Veteran gala benefit

A fundraiser for injured veterans, police officers, firefighters and paramedics, hosted by Cornell Naval ROTC, will be held Oct. 9, 4-9 p.m., Barton Hall. The "Out of the Rubble Gala" will serve as a tribute to service men and women and first responders and will benefit Liberty Lodge, a retreat for those injured in the line of duty. Raffles, a live and a silent auction and a barbecue-style dinner are among the draws. Information and tickets: http://www.outoftherubblegala.com/.

Memorial concert

Joan Niles Sears, a devotee of Ithaca-area new music concerts, passed away in 2009. Prior to her death, she and the Department of Music planned a concert that would be presented for free -- her gift to local concertgoers. That concert, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall, will include the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, an award-winning ensemble from Mexico playing works by Mario Lavista, Steven Stucky and Astor Piazzolla, and Cornell pianist Xak Bjerken, performing works of Henry Cowell; he will be joined by clarinetist Richard Faria, of Ithaca College, for Roberto Sierra's "Sonata for Clarinet and Piano." Information: http://www.cuartetolatinoamericano.com/en/.

Progress on baroque organ

University organist Annette Richards will give a free, behind-the-scenes tour of the work in progress on the new baroque organ in Anabel Taylor Chapel, Oct. 13, 12:30-1:15 p.m., at the next Midday Music for Organ event. The new organ is based on a German 18th-century masterpiece.

'Ask Amy' Dickinson on campus

The successor to the late Ann Landers, Amy Dickinson, will share some of the communications lessons she's learned during her eclectic career at the next communicators@cornell meeting, Oct. 14, 12:15-1:15 p.m., 401 Warren Hall. Dickinson writes a daily "Ask Amy" column read by about 20 million readers and published in some 200 newspapers across the country. The event is free and open to the public but will be limited to the room's capacity, the first 49 people.

Volunteer for prison education

An informational meeting on the Cornell Prison Program will be Oct. 14 at 4 p.m., 122 Rockefeller Hall. The Cornell Prison Education Program offers college courses to students in Cayuga and Auburn Correctional Facilities. Cornell faculty, staff and students are invited to hear about the responsibilities that come with being an instructor or teaching assistant. Information: Jim Schechter, executive director, e-mail jas349@cornell.edu; Peter Enns, faculty director, e-mail pe52@cornell.edu; or see: http://cpep.cornell.edu.

Asia acoustics

Timothy Murray, director of the Society for the Humanities and professor of comparative literature and English, will present the lecture, "Imaging Sound in New Media Art: Asia Acoustics, Distributed," Oct. 14 at 4:45 p.m., Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall.

Sponsored by Cornell's Institute for Comparative Modernities, the lecture will propose a psycho-philosophical approach to international experiments in new media arts, looking at the interplay of specific Asian and European influences and approaches.

Poetry reading

Professor Carl Phillips, of Washington University, an award-winning author of 11 books of poetry, will read from his work Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m., Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, as part of the Creative Writing Program's Fall 2010 Reading Series. Phillips, a recipient of Guggenheim Foundation and Library of Congress fellowships, has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Information: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/english/creative/readings/2010/fall/#oct14.

Human rights and immigration

Author and photojournalist David Bacon will present "A Human-Rights Perspective on Migration and Labor Rights," Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m., Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. In his latest book, "Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants" (2009), Bacon explores the human side of globalization, showing how it drives people in Latin America and Asia to migrate, at the same time that U.S. immigration policy makes the labor of those displaced people a crime in this nation. Bacon's talk is part of the Daniel W. Kops Freedom of the Press Fellowship Program.

Get ready for winter

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County will present a free workshop, "Getting Your Landscape Ready for Winter," Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m., CCE-Tompkins Education Center at 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca. The workshop will cover what can still be planted, when and what to cut back, when and how to mulch, how much to water, how to protect from deer and rodents, and other seasonal tasks. Fee: $5. Pre-registration preferred. Call 607-272-2292, or e-mail Patricia Curran, pc21@cornell.edu with questions. Information: http://ccetompkins.org/calendar.

Concert by Apollo's Fire

Celebrate the 400th anniversary of Claudio Monteverdi's masterwork, "Vespers of 1610," with a live performance by the baroque music orchestra Apollo's Fire, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m., Bailey Hall. Directed by Jeannette Sorrell, the Cleveland-based ensemble has been praised for its stylistic freshness and buoyancy, animated spontaneity, technical excellence and creative programming. The Vespers ("evening prayers") is an ambitious work of sacred music. For ticket information, see http://baileytickets.universitytickets.com; also available in person at the Ticket Center Ithaca, 171 The Commons, Center Ithaca, and by phone at 607-273-4497 or 800-284-8422.

Handling the harvest

The Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management is sponsoring the seminar and film screening of "The Other Side of Immigration," Oct. 15, 10 a.m.-noon, 102 Mann Library. This award-winning documentary is based on more than 700 interviews in Mexican towns where about half the population has left to work in the United States. It explores the reasons they leave and the issues that arise when they do. Information: http://www.theothersideofimmigration.com/HOME.html

Conference on global aesthetics

Leading international artists, curators, and scholars from China, Mexico, Africa, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States will gather at the Society for the Humanities' Fall 2010 Conference, "Global Aesthetics: Intersecting Culture, Theory, Practice," Oct. 15-16, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., A.D. White House, to discuss transformations of aesthetics and interdisciplinary practice in the age of networked connection. Discussions will focus on global approaches to aesthetics and artistic practices that have developed in response to the Occidental tradition of aesthetics. No registration required. Information: http://www.arts.cornell.edu/sochum/shc_october.html.

Composers' forum

Those planning on hearing the Cornell Symphony Orchestra perform guest composer Kenneth Froelich's "Pulse Mutations" Oct. 17 at 3 p.m., Bailey Hall, can also hear Froelich discuss his work in advance at the Music Library, 220 Lincoln Hall, Oct. 15, 1:25-3 p.m. The talk is made possible by Meet the Composer's Music Alive: New Partnerships Program. The Bailey Hall concert will also include works by Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams and Schumann. Information: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~kfroelich/.

Welcome to swing dance

The Cornell Swing Dance Club will throw a Welcome Swing Dance, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., 519 Willard Straight Hall, including a free dance lesson at 7 p.m., followed by a night of music and refreshments. Open to the public. Information: http://rso.cornell.edu/cu_swing/index.php/events.