Friday, April 30, 2010

Ted Rall - 3 May @ 7pm, FREE

This is part of Wright State University's Presidential Lecture Series.

Ted Rall
Nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist
Monday, May 3, 2010
7 p.m
Apollo Room, Student Union

Setting himself apart from the herd with a unique drawing style and a take-no-prisoners approach, Ted Rall has been called "the most controversial cartoonist in America" by the editorial cartooning site Cartoon.com. He has also been labeled as the "most annoying liberal" by the Right Wing News website, "treasonous" by the conservative Weekly Standard, and "anti-American" by the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial page, as well as being named number 15 in Bernard Goldberg's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. He has received death threats.

Ted Rall began editorial cartooning in the 1980s when a handful of alternative weekly newspaper editors found his photocopied work hanging from lampposts in New York City. Today, his editorial cartoons for Universal Press Syndicate appear in more than 100 newspapers throughout the United States, from the Washington Post to SF Weekly.

"Editorial cartooning is an intrinsically negative medium," says Rall, "but I'm an optimistic person. My hope is that, by calling attention to hypocrisy in our government and the inward focus of American culture in an amusing way, things will change for the better."

Rall covered the war in Afghanistan in cartoon form, where his harrowing experience—three of the 44 journalists with whom he traveled were killed—led to the critically acclaimed book To Afghanistan and Back. His most recent book is Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?, a detailed analysis of the region in prose and cartoons. Four collections of Rall's cartoons have also been published, as well as three award-winning graphic novels.

Presented in partnership with the AAUP (American Association of University Professors).
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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Blue Sky Project Exhibit -

From the awesome BlueSky project:

"Reflections of Blue Sky Project"
Exhibition of work by our 2009 Youth Participants

Thursday May, 6, 2010, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
ArtStreet at the University of Dayton


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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Really, Really Free & Wayne Ave Cleanup - 2 May

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117437591602933&ref=nf

Come join the UpDayton Wayne Avenue Corridor Committee (WACC) and Garden Station as we clean up Wayne Avenue!
Meet @ Garden Station at 1:00pm Sunday, May 2nd

Things to bring: brooms, dustpans, trash cans, buckets, boxes, latex gloves, water bottle, trash bags, and flathead screwdrivers for weeding.

Stick around and attend the Really Really Free Market at 3pm!
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Monday, April 26, 2010

What's Race Got To Do With It? - 7 May @ 7pm, FREE

[Steve's note: Obviously, I took a liberty with the title.]

What's race got to do with me and how does it shape my life?
by Dr. Frances Kendall

White people often forget that they have a race, while people of color are reminded of their race every day. All are invited to join us for a lively and interactive experience in which we will talk about some of the complex racial realities of 2010 and how we are shaped by them. Faculty are encouraged to share this event with their students.

Friday, May 7, 2010
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Building 12, Room 12-151, Smith Auditorium
Free and open to the public

Frances E. Kendall, Ph.D., is a nationally known consultant who has focused for more than thirty years on organizational change, diversity, and white privilege. Her clients include colleges and universities, corporations, and non-profits. Because she believes that personal and organizational change is possible, she is committed to facilitating the core changes necessary to create work environments that are hospitable to all people. Author of Diversity in the Classroom: New Approaches to the Education of Young Children and Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race. Dr. Kendall received her M.S. from Bank Street College of Education and her Ph.D. from the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. Dr. Kendall was recently named a "Pioneer of Diversity" by Profiles in Diversity Journal.
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Retraining and trust

It's no surprise that a lot of people are currently retraining into new careers these days. Our young people are going to colleges trying to get into the best careers. They trust colleges and schools with their money and futures. They trust that a college won't just take their money and leave them stranded in a flooded job market.

