National Update October 2005
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National Update
Monthly Newsletter of the World Affairs Council System
October 2005
In This Issue...
Program Director Position Open
Conference News
Vote for Your Favorite Journalist
On the Air in Pittsburgh
NewsNotes
Did you know...world affairs council programs reach over 20 million people each year, primarily because of the large number of programs that the media cover?
The No. 2 position is now open at the national office in Washington. The job entails working with the president across the huge range of activities that the national association is involved in.
The requirements are five years of work experience, an MA, a strong international orientation, excellent computer skills, excellent work ethic, and high energy. Interview in Washington will be required.
A job description can be emailed on request. For more on the organization as a whole, see www.worldaffairscouncils.org. The application process will remain open until the position is filled.
National Intelligence Director John Negroponte will speak on "Intelligence and National Security" at Wednesday night's Chairman's Dinner. Special registration required.
Kenneth Deffeyes of Princeton and Shell will speak on his new book "Beyond Oil." Roderick MacFarquhar of Harvard will speak on "The Rise of China" and Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, will address "America's Opportunity to Change History."
Ralph Begleiter, formerly of CNN and FPA's Great Decisions television moderator, will speak on how the US and foreign media shape our image around the world. John Hatch, one of the founders of the microenterprise movement, will speak on that subject.
Joel Cohen, one of the world authorities on population, will speak on "How Many People Can the Earth Support?" Mark Ward of AID will speak on the lessons learned from the tsunami and Dr. Dennis Pirages on Ecological Security.
Invitations are out to many more speakers on India, Russia, and more. Follow the speaker confirmation process on the national website.
The following embassies have confirmed their participation thus far: India, Brazil, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Egypt, Argentina, Taiwan, Ireland, Pakistan, Tunisia.
The very popular Silk Road Dance Company will be performing at the Friday night banquet.
Keep up to date on our confirmed speakers by checking our website - worldaffairscouncils.org/natconference.
Register online at - worldaffairscouncils.org/natconference/2006conference - or by mailing in our conference brochure. Brochures are available from your council or through the national office.
Our Distinguished International Jounralist Award honors print, radio, or television journalists who, in our opinion, best enlighten the American public on international issues.
Previous winners have been Jim Lehrer, Tom Friedman, Christiane Amanpour and Fareed Zakaria. Anyone who is a staff, board, or general member of the world affairs council system may vote in this poll.
Voting started October 11 and ends November 11. Hundreds have voted to date. We would like it to be thousands.
The following people have been nominated:
- Tom Brokaw, former Anchor of NBC Nightly News
- Walter Cronkite, former CBS Evening News Anchor
- Anne Garrels, Foreign Correspondent for NPR
- Seymour Hersh, author and investigative reporter for The New Yorker
- Ted Koppel, Anchor of ABC Nightline
- Andrea Mitchell, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent of NBC
Go to - worldaffairscouncils.org/news/pressreleases/journ - to learn more and to vote.
We will give the award at the national conference on January 20.
For over 25 years, the Pittsburgh Council has hosted "Global Press Conference" on KQV 1410 radio every weekend. The 30-minute program is mostly interviews conducted by President Sky Foerster. It reaches about 15,000 listeners.
The interviewees are generally council speakers and have included recently, Indian Amb. Ronan Sen, EU Amb. John Bruton, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. If they don't have a speaker in town, they arrange phone interviews with experts across the country.
The close relationship benefits both the radio station and the council. The radio station is able to broadcast a high quality program without having to line up their own speakers and the council receives publicity for its events and programs. After the show has aired, it is possible to download the programs from their website www.worldaffairspittsburgh.org/kqv.jsp.
* The 2005 Great Decisions National Opinion Ballot is now on the FPA website www.fpa.org.
* National Board Member Dov S. Zakheim has just published in The National Interest, on Arab democracy called "Blending Democracy."
* National Vice Chairman Maria Zammit is on a special DOD Civilian Partnership Program tour of Europe.
* Welcome to Chicagoan Melissa Lawrence of University of Wisconsin-Madison and the American University in Cairo who joined the national staff this month as Education Director.
* Welcome also to the new Executive Director in San Diego Mark Maestrone.
* Planning a high school Academic WorldQuest competition? We will soon have an operations paper available about how to run a local competition.
* Thus far, we have 40 teams pledged for the National Academic WorldQuest competition in April. The deadline for pledging a team is December 2.
* The Chicago Council has put together a media guide of foreign policy experts at midwestern universities. You can see it at www.globalchicago.org/experts/main.asp.
"You really shouldn't predict, especially about the future." - Yogi Berra -
Summer Teacher Workshop on Persia