March 13: discuss the International Criminal Court and (and with) child soldiers

March 13: Discuss war crimes with international law expert Golzar Kheiltash and a former child soldier from Congo

When: Tuesday, March 13 registration starts at 7:00; presentation and discussion 7:30 to 8:45 PM

Where: Butler University, Jordan Hall Room 141.

The creation of the International Criminal Court has established a new venue for investigating and prosecuting war crimes, despite a lack of U.S. participation. Will the non-participation of the U.S. weaken the power of the ICC? What challenges are faced by the ICC in punishing war criminals?

As part of the Indiana Council on World Affairs Great Decisions series, we have a very unique chance to hear first hand reports about the current evolution of the International Criminal Court. The ICC is launching its first case, formally charging Thomas Lubanga Dyilo (the onetime leader of the country's Union des Patriotes Congolais) with "war crimes of enlisting and conscripting of children under the age of fifteen years." Although the US has opposed the ICC, fearing that American soldiers or policymakers could be subject to prosecution, it has cooperated in the case against Lubanga.

Explaining the significance of this development will be Indianapolis favorite, Golzar Kheiltash, of Citizens for Global Solutions. Golzar combines a rigorous academic legal background with strong advocacy skills to promote international legal norms and mechanisms that can prevent and punish the most heinous crimes such as genocide. Golzar has researched, analyzed, and advocated for the ICC in a personal and professional capacity for the last seven years, and currently coordinates the Washington Working Group on the ICC (WICC).

As Golzar said recently: "Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is exactly the type of person for whom the ICC was created -- a warlord who has forced children as young as nine to commit murder, rape, and mutilation, often against their own family members." She has been working closely on the case in DC and The Hague.

Tuesday March 13 at Butler University Golzar will be joined by two special visitors to Indianapolis. In a recent visit to the ICC, Golzar met Bukeni Beck, an activist and filmmaker who seeks to revealing the plight of child soldiers and to give these children a second chance. Beck documents the stories of hundreds of child soldiers on film, revealing a stark and systematic cycle of recruitment and conscription, narrated by the children and their families in their own words. His films demonstrate the difficulties of many children who want to reintegrate into their communities after leaving the camps. This is especially true of girl soldiers who have suffered the added brutality of rape and sexual violence at the hands of their commanders.

Bukeni and Golzar will be accompanied by "Madelaine," a fifteen year old former girl soldier from Congo.

What a fantastic opportunity to hear how these terrible issues are being addressed at a global and multilateral level, and at a local level as well.

For more information on AJEDI Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, please visit: www.ajedika.org. For more information about Citizens for Global Solutions, please visit: www.globalsolutions.org.
For more information about the visit of Golzar and friends, contact Rich Stazinski at rstazinski@globalsolutions.org; and for information about the ICWA Great Decisions program, contact Bob Reardon at jrreardon@ccrtc.com.

If this sounds like an interesting event, make sure you check out Golzar, Bukeni, and "Madelaine" on March 14 when Bukeni shows and discusses some of his films about child soldiers and their rehabilitation.

The cost for a couple to attend this talk is $5.

January 30: Decide for yourself whether Trust is indeed "The Essential Yet Often Elusive Ingredient in Corporate Success”

Katherine Tyler Scott, one of the country's experts on morally responsible management, explores ”Trust: The Essential Yet Often Elusive Ingredient in Corporate Success”

When:Tuesday, January 30 7:00-9:00 PM
Where: Butler University Krannert Room, Clowes Memorial Hall 4600 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis 46208

”Trust: The Essential Yet Often Elusive Ingredient in Corporate Success”

Trust seems like a simple concept, but understanding the ethics of trust and cultivating it in corporate settings can be difficult. What is trust and how does it express itself in the workplace and in corporate boardrooms? Does the place of trust in religious communities offer any insight for the business world?

Discussing this topic will be Katherine Tyler Scott is a consultant on corporate leadership, labor relations and conflict management. She is managing partner of Ki ThoughtBridge, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm that focuses on leadership development, change management, conflict resolution, and negotiation. She is founder and former president of Trustee Leadership Development, and author of Creating Caring and Capable Boards: Reclaiming the Passion for Active Trusteeship. Ms. Scott is an active laywoman in the Episcopal Church and a member of that denomination’s Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Responding to her talk will be the Rev. Kent Millard, senior pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, congregation of diverse lay-driven ministries and programs.

