Early 2013 Booklist

Date: Wednesday March 21, 2012

The Camden Conference Program Committee has issued an early list of recommended reading for the 2013 Camden Conference, A New Arab Awakening: What Next in the Middle East?

The Committee’s first choice is David Fromkin’s A Peace to End All Peace. 20th Anniversary Edition: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and Creation of the Modern Middle East.

His original book was published in 1989, and now is in a 463-page paper edition with an Afterword by Fromkin. Both will provide a better understanding of how the Ottoman Empire was carved up after WW1 and how it has fared since then. Interestingly, young Winston Churchill was in charge of that huge break-up project.

For more ideas, please see the 2013 Conference Booklist here.

2012 CamCast Videos

Date: Friday March 2, 2012

The Camden Conference is pleased to announce that the Speaker Presentations from the 25th Annual Camden Conference: The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do we have what it takes? are now available! Click here to view them through our website.

Conference begins tonight

Date: Friday February 17, 2012

The 25th annual Camden Conference convenes this evening at 8:00PM with a keynote address by Governor Bill Richardson and continues through Sunday afternoon with an impressive roster of speakers. The Camden Opera House is now sold-out, but seats are still available at all satellite venues: The Strand, Rockland, The Grand, Ellsworth, and The Hutchinson Center, Belfast. Registration begins at 7PM tonight and you may still purchase tickets at the door.

Conference Roster Complete

Date: Monday January 23, 2012

The Camden Conference has filled out its roster of speakers for the February 17-19, 2012 Conference with the addition of Colonel Larry Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is now a visiting professor at the College of William and Mary and a Professional Lecturer in the Honors Program at the George Washington University. He has had a distinguished career in the Army including teaching at the Naval War College and the Marine Corps War College. After several years in the Navy’s Pacific Command, he became a top assistant to General Colin Powell and remained in that role as Powell became Secretary of State.

The Conference begins on Friday evening, February 17 with the Keynote Address by Bill Richardson, former Governor of New Mexico, Congressman, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and presidential candidate in 2008. Richardson will be kicking off the discussion of the Conference theme “The U.S. in a 21^st Century World: Do we have what it takes?”

Saturday morning will begin with Pete du Pont, former Governor of Delaware, member of Congress, presidential candidate in 1988, and currently a journalist and economic consultant, addressing the issues of our faltering economy and our future. Next will be Clyde Prestowitz, founder and president of the Economic Strategy Institute looking at economic issues.

To wrap up the morning will be Amory Lovins, co-founder and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Lovins, an expert on energy and environmental issues, will talk on “Reinventing Fire: A Business-Led Clean Energy Solution for Security and Prosperity.”

Saturday afternoon will focus on national security and diplomacy issues. Larry Wilkerson will lead off with an assessment of our current situation on military and security issues. The team of Wayne Porter and Mark Mykleby will follow with “Beyond Risk and Threat: The Need for a National Strategic Narrative.” Porter and Mykleby served as strategic advisors to Admiral Mike Mullens at the Pentagon and developed a well-known paper on the national strategic narrative.

Nicholas Burns, former Undersecretary of State and currently professor at the Kennedy School at Harvard University will focus on an International Strategy for U.S. Diplomacy. Burns will be moderating much of the Conference and has been very well received in previous years.

Sunday’s talks will address two further key areas – education and media. Robert Schwartz, Professor of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education will look at “U.S. Education in a Global Context.” Deborah Amos, Middle East Foreign Correspondent for National Public Radio, will address media in the modern world.

Throughout the Conference, attendees will have the opportunity to address questions to the speakers both individually and during panels with several of the speakers together. The Conference promises to be stimulating and informative. Perhaps it will even answer the question “Do we have what it takes?”

The 25th Camden Conference will be held February 17 to 19, 2012, at the Camden Opera House and satellite locations in Ellsworth (The Grand), Rockland (Strand Theatre), and Belfast (Hutchinson Center).  Please call 236-1034 to register.

The Camden Conference is a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world affairs through year-round community events, public and student engagement, and an annual weekend Conference featuring distinguished speakers focusing on a central theme related to U.S. foreign affairs.  For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org or call (207) 236-1034.

Earn CLEs at the Conference!

Date: Wednesday December 28, 2011

We are pleased to announce that the 25th Annual Camden Conference has been approved for Maine Continuing Legal Education Credits.

Join us February 17-19, 2012 live from the historic Camden Opera House or from one of our satellite venues in Belfast, Ellsworth or Rockland and earn up to 8.3 CLEs.

General Registration is now open for what promises to be one of the most compelling Camden Conferences ever! The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do we have what it takes? Those wishing to avoid the risk of losing out for one of the much-sought-after spots at the historic Camden Opera House can get a jump on the process by signing up now at www.camdenconference.org

In addition to the live event at the Camden Opera House, the 25th annual Camden Conference will also be streamed live to satellite venues at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast, and The Grand in Ellsworth.

Additional Speakers Announced

Date: Monday December 12, 2011

The Camden Conference in February 2012, entitled “The U.S. in a 21st-Century World: Do We Have What It Takes?” has added three more speakers to the roster.

Given the importance of our country’s education programs, attendees will have the opportunity to gain insight into its successes and flaws from a leader of strategic thinking about education reform in the US. As Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Robert Schwartz teaches the next leaders in the field and for years has advised private and government sectors in developing enlightened education policy and programs. He brings forty years of seasoning in the complicated and often contentious fields of education reform, school-to-work concepts, educational standards programs and urban-school improvement efforts. His experience can help refine our thinking about the value of change in our approach to educating our children.

Captain Wayne Porter (USN) and Colonel Mark Mykleby (USMC Retired) were asked by Mike Mullen, recent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to look far ahead for more effective ways to conduct our foreign policy and reduce overt militarization in US operations around the world. These authors of the game changing ‘ Mr. Y’ report (4/2011) “A National Strategic Narrative” argue that America relies far too much on its military as the primary tool the rest of the world sees and far too little on what really counts—investment in intellectual capital built on a much stronger base of education, health and social services right here at home. As that goes, they argue, so goes our country. Porter and Mykleby will share the insights gained in studying these issues for several years and developing this important report.

