Forum for Questioning Minds
The Forum for Questioning Minds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization dedicated to providing a forum for less heard voices of interest to Utahns.  We meet in the fourth floor conference room of the Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 East 400 South, from 1:45 PM to 4:00 PM on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from September through May, except major holidays.

The links below provide detailed descriptions of upcoming and previous programs.  Upcoming programs become better defined closer to the date of the program.  Please bookmark this page and check back to see the latest lineup.

 

Programs for the 2011/2012 Season

April 22, 2012
"Autism Spectrum Disorder"

by Shamby Polychronis, Ph.D

Shamby Polychronis is an Assistant Professor in the Special Education program at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has experience teaching students with severe disabilities in post-high programs with an emphasis on community-based education. Dr. Polychronis has served on multiple grant projects, co-authored several articles and textbooks, and presented at state and national conferences. Her scholarly interests include secondary education, individual rights for people with disabilities, post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, family support services, and teacher education.
 
"It was previously believed that 1 in every 10,000 children were diagnosed with Autism. Recent studies now estimate that 1 out of every 88 children in America are being diagnosed with the disorder. New findings indicate Utah may have the highest rate in the country. As concerns grow, everything from vaccinations to cell phone radiation has become suspect. This presentation will explore some of the current issues in the area of Autism including possible causes as well as implications for schools, families, and the community."
References and  Resource
     Websites:
      Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Autism
Books and Publications:
       Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbolm, Fourth Edition, Future Horizons, 2005.

March 25, 2012
"Road to Peace – Abolish War?"

by Andrew Schoenberg, Ph.D

Andy Schoenberg was a professor of Bioengineering and Rehab Medicine at the University of Utah before retiring in 1999. Andy coordinated the World Peace and Citizenship Seminar at the University of Utah for 10 years. He also works with Utah Campaign for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons (UCAN) and Utah Population and Environment Coalition. He is President Elect of the United Nations Association of Utah. In September 2000 he received the Gandhi Peace Award for his work in promoting peace and human rights. More recently Andy has taught a class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute titled "The Road to Just Peace".
 
"This presentation will examine the causes of war and possible steps individuals and nations can take to establish a more just and peaceful world. The ultimate goal is that, like slavery, humans can abolish warfare as a legitimate means of establishing government or control over territory, ideology, religious beliefs and/or resources. The objective is to provide a realistic view of the true costs of 'modern' war and the most pressing need to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. The road to peace will require the political will to accept universal human rights, international laws and conventions as well as changing our own attitudes about 'others' and 'our enemies' and our need to dominate others by military power. Participants will be encouraged to join groups that promote peace, justice and human rights. We believe that with the increased knowledge and understanding of the issues, participants will become active citizens by communicating with their representatives and the greater public."
References and  Resource
     Websites:
       Citizens for Global Solutions
       United Nations Association
       Amnesty International
       Carter Center
       World Security Institute
       Councel for a Livable World
       Doctors without Borders
       Environmental Defense
       UCAN - Utahns Can Abolish Nuclear Weapons
       UPEC - Utah Population and Environmental Coalition
       HEAL Utah - Healthy Alliance for Utah
       Global Healing
       Human Rights Watch
       OXFAM
       Peace Action
       People for Peace and justice
       Ploughshares Fund
       PSR - Physicians for Social Responsibility
       Sierra Club
       The Nation
       Union of Concerned Scientists
       Utah Clean Energy
       World Federalist Movement
Books and Publications:
       Confronting War - An Examination of Humanity's Most Pressing Problem by Ronald Glossop, Fourth Edition, 
                ISBN 0-7864-1121-X (Amzon.com has both new and used copies of the text).

March 11, 2012
"Land Arts & Activism"

by Hikmet Sidney Loe

Hikmet Sidney Loe has been enthralled with the environs of the Great Salt Lake since her explorations to find Robert Smithson’s earthwork, the Spiral Jetty, in 1995. She is an active member of Friends of Great Salt Lake and the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College, a curator, and a writer. As an independent interpreter for the Center of Land Use Interpretation, she often tours the lake with individuals and groups. She has taught art history at Westminster College since 2006, and has also taught at the University of Utah and Weber State University. Her extensive exploration of the Spiral Jetty will published this year by the Utah State University Press in a book titled The Spiral Jetty and Rozel Point: Rotating Through Time and Place. For more information, please visit www.hikmetsidneyloe.com.
 
"There is a preconceived notion that Land Art – art based in the land, often using organic materials – is a passive form of art to be visited in vast environs of the West, viewed for a short time then remembered as a journey leading to a famous work of art. Utah’s two internationally honored earthworks, the Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson (1970) and Sun Tunnels by Nancy Holt (1973-1976) are near the top of the list for those seeking aesthetic experiences in the land. Yet, in 2007 and in 2008, two instances of potential oil exploration and drilling in Great Salt Lake and in Utah’s west desert led to active engagement with Utah’s earthworks and drew attention to the broader environment and ecological issues. This lecture will present a brief overview of each work, describe the circumstances surrounding the activities of 2007 and 2008, and conclude with current outcomes. Broader questions arise as we examine what it means to have a work of art in the land that is not curated or monitored, yet draws attention to contemporary environmental and ecological issues."
 
References and  Resources
     Websites:
       http://www.clui.org
       http://www.diaart.org
       http://www.greenmuseum.org
       http://www.hikmetsidneyloe.com
       http://www.landarts.org
       http://www.obsart.org
       http://www.robertsmithson.com
       Robert Smithson - Spiral Jetty (1970 Film excerpts)
       http://www.spiral-jetty.blogspot.com
    Books and Publications:
       Earthworks And Beyond: Contemporary Art In the Landscape by John Beardsley, Abbeville, 2006.
       Robert Smithson: Spiral Jetty by Lynne Cooke et al, University of California Press, 2005.
      
Land and Environmental Art by Jeffrey Kastner and Brian Wallis, Phaidon Press, 2010.
       Land Art by Cooke, by Michael Lailach, Taschen, 2007.
      
The Spiral Jetty and Rozel Point: Rotating Through Time and Place by Hikmet Sidney Loe, Utah State University Press, 2012.
       Land Art by Gilles Tiberghien, ed. Carré, 2012.
       Robert Smithson by Eugenie Tsai, et al, University of California Press, 2004.
       Land Art by Ben Tufnell, Tate, 2007.
      
Nancy Holt: Sightlines by Alena Williams, University of California Press, 2011.
       

February 26, 2012
"We Don’t All Fall Down: Aging and the Risk of Injury"

by Linda Edelman

Linda Edelman received a Masters of Philosophy in Experimental Pathology at the University of Utah in 1993 and a BSN from the University of Utah College of Nursing in 1995. Dr. Edelman earned a PhD in nursing from the University of Utah College of Nursing. Her dissertation used probabilistic linkage and GIS mapping to describe burn injuries in Utah. Since joining the faculty at the University of Utah College of Nursing her research focus has been on injuries occurring to older adults living in Utah. She is a 2010 John A. Hartford and Atlantic Philanthropies Claire M. Fagin Fellow.
 
"Older adults are vulnerable to injury. Lifestyle and sociodemographic factors, as well as geographic and neighborhood factors, influence perceptions of injury and injury risk. Availability of community resources and access to health care further impact the risk of injury for older adults. This talk will explore the aging phenomenon and describe injuries occurring to older adults in Utah in the context of the communities in which they occur."
 
References and  Resources
     Websites on Aging:
       http://www.agingstats.gov/agingstatsdotnet/Main_Site/Data/2010_Documents/Docs/OA_2010.pdf
       http://transgenerational.org/aging/demographics.htm
       http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff06.html
       http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/business/06aging.html?_r=1
       http://www.globalaging.org/ruralaging/us/index.htm
       http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx
       http://www.hsdaas.utah.gov/
       http://aging.slco.org/
    Websites on Injuries:
       http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/olderadults.htm
       http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
       http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/AboutUs/Research/re_sohs_w010.asp

February 12, 2012
"Digitalizing Collections – Mariott Library"

by Kinza Masood

Kinza Masood came to the United States from Pakistan as a student in 1998. She started working at the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library as a part time employee in 2000. She has a degree in Business, with an emphasis in Information Systems. She heads the Digital Operations division at the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

"The J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah hosts more than 100 outstanding digital collections, containing over 1 million digital photographs, newspapers, maps, books, audio recordings, and other items. This presentation is provides information about the journey of physical content to digital format, through the process of digitization, including information on making digital content available for online viewing."

References and Resources:
    Internet:
        J. Willard Marriott Library's Digital Collections
        

January 22, 2012
"Exploring Utah by Horse and Buggy with Marcus Jones"

by Dr. William Gray
        

Dr. William Gray is Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. at the Molecular Biology Lab. of Cambridge University, and with his wife Sylvia came to the United States to pursue research at Caltech for 'one or maybe two years'. They fell in love with the mountains and deserts and moved to Utah in 1970. Since retiring from the U in 1997 Bill has devoted much of his time to studying the native plants of our region. In 2002 he published an interactive guide with over 3000 photographs to help identify wildflowers of the Central Wasatch Front. Since then he has been actively involved with various agencies (Grand Canyon Trust, Audubon, Nature Conservancy and others) in assessing the botanical health of our public lands. He is a past president of the Utah Native Plant Society.

