Feed Your Mind, Change Your World in March
March 25 — “Why People Find Understanding Mormonism So Difficult” Just because Mitt couldn’t reshape himself enough to become the Republican presidential nominee doesn’t mean we get to ignore Mormonism now. In fact, his campaign revealed just how poorly informed (and let’s be honest, in some cases how prejudiced) non-Mormons are about this rapidly growing faith. check it out
March 25 — The impact of private philanthropy on international development. Billionaire Warren Buffet’s June 2007 pledge to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation prompted headlines about the size of the gift and the impact it could have on global education and health initiatives. Can private donors be more effective than governments in tackling world problems? check it out
March 26 — China Business 2008: Expanding Opportunities for US (and Indiana) Companies. Want to do business in China, but aren’t sure how? Or do you want to swap 21st century adventure stories about the fabulous riches waiting to be seized in China, and the terrible risks of seizing wrong? Maybe you are thinking about getting a job that would connect you to the an economy that keeps growing faster than seems possible. Or maybe you just want a chance to grab some powerful Chinese and American government officials and ask: “What should we do?” If so, this symposium at IUPUI is the place to be. check it out
March 27 — Poets Cornelius Eady and Mitchell L.H. Douglas. Cave Canem seeks to provide a safe haven for black poets—whether schooled in MFA programs or poetry slams—to come together to work on their craft and engage others in critical debate. Hear how it is going. check it out
March 27 — Poet Lee Upton Lee Upton says of her latest book of poetry: “Undid in the Land of Undone meditates on the exhilaration of ambition and the double-edged nature of failure. A failure can bring pain, certainly, but a failure may also signal our ability to act on our best and highest hopes. A failure of our own is more exciting than a success that doesn’t challenge us.” (Remember when you are thinking of a going-away present January of 2008.) check it out
March 27 — Turkish Foreign Policy: Operations, Priorities & Issues Kenan Ipek, the Consul General of Turkey, explains the dilemmas facing his country at one of its most critical periods in decades. check it out
March 27 — A Provocate favorite, Belarusian poet Valzhyna Mort, returns to Indianapolis. Born Valhyna Martynava in 1981 in Minsk, Valzhyna Mort is famed throughout Europe for her poetry and how she reads it … or more accurately, how she performs it. check it out
March 27 — “Joyful Gathering at Mt. Huang” Chinese and Western music, creation of works of art before the eyes of the audience … it can only happen at the University of Indianapolis. check it out
March 28 — 2008 Indianapolis Women of Color Conference The Women of Color Conference 2008 was created to advocate, educate and promote the success and well-being of all women and future women of color in five main areas: business, education, finance, health and workforce development. check it out
March 29 — First Indiana Bread for the World Conference. Millions of U.S. children go hungry every year, and millions more die every year from hunger or from preventable and treatable disease. This conference will bring together national and local anti-hunger leaders along with concerned individuals from across Indiana to learn about hunger and how to use our voices to end hunger in our lifetimes. check it out
March 30 — Provocate Presents a discussion of “Taxi to the Dark Side.” A paid American informant fingers an innocent Afghan taxi driver for a rocket attack. It’s later revealed the informant himself was actually the terrorist. The cabbie dies after five days of torture. That’s the entry point of Alex Gibney’s Oscar-winning documentary about American torture activities, illustrated with previously-unseen images, and including interviews with some of the torturers themselves, and disenchanted administration officials. Easy viewing? Probably not, but essential nonetheless … and even more essential to have an open discussion of the film’s issues. check it out
March 31 — Be part of the World Food Program’s efforts to end world hunger. Learn about what the World Food Program is doing in the state of Indiana and how to join the fight against hunger. check it out
March 31 — Stephen Flynn explains why “port security is still a house of cards.”
Stephen Flynn ranks among the world’s most widely cited experts on homeland; maritime and port; and trade and transportation security issues. Since 9/11 he has provided testimony on 17 occasions on Capitol Hill and has testified before the Canadian House of commons and the Canadian Senate. Now he comes far from port, to the Woodstock Club. check it out
