Chinese New Year celebrations, both public and family, extended over two weekends, due to busy social schedules.
Toronto, Ontario
Chinatown Centre: Songs to welcome Lunar New Year with @SanthaTsang on the afternoon stage. Not only selections in Chinese dialects, I heard some Abba was I was leaving. Attendees scattered around the mall in crowds around calligraphy and other crafts. (Chinatown Centre, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20240210
Zhong Hua Men Archway: Six days before full moon ending Chinese New Year season, Lion Dance celebrating the Chinatown East neighbourhood around Gerrard Street East and Broadview Aveue. Drumming was preceded by photographs with local politicians, police officers, and children who enjoy posing for pictures. Parade proceeded east and then south, spitting out lettuce to spread wealth and good fortune at small businesses, maybe dodging the adjoining cannabis shops. (Zhong Hua Men Archway, Hamilton Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20240218
Hibernated with work for most of January, with more activity towards the end of month with warmer termperatures.
Toronto, Ontario
The Bentway: Skating trail busy on Sunday afternoon, ice seems firm at 3 degrees Celsius. Couples and individuals weaving around parents guiding children with skate aids. Colourful green, blue, violet, and magenta paracord of Yi Zhou and Carlos Portillo (2023) The Gateway installation may better evoke the Northern Lights after the sun goes down. (The Bentway, Fort York Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario) 20240128
A month of birthdays and family holiday events, with seasonal events at attractuions around town.
Toronto, Ontario
The Well:: At west end of @CondoWell , music resounding to north, looked east and then down to see @jeffeager on ground floor stage. Main floor and second floor retail spaces still unoccupied or with installation in progress. Warm 10 degrees C encouraged many visitors to sit in benches, or with table service under outdoor patio heaters. (The Well, Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20231209
May Yan Seafood Restaurant:: Menu for double lobster says at least 2.5 lb in weight each, so careful selection and checking on weigh scale ensures consistency. Christmas Day lunch busy with a regular stream of crustaceans from the front room into the kitchen, the number of pick-up orders seems greater than dining in. Two styrofoam cases on the floor suggest that seafood may bypass the tank, with the potential of depleted stock later in the day. (May Yan Seafood Restaurant, Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20231225
High Park Zoo: Herd of llamas in the pen more interested in grazing than the humans peering through the fence. Indigenous to the Andes in South America, they appeared comfortable in their fleece with temperature still above freezing. Exotic animals are more interesting than the decorated holiday trees by the roadway. (High Park Zoo, Deer Pen Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20231225
Dayliight hours getting shorter encouraged more indoor events, unanticipated cracked furnace block led to replacement of air conditioner with heat pump, too.
Toronto, Ontario
Power Plant Gallery: One of two east galleries for solo show of Abdelkader Benchamma (2023) Solastalgia: Archaeologies of Loss (where Solastalgia is distress in a lived experience of negatively perceived environmental change, compared to eco-anxiety that is anticipatory). Pan of (i) Engramme, 2020, (ii) untitled ink drawings on wall (2023), (iii) Engramme – Souterrain, 2023, (iv) more untitled drawings on wall (2023, and (v) two. Untitled (2023) framed works. (The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Harbourfront, Queen Quay West, Toronto, Ontario) 20231104
Left Seoul for 8 days in Ho Chi Minh City, and then 7 days in Taipei. Extended family time with sightseeing, almost completely offline from work.
Seoul, Korea; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo, Japan; Toronto, Ontario
Vincom Center:: Periodic torrential downpour every few hours means that first week of October isn’t the nearly the end of rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City. Went for long walk from west to east in District 1, trying ATMs with a Canadian bank card unsuccessfully, finally visiting money exchange office that offered XE rates, with a slight downgrade for old bills. Cloudy conditions are preferred to inhuman sun and heat, and air pollution wasn’t noticeable until later rush hour when rain was less plentiful. (Vincom Center, Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) 20231002
Beirut Restaurant:: Pause at dinner to admire belly dancing in Levantine (Middle Eastern) restaurant. Vietnamese language is optional in this expat enclave south of the twisty Saigon River, redeveloped starting in the 2010s. Family from Toronto was still in transit this evening; we chose a non-Asian cuisine foreseeing more local recipes for the next few days. (Beirut Restaurant, Tran Ngoc Dien, Thao Dien, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Golden Lotus Healing Spa Land: Korean-style jimjilbang spa includes doctor fish garra rufa originating from Turkey, nibbling on dead skin as pedicure. Most in family reticent to put their feet into the water, sensation is mostly ticklish, then slightly sharper above the ankles. Passed the time waiting for one-hour full body massage, heard in review that masseuse walked on the back of my legs, but I was lying face down into a hole on the bed. (Golden Lotus Healing Spa Land, Tân Phong, District 7, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam) 20231005
Tân Bình district:: Normally quiet residential street interrupted by Le Xin Dâu ceremony, asking for bride to join the groom’s family. Sidewalk coffee shop customers watched nine groomsmen bring in offerings, into apartment ground floor transformed week long table and backdrop. Many photographs and video captured. (Tân Bình district, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) 20231007
