Events This Week

U.S. and Korean Perspectives on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement Wednesday, December 14, 12:00-2:00 p.m. George Washington University Room 505 The Elliott School of International Affairs 1957 E Street NW Washington, DC 20006 RSVP: go.gwu.edu/KORUSNov29

Yoon-shik Park, Professor of International Finance, GW Kim Ghee-whan, Minister for Economic Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Korea Commentator: Gregg Brazinsky, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, GW Congress passed the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) on October 12, 2011. The United States and the Republic of Korea had signed the KORUS FTA in June 2007. In December 2010, the U.S. and Korea concluded new agreements, reflected in letters signed in February 2011 that provided new market access and leveled the playing field for U.S. auto manufacturers and workers. The agreement is the United States' most commercially significant free trade agreement in more than 16 years.

Sponsored by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the Rising Powers Initiative

Sheckys Girls Night Out Washington DC 2011

Event Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 5:00pm - Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 10:00pm Price: $15.00 DAR Constitution Hall Venue Address: 1776 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20006

Girls Night Out is coming to DC and youre invited!

Discover unique designers, sip our delectable drinks, and cap your night with some pretty pampering and glorious Goodie Bags (trust us, you dont want to miss the goodies).

Details & tickets here: http://www.sheckys.com/events/6503/girls-night-out-washington-dc-fall-2011/

Refresh DC Holiday Happy Hour Wednesday, December 14, 6:30 p.m. Bread & Brew 1247 20th Street NW Register: http://refreshdcdec2011.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivtefor&invite=MTUwNDM0NC9LQ09NTUFSVFNAWUFIT08uQ09NLzA%3D&utm _source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformal&utm_term=eventpage

We're closing out another great year with our annual Holiday Happy Hour! This year, we'll be gathering at Bread & Brew located at 1247 20th Street NW. They have a fantastic selection of drinks and amazing food. To help us celebrate, we've lined up some great sponsors to assist with the bar tab. The plan is to have a Refresh DC tab that we can enjoy until we use it up. Thanks again for making 2011 a great year and we're looking forward to seeing you!

Holiday Open House December 14, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center 901 K Street NW 11th floor You are invited to a reception filled with merriment, good cheer, the latest Xbox 360/Kinect games and a special guest via Skype from the North Pole.

To make sure everyone has a merry season, we will be participating in the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation drive. If you would like to join us, please bring an unwrapped present to our reception and place it in the designated drop-off box.

The Cato Institutes Center for Constitutional Studies invites you to a Book Forum Because of the ongoing construction in our building expansion, this Cato Institute Book Forum will be held at Mount Vernon Place Undercroft Auditorium

900 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001

Design for Liberty: Private Property, Public Administration, and the Rule of Law
(Harvard University Press)
Featuring the author

Richard A. Epstein
New York University School of Law
with comments by

Adam Liptak
New York Times Supreme Court Reporter
moderated by

Roger Pilon
Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute

Purchase Book Without question, the most profound domestic change in America over the past century has been the vast expansion of government under the progressive worldview. Defining itself in opposition to once-dominant classical liberal theories that stressed the roles of private property, individual liberty, and limited government, progressivism received its highest expression during Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, yet its influence continues to dominate our politics today. The signs are clear, however, that government is creaking under the enormous weight of this expansion. In his new book, Richard Epstein argues that our overregulated state allows too much discretion on the part of regulators, which results in arbitrary, unfair decisions, rent-seeking, and other abuses. Please join us for what promises to be an illuminating exchange of ideas about our current state of affairs.

Thursday, December 15, 2011 Noon

(Luncheon to follow)
Mount Vernon Place Undercroft Auditorium 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20001

Cato Book Forums and luncheons are free of charge. To register, visit www.cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by noon on Wednesday, December 14, 2011. If you can't make it to the Forum, watch the archived video online at http://www.cato.org/events/archive.html. Videos are usually available 24 hours after the event.

Copyright 2011 Cato Institute 1000 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20001

David Broza concert Thursday, December 15, 8:00 p.m. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue 600 I Street NW Washington, DC 20001 This event is FREE, but RSVP is mandatory. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9vRnBqTFp2cDVLZWRNUjdGeF8yQ1E6MQ

For decades, singer-songwriter David Broza has been steadily gaining a reputation throughout the world as one of the great international songwriters and performers. With 19 albums to his name, Broza has been likened to superstars such as Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Jackson Browne. The multi-platinum Israeli artist will perform his globably renowned folk-rock.

You are cordially invited to the National Association of Broadcasters Holiday Reception Thursday, December 15, 6:00-8:00 p.m. 1771 N Street NW Washington DC 20036 Register: http://www.nab.org/forms/invites/nabHolidayParty.asp

Presented by the JICC, Embassy of Japan and the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C.

