New Blog on the New Website

Hello Loyal Blog Readers,

The YPs have a new blog on the new World Affairs Council of Oregon website. In the future, please check the new blog at http://worldoregon.org/blog/young-professionals for information and updates on our events.

War and Famine in Somalia (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 17 August 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

With millions of people in need of food, hundreds of thousands have fled to the capital or neighboring Kenya, overwhelming refugee camps. In addition to starvation, the UN estimates that cholera immediately threatens the lives of half a million children. As if all of this wasn't enough, reports now indicate that the theft of food aid is on a scale previously unimaginable. What if anything can or should the international community do?

Open Discussion (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 3 August 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, brutal crackdown on protests in Syria, terrorist attack in Norway, and violent separatist attacks in China are just a few of the issues in the news this week. For our meeting this Wednesday, come ready to discuss any international topic that is currently on your mind.

Elections of Thailand

Elections in Thailand (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 20 July 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The last time a Shinawatra was in power in Thailand, they were ousted in a military coup that catapulted the country into a State of Emergency. Protesters marched on Bangkok and occupied various parts of the city for over two months before the army assaulted the protesters' camp, killing over thirty and wounding hundreds. When Yingluck assumes the role of Prime Minister later this week, will an effort toward national reconciliation begin, or will the country suffer another coup and renewed violence?

Flight for Freedom

September 8 or 9 – 12, 2011

The City of New York is busy preparing for a remembrance of those lost with numerous services and events planned over the course of the weekend including the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. Join Portland’s Flight For Freedom in New York September 8 or 9 - 12, 2011 to remember those who have fallen and celebrate the human condition as we join together in observance of the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Comprised of 1,000 people from Oregon and Southwest Washington, participants descended on New York City three weeks after the attacks. From the depths of despair, individuals rallied in spirit and action, coming together to support the victim's families, their co-workers and communities. This was the first group to travel to New York, lending both moral and economic support to a community in need.

In the spirit of peace and unity shared by so many in the days after the attack we are delighted that the Portland Gay Men's Chorus will perform BraveSouls and Dreamers, a dramatic cantata that reflects upon the human and spiritual consequences of war and the universal desire of peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Sunday, September 11, 2011. This performance by PGMC and other artists will be the culminating event marking this momentous occasion for the Oregon Freedom Flyers.

Don't miss your chance to travel to one of the greatest cities in the world and join in what is sure to be a once in a lifetime milestone occasion.

Registration Deadline: August 01, 2011
http://www.flightforfreedom.com/

Geopolitics of Food (YP DIscussion Group)

Geopolitics of Food (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 6 July 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

As the UN Food Price Index has eclipsed previous all-time highs, food prices are nearly doubling in poorer countries, governments are teetering, and scarcity is the new norm in world politics. Are we seeing the beginning of a global power struggle for food security? Or will international cooperation expand to ensure world food supplies?

Turkish Democracy (YP Discussion Group)

Turkish Democracy (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 22 June 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Turkey's recent election produced a landslide victory for the ruling AK party, but failed to return a large enough majority to unilaterally rewrite the constitution. The mildly Islamist AK party is pushing to make religion a more central part of secular Turkey, but has proceeded incrementally. AK won mainly for their responsibility for Turkey's continued development. Is Turkey a model for the Arab Spring countries? Or, will the mix of religion and rapid growth lead to a crash in the near future? Where does an ascendant Turkey fit in with Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of the World?

International Job in the Mayor's Office

Hey Everyone,

Mayor Adams' office is hiring an international policy fellow. Applications are due soon so follow the link for more information: http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=51108&a=348319

International Bond Markets (YP Discussion Group)

International Bond Markets (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 8 June 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Even with the recent warning by Moody's on the Debt Ceiling, the fight over debt in the US is tame by international standards. Huge protests have broken out across Spain and resistance to Greek austerity measures has grown more aggressive. Is the role of the international bond market exaggerated for the benefit of local politicians? Or, are bond traders really the ones calling the shots?

