Kids' films, scored silence

Cornell Cinema's annual IthaKid Film Festival begins Saturday, Nov. 3, with two classic French shorts by Albert Lamorisse, "The Red Balloon" and "White Mane," 2 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre. $4 adults, $3 children 12 and under. Information available online.

Live music is featured at two special Ithakid programs (each $6 adults, $5 children). The Alloy Orchestra returns to Cornell Cinema next week for three shows including "Not Just for Kids," featuring Buster Keaton's "The Playhouse," Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Harpist Leslie McMichael accompanies Herbert Brenon's 1924 "Peter Pan," the first of many film adaptations of the children's story, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.

The series also includes Hayao Miyazaki's 1993 animated fantasy "My Neighbor Totoro," Dec. 1 at 2 p.m., and "Around the World with Children's Film Festival Seattle 2012," live-action and animated shorts, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Each program $4/$3 children.

The Alloy Orchestra also will perform live scores for a definitive 2010 restoration of Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi epic "Metropolis," Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. ($14/$10 students and seniors) and the 1926 Russian drama "The Overcoat" ($12/$9), Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available at http://cornellcinematickets.com, and in person starting Nov. 5 from the Cornell Cinema office, 104 Willard Straight Hall. Information: http://cinema.cornell.edu, 607-255-3522.

Save the elephants

"An Evening for Elephants," Nov. 3, 7-10 p.m. in the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room, will raise funds and awareness for the conservation of the endangered African forest elephant, sister species to the African savannah (bush) elephant.

The evening features a silent auction of artwork, sports memorabilia and other items; entertainment, desserts and refreshments. Admission is $8 per person, $3 for students and children under age 12.

Money raised by the event and charity auction will be donated to the Elephant Listening Project (ELP), a research group studying forest elephant communication and social structure. ELP is a nonprofit organization associated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bioacoustics Research Program.

Presented by the student organization Elephant Ears, an extension of ELP. Information: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/elephant/, https://www.facebook.com/events/336070496466907.

Folk legend

The Cornell Folk Song Society brings legendary musician, songwriter and storyteller Roy Book Binder to campus to perform Nov. 3, 8 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall. Book Binder plays an eclectic mix of authentic blues, country, bluegrass, folk and Tin Pan Alley tunes.

Advance tickets are $15 general, $10 for students, available at Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Bookstore and online at http://www.cornellfolksong.org/. $17 general/$12 students at the door, children age 12 and under free. Discounts available.

Upcoming Cornell Folk Song Society concerts will feature Priscilla Herdman, Nov. 17; and Sara Grey and Kieron Means, Dec. 1. Information: 607-351-1845.

Engaged Cornell series

Visiting scholar Ernie Stringer will present "Of the People, By the People, For the People: Action Research for Social Change" in the Engaged Cornell Speaker Series, Nov. 2 at noon in 102 Mann Library.

Stringer will discuss how participatory approaches to research and learning have provided the basis for university programs and services directly relevant to community life, helping people build the capacity to accomplish sustainable change that is empowering and life enhancing. Participants will find opportunities to explore their orientation to public service and how the university might more effectively fulfill its commitment to public engagement.

Upcoming events in the series include "ePortfolios and Student Engagement: Fostering Reflection as a Life-Long Learning Skill" with Eric Howd of Cornell's Academic Technology Center, Nov. 5 at noon in 102 Mann Library; and "Engaging Across Difference: Working With Diverse Teams in Communities Not-Your-Own" with A.T. Miller, associate vice provost for academic diversity initiatives, Nov. 9 at noon in 701 Clark Hall.

To RSVP, e-mail engagedcornell@cornell.edu. Information: http://www.psc.cornell.edu/engaged-cornell-speaker-series-1593.php.

Ask an astronomer

The team behind the "Ask an Astronomer" website from Cornell's Department of Astronomy will answer questions about extra-solar planets, black holes, galaxies and more at a Science Cabaret on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. at Lot 10 Lounge, 112 S. Cayuga St., Ithaca. Free.

Jason Hofgartner, Joyce Byun, Manolis Papastergis, Dusty Madison and emcee Luke Leisman will field questions at the event, which is co-sponsored by the Astronomy Grads Network. Information: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/, http://www.sciencecabaret.org/.

Post-election panel

The day after the 2012 election, four distinguished Cornell policy and political experts will give their views on what is likely to follow for the winners and the country. "Now That They've Won, What Will They Do?" is Nov. 7 at 4:45 p.m. in 305 Ives Hall. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Cornell in Washington.

The panelists are Glenn Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies; Richard Booth, professor of city and regional planning; Fredrik Logevall, the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies; and M. Elizabeth Sanders, professor of government.

They will address questions including how domestic and foreign policies are likely to change, how the nation's politics will change and what significant problems lie ahead.