Hana
The Tale of a Recluctant Samurai

2005 HANA FILM PARTNERS. Licensed by FUNimation Productions, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, December 15, 6:30 p.m.

Japan Information and Culture Center 1150 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 238-6900 From the director of Still Walking and Nobody Knows comes this charmingly off-beat tale of a shy young samurai sent to avenge the death of his father. Dependent on the rapidly depleting funds of his dojo to finance his mission, he settles into a squalid section of the bustling town of Edo, surrounded by a motley crew of colorful characters. After

jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp

befriending a beautiful young widow and her 7 year old son, he finds his time better spent teaching children to read and write than hunting down his father's assassin. But when he discovers that the killer is living nearby, he must choose whether to bury the sword or follow the way of the samurai. Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG. 127 min, 2006. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. This event is free and open to the public. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat. Registered guests will be seated first. Open seats will be given to guests on standby when the program begins.

Register Now!

What Would Helmut Schmidt Do? Leadership in a Time of Crisis Thursday, December 15, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
German Historical Institute 1607 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington, DC 20009-2562 RSVP: (202) 387-3355 or orevents@ghi-dc.org

Program 6:00 p.m. Reception

6:30 p.m. Welcome Hartmut Berghoff, Director, German Historical Institute Stephen Szabo, Executive Director, Transatlantic Academy

6:45 p.m. Lecture Theo Sommer, Die Zeit With the departure of Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and George Papandreou in Greece, the present crisis of the Euro is turning out to be a crisis for Europe's leadership. In this lecture, Theo Sommer will look back at a European leader of a different moment: Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. As one of the leaders of European integration in the 1970s, Schmidt was instrumental in the creation of the European Monetary System, a major precursor to the embattled European Economic and Monetary Union of today. Theo Sommer is the Editor-at-Large of the German weekly Die Zeit. Starting in 1973, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the paper and from 1992 until 2000 he also served as its Publisher. His most recent book, Unser Schmidt: Der Staatsmann und der Publizist, is a first- hand account of Helmut Schmidt's career both as a politician and later during his tenure as Publisher for Die Zeit. In cooperation with the Transatlantic Academy and the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius.

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Youth Activism in Russia: Can a New Generation Make a Difference? Thursday, December 15, 12:00-2:00 p.m. (Lunch served 12:00-12:30 p.m.) National Endowment for Democracy 1025 F Street NW Suite 800 Washington, DC 20004 RSVP: http://russiayouthactivism.eventbrite.com/ featuring: Dr. Tamirlan Kurbanov, Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow with comments by: Dr. Nadia Diuk, National Endowment for Democracy In the twenty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has embarked on a difficult path toward democracy. Since then, the only consensus of both the Russian domestic community and outside observers is that the journey has been tumultuous. Yet, the political engagement of young people in Russia has grown markedly over the last ten years, even as it has varied dramatically from region to region. Can the relative success of youth-led groups in Russias northwestern region be replicated in the countrys southern outposts in spite of their different political, economic, and social environments? How can lessons learned from youth-led groups be applied cross-regionally? Dr. Tamirlan Kurbanov will address these questions and offer insights into the dynamics of young peoples involvement, including their motivations, challenges, and impact on the Russian political system. Dr. Kurbanov will explain the mindsets and attitudes of Russias new generation and offer recommendations for strengthening the role of youth in Russias democratic journey. Dr. Nadia Diuk will provide comments. About the speakers

Dr. Tamirlan Kurbanov most recently served as a program officer at the Moscow office of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, where he was involved in developing and expanding the capacities of political and civic organizations; promoting citizen participation in public life, youth engagement in particular; and encouraging constructive dialogue among representatives of the Russian government, civil society, and the small business sector. Prior to joining NDI, he served as a research scholar at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in international law from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry and an L.L.M. from the University of Minnesota. During his fellowship, Dr. Kurbanov plans to explore effective methods of promoting civic engagement among youth, including the use of both traditional and digital communications to influence decision makers and effect democratic change. He plans to document his findings in the form of a training manual on youth engagement in public life. Dr. Nadia Diuk is the vice president of programs for Africa, Central Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Endowment for Democracy.