But there's at least one career field where several programs are doing that - in Ohio. I spell it out over at my "general" blog - go take a look.
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

From Nature to Engineering, 22 April @ 7pm. FREE

Cafe Sci: From Nature to Engineering Insight

Join us for this month's cafe and discover science in a relaxed atmosphere with friends and neighbors from the Miami Valley. Increase your science savvy and share your opinion in our open discussion following the topic introduction. Light refreshments provided. Call (937) 275-5059 or see detailed web listing for final topic details. Join staff scientists from AFIT as we discuss how butterflies are providing insight for engineering flight research. Light refreshments provided. Reservations requested; walk-ins welcome. Call (937) 434-9005 or register online.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Atonement Ceremony, "Empowerment through Forgiveness" 27 April @ 7pm

Please join the Organization for Black Faculty & Staff at the Atonement Ceremony on Tuesday, April 27 at 7PM in the Student Union/Apollo Room. There will be a ceremony at which the "Village Elders" set into the shoes of perpetrators of violence and ask survivors for their forgiveness. In addition, there will be performances by numerous gospel choirs and dance groups. This event is free and open to the public.

You can read more about Minority Health Month (which this event is part of) here, the flyer is embedded below.





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Monday, April 19, 2010

Fifth Annual Dayton Peace Accords 5K Walk/Run - 24 April

April 24 • Fifth Annual Dayton Peace Accords 5K Walk/Run
Dayton International Peace Museum, 208 W. Monument Ave.; 9 a.m.


Serious and casual runners, walkers of all ages (from children to seniors) and those who just want to enjoy the beautiful Dayton scenery along the River Corridor are most welcome! Pick up materials Friday, April 23, from noon to 8 p.m. or the morning of the race April 24 from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Peace Museum. This fund raising event supports the ongoing educational programs of the ONLY peace museum in the United States: the Dayton International Peace Museum. Register by calling 227-3223 or online at daytonpeacemuseum.org. $20 per person, 2 for 1 student discount. 275-7313 or 227-3223.
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Project Linus Marathon!

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”
Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Wright State University's chapter is having a Blanket Making Marathon:

Saturday, April 24th
10: 00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Student Union Atrium

Wright State’s Project Linus would like to invite you to help make fleece blankets for children in need! All blankets will be donated to Project Linus’ Dayton Chapter, which gives handmade blankets to children in hospitals, abuse shelters, social service agencies, etc. Everyone is welcome and sewing skills are not necessary!
For more information, contact Sara Bigelow
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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Asian American Council Annual Dinner

The Asian American Council cordially invites you with your family and friends to join its members and the community to enjoy the AAC Annual Dinner.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 5:00 pm
Millet Atrium, Wright State University

Dinner Price: only $20.00

The Dinner is followed by
Asian Heritage Month Lecture by Dr. Jane Junn.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Lecture: Asian American Political and Civic Engagement

Dr. Jane Junn, Professor of Political Science, University of Southern California, will discuss results from the National Asian American Survey, the most comprehensive survey conducted of the political views of Asian Americans.

Time: 7 pm
Location: Millett Atrium

If you want to join the dinner, RSVP to Prof. Khurshid Ahmad by email and please cut a check of $20, payable to Asian American Council, with your choice of Dinner (among Sushi, Chicken, Bulgogi (Beef), Vegetable Tempura) on the memo line of the check; and mail the check before April 14 to:

Prof. Khurshid Ahmad
2938 Stone Mill Ct
Dayton, Ohio 45434
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Remembering the Xenia Tornado - 17 April @ 2pm

Did you know the Xenia Tornado is a significant portion of the Wikipedia article about the "Super Outbreak" of 1974 tornadoes? I know it was strange moving here in 2002 and still hearing people talk about an event almost as old as myself... but after reading this article, I can see why! The image is from that article - at the time this picture was taken, the tornado was a half mile wide.

