"Inside-Outside Japan"

“Inside - Outside Japan: the Economy, the Midwest, and the Phenomenon of Business Cultural Arbitrage" is the title of a program cosponsored by the Japan-America Society of Indiana, the World Trade Club of Indiana, the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), and the Chicago office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

The phenomenon of “cultural arbitrage” will be presented by noted author
Tim Clark, who will discuss why and how American business models are
being successfully morphed in the Japanese market to leverage gaps in
Japan, thus meeting the needs of Japanese consumers, according to the program brochure.

Is the Japanese economy back? This theme will be developed by JETRO Chicago’s Chief Executive Director, Takashi Tsuchiya to talk through the current re-emergence of the economy in Japan, a profile of Japanese subsidiaries in the Midwest, and JETRO’s current activities and programs.

The program begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (20 February) at the Omni Severin
Hotel, 40 West Jackson Place, Indianapolis. Cost is $35 for members of the WTC and JASI, $45 for non-members, and $25 for students.

Information: Japan-America Society of Indiana, 317:635-0123; World Trade Club, 317:261-0918, or JETRO Chicago, 312:832-6022.

Clark is an entrepreneur and writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Red Herring, Asiaweek and a number of other magazines and journals, and Clark is also the author of several books on Japan, including “Saying Yes to Japan: How Outsiders Are Reviving a Trillion Dollar Services Market”.

Today Clark serves as nonresident Senior Fellow for Tokyo-based venture capital firm SunBridge and writes the monthly Japan Entrepreneur Report. He also teaches international marketing at Portland State University (PSU), Oregon’s largest university, where he serves on the Center for Japanese Studies advisory board.

As Chief Executive Director, Mr. Tsuchiya oversees the JETRO Chicago offi ce in its activities designed to facilitate business development between Japan and companies in the 12-state Midwest region. He has served as Director of the Public Affairs Department at JETRO New York from 1985-1989, and was Vice President of JETRO Bangkok from 1997-2000. Prior to his current post in 2003, Mr. Tsuchiya became Director of the Research Planning Division, Overseas Research Department, at JETRO headquarters in Tokyo, and his current position with JETRO Chicago began in April 2005.

Hillenbrand buys factory in Mexico

Hill-Rom, the Batesville-based health care operating company of Hillenbrand Industries, Inc. has announced completion of its acquisition of a low-cost manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico.

The modern facility, located in Apodoco, Monterrey, state of Neuvo Leon, Mexico, is well-positioned to serve both North American and Latin American markets. The new facility is scheduled to produce Hill-Rom's line of stretchers and bed frames for low acuity hospital patients.

Lilly's Global Sales Force to Reorganize

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that Eli Lilly & Co. Chief Executive Sidney Taurel told CNBC this morning the Indianapolis-based drug company has no plans to slash its global sales force.

Taurel said there has been “some reduction, some reorganization” in Lilly’s sales force, but added, “we don’t see major decreases.”

The IBJ Daily Report adds that Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, said recently it would cut 20 percent of its U.S. and European sales forces.

Head of Caritas in Cologne to Speak in Indianapolis

Dr. Thomas Moeltgen, Department Head at Caritas in Cologne, Germany, will speak on the role of faith-based organizations in Germany in providing health care and other social services during a "Ideas in Indiana" luncheon at Sagamore Institute for Policy Research.

The event is noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, 28 February in Sagamore's Third Floor Conference Room at 340 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

Co-sponsors with Sagamore are Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Committee, Foundation for Lutheran Child and Family Services, Max Kade Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis and other private supporters.

Cost is $20; reservations are due by 23 February. Contact Pat A. Hasselblad, 317:472-7824.