Obama and the Arab Spring (YP Discussion Group)

Obama and the Arab Spring (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 25 May 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

From the first stirrings of unrest in Northern Africa, President Obama has talked about a new opportunity for the US to bring its actions closer in line with its values. During the Arab Spring, has Obama's policy differed significantly from the normal trajectory of American policy? Does the killing of Osama Bin Laden create new opportunities for diplomatic action? Will Obama halt the momentum of the movement with his new focus on the Israel/Palestine standoff?

Bin Laden's Legacy (YP Discussion Group)

Bin Laden's Legacy (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 11 May 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The killing of Osama Bin Laden was a cathartic experience for the American public, but the War on Terror continues. His impact on the US and the rest of the world was dramatic, but was it lasting? What is Bin Laden's legacy? Is the Arab Spring a refutation of his ideology? Will the US ever be able to return to a pre-9/11 mindset?

Brian Michael Till Conversations with Power

What do the world’s most influential people have to say about leadership?

Brian Michael Till has collected key lessons directly from the mouths of the world’s most prominent leaders including Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Ehud Barak, and Václav Havel, and Nobel Laureates Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf, and FW de Klerk. He will lead a discussion on strategies for global leadership in the 21st century and share these leader’s candid personal reflections and regrets and their advice for future generations. Join the conversation at Habibi Lebanese Cuisine in downtown Portland.

Brian Michael Till is a Research Fellow at the New America Foundation and a correspondent for The Atlantic.

Pre-event happy hour and networking at 5:30; talk begins at 6:30

Presented by the Young Professionals and PSU Alumni Association
Light refreshments and no-host bar.
$5 Council Members; $10 Non-Members
Register at www.worldoregon.org

Guantanamo (YP Discussion Group)

Guantanamo (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 27 April 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The newest Wikileaks file dump concerns the background and treatment of the Guantanamo inmates. President Obama appears to have given up on his campaign pledge to close the prison, which continues to highlight the contradictions and challenges of the ongoing War on Terror. How should the US and global community prosecute these types of "irregular" combatants? What military and diplomatic challenges are involved with the issue?

Shanghai Tunnel Ethnic History Tour

YPs Present:
Shanghai Tunnel Ethnic History Tour

Saturday, May 7th at 4:30 pm
Hobo's Restaurant - 120 NW 3rd Ave

Pre-Registration is required!

Descend into one of the darkest and most fascinating chapters of Portland history with a tour of the notorious Shanghai tunnels: An underground maze beneath Old Town that many believe was used to kidnap unwary souls into service as shipmates and prostitutes.

The Shanghai Tunnel Ethnic History Tour provides insights into Portland's historic Chinese, Japanese, and Gypsy communities, and the ways in which the demands of a burgeoning international trade in goods and slaves affected their shared destinies. Join us for this fascinating adventure that walks the line between history and legend.

Multilateralism and Foreign Intervention (YP Discussion Group)

Multilateralism and Foreign Intervention (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 13 April 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The US/NATO led effort in Libya and the French action in the Ivory Coast have brought humanitarian intervention back into vogue. The justification and interests involved are muddled, but large-scale humanitarian disasters were apparently avoided. Were these actions justified? In the longer term, will they have a lasting, positive effect? Will humanitarian intervention be the primary job of Europe's shrinking militaries?

Peace Corps: 50 Years of Service and Bringing the World Home

Oregon Historical Society
March 1 - June 19, 2011

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday
Noon - 5 p.m. Sunday

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live and work in the most isolated corners of the globe? Now you can see the world through the eyes of more than 80 Oregonians and Washingtonians who experienced the world, up close, personal, and as few ever do – as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

This spring, these NW Peace Corps Volunteers will bring the world to Oregon with a new exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of this iconic organization, Peace Corps: 50 Years of Service and Bringing the World Home.

Special Peace Corps Events Sundays through June

1 PM - 3 PM in the Exhibit

April 10: Sports

Calling all sports enthusiasts! What could be a better way to learn about sports in the different countries where RPCVs serve than by talking with those RPCVs themselves? Come see pictures and chat with RPCVs about some of their experiences playing sports during their service.