The previously announced Conference speakers include former ambassador and Governor Bill Richardson, R. Nicholas Burns of Harvard’s Kennedy School, Deborah Amos of NPR, Clyde Prestowitz of the Economic Strategy Institute, Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and former governor Pete du Pont.

The 25th Camden Conference will be held February 17 to 19, 2012, at the Camden Opera House and satellite locations in Ellsworth (The Grand), Rockland (The Strand), and Belfast (Hutchinson Center). Tickets are currently on sale. For more information, go to www.CamdenConference.org or call 236-1034.

Sen. George Mitchell’s Address

Date: Wednesday November 16, 2011

Former U. S. Senator George Mitchell spoke in Belfast yesterday as part of the distinguished lecture series presented by Senior College and the Camden Conference. If you missed it, you may watch it here.

For a written account of one of Senator Mitchell’s earlier appearances at the Camden Conference, click here.

2012 Booklist Updated

Date: Wednesday November 16, 2011

Several new books have been added to the 2012 Camden Conference recommended reading list, including Bill Clinton’s new book: Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy. New York Times’ Michiko Kakutani, writes: “Bill Clinton’s new book, “Back to Work,” is really several books in one slender volume. It’s a lucid one-man rebuttal of the Tea Party’s anti-government agenda. A series of shrewd talking points for Democrats trying to hold on to the White House and battling for control of Congress in the midst of a sour economy and growing voter discontent. A self-serving reminder of the prosperity the country enjoyed during Mr. Clinton’s tenure in the White House, meant to burnish his legacy. And a practical set of proposals — some borrowed and some new, some innovative and some highly sketchy — for restoring economic growth and creating jobs.” To read the full review, click here.

For the full list of recommended reading, please visit our 2012 Book List Page.

Conference Speakers Announced

Date: Friday November 4, 2011

The Camden Conference in February 2012 turns the spotlight on the United States and the crucial elements that coalesce to shape its foreign (and domestic) policy. Under the broad umbrella of “The U.S. in a 21st-Century World: Do We Have What It Takes?,” topics slated for discussion include: the role of American diplomacy; national security; political gridlock in Washington; the American and global economies; the quality of our public education system; the influence of the media; and energy security and environmental matters.

As in the past 24 years, noted experts will be coming to Camden to share their critical insights on this complex array of issues. In addition to the keynote address by former ambassador and governor Bill Richardson, Camden Conference organizers are delighted to see the return of R. Nicholas Burns, professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School, who will serve as the conference moderator and speak on diplomacy issues. Former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Greece, and State Department spokesman, Burns has received 12 honorary degrees and numerous awards and serves on the boards of many organizations, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Atlantic Council. He is also director of the Aspen Strategy Group, senior counselor at the Cohen Group, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Also returning to the Camden Conference (after seven years) is Deborah Amos, who covers the Middle East for NPR, reporting frequently for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Amos has been a Nieman Fellow and a Shorenstein Fellow (both at Harvard) and has won many national and international journalism awards. Her most recent book is Eclipse of the Sunnis: Power, Exile, and Upheaval in the Middle East.

International trade guru Clyde Prestowitz served as counselor to the Secretary of Commerce in the Reagan administration before establishing the Economic Strategy Institute, which has played key roles in the public policy process, including spurring passage of NAFTA and shaping U.S. trade policies toward Japan, China, and Korea. His latest book, The Betrayal of American Prosperity, considers ways to restore our economic leadership and excellence.

Environmental innovator Amory B. Lovins, cofounder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit “think-and-do tank,” has been active in the areas of energy, resources, environment, development, and security in some 50 countries for more than 35 years. The recipient of countless awards, including the Nissan Prize (for inventing an ultralight-hybrid car), the Delphi Prize, and a MacArthur Fellowship, Lovins has received 10 honorary doctorates and written or cowritten 31 books, including Small Is Profitable, Natural Capitalism, and Winning the Oil Endgame.

Former two-term governor of Delaware Pete du Pont is chairman of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a Dallas-based think tank. He also writes the monthly “Outside the Box” column for www.opinionjournal.com, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial-page website. As governor, he signed into law two income-tax-reduction measures and worked to reform government and make Delaware a leader in the financial-services industry. In 1996, he cofounded and served as editor of IntellectualCapital.com, one of the first public-policy e-zines. In his 1988 Presidential campaign, du Pont focused on the central issues facing our country — the economy, taxes, education, retirement income, and defense.

Additional speakers will be announced as they are confirmed.

The 25th Camden Conference will be held February 17 to 19, 2012, at the Camden Opera House and satellite locations in Ellsworth (The Grand), Rockland (The Strand), and Belfast (Hutchinson Center). Tickets go on sale to the public on November 28. Early tickets available for Camden Conference members. For more information, go to www.CamdenConference.org or call 236-1034.

George Mitchell Lecture

Date: Friday October 21, 2011

Former U. S. Senator George Mitchell will speak in Belfast on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM at the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center. Belfast Senior College and the Camden Conference are co-sponsoring the senator’s first public address in coastal mid-Maine since his resignation as the U.S. Special Envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in May. His talk opens the 2011-2012 Distinguished Speaker Series at Senior College, and the presentation is free and open to the public.

Born in Waterville, Senator Mitchell graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick and Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Following his 15-year service as a U. S. Senator from Maine, he has become known in the last decade as an envoy of the United States to troubled regions. He played a critical role in securing peace in Northern Ireland, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999. In 2000 Mitchell was chosen by President Clinton to lead a fact-finding mission to Israel and Palestine, and, in 2009 President Obama named him the U.S. Special Envoy to the Arab-Israeli peace process, a position he held for more than two years.