Hotel Nikko Saigon:: A lion dance is exceptional for a Saigon wedding, and more traditional in the Chinese ceremonies familiar to the groom. Western tradition included a wedding cake, Vietnamese tradition included pouring into a champagne tower. Evening concluded with DJ and dancing on the runway and stage for the last hour of the event. (Hotel Nikko Saigon, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) 20231007
National Palace Museum:: Children especially enjoy the Marvels within the Sea Immersive Interactive Tunnel, reinterpreting Sea Nie Huang (circa1662-1722) Rich and Varied Products of the Sea and Sea Oddities, as people observed and imagined marine life in the Qing dynasty. Found in the calligraphy and painting section of the massive collection. Bronzes and ceramics are more durable, but feel lifeless. (National Palace Museum, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231010
Bangka Longshan Temple: Misty rainfall in courtyard with waterfalls on eastern wall, with the Buddhist temple entry facing south. Built in 1740 during the Qing Dynasty, the structure has been restored multiple times following natural disasters and a bombing in WWII during Japanese occupation. Local friend advised the neighbourhood is rough, with few tourists after dark. (Bangka Longshan Temple, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231010
Shifen Taoist Shrine:: Modest temple in the village away from the commercial vendors along the railway tracks. Statues in the centre, but no Buddha that is a different religion. A big drum seems to be a common feature, and often military weapons. (Shifen Taoist Shrine, Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231011
Shifen Waterfall:: Rainbow Pool is at the bottom of the widest waterfall in Taiwan, with anticline (arch-shaped) rock formations above. Park is a 15-minute walk from the old town, with well-groomed paths and suspension bridge featuring upstream rapids before the big plunge. Waterway was straightened in the late 20th century, with a flood diversion channel created downstream at Ruifang to preclude torrential flooding. (Shifen Waterfall, Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231011
Xingtian Temple:: Well-fed koi sidestage right from the altar, in a contemporary building built in 1967. Said to be the most popular most-visited temple in northern Taiwan, we arrived in afternoon rush hour to many devotees praying facing the statues to the north, some facing south, and others seated facing the lecturer to the east. Order was maintained by women wearing light blue smocks. (Xingtian Temple, Minquan Road East, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231012
Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei: In the corner room is the second floor, HUNG Sheng-Hsiung (2022) The Dwelling of Collaborators plays music to a sparse arrangement of furniture. Featured exhibition on Signal Z contemplates the qualities of being “liquid’ and ‘fluid” as a starting point, investigating contemporary social phenomena and living condition. A variety of fluid states cross the public/private and physical/virtual boundaries. (Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231013
Daan Park Pavilion: Fortunate timing to attend the free weekend shows of Taipei Jazz Festival, with the Taipei Youth Jazz Orchestra. Tiered benches in the amphitheatre full, with more casual listeners on the grass. Venue in the midst of the forest park, in the university district. (Daan Park Pavilion, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231013
Daan Park Pavilion: Starting their tour of Asia at the Taipei Jazz Festival, the Tomasz Chyla Quintet has just released a new album. Violinist lead shows a democratic style with band members weaving solos into intros, outros, and in-between. The Polish musicians spoke English, giving us a greater understanding than the speeches by the local Chinese master of ceremonies. (Daan Park Pavilion, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231014
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park: Booming music led us to the courtyard in early afternoon, with Les Petites Chose Productions in dance rehearsal for performance in evening. Theme relates to The Garden of Early Delights, with Chuang Che-Wei. Rooms in the former tobacco factory filled with art installations and crafts vendors. (Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan) 20231015
Toronto International Film Festival, and the first stop of a 3-week trip to Asia starting with Seoul, Korea
Toronto, Ontario; Seoul Korea
Bongeunda Gangnam:: Arrived to first hear drumming, and then saw Buddhist priest swinging log into bell for a big bong. Climbed up stairs to find a big Buddha. After visiting the shrine, crossed street south into Starfield Coex Mall, a haven for shoppers. (Bongeunsa, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea) 20230927
Samilgyo Bridge, Cheonggyecheon Stream:: Took elevator down from street level above to rest by urban stream, on a long walking route from Seoul Museum of Art, through Myeong-Dong, then towards Insa-Dong. Forecast for rain didn’t come true, weather was sweaty and a sun hat would have been a better plan. Second full day following afternoon arrival, still battling jet lag. (Samilgyo Bridge, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea) 20230928
Samilgyo Bridge, Cheonggyecheon Stream:: Took elevator down from street level above to rest by urban stream, on a long walking route from Seoul Museum of Art, through Myeong-Dong, then towards Insa-Dong. Forecast for rain didn’t come true, weather was sweaty and a sun hat would have been a better plan. Second full day following afternoon arrival, still battling jet lag. (Samilgyo Bridge, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea) 20230928
