Campecine Film Festival

Join youth organizers and filmmakers at Campecine Film Festival from 1-4 p.m. 27 September at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis.

More than a film festival, Campecine was founded in 2007 by youth from Thermal, Calif., and Indianapolis, who are exploring collective action, film, inquiry, research and media education.

With the theme "From Invisible to Invincible / De Invinzivlez a Invenzivlez," Campecine 2008 will present student "testimonios," film and music. Program participants will view "Issue-Mations" (animations) and "Varriomentaries" (documentaries) and engage in a community dialogue on current issues including race relations, local and national immigration policy reforms, teen pregnancy, ICE Raids, and education.

In addition to student-produced cultural products, Campecine 2008 will feature live music from composer and pianist Dr. Gabriela Lena Frank.

Campecine 2008 is a free, Spanish-English bilingual event. Copies of student work will be made available and donations will be accepted to benefit the Latino Youth Collective.

Mayor Ballard Appoints Latino Council Members

Greg Ballard, Indianapolis mayor, has appointed his Latino Advisory Council.

They are: Charlie Garcia, Chairman of Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; Angel Rivera, Consultants Consortium, Inc.; Susan Sutton, Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis; Nelson Silva, Home School Advisor, Indianapolis Public Schools; John Broyles, Broyles Kight & Ricafort, LLP; Scott Newman, Director of Public Safety, City of Indianapolis; Elia Irene James, Marion Superior Court Probation Department; Carl Brizzi, Marion County Prosecutor; Alfredo Lopez, MD, Alivio Clinic, and Carolin Requiz Smith (pictured), Director of International and Cultural Affairs, City of Indianapolis.

The purpose of the Latino Advisory Council is to provide advice and support for the city's Hispanic/Latino community. According to Smith, public safety issues will be the primary focus of the newly formed council.

Want to brush up your college German?

An intermediate course in German conversation begins 17 September in the Max Kade room at the Athenaeum, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

Offered by the Indiana German Heritage Society, this course offers a chance to improve basic communicative skills in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

It will be offered from 6-7:30 p.m. 17 September through 19 November (no classes 8 October or 12 November). Cost is $90 per person or $160.00 per couple.

Instructor is Renee Gregory, associate faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

For more information and to register, contact Claudia Grossmann, 317:274-3943.

Muncie Courts Japanese Business

Economic development leaders from Delaware County plan to meet with Japaneses businesses during next month's Midwest U.S. - Japan Association conference, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The Milwaukee event (7-9 September) is part of the area's Asian Initiative to attract more Asian investment. It follows a marketing trip to Japan earlier this year by Muncie and Delaware County officials.

The Midwest U.S. - Japan Association is comprised of ten member states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Oktoberfest 2008

It's a new way to enjoy that most classic of German festivals, Oktoberfest.

For decades, it's been held on the grounds of German Park, on Indy's southside. But this year it's moving north to the Indiana State Fairgrounds for two weekends.

And, there's a new way to get there: on the train! For all five days of the festival, you can ride the FairTrain from Fishers to the Oktoberfest.

Hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, Saturday, Sunday (29, 30 and 31 August) and 5, 6 September. Tickets for Oktoberfest are $6 (children 10 and younger are free).

Produced by the German-American Klub of Indianapolis, Oktoberfest features authentic, traditional German cuisine like frikadellen (German hamburgers), bratwurst, knachwurst, sauerkraut and German-style potato salad.

In addition, a wide variety of German and domestic beers will be available in the German Bier and Wein Garten. Visitors can also enjoy live music, dancing, carnival rides and games.

The tradition of Oktoberfest dates back to the early 1800s when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Theresa Charlotte Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The city of Munich celebrated for days in grand style.

Indianapolis’ Oktoberfest is the largest such celebration in the state attracting 15,000 people annually.

Students from Ningbo Institute in China Come to UIndy

Among the more than 900 freshman and transfer students attending the University of Indianapolis this year are 60 new students from China.

UIndy has an ongoing joint-degree program with the Ningbo Institute of Technology, part of Zhejiang University.