Senator Mitchell’s will cover the recent political turbulence in the Middle East and its effect on U.S. foreign policy. A reception will follow his talk.

Seating for 250 will be on a first-come basis in the Conference Center at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center on Route 3 in Belfast. Belfast Senior College and the Camden Conference are joining to bring Senator Mitchell to mid-coast Maine in anticipation of the 25th Annual Camden Conference: The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do we have what it takes? February 17-19, 2012. For more information on The Camden Conference, please visit www.camdenconference.org. For more information on Senior College, please visit www.belfastseniorcollege.org.

For an account of one of Senator Mitchell’s earlier appearances at the Camden Conference, click here.

2012 Keynote Announced

Date: Thursday October 6, 2011

25th Camden Conference Keynote Announced

Does America have what it takes to prosper in the 21st Century World? To compete effectively? Or to thrive and offer its citizens the kinds of satisfying lives they want? These are a few of the varied angles to the challenging question the Camden Conference will be posing at its 25th Conference, Feb. 17-19, 2012: "The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do We Have What it Takes?"

The Camden Conference theme is an unusually searching and introspective one, an examination of the country’s prospects for the future against the backdrop of major transitions in global alignments, an unstable world order, and the rise of new economic power centers in an era of prolonged economic distress. Our political system, our diplomatic and military establishments, our educational system, media, and energy and environmental policies — all will come in for scrutiny. As it has been for the previous 24 years, the aim of the gathering will be to foster informed discourse on world affairs, in this case with a particular eye both to where the country may be exceptionally strong – and to where we may be falling behind.

The keynote speaker who will set the tone for this wide-ranging exploration of our national prospects is Bill Richardson. As a 2008 presidential candidate, governor of New Mexico until last December, and before that US Energy Secretary and Ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration, 15-year congressman, and international negotiator, Richardson is the perfect guide for Conference participants through the maze of issues surrounding the core question of "Do We Have What It Takes?"

When Richardson was nominated by then President-Elect Barack Obama to be Secretary of Commerce in late 2008, the New York Times noted that his was "a resume of unusual breadth."

Who better to explore the prospects for the US role on the evolving world stage, for example, than a man who, besides his experience at the UN, negotiated the release of US prisoners from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, and Cuba — efforts he tried unsuccessfully to repeat in Cuba this autumn and which he may well have further opportunities to replicate in his current role as Special Envoy for the Organization of American States (OAS). Richardson’s earlier successes as a negotiator have won him multiple Nobel Prize nominations.

The political gridlock that has made many question America’s ability to cope with the tough challenges it faces at this time is another aspect of the Conference theme that Richardson will be addressing from a deep base of experience. Having been confirmed unanimously as Secretary of Energy in 1998, Richardson withdrew from consideration for Commerce Secretary in early January 2009, when it emerged that a grand jury was investigating allegations that his administration in New Mexico had awarded contracts improperly to a political donor. The investigation was later dropped with no finding of any wrongdoing, but Richardson said that his nomination would have encountered "an untenable delay" at a time when the new administration was grappling with an economic crisis. It was an incident in a progressive lengthening of delays in confirmation of nominations by presidents of both parties that is part and parcel of a logjam now affecting government decisions of all types.

As the son of a New England banker and a Mexican mother who spent his childhood in Mexico City and his teenage years in Massachusetts, not to mention a former governor of one of the most diverse states in the country, Richardson is also uniquely positioned to address the varied domestic aspects of this more introspective Camden Conference.

Besides his tenure as Secretary of Energy, Richardson’s energy and environmental credentials include developing a requirement that utilities in New Mexico obtain 20% of their electricity from renewable sources. He spurred creation of the Rail Runner Express commuter rail system in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and co-founded the nascent Western Climate Initiative for cap-and-trade carbon control in several western states and Canadian provinces, including Quebec and Ontario. The Western Climate Initiative is similar in concept to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in which Maine participates.

Even education — another part of the Conference topic — is an area on which the former New Mexico governor speaks with pride of having "shifted money from administration to the classroom and increased access to early-childhood education."

Tickets for next February’s Conference — including Richardson’s keynote plus two days of discussion and debate led by a roster of speakers representing a range of viewpoints on all these varied aspects of America’s role in the 21st Century World — will go on sale to Camden Conference Members Nov. 7 and to the general public on Nov. 28. Attendees can listen to and interact with the speakers in person at the Camden Opera House or watch a live-streamed video feed at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, the Hutchinson Center in Belfast or The Grand in Ellsworth.

For more information on the 25th Camden Conference, 2012 Book List, Community Events Series, or Membership, please visit www.camdenconference.org or call 207 236 1034.

CC Season Begins

Date: Wednesday September 28, 2011

Now that fall is here, planning for the 2012 Camden Conference is speeding up. This year’s topic is “The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do we have what it takes?” The speaker line up is starting to take shape, including a very exciting keynote speaker to be announced shortly. The Conference will be taking a more introspective tone than in the recent past in response to the current conditions in our country and around the world and to requests from many of you in Conference evaluations.

The 25th annual Camden Conference takes place February 17-19, 2012 live from the historic Camden Opera House with streaming to satellite venues in Belfast at the Hutchinson Center, Ellsworth at The Grand, and Rockland’s Strand Theatre.

Membership Drive now underway

Membership is another way to support the Conference and a recent mailing has gone out to many of you. Conference ticket sales only cover about 60% of the cost of producing the Conference, so membership along with corporate and foundation fundraising are crucial to our success. Members receive a number of benefits all outlined in the mailing and on our website. Ticket sales open to members on November 7, 2011, three weeks before sales to the general public. Members at the $300 level and above are eligible for preferred seating in the Opera House and invitations to functions where the speakers are present. Click here to become a Member now.

Community Events

Our Community Events Series has kicked off with an insightful presentation Professor Paul Holman of UMO and currently we are collaborating with the Camden International Film Festival. Check the website and your local newspaper for more upcoming community events.