Dr. Thomas Moeltgen is head of the department of matters of principles and parish relations at the Cologne offices of the Catholic social services agency Caritas. During his two decades at Caritas, he has helped develop programs for at-risk women, administer mentoring programs for students, and launch volunteer service centers. Dr. Moeltgen will discuss how Caritas is integrating volunteers into the provision of important social services and how Caritas is infusing faith-based action into the city’s ambulatory nurse system. Dr. Moeltgen holds degrees in social work, psychology and theology from the Catholic University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bonn.

Indy's International Festival, 2007 edition

It's official!

Dates for this year's International Festival are 15-18 November.

The event has outgrown the Expo Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and moves to the West Pavilion.

See you there!

"Stealing Buddha's Dinner"

Stealing Buddha's Dinner (Viking Penguin, $24.95) is a new memoir from a Purdue University English professor, who shares her story about growing up a Vietnamese immigrant in the Midwest in the 1980s and how she tried to be "more American" by consuming snack food, pop culture and music.

Bich Minh Nguyen (pronounced "Bit Men Ng-win") left Vietnam with her family in 1975, when she was 8 months old. They eventually settled in Grand Rapids, Mich. Nguyen's memoir evolved from essays about her family's emigration and culture clashes in that conservative town.

Nguyen received the PEN/Jerard Award in 2005 for the memoir's manuscript-in-progress. She teaches creative writing and Asian American Literature in the Department of English, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue.

For more, see the news release from Purdue.



UPDATE!
The MSM has finally noticed Prof. Nguyen´s existence!

As long as the link is active, you can read a Q&A with her in the 25 March 2007 edition of The Indianapolis Star.

Hoosiers Welcome Refugees from Darfur

According to the Associated Press, "Hundreds of refugees from Sudan's troubled Darfur region have migrated to northern Indiana to make a new start."

The AP reports that "The nonprofit Web site SaveDarfur lists almost two dozen awareness groups within 150 miles of Elkhart.

South Africa on Film at IUPUI

David Hoegberg has organized a Public Film Series in conjunction with I300: South African Literature and Society, a Spring 2007 course at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Unfortunately, we've already missed the first of the series (Gavin Hood's 2005 work, "Tsotsi", based on a novel by Athol Fugard) -- it was earlier this evening.

But there's still time to mark your calendars for these upcoming showings:

Friday, February 23, 6:00-8:00 PM, Informatics Auditorium (IT 152)
The Power of One (John Avildsen, 1992)
Based on the popular novel by Bryce Courtenay, this movie tells of a
young English-speaking boy who is bullied by Afrikaners and grows up to
be a boxer. With Morgan Freeman as the boy's black mentor.

Friday, March 9, 6:00-8:00 PM, Informatics Auditorium (IT 152)
Cry Freedom (Richard Attenborough, 1987)
This powerful film tells the story of Donald Woods' friendship with
Steve Biko and Woods' efforts to get his story out to the rest of the
world after Biko is killed in detention. Stars Kevin Kline and Denzel
Washington.

Friday, March 30, 6:00-8:00 PM, Informatics Auditorium (IT 152)
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (Lee Hirsch, 2002)
This award-winning documentary tells the story of black South African
freedom music and the central role it played in the struggle against
apartheid. Includes extensive interview footage with South African
musical giants such as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and Abdullah
Ibrahim.

Friday, April 13, 6:00-8:00 PM, Informatics Auditorium (IT 152)
Soweto Green (David Lister, 1994)
The complications and cultural divides of life in post-apartheid South
Africa set the stage for this smart and funny satire. Following the
election of Nelson Mandela, a college professor and his American bride
relocate from Beverly Hills to the teacher's motherland of Africa.

Non-English-Speaking? No problem!

The City of Fort Wayne has added language translation links to its official website.

It uses Google Translation Tools to perform the language translations from English into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic. Flag links for the respective languages can be found on each page on the City’s website.

The new initiative is designed to improve customer service to non-English speaking residents and visitors to the City’s website.

One caveat: "The automated translation services strive to perform the most accurate translations possible, but in some cases, translations may vary. Downloaded forms are not able to be translated at this time," the City notes.