This discussion is part of Butler University Seminar on Religion and World Civilization, and is organized by the Center for Faith and Vocation. If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the Center's talk about whether capitalism is in the public good on February 27. YOu also might want to attend a discussion of how Swedes are trying to integrate work and family life on March 9.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring

Return to IndyBuzz Themes for Events in the Spring

February 5: Join a reading by poets María Meléndez and Francisco Aragón

María Meléndez and Francisco Aragón, two promising young poets, read and talk as part of Butler University's Visiting Writers Series

When: Monday February 5 7:30 PM
Where: Butler University Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall

María Meléndez has published several volumes of poetry, including How Long She'll Last in This World.

Francisco Aragón teaches and directs Letras Latinas, the literary unit at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His most recent book of poems is "Puerta del Sol."

Their appearance is co-sponsored by the Consulate of Mexico and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out the poetry reading by Martín Espada April 27. Compare the poetry inspired in part by being Hispanic in the US with the Affrilachian Poets' poetry inspired by being African American in Appalachia.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring

Return to IndyBuzz Themes for Events in the Spring

February 8 : Hear IMA's Maxwell Anderson envision a culture of responsibility for museums in the 21st century

IMA director and CEO Maxwell L. Anderson speaks to Butler University's Leadership through the Arts Forum on the important theme of "The Culture of Responsibility in Art Museums"

When: Thursday February 8, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Butler University, Robertson Ford Salon

Maxwell Anderson became director and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in June 2006. Along with a $354 million endowment, 152 acres of grounds, and a collection of 50,000 works of art, the IMA has among the largest art museum facilities in the United States. Anderson also serves as a research affiliate for Princeton University's Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, a program of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and writes a column on art world trends for The Art Newspaper.

If this event sounds interesting, you should check out some other discussions of civic leadership such as a talk by NPR's Tavis Smiley February 2. A similar discussion will be whether capitalism can be in the public good February 27.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring

Return to IndyBuzz Themes for Events in the Spring

March 7: Travel down "Warped Passages" with Lisa Randall

Super-scientist Lisa Randall speaks for Butler University's Woods Lecture Series

When: Wednesday, March 7th, 7:30 PM
Where: Butler University Clowes Hall

Lisa Randall, Professor of Physics at Harvard University will speak about her book, Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions. The book takes up the topics of particle physics, string theory, brane worlds, and extra dimensions in a way that is accessible and entertaining for a general audience.

Dr. Randall was the first tenured woman in physics at Princeton; the first tenured woman theorist in science at Harvard and at MIT. She's the most cited theoretical physicist in the world in the last five years. She is most known for two papers: "A Large mass Hierarchy From a Small Extra Dimension"; and and "An Alternative to Compactification." Both concern "Warped Geometry/Spacetime" and show that infinite extra dimension and weakness of gravity can be explained with an extra dimension.

Lisa Randall’s research in theoretical high energy physics is primarily related to the question of what is the physics underlying the standard model of particle physics. This has involved studies of strongly interacting theories, supersymmetry, and most recently, extra dimensions of space. In this latter work, she investigates "warped" geometries. The study of further implications of this work has involved string theory, holography, and cosmology. Lisa Randall also continues to work on supersymmetry and other beyond-the-standard-model physics.

Within a year of her work on extra dimensions, it was featured on the front page of the Science Times section of The New York Times. It has also been featured in the Economist, the New Scientist, Science, Nature, The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Daily News, a BBC Horizons television program, BBC radio, and other news sources. She has also been also been interviewed because Science Watch and the ISI Essential Science Indicators have indicated her research as some of the best cited in all of science.

If this talk by Prof. Randall sounds interesting, you should check out the discussions of global climate change on January 31, February 6, April 18. The political controversies over what to do about climate change inevitably revolve around scientific uncertainty and doubt. It should be a healthy reality check to hear from Prof. Randall about the sorts of uncertainty she faces in her research.

Return to IndyBuzz List of Events for Spring

Return to IndyBuzz Themes for Events in the Spring