Spring 2007 Calendar

02.20.2007
Time: 16:00
Speaker: Mr. Percy Westerlund, Leader of the European Commission's Delegation for Norway and Iceland.
Topic: The importance of the EU in the peaceful development of Europe.
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus

03.07.2007
Time: 12:15
Speaker: Ying Tzarm, representative of the winner of the Students' Peace Prize (Studentenes Fredspris) 2007, Charm Tong.
Topic: Students' Peace Prize (Studentenes Fredspris) 2007
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus
More Information: Students' Peace Prize, Charm Tong and Substantiation of the decision

03.27.2007
Time: 12:15
Speaker: Easterine Iralu
Topic: Three Nagas in Norway
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus
More Information: Easterine Iralu is giving out the book, "Three Nagas in Norway" on March 24th at ARK Bokhandel, 14:00. Easterine has been a "Fribyforfatter" in Tromsø from 2005 to 2007. The book is about coming to Norway and experiencing Norwegian culture. The book has amusing narratives initially striking one as a light hearted read of cultural encounters and adjusting to life in Northern Norway, especially in chapters like, "Klær, Klær" and "Don't boil the fish!". But it also has its serious moments, where the writer talks about the sad Naga reality, which is influenced by a 60-year old conflict. The Naga history, is a story of double colonisation, fight for freedom and continuing conflict.

04.23.2007
Time: 12:15
Speaker: Walter Dorn, Royal Military College of Canada
Topic: The Evolution of International Organization: The United Nations, Sri Chinmoy and World Peace
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus
More Information: The evolution of international organization over the past century is clear: the League of Nations evolved into the United Nations, and the latter has grown in responsibilities and prestige, despite many setbacks. Contemporary peace philosopher and civil society leader Sri Chinmoy has been serving at the United Nations for over 37 years. His special insights into the “big picture” have inspired a great many people to work for peace and for progress at the United Nations.

Dr. Dorn is a professor in Canada, specializing in arms control, UN peacekeeping and human security. He has studied the words and work of Sri Chinmoy. In this illustrated presentation, he will share the special insights of this unique peace leader and examine the evidence of a substantial and ongoing evolution of international organization.

05.07.2007
Time: 10:15 - 12:00
Speaker: Morten Bremer Mærli, Senior Research Fellow, NUPI. Field of Expertise: Nuclear non-proliferation/international terrorism. Physicist by training
Topic: Weapons of Mass Destruction: Facts, Fictions and Fears
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus

Relevant material by Morten Bremer Mærli: "Crude Nukes on the Loose? Preventing Nuclear Terrorism by Means of Optimum Nuclear Husbandry, Transparency, and Non-Intrusive Fissile Material Verification", Dissertation for the Degree of Dr.Philos, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway, March 2004.

More about Morten Bremer Mærli

05.15.2007
Time: 12:15 - 14:00
Speaker: Hans Egil Offerdal. Latin American Affairs at the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP), UNIFOB-Global/University of Bergen.
Topic: John Paul II – The last communist of the 20th century
Place: Auditorium in Nedre Lysthus

It is widely believed, and argued, that Pope John Paul II was instrumental in bringing down communism in the 20th century. The ’Holy Alliance theory’ (Bernstein and Politi) has been repeated numerous times, portraying John Paul II as the world’s foremost anti-communist.

This talk will take a closer look at John Paul II, his practice and theological thinking, and suggest that this common notion of John Paul II is utterly wrong. Rather, the speaker claims, John Paul II was indeed the last communist of the 20th century.

Departing from the idea that “Communism is Christianity” (Jose Porfirio Miranda), we will see that the theology of John Paul II constitutes an enormous challenge to modern day capitalism.