"Marcus Jones was an extraordinary figure in Utah in the late nineteenth - early twentieth centuries, chiefly famous for his botanical explorations of the Western United States and Mexico. He traveled thousands of miles by horse and buggy, and by his own account collected nearly half a million plant specimens. He was also an avid photographer of the landscapes and geology. In 2010 an archive of about 1000 glass slides and negatives was rediscovered in California. With a grant from Utah Native Plant Society I began digitizing these old images. Last year we traveled to some of the original places to document habitat changes occurring over the course of 100 years. My talk will focus on Jones's major trip of 1894 with 'then and now' images from around Utah. Recently I have begun work on his diaries and journals: the public will be invited to collaborate on transcribing these for publication."

References and Resources:
    Internet:
        Special 'Marcus Jones' issue of Utah Native Plant Society newsletter
        Marcus Jones website at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

January 8, 2012
"The Science of Romantic Love and Relationships"

by Lisa Diamond

Lisa M. Diamond is Associate Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah.  She received her Ph.D. in Human Development from Cornell University.  Dr. Diamond’s research focuses on the formation and functioning of emotionally and sexually intimate relationships over the life course, and their implications for mental and physical health.  Dr. Diamond has received numerous other awards for her work from the American Association of University Women, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the American Psychological Association.

"Dr. Diamond will review some of the latest – and often surprising – findings from scientific research on romantic love and relationships, including research on the factors that predict marital satisfaction and stability, the effects of day-to-day conflict on physiological functioning, and how routine experiences such as physical separations from romantic partners affect our mental and physical health."


December 11, 2011

"Preachers, poets, and prisoners as partners in scientific research and communication on plants and animals of the rest canopy"

by Nalini M. Nadkarni

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, known as “The Queen of the Forest Canopy”, is a professor at The University of Utah. She received her B.S. degree from Brown University, and her PhD from University of Washington. She has carried out forest canopy research in Costa Rica and in Washington State. Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship, and the 2010 Public Service Award from the National Science Foundation. She has published over 90 scientific articles and four books. She believes deeply in engaging public audiences in collaborations and communications of the scientific enterprise. Her work has been highlighted in popular magazines such as Natural History, Glamour, and Playboy Magazine. In 2008, she created the “Research Ambassador Program” to train other scientists to do outreach to public audiences in non-traditional venues, such as prisons, churches, and prisons.

"Two of our greatest problems today are the growing gaps between people and nature, and between science and society. I describe my own scientific research in “the last biotic frontier - the rainforest canopy, focusing on the ecological roles that canopy-dwelling plants and animals play in forest ecosystems. I also relate the ways that I have interwoven my findings to a wide variety of public audiences by linking ecological values of canopy biota to aesthetic, spiritual, recreational, and social justice values of society outside of academia. I discuss the goals and activities of the University of Utah’s new Center for Science and Math Education, and how citizens can get involved with the scientific enterprise."

References and Resources:
    Books:
        Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections with Trees by Nalini M. Nadkarni, 2008, University of California Press, Berkeley.
        The Wild Trees by Richard Preston, Random House, NY.
    Internet:
        www.nalininadkarni.com.
        www.researchambassador.com
        www.sustainableprisons.org
        www.evergreen.edu/ican

 

November 13, 2011
"Nanotechnology: Challenges and Potential to Change our World"

by Rajesh Menon

Rajesh Menon has pioneered several technologies that will enable far-field optics to manipulate and image matter with nanoscale resolution, something that was thought impossible until a few years ago.  He is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award and the International Commission of Optics Prize.  He currently directs the Laboratory for Optical Nanotechnologies at the University of Utah.  Prior to that, Rajesh was a research engineer at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics, where he remains an affiliate.  He graduated with the S.M and Ph.D degrees from MIT.  In addition, he served as the Chief Technology Officer of LumArray, Inc., a company he co-founded.

"Nanoscale science and technology have had a profound impact on our lives; sometimes in ways that were unintended.  In this presentation, I will attempt to provide an overview of the current landscape of commercialized technologies and their impact.  In addition, I will focus on a few remarkable areas of research that span the diverse field of nanotechnology including novel approaches to manufacturing and inspecting nanostructures, and their unique applications in optics, bioengineering and energy technologies."

References and Resources:
    Internet:
        The website of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
        MIT Institute for soldier nanotechnologies.
        California Nanosystems Institute.
       
Laboratory for Optical Nanotechnologies (University of Utah).

 

October 23, 2011
"The Fistula Project"

by Will and Linda Chamberlain

Before the year 2000, Will and Linda Chamberlain were busy with their family of three active teenagers and their jobs, Will an anesthesiologist at St. Mark’s Hospital and Linda a French teacher at Salt Lake Community College. A trip to Uganda that fall, added another dimension to their world, that of working with girls who chose not to be circumcised. As they grew to know the girls, hear their stories, live and work in Uganda, the subject of Fistula came to their attention. Having just returned from Uganda last month, they look forward to sharing stories of their journey with you.

"We will begin with a brief explanation of FGM, Female Genital Mutilation and how this work led to our interest in Fistula Repair in Uganda. With photos and possibly a short video we will take the audience along with us on our recent journey to Kitovu Hospital in Masaka, Uganda where the surgeries were performed."

The Knitting Project: You can help by knitting! If you are a knitter, please bring US size 10 needles (6.0 mm) and worsted weight yarn (only washable yarn please). Cast on 40 stitches, or whatever you need to make an 11 inch square in garter stitch. You are invited to knit during the forum presentation. The speakers will have more information about this charitable project including where you can drop off your finished knitted squares.

References and Resources:
    Video:
        A Walk to Beautiful – free streaming video on Netflix or NOVA.
    Books:
        Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof.
        Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghesea
    Internet:
        Half the Sky Movement.

October 9, 2011
"China and the United States: Cooperation and Friendship or Conflict and War?"

by Tim Chambless

Tim Chambless is an Associate Professor/Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah and is the Academic Outreach Coordinator for the Hinckley Institute of Politics. He earned a B.A. at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Utah. Last month, in Beijing, China, he delivered a keynote address at an international conference attended by over 300 delegates from 30 nations. His speech stressed the need for international cooperation and friendship in a dangerous world. Tim is married to Cathy Chambless, and father to a son Ross and a daughter Dominique.

Thesis: Today China and the U.S. are unsure competitors, but they can be effective partners.

Problems: Beginning with the end of World War II and the emergence of the Cold War, China and the United States have been rivals. For 17 years (1955-1972), diplomatic relations were non-existent until rapprochement opened a new era of international trade. Today we live in a dangerous world complicated by poverty and ignorance, suspicions and spying, and magnified by fears of weapons of mass destruction and threats of terrorism.

Solutions: Communication and coordination. Friendship and cooperation. Team-work in confronting many of the world’s problems. The world’s two largest economies can work together to improve standards of living and the world’s food supply, improve environmental quality for clean air and clean water and safe food for world consumption. These nuclear powers must work together to keep the world safe―from nuclear disaster to threats from terrorists.

References and Resources:
    Books Highlighting Problems of Conflict and Cooperation between China and United States:
        Aaron L. Friedman, A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia, (2011).
        Andrew Erickson (editor) and Lyle J. Goldstein and Nan Li (authors), China, The United States, and 21st -Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership (2010).
        Edgar Snow, Red Star Over China, (1937).
        George H.W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft, A World Transformed (1998).
        Harrison E. Salisbury, The Long March: The Untold Story.
        Henry Kissinger, On China, (2011).
        John Halliday and Jung Chang, Mao: The Unknown Story (2005).
        Henry Kissinger, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, (1957).
        Richard McGregor, The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers, (2011).
        Tom Clancy, The Bear and The Dragon, (2000).
    Columns and Articles about China and the United States:
        Andrew Potter, “Who Is Afraid of the Chinese Government?” Macleans, May 20, 2011
        Brent Scowcroft, Speech, “Transforming the Cold War: The United States and China, 1969-1980,” U.S. State Department Office of the Historian, September 26, 2006, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
        Christina Larson, “Foreign Policy; Silence For China’s ‘Big test,’” Foreign Policy, June 13, 2011
        George Stephanopoulous, “Exclusive – Jon Huntsman on Being Obama’s Ambassador to China: I’d Serve Again,” ABC NEWS, May 20, 2011
        James Fallows, “China’s Way Forward,” The Atlantic, April 2009, pp. 1-12
        James Fallows, “The Google News: China Enters Its Bush-Cheney Era,” The Atlantic, January 2010
        Jonathan Watts, “China to Slow GDP Growth in Bid to Curb Emissions,” The Guardian, February 28, 2011
        Joseph R. Biden, Jr., “China’s Rise Isn’t Our Demise,” New York Times, September 8, 2011, A25
        Liao Yiwu, “Walking Out on China,” New York Times, September 15, 2011, A29
        Matthew Kahn, “Thomas Friedman Thinks China is ‘Smarter’ Than the U.S. Is He Right?” The Christian Science Monitor, February 18, 2010
        Paul Farrell, “Secret China War Plan: Trillions in U.S. Debt,” Market Watch, February 8, 2011,
        Rob Gifford, “China’s Rise: A Quest To ‘Hunt The World’?” National Public Radio, June 6, 2011
        Stephen Kauffman, “Biden: “U.S., China Relationship Will Shape 21st Century,” U.S. State Department, May 9, 2011
        Thomas L. Friedman, “All Together Now,” New York Times, August 28, 2011, SR 11
        Thomas L. Friedman, “America is Sadly Saddled with a Single-Party Democracy,” Salt Lake Tribune, September 10, 2009, A13
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Aren’t We Clever?” New York Times, September 19, 2010, WK 9
        Thomas L. Friedman, “China Taking Lead in Green Energy Technology,” New York Times, July 7, 2009,
        Thomas L. Friedman, “China Turns Climate Change into a Work Issue,” Salt Lake Tribune, September 21, 2010, A15
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Failure Is Not An Option,” New York Times, April 28, 2010, A23
        Thomas L Friedman, “Going Long Liberty in China,” New York Times, October 17, 2010, WK 8
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Have a Nice Day,” New York Times, September 16, 2009, A27
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Learning From Lance,” International Herald Tribune, July 28, 2005, p. 7
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Off to the Races,” New York Times, December 12, 2009, WK7
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Our One-Party Democracy,” New York Times, September 9, 2009, A29
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Political Paralysis Makes U.S. Globally Suspect,” New York Times, February 2, 2010, A11
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Power to the (Blogging) People,” New York Times, September 15, 2010, A25
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Start Up the Risk-Takers,” New York Times, February 22, 2009, WK 10
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Still Digging,” New York Times, December 8, 2010, A31
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Their Moon Shot and Ours,” New York Times, September 26, 2010, WK 12
        Thomas L. Friedman, “Too Many Hamburgers?” New York Times, September 22, 2010, A23
        Thomas L. Friedman, “We’re No. 1(1)!” New York Times, September 12, 2011, WK 11
        Thomas L. Friedman, “WikiLeaks from China’s Washington Embassy,” Salt Lake Tribune, December 2, 2010, A13.