Designing a garden

Landscape architect Marc Peter Keane '79 will give a public lecture, "The Garden of Six Friends: Designing a Contemporary East Asian Garden," Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Alice Statler Auditorium. Free.

Keane will discuss his ongoing project to design a contemporary garden for Cornell Plantations based on the cultures of East Asia -- China, Japan and Korea.

A visiting fellow in the East Asia Program, Keane designed the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art's Morgan Garden, based on the Japanese story "Three Laughers of the Tiger Glen."

Canine anatomy

Professor emeritus of veterinary and comparative anatomy Howard E. Evans will discuss his new book, "Miller's Anatomy of the Dog," Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Stern Seminar Room of Mann Library. Free and open to the public.

The book -- a valuable reference for anatomists, veterinary students, technicians, clinicians and breeders -- features elaborate full-color illustrations, detailed descriptions and new content in the fourth edition reflecting the latest knowledge on anatomical development, structure and function.

A member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine for 36 years, Evans taught dog anatomy, horse and cow anatomy, the anatomy of fish and birds, and natural history. His co-author is Alexander de Lahunta, the James Law Professor Emeritus in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

A question-and-answer session follows the talk. Light refreshments and books for purchase and signing will be available. The Chats in the Stacks book talk is funded by the Mary A. Morrison Public Education Fund. Information: http://mannlib.cornell.edu/events-exhibits.

Quintet concert

American pianist Peter Serkin joins the Shanghai Quartet for a concert Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. in Bailey Hall, presented by the Cornell Concert Series.

The concert will feature performances of Mozart's String Quartet No. 17 ("The Hunt") in four movements, Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 81 and "Dance Capriccio," a new work by composer Bright Sheng, inspired by Sherpa folk music and written specifically for the quartet with Serkin.

Reserved seating tickets are $25-35 general, $17 students. A Cornell discount rate is available on online orders with a valid netID. Visit http://concertseries.cornell.edu or http://www.baileytickets.com. Information: 607-255-5144.

Religious differences

Thomas Albert Howard will give the Fall 2012 Alan T. and Linda M. Beimfohr Lecture, "Religious America, Secular Europe? Reflections on the Transatlantic 'God Gap,'" Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall. Free and open to the public.

Howard, a professor of history and director of the Center for Faith and Inquiry at Gordon College, will explore some of the long-standing differences between the United States and Western Europe with respect to religion, drawing from his 2011 book "God and the Atlantic: America, Europe, and the Religious Divide."

Sponsored by Chesterton House, the Christian studies center affiliated with Cornell United Religious Work, Beimfohr Lectures bring an intellectual to campus each semester to address issues related to faith in a pluralistic society. Information: http://www.chestertonhouse.org/.

Honoring veterans

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Hall '68 will deliver a short address in honor of United States veterans and current members of the military, Nov. 9, 5:30-6:15 p.m. at Sage Chapel. Open to the public. Hosted by the Cornell ROTC Brigade and the Veterans Colleague Network Group.

A native of Ithaca, Hall was a member of the Air Force ROTC and played lacrosse and football while at Cornell. During his senior year, he was cadet commander for the Tri-Service ROTC Brigade and completed the flight program, earning a private pilot's license and the opportunity to attend USAF pilot training after graduation. He earned a commission as a second lieutenant in June 1968.

Small-town America

Princeton University sociologist Robert Wuthnow will speak on "America's Heartland since the 1950s: A Case for Social Resilience," Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in 109 Academic Surge A, between Kennedy Hall and the Plant Science Building.

Wuthnow, the director of Princeton's Center for the Study of Religion, will discuss signs of both decline and resilience in small towns and rural areas, drawing from his most recent book, "Remaking the Heartland: Middle America since the 1950s," and the forthcoming "Small-Town America: Finding Community, Shaping the Future." In addition to his research on small-town and rural America, he writes on religion and politics.

His talk is part of the Department of Development Sociology Fall 2012 Seminar Series. Free and open to the public. Information: http://devsoc.cals.cornell.edu/cals/devsoc/seminars.cfm.

Artists against fracking

A coalition of artists, scientists and activists against hydraulic fracturing in New York State gathered in Albany in May to stage a concert to call for a ban on fracking from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

A film of the event, "Dear Governor Cuomo," screens at Cornell Cinema Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m., with filmmaker Jon Bowermaster and live music by The Horse Flies and Natalie Merchant, the film's musical director. Co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Clean Waters Initiative.

With concert footage directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, the film features actors Mark Ruffalo and Melissa Leo, environmental biologist Sandra Steingraber, and performances by Merchant, Joan Osborne, The Felice Brothers, Citizen Cope and Medeski, Martin and Wood.

Advance tickets are available (for a $10 suggested donation) at Ticket Center Ithaca on the Commons, by calling 607-273-4497 or online at http://artspartner.org/content/view/ticket-center-ithaca.html.