Category: Show on Sidebar (Page 3 of 3)

Mark Nunan, a long time DMA member and prolific convener and presenter, will provide a focus on Slovenia, its history and place historically in Europe and in the geopolitics of the 20th century—the nature of the country, its experience in the world wars, its post-war assimilation by Yugoslavia, and its eventual emergence as an independent nation.

Slavoj Žižek, philosopher and Director of the Birbeck Institute of the Humanities at London University is the best-known Slovenian public intellectual. He has pointed to the many paradoxes characterizing the Balkans, and his home country, as follows.

“This very alibi confronts us with the first of many paradoxes concerning Balkan: its geographic delimitation was never precise. It is as if one can never receive a definitive answer to the question, “Where does it begin?” For Serbs, it begins down there in Kosovo or Bosnia, and they defend the Christian civilization against this Europe’s Other. For Croats, it begins with the Orthodox, despotic, Byzantine Serbia, against which Croatia defends the values of democratic Western civilization. For Slovenes, it begins with Croatia, and we Slovenes are the last outpost of the peaceful Mitteleuropa. For Italians and Austrians, it begins with Slovenia, where the reign of the Slavic hordes starts. For Germans, Austria itself, on account of its historic connections, is already tainted by Balkanic corruption and inefficiency. For some arrogant Frenchmen, Germany is associated with the Balkanian Eastern savagery—up to the extreme case of some conservative anti-European-Union Englishmen for whom, in an implicit way, it is ultimately the whole of continental Europe itself that functions as a kind of Balkan Turkish global empire with Brussels as the new Constantinople, the capricious despotic center threatening English freedom and sovereignty. So Balkan is always the Other: it lies somewhere else, always a little bit more to the southeast, with the paradox that, when we reach the very bottom of the Balkan peninsula, we again magically escape Balkan. Greece is no longer Balkan proper, but the cradle of our Western civilization.”

That’s a lot to think about! Mark will try to sort it out.

Mark, who currently lives in Slovenia, was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1953. At an early age, he moved to Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1976. He continued his education at Stanford University, where he was awarded a master’s in 1979 and a Ph.D. in 1983. Mark also studied at L’ENS (L’école normale supérieure) and at the University of Paris-Sorbonne in Paris as part of his Ph.D. program.

Mark started his career at COS Inc. in 1982 in Palo Alto, Calif., and then transferred to Paris and New York City, where he retired as a senior vice president in 2018. COS is a private firm that provides business and economic development services, assisting companies and governments to research, develop and implement new business expansion opportunities globally.

Ron Darling serves as a game analyst for SportsNet New York (SNY) covering the New York Mets. He is also the lead game analyst for Turner Sports’ (TBS) MLB regular and post-season telecast coverage as well as a studio analyst year-around for MLB Network.

Ron joined SNY in 2006 and works alongside former teammate Keith Hernandez and play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen. In addition to his game analyst work, Darling also contributes to SNY’s Mets pre- and post-game shows and to the SNY website. Darling won an Emmy Award for best “Sports Analyst” in his first season with SNY and again in 2011.

Since 2013, Darling has served as an offseason studio analyst, where he regularly appears on the Emmy Award-winning flagship show MLB Tonight and the daily offseason morning show Hot Stove.

During his playing days on the diamond, Darling spent nine seasons as a starting pitcher for the New York Mets highlighted by winning the 1986 World Series. During his 13-year career, the Gold Glove winner also played five seasons with the Oakland Athletics after a short stint with the Montreal Expos. He amassed a win-loss record of 136-116 and recorded 1,590 strikeouts with a 3.87 ERA.

Ron was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame this past February. He was a student at Yale from 1979-81.

Ron has made a significant impact in the community through the Ron Darling Foundation, raising money for diabetes research due to his eldest son Jordan being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 11. He also sits on the Board of Directors for both the Diabetes Research Institute and Habitat For Humanity.

He has authored three books: “The Complete Game: Reflections of Baseball and the Art of Pitching” (2009), “Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life” (2016) and “108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters From My Time In the Game” (2019).

Ron was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended Yale University where he was a two-time All-American, leading the Bulldogs to two Ivy League titles. He and his wife Joanna currently reside in Connecticut. He has three sons named Tyler, Jordan and Ronald.

Arranged by Paul Steinborn

As Congress and the Supreme Court relegate an increasing number of responsibilities and authorities to the states—the core tenet of federalism—it raises questions about states’ capacity to meet these expectations and whether state constitutions provide sufficient guidance within states for direction of state governments’ permitted roles and obligations toward citizens’ rights. Our state attorney general will share his perspective on how states’ can work together on tasks once considered federal and on how human rights in Connecticut can be protected.

William Tong is the 25th Attorney General to serve Connecticut since the office was established in 1897. He took office on January 9, 2019 as the first Asian American elected at the statewide level, in Connecticut.

Before his election as Attorney General, Tong served for 12 years in Connecticut’s General Assembly representing the 147th District, which includes North Stamford and Darien. Most recently, Tong served as House Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In this position Tong was responsible for all legislation related to constitutional law, criminal law, civil rights, consumer protection, probate, judicial nominations and the Judicial branch, and major areas of substantive law.

During his service in the legislature, Tong helped lead passage of landmark legislation, including the Connecticut Second Chance Act, Domestic Violence Restraining Order Act, Lost and Stolen Firearms Act, the Act Protecting Homeowner Rights, and the Act Protecting Schoolchildren.

A Connecticut native, Tong grew up in the Hartford area and attended schools in West Hartford. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School. Before his election as Attorney General, he practiced law for 18 years as a litigator in both state and federal courts, first at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, in New York City and then for 15 years at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, in Stamford.

Tong is the oldest of five children, and grew up working side-by-side with his immigrant parents in their family’s Chinese restaurant. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Stamford with their three children and too many pets. Elizabeth is Vice President of Tax for North America for Diageo Corporation.