September 25, 2011

"Diversity and Equity in Higher Education"

by Rich Garcia, Jonathon Pierce, and Hillary Pierce

Rich Garcia is currently Director of Diversity Student Affairs and Services at Westminster College and worked in Diversity at the University of Utah for 10 years emphasizing access and equity for historically underrepresented and underserved populations in higher education.  Jonathon Pierce is the current Westminster Student body President and holds a strong commitment to equity and social justice.  Hillary Pierce is special assistant to her brother Jonathon and is active in several student organizations on the Westminster campus.  She also is committed to equity and social justice.

This presentation will focus on issues of access and equity pertaining to higher education.  Areas of discussion will include access to higher education for historically underrepresented populations, campus climate for these populations and barriers that underrepresented groups must navigate in order to obtain their education and career pursuits.


September 11, 2011

"A Decade Ago, A Decade To Be"

by Wayne McCormack

Professor Wayne McCormack joined the faculty at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1978 after positions at the University of Georgia and Georgetown University. From 1997-2002 he coordinated the University of Utah's involvement with the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and that experience led to security planning for major events and interest in international legal issues. He is the author of several books, including two on the law related to terrorism, and numerous articles in the fields of international and constitutional law.

"As the world notes the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we can be respectful but wary at the same time. Ten years ago, the U.S. declared “war on terrorism.” As a flourish for domestic motivation, the phrase harkened back to the “war on crime,” “war on drugs,” and “war on poverty.” As a guide to policy decisions and for communication with the larger world, it proved to be very problematic. The Obama Administration promised overhaul of policy regarding terrorism but has done little to moderate the effects of the prior administration and has even escalated some levels of violence. The struggle with cultural fundamentalism raises a number of questions: Where does the American public want to be in another 10 years? and how might that vision be accomplished? Is there a role for religion in building a more peaceful global community? How will the global economic crisis factor into U.S. policy for addressing violence?"

References and Resources:
    General Readings on Terrorism:
        Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism (1998).
        Phillip B. Heymann, Terrorism and America (1998).
        Fathali M. Moghaddam & Anthony J. Marsella (Eds.), Understanding Terrorism (2004).
        Caleb Carr, The Lessons of Terror (2002).
        Marc Sageman, Understanding Terror Networks (2004).
        Louise Richardson, What Terrorists Want (2006).
        James Carafano & Paul Rosenzweig, Winning The Long War (2002).
    Books Particular to al Qaeda:
        Rohan Gunaratna, Inside Al Qaeda (2002).
        John Cooley, Unholy Wars (2202).
    Religion and Cultural Clashes:
        Mary Habeck, Knowing the Enemy (2006).
        Jessica Stern, Terror in the Name of God (2003).
        Karen Armstrong, The Battle for God (2000).
        Abdullahi An-Naim, Islam and the Secular State (2008).
        Samuel Huntington, Clash of Civilizations (1996).
    News Articles about this - post event:
        http://www.dailyutahchronicle. com/news/prof-lessons-learned- from-911/.

 

Programs for the 2010/2011 Season

April 10, 2011
"Attention and Emotion: The Development of Self-Regulation"

by Lesa K. Ellis, Ph.D.

Lesa Ellis is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Westminster College. After obtaining her undergraduate degree at Westminster, she pursued her Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, where she specialized in studying adolescent brain development. She currently teaches a broad range of courses, including Cognitive Neuroscience, Adolescent Development, Psychopharmacology, and Sex in the Brain. She is currently in the beginning stages of a study investigating associations between genetic polymorphisms, attentional systems, and brain wave activity in college students.

"How do we control our emotions? How do we learn to suppress inappropriate emotions in order to function appropriately as adults? And why are some individuals unable to turn away from negative thoughts and emotions? Many researchers believe that it is the executive attention system that allows us to control our “inner space” and focus on the emotions and cognitions that best meet our adaptive needs. But this ability does not develop overnight. This presentation discusses the development of executive attention and its role in helping to regulate emotion at various developmental stages."

References and Resources:

  • Ellis, L. K., Rothbart, M. K., & Posner, M. I. (2004). Individual differences in executive attention predict self-regulation and adolescent psychosocial behaviors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021, 337-340. 

  • Rothbart, M. K., Ellis, L. K., & Posner, M. I. (2004). Temperament and self-regulation. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (pp. 357-370). New York : Guilford Press. 

  • Rueda, M. R., Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2004). Attentional control and self-regulation. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (pp. 283-300). New York : Guilford Press. 

  • Rueda, M. R., Rothbart, M. K., McCandliss, Bruce D., Saccomanno, Lisa, and Posner, Michael I. (2005). Training, maturation, and genetic influences on the development of executive attention. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(41), 14931-14936. 

  • Tang, Y.Y., Lu, Q., Geng, X., Stein, E.A., Yang, Y., Posner, M.I. (2010). Short-term meditation induces white matter changes in the anterior cingulate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(35), 15649-52.

 

March 27, 2011
"Cultivating an Ecologically Healthy Future One Tree at a Time" 

by Vaughn Lovejoy and Hob Calhoun

Vaughn Lovejoy is the Community Orchard Program Coordinator for TreeUtah and has served as Planting Project Coordinator since TreeUtah’s inception in 1989. Vaughn works closely with students from the University of Utah and was on the advisory board of the Lowell Bennion Center. He has been planting trees and doing habitat restoration work on the South Jordan Audubon Site for the past 11 years. Vaughn is now concentrating on developing and caring for TreeUtah’s Community Orchard and EcoGarden programs located at the Day-Riverside Library in Rose Park.

As TreeUtah's Senior Forester, Hob Calhoun oversees the organization's urban and community forestry programs. He has a master’s degree in forest science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Hob has served as an environmental educational consultant for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Smithsonian Institution. He is a founding board member of several nonprofits including the New England Environmental Education Association, the Western Shore Conservancy of the Central Atlantic States, and a local organization, GreenTree Yoga, which provides free yoga programs in Utah schools.

"Trees provide very real and practical ecological, economic, energy-saving, wild-life habitat, and human social benefits. Vaughn and Hob will present the latest science about the sometimes surprising ways trees benefit us and our planet. They'll also outline the programs TreeUtah provides to further tree planting and care in our valley and discuss ways you can help make Utah greener and healthier, one tree at a time."

References and Resources: 
http://www.treeutah.org
http://www.usee.org
http://wasatchgardens.org
http://www.itreebank.org


March 13, 2011

"Journalism: What We Want and Need to Save"

by Kim Zarkin

Kim Zarkin, Ph.D. is an associate professor of communication at Westminster College. She teaches broadly in communication, including journalism, advertising and public relations. She also chairs the Gender Studies program. Dr. Zarkin has published two books, Anti-Indecency Groups and the Federal Communications Commission: A Study in the Politics of Broadcast Regulation (2003) and The Federal Communications Commission Front Line in the Culture and Regulation Wars (2006). Dr. Zarkin has a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, an M.A. in Radio from Emerson College in Boston, and a B.A. in Mass Communications from James Madison University.

"Many media advocacy groups have begun to call for a National Journalism strategy, saying that our democracy can’t survive without a functioning news media. But what exactly do we want and need to save? Is the internet the cause of all our woes or the solution? Or both? Is the key saving newspapers or should we be worrying about saving newsrooms? And what role should the government play in all of this? This talk will explore what kind of journalism is needed to ensure that our democracy continues to function."