Celtic Music Rocks Indy on Sunday

Hello, Indianapolis!

This is Michael Robbins with the BorderCollies. We're a Celtic band based out of Atlanta, and have a gig coming up in Indianapolis for the first time and wanted to get the word out.

It's a free concert at Northminister Church on Sunday, February 11th from
4pm to 6pm.

We're a really good band and play a variety of Irish and Scottish songs and
tunes as well as our own originals. We've been playing around the southeast
since 1999. We've recorded a Dougie MacLean song on each of our last two
CD's (and are excited about seeing him play here in Atlanta next week).

Please come out!

IUPUI partners with Hakuoh University in Japan

The School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis has created an exchange partnership program with Hakuoh University, a small, private coed university with about 3,000 students located in the city of Oyama, about one hour north of Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, Indiana's “sister state” since 1999.

As a result of the new arrangement, up to three Hakuoh students per year or six students for a single semester will receive tuition remission to attend IUPUI. For IUPUI students, Hakuoh University waives tuition and dormitory costs; the number of exchange students there has not been fixed. Presently there are eight IUPUI students studying at Hakuoh, most of whom study Japanese language and culture.

The Hakuoh-IUPUI partnership is the first exchange program between IUPUI and a Japanese University. The program is sponsored by the Program in Japanese Studies in the Department of World Languages and Cultures of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Indy's Brazilian Carnival set for St. Patrick's Day

Only the organizers know why the Fourth Annual Brazilian Carnival celebration in Indianapolis is scheduled for that signature Irish-American holiday, St. Patrick's Day, but 17 March is the date on the invitation.

The "black tie optional or carnival attire" party starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Westin Grand Ballroom that Saturday with dinner set for 7:30 p.m. and dancing from 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are $150 per person, and tables of eight are available. For reservations, contact Lindsay Eichelman, 317:585-5858, ext. 144; reservations deadline is 5 March.

Kathy Taurel and Mary Weiss are co-chairs of the event.

Proceeds benefit Child Advocates, Inc., which is appointed by the Marion County courts to represent children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and/or neglect. Since its founding 25 years ago, more than 50,000 children have been served by the agency.

Cummins partners with A.G.Leventis in Nigeria

According to Inside Indiana Business, Columbus-based Cummins, Inc., has signed a joint venture deal to create a new company in West Africa.

The partnership with Nigerian company A.G. Leventis will manufacture power generators.

The company says Cummins West Africa will continue to build on its strategy to enter emerging markets at an early stage. Cummins says this follows the establishment of recent operations in China and India, according to Inside Indiana Business.

Colin Powell to speak at Purdue

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak on "Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust and Values" at 8 p.m. 22 February in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, according to Purdue's events calendar.

Tickets are required.

For information, contact Cele Flanery, 765:494-2373.

ESL Professor from Brazil to Visit Indianapolis

Mauricio Seibel, a Brazilian professor of English as a Second Language, will spend three days in Indiana later this month.

His host for the 23-26 February visit is Indiana Partners of the Americas, a nonprofit sister state organization with the southernmost state in Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul.

Indy Latinos to Contribute to New Symphonic Work

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra has commissioned a new orchestral work by Peruvian/Jewish/Chinese composer Gabriela Lena Frank that will draw inspiration from immigrant Latino people in the central Indiana region, acording to an ISO press release.

The Joyce Foundation in Chicago has announced that the ISO will receive a $50,000 grant to support the commission, which will be premiered during the Orchestra’s 2008-2009 season and will be performed as part of the ISO’s Hispanic Festival that season.

According to the ISO, composer and pianist Gabriela Lena Frank is recognized as a prominent and accomplished classical artist who is known for her ability to fuse Latin American mythology, archeology, art, poetry and folk music into western classical forms. She has earned awards and honors from ASCAP, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Composers Forum, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among others, and her cello quartet titled Los Sombras de los Apus was recently selected by Chamber Music America as one of its “Top One Hundred and One Great American Ensemble Works.”

