orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org

Upcoming Events

February 7, 2015 – Academic WorldQuest

Register Your OC High School Team Today!

World Affairs Council of Orange County

Invites you to participate in our

7th Annual Academic WorldQuest
February 7, 2015

AWQ

Academic WorldQuest is a team competition, held among Orange County high school students, testing students’ knowledge of global affairs. This year the local winning team from Orange County will have the opportunity to participate in the National Academic WorldQuest in Washington DC in April 2015! Recruit your team of trivia all-stars and join us for an afternoon of fun, food, and friendly competition! 

Who: One team of 4 students per high school

Cost: There is no fee to participate

What: Academic WorldQuest competition to be held on February 7, 2015 in Orange County. Teams respond to a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and open-ended questions in the following categories:

2014-2015 Topics
Russia / Eurasia
Youth, Jobs, and Social Unrest
Food and Water
Future of Energy
Africa Rising
Human Trafficking
Asia and the New Global Economy
Millennium Development Goals: 2015 and Beyond
Great Decisions
Current Events

When: Saturday, February 7, 2015

Tentative Time: 3:30 pm – 7:00 pm.

Registration: – A teacher registers the team by emailing us at Education@WorldAffairsCouncil.org

How: Preparation – A study guide willl be mailed to you when your team is confirmed.



Why it is Important: Academic WorldQuest is a great way for students to learn about and engage in international affairs through fun and challenging activities along with being able to include their experience on their resume or college applications. This year the local winning team from Orange County will have the opportunity to participate in the National Academic WorldQuest in Washington

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January 21, 2015 – “America, still the Indispensable Nation.”

Despite broad public support for a return to American isolationism, American interests require that we stay engaged in global affairs. A world without robust American leadership would be detrimental to the liberal world order we now take for granted.

 

  Wednesday, January 21, 2015

 

 Register Today

 

Bremer

Ambassador L Paul Bremer III

 Presidential Envoy to Iraq, 2003

 

“America, still the Indispensable Nation”

 

During three decades as a professional diplomat, Paul Bremer served many appointments including Ambassador to the Netherlands and Ambassador at Large for Counter Terrorism in the Reagan administration, and was appointed by President Bush as Presidential Envoy to Iraq in 2003.  A Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service and Class of Career Minister, Bremer received the State Department Superior Honor Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award from the Secretary of State. In 2004, Ambassador Bremer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, for his service in Iraq. Bremer was appointed Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorism by House Speaker Dennis Hastert in 1999. He also served on the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism, which authored a 2002 report called “Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism”.

Ambassador Bremer retired from the Foreign Service in 1989 and became Managing Director at Kissinger and Associates, a worldwide consulting firm founded by Henry Kissinger and later served as Chairman and CEO of Marsh Crisis Consulting Company, a firm providing crisis management advice to corporate boards. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Middle East Public Policy. Bremer and his wife were the founders of the Lincoln/Douglass Scholarship Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit that provide high school scholarships to inner-city youths. Mr. Bremer holds a B.A. from Yale University, a Certificat d’Etudes Politiques from the University of Paris and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.  

Wednesday January 21st, 2015

Westin South Coast Plaza

686 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

BUILDING OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY

 

RSVP

 

Program Times

VIP (Private Reception)   6:00 pm – Premium WAC Members

General Reception:         6:00 pm

Dinner:                                 7:00 pm

Program:                             7:45 pm

Prices  

WAC Members$ 75

Non-Members  $ 95

Table of 10 (WAC Members)  $ 750

Student Dinner   $ 50

Student – Program Only    $ 10

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12/03/2014 Bridging Borders through Sounds of the World

World Affairs Council of Orange County

Presents

Bridging Borders through Sounds of the World

 

A Holiday Celebration

with

Carl St. Clair

Music Director, Pacific Symphony

CSC

Carl St. Clair, Conductor and Music Director of Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Costa Rica National Symphony Orchestra will take us on a journey in the world of music and its power to “Bridge Borders” among cultures.

For 25 years under his leadership, the Pacific Symphony has pioneered  a wide range of programs and activities that have brought together diverse cultures and ethnicities, including commissioning and premiering a symphony for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and collaborating with musicians and conductors from Mexico, Syria, China and many other countries.  From 2008 to 2010 he was the general music director for the Komische Oper in Berlin.  In 2014 he assumed the position of music director for the National Symphony Orchestra in Costa Mesa.  He has appeared with orchestras throughout the world from Israel to Japan, Hong Kong to Australia, and South America to Europe.

Maestro St. Clair’s presentation will be augmented by musical performances by two outstanding artists.

Navid Kandelousi is a highly accomplished violinist who has performed with orchestras in France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom after completing studies at the Verdi Conservatory in Milano, Italy and at the Moscow Violin Academy in Moscow.  He has played both the violin and traditional Persian instruments such as the Kamanchah, Setar, and Taar at numerous venues, including the Lincoln Center, Julliard music school, Albert Hall and Sydney’s Symphony Hall.

