Arzberg, Germany, visits its Sister City in Indiana

South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke, Common Council Members, and community representatives met with a delegation from South Bend's Sister City today in the Mayor's Office, reports Inside INdiana Business.

South Bend formed a Sister City relationship with Arzberg in 2005. This year's delegation includes new Mayor Stephan Gocking, former Mayor Winfried Geppert and his wife Anne-Marie.

Other members of the delegation include Arzberg City Council Member Baroness Silvia von Waldenfels, City Council Member Roland Koffmane and Christa Koffmane, Adam Seyferth, former mayor of neighboring Thiersheim and Dagmar Seyferth, Thomas Zeitler, member of the city administration, Ingrid Eisenkolb and son Dr. Alexander Eisenkolb, Karl-Heintz Freina and Heide Freina and daughter Kathrin, Horst Gebhardt, trip organizer Jurgen Stowasser, and from North Carolina, Oscar and Ingrid Dobereiner. The delegation will be in South Bend through Sunday.

The connection between South Bend and Arzberg is more than 150 years old, the mayor notes. Throughout South Bend, there are reminders of that heritage, from the former Muessel Brewery to the local Zion Church, Muessel School and Elbel Golf Course.

Gabrielle Robinson, former Director of International Programs at Indiana University South Bend has been the driving force in establishing this relationship, and organizing the activities and exchanges that have happened to date. She is also the author of German Settlers of South Bend, and worked with the Center for History and other sources to develop a comprehensive history of the South Bend German immigrants.

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State Grant to Train ESL Teachers in Northwest Indiana

A new Indiana University School of Education program that will develop more highly-trained teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) -- ESL Professional Communities for Expertise and Leadership Development -- has received $154,000 in funding from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, reports the I.U. News Bureau. The grant will focus on preparing minority ESL teachers in two high-need Indiana school corporations in East Chicago and South Bend through on-site workshops, graduate courses, summer institutes and a capstone project. Pictured are (left to right) Beth Samuelson, Faridah Pawan and Michelle Greene, who will help develop more highly-trained teachers of English as a Second Language.

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Aragón to Receive National Latino Literary Award

Francisco Aragón (pictured), director of Letras Latinas, the literary program of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, has been selected to receive the Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Arts, Literary Arts and Publications Award, reports the Notre Dame news bureau. The award is given by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, and Aragón will receive it in March during the association’s national conference to be held in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The award recognizes Latinos who have contributed significantly to increasing understanding of the Hispanic community and/or culture through literary arts, scholarship and publications.

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World's Oldest Known Granaries

A new study coauthored by Ian Kuijt, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, describes recent excavations in Jordan that reveal evidence of the world’s oldest know granaries, reports the news bureau of the University of Notre Dame, South Bend. The appearance of the granaries represents a critical evolutionary shift in the relationship between people and plant foods.

In a paper appearing in the 23 June 2009 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, Kuijt and Bill Finlayson, director, Council for British Research in the Levant, describe recent excavations at Dhra near the Dead Sea in Jordan that provide evidence of granaries that precede the emergence of fully domesticated plants and large-scale sedentary communities by at least 1,000 years.

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Scowcroft to Speak at Notre Dame

Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, former U.S. national security advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, will present “The Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Obama Administration” at 4 p.m. 27 April 27 in the auditorium of the Hesburgh Center at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Prior to the presentation, Gen. Scowcroft will sign copies of his latest book, America and the World: Conversations on the Future of American Foreign Policy, which he co-authored with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter.

Scowcroft’s presentation is part of Notre Dame’s International Security Program seminar series, which was established last year to provide a forum where leading scholars in national security studies from Notre Dame and elsewhere could come together to explore some of the most pressing issues in national security policy. The program is co-directed by Notre Dame political science faculty members Michael Desch, Kier Lieber, Daniel Lindley and Sebastian Rosato.

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Australian Ambassador to Speak at Notre Dame

Dennis Richardson, Australian ambassador to the United States, will discuss U.S.-Australia relations and highlight the country’s green initiatives during a lecture at 4:30 p.m. on 22 April in Room 161 of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend.

Appointed to his current position in 2005, Richardson formerly served in Australia’s Foreign Service, was the principal adviser to the prime minister, led the review of the Australian Intelligence Community, and served as deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and director general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Notre Dame’s Office of International Studies and Pi Sigma Alpha, the University’s political science honor society.

