Socio-Cultural Minorities in France Today

Rosalie Vermette (left) will discuss "On the Edge: Socio-Cultural Minorities in France Today" at 4:30 p.m. Friday (26 March) during a Sabbatical Speaker Talk in Room 264, Campus Center, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, 420 University Boulevard, Indianapolis. Dr. Vermette is Professor of French and Adjunct Professor of Women's Studies and a founding faculty member of University College.

She notes that both within France and between France and other nations there exist borders that attempt to separate social, cultural, and linguistic minority groups, creating a special category of "edge peoples" who have, metaphorically, one foot on either side of the divide. Information, Patti Hair.

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Poulos Moves from State to City

Courtney Poulos has joined Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc., to oversee and enhance the organization’s business development efforts with companies based in Europe, Asia and South America, reports the IEDI.

In this newly created role of director of International Economic Development, Poulos will help recruit global companies to Indianapolis, as well as foster relationships with those companies already located here who are based in or doing business in those regions of the world.

Poulos will focus her much of her attention on Europe, while overseeing a team of international business developers who will lead similar efforts in Asia and South America. Those team members will join IEDI in the coming months.

Prior to joining IEDI, she was employed with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation where she served as the project manager for international development. She is a graduate of The University of Indianapolis as well as The University of Kent‐Brussels School of International Studies in Belgium.

Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc. is Marion County’s local economic development organization. IEDI is dedicated to providing business attraction; existing business retention and expansion; and location services in Indianapolis/Marion County, serving as a catalyst for capital investment and quality job growth.

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Journey Through Asia

A five-month celebration of the diversity of Asian cultures, languages and people is underway at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Called Journey Through Asia, it includes paperfolding, folk dance, ceramics, calligraphy, puppetry, carving and music. For a complete schedule, check the calendar on the library's website.

For example, at 2 p.m. Saturday (20 March) in the Haughville branch, there'll be a class on carving mythical Burmese birds just for teens. For this event, call 317:275-4420.

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バトラー大学 MBA プログラム 日本研修旅行

In English, the headline reads: Butler University MBA Study Trip to Japan!

The MBA Program in the College of Business at Butler University has arranged a one-week study trip to Japan 8-16 May. Along with members and friends of the Japan-American Society of Indiana, outside participants are also invited to attend. The trip will include academic, business, and cultural activities in Tokyo and Kyoto and is intended to be of value to American business men and women who need to increase their knowledge of and exposure to business environments in Japan.

More information about the trip is online, along with a tentative agenda.

For more information, contact Dr. Noriko Yagi, 317:940-8260. Registration deadline is 19 March.

NOTE: Butler also is planning a study trip to China 17-24 October; deadline for registration is 30 April. Information on that trip is available from Bill O'Donnell, 317:940-9462.

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Indy Welcomes Refugees from Burma, Somalia

"More than 1,110 refugees are expected to make Indianapolis their home this year, an increase of more than 30 percent from last year." That's the conclusion in a feature on the front page of today's Indianapolis Star. Jason Thomas penned the piece, titled "Wave of refugees resettling in Indianapolis".

You can read it here, until The Star removes the link.

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F1 Considers Return to Indy for US Grand Prix

According to the United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper, "Indianapolis is still a logical venue for a US Formula One grand prix and a return is on the cards, according to the sport's commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone.

"'It is [a possibility]', Ecclestone said. 'It's only the fact that it's all the wrong crowd and the wrong people ... nothing worked there really, we'd have to have a big change round. But we'd like to get back there.'

"Asked whether the United States could be back on the calendar as early as next year, he replied: 'We can have a look'."

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Fort Wayne Business Backs Off Burmese Ban

"The owner of a Fort Wayne business that posted a sign barring Burmese people from entering has apologized, but it may not be enough to get the business off the hook with civil rights groups.

"Ricker Oil Co.'s coin-operated laundry still could face an investigation from Fort Wayne's Metropolitan Human Relations Commission. Director Gerald Foday says the panel could pursue charges if they are warranted.

"Sanctions could include fines, mandatory employee retraining and other remedies, Foday said.

"At issue is a sign an employee posted on the laundry's door that said, 'For sanitary reasons, there are no Burmese people allowed.'

"Fort Wayne is home to about 5,000 Burmese, the largest concentration in the United States.

"Immigrants from the country, also known as Myanmar, often chew betel nuts and spit the residue, which can result in red stains.

"Ricker Oil spokesman Jonathan Bausman said Ricker's has discussed its concerns about certain behaviors with Burmese advocates and the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health. He said other companies have expressed similar concerns.