This year’s student population is expected to surpass the record numbers of 2007-2008, when the university hosted 2,562 full-time undergraduates and, with the inclusion of part-time students and graduate and adult evening programs, 4,604 students overall.

Little Italy Festival

Clinton's annual Little Italy Festival is Labor Day Weekend (29 August through 1 September).

Start your exploration of Italian-American culture in west central Indiana right downtown in this Vermillion County town. You'll find Italian food, bocce ball, grape stomping, a unique wine garden, five different museums, a train depot, a coal depot, Italian market, wine museum and you can tour an Italian-American house of the early 20th century.

Hours are "after the parade" (the parade starts at 6 p.m.) until 11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday.

New this year is a Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff on 30 August. All sauces must be cooked on site -- and out in the open -- and (just in case you were wondering) the rules state that no contestant may discharge firearms or use any pyrotechnics or explosives at the Spaghetti Sauce Cook-Off. (Doesn't say anything about the spectators, though. Hmmmmmm.)

Umbrella Series Translated into Korean

Fort Wayne-based LaBov & Beyond Inc.'s Umbrella Series is going global, according to Inside INdiana Business.

Copies of the illustrated business parables, geared at helping companies energize and engage employees and maximize sales potential and brand awareness, are currently being printed and published in South Korea. Seoul-based Kyujang Publishing Co. approached LaBov & Beyond last year about translating the series into Korean and publishing it.

"Faces of America" at IUPUI

"Faces of America" will be presented at 7 p.m. 27 August in the Madam Walker Theater, Indianapolis. Written entirely from interviews and workshops held across the country, it has been described as the first truly multicultural portrayal of Americans ever created.

It tells the stories of:

* a "Happa" (Japanese-Hungarian) who begins to understand her heritage through her grandfather's story of immigration and subsequent internment in the Japanese American war camps
* a young Latino seeks to challenge the stereotypes of coming from the barrio
* an East Indian American woman whose hope of living in a caste-free society is shattered by an on-campus hate crime
* an African-American man discusses the corollation of racism and socio-economics
* a young liberal white male fights against his father's bigotry and the notion of racism being a white disease
* a Filipina-American doctor learns the impact of patience and religious faith
* "Fuzzy", a mixed-blood, lesbian American whose revolutionary ideas will change the way you think and feel forever!

For more information contact Campus & Community Life, 317:274-3931. It's one of the "Weeks of Welcome" activities for students returning to classes at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Swiss Firm Moves from Bartholomew to Johnson

Inside INdiana Business reports that groundbreaking ceremonies were held yesterday for a new $15 million facility for Georg Utz. Inc. in Johnson County.

They note the Switzerland-based company is relocating operations from Bartholomew County, creating about 40 new jobs by 2011. The company designs and manufactures reusable, plastic storage containers and custom packaging.

Uncork the Fun!

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first commercial wine vintage in America at the Swiss Wine Festival Thursday through Sunday (21-24 August) in Vevay.

From area wines, twirling batons to culinary delights sizzling on grills, the Swiss Wine Festival each year celebrates -- and salutes -- the cultural heritage of Indiana's Switzerland County.

Now in its 36th year, the four-day event, held on Vevay's riverfront, blends tradition and fun. From opening day on Thursday to closing time Sunday evening, the Swiss Wine Festival caters to all ages and interests. There's a complete schedule here.

Three entertainment stages offer everything from polka music to country. There are riverboat cruises, canoe races, a beer garden and wine pavilion, and fireworks on Saturday night. Keep in mind that if you want to participate (feet-first) in the annual Grape Stomp, you need to forfeit both dignity and shoes.

For more information, check the website, or call 800:435-5688.

America's Role in the World

The 2008 edition of DePauw Discourse will discuss America's Role in the World. Headline speakers for the event are Madeline K. Albright, who served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States, and Lee H. Hamilton (DePauw '52), president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. (Both are pictured at right.)