Thank you!

Our spring scholarship drive was a big success and the funds raised will ensure that many students will be able to attend the conference at reduced rates. Speaking of students, the 2011 Curriculum Enrichment Program is complete and available on our website. This program uses clips from the 2011 Conference to develop themes for social studies classes. Our team of local teachers has prepared lessons based on the clips and the entire program is available free to teachers.

We look forward to an exciting Conference and will be keeping you up to date on developments as they unfold.

Early Booklist for Summer Reading

Date: Tuesday June 21, 2011

On this, the first day of summer, the Camden Conference Program Committee is pleased to present an early Booklist of recommended reading for the 25th Annual Camden Conference: The U.S. in a 21st Century World: Do we have what it takes? You may view the Booklist here.

The Conference takes place live at the historic Camden Opera House, February 17-19, 2012, and will focus on the prospects for our future role on the world stage and the continued effective exercise of our diplomatic, military, economic, and political powers in the years ahead.

We will publish our regular conference booklist in September, but we hope you enjoy these selected summer readings on some of the challenges to be addressed during our 2012 Conference. For an overview of the 25th Camden Conference, please click here.

Scholarship Campaign Underway

Date: Sunday April 10, 2011

The Camden Conference proudly announces its second annual Scholarship Fundraising Campaign. This will be to support two important Conference goals: the first, to bring student participation at future conferences up to approximately 20% of all attendees, and the other, to encourage more high school teachers to attend the Conference with their students by offering them reduced ticket prices at some Conference venues when they do.

Student attendance at this year’s Camden Conference in February, “The Challenges of Asia”, set a record for the second year in a row, with 104 students from various New England (mostly Maine) high schools and colleges coming to Conference venues in Camden, Rockland, and Belfast for the three-day event.

Conference Board President, Bob Hirsch, noted that that this is an important development for the organization, pointing out that in its early years the Camden Conference was often jokingly referred to as “a small group of experts speaking to a small group of experts”. This perception, he said, is no longer true. “Today’s Conference is best described as a broad, expanding educational program, one that brings our signature February Conference and its expertise to a much wider public through a number of special programs. None of these is more successful than our student scholarship program.”

This scholarship program supports a growing, subsidized Conference participation by college and secondary school students from all over Maine and New England. The 104 students who came to this February’s Conference on Asia were a diverse group. Seventy-eight of them were from various New England colleges, of which 62 came through in-school programs built around the Conference theme. Twenty-nine other students came from regional secondary schools, and several were natives of the region being discussed. All of them benefited from scholarships or discounted student rates and had their Conference experience enriched through a special program organized by the Conference. The total cost of this student program was $13,768, offset by about $11,000 in scholarship donations from a number of individuals and businesses.

Those wishing to donate to this cause can either go directly to the Conference website’s Support a Student page or contact the Conference office, by phone at 207-236-1034 or by e-mail.

2011 Highlights Available

Date: Saturday April 2, 2011

The Camden Conference is pleased to announce that Highlights of the 2011 Camden Conference: The Challenges of Asia are now available on the website.

This publication provides an excellent summary of the entire content of the Conference. Dorothea Graham served as editor-in-chief, organizing a team of able writers: Kate Bates, Benjamin Fox, Charlie Graham, Sarah Miller, Ralph Moore, Tom Putnam, Mary Anne Shanahan, Andrew Stancioff, and Judy Stein. Geoffrey Parker provided the photographs and Carol Gillette, our graphic designer, put the layout together.

We hope you enjoy these Highlights and that they bring back memories of another stimulating Camden Conference. You may view Highlights by clicking here.

THANK YOU!!!

Date: Thursday February 24, 2011

The Camden Conference is fortunate to have many volunteers who make the annual Conference possible. In addition to the Board of Directors and Advisory Council, the following individuals have generously given of their time as community event speakers, senior college presenters, community partners, committee members, office helpers and volunteers during this weekend Conference. Thank you very much for your assistance – we could not do this without you!

Carol Bachofner, Jon Bahrt, Beth Berry*, Hope Berry*, Genna Black*, Dwight Blue, Margaret Boyajian, Rich Boulet, Fiona Boyd*, Joanne Boynton, Mabel Cabot, Alexandra Calamari*, Anna Carr*, Zeb Casperson*, Charlene Churchill, Charlene Clemons, Cassidy Crawford*, Lucy Creevey, Dominic Cucinella*, Joshua Curry, Sophie Davis*, Roger Dell, John Doncaster, Steve Donoso, Candy Emlen, Reid Evans*, David Firestein, Benjamin Fox, Judy Gannon, Peter Gelman, Carol Gillette, Peter Gimlewicz*, Ellen Goldsmith, Pam Gormley, Dorothea Graham, Pat Griffith, Ken Gross, Judy Groth, Brenda Harrington, Anne Holmes, Jeff Howland, Nancy Howland, John Hufnagel, Jane Hultberg, Stephen Huyler, Pat Jones, Tierra Knight*, Colin Kolmar, Molly Larson, Caroline Locke, Connie Manter, Charles Marecic, Megan Marsanskis, Kevin Martin, Emma Mason*, Rick McDowell, Phil McKean, Lys McLaughlin, Heidi Mills, Peter Muth, Bill Newman, Enid Bok Okun, Geoffrey Parker, Neil Petersen, Manuel Pizarro, Gene Reil, Diana Rigg, Anne Romans, Jim Ruddy, Maggie Samuels*, Bob Sargent, Lee Schneller, Melody Schubert, Devin Sewell*, Mark Shapiro, Chris Slininger, Andrew Stancioff, Susan Taylor, Capt. William Taylor, Joan Thibault, Mitch and Cindy Thomashow, Mary Trotochaud, Pia Walther*

And a special thanks to AVX, Camden Police Department, Chromunique, Audio Visual, Communication Graphics, The Hawthorn Inn, HAV II, Harbor Digital, James Ruddy Productions, Kerry Hadley, Dave Morrison and the Opera House Staff, Owl and Turtle Book Shop, Road Scholar, The Grand, Strand Theatre, Towne Motel, Univ. of Maine Hutchinson Center, Warner Graphics, and to all of our generous sponsors!