April 17: Earth Day

Earth Day is a very special occasion that is celebrated in many different ways all over the world. Many Peace Corps volunteers and their communities take advantage of this day to discuss the importance of taking care of our planet and how we can make it a healthier place for the future. Do not miss this opportunity to learn about some of the ways that RPCVs and their communities have been taking action on Earth Day. Enjoy a presentation about building classrooms and other structures out of plastic bottles and trash, as well as learn about the work of RPCVs who served in the environmental and agricultural sectors. You will leave inspired to celebrate Earth Day in your own ways, in your own communities!

For More Information visit:

http://www.ohs.org/exhibits/current/peace-corps-50-years-of-service.cfm

The Future of Nuclear Power (YP Discussion Group)

The Future of Nuclear Power (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Over the last decade, technological advances and problems associated with oil and coal have made nuclear power an increasingly attractive option. The aftermath of the earthquake in Japan has reminded the world of the dangers associated with nuclear power. Is nuclear power still a viable option for the future of energy production? Should the U.S., China, and the EU continue to develop their nuclear capabilities?

New Railvolutionaries Tram Tour

On Tues, 3/22 the New Railvolutionaries are hosting a free South Waterfront Tram Tour and Happy Hour:

Join the New Rail~Volutionaries for a tour and ride of the Portland Aerial Tram. We will meet in front of the South Waterfront Terminal at 5:30pm, tour to start shortly after. Art Pearce will lead the tour, and it will be free of charge.

Afterwards we’ll hop the streetcar and have some beer and food at the Harborside Pilsner Room. Join us if you can!

New Rail~Volutionaries
March Happy Hour and Tram Tour
Tuesday, March 22
5:30-7:30pm
Meet at South Waterfront Tram Terminal

Should be a great event. Click here for the details.

No Discussion Group This Week- Trivia Instead! (YP Discussion Group)

No Discussion Group This Week- Trivia Instead! (YP Discussion Group)

No Discussion Group This Week. Instead, join us for International Trivia Night. Details in the post below. Discussion Group will return March 30th.

International Trivia Night

Young Professionals Present:

International Trivia Night

Wednesday, 16 March 2011 | 6:30 p.m.

Tree's Restaurant, 1211 Sw 5th St.


Join fellow Young Professionals for International Trivia Night and show your global smarts about current events, world culture, history, geography, pop culture and more! Trivia Night is a fun opportunity to acquaint and socialize with fellow Portlanders who share your zest for all things international. Bring your friends or come alone (we will place you on a team). Top prizes will include International Speaker Series tickets. Sign up here:
https://app.etapestry.com/cart/WorldAffairsCouncilofOrego/default/category.php?ref=788.0.357894183

Rebuilding Haiti (YP Discussion Group)

Rebuilding Haiti (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 2 March 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

It has been more than a year since the earthquake that devastated Haiti. The return of Duvalier briefly pushed Haiti back into the news cycle, but accounts of the recovery have been scarce. Has there been significant progress in the last year? Has the U.S. and rest of the international community done enough to help? How does a country with so many political, economic, and environmental issues rebuild itself?

Soil Not Oil: Climate Change, Peak Oil, and Food Justice

2011 International Speaker Series
February 23, 2011 - 7pm at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR

Vandana Shiva

Environmental Activist

Vandana Shiva is one of the world’s most respected environmental activists and feminists. A trained physicist, she received her PhD. at the University of Western Ontario, and since the 1970s, has been a vocal figure in the conservation movement.

Shiva is a leader in the International Forum on Globalization, along with Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin. She addressed the World Trade Organization summit in Seattle, 1999, as well as the recent World Economic Forum in Melbourne , 2000. In 1993, Shiva won the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (the Right Livelihood Award). In 2010, she was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize for her commitment to social justice. The founder of Navdanya (“nine seeds”), a movement promoting diversity and use of native seeds, she also set up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology in her mother’s cowshed in 1997. Its studies have validated the ecological value of traditional farming and been instrumental in fighting destructive development projects in India.

