Media

Weekly Notice

12 Nov 2010

 

Global Citizenship Public Lecture: Four-year Trends from the Global Peace Index
The Global Peace Index is the first ever study to rank the countries of the world by their peacefulness.  It is composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from respected sources and in 2010 has been expanded to rank 149 independent states.  This has allowed a unique view of peace to be formed; fact-based and constructive in its approach to working on the many and varied global challenges that humanity is facing.  Based on a comparison of the results from the Global Peace Index from 2007 to 2010, this presentation provides an introductory analysis of the four-year trends in peacefulness.  It will also cover the structure of the index, including definitions used and the sources of information for each indicator.

Date:      November 15, 2010 (Monday)
Time:      6:00pm
Venue:    Convocation Room, 2/F Main Building, HKU
Speaker: Clyde McConaghy, Board Director, Institute for Economics & Peace

Website:  http://hku.hk/socsc/gcpl/cmcconaghy/

For enquiries, please contact Ms Florence Luk at email: floluk@hku.hk.

Meet the Entrepreneurs Series - by Mr Leslie George Santos
In his talk titled "Face ever- changing career", Mr Santos will share his career from an athlete to a coach to a soccer training school founder. Through his personal experience, he will inspire students to consider non mainstream careers and advise students what essential qualities are needed to develop a successful career. The programme is offered by Economic Synergy and the Centre of Development and Resources for Students.

Date: 16 November 2010 (Tuesday)
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Venue: T3, Meng Wah Complex
Speaker: Mr Leslie George Santos
Host: Hon. Sophie Leung (Legco Member - Textiles and Garment)
Language: Cantonese

For enquiries, please contact CEDARS - Student Development by email at cedars-programmes@hku.hk or by phone at 2857 8387.

HKIndieFF Special Screening of Zhu Wen's Thomas Mao and Sharing Session
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the painter Thomas travels from Europe to China to make sketches. On the distant Mongolian grasslands he meets Mao, who runs a small inn. They spend three days and three nights together, and their inability to communicate leads to awkwardness and misunderstanding. Director Zhu Wen spent three years to finish this film, and he is also one of the most influential writers in contemporary China. Two leading actors are both well-known figures--Mao is actually a famous painter and Thomas is the director of the Luxemburg pavilion in Shanghai EXPO. The film editor of Zhang Jiake's films and Singer Sainkho Namchylak are also invited to co-create this masterpiece-to-be.

Date: 16 November 2010 (Tuesday)
Venue: MB205, Main Building, HKU
Special Screening of Zhu Wen's Thomas Mao (advanced registration required)
Time: 5:00-6:15pm
Film Sharing Session
Time: 6:30-7:00pm
Speaker: Mr. Zhu Wen (director)
Discussants: Dr. Gina Marchetti (film scholar), Dr. Louisa Wei (film scholar)
Language: Putonghua (English translation will be provided upon request)

Contact Information
Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Helena Wu by email at semin@hku.hk or by phone at 28592757.

2010 HKU Concert Series: An Evening of Indian Music with Sachin Patwardhan
At Loke Yew Hall, Sachin Patwardhan will present a unique evening of Indian music, featuring his virtuosic artistry on the two instruments, as well as the captivating rhythm of the tabla of Ajinkya Joshi. A disciple of the legendary sarod maestro Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan Sahab, Sachin Patwardhan comes from a family with rich music-making traditions. He picked up playing various musical instruments with a natural flair. With his phenomenal mastery of the sarod and the mandolin, Sachin Patwardhan has carved a niche for himself, and has appeared in many prestigious festivals and venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Date: 17 November 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Loke Yew Hall, HKU

For enquires, please contact Miss Phyllis Mak, Programme Manager of the Faculty of Arts (Tel: 2859 8048, email: kpmak@hkucc.hku.hk)

Social Innovation Public Lecture: Age-friendly Cities with Cooperation & Participation
The two speakers will separately deliver a talk under two topics: demographic change and adult ageing. Demographic change is a precursor to many serious social consequences experienced by older citizens in a world where the focus tends to remain fixed on the youth of today.  Labour market shortages, unparalleled health care expenditures and changing family structures are just a few of trends challenging governments globally.  Alongside these facts are a multitude of misperceptions about productivity or lack thereof of ‘older people' which often results in a one-sided conversation about the burden of ageing society. Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General, International Federation on Ageing will explore the myths and misperception of population ageing, question outdated definitions, describe a 'new norm' in policies and programs and give purpose to the concept that older people are central to the community of tomorrow. 

International perceptions of adult ageing are changing dramatically over a relatively short historical period.  Whether population ageing is seen as a threat, an opportunity or some combination of both, has become a serious question of global reach.  In order to adapt to such changes policy-makers are beginning to realize that as well as being a problem of demography, it is also a question of culture and cultural adaptation.  It is a question for national governments which has also been taken up by international organizations. Professor Simon Biggs, Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy, University of Melbourne will examine the perspectives of two such organizations in more detail.

Date:       November 18, 2010 (Thursday)
Time:      5:30pm
Venue:     P2, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building, HKU
Speakers:
- Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General, International Federation on Ageing
- Professor Simon Biggs, Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy, University of Melbourne

For more information, please visit :http://www.hku.hk/socsc/sipl/barratt_biggs/

For enquiries, please contact Ms Florence Luk (email: floluk@hku.hk)

Public talk on "The Community of the Common Law"
Since Hong Kong became an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, its residents have continued to enjoy the further legacy of the common law. But what is the meaning of 'the common law' in Hong Kong? Is it the common law of England or of Hong Kong or both? How is it to be reconciled with the customary law of Hong Kong, derived in large part from China? How is it to meet the needs of the people of Hong Kong, whose personal legacy includes historical, as well as current and future identity as part of China? How does it relate to regimes of other states? What can the common law offer for the future? In this talk, Mr Justice David Baragwanath, Former Judge of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand; President of the New Zealand Law Commission; and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, HKU, will seek to offer ideas from a common lawyer's experience in other jurisdictions in answering these questions.

Date: 18 November 2010
Time: 6:30 to 7:30pm
Venue: Wang Gungwu Theatre, Graduate House, HKU
Language: English

For enquiries, please contact Ms Lydia Bute by email at lbute@hku.hk or by fax at 2559 3543.