"It rained today, it rained alot, it rained in drippy drops..."
- a nursery rhyme taught to young children in Vancouver.
Yes, the weather has been terrible. And cold! This morning I heard on the news that it's been the coldest/wettest June on record. Usually, May and June in Vancouver are spectacular, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s and 80s. But not this year. Of course, there is nothing more Canadian than talking about the weather. And while easterners natter on about the white stuff, it’s the wet stuff that gets tongues flapping on British Columbia’s wet - I mean west - coast. Well we've had lots to talk about this past week, as it has been wet, wet, wet. But no worries. While perhaps a little soggy, everyone is doing well. The Los Angelenos have fully adjusted. I think I even saw one student scoff at a tourist who had bothered opening an umbrella after a few measly drops of water fell.
And despite the weather, the Program is going quite well. The Program has hit its midpoint. Yesterday, a new flight of professors joined us and started teaching the second half of the program. Leaving were Professors Williams (SW) and Paterson (UBC). Joining us were Professor Kristen Boon from Seton Hall Law School, Professor Karin Mickelson from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, and Professor Trevor Morrison from Columbia Law School. All three are nationally-recognized scholars in their fields. In the classes, students are discussing cutting edge issues in criminal, constitutional, and environmental law.
Since my last post, the Program has had a few more activities. On Friday, Professor Wil Burns from Santa Clara Law School came to speak to the program participants. Prof. Burns is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Law & Policy at the Santa Clara University School of Law in Santa Clara. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy and Co-Chair of the International Environmental Law Interest Group of the American Society of International Law. His expertise is on climate change. On Friday, he talked to the students about possible international litigation through the UN Fish Stocks Agreement to spur action on climate change initiatives. The talk was well-attended, and started off nicely our mid-day lecture series.
This week, small groups of students will be visiting local Vancouver law firms. Yesterday, we went to the Farris firm, a well-known Vancouver law firm, and spoke with Ludmila Herbst, a partner there. Ms. Herbst spoke to the students about her experiences at law school, her professional background, and what it's like to practice law in Vancouver. Today, we will visit the law firm Lawson & Lundell, and speak with one of their partners, Gordon Weatherill. It promises to be an interesting visit. This weekend many of the students are planning to head to Whistler to do some white-river rafting, zip-treking, and mountain biking. Hopefully some pics will be posted.
Well that's all for me now. I'm looking forward to Lesley's post, which will get you real scoop on the ground. Until next week...
Showing posts with label Cultural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cultural. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Unexpected Exercise Opportunities in Vancouver
Tales from a Vancouver Summer Law Program participant....
Living on the UBC campus has already provided a number of unexpected exercise opportunities, from walking and stair climbing to dancing. Coming from a campus as small as Southwestern's, it's nice to walk more than a few feet to class. Our classes are about a five-minute walk from where we are staying on campus. It's nice to see trees on the way to class that aren't hanging on for dear life to their wooden-stake life support systems. It really feels like we are living in the mountains.
Looking at the map before I got here, I knew that the beach should be just a short distance away. I ventured to Wreck Beach my second day in Vancouver. It's a very nice walk down to the beach through a lot of beautiful forest. When I say "walk down" I mean walk DOWN 400 wooden steps. The beach itself is very clean and you can see mountains that still have bright white snow on them. However, that may not be the only bright white thing you see on the beach. Clothing is optional at Wreck Beach and plenty of people were taking advantage of that opportunity when I visited. Frisbees and footballs, inter alia, were flying everywhere. People were playing guitars and babies were playing in the sand. The weather was unexpectedly nice. I think everyone should visit at least once. However, for those uncomfortable with the nudity, be warned. The escape is not so easy because you have to walk back UP those 400 steps, and that is when you really feel the burn.
I also stumbled upon inexpensive Latin dance classes at the International House on campus. Every night my first week I have taken salsa and bachata lessons. This has been a very international experience, as my dance partners have all come from a country other than Canada, including Israel, Romania, and India. You are probably already familiar with salsa and what it looks like. It's fun and it's a pretty good workout. After the salsa lesson, I have a much-needed hour to rest before the bachata lesson. Bachata, which comes from the Dominican Republic, requires some kind of hip movement that I am not sure I was born to perform. If you go to one of these classes every day, you will never need to do sit-ups or crunches again. Every morning I wake up sore, but for some reason I still keep going back to the class. Bachata, according to my instructor, is becoming very popular in Vancouver, so continuing my bachata education may require me to venture further into the Vancouver community. As is the case with Wreck Beach, be warned. Bachata is not for the faint of heart. It involves movements that some might think should be preceded by some official ceremony, or at least a diamond ring. If you are looking for exercise, though, it is the way to go.
More to come...
Living on the UBC campus has already provided a number of unexpected exercise opportunities, from walking and stair climbing to dancing. Coming from a campus as small as Southwestern's, it's nice to walk more than a few feet to class. Our classes are about a five-minute walk from where we are staying on campus. It's nice to see trees on the way to class that aren't hanging on for dear life to their wooden-stake life support systems. It really feels like we are living in the mountains.