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FIFA World Cup in Indiana in 2018 or 2022?

The USA Bid Committee mailed letters last week to public officials and stadium operators in metropolitan markets across the United States in an initial step toward preparing a formal bid to play host to the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

In all, 70 stadiums in more than 50 metropolitan markets are under consideration, ranging in market size from New York City, where the new Meadowlands Stadium will open in 2010 in nearby East Rutherford, N.J., to college town markets such as Lincoln, Neb., and Fayetteville, Ark.

Two Indiana venues on the list are the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the stadium at the University of Notre Dame at South Bend.

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Indiana's Future Through Multiculturalism

A "world cafe" style workshop is planned from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 22 April to consider "Indiana's Future through Multiculturalism".

On the agenda are discussions of strategies for successful integration into a new life in Indiana and strategies for creating and sustaining welcoming, thriving Hoosier communities for people from all over the globe.

The "Cultures at the Crossroads" workshop will take place in the Gene B. Glick Junior Achievement Education Center, 7453 North Keystone Avenue, Indianapolis.

The workshop is sponsored by the Indiana Humanities Council and the Indiana Multiethnic Committee along with the Sagamore Institute, Indiana Historical Society, Central Indiana Community Foundation and the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend.

Cost is $20; registration deadline is 10 April. For information, contact Catherine O'Connor, 800:675-8897 or 317:638-1500, ext. 116.

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'One Laptop Per Child'

University of Notre Dame alumnus Charles Kane will return to campus next to week to talk about his transition from working as a for-profit executive to pro-bono president and chief operating officer of One Laptop Per Child Association Inc., reports Inside INdiana Business.

His presentation on Technology and the Globalization of Education at 5 p.m. 10 February in the Eck Visitors’ Center auditorium on the South Bend campus is open to the public at no charge.

The organization manufactures and distributes laptop computers to children in poor and developing regions around the world.

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"The Edge of Heaven" at Notre Dame

The Edge of Heaven, a 2008 film directed by Fatih Akin, screens at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. both today (15 August) and tomorrow (16 August) in the Browning Cinema on the Campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. Tickets are $6 ($5 for Notre dame faculty/staff, $4 seniors and $3 students).

The film, in Turkish, German, and English languages with English subtitles is not rated; it runs 122 minutes.

Awards: Winner – Best Screenplay Award, Cannes Film Festival 2007; Winner – Best Screenplay Award, European Film Awards 2007; Winner – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing 2008 German Film Awards (LOLA). You can see the trailer here.

Summary: Nejat initially disapproves of his widower father Ali`s choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But the young professor warms to her when he learns that most of her hard-earned money is sent home to Turkey for her daughter’s university studies. After Yeter`s accidental death, Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter`s daughter Ayten. Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany. She is befriended by a young woman, Lotte, who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, much to the displeasure of her conservative mother, Susanne. When Ayten is arrested and her asylum plea denied, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Passionate Lotte abandons everything to help Ayten. A tragic event brings Susanne to Istanbul to help fulfill her daughter`s mission.

Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival

Macbeth and more comes to South Bend next month with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.

"Wicked Will: Shakespeare and the Supernatural" is the title of the presentation on 4 August. It's a collection of silly and scary vignettes that explore Shakespeare's interest in the supernatural -- and it's appropriate for children.

Macbeth, the shortest and "most ferocious" of Shakespeare's tragedies, plays 19-24 and 26-31 August.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to the website, send an email or call 574:631-BARD.

Iraqi College Students Will Come to Indiana

Indiana's Manchester College will host one of several Iraqi students being brought to the United States next school year by a group of educators and activists in the U.S. and the Mideast, reports the Associated Press.

The Iraqi Student Project, founded last year, will bring about 20 Iraqi students to 15 American universities to continue their educations.

Three other Indiana institutions -- Holy Cross College and St. Mary's College in South Bend and the University of Evansville -- also are participating.

About 7 percent of Manchester's 1,070 students are from abroad.

Heraeus Kulzer Moves to South Bend

A German manufacturer of dental products is moving its North American headquarters to South Bend, adding 45 workers to 61 who already work at a plant on the city’s south side, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Heraeus Kulzer’s existing North American headquarters are in the New York suburb of Armonk.