Others scheduled are Bret Baier (DePauw '92), FOX News chief White House correspondent; Mona Bhan, assistant professor of anthropology at DePauw; Pamela L. Carter, president of Cummins Distribution; Sally Smerz Cowal (DePauw '66), head of Population Services International's Americas Region; Sharon M. Crary, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at DePauw; Newton F. Crenshaw (DePauw '85), a vice-president at Eli Lilly & Co.; McSamuel R. Dixon-Fyle, professor of history at DePauw; Nisreen El-Shamayleh (DePauw '04), a corresondent for Saudi Channel KSA2 in Jordan; Douglas Frantz (DePauw '71), senior writer at Condé Nast Portfolio; Kathryn Fortune Hubbard (DePauw '74), founder of Bridges of Understanding; Saad Eddin Ibrahim, professor of sociology at the American University in Cairo; Jeffrey T. Kenney, professor of religious studies at DePauw; Ernest Loevinsohn, director general of health and education for the Canadian International Development Agency; Nafhat N. Nasr, senior professor of political science at DePauw; Brett R. O'Bannon, associate professor of political science at DePauw; Stephen W. Sanger (DePauw '68), retired chairman of General Mills Inc.; Robert M. Steele (DePauw '69), visiting professor of journalism at DePauw; James B. Stewart Jr. (DePauw '73), editor-at-large for Smart Money; John E. Tedstrom III (DePauw '84), executive director of the Global Business Coalition, and Don W. Wycliff of the University of Notre Dame.

Various events take place 18-20 September. Hamilton, a former U.S. Congressman representing Indiana's 9th district, speaks on "America's Role in the World" at 8 p.m. 18 September in Meharry Hall, East College, on the DePauw campus. Albright speaks at 8 p.m. 19 September in the Kresge Auditorium of DePauw's Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for a registration form. Fee for the full event is $275.

DePauw Discourse is a new tradition of alumni and friends, distinguished guests, faculty and students participating in stimulating discourse about important public issues and popular topics of the day at the university's Greencastle campus.

For more information, check the website or call 800:446-5298

Jiangsu Silk & Bamboo Performs at Clowes

The Jiangsu Silk & Bamboo performing group from China will present folk music, singing and dancing, Peking Opera, magic, acrobat, and puppet show in the evening of 12 September at Clowes Hall of Butler University in Indianapolis.

The performance is sponsored by the Confucius Institute of Indianapolis. For more information, contact Nicholas S. Brasovan, 317:278-7900.

"A Taste of Germany" Set for 4 October in Indy

"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.

Images from Iraq

An array of still and moving images from Iraq are on display at the Art Institute of Indianapolis, 3500 Depauw Boulevard, Suite 1010, Indianapolis, beginning with an opening reception today (14 August).

They're the work of Robert Sheer, a photojournalist for The Indianapolis Star, who traveled to Iraq with the Indiana National Guard's 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in April.

The exhibit will remain on display until 14 September.

For more information, call 317:613-4800.

IU School of Medicine Reports on Children's HIV

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute and Moi University School of Medicine are the first to report that adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) to fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in children who live in low income countries is as high as or higher than adherence by children living in high income countries.

These findings, which were the results of review and analysis of all published studies of pediatric adherence to ART in low income countries, appear in the August 2008 issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, and provide the first complete picture of ART adherence among individuals under age 18 in limited income countries, as defined by the World Bank.

Ninety percent of the 2.3 million HIV-infected children in the world live in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding children's adherence in resource-limited countries presents a critical challenge, because they have limited options if viral resistance develops.

The review by the American-Kenya research team found that 76 percent of the studies among children in lower income countries reported more than 75 percent adherence to their medicines for HIV. Other studies have shown a pediatric adherence rate of lower than 75 percent in high income countries.

You can read more here

Nestlé to expand new Anderson plant

Just three months after Nestlé USA began ramping up production at its new plant in Anderson, the company said that it will spend an additional $200 million on an expansion, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Nestlé will add 135 workers to the 300 who will staff the initial, $359 million project, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. said. The state offered Nestle $1.4 million in incentives for the expansion. The site manufactures Nesquik and Coffee-mate drinks.

The company is an arm of Nestlé S.A. of Vevey, Switzerland.

Yonsei University Students Visiting Purdue

Four undergraduate students at South Korea's Yonsei University won their division at the LG Global Challenger competition. Their chosen prize: To visit research facilities at Purdue's Discovery Park and high-tech businesses at the Purdue Research Park.

