In this talk, we’ll explore the complex and evolving process of wildfire recovery through the lens of social-ecological systems. From the urgent steps of bringing communities home and coordinating salvage logging and replanting, to the unexpected consequences of the emergence of morel mushrooms and the influx of harvesters they attract, wildfire recovery reveals a complex web of both opportunities and challenges. The morel boom can create sudden economic activity, but it also brings environmental pressures and social tensions. We’ll also explore the long-term healing between communities and the land, and how these relationships must adapt in the face of an ever-changing climate.

Guernica is one of most iconic images of the 20th century. The painting depicts the German bombing of Guernica, Spain in 1939. Picasso was in Paris working on a piece commissioned for the World’s Fair when he received word of this horrific attack. His inspiration for the monochromatic painting seems to have come from newsreels, newspaper articles and photographs of the devastation that was left. Although the painting was done in a very short time, its impact has resonated long after the event. If time permits, I would like to have participants do a schematic drawing of the painting to discover how Picasso organized the composition and how that relates to classical design in the way paintings from the Renaissance were configured,

Mahjong is an intriguing, fast paced tile game sharing some similarities with Western card games of Canasta.  The version played at Seniorloops  is aligned with the Chinese Mahjong with some American adaptations.  Instruction is given as you play.  There are two instructors; each playing at a table with 3 learners.

In this lecture, John Felvinci explores the Big Bang theory, which is supposed to have started our Universe. Of late, new theories and interpretations have emerged. Some have put the date back by many billions of years; others are delaying the birth by having inflation precede it. Many new measurements by the Webb telescope, and other new ideas about dark matter indicate a a need for revision.

Zoom class—you can enjoy it in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC

Session 1 – What is Community Wealth Building?
Community wealth building is a people-centred approach to economic development, which redirects wealth back into the local economy, and places ownership, control and benefits into the hands of local people and organizations. It emphasizes the importance of locally-rooted structures such as cooperatives, social enterprises, businesses, and creative financing structures such as community bonds. In this session, we’ll explore the pillars and guiding principles of community wealth building, and learn from successful examples from across Canada and abroad.
 
Session 2 – Models of Community Wealth Building
What would the Kamloops region look like if we took a people-centred approach to economic development, affordable housing, and community ownership? Through interactive discussion and workshop activities, we’ll explore examples of community wealth building in the Kamloops region and opportunities to further grow our community wealth building strategies

Bats in British Columbia are an essential, vulnerable, and underappreciated species.  Join Emily in an introduction to the world’s only flying mammal to discuss the benefits bats provide to our environment and the ways we can help them.  Over half of BC’s bat species are listed as endangered or of special concern. This talk will explore the threats they face, bust common myths, explain what to do if you encounter one, and highlight the work of the BC Community Bat Program.  Learn how you can help protect these fascinating creatures and gain a new appreciation for the bats living in our own backyard.

On a recent trip to Egypt, I was met with a world both ancient and modern  — old and new mingled in a way that was unexpected. Egypt is a country and culture rich in art, history, ancient artifacts and architecture. Mine was an intense visit filled with surprises and amazing sights. This photo presentation will provide some historical background and share what I saw and experienced in the places I visited.

This talk by a retired meteorologist takes us to the fascinating world of clouds-what they are and why they matter. Starting with the physics of condensation, Rick explains how rising air cools to produce droplets of ice crystals, sometimes leading to rain. He then identifies the different cloud types, their structures and how they signal changes in weather. Reinforced by informative short videos, the presentation leaves us with a clear understanding of clouds and their role in weather. This is a zoom class, you may attend from the comfort of your own home or join in person at the Kamloops Sports Council.

In this lecture, John explains the origins of asteroids and their locations in the Solar System. He discusses the probability of asteroids hitting Earth, the effects of past asteroid hits on the history of life on Earth and the efforts underway to prevent future hits. Finally he describes the explorations of asteroids by space probes.

A zoom class- you can watch from home or at KSC

This course is an opportunity to encounter, perhaps for the first time, perhaps for the hundred and first, some of those ancient mythical narratives that are so deeply embedded in Western thought and art.  Although there are many different sources for the myths of Greek and Roman culture, we will explore a selection of them as seen through the unique imagination of the 1st Century Roman poet Ovid, whose extensive poetic collection he called Metamorphoses, and which has become the most widely known and most influential collection of such myths.  The late English poet, Ted Hughes, translated about a third of Ovid’s stories in a lively and graphic poetic style that captures much of Ovid’s own distinctive tone, and it his collection that we will use for our encounter or re-encounter with Greek and Roman myth.

The exploration of the Northwest Passage has been a fascinating chapter in Canadian history. For centuries, explorers tried to find this fabled route to the riches of the Orient. The most famous expedition was led by Sir John Franklin in 1845, and the disappearance of his two ships and 129 men launched 30 years of searches and discoveries. Today, the Northwest Passage is traversed by cruise ships, and visitors are awed by the spectacular vistas of the Arctic. Roland Neave has travelled extensively through the Northwest Passage. He was one of the first tourists to have the thrill of visiting the site of the sunken shipwreck Erebus, the Franklin ship that was discovered in 1914. This group also visited the Franklin graves at Beechey Island and explored by zodiac the tidewater face of Crocker Glacier. Roland will talk about some of the history of the Northwest Passage accompanied by slides of his Arctic expeditions.

This presentation explores the history of weather observation and forecasting, from ancient folklore and Aristotle’s Meteorologica of 340 BCE to today’s high-tech era of satellites, supercomputers and AI-driven models. Bringing in both Canadian and international examples the presenter, a retired meteorologist, highlights pivotal advances such as telegraph networks, meteorological stations and revolutionary digital modelling. This is a zoom class; attendees may watch from the comfort of their own home or attend in person at the Kamloops Sports Council.