References and Resources:

  • Ayers, Brant. "Loving and Cussing: the Family Newspaper. Vol. 55(2)", in Essays About 'The Elements of Journalism', by The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, 12. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2001. 

  • Downie, Jr., Leonard, and Robert G. Kaiser. The News About News: American Journalism in Peril. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 200. 

  • Gillmor, Dan. We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By the People, For the People. Sabastopol, CA: O-Reilly Media, 2006. 

  • Jones, Alex S. Losing the News: The Future of the News that Feeds Democracy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2009. 

  • Kennedy, George, and Daryl R. Moen. What Good is Journalism?: How Reporters and Editors are Saving America's Way of Life. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2007.

  • Kovach, Bill, and Tom Rosenstiel. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2007.

  • Lambeth, Edmund B., Philip Meyer, and Esther Thorson. Assessing Public Journalism. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1998.

  • Merritt, Davis. Public Journalism and Public Life: When Telling the News is Not Enough. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998.

  • Meyer, Philip. The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Age of the Internet. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2004.

  • Free Press:  http://www.freepress.net

February 27, 2011
"Building Climate Resistance" 
(This event will be held in the main floor auditorium.)
by Tim DeChristopher

Tim DeChristopher, as Bidder #70, disrupted an illegitimate BLM oil and gas auction in December of 2008 by outbidding oil companies for parcels around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah. He was indicted on two felony charges for that act of civil disobedience, and is currently scheduled to go to trial on February 28th, 2011. Tim subsequently founded Peaceful Uprising, a climate justice group that empowers nonviolent action to defend a livable future.

Tim will provide insight on his upcoming trial and share his views on the needs of the climate movement. He will share both his experience and his research about civil disobedience, juries and social movements. Tim's main focus is on exercising our maximum civic power to create a healthy and just world.

References and Resources: 
http://www.peacefuluprising.org

http://solveclimatenews.com/video/seven-talks-tim-dechristopher-5-counting-jurys-conscience
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700090958/Unlikely-activist-Tim-DeChristopher-is-praised-reviled-as-environmental-radical.html
http://vimeo.com/16552189

February 13, 2011
"Roots in Our Throats: Poetry and Etymology"

by Natasha Sajé

Natasha Sajé is the author of two books of poems, Red Under the Skin (Pittsburgh, 1994), and Bend (Tupelo Press, 2004), and many essays. She earned degrees from the University of Virginia (B.A.), Johns Hopkins University (M.A.) and the University of Maryland (Ph.D.). Her work has been honored with the Robert Winner and Alice Fay di Castagnola Awards, a Fulbright fellowship, the Campbell Corner Poetry Prize, and the Utah Book Award. Sajé is a professor of English at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and has been teaching in the Vermont College M.F.A. in Writing program since 1996.

English comes from the Anglo-Saxon and from Latin or Greek, and a writer can often choose between these "families" to achieve a particular effect. Moreover, understanding the etymology (word origins) of words can help a writer imbue his or her writing with greater power: buried or historical meanings of words carry amplifying images; for instance the root of "cross" in "crucial" or the root of "star" in "consider." Finally, readers who access etymology access history and understand ideological change.

References and Resources:
    Books:
        Martin Heidegger, Poetry, Language, Thought, (New York: Harper & Row, 1971), 146.
        Henry James, "Paste," The Story and Its Writer, ed. Ann Charters (New York: St. Martin’s, 1999).
        Raymond Carver, "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love," The Story and Its Writer, ed. Ann Charters (New York: St. Martin’s, 1999).
        Josephine Jacobsen, In the Crevice of Time: Collected Poems, (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1995).
        Paisley Rekdal, Six Girls Without Pants, (Spokane: Eastern Washington UP, 2002).
        Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays and Lectures, (New York: Library of America, 1983), 4572.
        Walt Whitman, Prose Works 1892: Specimen Days, ed. Floyd Stovall, (New York: NYU P, 1963), II; 572.
        Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Journals and Papers of Gerard Manley Hopkins, ed. Humphrey House, (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1959).
        Paul West, The Secret Lives of Words, (New York: Harcourt, 2000), 69.
        Allen Metcalf and David Barnhart, America in So Many Words: Words That Shaped America (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997).
        Susan Mitchell, Rapture, (New York: Harper Collins, 1992).
        Gjetrud Schnackenberg, The Lamplit Answer, (New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1985).
        Elizabeth Alexander, Body of Life, (Chicago: Tia Chucha Press, 1996).
        Allen Grossman, Of the Great House: A Book of Poems, (New York: New Directions, 1982).
        Jacques Derrida, Spurs, (U of Chicago P, 1979), 55.
        Natasha Sajé, Red Under the Skin, (Pittsburgh: U of Pittsburgh P, 1994).
        Heather McHugh, The Father of the Predicaments, (Middletown: Wesleyan UP, 1999).
        Gary Snyder, Mountains and Rivers Without End, (Washington: Counterpoint, 1996).
    Periodicals:
        Madeleine Mysko, "Out of Blue," Hudson Review XLVII (1) Spring 1994, 80.
        Joseph Kronick, "On the Border of History: Whitman and The American Sublime," The American Sublime, (Albany, NY: SUNY-Albany UP, 1986), 59.
    Internet:
        Conrad Barrett, "Keys to Language and Cultural Awareness," http://www.bolchazy.com/latinadv.htm.
        Natasha's website is here.

 

January  23, 2011
"The Neural Basis of Extraordinary Multi-tasking" 
by David Strayer

Dr. David Strayer is a professor of Psychology at the University of Utah. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989. He is an expert in attention and performance and has published extensively on driver distraction caused by wireless devices. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, is a regular contributor to NPR’s Car Talk, and has testified in the US House and Senate on driver distraction. Today Dr Strayer will talk about recent work examining the neural bases of multi-tasking.

"This talk will review recent research on the neural bases of multi-tasking. For the vast majority of individuals, multi-tasking leads to poorer performance on tasks such as driving and talking on a cell phone compared to when these tasks are performed separately. However, a small group of “supertaskers” can multi-task without apparent costs. Neuroimaging (fMRI) evidence suggests that supertaskers are more efficient, achieving higher levels of performance with less metabolic activity (i.e., fewer resources). These data help to sharpen our understanding of the frontal-mediated neural bases of multi-tasking."

References and Resources:
Many articles related to multi-tasking and driver distraction can be found on Dr. Strayer’s laboratory web site (www.psych.utah.edu/lab/appliedcognition)..

 

January 9, 2011
"The Niemoller Conundrum Redux: Fear and Frustration in the Marketplace of Ideas"

by David Irvine

David Irvine practices law in Salt Lake City and is a former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives (1972-1979). He enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1962 and was commissioned as a strategic intelligence officer in 1967. He maintained a faculty position for 18 years with the Sixth United States Army Intelligence School and taught prisoner of war interrogation and military law. He retired in 2002 as a brigadier general. He serves on the executive committee of Utahns for Ethical Government and was one of the drafters of the legislative ethics petition.

First They Came by Martin Niemoller
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist,
Then they came for the Jews; and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me. And there was no one left to speak for me.

"The German people lost control of their government in the 1930’s and Dachau was the consequence. But the sensory deprivation, stress positions, temperature extremes, forced nudity, diet manipulation, withholding of medical treatment and physical beatings at Dachau were the very practices that the Central Intelligence Agency and the White House classified as 'enhanced interrogation techniques' beginning in 2002. While we flatter ourselves that “We the People” are in charge of our government, the reality is that, in our time, average voters have also lost control.

In this country, it's not only our privilege to question our leaders, it's our responsibility. Our politicians not only owe us wisdom and courage, they owe us the means of holding them accountable when they fail to act wisely and courageously. 
Here in Utah, our concentration of single-party districts means nomination equates to election, with selection of candidates turned over to about 3% of the population. The vast majority of voters are shut out at the point in the process where it counts the most. For example, the decision to deny the majority of voters a say in whether Bob Bennett should be re-elected was made by fewer than 1500 voters. With such a system, the election process is controlled by ideologues, not the people as a whole. In addition, more than 80% of the money that funds Utah state and legislative campaigns comes from special interests who want their proposals passed into law – and there are no limits on what they can give.

Forty former legislators, equally divided between Republicans and Democrats, have endorsed a Utah ethics reform initiative which will be on the ballot in 2012. It won’t solve all of our ethics challenges, but to hold those who lead accountable for their leadership is a meaningful start."  To review David Irvine's notes that were the basis of his talk click here.


December 12, 2010
"The Challenge of Borders: Immigration in a Globalized World and Utah" 
(Courtesy of Utah Humanities Council Public Forum)
by Mark Alvarez

Mark Alvarez graduated from the University of Utah law school. He is licensed to practice in Maryland and Utah. The Utah State Bar named Mark Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2003.  The Utah Minority Bar Association did so in 2010. From 2007 to 2009, Mark lived in Mexico City and gave several university presentations on immigration and U.S. media coverage of immigration.  He is a member of the Salt Lake City Library Board.

"What immigration system would best serve the U.S.?  The presentation will cover fundamental points of a sustainable immigration system and set a context for substantive discussion concerning the current system.  The discussion will include immigration history and policy at federal and state levels."