CityVision Final Presentation: Fall 2011 Friday, December 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Great Hall National Building Museum 401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 During the fall 2011 CityVision semester, twenty-five students from Browne Education Campus and Takoma Education Campus learned about urban design, and explored the city. In collaboration with volunteers from the DC Office of Planning and the DC metro area, the students investigated and analyzed underused areas in Columbia Heights, NoMa, and the Navy Yard. They will present their plans for filling vacant lots of land to create denser, more vibrant communities. CityVision instills in students that they can change the world around them and enact positive change in their lives and the lives of others through good design. As students explore neighborhoods, brainstorm solutions and accomplish projects together, they learn the importance of teamwork, problem solving, and advocacy skills. For more information, please contact Outreach Programs at cityvision@nbm.org or (202) 272-2448.
CityVision is supported by American Architectural Foundation; Bloomberg; the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; The William Randolph Hearst Foundations; and MARPAT Foundation. Additional support for outreach programs is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Clark Charitable Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; Sunrise Foundation; and The Tower Companies, among others.

December 16 at 6:00 PM Brian Baumbusch will present Atahualpa Yupanqui's "El payador perseguido" An evening of Argentinean Folk Music, featuring a lecture and presentation of exclusive video footage, Northern Argentinean Quechua folk music, then a reception with Malbec and empanadas, and finally a performance of Atahualpa Yupanqui's "El payador perseguido" by American composer Brian Baumbusch.

when Friday, December 16 6:00-9:00 p.m.

where Embassy of Argentina 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington DC 20009 (M) Dupont Circle sponsored by Embassy of Argentina information www.brianbaumbusch.com

the artist Brian Baumbusch is a composer and multiinstrumentalist based in New York who has spearheaded projects of both western and non-western music which are considered a cultural treat (Maryland Gazette). He has headlined performances at the Clarice Smith Center of Maryland, The GALA Theatre of Washington, Kresge Hall at MIT, Boston, and the Prado Concert Series in Madrid, and has collaborated with musicians such as Evan Ziporyn, Jose Luis Merlin, and I Made Bandem. Baumbusch has lectured on composition and world music at the University of Maryland, Union College, Holy Cross, Bard College, and the Escuela TAI of Madrid.

Just two shopping weeks left for the holidays and Bell is ready to help! From party wines and spirits to the perfect gift bottle, we can help you sort through the options and find just the right item for your holiday needs!

The Bell staff is excited about the fantastic beer, wine and spirits we have to offer, as well as the events we have planned during the Holiday Sale! This week's highlights include

December 16, 5:00-8:00 p.m. - New World Wine Tasting December 17, 12:00-3:00 p.m. - Saturday Wine Tasting

Bell Wine & Spirits 1821 M Street NW Washington, DC 20036

1213 King Street Alexandri a, Virginia (703) 549-6006

Wednesda y thru Sunday January March 11am 5pm April December 11am 6pm
(Other hours by appointment)

Small Works and Holiday Silent Auction

Reception

Saturday, December 17 5:00-8:00 p.m.

There is still time to bid on our Holiday Silent Auction pieces and to purchase small works perfect for gift giving (or for yourself!) Bidding for the auction pieces will take place until the last half hour of the reception. No need to be present to win!

Please join us for our Holiday Gala Reception, enjoy refreshments and meet our artist members.

Wassail! An Anglo-Saxon Yule Celebration Sunday, December 18, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. National Geographic 1600 M Street NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 857 7588

Enjoy a winters day in an Anglo-Saxon village as you take in traditional music, crafts, and weaponry.

Interpreted by members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, participants will experience the mirth and merriment of an Anglo-Saxon winter. The days events will include a warrior in full armor and weaponry, a brewing station with tastings, a weaving demonstration, a variety of musicians and a staged reading of Beowulf, and a presentation called The WellDressed Anglo-Saxon. The event will take place in the Museums M Street building, located at 1600 M Street NW. This workshop is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Anglo-Saxon Hoard: Gold from Englands Dark Ages About the Presenters: The Society for Creative Anachronism, or SCA, is an international organization dedicated to researching and recreating the arts, skills, and traditions of pre-17th-century Europe. SCA members study and take part in a variety of activities, including combat, archery, equestrian activities, costuming, cooking, metalwork, woodworking, music, dance, calligraphy, fiber arts, and much more. If it was done in the Middle Ages or Renaissance, odds are youll find someone in the SCA interested in re-creating it. What makes the SCA different from a Humanities 101 class is the active participation in the learning process. To learn about the clothing of the period, you research it, then sew and wear it yourself. To learn about combat, you put on armor (which you may have built yourself) and learn how to defeat your opponent. To learn brewing, you make (and taste) your own wines, meads, and beers. This event is FREE and open to the public. http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/special-events/2011/12/18/wassail/

Chanukah Open House Tuesday, December 20, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. National Museum of American Jewish Military History 1811 R Street NW Free event--families welcome. Candle-lighting! Latkes and doughnuts! Tour the museum! Songs and prayers! RSVP suggested to Mary Westley at mwestley@nmjamh.org or (202) 265-6280 ext. 511