Remembering the 1974 Xenia Tornado

It was 36 years ago this month that Xenia, Ohio, was struck by a devastating tornado. Join WDTN Channel 2 meteorologist Erik Zarnitz for a discussion of the 1974 tornado and its aftermath.
Sat., April 17, 2:00-3:30 p.m. - Wilmington-Stroop Branch.
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Friday, April 9, 2010

Dayton Walking Tours

http://gemcitycirclewalks.wetpaint.com/

Did you know there were walking tours of Dayton?

The leisurely walks are $10 per person, are about two hours with a third hour for lunch at an interesting restaurant. Walks utilize stops at park and bus benches.

It sounds like a pleasant way to spend part of a spring or summer day! Full descriptions of the various walks, along with the extensive schedule, is available at their website.
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Thursday, April 8, 2010

ARTS Gala streaming live - 10 April 1830-Midnight

WSU's 11th annual /*ARTS*/GALA will be held this Saturday, April 10, 6:30 - midnight. It will be a night to remember! You can still buy tickets at www.wright.edu/artsgala or by calling 775-5512.

If you are unable to attend this year's Gala, you still have an opportunity to participate from home. Tune in to Classical 88.1 / WDPR's live broadcast from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. via their website . You can listen to WSU's many, talented arts students as they shine during this magical evening!

For more information about the Gala, visit our website.
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Promoting Peace through Education - 4/7/10 @ 7pm

Greg Mortenson
Co-author of bestseller Three Cups of Tea
"Promoting Peace through Education"
Wednesday, April 7, 2010; 7:00 pm; Apollo Room, Student Union

Co-author of the number-one bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian, international peacemaker, former mountaineer, and co-founder of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, which promotes education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mortenson’s phenomenal story began in 1993 on K2, the world’s second highest mountain, after rescuing another climber. On his descent, the exhausted Mortenson got lost and was aided by the people of a Pakistani village called Korphe. While there, he saw a group of children writing with sticks in the sand, so in gratitude for the villagers’ hospitality, he promised to return and build a school. That rash promise grew into a remarkable humanitarian campaign to which Mortenson has dedicated his life: to promote education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mortenson has gone on to establish more than 90 schools in rural and often volatile regions of those two countries. Through his nonprofits, the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace, Mortenson has built schools that provide a rare opportunity for education to more than 38,000 children, including 27,000 girls.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time has sold more than three million copies in 34 countries. It has been used in more than 90 colleges and universities as a freshman, honors or campus-wide read, including as Wright State’s common text for incoming freshmen for the 2009–2010 academic year. His newly released book, Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is a sequel to Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.

Please also join us on Friday, April 9, for the Wright State University Quest for Community: A Call to Action Conference.
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Monday, April 5, 2010

River Summit - 15 April 2010

http://riversummit.udayton.edu/
The Great Miami River Summit is the launching of a regional endeavor to link cities, farmland, communities, and individuals with one another to develop a regional strategy to make the most of our unique asset, the Great Miami River.

Recognizing the need to bring communities together around the river and the watershed, the Rivers Institute at the University of Dayton and the Miami Conservancy District work with the community to recognize the untapped potential the River Corridor has for our region both economically and recreationally.
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Reducing Crime in Dayton

Images cribbed from the Dayton Extra Newsletter. Click to embiggen. [Note to city officials - putting PDF links in your e-mails is just wrong. Why not publish it as a web page so good news like this is easily found and accessed by all people (and search engines)?]

I often hear people talking about crime in Dayton - and considering what still leads local newscasts, I can understand why. It's entirely too bad that the perception of rising crime here is absolutely wrong. During the last decade, crime's gone down, down, down. (Interestingly, all of them started dipping in 2002, the year I moved here.)

Violent Crime in Dayton has gone down 30% over the last decade.


Crimestats10yrtrend-000

Major Property Crime has gone down 38% in Dayton over the last decade.


Crimestats10yrtrend-001

All Crime has gone down 24% in Dayton over the last decade.


Crimestats10yrtrend-002

Actually reducing crime is only the first step. The second step is correcting the wrong impression so many residents have so that it changes behaviors. So spread the word!
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