GeoCanada 2000 Luncheons

Monday, May 29, 2000
David K. Foot
“Boom, Bust & Echo 2000”

Author of “Boom, Bust & Echo 2000 – Profiting from the Demographic Shift in the New Millennium”, Dr. Foot will provide a look at how demographics play an important role in a nation’s culture and economy. With an emphasis on Canada, Dr. Foot will review the impact of our population profiles on every aspect of our life and how we can use this information to our advantage. Want to know what real estate is the best buy or what industries will boom in the new millennium? Find out this, and more from one of Canada’s leading authorities on economics and demographics.

Tuesday, May 30, 2000
Wade Davis
“Vanishing Cultures, Enduring Lives”

A hit at Geo-Triad 98, Wade Davis is back with more breathtaking slides and stories to tell. Our planet is currently home to more than 5000 indigenous cultures rooted in history and language and attached by myth and memory to a particular place. For Wade Davis, anthropologist, explorer, and author of eight books including “The Serpent and the Rainbow”, “One River” and “The Clouded Leopard”, the continued existence of numerous, distinct cultures is proof that there is more than one way to think of and live with the earth. Economic, population and external cultural forces are overwhelming many unique societies. The continued worldwide loss of languages alone carries away half of the intellectual and spiritual legacy of humanity. Davis will share the wonder of traditional folkways for many of the societies that he has studied and will argue for reinventing the poetry of cultural diversity.

Wednesday, May 31, 2000
Roberta Bondar
“Passionate Vision”

Canada’s first woman astronaut, a medical doctor and an accomplished photographer, Roberta Bondar is famous for her flight aboard the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery. Propelled to the heavens by solid fuel rockets and determination, she performed medical research aboard the shuttle and also had the opportunity to photograph Canada from space. Dr. Bondar will share her story of the space program and shuttle flight and will showcase her photographs of Canada’s national parks taken from space and on the ground. Ultimately these photographs will be published in the fall of 2000 as a book entitled “Passionate Vision – A Photo Journey with Roberta Bondar”.

Thursday, June 1
Joseph MacInnis
“Perils and Pioneers; Looking back on a Century of Undersea Exploration”

Joseph MacInnis, a medical doctor and one of the world’s foremost explorers was the first to dive and film under the North Pole. He has held or participated in more than 50 undersea expeditions including the discovery of the Titanic, invented the world’s first Arctic undersea station, authored numerous books including “Titanic – In a New Light” and “Fitzgerald’s Storm” and has spent 24 years studying human performance in high risk environments. Using high quality video segments, Dr. MacInnis will take a fascinating look back at the last 100 years of undersea exploration including his own adventures.

Friday, June 2
Jamie Clarke
“Crossing the Empty Quarter”

After returning from the summit of Mount Everest in 1997, this accomplished Canadian mountaineer set out with his brother Leigh, and his friend Bruce Kirkby, on a new adventure — to cross the most hostile and unforgiving desert in the world. Following in the 1940’s footsteps of Britain’s sir Wilfred Thesiger, early in 1999 the three traveled from Oman through Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates crossing the “Empty Quarter”, on camel and on foot accompanied by three Bedouin guides. Braving scorching heat, sandstorms and temperamental camels the travelers tested the limits of human endurance and survival in a place that is at once beautiful and deadly.