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Scout List Vol. 506

An agenda of the things we are doing, wishing we could do, or are conspiring to do in Vancouver from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, 2019.
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Scout List Vol. 506

From our calendar to yours comes this carefully considered agenda of cool things we are doing, wishing we could do, or conspiring to do in Vancouver from January 16, 2019 to January 22, 2019. Please note that you can now get the Scout List – with a few extra pieces of intel included – sent to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up for your subscription in the sidebar.

SCIENCE | One isn’t awarded a Nobel Prize for nothing. In some cases, it requires an above average understanding to even comprehend what the winner is being recognized for. Having someone to synthesize and convey the significance is a great help. Enter our saviours, the SFU Faculty of Science! Every year around this time they celebrate the newly-awarded Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics and medicine/physiology by asking their learned faculty members to take the stage and “explain the impact of these prizes to the community and highlight the connection between fundamental and applied research.” This year the spotlight is on Dr. Jonathan Choy for Using the Immune System to Treat Cancer; Dr. Nancy Forde’s Tools Made of Light; and (Un)natural Selection: Evolution in a Test Tube by Dr. Lisa Craig). This event is free, but registration is requested. Prepare to be fascinated. Find out more.

Wed, Jan. 16 | 6:30pm | 1455 Quebec St. MAP

PLANTS | Interested in local flora? Take your basic plant knowledge up a notch! Jenifer Penny (Lead botanist at the B.C. Conservation Data Centre) is in Vancouver this week to give a (free) talk about the history of plant collecting on Haida Gwaii. This Nature Vancouver hosted event will introduce the audience to the history of botany in the Haida Gwaii area with specific focus on the habitat and geographical distribution of rare and interesting plants (vascular plants and bryophytes). Bonus: tea and cookies will be served from 7pm to 7:30 pm and there will be an opportunity for plant identification. Also, take a look at the Nature Vancouver IG account here. So rad. Nature people rule. Find out more.

Thu, Jan. 17 | 7pm | Vancouver Unitarian Church (Hewett Centre) | 949 49 AVE W, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T1 MAP

SWIM | It’s a haul to get out to UBC, so you’d be forgiven if you hadn’t yet made it to the newly renovated Aquatic Centre for a few laps. If you’re looking for a way to shake up your exercise routine, this Thursday night would be a good time to make the trek to check out what this state-of-the-art facility can offer during the pool’s annual open house. Pop in to take advantage of the free admission and public swim, or just stop by and check out the breathtaking space. Find out more.

Thu, Jan. 17 | 5-7pm | UBC Aquatic Centre | 6080 Student Union Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 MAP

HOUSING ACTIVISM | If you’re fed up with the housing situation in Vancouver, maybe you should get active. Not sure how? Gallery 221A, the Pollyanna Library and Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU) are offering up a Rent Strike! Study Group in Chinatown that can help. From 221A “In cooperation with the Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU), 221A is initiating an open-ended study group on the history, theory and practice of tenant organizing. Texts studied will range across critical work on rent and private property, historical accounts of housing activism, and practical guides on organizing tactics—up to and including the rent strike. As an experiment in social movement education, the study’s syllabus and form will respond strategically to the shifting dynamics of Vancouver’s housing politics.” All sessions are open to all and are free to attend. To register and receive access to the reading materials, check the website here.

Thu, Jan. 17 | 6pm | REGISTER with Pollyanna Library | 221 E Georgia St #100, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6 MAP

THROW DOWN | January is officially half over but it’s still not too late to do something good for yourself. How about joining a pottery class? If having some hands-on fun and learning a new skill sounds up your alley, then take note that local multimedia designer Studio Fundamentals is kicking off 2019 with a couple of Wheel Throwing classes beginning next week (January 22nd and 23rd). The workshops are eight weeks long, happening Tuesdays or Wednesdays out of East Van’s ACME studio. The cost is $275. We love SF’s playful and colourful signature calendars and bento boxes, so we’re sure that these classes will be a blast! Check out their Instagram for contact info.

