(Media-Newswire.com) - In a concerted effort to deepen its already extensive global perspective, the University is establishing Columbia Global Centers in Beijing, China and Amman, Jordan. They are the first of what the University plans as a network of centers around the world to promote and facilitate international collaborations, new research projects, academic programming and study abroad, enhancing Columbia’s historical commitment to global scholarship.
With panel discussions, special events and alumni gatherings in each city, Columbia’s president, Lee C. Bollinger, is traveling to officially launch both centers together with other members of the University community. The Beijing center opens on Friday, Mar. 20 and the Amman center opens on Sunday, Mar. 22.
“Columbia University is proud to mark the opening of these Columbia Global Centers,” said President Bollinger. “It is essential to a great University that our students and faculty know and understand more about our world and we are committed to providing new opportunities to deepen our engagement with scholars, ideas and challenges across the globe.”
The centers will leverage the University’s diverse intellectual capacities from across the undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including independent Columbia affiliates Teachers College and Barnard College. To maintain and build on its longstanding international presence on many continents, Columbia envisions the establishment of four to six additional research centers abroad in the years ahead.
While some U.S. universities have built new branch campuses and degree-granting schools abroad, Columbia is taking a different path. Columbia Global Centers will provide flexible regional hubs for a wide range of activities and resources intended to enhance the quality of research and learning at the University and around the world. The goal is to establish a network of regional centers in international capitals to collaboratively address complex global challenges by bringing together scholars, students, public officials, private enterprise, and innovators from a broad range of fields.
“When social challenges are global in their consequences, the intellectual firepower of the world’s great universities must be global in its reach,” said Kenneth Prewitt, vice president of Columbia Global Centers and Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs. “Columbia’s network of Global Centers will bring together some of the world's finest scholars to address some of the world’s most pressing problems.”
Among the new collaborations is Studio-X Beijing, a project of Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. It is an industrial loft space in a historic neighborhood near the Forbidden City to be used for collaborative research, events, projects, exhibitions, and cultural exchanges involving students, scholars, and designers from Columbia and China.
The China 2049 program is a research partnership through which the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning agency, will work with Columbia’s Earth Institute and the Brookings Institution of Washington, D.C., to formulate policies to ensure that China’s long-term growth and development are economically efficient and environmentally sustainable.
In Beijing, launch events include a discussion of the current economic crisis and the global economy with Columbia faculty member Joseph Stiglitz, the 2001 Nobel laureate in economics, and a discussion of perspectives on the Obama presidency featuring Susan Fuhrman, president of Teachers College, and Jeanette Takamura, dean of Columbia’s School of Social Work. President Bollinger leads a conversation focusing on universities in the 21st century joined by the presidents of two Chinese universities.
Teachers College has been active in Jordan for the past two years providing a course on the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. In July 2008, Teachers College sent a delegation of faculty members and consultants to Amman to assist Jordan’s ministry of education in making improvements to the nation’s public schools. Members of the delegation led a five-day retreat to design pre-employment training for newly hired teachers.
New collaborations in Amman include the launch of a major research lab for faculty, students and scholars associated with Columbia’s Architecture School and their counterparts in the Middle East. Students are currently working on restoration projects in historic downtown Amman. The School of Social Work has partnered with Jordanian nongovernmental and government entities to offer an intensive course on the foundations of social work.
In Amman this weekend, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah will join with President Bollinger and deliver welcoming remarks. Activities include panel discussions on Middle East issues featuring Alan Brinkley, Columbia’s provost; John Coatsworth, dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs; and Rashid Khalidi, professor of modern Arab studies. Carol Becker, dean of Columbia’s School of the Arts, and Mark Wigley, dean of the University’s Architecture School, engage in a dialog about art and architecture. And the School of the Arts presents an installation of works on loan from its LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies and provides entertainment by the Columbia University Jazz Ensemble.
Columbia Global Centers are established to encourage new collaboration across academic disciplines at the University. Some of the research and scholarly initiatives will be regionally focused; others will involve multiple centers, and in some instances the full complement of centers will be engaged across many continents. The centers are also intended to support a significant expansion of opportunities for Columbia students and researchers to do work abroad, with the flexibility to pursue long or short term projects.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Columbia Global Centers Open in Beijing and Amman
Negotiations During Coca-Cola Deal Review Confidential
BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- China's Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday confidentiality rules prevented it from disclosing details about the solution it had sought to ease competition concerns while it was reviewing Coca-Cola Co.'s ( KO) proposed acquisition of China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd. (1886.HK).