*Students of CHRHS, RDHS, Watershed School and the Game Loft, Belfast

2011 Conference dedication

Date: Monday January 31, 2011

The Board of Directors of the Camden Conference has announced that it will dedicate the upcoming Conference, The Challenges of Asia, to honor the memory of Matthew R. Simmons. Matt was the keynote speaker of the 15th Camden Conference in 2002: The Politics of Energy and Water. His talk was titled Nightmares and Dreams About World Energy Crises. He was a long-standing member of the Camden Conference Advisory Council and had always been a generous benefactor in support of the mission of the organization.

Matt founded Simmons & Company International, a Houston-based energy investment bank, in 1974. It eventually expanded to London, Aberdeen, and Dubai. More recently, Matt founded the Maine-based Ocean Energy Institute, a non-profit research organization to promote clean, sustainable energy production from off-shore wind and ocean forces.

Matt Simmons left an enduring mark on Maine, especially in the MidCoast. His vision and backing enabled the restoration of the Strand Theater in Rockland. The Strand has had a tremendously positive impact on the lives of many people who are fortunate to live or visit in the MidCoast.

Matt was a creative, humor-filled extrovert with great integrity. He had a deep value for education, and, in that vein, the Camden Conference has established an annual scholarship for a student to attend the Conference in Matt’s honor. The recipient of the 2011 Matthew R. Simmons Scholarship is Mary P. Lynch, a public policy major at the University College at Rockland.

The Camden Conference is a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world affairs through year-round community events, public and student engagement, and an annual weekend Conference featuring distinguished speakers focusing on a central theme related to U.S. foreign affairs. For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org or call (207) 236-1034.

Rashid is Top Global Thinker

Date: Friday December 3, 2010

Ahmed Rashid, who keynoted this years Camden Conference “Crossroads of Conflict” was recognized in the December 2010 issue of Foreign Policy Magazine as being among the 100 most influential global thinkers. Rashid, who was listed in 51st position, was cited “for being the world’s eyes and ears in one of its most volatile regions”. Among other Asian thinkers identified by Foreign Policy, with their position on the list in parenthesis are: Zhou Xiaochuan, Governor of the People’s Bank, China (4); Liu Xiaobo, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner, China (16); Shivshankar Menon, National Security Advisor, India (18); Nandan Nilekani, Entrepeneur, India (43); Zheng Bijian, Geostrategist, China (44); Aung San Suu Kyi, Dissident, Burma (75); Hu Shuli, Editor, China (82) and Kishore Mahbubani, Academic Dean, Singapore (92).

Membership Campaign Underway!

Date: Wednesday September 8, 2010

Annual Membership Campaign is Now Underway! Very shortly, you and all other friends of the Camden Conference will be receiving a letter asking you to consider becoming (if you aren’t already) a contributing member of the Conference. Why become a member, you ask? The letter will explain in brief the various benefits that you, the Conference, and our community receive from you contribution, but it can best be summed up by saying: “Without you, the Camden Conference would be a very small program of much lower quality reaching far fewer people.”

Learn about the benefits of membership here.

Member contributions do the following:

• Help us to bring the best available speakers to the February event;
• Support the scholarship program that has allowed hundreds of college and high school students to attend past conferences;
• Help support the scores of Conference-sponsored community events in Maine that attract thousands of attendees over the year;
• Contribute to the upkeep of the electronic equipment that supports our popular Website and our video streaming to venues in Rockland, Belfast, and now Ellsworth;
• Make it possible to undertake new projects, such as our new Curriculum Enrichment Project for Maine public high schools.

Camden Conference members have a lot to be proud of, and we urge you to join their number and help create an even better Conference!

Thank you! From the Conference Development Committee

Camden Conference a UMO Favorite

Date: Monday July 26, 2010

UMaine Valedictorian, Amy Smith, declares Camden Conference classes among her favorites in a recent article spotlighting her accomplishments. Read about Amy in the recent edition of UMaine Today.

We Have Moved!

Date: Tuesday June 29, 2010

The Camden Conference Office has moved to a new location at 25 Bayview St., 2nd floor. Our postal address and phone numbers are unchanged.

2010 Conference Highlights

Date: Tuesday June 29, 2010

The 2010 Conference Highlights have arrived! Highlights from the 23rd Annual Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India — Crossroads of Conflict are now available. To receive your copy, please send $10 (incl. S&H) to the Camden Conference, P.O. Box 882, Camden, ME 04843. To order by credit card, please call us at 236-1034 or toll free at 1-877-214-8579.  Highlights is also available to view and download on our website.

Support a Student in 2011!

Date: Tuesday June 1, 2010

Help bring more students to the 2011 Camden Conference! Because the Camden Conference is, above all, an educational event, it is fitting that students have an important and growing place in it! Many attendees feel that the best and most meaningful questions to Conference speakers come from the student participants.” The 103 students at our most recent Conference were an increase from 69 the year before. Of these, 78 were from colleges, 25 from regional secondary schools, and three were from the South Asian region being discussed. Almost all of them benefited from scholarships or discounted student rates and had their Conference experience enriched through a special program organized by the Conference. The total cost of this student program was $11,577, offset by $2,150 in donations for scholarships. The remaining costs, $9,427, came out of the Conference organization’s own resources, reducing our ability to expand and improve this valuable and exciting program.

We are working to increase the student participation at each venue to up to 20% of the total attendance and to expand our current program in ways that will make it a richer experience for the student participants and us all. At current costs, a gift of $150 would help us to bring one student to the Camden Opera House or two students to one of our two remote venues. Of course, every contribution will be welcome and help support our program.