References and Resources: 
http://www.selectiveecho.com/jesus-comes-out-immigrant-courage-in-profile/
http://www.selectiveecho.com/what-isaac-has-to-say-immigration-reform-and-why-the-future-is-inescapable/
http://www.selectiveecho.com/vanessas-story-and-the-march-for-immigration-reform/
http://www.selectiveecho.com/belindas-immigration-story-weird-in-a-good-way-a-hybrid-nature-has-always-served-america/
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/50189309-82/immigration-federal-law-utah.html.csp

 

November 14, 2010
"Fractals and the Meaning of Life"

by Bill Bynum

Bill Bynum is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Westminster College where he has taught for over 20 years. He received his MA in mathematics from the University of Colorado with a focus on set theory and logic. He has taught a broad range of courses including such unique offerings as Probability and Gambling and a course in fractals where his students developed a workshop to present to local high school students. He has also developed a tutoring program bringing Westminster calculus students to East High. He is married to Clarence Bynum and has three sons – Phinehas, Daniel, and Lucius.

"Fractals are stunningly beautiful geometric objects simply created by the repetition of a basic operation and have properties including self-similarity and infinite complexity. Fractal-like structures appear around us in clouds, mountains, and plants. Computer generated fractals mesmerize with their intricate patterns. Fractals have been used to describe such complex systems as the weather and stock market fluctuations. In this presentation, we learn how fractals are created and how fractals help explain our world by exploring such famous examples as the Sierpinski Triangle, Koch Curve, and the Mandelbrot Set."

References and Resources: 

  • The “Fractals” entry in Wikipedia is a great place to start online:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal. 

  • Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick, New York: Viking. 1987. ISBN 0670811785. 

  • Introducing Fractal Geometry by Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon and Ralph Edney, Totem Books, ISBN 1840467134. 

  • The Fractal Geometry of Nature by Benoit Mandelbrot, New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1983, ISBN 0717611869. 

October 24, 2010
"King Midas in Reverse: What Went Wrong for Blue Collar America"

by Richard Chapman

Dr. Richard Chapman received his PhD from University of Utah Economics Department in 1991. His research interests have been on the labor market experiences of the working class and the poor. He has recently been involved in research on the payoff for college education in the American labor market. Dr. Chapman has also been involved with important policy issues working with antipoverty groups and organized labor.

Dr. Chapman states, “Several observations emerged from the experience of the Great Depression:
1. Capital had become too powerful and was plagued with overproduction.
2. Skewed income distribution greatly contributed to the fragility of the economy.
3. More regulation was needed in financial markets.
4. A capital-labor accord that would increase the purchasing power of labor was requisite to a stable economy.

These observations were addressed by key policy changes and new government programs. Consequently, the post-world war II years witnessed a strong, healthy blue-collar middle class that proved to be a fundamental piece of a healthy economy. Beginning with the Reagan-Thatcher years, America embarked on a prolonged political and economic dismemberment of the institutions and policies erected in the aftermath of the Great Depression. Central to this institutional attack was a concerted effort to weaken the bargaining power of labor and redistribute wealth toward the upper class, resulting in the greatest redistribution of income since the industrial revolution in Great Britain. The success of these policies is self-evident in the so-called "lost decade" of the aughts and the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression.

References and Resources: 

  • Harrison, Barry Bluestone and Bennett. Deindustrialization of America: Plant Closings, Community Abandonment and the Dismantling of Basic Industry. New York: Basic Books, 1982. 

  • Harrison, Barry Bluestone and Bennett. The Great U-Turn: Corporate Restructuring and the Polarizing of America. New York: Basic Books, 1990. 

  • Sabel, Michael J. Piore and Charles F. The Second Industrial Divide: Possibilities For Prosperity. New York: Basic Books, 1984. 

  • Wilson, William Julius. When Work Disappears : The World of the New Urban Poor. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. 

      

October 10, 2010
"Building Sustainability: The Path to Net Zero Energy Use"

by Kenner Kingston

Kenner Kingston is an architect and partner at Architectural Nexus, a local firm located in Sugarhouse with a practice reaching throughout the Intermountain West. Kenner was an early adopter of the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. He is Director of Sustainability at Architectural Nexus and, as such, is responsible to initiate research about, spearheading education for, and ensuring implementation of sustainable practices within the firm. More importantly, Kenner is helping to augment change in his community by means of Architectural Nexus’ Share Our Knowledge Program (SOKP), which includes building tours, online educational materials and speaking engagements. This program is offered with the intent to spark substantial energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the region.

Kenner Kingston will present on the topic of energy use reduction and on-site renewable energy generation as part of his firm’s ongoing Share Our Knowledge Program. Mr. Kingston’s presentation is a toolbox for those interested in improving the built environment, which consumes the vast majority of traditional energy resources. Case studies will demonstrate how to begin saving energy dollars while addressing sustainability in a comprehensive fashion.

A facility tour of the new Architectural Nexus Design Center, designed for net zero energy consumption and currently on track for LEED 2009 (V3) Platinum, will follow this presentation at 2505 East Parleys Way.

References and Resources:
    Books:
        Biomimicry by Janine M. Benyus, 1997.
        Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, 2002.
    Periodicals:
        Environmental Design + Construction. Troy, Michigan: Diana Brown.
        Greensource: The Magazine of Sustainable Design
. New York: McGraw Hill Construction.
    Films:
        An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Home Video, 2006.
       
Blue Vinyl: The World’s First Toxic Comedy. Dir. Daniel B. Gold & Judith Helfand.Docuramafilms, 2002.
        Who Killed the Electric Car? Dir. Chris Paine. Sony Pictures Classics, 2006.
    Internet:
        Power Mundo: http://www.powermundo.com.
       
USGBC National: http://www.usgbc.org.
        USGBC Local: http://www.usgbcutah.org.
        Green Building Certification Institute: http://www.gbci.org/homepage.aspx.
        International Living Building Institute: http://www.ilbi.org.
        Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov.
        2030 Challenge: http://www.architecture2030.org.
        NASA Climate Change: http://climate.nasa.gov.
        Wasatch Front Clear the Air Challenge: http://cleartheairchallenge.org.
        Architectural Nexus SOKP: http://www.archnexus.com. (navigate to: Who We Are/Green Design/In Our Practice/Click here.)
        Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com.

           
September 26, 2010

"Some Assembly Required: Health Reform & Utah"

by Jenny Pathak

Jenny Pathak has been an RN for 23 years, working in various areas including emergency department, quality management, case management, orthopaedics, and completing studies for an external quality review of Oregon Medicaid. She has a Masters Degree in Health Care Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. Jenny has lived in UT for just over 2 years now, and is currently volunteering at Primary Children's, UHPP, and for the Coffee Party.

Jenny Pathak decided to become active with the UHPP Speaker's Bureau because she loves to talk about health care. She is interested in providing a forum where people can see the facts and discuss what the Affordable Care Act will really mean for them and for Utah.


September 12, 2010

"A federal Israel-Palestine: ending one hundred years of civil war?"

by Chibli Mallat (This event will be held in the main auditorium at ground level.)

Chibli Mallat is Presidential Professor of Law and Professor of Middle Eastern Law and Politics at the University of Utah, and EU Jean Monnet Professor of European Law at Saint Joseph’s University in Lebanon. He is the author or editor of some thirty books in Arabic, French and English, including The Renewal of Islamic Law, Cambridge 1993; The Middle East into the 21st Century, Reading 1996; Introduction to Middle Eastern Law, Oxford 2007; and Iraq: Guide to Law and Policy, Austen 2009. A lawyer by profession, he is active in the democratic, non-violent movement in the Middle East and ran for the presidency in his native Lebanon in 2005-7.

Professor Mallat asks,  "What if we have been dead wrong in our search for peace in the Holy Land? What if we read what happened in Palestine-Israel in the past hundred or so years with the incorrect lens? What if we have been misdiagnosing the conflict and continue to do so? What if we saw it mostly as a West-East conflict of civilizations, or an Arab-Israeli conflict, instead of reading it as a civil war? What if we simply ignored our democratic, human rights values in the conflict of individuals and peoples over Palestine? And what happens if we reverse our reading, and seek a way for people to live together, with equal rights, over that small stretch of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river, instead of seeking their separation and respective ethnic cleansing? And we substitute a federal Israel-Palestine to the two-state solutions deadlock?"

References and Resources:

 

Programs for the 2009/2010 Season

April 25, 2010
"Citizen’s United and the People’s Response"

by David Cobb, Riki Ott and Ashley Sanders

David Cobb was the Green Party nominee for President of the United States in 2004, and served as the General Counsel for the national Green Party from its creation until 2003 when he launched his campaign. His entire legal career is dedicated to challenging illegitimate corporate power and to making the promise of democracy a reality.  In 2002 he ran for state Attorney General in Texas, pledging to revoke the charters of corporations that repeatedly break heath, safety and environmental laws. He is a national spokesperson for The Campaign to Legalize Democracy.   www.movetoamend.org is a coalition of national and grassroots groups calling to amend the Constitution to abolish the legal doctrine that allows corporations to claim constitutional rights.  David is a principal with the Program on Corporations Law & Democracy - www.poclad.org, and Campaigns Director for Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County - www.duhc.org.