Grace Zhou is only 12 years old and a student at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, but has already performed her piano wizardry at Carnegie Hall, the Robert Mondavi Performing Arts Center at the University of California Davis and the Spotlight Concert on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.  She appeared with the internationally acclaimed Lang Lang on “The Tonight Show” and the winner of the piano award in the Junior Division of the Modavi Center’s annual Young Artists Competition.

Location: Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel
686 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Congratulations Maestro
To honor Conductor St. Clair on his 25 years with the Pacific Symphony, we are offering you an opportunity to congratulate him in our commemorative program. Please see details when registering for this event.

 REGISTER HERE

 

 PRICES

VIP Reception:                 6:00 pm  Premium Members

General Reception:         6:00 pm

Dinner:                               7:00 pm

Program:                             7:45 pm

Members:                           $110.00

Non-Members:                $130.00

Member table of Ten:   $1,000.00

Student:                              $55.00

Commemorative Program:    $50 Half  page      $100 Full page

Building Our Global Community

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11/10/2014 The Ukraine Tragedy – How the West and Russia Overplay

Download Presentation “The Ukraine Crisis – Oystein Noreng”

(From November 10, 2014 at the Center Club)

 

World Affairs Council of Orange County

welcomes

Øystein Noreng

b;15

 Former Professor of Petroleum Economics and Management at BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway

 

Monday, November 10, 2014

Location: Center Club

650 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

VIP Reception: 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm (Premium Members only)

General Reception: 6:00 pm Dinner: 7:00 pm Program: 7:45 pm

Members: $60.00

Non-Members $70.00

Table of Ten: $550.00 (purchased by Members)

Student: $45.00 Student Program Only: $10.00

Thank you to Norm Tanber, Trustee WACOC, for sponsoring our guest speaker from Norway.

BIO

Professor Øystein Noreng is Norway’s leading energy economist and a profoundly insightful commentator on the geopolitical factors affecting global energy markets. He has authored many international articles and books, most notable Oil on the Fire, an account on the United States and the Iraq War. He was a research fellow for the Norwegian Humanities Research Council from 1968-1971. Professor Noreng has had numerous teaching and research assistant assignments at Norwegian and foreign universities and institutions. He has been a consultant for numerous Norwegian, foreign, and international public and private organizations including the governments of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the US State Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the UN, the World Bank, the IMF, the International Energy Agency, and several oil and gas companies. There will be a private reception for our Premium Members prior to the dinner and program. Please contact Becky Williams at the WAC office to learn more about this event and about becoming a Premium Member.

Building Our Global Community

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10/16/2014 – Hidden No More: Exposing Human Trafficking in Orange County

30 Minute Film followed by expert Panel Discussion

World Affairs Council of Orange County

Presents

Combating Human Trafficking

NotMyLife

The goal of this program is to increase awareness in the United States of the underlying causes and profound dangers of human trafficking.

Please join the World Affairs Council of Orange County, in partnership with the World Affairs Council of America and a generous grant from Carlson & the Carlson Family Foundation for a panel discussion on combating human trafficking. We will bring together law enforcement officials, victims advocates, and subject matter experts for a panel discussion to raise awareness of the issue. The panel will also highlight legislation being advanced at the federal level that will help prevent sex trafficking.

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2014

Location: Port Theater in Corona Del Mar
2905 East Coast Hwy, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

(949) 723-6333

This will be a 30 minute movie screening with a panel discussion to follow.The Moderator will be Annie Kim from UNICEF.

Panelists include:

Lita Mercado (OC Human Trafficking Task Force)
Craig Friesen (Lt from Anaheim Police Dept)
Sandra Morgan (Director for Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University)
Sara Catalan (Chief of Staff, Congressman Ed Royce’s office)

A program of the World Affairs Councils of America with support provided by a grant from Carlson & the Carlson Family Foundation.

 

 

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9/7/2014 – Annual Trustees Luncheon

World Affairs Council

of Orange County 

Cordially invites our Trustees to attend the

 Annual Trustees Luncheon 

join us for Breathtaking Views
Overview of the “State of the Council”at the

Balboa Bay Club & Resort

BBC

You are invited and requested to attend the Annual Trustees Luncheon of the Council’s Board of Trustees, which will be held on Sunday, September 7, 2014. Spouses and guests also are invited to attend.The Annual Trustees Meeting is an important event for the Council. You will be asked to elect the Council’s Executive Board and Officers for the coming year. In addition, Board Chairman, Leslie McNamara, will provide the overview of the “State of the Council”, and special reports will be provided by our Council’s officers on our finances and investments, our program results, our educational outreach efforts and our membership status. There will also be time for you to ask questions, comment, and offer suggestions and recommendations for the Council’s activities over the coming year.

Participation in the Annual Trustees Meeting is a key responsibility of our Trustees, and we value your advice, guidance, and feedback very highly. We look forward to seeing you.

Date: Sunday, September 7, 2014

Location: Balboa Bay Club & Resort 

1221 West Coast Highway
The Commodore Room
Newport Beach, Ca. 92663

Price: $75.00

11:30 am Reception * 12:00 pm Lunch * 12:45 pm Meeting

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