With record student attendance, the 2010 Camden Conference had a new and younger dynamic – many of the most thoughtful questions were asked by students. We hope to expand student attendance in the years to come. Please visit our website’s “Support a Student” link and give generously to this year’s Student Scholarship Fund.

2011 Conference Topic Announced

Date: Friday March 26, 2010

The 24^th Annual Camden Conference: The Challenges of Asia will take place February 18- 20, 2011.  The Camden Conference Board of Directors wishes share with its friends and members this brief overview of next year’s conference.  While the general theme has been chosen, this working title and program details are in early stages of development by the Program Committee and will surely evolve before reaching its final form.  Please visit our website often to monitor our progress.

Topics likely to be covered include:

• Single Country Assessments of China, India, and Japan
• Economic Overview of Asia and Economic/Trade Relations with the U.S.
• Energy and Resource Competition Across Asia
• Military and Geo-Strategic Overview of Asia in relation to U.S. Role, Responses, and Military Presence in the Region
• New Technologies, “Green” Jobs and Production, Environmental Issues
• How should the U.S. Respond to the Many Challenges of a Rising Asia?
• What changes may be required of us and our systems?
• Attention will be given to Social, Cultural, Artistic, and Religious Aspects, and the Traditional Values of the many Peoples of Asia

Please address queries or suggestions to Jim Matlack, Chairman of the Program Committee at jmatlack@roadrunner.com

2010 CamCasts are Available!

Date: Thursday March 4, 2010

The recent 23rd Annual Camden Conference, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict, is receiving much praise and positive press coverage!

In case you missed it or want to experience it again…. CamCasts of each 2010 Camden Conference Presentation are now available for viewing anytime on our website.

And you may browse images from the 2010 Camden Conference at our new Photo Gallery.

Camden Conference Thanks You!

Date: Thursday March 4, 2010

The Camden Conference wishes to thank everyone who helped make the recent conference season such a success!

The Camden Conference is fortunate to have many volunteers who make this annual Conference possible. In addition to the dedicated volunteer Board of Directors and Advisory Council, the following individuals and businesses have generously given of their time as community event speakers, senior college presenters, community partners, committee members, office helpers and volunteers during this weekend Conference:

Acadia Senior College ~ Bangor Public Library ~ Meredith Barnett ~ Belfast Free Library ~ Belfast Senior College ~ Ann Bex ~ Genna Black ~ Dwight Blue ~ Blue Hill Public Library ~ Margaret Boyajian ~ Joanne Boynton ~ Steven Butterfield ~ Camden Police Department ~ Camden Public Library ~ Ben Cameron ~ Sean Carnell ~ Anna Carr ~ Zeb Casperson ~ Marlene Charron ~ Jon Cheston ~ Chromunique´Audio Visual ~ Coastal Discoveries ~ Coastal Senior College ~ Colloquy Downeast ~ Communication Graphics ~ Stephanie Cooke ~ The Country Inn ~ Lucy Creevey ~ Roger Dell ~ Tom DeMarco ~ John Doncaster ~ Steve Donoso ~ Candy Emlen ~ Wendy Ross Eichler ~ Reid Evans ~ Tyler Evans ~ Exploritas ~ Farmers Fare ~ Alex Fitzgerald ~ The Game Loft~ Judy Gannon ~ Pam Gormley ~ Dorothea Graham ~ Ken Gross ~ John Grossbaum ~ Kerry Hadley~ HAV II ~ Harbor Digital ~ Brenda Harrington ~ Anne Holmes ~ Jeff Howland ~ Nancy Howland ~ Jane Hultberg ~ Pamela Hunte ~ Stephen Huyler ~ Jackson Memorial Library ~ James Ruddy Productions ~ Jesup Memorial Library ~ Paul Johnson ~ Mike Kennedy ~ Tierra Knight ~ Kevin LaPointe ~ Molly Larsen ~ Lily Lupine & Fern ~ Emily Lusher ~ Mary Lynch ~ Anouar Majid ~ Charles Marecic ~ Megan Marsanskis ~ Rick McDowell ~ Phil McKean ~ Midcoast Senior College ~ Heidi Mills ~ Dave Morrison ~ Peter Muth ~ Bill Newman ~ Northeast Harbor Library ~ Enid Bok Okun ~ Opera House Staff ~ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute ~ Lauren Ouellette ~ Owl & Turtle Bookshop ~ Cameron Paddock-McRae ~ Peter Pfister ~ Alistair Phaup ~ Joan Phaup ~ Elaine Pew ~ Neil Petersen ~ Lys McLaughlin-Pike ~ Eugene Reil ~ David Renne ~ Rockport Public Library~ Rockland Public Library ~ Lori Roming ~ Jim Ruddy ~ Maggie Samuels ~ Bob Sargent ~ Melody Schubert ~ Sangaree Sengupta ~ Mark Shapiro ~ Skidompha Public Library ~ Southwest Harbor Public Library ~ Lincoln Spear ~ Jan Summers ~ Susan Taylor ~ Capt. William Taylor ~ The Strand Theatre ~ Hans Stege ~ Joan Thibault ~ Thorndike Library ~ The Towne Motel ~ Mary Trotochaud ~ University of Maine ~ Univ. of Maine Hutchinson Center ~ Ilmarinen Vogel ~ Warner Graphics ~ Watershed School ~ Peggy Watson ~ Hannah Woodman

Thank you very much for your assistance – we could not do this without you!

Save the Date!

Date: Thursday March 4, 2010

The 24th Annual Camden Conference will take place February 18-20, 2011. Check the Camden Conference website often for updates on next year’s topic, speakers, programs, and community events.

Continuing Education Credits

Date: Tuesday February 2, 2010

We are pleased to announce that the 23rd Annual Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict has recently been approved by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar for five (5) Continuing Legal Education Credits for Attorneys. In addition, Teachers who attend the Conference are eligible for 1.5 Continuing Education Units through the University of Maine. Register for the conference or contact the Camden Conference for more information.