"Company President Jay Ricker said the company has removed the sign and posted an apology on YouTube."

Above is an item reprinted in its entirety from page 2 of the "Metro+State" section of The Indianapolis Star published 14 March 2010. Note: The Star's website credits the item to the Associated Press, adding "Health department spokesman John Silcox says businesses can’t banish an entire group because of an individual’s actions."

The YouTube apology can be found here.

There's another story here, about the lack of reaction from the mayor of Fort Wayne.

For more on the betel nut, check out this entry in Wikipedia.

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St. Paddy's Day

Next week is the day when everyone's Irish -- St. Patrick's Day, of course.

The celebration in Indianapolis begins with the annual "greening" of the Downtown Canal by Mayor Greg Ballard at 6:45 a.m. 17 March. Then, the 30th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 11 a.m. along Indy's traditional downtown parade route. This year's "Irish Citizen of the Year" is the Rev. Glenn L. O'Connor.

Other St. Patrick's Day events in downtown Indy include the 18th annual St. Patrick's Day party from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Battery Park Saloon; a "Shamrock & Roll Tent Party" by Claddagh Irish Bar from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; corned beef & cabbage, Guinness and green beer from 8 a.m. to close at Elbow Room Pub; "Howl at the Moon St. Paddy's Day Bash" at What's Happening from 5 p.m. to close; Celtic fiddling by Emily Ann Thompson on the mezzanine of the Indianapolis City Market from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., The Rathskellar Restaurant's 13th Annual Indianapolis Downtown Irish Fest is 11 a.m.-close...and there's no doubt more going on both in Indy and in other Hoosier hometowns!

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DePauw Students Study New Zealand Geology

DePauw University took a group of students on a tour of New Zealand's geological highlights during Winter Term 2010. Leading the tour were Associate Professor of Geosciences Tim D. Cope and Professor of Geociences James G. Mills.

New Zealand is home to one of the broadest collections of geological features on the planet, all packed densely across an area the size of Colorado, reports the DePauw news bureau. Beneath the North Island, the Pacific tectonic plate is being forced under the Indo-Australian plate, forming a chain of volcanoes where molten rock reaches the surface above. This sort of volcanic activity can occur on land or underwater depending on where the plates meet.

On the South Island, the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates collide, pushing the Southern Alps nearly four kilometers high at a geologic pace of 1.1 centimeters per year. Because of the different type of tectonic convergence on the South Island, it's possible to place a hand on outcroppings of both massive plates at the same time (pictured above). Cope argues that being able to touch and walk among the lessons taught in the classroom is a key part of an education in geology.

The group also took a day trip to White Island, an active marine volcano off the North Island's coast, named for the cloud of steam that rises from it. White Island erupted as recently as July 2000.

"It made a huge difference to be able to actually see and touch the geologic features that we learned about in class," reported DePauw student Christina M. Wildt. "I thought I understood everything that I learned in our Earth and the Environment course, but I realized after I was in New Zealand that you can't really understand geology fully unless you experience it in the field."

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Vietnamese Pho

Jolene Ketzenberger writes about Vietnamese pho, a classic noodle soup, in her "Food & Drink" feature in today's Indianapolis Star. Places to sample the dish (sort of French via China tempered by Vietnam) are listed at IndyEthnicFood.com, and Ketzenberger mentions Sandra Rice & Noodles, 10625 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis.

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Alexis de Tocquevillle and Bloomington

Scholars from North America, Europe and Asia were at Indiana University Bloomington last week for a conference that examined the work of 19th century French political thinker and author Alexis de Tocqueville in light of recent scholarly publications.

"Alexis de Tocquevillle: New Perspectives on His Works" took place last Friday (5 March). It was organized by the Tocqueville Program at IU Bloomington in collaboration with the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, the Department of Political Science and Liberty Fund Inc.

On 23 April, the Tocqueville Program will co-sponsor a lecture on the IU Bloomington campus by Jonathan Israel of the School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, on "Creating Revolutionary Awareness: 'Philosophy' as a main cause of the French Revolution (1770-90)."

Jonathan Israel’s work is concerned with European and European colonial history from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century, with particular emphasis on the history of ideas, the Dutch Golden Age (1590–1713), including the Dutch global trade system, seventeenth-century Dutch Jewry and Spinoza, the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688–91 in Britain, and Spanish imperial strategy especially in Mexico, the Caribbean and the Low Countries.

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Elanco to Expand European Presence

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. says it is acquiring the European rights to a portfolio of certain Pfizer Animal Health products, reports Inside INdiana Business. As part of the deal, Lilly's animal heath division, Elanco, will acquire a manufacturing facility in Sligo, Ireland, currently used in the production of animal vaccines.

