Talk is Free but Definitely Not Cheap

First a reminder - the Israel Studies Program at Wesleyan presents author Benny Morris in Room 108 of the Usdan Student Center tonight at 8 p.m. His book "1948: The First Arab-Israeli War", is a comprehensive and controversial look at the beginning of a conflict that shows no signs of abating.

One of the longest running programs on the Wesleyan campus is the Center for the Humanities Lecture series. Every Monday during the Fall and Spring semesters, scholars from around the country and world come to The Russell House, 350 High Street, and deliver talks that are challenging, thought-provoking and, often, quite impressive.

The title of the Spring 09 series is "Figuring 'The Human'" and begins tonight at 8 p.m. Steven Greenhouse, Labor & Workplace Reporter for The New York Times, will deliver a talk titled "Human Labor: Toward Dignity or Degradation, How America Has Fallen Short of the Ideal." His new book, "The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker", was issued last year and is a tough but clear-eyed look at how workers at all levels of the economy have suffered. In the words of Random House, the book's publisher, Greenhouse "explains how economic, business, political, and social trends—among them globalization, the influx of immigrants, and the Wal-Mart effect—have fueled the squeeze. We see how the social contract between employers and employees, guaranteeing steady work and good pensions, has eroded over the last three decades, damaged by massive layoffs of factory and office workers and Wall Street’s demands for ever-higher profits."

The talk (and the entire series) is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Center at 685-3044.