The ministry last week rejected Coca-Cola's $2.4 billion bid to acquire one of China's largest juice makers, saying the deal - which would have been the largest-ever foreign takeover of a Chinese company - would unduly restrict competition.
The ministry said earlier the decision was made after it had attempted to negotiate with Coca-Cola for a more limited deal that would mitigate what it considered the anti-competitive effects of the acquisition.
In a statement on its Web site, the ministry said it couldn't disclose detailed information about the negotiations due to confidentiality clauses in the anti-monopoly law.
The statement came after some observers cast doubt over the decision, which they said wasn't strong enough to justify the competition concerns. Some critics said the rejection could arouse trade protectionism concerns and hurt foreign investment in China.
The ministry reiterated its concerns that Coca-Cola could use its dominance in China's carbonated drinks market, where it has a 60.60% share, to gain advantage at the local juice drinks market.
The ministry said Coca-Cola could use methods such as bundling different types of drinks for sales together, or attaching exclusionary sales conditions, to " seriously harm or even deprive of" the competitiveness of other juice drinks makers on the market.
The ministry didn't give an estimate about what market share Coca-Cola could gain of China's juice drinks market through the acquisition.
Huiyuan is China's largest juice maker. Its share of China's pure-juice sector, in terms of sales value, was 32.6% of that market by the end of the year, according to market research firm Euromonitor, a lower share compared with 44% at the end of June.
The ministry also said its decision was objective and unaffected by nationalist tendencies, unlike what some foreign media have said.
-Victoria Ruan contributed to this story, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 6588-5848; victoria.ruan@dowjones.com
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wagalla Massacre: The Nightmare of an Activist
I remember I made an umbrella out of my Kikoi and held over my brother's head so that he could walk in the shade. It was not really an act of kindness but more of a sense of duty to protect my brother. We moved on for days and nights and one day someone from town met us and he had terrible news. The people in town have been collected, detained and killed by soldiers. He told us some of our own uncles and cousins are missing. This made everyone sad, the adults were crying and silence fell over the whole family. There was nothing to do though. The choice was stark, staying in the bushes meant certain death from thirst and hunger while going to the wells may have meant facing bullets and batons. The people chose the latter thinking that thirst and hunger were unbearable at any cost. By the time we reached the wells at Leheley, a small village on the outskirt of Wajir town, most of the goats and sheep had died. We started the journey with six hundred goats and sheep and a hundred camels and when we arrived at the wells and the animals drank water, only twenty five survived, the rest died of prolonged thirst and of drinking the salty well water on an empty stomach.
Fear had gripped the towns; men slept in the bushes at night and only ventured into the town in daylight. Every time the roar of an engine was heard, people ran into the nearest outgrowth or up trees. It was a frightening experience the first time I ever set foot in town. Stories abound of what transpired earlier. The military came into the villages, arrested men and burnt houses. Some men were beaten in front of their wives and children until they bleed from the mouth and nose. People in these reserves had never heard a man begging for mercy and crying visible tears before 1984. There were hushed stories told only among age mates that certain women were raped. The stories were hushed because it was very shameful for the families whose women were raped. Some of the women were young beautiful girls who were waiting to be wedded once the rainy season came. It was a particularly gruesome nightmare. The people hoped and prayed that it was just a nightmare and tried very hard to wake up from it but 1984 was real, the killings, the burning and blunder of wealth and the rape of women were real, there was no waking up from this ghostly dream.
from:americanchronicle.com
BDR massacre was a conspiracy, not mutiny
The bloodbath took place at the BDR Headquarters here on February 25-26 was not a mutiny, but part of a bigger conspiracy which should be unveiled through a fair investigation, speakers told a roundtable here Saturday.
"It's a planned killing and it shouldn't be considered the outcome of an internal conflict between BDR and Army," said former BDR DG Maj Gen (retd) Rezaqul Haider.
The roundtable titled 'BDR Mutiny: Security Implications for Bangladesh and Region' was held at the conference room of The Bangladesh Today in the morning.
The Bangladesh Today and Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies jointly hosted the roundtable with its President Major General (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman in chair.
They called for a fair investigation into the incident to identify the perpetrators.
The speakers said a body like National Security Council (NSC) should be formed to tackle any national crisis. This should be discussed in parliament so that such incidents do not happen again, they said.
They said it is high time to think about forming NSC that would act as a helping instrument to democracy.
Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury said the BDR carnage had brought a chance for the nation to get united, but unfortunately it did not happen.
He alleged that the opposition has totally failed to play its due role during and after the brutality in the BDR headquarters.
Favoring the idea of forming NSC, he said the entire nation is waiting to see an acceptable and fair investigation into the carnage.
