimed photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo, and learn about his new book, Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farm Workers in Canada.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Auditorium, Main Library
120 Metcalfe, Ottawa
Free admission; wheelchair accessible

Harvest Pilgrims tells the little-known story of Canada’s migrant workers. The photographs in the “Harvest Pilgrims” collection have been highly acclaimed internationally through many publications and exhibitions, including a travelling show curated by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography that opened in Mexico City. Vincenzo Pietropaolo will present a slideshow of his work on the subject, and talk about the project, which has been 20 years in the making. http://www.btlbooks.com/bookinfo.php?index=195

For more information:

Octopus Books
613.233.2589
events@octopusbooks.ca

Between the Lines
416.535.9914
info@btlbooks.com

About the book

Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farm Workers in Canada
Vincenzo Pietropaolo
144 pp | paper | 80 + duotone photos
ISBN 978-1-897071-54-0 | $49.95 | October 2009

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Live at the Library! This week: Gluten-free living

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by
apartment613
on Saturday, February 20, 2010
.
Photo courtesy of elanas pantry on Flickr.

Photo courtesy of elana's pantry on Flickr.

Did you know that loads of public events happen at the library? Most of them for free! If you are looking for an after work activity that is stimulating for your brain rather then detrimental to your liver,  attending a talk or a lecture at the library is the way to go (you can always get to the liver later). Our new correspondent, Stephen Johnson, has worked at the Ottawa Public Library for the past nine years. His periodic column will showcase the upcoming events, courses and seminars that will be taking place at the Main Library. Stay tuned for more of Live at the Library in upcoming weeks.

Who knew visiting the Ottawa Public Library could be so good for your health? Toronto-based author Victoria Yeh will be discussing her new book, Where Do I Start? Your Essential Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Sugar-Free Food Allergy Cookbook on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 pm. The event will be taking place at the Main Library Auditorium (120 Metcalfe Street) and admission is free.

For some, the traditional Western diet is full of hidden dangers. The proteins found in gluten and milk products can wreak havoc on the digestive tract, while the refined sugar sneakily added to nearly everything can play a role in obesity, diabetes and hyperactive children. As a result, many health conscious people are taking steps to remove these substances from their diet, whether they’ve been diagnosed with allergies or not.

Victoria Yeh writes from personal experience about making this transition. Eight years ago, on the advice of her doctor, Yeh eliminated gluten, dairy and sugar from her diet. Yeh’s book talks about the results of these changes including practical recipes and food substitutions.

True to the title, Where do I Start also provides people thinking about eliminating wheat, milk and sugar from their diet with some useful advice. “To be successful with a new diet, you first have to be absolutely committed to making the change in your lifestyle,” says Yeh. “People think that it’s hard to stick to these diets, but it’s not. It’s just a matter of learning a few rules of thumb so that you can adapt to your needs and still enjoy the foods you love.” For example, some of the tips she recommends include:

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Café Scientifique February 16th, 2010: “The Human Genome Project Ten Years Later: Has the Promise Been Realized?

Written
by
Katie
on Tuesday, February 16, 2010
.

Café Scientifique

“The Human Genome Project Ten Years Later: Has the Promise Been Realized?

Tuesday, February 16th from 5:30-7:30pm

Heart & Crown Irish Pub, ByWard Market (67 Clarence St.) Ottawa. T

This event aims to explore the advancements of the field of human genomics and the implications of this field on society since the historic White House announcement of the publication of the human genome at the turn of the millennium. Ten years later, what advancements have been made? How have they impacted our world, and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead? If you’re interested in learning about the Human Genome Project, what research has followed from it, and how the media reports on such findings then please come and join us in a conversation about this topic. The Café has a facilitator and three experts who will engage the audience in the conversation (please see attached). The Café is very informal and begins with short talks by each of the experts about their own work and opinions about the topic. This serves as a starting point for a discussion.

If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP Mark Weir at mwei2@uottawa.ca to ensure your attendance.

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