Riki Ott is an author, international speaker, community activist, and former commercial salmon "fisherm'am" with a degree in marine toxicology (pollution).  She experienced firsthand the devastating effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  She wrote two books and founded three nonprofit organizations to deal with the spill's long-term impacts to wildlife, people, and community.  She is also featured in the documentary film, Black Wave, about the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  She is a national spokesperson for the Campaign to Legalize Democracy

Ashley Sanders is the Direct Action and Field Coordinator at Democracy Unlimited, a coalition member of the Campaign to Legalize Democracy.  She is organizing community members in Humboldt County, California to fight corporate rule on the local level and push for a Constitutional amendment on the national level using street theater and creative action.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case to open the floodgates to unlimited corporate spending on elections, a new national coalition of diverse public interest, community, and business organizations responded with a bold call to overrule the decision and amend the Constitution to restore the power of people over corporations.  David Cobb, Riki Ott and Ashley Sanders, coalition organizers in the Campaign to Legalize Democracy, will help local citizens learn how they can work to abolish corporate personhood and reestablish a government of, by, and for the people.

References and Resources:

 

April 11, 2010
"Salt Lake Film Center"

by Geralyn Dreyfous

Geralyn Dreyfous has a wide background in the cultural sector, long experience in consulting in the philanthropic sector and is active on many boards and initiatives. She founded the Philanthropic Initiative in Boston, which guides families of wealth in strategic giving. In the film arena, Geralyn taught Documentary and Narrative Writing with Dr. Robert Coles at Harvard University and was a founder of the DoubleTake Community Service Corporation, which publishes DoubleTake Magazine. She also founded the DoubleTake Summer Institute that brought educators, activists and emerging storytellers together to explore the connections between service, moral inquiry and storytelling.

In her role as filmmaker, Geralyn recently produced PROJECT KASHMIR, WAITING FOR HOCKNEY, IN A DREAM, KICK LIKE A GIRL and THE DAY MY GOD DIED, a documentary on the global trafficking of children for sex and 2004 Academy Award winning documentary, BORN INTO BROTHELS about the children of Calcutta prostitutes that spawned the Kids With Cameras Foundation to sell the children’s photography, allowing them to attend school and leave the brothel. In 2007, she and Dan Cogan started IMPACT PARTNERS, a donor advisory service for high net worth individuals who are interested in growing the social impact media landscape. IMPACT has financed 25 films, three of which were at the Sundance Twenty Ten Film Festival.

Geralyn is a co-founder of the SLC Film Center and the mission statement is as follows: The SLC Film Center brings the world of film to local audiences through free community screenings and discussions, outreach programs, and visiting artists and professionals. Emphasizing social content and artistic excellence, we present the best documentary, independent and dramatic cinema year-round. We collaborate with various educational and community organizations to promote a diversity of ideas, to provide forums for underrepresented groups, and to develop new audiences for film.

Geralyn Dreyfous is the co-founder and Director-at-Large of Impact Partners. Their mission statement is as follow: IMPACT Partners is committed to financing independent cinema that addresses pressing social issues. We bring together financiers and filmmakers so that, together, they can create great films that entertain audiences, enrich lives, and ignite social change.

"Films that engage pressing social issues have never reached larger audiences or had greater social impact than they do today. From AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH to THE COVE, these films command an enormous cultural presence and influence. The goal of Impact Partners is to bring together the two groups that make these films possible: filmmakers and film investors /philanthropists.

"For investors, our goal is to provide the opportunity to participate in financing great documentaries and independent films, and the structure to do so in a fiscally responsible and profitable way.

"For filmmakers, our goal is to provide both financing and guidance. We provide the resources to get films made, the mentorship to make films the best they can be, and the strategic support to achieve the widest possible audience for each film. We are currently involved in the development, production, sales, distribution, and exhibition of over 20 films. Our investors have been involved in financing a wide range of award-winning films, including the Academy Award-winners BORN INTO BROTHELS and FREEHELD, the Academy Award-nominated THE GARDEN, and the Emmy Award-winning THE GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB.

"We are currently working with internationally-acclaimed directors, Eugene Jarecki (WHY WE FIGHT), Annie Sundberg & Ricki Stern (THE TRIALS OF DARYL HUNT), José Padilha (BUS 174, ELITE SQUAD), and Jennifer Fox, in addition to up-and-coming and first-time filmmakers.”

References and Resources:

 

March 28, 2010
"Feminist Theology"

by Marie Vandenbark

Marie Vandenbark received a Ph.D. in Religious and Theological Studies from the Iliff School of Theology and the University of Denver in 2000. She earned an M. A. in theology from United Theological Seminary, where she was the first recipient of the prize in feminist theology. She also has a B.A. in English from Luther College. She has taught religion in graduate, undergraduate, community, and church settings, and is currently teaching ethics and humanities at Utah Valley University, and writing a book on Counter-cultural Simplicity. She is a Quaker and a former Lutheran, committed to ecumenical, inter-religious dialogue.

Theology—disciplined reflection on the divine and on all else in light of who God is—always starts where we are. Based on our experiences, women of faith who take their gender seriously often come to affirm God but to question traditional ways of speaking about the divine and about religious life. I contend that predominantly male language for God, male-oriented conceptions of God’s power, male-dominated spiritual and practical leadership in religious communities, etc., can disempower women both spiritually and politically, placing unnecessary limits on God’s saving work in the world. In contrast, feminist theologies of many kinds affirm the value of women and girls, take seriously their perspectives, and promote action to avoid and redress injustice. Feminist theology’s challenge to all who affirm divine power in this world is to let one’s love of God and creation be guided by the hurts and gifts of women and girls.

References and Resources:

Classic texts in Feminist Theology:
   
Beyond God the Father by Mary Daly.
    Sexism and God-Talk by Rosemary Radford Ruether. 
    Womenspirit Rising by Carol Christ and Judith Plaskow. 
    
LDS and Post-LDS Feminist Writings:
   
http://bycommonconsent.com/2007/01/31/a-mormon-feminist-manifesto
    Perspective On Mormon Women by Maxine Hanks, at http://www.lds-mormon.com/women.shtml 
    Going Out of Our Minds by JSonia Johnson. 

Organizations and Periodicals:
    Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion
at
http://www.fsrinc.org/jfsr
    WATER at http://www.hers.com/water
    Christians for Biblical Equality at http://www.cbeinternational.org 
    Friendly Woman at
http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/ead/4087frwo.xml

March 14, 2010
"Sweatshop Ethics: The Debate over Global Labor Standards"

by Gunseli Berik

Günseli Berik is professor of Economics at the University of Utah. Her research and teaching is in the areas of labor and economic development. She is coeditor of the journal Feminist Economics and is part of research communities that seek to transform economics and economic policy towards ones that promote equitable wellbeing. Her recent research is on trade, employment, and working conditions in developing countries with a focus on China and Bangladesh. She is also interested in the broader metrics of economic welfare that address the shortcomings of GDP and is currently involved in a project estimating the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for Utah. She has coedited Social Justice and Gender Equality: Rethinking Development Strategies and Macroeconomic Policies (Routledge 2008); Gender, China and the WTO (Routledge 2009), also published in Chinese (Economic Science Press, Beijing 2009), and the Inequality, Development and Growth special issue of Feminist Economics (2009).

"Sweatshops in developing countries appear on and off in the US news media. Reporting is frequently accompanied by commentary that assures us that their existence is an inevitable, if painful, step in the development process of countries, one that the U.S. and other rich countries left behind. We are reminded that worrying about working conditions is a luxury poor countries can ill afford. Is leaving improvement of working conditions to the market forces the only option for developing country workers who work in sweatshop conditions? This presentation will examine working condition problems, the processes that generate them, and assess the potential and viable responses to these conditions, namely, the use of trade policy, the corporate codes of conduct, the ILO’s decent work agenda."

References and Resources:

International Trade and Labor Standards: A Proposal for a Linkage, by Christian Barry and Sanjay Reddy, Columbia University Press, 2008.
The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage, by Alexandra Harney, Penguin, 2009. 
Towards Full and Decent Employment, by Jose Antonio Ocampo and Jomo K.S. eds,  Zed Press, 2007. 
Corporate Responsibility and Labour Rights: Codes of Conduct in the Global Economy, by Rhys Jenkins, Ruth Pearson and Gill Seyfang, eds., Earthscan 2002.
China Blue (videorecording), Bullfrog Films, 2005.


February 28, 2010

"History, Archeology, and One Event of the Walker War"

by Ronald Rood

Ron Rood is the Assistant State Archaeologist for the state of Utah. He has a BA in anthropology from Fort Lewis College and a MA in anthropology / archaeology from Wichita State University. In his job he manages the Human Remains Recovery Program for the Utah Division of state History. In addition, Rood works with avocational archaeological groups like the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society on preservation, research and public outreach projects throughout Utah.

The summer and fall of 1853 was a violent period in Utah Territory. The “Walker War” consisting of a series of guerrilla attacks by pioneers and Native Americans along the Wasatch Front and beyond had prompted many settlers to “fort-up”. On October 2nd, 1853 several Native American men and boys were killed in Nephi Utah at the hands of the militia. The events leading up to their death and descriptions of their death are known in the historic record. However, through an inadvertent discovery of a mass grave during the construction of a new house in Nephi, the dead now have a chance to speak and through archaeology, their story can be told.


