Monthly Archives: August 2021

Zoom Webinar: Geoff Hayes on The Canadians in Normandy

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Note this up-coming event that members may be interested in attending.
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GEOFF HAYES

The Canadians in Normandy:
Another Go-Around

August 25th, 7:30 PM ET
The webinar is FREE on Zoom.

Registration is required, but you do not need a Zoom account to watch.

CLICK HERE to Register
Despite years of debate, the view persists that “something appeared to be wrong” with First Canadian Army through the summer of 1944. This talk traces the Canadian path through Normandy to re-consider an ‘old’ narrative. It argues that, in the face of heavy casualties and enduring British criticism of the Canadians, the soldiers of First Canadian Army understood that they had earned a remarkable victory in Normandy. Finally, after over four years of war, the Canadians believed that they had won a Canadian victory, one that matched, even surpassed their fathers’ achievements a generation before.

Educated at Wilfrid Laurier University and Western University, GEOFF HAYES is a professor of history at the University of Waterloo. He was a student of Terry Copp when he wrote The Lincs: A History of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment at War (1986). Most recently his book, Crerar’s Lieutenants: Inventing the Canadian Junior Army Officer, 1939–1945 (UBC, 2017) won the 2018 C.P. Stacey Award. Geoff has learned a great deal from the many student tours he has joined on the battlefields of Northwest Europe, organized through the Canadian Battlefields Foundation.
UPCOMING WEBINARS

6 October | Telling the Stories of Canada
Joy Porter
“That Talented Canadian, Mr. Frank Prewett:
Trauma and Indigenous Masquerade in the Wake of the First World War”
Click HERE to Register

3 November | Telling the Stories of Canada
Carla-Jean Stokes
“First World War Photography”
Click HERE to Register
Presented by:
Click here to listen to the latest episode of On War & Society: The American War in Vietnam with Rob Thompson.

On War & Society features authors discussing their research, the challenges associated with doing history, and life ‘behind the book.’
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Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies · 75 University Ave W · Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 · Canada