Senior Kang Min-Seok and juniors Lee Young-Hoon, Lee Jin-Young and Lee Joo-Won are on Purdue's campus today to see how the university's interdisciplinary approach to research is accelerating efforts to move projects from the laboratory to the marketplace.

There's more here.

Swedish Company Closes in Peru

Sweden-based Trelleborg Automotive is closing its facility in Peru, impacting approximately 200 workers, according to Inside INdiana Business.

Production at the plant is expected to continue through the end of 2008. Trelleborg cites the downturn in the North American automotive market as the main reason the Peru plant is being closed. The facility produces automotive suspension systems.

Automotive Industry Conference Scheduled

The Japan-America Society of Indiana is partnering with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Chicago) to bring a special manufacturing-focused event to Indianapolis.

The luncheon and seminar, titled “Japanese Monozukuri Practices for the Automotive Industry,” will take place at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 26 August, followed by a networking reception.

Advance registration is required for this event, which is $50 per person. For program information, contact Kevin Kalb, 312:832-6023.

The World Performs at Purdue

Performers from around the world are part of the Convocations programs at Purdue University in West Lafayette.

International performances included on the extensive schedule of dance, music and theater are:

Brasil Guitar Duo (16 October)
Germany's ATOS Trio (23 October)
Irish Tenors (6 March)
Indian classical dance group Nrityagram (27 March 2009)
Portugese Fado singer Mariza (pictured) (14 April 2009)

Valp Joins Global Reporting Initiative

Its news bureau reports that Valparaiso University has become the third institution of higher education in the nation and fourth in the world invited to participate in the Global Reporting Initiative’s Matchmaker program, a new initiative that connects corporations with professors and students learning about and critiquing sustainable business practices.

GRI provides the world’s leading standard in sustainability reporting guidelines, used by two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies to share their economic, environmental and social performance achievements and deficits affecting various stakeholders. The Matchmaker program strengthens that reporting by having a university critique the reports of both the company and an independent engineering or financial auditor that has assessed that company.

South America Comes to Evansville

"AMAZONIA, Forest of Riches” opens today at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden in Evansville.

Billed as the "largest and most impressive project" in the zoo's 80 year history, the exhibit takes visitors on a journey from high in the the canopy of a South American rainforest to the flooded forest floor below.

IUPUI and Diversity

Kenneth B. Durgans has been appointed Assistant Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis as of 1 July.

Durgans holds a doctorate of education from Western Michigan University; a master's in school counseling from the University of Dayton, and a master's in student personnel from Kent State University. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and history from Baldwin-Wallace College.

Serb Festival This Weekend in Merrillville

The 26th Annual Serb Festival at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, 9191 Mississippi Street, Merrillville, continues through tomorrow.

There's: "continuous live music for dancing, excellent Serbian food and pastries, and a cultural display unique to any other festival. You just can't beat the variety of great Serbian food; Cevaps (Serbian sausages), Bar-B-Q lamb, Raznici (shish-kebab), Palachinke (Serbian crepes), nut rolls, Krofne, strudels, and pastries made by the Sisters."

Bridging China and America, Part II

Economic relations between China and the United States as well as
regional development in Indiana and China's Liaoning province will be the subjects of a business conference in Shenyang, China, co-sponsored by Indiana State and Liaoning universities.

The "Bridging China and America" conference scheduled for Sept.
14, is a follow-up to a January 2007 conference in Indianapolis hosted by Indiana State.

U.S. presenters scheduled to speak at the conference include Mark
Miles, president and chief executive officer of the Central Indiana
Corporate Partnership; Nathan Feltman, Indiana secretary of commerce and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.; Steven Chapman, group vice president for emerging markets and businesses, Cummins Inc.; Richard Mattoon, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; King Lin of ICF International; and Christofer Matney, air service director at Indianapolis International Airport.

Business representatives interested in participating in the conference and/or the trip to China, or those interested in learning more about the events, should contact Michael Chambers, associate professor and chair of the ISU political science department, 812:237-2515.