Africa in the Americas: A Film Series

Three award-winning films are co-presented by Education Division of Indianapolis Museum of Art, Committee on African and African-American Studies of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, and IMA's EthnoArt Society.

• 8 February, 7 pm, DeBoest Lecture Hall, IMA; free.
  
  Favela Rising (Brazil, 2005, dirs. Matt Mochary & Jeff Zimbalist, 80 min.) Winner of thirteen national and international film festival awards, Favela Rising documents a man, a movement, a city divided and a favela-a Brazilian squatter settlement-united.
  Discussion led by: Kelly Hayes, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.


• 15 February, 7 p.m. DeBoest Lecture Hall, IMA; free
  
  Rize (USA, dir. David LaChapelle, 2005, 86 min.) This powerful documentary about dance styles developed on the streets of South Central Los Angeles will be introduced at IMA by Larry Barry, one of the dancers featured in the film.
  Discussion led by: Najja Modibo, Associate Professor, African and African Diaspora Studies, IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.


• 22 February, 7 p.m. DeBoest Lecture Hall, IMA; free
  
  African Blood (Mexico, 2004, dir. Roberto Olivares, 25 min.) Through testimonies, reflections and powerful cultural expressions, this documentary gives voice to the people of the Costa Chica region of Mexico that carry a little known legacy: the Afro-Mestizo culture.
  Discussion Led by: Gina Sánchez Gibau, Associate Professor of Anthropology, IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

IUPUI Immersion Program in Mexico Wins Award

“To Mexico with Love,” a cultural immersion program at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, has earned a “Voice of Inclusion Medallion Exemplary Program” award from ACPA - College Student Educators International.

Students in the IUPUI summer program go to Mexico for a four-week experience designed to improve their Spanish language skills and to increase their understanding of Mexican history, culture and life.

“To Mexico with Love” participants have worked in a women’s community center in La Lagunilla and a school which has been built to preserve the indigenous community in Xoxocotla.

Program participation has grown since the pilot program began with 10 students in 2004. Last year, 25 students, faculty, staff and community members were involved, serving about 140 children and nearly 120 hospital patients. Participants are encouraged to work in Latino-serving agencies throughout Indianapolis upon returning from Mexico.

Under the leadership of Director Michelle Verduzco, IUPUI Campus & Community Life initiated the program in 2004 with support and leadership from the Office of International Affairs, the Center for Service & Learning, and the School of Nursing. It is offered in partnership with a language and culture school, Ideal LatinoAmerica, according to IUPUI.

Kenyan MP to visit IUPUI Monday

The Right Honorable Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, Kenyan Member of Parliament, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and presidential candidate for the 2007 elections will visit Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis on Monday, February 5.

At 4 p.m. there is a public lecture on "Kenya in the 21st Century—Challenges and Opportunities" in the Wynne Court Room (IH 100) of the IU School of Law – Indianapolis, 530 W. New York St.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will include a forum about business opportunities in and with Kenya, which will open with a short presentation of the Kenyan economy, to be followed by Indiana companies and organizations interested in East Africa presenting their goods and services.

For more information, contact Michael Chowning.

IUPUI has numerous connections with Kenya, including the university's first strategic alliance with Moi University in Eldoret.

Monday's visit marks the first high-ranking Kenyan official to visit IUPUI since the partnership with Moi University was signed in November.

Air Force awards medal to UIndy professor

The United States Air Force has awarded the the Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster) to Gregory S. Clapper of Greenwood, a professor of Philosophy & Religion at the University of Indianapolis, according to a news release.

An ordained United Methodist minister and chaplain lieutenant colonel in the Indiana Air National Guard, Clapper served from May through June 2006 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a key treatment facility for U.S. military personnel injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The tour was his second at the hospital near Ramstein Air Base, Germany, headquarters for the U.S. Air Force in Europe.