Welcome back to campus; upcoming events; grizzly DNA surprise 🐻

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A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.
Canadian Studies Announcements
In this issue:
  • A welcome message from program director Irene Bloemraad
  • Upcoming event: The Politics of Coronavirus in Canada and the United States
  • In the news: ‘Mind Blowing’ study links BC grizzlies and Native languages
  • Call for papers: Annual conference of the French Association of Canadian Studies
  • External event: Kitchen gadgets from the Kathleen Thompson Hill collection
  • External event: “Inuit: The Arctic We Want”
A Message From Our Director
This Wednesday marks an exciting milestone, as students return to Berkeley for the first time in over a year. Like many of you, we’re still navigating our physical return to campus and what that means for our program. But no matter how the fall shapes up, we’ll still be offering events and programs that create a forum for important Canadian topics, and supporting students engaged in research that promotes a greater understanding of Canada and its people.
As we work through a “return to normalcy” together, we thank you for being a part of our Canadian Studies community and hope to see you in person before too long!
Warmly,
Irene Bloemraad, Program Co-Director
UPCOMING EVENT
Elections Matter: The Politics of Coronavirus in Canada and the United States
September 14 | 12:30 pm | Online | RSVP here
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have wide-ranging consequences on North American politics. The effect of the virus on Joe Biden’s 2020 win remains debated; meanwhile, Justin Trudeau hopes to use the belated success of his vaccine procurement strategy to win his party a parliamentary majority in the September 20 federal elections. How has COVID-19 shaped electoral politics in Canada and the United States as it relates to crucial recent and ongoing policy choices? Political scientist Daniel Béland will address this question while discussing the potential political and policy consequences of the upcoming Canadian elections.
Daniel Béland is James McGill Professor of Political Science at McGill University and director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. His research focuses on public policy, political sociology, and federalism and territorial politics.
IN THE NEWS
‘Mind Blowing’ Study Shows Grizzly Bear DNA Maps onto BC Indigenous Language Families
A new genetic survey demonstrates an astonishing link between British Columbia’s coastal bear population and its Native people. As reported in Science, the study, which was supported by local Indigenous councils, shows that coastal grizzlies divide into three distinct populations. But to researchers’ surprise, the populations do not correspond with obvious geographic barriers; instead, they closely align with the region’s three main language families.
Nevertheless, the results make sense to study co-author Jenn Walkus, a member of the Wuikinuxv Nation. Humans and bears have many of the same resource needs, she notes, such clean water or a steady supply of foods like salmon. This would encourage both groups to settle in the same resource-rich regions. She says that the study demonstrates the importance of recognizing interconnectedness as a principle of conservation work, and managing resources with a view to all species.
Image: Michelle Valberg, Science Magazine.
Call for Papers: Annual Conference of the French Association of Canadian Studies
Deadline: September 30, 2021
Seventy years ago, the Report of the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences 1949-1951, headed by Vincent Massey, was published. Called by some “the most important official document in the history of Canadian culture”, the so-called ‘Massey Report’ was both the first investigation of the state of the arts and culture as well as cultural policies in Canada, and the first major plea in favor of a strategic and financial support from the federal government for culture and cultural institutions across the country.
The French Association of Canadian Studies (AFEC) will explore the legacy of the Massey Report at their next conference, scheduled for June 2022. The objectives of the conference will be to take both a retrospective and prospective look at the state of culture and cultural policies in Canada. Proposals for papers with a title (400 words max) and a short biography (100 words) must be submitted by email to the organizing committee by September 30, 2021. Please visit their website for complete information and applications directions.
EXTERNAL EVENTS
Exhibit: Kitchen Gizmos & Gadgets from the Kathleen Thompson Hill Culinary Collection
August 27 – November 28 | Napa Valley Museum | Learn more here
Kathleen Thompson Hill, a noted food and wine writer and Canadian Studies board member, has collected nearly 4,000 kitchen utensils as part of what she calls a “quirky obsession.” In a new exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum in Yountville, she highlights kitchens gadgets and gizmos you will not see anywhere else, from the first-ever ice cream scoop to the Toast-o-Lator. Previews for the exhibit begin this Friday, August 27; the exhibit will officially run from September 25 to November 28. Tickets are included with regular museum admission.
Inuit: The Arctic We Want
September 14 | 1 pm ET (11 am PT) | RSVP here
On July 16-19, 2018, delegates from Alaska, Greenland, Canada and Chukotka (Russia) came together for the 13th General Assembly of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). Under the theme “Inuit – The Arctic We Want,” delegates discussed policies and developed strategies for the 2018-2022 Alaskan Chairmanship of ICC. The event culminated in the adoption of the Utqiagvik Declaration, which serves as a guide for the ICC’s work over the 2018-2022 term and as a reflection of Inuit priorities across Alaska, Greenland, Canada and the Russian Federation. Please join the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute as we welcome ICC leaders to share their perspectives on the Utqiagvik Declaration’s priorities, reflections on their implementation since 2018, and goals for the final year of the Alaskan Chairmanship.
Canadian Studies Program
213 Moses Hall #2308
Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley, 213 Moses Hall #2308, Berkeley, CA 94720

WWI Memorial “Virtual Explorer” App aimed at schools this fall

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This item may be of interest to some of our members.
virtual explorer 4 panel overview
Five start 260

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PRESS RELEASE BULLETIN


THE NATIONAL WWI MEMORIAL AND WWI HISTORY COME TO U.S. SCHOOLS AND YOUR LIVING ROOM WITH THE NEW WWI MEMORIAL “VIRTUAL EXPLORER” APP

WASHINGTON, DC 8/23/2021

The Doughboy Foundation is bringing the new National WWI Memorial from Washington, D.C. to schools and homes all over America with a new release of the award-winning Augmented Reality App called The WWI Memorial “Virtual Explorer”.

The “Virtual Explorer” App brings a walk-around-inside-it digital 3D model of the National WWI Memorial to students and educators utilizing iOS or Android tablets, available in many K-12 schools, or the smartphone already in nearly every pocket.

