World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities

In November, we explored the Role of Religions in Peace-Making, a very interesting and timely program, when violent acts are front page news. Our panel, including a Christian, a Jew and a Muslim, proposed that people of faith can and must stand together to work for peace and justice in society. The November program was inspired by a senior seminar course at Scott Community College taught by Professor Nnachi Umennachi (a past president of the Quad Cities World Affairs Council.)

October 2009 Program: Germany: 20-Year Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

In October, we had a huge crowd of over 130 people to hear about the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Our speaker, John Stark, offered an engaging and illuminating program. After the talk, Professor Stark received his certificate of appreciation from a special celebrity guest, the President of the National Association of World Affairs Councils, Kirk Talbott. Mr. Talbott encouraged all attendees to support their local World Affairs Council.

September 2009 Program: Fifty Years of John Deere in Germany: Local Business, Global Impact

The kick off program for the 2009-2010 World Affairs year was a presentation by Klaus Hoehn, from John Deere and Company. We were delighted to see the room filled, and to have to set up a couple dozen more chairs to accommodate the 80+ people who turned up to be part of the program. Dr. Hoehn shared not a historical perspective of John Deere’s half century relationship with Germany, but also a personal perspective as a German native. He eloquently told the story of how the word tractor is now synonymous with John Deere in his country of origin. Many of his John Deere colleagues turned out to support (and sometimes poke fun at) their co-worker. All in all the audience appreciated the banter, and had many questions related to both the agriculture and culture of Germany. Klaus answered all, with grace, and everyone went home with a deeper understanding of how this local company has an enormous impact in Germany and in many other countries.