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Issues & Experts Archive > Fires, cloning, Halloween, hoaxes and Iraq: Issues and Experts
Fires, cloning, Halloween, hoaxes and Iraq: Issues and Experts
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Oct 29, 2003
Fires ravage California…From the air, many parts of southern California look like the surface of the moon rather than the thick forests and lush valleys the area is known for. Wildfires stretching from Los Angeles to the Mexican border are threatening to create a super fire, consuming everything in its path. The following SFU experts can comment:
KennedyStewart,604.268.7913,kennedys@sfu.ca an assistant professor of political science, can talk about how fire tragedies, such as those in California and previously in BC, may be the result of public policy disasters.
Jim Carter, 604.463.1454, jcarter@sfu.ca, an SFU kinesiologist, can look at the impact of large fires on firefighters.
Ken Lertzman, 604.291.3069/5775, kenneth_lertzman@sfu.ca an associate professor in SFU’s school of resource and environmental management, can address the causes of extreme fire behaviour.
Ron Ydenberg, 604.291.4282, ronald_ydenberg@sfu.ca the director of SFU’s centre for wildlife ecology, can talk about the impact of these fires on ecosystems.
To clone or not to clone…The federal government’s reproductive technology legislation is stalled once again in Parliament. It now appears MPs will not have a chance to vote on the bill and send it onto Senate, if they pass it, for at least another week. SFU molecular biologist Bruce Brandhorst has been following the evolution of cloning legislation globally and in Canada and can comment on the importance of the debate behind the legislation, and the impact it could have on the future of human health and science.
Debunking Halloween….Halloween myths are rooted in the early centuries of Great Britain and northern France, where the arrival of the new year marking the start of winter was accompanied by beliefs that the disembodied spirits of those who had died during the year would return to haunt the living. Today’s modern version has more to do with costumes, candies and parties. SFU social psychologist Barry Beyerstein studies myths and legends and has a particular interest in those surrounding Halloween.
The art of hoaxes…Gleaning a "gotcha" from a successful hoax might have its temporary rewards for the hoaxer. But Daniel Burgoyne says hoaxes have a valuable function in society. They’re a kind of wake up call that serves as part of a societal checks and balances process. In today’s world, the English sessional instructor says that "intentional, time-sensitive, singular acts of public deception" reflect people’s delusions back at them. This semester, Burgoyne is examining the cause and effect of hoaxes and imaginary texts in his English 369 course in prose genres.
Another Vietnam…US President George Bush vehemently denies the invasion of Iraq will be akin to another Vietnam War. Yet, terrorism, death and destruction continue to fester in Iraq as they did in Vietnam in response to American occupation. SFU political scientist Andre Gerolymatos, an expert on trans-Atlantic political tensions, and Middle East historian William Cleveland, can talk about the latest developments in Iraq.
KennedyStewart,604.268.7913,kennedys@sfu.ca an assistant professor of political science, can talk about how fire tragedies, such as those in California and previously in BC, may be the result of public policy disasters.
Jim Carter, 604.463.1454, jcarter@sfu.ca, an SFU kinesiologist, can look at the impact of large fires on firefighters.
Ken Lertzman, 604.291.3069/5775, kenneth_lertzman@sfu.ca an associate professor in SFU’s school of resource and environmental management, can address the causes of extreme fire behaviour.
Ron Ydenberg, 604.291.4282, ronald_ydenberg@sfu.ca the director of SFU’s centre for wildlife ecology, can talk about the impact of these fires on ecosystems.
To clone or not to clone…The federal government’s reproductive technology legislation is stalled once again in Parliament. It now appears MPs will not have a chance to vote on the bill and send it onto Senate, if they pass it, for at least another week. SFU molecular biologist Bruce Brandhorst has been following the evolution of cloning legislation globally and in Canada and can comment on the importance of the debate behind the legislation, and the impact it could have on the future of human health and science.
- Bruce Brandhorst, 604.291.4627, bruce_brandhorst@sfu.ca
Debunking Halloween….Halloween myths are rooted in the early centuries of Great Britain and northern France, where the arrival of the new year marking the start of winter was accompanied by beliefs that the disembodied spirits of those who had died during the year would return to haunt the living. Today’s modern version has more to do with costumes, candies and parties. SFU social psychologist Barry Beyerstein studies myths and legends and has a particular interest in those surrounding Halloween.
- Barry Beyerstein, 604.291.3473; barry_beyerstein@sfu.ca
The art of hoaxes…Gleaning a "gotcha" from a successful hoax might have its temporary rewards for the hoaxer. But Daniel Burgoyne says hoaxes have a valuable function in society. They’re a kind of wake up call that serves as part of a societal checks and balances process. In today’s world, the English sessional instructor says that "intentional, time-sensitive, singular acts of public deception" reflect people’s delusions back at them. This semester, Burgoyne is examining the cause and effect of hoaxes and imaginary texts in his English 369 course in prose genres.
- Daniel Burgoyne, 604.936.0446 (h); dburgoyn@interchange.ubc.ca
Another Vietnam…US President George Bush vehemently denies the invasion of Iraq will be akin to another Vietnam War. Yet, terrorism, death and destruction continue to fester in Iraq as they did in Vietnam in response to American occupation. SFU political scientist Andre Gerolymatos, an expert on trans-Atlantic political tensions, and Middle East historian William Cleveland, can talk about the latest developments in Iraq.
- Andre Gerolymatos, 604.291.5071, andre_gerolymatos@sfu.caWilliam Cleveland, 604.921.7379, william_cleveland@sfu.ca