Students, teachers, or anyone who cannot come to Washington, D.C. can take a virtual field trip to the National WWI Memorial. More than that, the WWI Memorial “Virtual Explorer” App is filled with interactive and experiential WWI history, including:

Virtual Explorer - timeline Tower

The Timeline Tower: An interactive, 2-story tall 3D timeline featuring over 50 key events from WWI with images and short narratives organized up and down the tower in time order.
Virtual Explorer-sinking the Lusitania 2

The Sinking of the Lusitania: A video game-style presentation of this crucial event that was instrumental in drawing America into the global WWI conflict.
Virtual Explorer - Sopwith Camel plane

Vehicles from WWI: Featuring interactive 3D models of breakthrough vehicles that came out of WWI including airplanes, tanks, motorized ambulances and even a 1917 Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Virtual Explorer - How WWI Changed America

How WWI Changed America: More than 50 micro-documentaries (each under 2 minutes) in 9 categories featuring leading WWI historians. Social topics include the effect of WWI on Women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, citizenship, propaganda, and even the 1918 flu pandemic.
Virtual Explorer - Military History of WWI

The Military History of WWI: A multi-part exploration of how America transformed from a standing army of less than 130,000 to a global military powerhouse with 4.7 million men and women in uniform, and 2 million soldiers deployed overseas in just 18 months – a timeframe comparable to today’s Covid experience.
virtual Explorer - Stories of Service

Stories of Service: The tools and means to create research-projects about WWI veterans from the local community or families, which can be submitted INTO the App, resulting in an auto-narrated story and images that are shared nationally.
Communicator Award statuette

The WWI Memorial “Virtual Explorer” prototype received a 2021 Communicator Award for “Best Use of Augmented Reality” from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts. This new release builds and expands on that success.

The innovative WWI Memorial Apps initiative has received support and funding from Walmart, the National Endowment for the Humanities, with content from a Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant, resulting in two companion apps.

The companion WWI Memorial “Visitor Guide” is optimized for use on-site when visiting the WWI Memorial. It is a smaller version intended for easy download at the venue.

The WWI Memorial Apps were produced by the Doughboy Foundation in partnership with two California based companies: TechApplication.com, LLC as creator/producer, and game studio Code Headquarters as the developer.

The Apps can be found by searching on “WWI Memorial” in either app store or by going to www.Doughboy.org/apps

LEARN MORE 

Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence – LC3 Justin Mostasisa

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This past Saturday, Branch 25 awarded their annual Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence.  This is what the leadership of U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps – Arkansas Division submitted.

LC3 Justin Mostasisa has consistently supported all Royal Canadian Legion events over the last two years.  He has been fully engaged with in-person events, online presentations, and ceremonies since he joined the USNSCC.  In addition to his participation supporting the Legion, he was recently awarded the Compass Rose for Model United Nations Training as well as the Compass Rose for completion of Field Operations training.  LC3 Mostasisa has brought tremendous enthusiasm to the unit, showed sustained hard work toward achieving his goals, and has been an exemplary Cadet in attendance, demeanor, and achievement.  It is my most sincere recommendation that LC3 Justin Mostasisa be awarded the Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence.

Normally the award would be made at the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps – Arkansas Division’s annual inspection.  However, with the pandemic their 2020 and 2021 inspections were cancelled.  This picnic was the first in person event for both the branch and the cadets since early March 2020.

[REMINDER] Request for Participation – “I Joined” Membership Campaign

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In 2020, as a way to get membership engaged all across the country, Dominion Command of the Royal Canadian Legion engaged in an “I Joined” campaign.  In preparation for a membership drive that we are going to undertake in the Fall, US Branch 25 – representing the San Francisco Bay Area – is replicating this campaign.

Our members are the lifeblood of the Royal Canadian Legion.  Without your support, we could not do all we do to honour, support, and remember Canada’s veteran and their families.  We invite you to share why you joined the Legion.  For some it may be to give back to those who served, to honour family members, or to support our branch and communities.  So tell us your Legion story!  Why did you join the Legion?  What do you like about being a member?  What is your favourite Legion memory?  Please visit https://tinyurl.com/branch25-ijoined/ to contribute your own story, and be sure to upload a photo of yourself or our branch to accompany your story – or even a video.

If you visit https://www.legion.ca/news/articles/2019/11/28/in-their-own-words-why-our-members-joined-the-royal-canadian-legion you can see the stories of nine of our comrades from the Dominion Command campaign.  Some of the videos that were produced included:

Here are some examples that have already been submitted from our own Branch:

If you have any questions, please let us know.