Provided

Mann Library hosts the fourth annual Local Fair Nov. 15, highlighting campus-community partnerships, food, fibers and other local products.

Nas concert

The Cornell Concert Commission presents hip-hop artist Nas in concert Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in Barton Hall.

The son of blues musician Olu Dara, Nas made the landmark 1994 album "Illmatic" before he turned 21. His most recent release is "Life is Good."

Advance tickets are $18 for Cornell students, $23 for the general public, plus fees, available online. $20/$30 at the door, if available.

International activities

More than 30 events from Nov. 11-17 will celebrate International Education Week 2012 at Cornell, including lectures, films, outreach programs and exhibitions.

Historian Ronald Suny, biographer of the young Joseph Stalin and director of the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, will give a public lecture, "From Koba to Stalin: The Making of a Revolutionary," Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Free and open to the public; presented by the Cornell Institute for European Studies.

Cornell's International Education Network will host a panel discussion on new strategies for international student recruitment and admissions, Nov. 15 at 8:30 a.m. in G08 Uris Hall.

Student events include an International Language Fair, Nov. 16, 5 p.m. at Robert Purcell Community Center; and the Bengali Student Association's Annual Cultural Night, Nov. 17, 9.30 p.m. in the Carl Becker House Dining Hall.

International events on campus are organized by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. More information available online

'Choice in America'

President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation Vicki Saporta '74 will give a lecture, "Choice in America: What It Means to be Pro-Choice Today," Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. in PepsiCo Auditorium, 305 Ives Hall. Free and open to the public.

Saporta is an ILR School alumna and one of the country's foremost defenders of choice, access to care and provider safety. Her talk is presented by ILR Alumni Affairs and Development and the ILR Women's Caucus.

Animal attraction

Anthropologist Nerissa Russell takes a holistic view of the relationships between animals and humans in her book, "Social Zooarchaeology: Humans and Animals in Prehistory." Russell will give a book talk Nov. 13 at 4:30 p.m. in 106G Olin Library. Free and open to the public.

Russell's book is the first to provide a systematic overview of social zooarchaeology. Animals have always played important roles in human societies -- as companions, helpers, totems, sacrificial victims, centerpieces of feasts and more. Using evidence derived from zooarchaeology, ethnography, history and classical studies, Russell suggests the range of human-animal relationships is extensive and relevant today.

Russell is department chair and an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology. Light refreshments will be available, and books will be available for purchase and signing. Information: http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/booktalks.

Employee benefits

Find out about new changes to endowed health insurance plans and other Cornell employee benefits at Benefair, Nov. 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in G10 Biotechnology.

Staff from Benefit Services and representatives from benefit providers and vendors will be available to answer questions about benefits programs and other services (including retirement, health and dental plans, and flexible spending accounts) available to faculty, staff and retirees. Open enrollment for endowed faculty and staff continues through Nov. 30.

Information: https://www.hr.cornell.edu/benefits/open_enrollment.html.

Alumni drama

Cornell Cinema presents the drama "Think of Me," directed by Bryan Wizemann '95, Nov. 14 at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

Wizemann studied philosophy at Cornell and took film classes with recently retired lecturer Marilyn Rivchin. "Think of Me," his second feature-length film, was an official selection of the 2011 Toronto Film Festival. Lauren Ambrose stars as a struggling single mother in Las Vegas who worsens her situation with a get-rich-quick scheme.

The Ithaca International Fantastic Film Festival will screen several horror, science fiction and thriller titles Nov. 16-18 at Cornell Cinema and Cinemapolis, with a competition among six selected films. Screenings on campus include two features Nov. 17 in the festival's Australian retrospective: Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and the martial arts film "The Man From Hong Kong," starring George Lazenby (both 1975).

Cornell Cinema also hosts three programs with the Alloy Orchestra Nov. 9-10, and the anti-fracking concert documentary "Dear Governor Cuomo" with live music by The Horse Flies and Natalie Merchant, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. Tickets, information: http://cinema.cornell.edu.

Debating China

"Is China the New Superpower?" is the topic for the 2012 Lund Critical Debate, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. in G10 Biotechnology. The debate is free and open to the public.
David M. Lampton, professor of China studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, will debate Aaron L. Friedberg, professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. Cornell associate professor of government Allen Carlson will moderate.

Organized by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Lund Critical Debates Series brings speakers of prominence in international affairs to campus to address topical issues from a variety of perspectives. Topics and speakers are determined by the Foreign Policy Network and reflect topical issues and current events. Information: http://einaudi.cornell.edu/node/11644.

Local Fair

Mann Library will host the fourth annual Local Fair, Nov. 15, 2-5 p.m., featuring foods, fiber and energy products from the Finger Lakes region. Free and open to the public.

In recognition of the sesquicentennial of the Morrill Act that established land-grant colleges including Cornell, the fair celebrates local solutions and campus-community partnerships, with the theme "Local Ideas That Work!" The event includes an open market in Mann lobby with farmers and other vendors, and informative displays on local and campus efforts to support thriving, resilient communities.

Co-sponsors include the Cornell Small Farms Program, Farmer's Market at Cornell and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Information: http://localfair.mannlib.cornell.edu/.

Man and machine

The Department of Performing and Media Arts presents the darkly comic musical "Adding Machine," opening Nov. 16 at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

The story concerns Mr. Zero, a man replaced by an adding machine after 25 years on the job, who is driven to murder his employer and earns a chance at redemption in the afterlife. The musical, based on a 1923 play by Elmer Rice, was adapted in 2007 by Joshua Schmidt and Jason Loewith, earned several Drama Desk Award nominations and won two Outer Critics Circle Awards and four Lucille Lortel Awards including Outstanding Musical.

The Cornell production is directed by Michael Doliner '12. Performances are Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., with one matinee, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit the Schwartz Center box office at 430 College Ave. (open 12:30-4 p.m. weekdays), order online or call 607-254-ARTS.