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Facutly Moving Forward
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British Columbia and Alaska - Photo Gallery
Dr. Jack Ciak in British Columbia and Alaska, Summer 2006
"Communicating" across cultures and climates
In June, 2006, I attended the annual conference of my professional association, the International Association of Business Communicators, in Vancouver, B.C. During an intensive four days, I attended presentations, seminars and workshops on a variety of communication topics, from online communities and brand development to communicating social issues. I heard presentations by communication experts in business, academia and cyberspace. For me, the most inspiring (and sobering) speaker was Stephen Lewis, the United Nations' Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, who spoke passionately about the ongoing AIDS pandemic in that continent. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Lewis afterward.
I also traveled to Vancouver Island, B.C. and Alaska's Inside Passage, my first visit to the Northwest. In the southern territories, the climate is mild and damp. Near Ketchikan, AK, I climbed moss-covered rocks amid giant trees in a "northern" rain forest, and viewed humpback whales, seals and bald eagles in the channels between coast and islands. Farther north, in Glacier Bay National Park, I saw awesome blue-green glaciers and watched tons of ice calve from a glacier's face.
I have an interest in Native American history and culture, so I visited restorations, exhibits and galleries of Canadian and Alaskan artifacts and artworks. Of course, there are the totem poles, such as this one in front of the British Columbia Parliament building at dusk, but there are also many contemporary works depicting the icons of native culture, the animals which define their world view. One such depiction that appealed to me in particular in the frog, which is referred to in native stories and legends as "the communicator."
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