Abul Hasan Chowdhury urged the authorities concerned to let the investigators to do their jobs freely and fairly.
Rezaqul Haider said there is no dual command in BDR and it is totally working under the Ministry of Home.
He said the government might take steps to restructure and strengthen BDR.
President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies Major General (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman said a major part of the national security has collapsed with the incidents in the BDR Headquarters. "I don't think that our border are now well-guarded which is a threat to us," Muniruzzaman said.
He said some 2,700 BDR jawans still remained untraced and huge arms and explosives went missing which should be searched out.
Muniruzzaman feared that the explosives and arms might fall into the hands of terrorists and the absconding well-trained BDR jawans might join different terrorist outfits, worsening the country's security concern.
"It's a major blow to our national security and we should not deviate from the objective of investigation," he said.
Bangladesh Today Editor Col (retd) Mahmud-ur-Rahman and Research Assistant of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies Khaled Iqbal Chowdhury presented two keynote papers in the discussion.
Mahmud-ur-Rahman in his paper said, "Unless politicians and government are willing and able to see changes in this perspective, nothing is likely to change,"
from:nation.ittefaq.com
Monday, March 16, 2009
Things To Do- Roller Derby March 21 Boston Massacre vs. Baltimore + Nutcrackers vs. Cosmonaughties
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Bout #1, 5 pm: Boston Massacre vs. Baltimore
Bout #2, 7 pm: Nutcrackers vs. Cosmonaughties
At 7 pm…The second bout of the evening kicks off our home team season with the Nutcrackers taking on the Cosmonaughties. Will the Nuts have an advantage with a veteran-heavy team? Or will the Cosmos capitalize on the energy of their freshmeat skaters?
Half time show features the tunes of While Rome Burns. And as always, the after party dance floor is open to all, with DJ John Barera spinning until midnight.
Massacre at Winnenden: The failure of German gun control
• The failure of police intervention in protecting victims;
• The failure of strict German gun control to stop what is now the third such incident there in recent years; and
• How experts recount the near impossibility of predicting violent behavior.
The next segment will examine why most multiple victim public homicides occur in ostensibly “gun free” zones, and will document cases in which armed intervention by private citizens minimized losses, and demonstrate the positive impact of concealed handgun laws in reducing these crimes.
A boy places flowers and candles at the crime scene in front of Albertson high school in Winnenden, Germany. (AP Photo/Daniel Roland). For slide show, click on photo.
Mumbai Massacre: How to lose high moral ground?
Mumbai Massacre: How to lose high moral ground?
More than 100 days have passed since roughly 200 Indians, who were minding their business, were ruthlessly gunned down by Pakistani terrorists who hatched and executed their hideous plot on Pakistani soil with the explicit support of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the rogue “intelligence” agency, the ISI. While the loved ones of the dead mourn their loss, the Indian government sits on hands offering empty promises of action and Laskhar-e-Taiba possibly plans another attack on the Indian soul.
We have made our opinion very clear on the weak kneed stewardship of the elected officials of India. They lack, in our very public opinion, the intestinal fortitude to take actions that are necessary to provide security to the great nation of ours. There are several reasons for it, none of them justifiable: greed, corruption, moral ambivalence, indifference to our aspirations, disinterest towards our security, and“non-violence.” We call it cowardice.
We might be called pessimistic but we do not see anything good coming out of the Pakistani investigation which is being conducted by the same group of people whose only goal in life is to create trouble for India since our independence, both from the British empire and the shackles of mugal oppression in 1947, the remnants of this mugal thinking are festering in Pakistan. All its supporters want is to foment trouble in the progressive India which is obviously rising from long predominant hibernation with Pakistan, a 4th world country.
What makes us even sadder is the fact that the India diplomats have now lost the high moral ground by taking to responding to Pakistan’s request for more information. Instead of accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism and asking it to prove its innocence we are now reduced to answering Pakistan’s questions. In effect, the abettor has now become the judge and the victim is now being asked to provide evidence against the abettor. Instead of calling Pakistan on its bluff, we are now begging Pakistan to do something about terrorism. No wonder Mr. Gilani says that he is now responsible for security of two countries: India and Pakistan. The insult is obvious to everyone but to our somnolent politicians. This would be laughable if it wasn’t a reflection on the ineptitude of the fossilized minds of our elected officials.
We have only one question for Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee and their coterie of mental midgets: How long are they planning for this farce to continue before they take any action to secure our nation?
“ Peace without strength is a dream.”
Martand Pandey is one of our editorial page writers. Write to him atMartand.Pandey@indopia.com
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