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The San Diego World Affairs Council presents the Distinguished Speaker Series featuring: Marie Arana DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 7, 2024, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. VENUE: Hall of Nations, Balboa Park About Marie Arana: Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru. She is the author of the memoir American Chica, a finalist for the National Book Award; two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights; the prizewinning biography Bolivar; Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; and The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post. She is the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and lives in Washington, DC, and Lima, Peru. About the Presentation: “To tell the truth, we have no name. We never did,” writes Marie Arana, “We were simply tribes of this hemisphere, inheritors of a natural world… We gave ourselves a multitude of names. Thousands of years later, when we were invaded and conquered, first by Spain, then by a battery of occupiers and usurpers, we became colonies to power—united by the boot, the sword, the crown, the cross, and the Spanish language.” In LATINOLAND: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority (Simon & Schuster; February 20, 2024), the award-winning author and historian Marie Arana offers readers a sweeping, personal portrait of the largest racial and ethnic minority in the United States. “Latinos” does not represent a single group – they were some of the earliest immigrants to what is now known as the US, and they are some of the country’s newest arrivals; they are White, Black, Indigenous, and Asian; they are domestic workers, day laborers, successful artists, corporate CEOs, and US senators. Once overwhelmingly Catholic, they are now increasingly Protestant and Evangelical. Once faithfully Democratic, they now vote Republican in growing numbers. In LATINOLAND, Arana tells stories that often go ignored, encapsulating Latinos’ “grand diversity that defies any one label.” Based on prodigious research, hundreds of interviews, and Marie Arana’s own life experience as a Latina, LATINOLAND unabashedly celebrates the resilience, character, diversity, and little-known history of our largest and fastest-growing minority. The author of several award-winning books – American Chica, Bolivar, and most recently, Silver, Sword, and Stone – Arana is a beloved member of the literary community, serving as the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and previously a columnist for the Washington Post. Arana has devoted her career to exploring Latinos’ origins, identities, and histories in the United States, and is uniquely qualified to tell this massive story. Special Bonus Opportunity from our Community Partner, Classics 4 Kids, below! As a special treat, we are thrilled to offer complimentary tickets to SDWAC members attending LATINOLAND: Immerse yourself on an extraordinary musical journey as the Classics Philharmonic Orchestra joins forces with the trailblazing SABROSAS LATIN ORCHESTRA, San Diego's exclusive all-female salsa band. Feel the heartbeat of the rhythms, guided by the mesmerizing artistry of acclaimed dancer and teaching artist Juan Carlos Blanco from the Center for World Music. Get ready to be moved, inspired, and captivated by the fusion of classical mastery and the vibrant energy of Latin beats. Choose from two exciting showtimes on Friday, March 8, at 9:45 a.m. or 11:45 a.m. at the prestigious Balboa Theatre. Each performance is a dynamic 45-minute showcase. Please send us an email for your complimentary tickets. Stay Connected with Marie Arana! Instagram & X

President Biden has asked Congress for billions more in help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. But Republicans have made it contingent on major changes in U.S. border policy.

On his new album, Éxodo, regional Mexican hitmaker Peso Pluma gives listeners a sampler of his burgeoning potential as a multi-genre star.

The excessive heat warning is in effect until at least 8 p.m. Thursday for the San Diego County deserts.

President Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election on Thursday night in Atlanta.

