NEWS RELEASE, 2/27/97 Next Week at UC Berkeley--March 3 through 9

by Lyn Hunter

Events of interest to the press and public Tuesday, March 4--Nobel Peace Prize Winner Explores Conflict in East Timor For the past 22 years José Ramos-Horta has lead the struggle to end the oppressive Indonesian military control over his native country of East Timor. His work to bring a peaceful solution to the conflict earned Ramos-Horta the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, shared jointly with fellow activist Felipe Ximenes Belo. Ramos-Horta visits the campus to discuss his involvement in the East Timoran struggle for a noon lecture in the Chevron Auditorium at International House. Free tickets to the event are available at the International House Program Office. Office hours are weekdays, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (Media Contact: Suzanne Cowan (510) 642-3386) Tuesday, March 4--Berkeley Faculty Discuss Future of Post-Deng China The recent death of Deng Xiaoping, the last of the founding leaders of Communist China, has focused worldwide attention on the future of China. China's transition comes at a crucial time as Sino-U.S. economic relations evolve, the Hong Kong retrocession proceeds, and human rights issues continue to surface. A group of China experts from UC Berkeley will discuss Deng's political and economic legacy, the prospects for political unrest, and the status of China's relations with the United States and the world. The panel discussion begins at 4 p.m. at the Center for Chinese Studies located at 2223 Fulton St., 6th floor. (Media Contact: Michele Delattre (510) 642-2809) Wednesday, March 5--Canadian Scientist Says Feeding the World Is Easy as Apple Pie Famine in Third World countries is such a common occurrence it seems an accepted part of the planet's many ills. But Vaclav Smil, a geographer with the University of Manitoba, says the capacity to produce enough food for current and future generations is at our fingertips. According to Smil, there are no biophysical obstacles to feeding the world's hungry, but wealthy nations must keep their materialism in check to provide the resources for food production. Smil will discuss his ideas at a campus lecture titled, "Feeding 10 Billion: How It Can Be Done." The talk begins at 12:10 p. m. at 2232 Piedmont Ave. The event is sponsored by UC Berkeley's Demography department. (Media Contact: Amy Ione (510) 642-9800)