Speaker Books on Booklist

Date: Wednesday January 6, 2010

Highly recommended by several Conference Program Committee members, Whitney Azoy’s Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan has been added to the 2010 Camden Conference Book List.

Azoy joins other 2010 Conference Speakers Ahmed Rashid, Paul Pillar, and Teresita Schaffer on the recommended reading list for the 23rd Annual Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict, live at the Camden Opera House, February 19-21, 2010.

In this second edition paperback (Waveland Press 2002), Azoy, a confirmed speaker at the upcoming February Camden Conference, describes a fascinating relationship between Afghanistan’s ‘national sport’ and its political evolution. Amazon reader Hanif Yazid calls it “witty and genuine, his firsthand accounts of traditional Afghan notions of power, status and honor give the book a unique flavour. Buzkashi is short, but informative. Easy to read and enjoy, it made me want to ride like the wind, dead goat in hand, to victory and glory!”

See the full list of recommended reading in preparation for the 2010 Camden Conference Here

Gain Insight

Date: Tuesday December 15, 2009

Gain insight into one of today’s most complicated foreign policy issues: What to do in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now that President Obama has shared his plans, the US is embarking on actions for the near future. International pundits as well as members of Congress and the press have weighed in with their thoughts. At the 2010 Camden Conference, you will have the chance to hear what many of these experts have to say and decide for yourself. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to gain insight to a very current issue.

Tickets for the Conference at the Camden Opera House are selling briskly, so get yours while they are still available.

Give insight…Tickets to the Conference make great Holiday gifts for friends and family!

Help sign up new, first-time attendees at any venue and receive a free Camden Conference tote bag. And if you bring a new attendee to the Camden Opera House, you will also receive 25% off on an Owl and Turtle book purchase.

Keynote speaker, Ahmed Rashid, author of Taliban and Descent into Chaos – The U.S. and the Disaster in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia will travel from Pakistan to open the Conference and set the stage for what follows. Nicholas Burns, former Undersecretary of State and NATO Ambassador, who captivated the audience at last year’s Camden Conference, will serve as moderator.

Additional speakers include:

* Whitney Azoy, cultural anthropologist and former director of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies in Kabul; * Brig. Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, Senior counterinsurgency expert and director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Cell at the Pentagon; * Paul Pillar former National Intelligence Officer for Near East and South Asia, now at Georgetown University; * Samina Quraeshi, award-winning Pakistani author, artist, and designer; and * Teresita Schaffer, former ambassador to Sri Lanka and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Sarasota.

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the office at 207-236-1034. Get yours soon!

New Addition to Book List

Date: Tuesday December 15, 2009

Greg Mortenson’s latest book has been added to the 2010 Conference Book List.  In Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Viking, December 2009), Mortenson shares for the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy, as well as touching on military matters, Islam, and women-all woven together with the many rich personal stories of the people who have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort.

See the full list of recommended reading in preparation for the 2010 Camden Conference Here.

2010 KEYNOTE ANNOUNCED

Date: Friday October 30, 2009

The airways are filled with calls to “rethink Afghanistan” and to develop a fuller understanding of Pakistan and its complex and often strife-torn relations with India. This is precisely what the upcoming Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict proposes to do, starting with a keynote address by Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist and author who is perhaps the pre-eminent regional commentator on Afghanistan and its relations with his home country and with India.

Also helping the February 2010 event to shape up as one of the best Camden Conferences ever will be the presence as conference moderator of Nicholas Burns, who as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the George W. Bush administration led negotiations with Iran and India — and who was a featured speaker at the 2009 Camden Conference. At that conference, Burns outlined “A New Era of Diplomacy for the Obama Administration,” a topic on which he has since become a prominent commentator.

His active exchanges with other speakers should be an entertaining and informative new aspect of the 2010 Camden Conference. Burns will also wrap up the conference — for which tickets will soon go on sale — with a concluding assessment of US policy options in the region.

A New York Times profile last year described how keynote speaker Rashid, “Fresh out of Cambridge University in the late 1960s, and steeped in the era’s favorites — Marx, Mao and Che” took out for the hills of Baluchistan in his native Pakistan, where he spent ten years as a guerrilla fighter and political organizer of peasants seeking autonomy from the Pakistani government. He describes himself as having emerged “not exactly disillusioned, but defeated.”

That defeat quickly turned into a “launching pad” for Rashid’s career as a journalist, scholar, and best-selling author of several books on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the entire Central Asian region. In 2000, the year before 9/11, he wrote Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, a book that was used extensively by US analysts in the wake of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks and became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, selling over 1.5 million copies.

In his most recent book, Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, Rashid examined the record of the Bush administration and various European governments in Central Asia. His conclusions are devastating: An unstable and nuclear-armed Pakistan, a renewed al’ Qaeda profiting from a booming opium trade, and a Taliban resurgence and reconquest.

In an interview just this summer with the Bernard Gwertzman of the Council on Foreign Relations, Rashid traces Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s turn back toward reliance on the “old war lords” — rather than a new generation of politicians he had been fostering — to “the failure of the international community to come up with the goods.” In words that seem particularly prescient in light of subsequent charges of widespread fraud by Karzai supporters in the subsequent presidential election, Rashid explained, “The real cause for the lack of good governance in Afghanistan is the lack of attention from the Bush administration: the lack of resources, money, civilian aid, etc.”

That interview can be read in full on the Camden Conference website, www.CamdenConference.org.

Rashid is now supporting calls for the US to commit more troops, more civilian advisors and more time to creating stability in Afghanistan. Talking to Terry Gross, host of National Public Radio program Fresh Air, in early October, Rashid noted: “If the [US] commitment slows down in any way, I think the Taliban will take Kabul within six months to a year, and the situation will deteriorate enormously.”

