Live: Your City

Public Forums, Debates and Conferences

December 11, The New Silk Road is Made of Iron and Steel. America’s distance from Eurasia places it on the wrong side of the world from the “cockpit of history,” a rapidly integrating Eurasian super-continent that is shaping its own future independently of the Western Hemisphere and the U.S. The technology that is driving this epochal transformation is one of the most traditional: railways. Today’s Eurasian railways are connecting East and West at unprecedented speeds.This lecture by Parag Khanna will provide an account of how these new infrastructures are rapidly altering the demographic, commercial, and geopolitical balance of power in the world’s strategic heartland. The New School, Free, 5pm.

December 13, Free Lecture: Burt Neuborne on “Federalism: The Commerce Clause, The Tax Clause, The Riddle of the 9th and 10th Amendments.” At Cooper Union, the last in a 10 part series that is a gift to New Yorkers – interesting, timely and not to be missed. 6:30-8:30pm.

December 13-February 10, Guantanamo Public Memory Project is launched. It is a free exhibition that reveals the history of a place both infamous and unknown to most Americans. It has an online component, opening reception, and lots of interesting components. NYU’s Kimmel Center.

December 14, Public Lecture & Stargazing. After the thirty-minute lecture, if the weather is clear, the public can proceed to the roof of Pupin Hall and be guided by volunteers in stargazing and observing through the telescopes of Rutherfurd Observatory. A slide show and discussion with an astronomer about various astronomical images happens if the weather is cloudy. “Life, the Universe, and Everything”, a panel discussion. Abstract: Why is the sky blue? How do stars form? Why do we think the universe is expanding? Bring questions and enthusiasm and join us for an unscripted, interactive panel discussion about anything from the origin of life to the expansion of the universe, driven by questions from the audience! Columbia University, 7-9pm.

January 7, An Evening with Jared Diamond at The New School. Diamond will discuss his latest book, The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? (to be released December 31, 2012). In the book, his first in more than five years, Diamond compares life in modern, industrialized societies with traditional ways of life and argues that traditional societies have much to teach us about conflict resolution, care of elders and children, risk management, multilingualism, and nutrition. With a unique blend of anthropology, sociology, and evolutionary biology, Diamond depicts a way of life that is startlingly different from the way we live today. Focusing on how we can improve contemporary society by learning lessons from the past, Diamond’s message is both urgent and persuasive: With some thought and effort, we can have the best of both worlds. 6:30-8pm, Free, Registration required.