Indiana Economic Development Corp. said it provided $648,500 in tax credits and training grants, based on the company’s hitting performance goals.

Heraeus Kulzer GmbH, a subsidiary of the precious metals and technology group Heraeus, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of dental products, with headquarters in Hanau, Germany, and subsidiaries in the US, Europe, and Asia. As a system provider and service partner for dental offices and dental laboratories, with more than 1,500 employees worldwide,

Dyngus Day in South Bend

Politics and culture collide in northern Indiana on Dyngus Day -- the day after Easter (this year: 24 March). It's a religious holiday in Eastern Europe (especially Poland) that probably has pagan roots. Celebrations are common in the United States in regions with large populations with Polish, Czech and Slovakian heritage.

But, it takes a particular twist in Indiana. According to Wikipedia, "In South Bend, the day is often used to launch the year's political campaign season (particularly among Democrats)- often from within the West Side Democratic Club, the M.R. Falcons Club or in local pubs, where buying drinks is favored over handshaking."

This year, former President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea will visit South Bend on Dyngus Day to kick off Hoosiers for Hillary at the West Side Democratic Club, 617 South Warren Street (time to be announced).

Sounds like a lot more fun than the traditional celebration in Poland, where, early in the morning, boys awaken girls by pouring buckets of water on their heads and then "beat" them on the legs with switches made from willow, birch or decorated tree branches. The "victim" rewards her "attacker" with a decorated egg, then ties a ribbon to the boy's whip -- more ribbons, more bragging rights. (Girls will save the best eggs for the boys they like best.) Women get revenge in the afternoon by pouring a bucket of cold water on the men. Older men are given Třešňovice (cherry brandy) instead of eggs.

UPDATE:
No matter what it says in The Indianapolis Star this morning (22 March), Easter marks the end of Lent, not Dyngus Day!

Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures

This fall, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend will open the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC), according to Inside INdiana Business. The CSLC will serve as a hub of foreign language learning and internationalism. Located in four renovated classrooms at DeBartolo Hall, it will include a multi-purpose classroom, language center and a home theater. Also this fall, a 14th option will be added to Notre Dame’s language line-up − Korean.

South Bend Hosts International Concert

Rock fans from six countries and 34 states will converge on South Bend Saturday (6 October) for the 10th annual Melodic Rock concert, held for the first time at the Morris Performing Arts Center. The ten-hour concert will include several performers playing three-hour sets, reports Inside Indiana Business. The Morris , built in 1921, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Another Immigrant Who's Benefitted Indiana

One of America's leading landscape architects emigrated from Germany to Indiana. George Kessler, who was born in Frankenhausen, Germany, is responsible for designing the original boulevard and park systems in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend and Terre Haute.

Kurt Culbertson, author of Landscape of the American Renaissance: The Life and Work of George Edward Kessler, will discuss "The Genius of George Kessler" during a presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday (29 August) in the Colfax Auditorium of the St. Joe Public Library in downtown South Bend.

The free presentation is sponsored by the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County, Indiana. For information, see the flyer or call 219:235-9798.

Darfur to Indiana

"As many as 300 people originally from Darfur are living in Fort Wayne, with others scattered across smaller Indiana cities like Elkhart, South Bend and Goshen. Together, they form one of the largest concentrations of Darfuri in the United States."

This is an excerpt from an exceptional article in Monday's New York Times about the ability of the Hoosier Heartland to welcome yet another set of scarred refugees. Here's another snippet:

"'Cities like New York are not attractive for our beginners, too busy,' said Nourain Basheir, 41, one of the first Darfuri to settle in Fort Wayne in 1996. 'This community welcomed us cheerfully and respectfully. They understand our people.'

"Despite Indiana’s reputation among Americans as a monolithic slice of the country, in parts of Africa it is known — mostly by word of mouth — as diverse, welcoming and affordable."

After Darfur, Starting Anew in the Midwest
By SUSAN SAULNY
The New York Times
Published: April 2, 2007
"In Indiana, people fleeing the violence of Darfur find an unlikely new home that is diverse and welcoming."

Read the rest here.


UPDATE:
Almost a month after The New York Times writes about all the people from Darfur living in Fort Wayne, The Indianapolis Star finally notices. See 29 April 2007 -- at least as long as the paper leaves the link active!