January 24, 2010

"The Global Imperative for the Local Garden"

by Fred Montague

Fred Montague is currently Professor (Lecturer) of Biology at the University of Utah. He teaches courses in wildlife ecology, environmental science, the literature of ecology, global environmental issues, and ecological gardening. He earned his Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from Purdue University in 1975 and taught there until joining the faculty of the University of Utah's Biology Department in 1993.

He has since been selected as the outstanding academic adviser at the University (1999) and "Professor of the Year" in Biology in 2000 and 2002. His service-learning course, Global Environmental Issues, enlists the work of students in ecological restoration and community garden projects in the Salt Lake Valley and was selected as the "Service-Learning Course of the Year (2004). In that same year, he was awarded the "Students' Choice Award" for instruction in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Utah. He is the recipient of the 2008 "Distinguished Teaching Award" at the University of Utah.

He is also a wildlife illustrator, the author of numerous self-published books, and a "homesteader" in the sagebrush and boulders of eastern Summit County, Utah where he grows food in his garden and greenhouse, heats his house with nuclear fusion energy (solar), and prints woodcuts and books on a 1913 letterpress. His latest hand-lettered manuscript is entitled Gardening: An Ecological Approach.

“In today's world of population growth, global change, biodiversity loss, pollution, resource depletion, competition, and conflict—thoughtful citizens seek activities and actions that promote sustainability and justice. The immense worldwide issues seem overwhelming and intractable. However, in Fred Montague's thinking, several million local gardens would begin to address our most troubling modern problems of environmental quality, human health, wilderness preservation, and sustainability.

And the way we get the first million gardens is to begin with the one you plant this spring.

This presentation provides the global imperative and the ecological rationale for gardening to become one of the most effective environmental actions anyone undertakes and is based on the principles and concepts outlined in Fred Montague's new hand-lettered book—Gardening: An Ecological Approach (to human health, community health, and global health)."

www.mountainbearink.com is a link to Fred's website.  His book "Gardening, an Ecological Approach" is available for purchase there.

 

January 10, 2010
"Depolarizing Conflict within Iraq and Other Hard Places"

by Hiram E. Chodosh

THIS MEETING ONLY, MAIN-FLOOR AUDITORIUM.

Hiram E. Chodosh was appointed the new Dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in July 2006. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Joseph C. Hostetler - Baker & Hostetler Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Dean Chodosh received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A. from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Dean Chodosh is considered one of the world’s leading experts in global justice reform, with a particular focus on the reform of judicial systems. He has recently began publishing the Law Across Borders book series with Aspen Publishing and has authored over 25 major articles or book chapters with leading journals and publishers, and over 30 reports on reform challenges and strategies in judicial systems throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In this presentation, Dean Chodosh will draw on a wide range of field experience with legal reform in the Middle East (e.g., Iraq) and Asia (e.g., India) to make critical observations about the underlying nature of different types of conflict in the world today. These range from daily conflicts over limited resources, e.g., water, energy and land to cross-border conflicts in an era of globalization, and even to high conflict resulting from sectarian violence. Dean Chodosh will assess our collective capacity for managing these conflicts and set forth the communication, negotiation, and legal strategies and principles (at local, national, and international levels) that hold the greatest promise for resolving them.

Suggested Reading:

Book - GLOBAL JUSTICE REFORM: A COMPARATIVE METHODOLOGY. (NYU Press, 2005).
Article - The 18th Camel: Mediating Mediation Reform in India, 9 GERMAN LAW JOURNAL 251 (2008) 
Article - Globalizing the U.S. Legal Curriculum: The Saja Paradigm, 37 U.C. DAVIS LAW REVIEW 843 (2004) 
Article - Local Mediation in Advance of Armed Conflict, 19 OHIO STATE JOURNAL ON DISPUTE RESOLUTION 213 (2003)
Short Essay - From Zero-Sum Conflicts to Federalism: Iraqis Offer the International Community a Way Forward, DAILY STAR (July 9, 2009) (also published in G8 MAGAZINE, August, 2009)
Short Essay - The Justice Capacity Gap, G8 MAGAZINE (July 2008) (with James Holbrook)

 

December 13, 2009
"Whose Land is your Land? Whose Land is my Land?"

by Dorothy Kocks

Writer and editor Dorothee Kocks is the author of Dream a Little: Land and Social Justice in Modern America. Her varied career includes teaching environmental history at the University of Utah, editing the Utah arts and outdoors magazine Wasatch Journal, and performing “Accordion Monologues” at the Utah Arts Festival. Currently, she is at work on a historical novel.

“In the 19th century, the U.S. parceled out its vast land holdings in hopes of guaranteeing an honorable subsistence living for all. Today, we are in the midst of heated debates about whether our remaining common lands should be preserved or developed to stimulate the economy. Join writer and historian Dorothee Kocks for a lively discussion on how this homestead tradition–arguably the first federal economic stimulus package–might give us courage today.”

Suggested Reading:

 

November 22, 2009
"Immigration Myths, Misconceptions, and Moving Forward"

by Karen McCreary, Executive Director of the ACLU of Utah and Mark Alvarez, Immigration Attorney

Karen McCreary’s professional legal experience includes over a dozen years as associate and senior associate general counsel for the University of Utah. She has also worked as general counsel for the Western Governors University, has been an associate attorney at a private law firm, and a judicial law clerk for Federal Court Judge David Winder. In addition to her legal career, McCreary has been involved in a variety of service activities, including international relief work in Africa and India, migrant worker education and advocacy in Alabama, and instruction and counseling for at-risk youth. Among other volunteer positions she has held, she is a past-president and current board member of the Salt Lake City chapter of Amigos de las Americas, an elder and deacon at the Wasatch Presbyterian Church, and a trustee of Prescott College in Arizona. McCreary, who grew up in Colorado, received an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, a master of arts from the University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies, and a law degree from the University of Utah. She has called Utah home for over twenty-five years.

Mark C. Alvarez has degrees in law and economics. He has practiced immigration law in Maryland and Utah. In 2003, the Utah State Bar named Mark the Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. Mark has written articles in English and Spanish for publications including The Selective Echo, The Salt Lake Tribune, El Mundo Hispano and La Prensa Times. In 2005, Mark received a Telly Award as a co-writer of El Sueño Americano, a 50-minute Spanish-language film dealing with what new Americans should know about immigration and the police. From February 2004 through December 2006, Mark worked as Administrator of Minority Affairs for Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. Mark lived in Mexico City from June 2007 to April 2009.

Karen and Mark will be discussing many aspects of Utah’s immigration debate, and pulling apart some of the common myths and misconceptions that arise within that debate. Karen will be discussing, in particular, some of the serious civil liberties implications of ill-conceived anti-immigration policies and legislation (such as potential invasions of privacy for citizens), as well as the legal precedents that establish constitutional rights for non-citizens. Mark will discuss how some of the actions we take as communities to curb or punish illegal immigration can actually negatively impact public safety and economic development, rather than improve our communities. Karen and Mark will also touch upon the prospects for future federal comprehensive immigration reform, the impacts of Utah’s omnibus anti-immigration law SB81, and where Utah fits into the national landscape of anti-immigration efforts.

The Pew Hispanic report on attitudes toward learning English can be found at http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/20.pdf  The idea that immigrant parents do not want their children to learn English is deceptive and false.  The fact sheet provides excellent evidence for that..

A summary of Mark's comments at this event is here.

 

November 8, 2009
"The American Family: Continuities, Transformations, and Variations"

by Mark Rubinfeld

Mark Rubinfeld is a professor of sociology at Westminster College. His advanced degrees include a Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Massachusetts and an M.S.W. from the University of Connecticut. In addition to serving as chair of the sociology and anthropology program at Westminster College since 2003, Mark is also the author of Bound to Bond: Gender, Genre, and the Hollywood Romantic Comedy and the forthcoming American Pop: Exploring the Sociology of Popular Culture.

“This presentation explores the modern American family—examining the traditions, roles, functions, representations, changes, and controversies surrounding the social institution of the family. Among other things, the presentation will touch on: a) the family from an historical and social perspective; b) the gender roles and relationships within families; c) the class, ethnic, racial, and lifestyle variations between families, and d) the effects of single parenting, cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage on family members.”

Suggested Reading:

Cherlin, Andrew J. Public and Private Families: An Introduction. Fifth Edition. 2008. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Coontz, Stephanie. "What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Coontz, Stephanie. “Where are the Good Old Days?
Deutsch, Francine. “Equality Works.
Edin, Kathryn. “Few Good Men: Why Poor Mothers Stay Single.”
Galston, William A. “Divorce American Style.”
Gross, Jane. “Our Parents, Ourselves.”
Gross, Jane. “What I Wish I’d Done Differently.”
Gross, Jane. “How Many of You Expect to Die.”
Hays, Sharon. “The Mommy Wars: Ambivalence, Ideological Work, and the Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood.
Meezen, William and Jonathan Rauch. "Gay Marriage: Same-Sex Parenting, and American Children"
Pipher, Mary. “Then and Now.”
Popenoe, David. “A World without Fathers.”
Rodgers, Sussner and Charles Rodgers. “Business and the Facts of Family Life.”
Schwartz, Pepper and Virginia Rutter. “Teenage Sexuality.”
Silverstein, Louise B. and Carl F. Auerbach. “Deconstructing the Essential Father.”
Skolnick, Arlene. “The Life Course Revolution.”
Talbot, Margaret. “Love American Style.
Wilkerson, Isabel. “Angela Whitiker’s Climb.”

