WHAT: Ian Cheney, Director of King Corn, Unit One Guest-in-Residence
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 5 through Thursday, Feb. 9 @ 7 p.m. each evening
WHERE: South Rec Room of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana
Monday, 7 p.m. – Against the grain: King Corn and the politics of what we eat — Screening with q&a and discussion about obesity/diabetes epidemics, crop subsidies, organic food, “social documentaries,” and making your first film.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. – Cities of tomorrow: The Greening of Southie and the challenges of green building — Screening with q&a and discussion about green building, environmental justice, and grassroots filmmaking outreach
Wednesday, 7 p.m. – The City Dark: light pollution and the disappearing night —
Screening with q&a and discussion about light pollution, circadian rhythms, the ecology of the night, and astrophotography.Thursday, 7 p.m. – Growing outside the box: Truck Farm and other tales of urban agriculture — Screening and presentation about urban agriculture and our new Americorps program.
WHAT: “Disrupting Violence: The Production of Resilient Visual Culture in Embattled Colombia,” Clemencia Rodriguez, Communications. University of Oklahoma
WHEN: Tuesday, February 7 @ 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: 100 Gregory Hall, 810 South Wright Street, Urbana
WHAT: “My ‘tour’ of Chernobyl: A heritage story told through pictures,” Nicholas Hryhorczuk, PhD candidate, Tourism Development
WHEN: Tuesday, February 7 @ 12 noon
WHERE: 101 International Studies Building, 910 S Fifth St., Champaign
Hryhorczuk’s “current work focuses on Chernobyl’s potential contributions to heritage theory and the challenges, opportunities, and process for the Chernobyl exclusionary zone to be designated as a World Heritage site and to transition from a zone of ecologic disaster to a site for international eco-tourism.” Wow.
WHAT: “The Future of Media — And What You Can Do About It,” Craig Aaron, Free Press
WHEN: Wednesday, February 8 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: 213 Gregory Hall, 810 South Wright Street, Urbana
According to Aaron, he’ll be talking about “what Free Press is doing to protect that voice and will discuss the latest happenings in Washington that are reshaping media and technology.”
WHAT: “When Politics Fail: Challenging Assumptions and Building a Global Grassroots Movement for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine,” Mark Braverman
WHEN: Friday, February 10 @ 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Lucy Ellis Lounge; 1080 FLB, 707 South Mathews Ave., Urbana
The following information is from MarkBraverman.org: “
Mark Braverman’s roots are in the Holy Land ‘ his grandfather, a fifth generation Palestinian Jew, was born in Jerusalem, emigrating the U.S. as a young man. Growing up in the United States, Braverman was reared in the Jewish tradition, studying Bible, Hebrew literature, and Jewish history. Trained in clinical psychology and crisis management, Braverman devoted his professional career to working with groups and individuals undergoing traumatic stress. Returning to the Holy Land in 2006, he was transformed by witnessing the occupation of Palestine and by encounters with peace activists and civil society leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities. Since then, Braverman has devoted himself full-time to the Israel/Palestine conflict. He is a co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of Tent of Nations North America, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Palestinian land rights and peaceful coexistence in historic Palestine. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA, the advisory committee of Friends of Sabeel North America, and the advisory council of the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace. He is a charter member of American Jews for a Just Peace.”
You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Tuesdays when classes are in session.