The San Diego World Affairs Council presents the Distinguished Speaker Series in partnership with the Institute of the Americas AND UCSD's Center for U.S.- Mexican Studies (USMEX) Featuring: Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow "The 2024 Elections in Mexico and the United States: Implications for the Bilateral Relationship” Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Institute of the Americas - UCSD Campus - 10111 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037 About Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow Jeffrey Davidow served in the U.S. Foreign Service for 34 years. His professional focus was on Africa and Latin America. In Africa he served as political officer in South Africa, opened the U.S. Embassy in newly independent Zimbabwe, and was ambassador to Zambia where he was also the principal liaison to the South African National Congress headquarters in Lusaka in the period leading to Nelson Mandela's release from imprisonment. His book, A Peace in Southern Africa recounts the negotiations that led to Zimbabwe's independence. While in Africa and in the State Department's Africa Bureau in Washington, he was deeply involved in the mediation efforts to end apartheid and resolve civil wars in Angola, Mozambique, and Namibia. Ambassador Davidow's other principal area of activity was Latin America where he served as a political officer in U.S. Embassies in Guatemala, Chile, and Venezuela. He returned to Venezuela as ambassador, and was later appointed Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. His final posting was as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico where he spent four years and witnessed the end of one-party political domination in that country. His book, The Bear and the Porcupine: the United States and Mexico, details the issues and attitudes which both divide and unite the two nations. He retired from the State Department in 2003 with the rank of Career Ambassador (by law restricted to five active duty Foreign Service officers), and is one of the United States’ most senior and respected diplomats. Ambassador Davidow was President of the Institute of the Americas in San Diego, a leading institution in facilitating cooperation between government, business leaders and civil society representatives in the United States-Canada-Latin America. He now serves as a Senior Counselor for The Cohen Group in Washington D.C., an international business consultancy. Ambassador Davidow and his wife Joan reside in San Diego. About Richard Kiy - Richard Kiy was appointed as President & CEO of the Institute of the Americas on August 3, 2020. Kiy was formerly General Partner with Alumbra Advisors, a consulting firm with clients in the U.S, Mexico and Central America. Prior to that, Kiy served for nearly 14 years as President & CEO of the International Community Foundation (ICF) where he expanded the foundation’s grantmaking throughout Mexico and 11 other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. While at ICF, Kiy served as Chairman and a founding board member of the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership. Previous to his work at ICF, Kiy spent two years with PriceSmart, Inc. as Senior Vice President, Business Development expanding its business reach into 6 countries of Central America and the Caribbean. Earlier on, he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Technical Director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) in Washington, D.C. as well as the Acting Environmental Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Kiy’s other private sector experience includes having served as Vice President for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)’s Mexican subsidiary, expanding the company’s environmental technology solutions and services business in Mexico following NAFTA’s passage. Later, he helped SAIC secure a multi-year $1.2 billion contract leading to a joint venture company with Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) where he was Director of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) Information Systems. Kiy is a graduate of Stanford (A.B. Economics, 1984) and Harvard’s JFK School of Government (MPA, 1986). Kiy is co-author of the book Environmental Management along North America’s Borders. He serves on the Binational Advisory Board of the San Diego Natural History Museum. About Rafael Fernández de Castro Rafael Fernández de Castro is a professor, Aaron Feldman Family Chancellor's Endowed Chair in U.S.-Mexican Studies in Memory of David Feldman, and director of the school's Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (USMEX). A former foreign policy adviser to President Felipe Calderón, he is an expert on bilateral relations between Mexico and the U.S. Fernández de Castro is founder and former chair of the Department of International Studies at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City. He has published numerous academic articles and written several books, including “Contemporary U.S.- Latin American Relations: Cooperation or Conflict in the 21st Century?” and “The United States and Mexico: Between Partnership and Conflict” with Jorge Domínguez. He also worked as the Project Director of the UNDP’s Human Development Report for Latin America 2013-14, “Citizen Security with a Human Face: Evidence and Proposals for Latin America.” He is the founder and editor of Foreign Affairs Latin America and contributes to the daily newspaper El Financiero and a regular contributor to Televisa. His current research includes a book on leadership and decision-making in Mexican foreign policy. Fernandez earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgetown University, an M.P in Public Policy from the University of Texas, Austin and his B.A. in Social Sciences from the Instituto Tecnólogico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

From gallerist Michael James Armstrong: I’m excited to be showing a new site specific projection by Phil Beaumont. I can’t remember when I first met Phil. It seems he, along with his wife Yuko, have been staples in the San Diego art scene for as long as I’ve lived here. They are routinely some of the most dedicated supporters of local artists and have acquired a well curated collection. Phil is also a talented musician and singer for the band The Color Forty Nine and until recently was the principal at The Museum School for many years. About the exhibition: Phils new body of work is a series of iPhone videos shot in portrait orientation. Varied in subject matter, each video has an overarching theme of quiet solitude and subtle movement that sometimes borders on near stillness. If patient, the viewer is rewarded with an ethereal state of calm. The piece Furano Hotel is a site specific projection that is perfectly situated within Ice Gallery. We hope to see you at the opening on Saturday February 10th from 5-8pm. If you can’t make the opening, the gallery will be open to the public Tuesday – Friday 11-4. Related links: ICE Gallery website

Ensenada-based artist Guadalupe Vidal will open her first exhibition in the United States at Bread and Salt, in the main gallery, on view beginning Feb. 10. Guadalupe Vidal's work is architectural, often using engraved clay bricks and other constructions to form sculptures and installations. Vidal also uses clay and brick dust on canvases. Opens with a reception from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 during Barrio Art Crawl. Related links: Bread and Salt: website | Instagram

At least 56 people died after consuming methanol-laced liquor produced in the Kallakurichi district. Several regions in India have seen mass casualties due to consumption of tainted alcohol.

Are you interested in the farm-to-table food movement, preserving urban-facing agriculture, and knowing your local farmers? If you would enjoy tasting locally sourced bites and beverages while learning more about agriculture in San Diego County, then GRAZE at the Fields is the event for you! On Thursday, May 2 , from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., San Diego County Farm Bureau will be hosting a one-of-a-kind tasting and education event at the world-renowned Carlsbad Flower Fields. Just 300 people will be able to taste our local bounty in crafted bites and beverages, while interacting with the farmers and purveyors who grew and made them. Here is what guests can expect: stations offering unique bites creatively prepared by San Diego chefs, regional craft beverages, local growers and farmers, and supporting businesses of San Diego agriculture. San Diego County Farm Bureau on Facebook