Lectures
Want to challenge your brain, even when it's hot, hot, hot in the city?
When it comes to lectures, Manhattan has it covered Here are some ways to build your brain power this summer.
Managing U.S.-China Relations
'Unprecedented in the History of Nations': Managing U.S.-China Relations; part of Asia: Beyond the Headlines, a series of conversations with policymakers; Wednesday, May 29, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Ave. at 70th Street; speakers include James B. Steinberg, dean of the Maxwell School and University Professor of Social Science, International Affairs and Law, formerly Deputy Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton; and Susan Shirk, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State during the Clinton Administration, in conversation with Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society in New York and the author of 14 books, nine of them about China; $10, members; $12, students/seniors; $15, nonmembers; www.asiasociety.org.
Superstorm Sandy: Are We Ready for the Next One?
The program 'Superstorm Sandy: Are We Ready for the Next One?' is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., at 34th Street, 1201 Elebash Recital Hall. The program includes three panels that will address public health, disaster preparedness, and scientific prediction and assessment. Experts will discuss lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy's devastation.
Among the participants are Dr. William Solecki, professor of geography; director, Institute for Sustainable Cities, Hunter College (CUNY), and co-chair, Mayor's Panel on Climate Change; Dr. William J. Fritz, professor of geology and interim president, College of Staten Island (CUNY), and Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg, distinguished professor of urban public health, Hunter College (CUNY). Admission is free, first-come, first-served; 212.817.8215.
Putting America's House in Order
Hear the lecture, Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order at The New York Historical Society Museum, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, Tuesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m. Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and former director of policy planning for the Department of State will speak and Roger Hertog, chairman of the New-York Historical Society, will moderate. Admission is $30; members, $18, 212. 873.3400.
Celebrating Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak's life will be celebrated at the 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St., Tuesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. Children's book historian Leonard S. Marcus, Sendak's long-time friend, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer and others will speak; admission is $15; 212.413.8806; http://www.92y.org/Tribeca/.
Actress and conservationist Jane Alexander will speak on Ending the War on Wildlife, Monday, June 3, at The Explorer's Club's NYC Headquarters, 46 E. 70th St. Tickets are free for members, $20 for guests, and $5 for students with a valid ID; reservations suggested 212.628.8383 or reservations@explorers.org.
Farming the Five Boroughs
Learn how New Yorkers are finding ways to farm in urban landscapes at 'Eat the City: Farming the Five Boroughs,' Tuesday, May 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 103 Orchard St. Speakers will discuss how New Yorkers are planting and harvesting crops on rooftops, in vacant lots and warehouses, part of the series, Culinary Conversations. "Eat the City" author Robin Shulman will lead a roundtable of urban agriculture advocates including sustainability expert Derek Denckla of The Greenest and Ian Marvey, director of Red Hook's Added Value. Local farm-to-table food and drink vendors offer a diverse tasting menu. Tickets are $30; 212.982.8420; http://www.tenement.org/
New York's Non-Traditional Housing
Find out about non-traditional housing in the Big City Wednesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. during 'All Shapes and Sizes: New York's Non-Traditional Housing Types.' The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, will host Gwendolyn Wright, professor of architecture, Columbia University; Kathy Peiss, professor of American history, University of Pennsylvania, and Donald Albrecht, curator of the exhibit at the museum, to discuss the housing that flourished in New York before the 1950s. Cost is $6, museum members; $8 for seniors and students; $12, general public; 917.492.3395.
Gen. David Petraeus with Charlie Rose
At the 92nd Street Y, Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, Gen. David Petraeus in Conversation with Charlie Rose is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, at 8 p.m. in the Kaufmann Concert Hall at the Y. The focus will be on Petraeus' approach to leadership, military strategy, modern warfare, foreign policy, and his future plans.
Petraeus served in the U.S. Army for more than 37 years. A four-star general, he served four years in Iraq, his final four there as the commander of the surge.
After Iraq, the four-star general commanded U.S. Central Command and then U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following his military career, he served as director of the CIA.
Rose is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of Charlie Rose, the nightly PBS program.
Tickets are $47; www.92y.org; 212.415.5500.