Before becoming an activist, Shiva was one of India ’s leading physicists. She holds a master’s degree in the philosophy of science and a Ph.D. in particle physics

She is the author of many books, including Water Wars: Pollution, Profits, and Privatization (South End Press, 2001), Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (South End Press, 1997), Monocultures of the Mind (Zed, 1993), The Violence of the Green Revolution (Zed, 1992) and Staying Alive (St. Martin's Press, 1989).

Single tickets for Vandana Shive are on sale through the PCPA box office and Ticketmaster.

Borderless: Migration, Globalization, and Changing Communities

In this time of cataclysmic change in our country and our world, it is important to ask not just how to get the economy back on track, but what kind of economy we want. In 1983, Benedict Anderson wrote Imagined Communities, a book about the origins of the modern nation-state and the powerful identification with nations for which millions have fought and been willing to die. Elliott Young will lead a discussion about the ways in which local communities in the twenty-first century need to think in new ways about the relationship between migration and globalization, and their effects on Oregon communities.

Elliott Young was born in New York City and has been migrating westward ever since. He has conducted research and done community development work in Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Ecuador. Young has been a professor of Latin American and borderlands history at Lewis & Clark College in Portland since 1997.

Sponsored by Oregon Humanities (formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities).


Wednesday, March 2, 2011 6-7 p.m.


Gregory Heights Library
7921 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR 97213
503.988.5386
http://www.multcolib.org/events/conversationproject.html

Egypt: What Comes Next? (YP Discussion Group)

Egypt: What Comes Next? (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Now that Mubarak is out, where does Egypt go next? The democratization process is not yet complete, as the military is now in control. Are the Egyptian military's promises of real political reform trustworthy? Do autocrats all over the world need to be nervous? What is the role of the U.S. in the transition? How will this alter U.S. foreign policy in regard to democracy promotion and interactions with autocrats?

Peter Hessler at Powells

Peter Hessler at Powell's
Tuesday 2/15
7:30 pm

Peter Hessler is one of the best writers on China in the west. After a Peace Corp tour took him to Central China, he moved to Beijing and wrote a trilogy of books on life in Modern China. He is coming to Powell's to talk about the last book, Country Driving. This is a great opportunity for all China Hands.



Full details here: http://www.worldoregon.org/events/registration/peter_hessler.php

Uprising in Egypt (YP Discussion Group_

Uprising in Egypt (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The massive anti-government rallies in Egypt could completely alter the political, economic, and social landscape in the Middle East. Foreign policy in the US, EU, and Israel is reliant on a strong partnership with Egypt. If a government as strong and well-established as Egypt can fall in the face of citizen action, no oppresive government in the Middle East is completely safe. Come discuss what has happened, predictions for the near future, and speculation about where all of this could lead.

The Ethics of Traveling to Poor Countries (YP Discussion Group)

The Ethics of Traveling to Poor Countries (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Tourists in search of an off-the-beaten-path adventure or luxury at prices lower than in Europe turn to poor countries. While the juxtaposition can be meaningful, the social dynamic between tourist and resident can be troubling. Visitors from the rich world enjoy privileges and are excused from observing social custom, as long as they are paying. Hotel and restaurant employees go to incredible lengths to keep rich visitors happy. Is it possible to visit a poor country and avoid the rich master/poor servant relationship? Or is all of this liberal hand-wringing and we should feel good for supporting struggling economies?

Kashmir (YP Discussion Group)

Kashmir (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:

Wednesday, 5 December 2011 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

The dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan shades their interactions with the rest of the world. It is used to justify ISI interactions with groups supporting terrorism and prevents meaningful cooperation between the two powers. Over the last year, the situation in Kashmir has deteriorated and now resembles the Palestinian Intifadas. Are there opportunities for peace in the region in the near term? Should the US make Kashmir a higher priority?