Shuffle and funk

The Department of Music presents a "Shuffle" Concert (the term is borrowed from the iPod) by conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall. The program features Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto" with clarinetist Richard Faria and jazz ensemble, William Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost Rag" with Malcolm Bilson, and Steve Reich's "8 Lines." Guest ensemble FunkHouse -- John Funkhouser '89 on piano, Greg Loughman on bass, Mike Connors on drums -- presents an evening of progressive jazz Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

Rare Russian cinema

American audiences rarely see the work of avant-garde Russian director Alexander Sokurov, whose films are passionate, humanitarian, metaphysical and full of gorgeous visuals. Cornell Cinema will screen the regional premieres of two recent Sokurov films: the powerful anti-war statement "Aleksandra," Oct. 18 and 21, starring Russian opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya as a woman visiting her grandson, an officer stationed in desolate Chechnya; and "Elegy of Life," Oct. 17 and 19, a tribute to the musical partnership of Vishnevskaya and her husband, the late cellist-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich.

Hans Bethe Lectures

The Bethe Lecture Series features astronomer Robert Kirshner, the Clowes Professor of Science at Harvard University, who will participate in colloquia in physics Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. and astronomy and space sciences Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. Kirshner will also deliver a public lecture, "The Accelerating Universe: Einstein's Blunder Undone," Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. All events are in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall. The Bethe Lectures Series honors 1967 Nobel Prize winner Hans A. Bethe, who joined Cornell's faculty in 1936 and died in 2005. Bethe's research ranged from the quantum theory of solids to nuclear processes that power the sun. Information: http://physics.cornell.edu/events/.

Despot hunter

Jules Kroll '63 will speak Oct. 21 at 4:30 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall on "Fighting International Corruption: Holding Corrupt Heads of State Accountable From Marcos to Saddam Hussein." Kroll is the founder of Kroll Inc., a firm that investigates government and corporate corruption; in the 1990s it was hired by the Kuwaiti government to uncover Saddam Hussein's hidden wealth. The lecture is part of the LaFeber-Silbey Series in the history department that invites Cornell alumni who are active in public affairs. Free and open to the public.

With justice for whom?

Louise Arbour, United Nations high commissioner for human rights 2004-08, will deliver the 2008 Bartels World Affairs Lecture Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. in Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall. Her theme: "Human Rights for All: Beyond Our Reach?" Arbour will discuss whether U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's vision of four fundamental freedoms -- of expression and religion, and freedom from want and fear -- are still within the reach of people around the world and whether the world is moving toward a true globalization of human rights. Arbour, who was appointed to the Canadian Supreme Court in 1999, served as a U.N. chief prosecutor at international criminal tribunals considering crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Free and open to the public.

Dance is NOW

The NOW Dance Company from Seoul, South Korea, takes to the Bailey Hall stage Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. for a performance of contemporary and traditional Korean dance and music. The troupe's work reflects a strong focus on promoting dance through experience and experimentation. NOW artistic director In-young Sohn is a former member of the Korean Traditional National Dance Company and former artistic director of the Seoul Performing Arts Company. Free and open to the public; donations accepted at the door. Information: 255-6222.

Labor devalued

New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse will talk about "The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker" at noon Oct. 22 in 105 Ives Hall. Greenhouse is the author of a 2008 book by the same name, of which "Nickel and Dimed" author Barbara Ehrenreich said, "Any presidential candidate -- or voter -- who overlooks this book will be clueless about what's really going on in America." Greenhouse will also speak to several ILR School classes. His lecture is free and open to the public.