Classes begin Tue & Wed, Jan. 22 & 23 | ACME Studios | $275 112 East Hastings St. MAP

CITY | If you live, work or frequent Strathcona, then you know what a fantastic neighbourhood it is. Sadly, development planned for the surrounding area may mess with some of that fantastic-ness.  Not clued in? Think about bringing yourself up-to-speed by sitting in on the The Flats Arterial Community Panel this Saturday at Dudoc Vancouver (next door to Earnest Ice Cream on Francis St. just east of Clark). City Staff will be on site to present details of road changes, costs, traffic patterns, building and development scope. While the public is not invited to contribute to the information session, everyone is invited to listen, and listening will help you to understand the larger picture of what is to come. Find out more.

Sat, Jan. 19 | 9-4:30pm | Dudoc Vancouver | 1489 Francis St. MAP

ART | If you haven’t yet had a chance to explore the Suk-Fong, How Are You? exhibition at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, this Saturday’s a good time to check it out. At 2pm the exhibition’s artist, Paul Wong, will be on site to join a panel of fellow artists, as well as representatives from City of Vancouver’s Public Art Program, and the Garden itself to discuss the Occupying Chinatown project that this show grew out of. From event organizers: “Using the year-long residency as a case study, an inclusive forum-style discussion will take place around the implications of having an artist in residence at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.” It’s kind of a cool way to take it all in. This event is free, but registration is required. Find out more.

Sat, Jan. 19 | 2-4 pm | Free with registration | Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden 578 Carrall St, Vancouver MAP

COLD TEA | There is a tasty sounding dim sum inspired pop-up happening at DD Mau on Sunday night. Two guest chefs, Dim Sum carts, cold-tea cocktails, and music by @ninamendoza all for $40. Tickets are selling quickly (first seating is already full). Secure your way in to the 8:45pm seating as quickly as you can by DMing DDMau via IG here. Find out more.

Sun. Jan 20 | 8:45pm | DDMau Chinatown | 145 East Pender St. MAP

BLOOD MOON | There is a total lunar eclipse happening on Sunday night, beginning at 7:33pm PST and reaching totality between 8:41pm and 9:43pm. It will be the last total lunar eclipse until May 2021, and the last one we will be able to see from North America until 2022). From Space.com: “During a lunar eclipse, a full moon’s bright facade will change. As the moon enters Earth’s shadow, all of the moon (or a section of it in the case of a partial eclipse) will turn a rusty color. Sunlight scatters to produce the red colors of sunset and sunrise when it enters Earth’s atmosphere at a particular angle. What a lunar eclipse displays is the color of all of Earth’s sunrises and sunsets reaching the moon…” It seems like an important thing to pause and appreciate. Should cloud cover foil your viewing plans, we suggest one of two back-ups: Live feed of the eclipse at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, or the tastier option: a Blood Moon cocktail (Botanist Gin, lemon, blood orange, Szechuan Peppercorn, celery bitters and egg white) at the Keefer Bar. Because if you can’t see an eclipse, the next best thing is to drink one. Find out more.

Sun, Jan. 20 | 6:30-10pm | H.R. MacMillan Space Centre 1100 Chestnut St, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9 MAP
Keefer Bar 135 Keefer St MAP

WATCH | A little bit of Miyazaki is always a nice treat for your imagination. Watching the master’s work on the big screen with some hot buttered popcorn? Even better! Kiki’s Delivery Service plays at The Cinematheque Sunday morning at 11am. From Cinematheque: “Released the same year as Disney’s The Little Mermaid, a movie whose opposing lessons include forfeiting one’s female voice (literally), Miyazaki’s enchanting and empowering film is a beautiful, timeless story of a young woman finding her way in the world.” Sit back, have some popcorn for breakfast and enjoy the ride! You will still leave with time for an afternoon hike or some late brunch with pals. Bonus: Free popcorn and “Film Club” badge for humans aged 13 & under.

Jan 20 | 11 am–12:40 pm | The Cinematheque 1131 Howe St. MAP

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