DDP Design Lab:: Curtained-off section of Design Dream Land: Fall in K-POP exhibition, showing how design, fashion and illustration come together to develop a musical group. Foil walls, colored lights, video screens and mannequins give visualization with reality. We’re not the target audience, so unfamiliar to the K-pop groups. (Dongdaemun Design Plaza Design Lab, Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea) 20230930
DDP Dongdaemun Design Plaza:: Arrived at dusk at the cultural hub in the traditional fashion district, this Metonymic Landscape replaced a stadium in a major urban development project completed in 2014. The entry into the Dongdaemun Design Museum was hidden on the B2 level, with a bank of elevators towards enclosed parking. The Design Lab had an exhibition to experience how K-Pop is nurtured into a larger societal pheonomenon. (Dongdaemun Design, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea) 20230930
At the 118th meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario in February 2024, behavioral scientist Cameron D. Norman and design strategist Tara Campbell were invitied for a conversation guided by Zaid Khan. The panelists are both alumni of the Strategic Foresight and Innovation program at OCADU. Some time ago, they had conducted a research project on evaluation […]
An article on “sciencing and philosophizing”, coauthored by Gary S. Metcalf and myself, has been published in the Journal of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, following the ISSS 2023 Kruger Park conference in South Africa, last July. There’s a version cacned on the Coevolving Commons. This article started in a series of conversations […]
For the January 2024 Systems Thinking Ontario session, educational game designer Scott DeJong and innovation designer Geoff Evamy Hill joined a conversation moderated by Zaid Khan. Mutual interests in the new field of educational design and games were at the core of the discussion. This was an opportunity for systems thinkers to expand their knowledge on […]
For the November 2023 Systems Thinking Ontario session, historian and policy advisor Dr. Michael Bonner was invited for an interview by Zaid Khan. In organizing the sessions, we’re trying to avoid the trap of systems thinking becoming a discipline, through learning with a sweeping-in process. The session opened on a map of The Sassanid Empire […]
It the systems sciences are an open system, then learning more and more about systems of interest are foundational. This was called a sweep-in process by C. West Churchman, in the heritage of Edgar A. Singer. Jr. A concise definition is found in the entry on “Experimentalism” in the International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics: […]
For the Relating Systems and Design RSD12 symposium on October 14, 2023, members of the Explainers subgroup of the Systems Changes Learning Circle conducted an in-person workshop on “Explaining Systems Changes Learning: Metaphors and translations” at OCADU in Toronto. RSD12 included both in-person sessions and online sessions. In the planning phase for the symposium, our […]
David L. Hawk (American management theorist, architect, and systems scientist) has been hosting a weekly television show broadcast on Bold Brave Tv from the New York area on Wednesdays 6pm ET, remotely from his home in Iowa. Live, callers can join…Read more ›
Following the first day lecture on Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1 for the Global University for Sustainability, Keekok Lee continued on a second day on some topics: * Anatomy as structure; physiology as function (and process); * Process ontology, and thing ontology; * Qi ju as qi-in-concentrating mode, and qi san as qi-in-dissipsating mode; and […]
The philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine, in this lecture by Keekok Lee, provides insights into ways in which systems change may be approached, in a process ontology in contrast to the thing ontology underlying Western BioMedicine. Read more ›
In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
The selection of readings in the “Introduction” to Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2, Penguin (1981), edited by Fred E. Emery, reflects a turn from 1969 when a general systems theory was more fully entertained, towards an urgency towards changes in the world that were present in 1981. Systems thinking was again emphasized in contrast […]
In reviewing the original introduction for Systems Thinking: Selected Readings in the 1969 Penguin paperback, there’s a few threads that I only recognize, many years later. The tables of contents (disambiguating various editions) were previously listed as 1969, 1981 Emery, System Thinking: Selected Readings. — begin paste — Introduction In the selection of papers for this […]
In a recording of the debate between Michael Quinn Patton and Michael C. Jackson on “Systems Concepts in Evaluation”, Patton referenced four concepts published in the “Principles for effective use of systems thinking in evaluation” (2018) by the Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (SETIG) of the American Evaluation Society. The four concepts are: (i) […]
How might the quality of an action research initiative be evaluated? — begin paste — We have linked our five validity criteria (outcome, process, democratic, catalytic, and dialogic) to the goals of action research. Most traditions of action research agree on the following goals: (a) the generation of new knowledge, (b) the achievement of action-oriented […]
After 90 minutes on phone and online chat with WesternUnion, the existence of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland is denied, so I can’t send money from Canada. TicinoTurismo should be unhappy. The IT developers at Western Union should be dissatisfied that customer support agents aren’t sending them legitimate bug reports I initially tried the […]