Honouring U. Haussman at his retirement luncheon, UBC Golf Club
Every once in a while, we hear pundits explaining to us what made Canada and what defines Canadians.
To me, when I think Canada, I think of the colleagues I got to know first when I arrived here exactly 30 years ago.
None of them remind me of the “I am Canadian” ads for Molson Canadian beer.
None of them remind me of the battle of the Vimy Ridge.
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Chers collègues, chers amis, chers étudiants et cher Président,
Notre communauté a choisi d’honorer le Président sortant du CRSNG. Et quelle belle occasion pour le faire devant les centaines d’étudiants de la génération MITACS (si j’ose dire). Apres tout, Tom a toujours donné la priorité aux nouvelles générations de chercheurs scientifiques, mais aussi il fallait que les jeunes d’aujourd’hui réalisent que les choses n’étaient pas toujours pareilles. Pour qu’ils apprennent comment, qui, and how we got here because we need them to carry the torch and keep the campaign alive.
Dear Chancellor MacEachern
There are many ways in which the democratic rights of the UBC Faculty have been denied during the election of their representatives to the Presidential Search Committee:…Asking for nominations at five days’ notice (week-end included), closing the polls five days after they opened, rushing the process at a time when many of our colleagues are normally away on field trips, not advising every eligible member of the nomination process and of the subsequent vote, holding electronic non-supervised ballots, erroneously rejecting some of our colleagues votes, denying others who were “begging to vote” from abroad, selectively altering deadlines, having “loyalists” run simultaneously through Senate and through the Faculty, advocating that 11% participation rate is proof that the system works, then refusing to announce the results widely because “people tend to view them as junk mail”…The list of irregularities is long, yet only 4 votes decided the outcome. In our opinion, this should lead to an immediate nullification of the whole process.
Friends and colleagues,
One day last year at home, I could hear my son Joseph shouting in his bedroom. Go McBride Go!Go McBride Go! Surprised I went to check. He was playing a computer game where the main character’s name was Barry. I realized then how much McBride had been a major element of my family’s life over the last 10 years.
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Il y a 4 ans, on était tous là, au même endroit souhaitant que le même Centre puisse continuer sa pente ascendante après le départ de Luc Vinet qui l’avait ramené de loin. Je connaissais déjà Jacques et je ne m’étais pas fait de soucis. Le Centre de Recherches Mathématiques « is well and alive » and still located in lovely Montréal.
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As you can see all my family is here today. But you may not know why?
They wanted to make sure that I am really quitting. Joseph is expecting me to play Lego with him. This is Mathematics Daddy!
Mireille is hoping that I can do something about her (B) in English, still not suspecting that her English is already better than mine.
However, Michelle came here seeking assurances that once the new director is announced, the Board would make sure that he is not criticizing Harry Potter in the media.
And the truth about Louise is that she is dreading it. Imagine all this energy now totally re-focused on gardening, dish-washing and answering the kids phone.
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Je me demandais depuis le début de la soirée, mais pourquoi ils sont tous là? Nigel, Janet, Luc, Barry, même ma femme Louise. Tous les gens que j’ai tourmenté sans cesse depuis des années? Maintenant j’ai compris! I finally understood why all these people are here. All those I tormented over the years. They want nothing less than a public apology from Ghoussoub. Here in Ottawa, in the nation’s capital!
Chers Collègues,
Je suis là parce qu’ il se trouve qu’il y a beaucoup de choses à célébrer. Je n’ai pas hésité une seule seconde à accepter cette invitation, pourtant Vancouver (en fait Toronto) n’est pas à côté comme vous le savez. Les raisons sont diverses et … je commence par le commencement.
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A response to Reform MP Randy White
One of the research grants singled out by Reform MP Randy White’s research staff to illustrate waste in government, is entitled “Lie theory and its combinatorics”. Your readers ought to know that this has nothing to do with “lying”.
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Piece of Mind 