Dale Hess - Calendar - 20111116-201124

Wednesday 16 November, 5.30 pm – 8 pm: Food Security Issues in Timor-Leste. 

The forum will address food security issues, including agricultural practices, climate, imports, skills, quality of seeds and many other issues The Keynote Speaker will be Dr Brian Palmer, former Agriculture Adviser to the President, Minister for Agriculture and ‘Seeds for Life’ Manager. He will be joined by two panel members: Dr Bev Wood Food Security Adviser and expert on food security issues David Adams Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment who will address land cover and land use issues. Venue: Edinburgh Gardens Community Room - Off Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy (Old Fitzroy Football Ground—Melway Reference 2C 1C). The forum will be webcast live on the evening from 6:15 pm at http://timorlive.vlga.org.au. For catering purposes please RSVP to Gary Jungwirth, Timor-Leste Project Officer by Friday 11 November 2011 via email, vlga@vlga.org.au or phone 9349 7999.

Wednesday 16 November, 6.15 pm doors; 6.30 pm start:  Traditional owners speak out against BHP. 

Public Forum + Q & A Discussion with National and International traditional owners:Peter Watts (Arabunna), Donna Jackson (Larrakia Nation), Richard Evans (Koara Gwa-da Tribal Leader), Felipe Ustate from Manatial Columbia; Campaigners: Mia Pepper (CCWA), Dave Sweeney(ACF).  Come along to meet & hear from traditional owners who are fighting to protect their homelands from being mined by BHP Billiton. Also meet the people, who work closely with traditional owners, in building the campaigns and public awareness on the environmental & health affects caused by mining coal & uranium. There will be a Q & A panel of Traditonal owners, who will be entering the BHP Billiton Annual general meeting on the 17th of Nov. Find out who BHP Billiton are and what they do to make their billions. 

Thursday, 17 November, 6:30 pm: Ending Conflict: Challenging the Signature of Peace and Democracy.  

Speaker: Prof. Adrian Little, University of Melbourne. Why does the resolution of conflict play such a significant role in the operation of contemporary politics? Why is it assumed that the normative basis on which most ‘normal’ societies operate is devoid of the kinds of conflict that permeate societies with a less cohesive foundation? This lecture analyses the assumption that the absence of conflict is a normative good for any society and questions why the lack of such conflict is assumed to be the foundation of a stable political environment. In so doing it investigates the many presuppositions and assumptions that underpin these normative perspectives and the ways in which they have developed within the literature on peace and conflict resolution in societies such asNorthern Ireland. Simultaneously, it challenges the reception given to events such as the riots in theUK in 2011 as aberrant from the regular functioning of society. Venue: Public Lecture Theatre, OldArts Building, The University of Melbourne, Parkville. Admission is free. Bookings are required. Seating is limited. To register visit: http://alumni.online.unimelb.edu.au/adrianlittle. For further informationplease contact Tamsin Courtney: Email: tamsinc@unimelb.edu.au; Tel: 8344 8985.

Tuesday 22 November, 6:30 pm: Book Launch: At the scene of the crime: essays, reflections and poetry on East Timor, 1999 – 2010 by Pat Walsh. 

Pat Walsh, the author, worked in East Timor during the new nation's first ten years. The book is a miscellany of his writings from this enthralling period. Tim Lindsey (Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law, University of Melbourne) will launch the book and will comment on the prospects of justice for East Timor from Indonesia, a topic explored in the book. Venue: Travellers Bookstore, 294 Smith St, Collingwood, Melbourne. RSVP & enquiries: Claire Woods. E: claire@travellersbookstore.com.au; T: (03) 9417 4179.

Tuesday 22 November – Wednesday 23 November: Ethics in a Multifaith Society: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue. 

The conference “Ethics in a multifaith society: Muslims and Christians in Dialogue” is held in honour of M. Fethullah Gülen, from whom the Australian Catholic University Chair in the Study of Islam and Muslim-Catholic Relations, established in 2007, takes its name. For Fethullah Gülen, dialogue between Jews, Christians and Muslims is imperative, not only because of what followers of these three monotheistic religions have in common, but also because of their shared responsibility to make our world a more peaceful and safer place. Australian CatholicUniversity, 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy.  Conference Program (PDF, 1.25MB); Conference Registration (PDF, 472KB);  Conference Poster (PDF,3.75MB) 

Thursday 24 November, 7.30 pm: Morality & Climate Change: A Response to Cardinal Pell. 

Geoff Lacey, author of Sufficient for the Day: Towards a Sustainable Culture, will present a response to Cardinal Pell’s position. Study Centre of the Yarra Theological Union 34 Bedford Street Box Hill. Further info from Social Policy Connections: 9890 1077.