'Generation Waking Up'

A peer-led workshop that uses music, media, exercises and dialogue to help young people develop a clear sense of identity and purpose as members of a generationwide movement for a thriving, just, sustainable world, "Generation Waking Up" will be held Nov. 5, 2-5 p.m., 226 Weill Hall. Participants. RSVP online. Hosted by student leaders and such Cornell units as the Sustainability Hub, Cornell Outdoor Education and the Department of Energy and Sustainability.

In honor of veterans

Alfred DiGiacomo will talk about his book, "A Soldier's Diary," at a brown bag lunch honoring veterans and those currently serving in the military, Nov. 9 at noon, Navy/Marines Blockhouse, Barton Hall. A retiree from Cornell's Facilities Services, DiGiacomo served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. His unit provided vital communications for the Ninth Tactical Air Command, including bomber support to the U.S. First Army during and after the invasion of Normandy.

Free and open to the public; reservations requested; RSVP by Nov. 5 to Tim Dorn, tjd10@cornell.edu or 254-2996.

Shadows Dance Troupe

Ten of Cornell's student-run dance organizations will join Shadows Dance Troupe for its annual fall performance, "Fall Step 2010," Nov. 6 at 3 p.m., Bailey Hall. The performances will celebrate many genres of dance, from hip-hop and modern to Indian fusion, and will help raise funds for Bridges to Community, a nonprofit organization that supports humanitarian efforts in Nicaragua. Tickets: $8 advance; $10 at the door. Available at: http://www.baileytickets.com.

Slapstick

Three short slapstick films, Keaton's "One Week," Laurel and Hardy's "Big Business" and Arbuckle and Keaton's "Back Stage," show Nov. 6 at 4 p.m., Willard Straight Theatre, with live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Ochestra. Tickets $5; $4 students and seniors, available at CornellCinemaTickets.com, Ithaca Guitar Works and Cornell Cinema Office, 104 Willard Straight Hall. Information

Benefit comedy, Nov. 7

Stand-up comedian Fred Scarf '12 will perform at Barnes Hall Auditorium, Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. to benefit the No Worries Now foundation, which organizes proms for teens with life-threatening medical conditions to empower them to realize their potential and remind them of the support they have on their journey. Scarf created the foundation in 2006, for which he was nominated a CNN hero -- one of 25 people around the world recognized by the network for making a positive impact in the world.

Commemoration and affirmation

Affirming community and in commemoration of "Kristallnacht," Nov. 9, 1938, which marked the beginning of the destruction of the Jews of Europe, the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community and other area organizations will hold a special program Nov. 7 at 1:30 p.m., James Law Auditorium, Schurman Hall. President David Skorton will invite participants to rediscover Andy Goldsworthy's sculpture, "Garden of Stones," a Holocaust Memorial in the Cornell Plantations. The program is meant to bridge differences and generations. Free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Information: http://www.iaujc.org.

Konvitz Memorial Lecture

The 2010 Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecture, given by Nick Salvatore and Jefferson Cowie, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m., 105 Ives Hall, will focus on "The Long Exception: An Interpretation of the New Deal from FDR to Obama," arguing that the New Deal was more of a historical aberration -- a byproduct of the massive crisis of the Great Depression -- than the linear triumph of the welfare state.

Salvatore is the Maurice and Hinda Neufeld Founders Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and professor of American history. Cowie is associate professor of history at the ILR School.

Ethics in ordinary life

To explore the ways ethics and morality are embedded in the activities and habits of ordinary life, Webb Keane, professor of anthropology, University of Michigan, will present "Life with Others and the Modalities of Ethics," Nov. 9 at 4:30 p.m., Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Lecture series.

Benefair

The annual Benefair will be Nov. 10, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., G10 Biotechnology Building. Representatives from Cornell's benefits vendors and Benefit Services' staff will be on hand to answer questions. The open enrollment period for endowed health, dental and Select Benefits plans is until Nov. 30. Information: http://hr.cornell.edu/benefits/open_enrollment.html.

South African art

Salah Hassan, director of the Institute for Comparative Modernities and Goldwin Smith Professor in the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies, will hold a conversation about South African conceptual art with Berni Searle, a world-renowned South African artist, Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m., Carl Becker House. Searle works with photography, video and film to produce lens-based installations that stage narratives connected to history, memory and place. Most recently her work has been featured in "Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Information: http://www.icm.arts.cornell.edu/events.html.

Stetson, Muir and national parks

Lee Stetson, actor, interpreter and educator, will give the Class of 1945 Lecture, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Alice Statler Auditorium, presenting selections from the series on "Our National Parks: America's Best Idea," in which he portrays naturalist John Muir. Often called "The Father of Our National Parks," founder of the Sierra Club, Muir (1838-1914) is widely regarded as America's most influential naturalist, helping to inspire President Theodore Roosevelt's conservation programs. Stetson will also talk about Muir's relevance to current conservation issues.

Henry Paulson at Cornell

The 29th Annual Hatfield Lecture will be a conversation with President David Skorton and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m., Bailey Hall. The lecture is open to the public.

Paulson served under President George W. Bush as the 74th secretary of the treasury, 2006-09, where he designed the Ten Year Energy and Environment Cooperation with China. He was the president's leading policy adviser on a broad range of domestic and international economic issues. A noted conservationist, Paulson is involved in a range of conservation and environmental initiatives, having served as chairman of The Peregrine Fund Inc., chairman of the board of directors for The Nature Conservancy and as co-chairman of its Asia/Pacific Council. He has worked to set up parks in the Yunan province of China and in Tierra del Fuego.

President's address to staff

President David Skorton will present his annual address to staff Nov. 12 at noon, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 430 College Ave., Collegetown. A complimentary take-out lunch for the first 400 attendees will be available in the lobby immediately afterward.

Sponsored by the Employee Assembly, the address will be recorded and available the following week on CornellCast http://cornell.edu/video/. Inquiries about disability accommodations: Tanya Grove, tl40@cornell.edu.

Formenti on piano

A concert by Italian pianist and conductor Marino Formenti will feature "Kurtag's Ghosts" at Barnes Hall Auditorium, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. Capacity is limited; no late admittance; ticketholders must be in the auditorium by 7:45 p.m. Tickets: general $27, students $12, available at http://www.CornellConcertSeries.com and http://BaileyTickets.com and in-person/by phone at Ticket Center Ithaca (on The Commons, 607-273-4497.)

A dinner of local food and beer

Taverna Banfi in the Statler Hotel will host local brewer Ithaca Beer, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m., with a reception featuring a beer and hors d'oeuvres tasting followed by a three-course dinner prepared and served by Hotel School restaurant management students. Experience authentic Italian cuisine while learning the art of pairing food and beer. $45 per person plus tax. Contact Lisa Thomas, 607-254-2624, e-mail lat8@cornell.edu.