Quebec and the threat of separation, a continuing issue for a multi-cultural Canada. One dramatic flare-up, the Montreal riots – cars overturned; trash baskets set alight; store windows broken, and millions of dollars of damage committed – provides an interesting vehicle to examine Quebec unrest. Rocket Richard’s suspension and the loss of a hockey game symbolized the deep sense of inequality and injustice felt by many French Canadians, and four Quebec seniors recall the feelings leading up to, and the events of that dramatic day.
Grade levels: Senior High (10-12)
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Pilots Of The North
Before the term was applied to Canada’s downhill skiers, a fearless group of pilots defied constant danger and death to open up Canada’s North. Their exploits are legendary – they were the “Original Crazy Canucks.” Four of Canada’s bush pilots recall their experiences – the thrills; the humour and the ever-present dangers that were constant companions on their flights into Canada’s frontier mining towns.
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The Quarriers
William Quarrier, a successful Scottish businessman began a program of caring for street children that, in 1874, led to the establishment of the Orphan Homes of Scotland. During the next fifty years, some 7000 of these children were sent to Canada to begin new lives. This program is their story. Four seniors, orphaned children who were part of that emigration to a strange and far away land, recount their experiences. Their memories start with the long boat trip over the Atlantic. It was a voyage that mixed fear and seasickness with the excitement about the adventures to be faced in a strange land.
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Understanding Stem Cells
This 30-minute program is an introduction to stem cells. It assumes no prior knowledge, and covers the following topics: What stem cells are; The difference between embryonic and adult stem cells; IVF as a key source of embryonic stem cells; Therapeutic cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer); The difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning; Potential medical applications of stem cell research; A brief overview of ethical issues raised by stem cell research.
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The Great Depression
Compelling stories drawn from one of the centuries most harrowing events – the Great Depression. In this program, four seniors recall the poverty; homelessness; soup lines and relief camps that characterized their lives during this period. However, while circumstances were difficult, often in the extreme, each of the seniors also recalls the sense of community and sharing that helped to make life bearable.
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Dutch Light
Dutch Light is a documentary about the light in Holland. Is it unique, as people say, or is that simply a myth? The myth goes back a long way. It’s the idea that light and observation were the cornerstones of a visual culture dating back to the 17th century. The German artist Joseph Beuys, however, says that the culture of observation came to an end in the 1950s. Dutch Light breaks new ground by exploring that myth and capturing it in images. Distinguished artists, art historians and scientists from different countries address the questions raised by Beuys’s theory. What is Dutch light? Is it different from light anywhere else in the world? Has it really had a significant impact on art and science? And is it true that it has changed or disappeared? Dutch Light is an extraordinary film about a phenomenon that is as ordinary as it is unique.
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The Last Words of Dutch Schultz
An animated film, portrayed in the style of cheap American slander magazines of the fifties. Flows of associative images illustrate the last words of the notorious gangster Arthur Flegenheimer, also known as Dutch Schultz. Dutch Schultz was at the height of his carreer and, second only to Al Capone, one of the most powerful and notorious racketeer-bootleggers during the prohibition years of the twenties and thirties in America. On October 23rd, 1935 Dutch was shot down in the Palace Chop House in Newark, New Jersey by hitmen from “Murder Incorporated” and died a day later from his wounds.
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Eye on the Caribbean
This program is a unique exploration of some of the remotest places on earth combined with stunning photography of both wildlife and local culture, celebrating the huge natural diversity of this planet by looking through the lens of wildlife photographer Dos Winkel. Join Dos as he visits the Bonaire Treasure Island, situated just 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Bonaire is the least developed and least populated of the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Then onward to Saba. Verdant green with lush vegetation, Saba is an extinct volcano that seems to shoot out of the sea. Only five miles square at the base its peak rises to over 2,800 feet. First discovered by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, the island constantly changed hands between the European powers for centuries until 1816, when it fell definitely in the hands of the Dutch.
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Steam and the Sternwheeler
This program details, explains, and demonstrates the propulsion system of a steam powered ship driven by reciprocating steam engines and a stern mounted paddle wheel. The demonstration is modeled on the historic vessel Samson V currently exhibited in New Westminster B.C.
This five part, menu driven, presentation runs more than forty five minutes if all five modules are played. The work examines the entire propulsion process from the nature of steam itself to a full explanation of the engines and their control. -
Moving Experiences
Immigration and multiculturalism, citizenship and discrimination – themes emerging from the vivid memories of four immigrants. Each from different cultures, emigrating to a strange, far-away land, they recall hopes, dreams, and the difficult realities encountered during the process of cultural assimilation and the achievement of citizenship and pride their adopted home – Canada.