Looking at the map before I got here, I knew that the beach should be just a short distance away. I ventured to Wreck Beach my second day in Vancouver. It's a very nice walk down to the beach through a lot of beautiful forest. When I say "walk down" I mean walk DOWN 400 wooden steps. The beach itself is very clean and you can see mountains that still have bright white snow on them. However, that may not be the only bright white thing you see on the beach. Clothing is optional at Wreck Beach and plenty of people were taking advantage of that opportunity when I visited. Frisbees and footballs, inter alia, were flying everywhere. People were playing guitars and babies were playing in the sand. The weather was unexpectedly nice. I think everyone should visit at least once. However, for those uncomfortable with the nudity, be warned. The escape is not so easy because you have to walk back UP those 400 steps, and that is when you really feel the burn.
I also stumbled upon inexpensive Latin dance classes at the International House on campus. Every night my first week I have taken salsa and bachata lessons. This has been a very international experience, as my dance partners have all come from a country other than Canada, including Israel, Romania, and India. You are probably already familiar with salsa and what it looks like. It's fun and it's a pretty good workout. After the salsa lesson, I have a much-needed hour to rest before the bachata lesson. Bachata, which comes from the Dominican Republic, requires some kind of hip movement that I am not sure I was born to perform. If you go to one of these classes every day, you will never need to do sit-ups or crunches again. Every morning I wake up sore, but for some reason I still keep going back to the class. Bachata, according to my instructor, is becoming very popular in Vancouver, so continuing my bachata education may require me to venture further into the Vancouver community. As is the case with Wreck Beach, be warned. Bachata is not for the faint of heart. It involves movements that some might think should be preceded by some official ceremony, or at least a diamond ring. If you are looking for exercise, though, it is the way to go.
More to come...
Summer Law in Vancouver!
Thanks to the Commentator for setting up this blog. This first post, is to provide a quick introduction for readers....
This year, 31 students are attending SW's Summer Law Program in Vancouver. Students are from law schools throughout Canada and the U.S., including SW, Univ. of British Columbia, Queens, Indiana, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Brigham Young, McGill, Osgoode, Univ. of Alberta, Loyola (Chicago), and Colorado. Five courses are offered, including: (1) International Criminal Law; (2) International Environmental Law; (3) Comparative Constitutional Law; (4) Comparative Cultural Property Law; and (5) Comparative Sentencing Law and Policy. Seven professors are teaching in the program. Two professors are from Southwestern (Profs. Parrish and Williams), two are from the Univ. of British Columbia Faculty of Law (Profs. Mickelson and Paterson), while three are guest professors from Cornell, Florida State Univ, and Seton Hall (Profs. Morrison, Markel, and Boon).
The program got off to a nice start. The Program began on Sunday, May 25th, with an orientation and dinner at a local Irish pub (Mahony & Sons). Since then, in addition to course-work, the students have done a variety of things. The program activities so far have included:
This year, 31 students are attending SW's Summer Law Program in Vancouver. Students are from law schools throughout Canada and the U.S., including SW, Univ. of British Columbia, Queens, Indiana, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Brigham Young, McGill, Osgoode, Univ. of Alberta, Loyola (Chicago), and Colorado. Five courses are offered, including: (1) International Criminal Law; (2) International Environmental Law; (3) Comparative Constitutional Law; (4) Comparative Cultural Property Law; and (5) Comparative Sentencing Law and Policy. Seven professors are teaching in the program. Two professors are from Southwestern (Profs. Parrish and Williams), two are from the Univ. of British Columbia Faculty of Law (Profs. Mickelson and Paterson), while three are guest professors from Cornell, Florida State Univ, and Seton Hall (Profs. Morrison, Markel, and Boon).
The program got off to a nice start. The Program began on Sunday, May 25th, with an orientation and dinner at a local Irish pub (Mahony & Sons). Since then, in addition to course-work, the students have done a variety of things. The program activities so far have included:
- A guided tour of Vancouver and dinner at Granville Island (Mon. 05/26)
- Drinks with faculty at Koerner's Graduate Pub (Thurs. 05/28)
- A tour of the Vancouver Law Courts and discussion with Judge Williamson of the B.C. Supreme Court (Wed. 06/04)
- A lunch with Chief Justice D. Brenner of the B.C. Supreme Court (Wed. 06/04)
- A lunch hosted by St. Andrews Hall (Thurs. 06/05)
Tomorrow, we'll have our first guest speaker -- Prof. Wil Burns, who is a senior fellow at Santa Clara Law School. And Saturday morning is the program's first set of exams.
Outside of class, students have been exploring Vancouver -- from trips to Whistler, to hikes up Grouse Mountain, to death-defying Vespa-riding in Stanley Park, to walks down to Vancouver's famous clothing-optional Wreck beach, to visits to the famous Museum of Anthropology, and more.... For the real scoop, you'll have to check out student blog posts!
I'll write more later....
Sunday, May 25, 2008
International Men and Women of Mystery
Welcome to SW Abroad, The Commentator's blog about Southwestern Law School's summer abroad programs. From London and Canada to Mexico and Argentina this is the spot to find out what's happening up across the world, as it happens.
Written by students and professors, SW Abroad offers both the serious and lighter sides of globetrotting. Check back early and often to get the latest updates. And don't hesitate to leave comments and ask questions.
Happy Reading,
Derek Turner
Editor-in-Chief
The Commentator
Written by students and professors, SW Abroad offers both the serious and lighter sides of globetrotting. Check back early and often to get the latest updates. And don't hesitate to leave comments and ask questions.
Happy Reading,
Derek Turner
Editor-in-Chief
The Commentator
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