Flotilla Fallout (YP Discussion Group)

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

Wednesday, 23 June 2010 | 7:00 p.m.

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

The recent attempt to bypass the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip created an international incident with far-reaching consequences. Unfortunately, the responses by both Israel and Hamas have been superficial concessions masking the same entrenched positions. Has Israel gone too far in its attempts to protect itself? Is the situation hopeless? What role should the US play in forcing negotiations and compromise?

10 HOSTS STILL NEEDED JULY 15 – AUGUST 3 FOR UKRAINIAN VISITORS!

Be a citizen diplomat! The Council is seeking host families for a Russian speaking Ukrainian Community Connections group coming to Portland in July for a program on Alternative Energy Development and Promotion. Portland hosting dates are July 15- August 3 (minus 2-3 nights during this time period while the group is in Eastern Oregon). Host families are integral to the success of our professional exchange programs and act as the key representatives of American culture to these visitors!

To be a part of this unforgettable experience contact Andrew Neal at (503) 306-5252 or andrew@worldoregon.org or Mariko Gilman at (503) 306-5295 or mariko@worldoregon.org for more information.

Biographical information about the individual delegates can be found at: http://www.worldoregon.org/visitors/cgroup.php

World Bank Young Professionals program: deadline to apply 06/30

I came across this really amazing- looking Young Professionals Program at the World Bank.  Masters degree is a requisite, and the application process seems pretty stringent, but for the right applicant with the credentials, this may be a great opportunity to break into the international development market.  As a young professional, you have to be under 32 by September of 2011.  Deadline to apply is June 30, 2010. 

Distant Interiors: Three Works by Kamal Aljafari
Beyond Borders Program VII: Palestine | Pan Asian Series
Supported in part by a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council
JUNE 15 + 16 [6:45PM]
Cinema Project @ Clinton Street Theatre | 2552 SE Clinton St.

Cinema Project's Pan Asian series of visiting artists is rounded out this season with Palestinian-born independent filmmaker Kamal Aljafari. Through his witty, restrained, and personal documentary style, Aljafari examines varying definitions of home and place in the Middle East. In pieces like The Roof and Port of Memory the focus is primarily on the veritable ghost-town of Jaffa that in pre-1948 Palestine was a thriving urban and economic port-city. These works demonstrate Aljafari's thoughtful but not overly formal compositions of half-inhabited houses and damaged neighborhoods, which reveal the strained co-existence of past and present and the complicated layers of history that help construct (physically and psychologically) such places.

Curator Jean-Pierre Rehm has called The Roof "as much a stylistic as a political manifesto." With an approach recalling the suspended action of other international cineastes like Taiwanese Tsai-Ming Liang, Aljafari brings something less mysterious but more palpable to his coded landscapes and personal portraits.
Artist-in-Attendance

TUESDAY JUNE 15TH
Port of Memory [2009, 35mm, color, sound, 63 min.]
WEDNESDAY JUNE 16TH
The Roof [2006, video, color, sound, 61 min.]
Visit Iraq [2003, 35mm, color, sound, 26 min.]

Watch the World Cup with the Young Professionals

The world turns its attention to the Beautiful Game on June 11th when
the World Cup starts in South Africa. While we would love a ticket to
Cape Town, we are fortunate enough to live in a city with so many
soccer fans and venues. Join us to watch the largest sporting event in
the world!

First up, the Mexico v. South Africa match, June 11th. We will meet at
Pizza Italia (1129 NW Johnson St.) for the game at 7 am. They have a
$10 breakfast buffet and a passionate crowd of futbol fans.

We hope to gather for games throughout the month-long competition.
Watch this space for announcements, or organize yourselves and watch
your favorite teams advance. For a list of Portland venues showing the
games see www.portlandsoccerbars.com, then add your game/venue to the
comment section.

Turmoil in Zimbabwe (YP Discussion Group)

Turmoil in Zimbabwe (YP Discussion Group)

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

Wednesday, 9 June 2010 | 7:00 p.m.

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

In less than 30 years, Zimbabwe has gone from a promising, newly-independent state to an unqualified disaster. Political strife, hyper-inflation, drought, and an AIDS epidemic have all contributed to a plummeting life expectancy. Despite the fact that overt violence is still minimal, does the scale of the humanitarian crisis require action from Western government? Is there hope for the people of Zimbabwe in the near future?

An Evening with Zimbabwe Artists Project

Thursday, June 10, 2010

6:00-8:00pm - discussion at 6:45pm

Join fellow World Affairs Council members in learning how Zimbabwe Artists Project aims to "make human connections through art." Founder and Executive Director Dick Adams will share stories from his most recent trip to Zimbabwe. This is an opportunity to hear his inspirational anecdotes about the women of Weya, and his organization's efforts in supporting these women in rural Zimbabwe to become economically self sufficient.

Also, Be the first to hear exciting news from Zimbabwe Artists Project and World Affairs Council.

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