 

October  25, 2009
"The Anatomy of an Apology"

by Jay Jacobson, M.D., M.A.C.P.

This program is provided by the Utah Humanities Council's Public Square

Dr. Jay Jacobson is Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and Retired Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities at LDS Hospital and the University Of Utah School Of Medicine. Trained in internal medicine and epidemiology, Dr. Jacobson eventually extended his interests to include the emerging discipline of medical ethics. He spent a year at the University of Chicago's Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. He returned to Utah and established a new Division of Medical Ethics with colleagues from the University of Utah College of Law, College of Humanities, and the School of Medicine. He has served on the American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs and the American College of Physicians Ethics and Human Rights Committee. He has participated in local hospital Ethics Committees and chaired the School of Medicine's Institutional Review Board, which safeguards the rights and welfare of human subjects. Dr. Jacobson has authored or coauthored peer reviewed articles, invited articles, book chapters, and the recently published book, The Patient as Victim and Vector: Ethics and Infectious Diseases.

“We will encounter a patient and family who have experienced a series of medical complications as a consequence of medical errors. Like others who have been hurt or offended, their pain and anger are magnified by the lack of an apology. We will discuss the important but often difficult art of apologizing. Like all of us, doctors make mistakes and must learn how to apologize for them. Because I am a doctor and because I teach young physicians I’ve tried to learn what is involved in an effective apology and discovered the profound effects it can have, both for the offended and the offender.This presentation and discussion will focus on the elements of an apology and the potential that apologies have to liberate and heal us.”

        An outline of Dr. Jacobson's talk is located here.

Suggested Reading:

 

October  11, 2009
"Words, Meanings and Feelings"

by Hande Torgul of the Inclusion Center

Hande Togrul has been the Adult Program Director at the Inclusion Center for Community and Justice since July 2009. She recently received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Utah where she taught multidisciplinary classes such as feminist economics, gender and development, poverty and inequality, and urban economics from 2004-2009. During 1999-2004, Hande worked for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, headquarters in NYC) as a research fellow and program officer. She was a professional team handball player in her native country Turkey from her teens until she moved to the USA in 1992. When not working, she plays team sports and enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities. She finds energy, peace, and justice in the outdoors. The outdoors is one of the reasons why she settled in Salt Lake City. Hande is married to Colin Thacker, a scientist and musician who keeps her grounded. They share their house with three cats.

“Current conversations on multiculturalism are often seen as little more than an attempt at Political Correctness or a quick fix to addressing cultural differences. Because of this, a deeper message that pertains to all of us is often missed. The goal is not to learn the buzz words of the day, or for one group to teach another. It is about building Human Relations—process not a result. Engagement that requires self reflection coupled with an authentic desire to understand others and relate to them as human beings in the complex content of social, economic, and political reality.”

“Inclusion can materialize when allowing an individual to preserve their personal identity while being part of a larger whole—the community. We often appear to be vastly different in our opinions or traditions, or on two opposite “sides.” In the end however, we share our common humanity, and find we can work together to build respectful and safe communities, thus remaining on the same side. Inclusion is acknowledging and honoring our individuality, while moving towards unity. Due to the lack of opportunities for people to meaningfully interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds, the Inclusion Center for Community and Justice (ICCJ) begins by bringing ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse groups together and provide a healthy environment to engage in frank dialogue, learn new perspectives, and develop skills that promote inclusion. With eighty years of experience, ICCJ assesses the needs of each client and create tailored solution. The ICCJ assists individuals with crucial leadership concepts such as cultural competency, understanding oppression, prejudice reduction, conflict resolution and strategic planning.”

THIS MEETING IS IN THE FOURTH FLOOR MEETING ROOM

Suggested Reading:

  • Dewey, John (1929), The Quest for Certainty, New York: Capricon Books.

  • Harding, Sandra (1986), The Science Question in Feminism, Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

  • Kuhn, Thomas, S. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolution, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  • http://www.inclusioncenter.org

 

September  27, 2009
"The Modern Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Movement"

by Cathy Martinez of the U of U GLBT Resource Center

Cathy Martinez, MSW, LCSW and currently Director of the LGBT Resource Center has spent over ten years in the field of social work. She received both her B.S. and M.S.W. from the University of Utah. In addition to her position at the LGBT Resource Center she has a limited private practice where she specializes in LGBTQ issues. When not at work, she enjoys traveling with her partner and their son, biking, hiking, running and home improvement projects.

“Everyone…regardless of their color, ethnicity, religion, SES, education, or sexual orientation…deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. During my presentation, I will go over the terminology currently used by and for the LGBT community, describe the modern LGBT movement and report on the status of the LGBT community in Salt Lake City.”

September  13, 2009
"The International Crisis: The Pivotal Dimension of the Crisis"

by Korkut Ertuk

Korkut Erturk is a professor of economics at the University of Utah where he was tenured in 1999 and acted as department chair from 2002 to 2008.  He holds a Bachelor Degree from New York University and a PhD from the New School for Social Research, both in economics.  He has been a consultant to various UN agencies over the years and the author of numerous articles in academic journals.

“While reviving banks and stimulus spending are both important, neither addresses directly the main source of deflation, which is that the global trade imbalances are no longer being recycled effectively.  The basic problem is not the trade imbalances per se, but the unsustainable way financial deregulation and neoliberal global order absorbed and recycled them.  The speculative boom with all its sins has helped the US recycle these global trade imbalances for as long as that could last, but that can no longer be revived.  Thus, it would be a mistake to try to go back to business as usual by shoring up the US capacity to borrow and continue to finance overspending by substituting the sovereign credit of the US government for private credit that is now in shambles.  What needs to be done instead is to revive the recycling of global imbalances on sound footing, by using development finance rather than consumption booms as the target of credit expansion.”

This event will take place in the main auditorium.

Speaker Recommended References & Resources:

 


Previous Programs

May  17, 2009
"Chaos: How Mathematicians Caused the Global Economic Meltdown"
by Richard Wellman, PhD

April  26, 2009
"Memory, Story, Self"

by
Monisha Pasupathi, PhD

March 22, 2009
"New Directions in Residential Design"

by
Anne G. Mooney

March 8, 2009
"The Second Great Depression? A Historical Perspective"

by John Watkins

February 22, 2009
"The Past, Present and Future of the Middle East"

by
J. Bonner Ritchie

February 8, 2009
"Recycling in Utah"

by Insa Riepen, Executive Director, Recycle Utah

January 25, 2009
"Religion, Culture, and Nature"

by Rt. Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish, Tenth Bishop of Utah

January 11, 2009
"Wallace Stegner at 100: A Communtiy Conversation"

by Stephen Trimble

November 23, 2008
"Poverty in Utah"

by Heather Tritten

November 9, 2008
"Population, Resources and the Environment - The Sustainability Imperative"

by Fred Montague, Ph.D.

October 26, 2008
"Utah’s Demographic Transformation - Implications for Education and Workforce"

by Pamela S. Perlich, Ph.D.

October 12, 2008
"The Blessings of Music for the Dying"

by Ann Dowdy, CM, Th

September 28, 2008
"Listening to Family Health Stories: the First Step to Personalized Medicine"

by Vickie Venne, MS

September 14, 2008
"Human Rights Atrocities: Individual Responsibility, Solutions, and Means"

by Rocky Anderson

April 13, 2008
"
Great Salt Lake and Mars"
by Bonnie Baxter

April 27, 2008
"Fire Issues in Utah and the West"

by Jeremy Bailey

March 9, 2008
"Thinking about the Unthinkable & Talking about the Tough Stuff: Making Sense of Nuclear Weapons & Other Big Issues That Confront Us"

by George Cheney with Lou Borgenicht, Mary Dickson, Danielle Endres and Annette Rose

February 24, 2008
"Conversation on Immigration"

by Tony Yapias

February 10, 2008
"Harm to Home in 2007:  Resettlement of Refugees in Utah by the International Rescue Committee"

by Patrick Poulin

January 27, 2008
"Health Reform in Utah: Where Are We Headed and Are We on the Right Road"

by Judi Hilman and Elizabeth Garbe

January 13, 2008
"Forgotten Victims of Domestic Violence: Male and Same-Sex Victims"

by Tracy Hernandez

December 9, 2007
"
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment"
by Dr. Brian Moench

November 18, 2007
"
Climate Change and Utah"
by Jim Davis

October 28, 2007
"Beyond Capitalism - A Vision to Guide and Inspire Us Now
"
by Michael Albert

October 14, 2007
"
Does God Exist? A Debate"
by Mark Hausam and David Keller with Deen Chatterjee as moderator

September 23, 2007
"A More Genuine Democracy - Teaching Political Literacy to Rejuvenate America
"
by Jeffrey Nielsen

September 9, 2007
"
Transportation Planning & Stronger Communities"
by Keith Bartholomew, University of Utah College of Architecture & Planning

 

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