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IGHS/SGAS Meeting to be held in New Harmony

The Indiana German Heritage Society will join the Society for German-American Studies (SGAS) for a joint Annual Meeting and Symposium 22-25 April 22-25 at the New Harmony Inn and Conference Center in historic New Harmony, Indiana.

New Harmony was founded in 1814 by German Pietists from Württemberg, led by Father George Rapp, who had left their Pennsylvania colony of Harmony in order to move to the wilderness. The community flourished, but after ten years the Harmonists elected to return to Pennsylvania, where they founded the town of Old Economy.

They left behind a spiritual legacy that is still cultivated in New Harmony today. Many of the original Harmonist buildings remain, and docent-led tours of the town provide insight into what life was like for those German pioneers on the Indiana frontier.

Sessions are planned on a variety of topics, including German-American religious communities, Homiletics of German-American spiritual leaders, German migration to the Ohio River valley, German-American linguistic communities, teaching German-Americana at secondary and post-secondary levels, and German-American prose and poetry -- although papers on any other topic of German-American Studies are also welcome!

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Ballard Packs for Brazil

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is headed to Brazil for his second economic development mission to the country in nine months, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Ballard will visit Sao Paulo from 13-15 March to meet business and government leaders. Last July, he went there attempting to broker business related to the clean-technology industry.

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Just Marketing International Expanding to Asia

Zionsville-based motorsports agency Just Marketing International plans to open an office in Asia later this year, reports Inside INdiana Business. JMI says it will announce the exact location soon and is currently looking for a vice president of Partnership Development Asia. JMI employs more than 140 people, operates six offices in four countries (England, Germany, Canada and the U.S.) and manages more than $300 million in annual motorsports investments.

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Come Join Us Next Monday

Have you been wondering what the ethnic face of central Indiana looks like? Please come to the next meeting of the Nationalities Council of Indiana at 7 p.m. Monday (8 March)!

Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month (except December and January) in the Max Kade Room of the Athenaeum, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis. If you'd like more information on the agenda, contact the NCI president, Marlon Alfonso.

All are welcome to attend. And, if you're interested, you might want to check our website, which includes a calendar of ethnic and international events in the Hoosier State, an extensive (and ever-changing) set of Indy's international links and information about the International Festival.

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Bock Beer Means Spring!

A "Bock Beer Fest" is set for 7-11 p.m. 6 March at the Indianapolis Liederkranz, 1417 East Washington Street, Indianapolis. Admission is $7 (cash bar and food a la carte). There'll be plenty of German music by the Original Alpine Express. The food will be supplied by the Ladies Auxiliary, and will include brats, smoked sausage, German potato salad and more.

Information, email or call 317:266-9816.

According to Wikipedia, "Bock is a type of strong lager beer, first brewed in the 14th century in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck, Germany, from which it gets its name (originally "Einbeck" / "Einbock"). The original Bocks were dark beers, brewed from high-colored malts.

"Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Roman Catholic monks in Germany. During the spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. High-gravity Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than lighter lagers, thus providing sustenance during this period."

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NCI Sends Thoughts and Prayers to Chile

As reported in today's New York Times, "The ground underneath Chile continued shaking on Sunday as jittery residents took stock of the devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake that flattened homes, toppled bridges and took more than 700 lives over the weekend."

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Sister City Delegation Visits Indianapolis

Indianapolis hosted a delegation of government, cultural and business leaders from its sister city of Hangzhou, China, yesterday, reports Inside INdiana Business. The group met with Mayor Greg Ballard and executives of Indianapolis Economic Development Inc. and toured several local attractions, including the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Conseco Fieldhouse.

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is a Sister City to Indianapolis. It is known for its pharmaceuticals and a manufacturing sector with a focus in automotive components.

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Chinese New Year Celebration Saturday

A Chinese New Year celebration is set for Saturday (27 February) at Carmel (Ind.) High School, reports The Indianapolis Star. The Chinese New Year Lantern Festival Celebration at the school, 520 East Main Street, Carmel, begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 for members of sponsoring groups, $12 for others. Children 3 and younger are free. A dinner ticket is $5.

Indianapolis Chinese Community Center Inc. hosts the event, according to The Star. Co-sponsors are Lilly Chinese Culture Network, Confucius Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, Indianapolis Chinese Performing Arts Inc., Indiana Association of Chinese Americans Inc., Indianapolis Chinese Medical Association, The Asian American Journal, Chinese School of CCCI and Families with Children from China.

For more information, email Xiaohua He.

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