Besides Rashid’s own talk, conference participants can look forward to the give and take of a discussion between him and former Bush Administration official Burns on developments since Obama took over responsibility for stabilizing Afghanistan and Pakistan and routing out al-Qaeda. Burns, now Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, has also been on the radio, TV and in print frequently of late, commenting most often on the Obama administration’s opening of the negotiations with Iran that he was not able to pursue in the Bush Administration — and which he now strongly supports.

The 23rd Annual Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India: Crossroads of Conflict takes place February 19-21, 2010 live at the historic Camden Opera House, with satellite venues at The Strand Theatre in Rockland and Univ. Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. Conference registration begins on Monday, November 30th. (Early Member registration begins November 9th). For more information, please call 236-1034 or visit www.camdenconference.org.

2010 Booklist Updated

Date: Wednesday October 21, 2009

Additions Highlight Challenges, Changes in Region.

The 2010 Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India: Crossroads of Conflict couldn’t be on a timelier or more relevant topic. As our informed members know, the situation in the region is changing rapidly. It will therefore be no surprise that we have new additions to the booklist for the 2010 Conference. These works cover topics ranging from the heroin money financing the Taliban and al Qaeda, to several works examining aspects of the fascinating culture and history of the Middle East, to the so-called “Twilight of Oil” and the “resource curse,” and the role that counterterrorism operations can and should play in American foreign policy.

We have two new titles for our “Top Picks” list:

• Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda by Gretchen Peters
• Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy by Paul Pillar

We are adding a brand-new section to our list called “The Troubling Middle East Setting” with three fascinating titles:

• Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance by David Gardiner
• Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil by Peter Maas
• Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World by Vali Nasr

Finally, we have one new book for our “Human Interest” section:

• To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan by Nicholas Schmidle

See the full 2010 Camden Conference Booklist here.

Community Events Underway

Date: Thursday September 17, 2009

Next February’s Camden Conference on “Afghanistan, Pakistan, India — Crossroads of Conflict,” has already begun to inspire a lively series of community events in the Midcoast area, beginning with presentations by Prof. Paul Holman on “The New Great Game for Control of Central Asia.”

Dr. Holman’s dynamic exploration of the strategic rivalries that have shaped today’s tragic and troubling conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan drew record crowds to the Camden and Rockland Libraries earlier this month and he will repeat the talk on Tuesday, September 22nd at the Belfast Free Library.  The event takes place from 6:30-8 pm and is open to the public, free of charge.

Holman, a Camden resident who is currently a visiting professor of international relations at the University of Maine in Orono, will first consider the 19th century power struggle between the British and Russian Empires, which was the original “Great Game.” He will then examine the Cold War game in which the US supported the Afghan “freedom fighters” against the Soviet Armed Forces, as recently dramatized in the film “Charlie Wilson’s War,” starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Also an adjunct professor at the Naval War College, Holman will conclude by sketching out the radically different rules and higher stakes that characterize the “new” Great Game. He will take a close look at US policy toward Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and will argue that Washington has consistently misread regional politics, misunderstood the strategic situation in the region, and failed to protect its own best interests in this increasingly unstable part of the world.

Holman is a well known author and lecturer. From 1996 to 2003, he directed a 15-week executive course at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in which mid-career military officers, diplomats, and parliamentarians from all of the formerly Communist countries of Europe and Asia participated. His many articles on national security have appeared in the Naval War College Review, Strategic Review, US Naval Institute Proceedings, Brown Journal of World Affairs, Argentinian Naval War College Review, Air Force Magazine, and US Marine Corps Gazette. He also serves on the Camden Conference Board of Directors.

This kick-off event is just the beginning of a Camden Conference Community Events season that will feature programs as diverse as a discussion on the Mughal Gardens of Afghanistan and the subcontinent led by local gardening guru Peggy Watson; a screening of Stephen Huyler’s new film, Sonabai: A new Way of Seeing; a talk on Islam by Anouar Majid, University of New England professor, novelist and author of We Are All Moors: Ending Centuries of Crusades Against Muslims and Other Minorities; and, a collaborative venture with the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland on Art in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.  Visit our Community Events Section for the most up to date information.

2010 Camden Conference

Date: Monday June 15, 2009

Planning is currently underway for the 23rd Annual Camden Conference: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict, February 19 – 21, 2010

Even as President Obama seeks to reduce U.S. military presence in Iraq, he is pledged to increase troop levels in Afghanistan where the war has already lasted longer and the U.S. position seems to be deteriorating. Throughout history no external power has long succeeded in subduing tribal groups or ending endemic violence when occupying Afghanistan. Where will the U.S. project stand in a year’s time?

No assessment or understanding of the situation in Afghanistan can be separated from attention to critical factors and developments in neighboring Pakistan which in turn leads to a focus upon the complex and volatile relations between Pakistan and India. Next year’s conference will offer both specific and overview presentations devoted to the broad array of issues raised within this turbulent region as well as the role of U.S. policies and programs in this “crossroads of conflict.”

POSSIBLE TOPICS: We expect that the conference will engage with such issues as:

• U.S. Military and Development Programs in Afghanistan and in the wider region.
• Who are the Afghans—in Cultural, Social, Political, and Religious Terms?
• What Impacts Stem from Diminished U.S. Presence in Iraq?
• Political and Military Stability in Pakistan and its Attempts to Curb Radical Elements.
• India’s Internal Coherence and Stability after another year of Global Recession.
• What Prospects for Violence between Pakistan and India, especially after the Mumbai Attack?
• Can the Kashmir Problem be Resolved?
• What Dangers from the Nuclear Arsenals in India and Pakistan (and Other Powers)?
• Radical Islam and Terrorism—Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Rise of Radical Islam.
• What roles do China, Russia, Iran, and other Neighboring Powers Play in the Region?
• What are the Political and Economic Impacts of Energy Reserves and Transit Pipelines?
• What is the Historical Background for the Conflicts and Cultures in Afghanistan and the Region?

While the general theme has been chosen, the details of the program are in early stages of development. Please visit our Program Page often to monitor our progress.