With $26,500 in awards, the 2010 Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships essay contest is now accepting submissions, and we invite college students and junior faculty members to enter! And, the winners of the 2009 Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships will be announced in October.

In addition, I am writing about some special programs here at the Independent Institute that we hope will be of interest to students:

1. Interested in the news media and advancing the ideas of liberty in public debate? The Independent Institute is currently seeking a Publicity Assistant, a full-time, paid, entry-level position at our headquarters in Oakland, Calif.


2. Students are invited to explore the fascinating world of the ethical and economic principles of free markets and free societies at our Challenge of Liberty Summer Seminar, August 10-14, in Oakland, Calif. A blend of lectures, multi-media presentations, and class discussion, this highly popular seminar equips students with a fine-tuned understanding of the ideas of liberty and the world they will soon enter.


3. Interested in learning how a leading think tank advances its mission of improving public policy? Students are encouraged to apply for the Independent Institute’s Internship Program and learn about Publicity, Marketing, Development, or Publishing/Information Technology.


4. Want to stay tuned to the latest developments in on liberty in public policy and network with others?
   
   
   • Connect with the Independent Institute by becoming a Fan via Facebook, and please invite your friends, family, and associates to do likewise.
   
   
   • Follow the Independent Institute on Twitter.


5. Please also join with us and post your comments on The Beacon, our fearless new blog dedicated to fostering bold and innovative public debate and appreciation for the ideas of individual liberty, market economies, personal responsibility, and the rule of law. Bloggers include Robert Higgs, David Beito, Peter Klein, Jonathan Bean, Anthony Gregory, Mary Theroux, William Shughart, Randall Holcombe, and others.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you very much again!
Sincerely,
David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David J. Theroux
Founder and President
The Independent Institute
100 Swan Way
Oakland, CA 94621-1428
DJTheroux@independent.org
510-632-1366 phone
510-568-6040 fax

Memories of Slovakia

Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Washington, DC and the Friends of Slovakia are planning a special art exhibition at the Slovak Embassy in November to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and to recognize Slovak artists whose paintings are now in the United States. We hope you will participate.

The exhibition, Memories of Slovakia: Slovak Paintings in American Collections, will showcase works by established Slovak artists now owned privately by Slovak Americans and others with ties to Slovakia. The exhibition will run from November 7, 2009 to mid January 2010.

We invite you to participate in this event by lending up to three (3) works from your personal collection. The paintings – oil, watercolor, or mixed media – should be no larger than 1 m x 1 m (40” x 40”). Although the Embassy does not carry insurance coverage for its exhibits, security is excellent. You may, however, wish to check that your insurance covers your paintings while on loan as is the case with many homeowners’ policies. The Embassy will store, hang, and display the paintings. Participants are asked to deliver their selected works to the Slovak Embassy prior to October 15th.

Please submit one form for each painting, along with a color photograph, to Michal Pavuk at the Slovak Embassy (see address on the attached form). The deadline for receipt of submissions is August 28, 2009. A committee of Friends of Slovakia art experts will review all proposals to ensure both high quality and broad representation of Slovak artists. We also ask that all participants prepare a brief statement of the painting’s provenance, how it was acquired and what it means to the collector.

We hope all the exhibitors will join us here in Washington for the exhibit’s festive opening on November 7th. We will recognize your participation in the program and in person. And, we encourage you to talk with the guests about your entries.

Thank you very much for your support. We look forward to working with you on this important event commemorating the Velvet Revolution and the close ties of friendship and culture between the United States and Slovakia,

Sincerely,

Peter Burian
Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the U.S.A.

Theodore E. Russell
Founding Chairman, Friends of Slovakia
U.S. Ambassador (Retired)

Proposal form

Looking for a native speaker to help us learn correct pronunciation

Hello,

I am a member of Solstice (www.solsticesings.com), a female vocal septet based in the Bay Area which focuses largely on world music. We are currently working with local composer Amy X. Neuberg on a Song Cycle she has composed using recipes in several European languages, one of which is Czech. We are looking for a native speaker to help us learn correct pronunciation. This could be done in person or via a spoken recording of the text. Please contact info@solsticesings.com if you are interested in helping us represent this language accurately. Thanks so much in advance.

Krista Enos
Solstice

Cafe Prague is looking for a waiter / waitress

Cafe Prague is looking for a waiter / waitress for its recently opened locations in San Francisco downtown and in Mission. Preferably Czech or Slovak speaking. Should you or anyone you know be interested, contact cafeprague@earthlink.com

Czech classes in SF

My name is Wiley, I'm a local glass artist and am currently applying for graduate study at an art school in Prague. Though the school does not require it, I would like to try to learn a little Czech before I go. Even if I don't get into the school I would still like to learn the language as so many of the worlds great glass casters are Czech. I looked into a language course at CCSF but they didn't offer one, and when I looked up Czech classes in SF your site was one that popped up. I was wondering if you knew of anywhere that taught beginner Czech. Any assistance you could provide would be most appreciated.
Sincerely,
Wiley Jackson

Jak uzivate cesky jazyk?

Dobry den, prijela jsem na mesic do Redwood City a mym zajmem jsou jazykove biografie. Proto by pro me bylo velice zajimave slyset Vase vypraveni, jak jste v US uzivali Cj a jak jste se ucili Aj a co napr Vase deti - zda jeste Cj ovladaji a jake maji moznosti se Cj ucit. Zajima mi take otazka Cj / zda je Cj uzivana vyhradne jako domaci jazyk, nebo tez jako cizi jazyk. Pokud je kdokoli z Vasi skupinky ochoten se mnou hovorit, prosim, kontaktujte mi: katka.cerna@email.cz

Looking for dancers to perform on annual Flower Show in theme of "A Bohemian Garden."

My name is Stephanie and I work in the special events department for Macy's in San Francisco. I am looking to hire a group of dancers to perform for our annual Flower Show event that takes place for two weeks in April. This year's theme is "A Bohemian Garden." Does your group perform any Bohemian/Traditional Czech style dancing? If not, do you know of a group that does practice this type of dance? I am not too familiar with dance and would appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!

Stephanie Morgan | stephanie.c.morgan@macys.com
Coordinator | Macy*s Special Events
170 O'Farrell St., 11th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.393.3741
Fax: 415.954.6677