Wednesday Happenings

Human Rights

Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy is one of the leading think tanks devoted to developing and advancing the key principles of human rights theory and law. Its former director Samantha Power has written extensively on contemporary human rights issues and the problems of genocide and ethnic warfare before going on to a career in politics—Power sits on the National Security Council. She joins fellow former director Sarah Sewall and the center's current director, Rory Stewart, for a discussion about "Why Human Rights Matter." Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 79 JFK St., Cambridge, 6 p.m. Free. More information.

Wine

Our friends at The Second Glass wine magazine present another installment of their Crash Course Wine Seminars. Tonight, they focus on Bourdeaux, one of the most fabled wine producing regions in the world. It's your opportunity to learn what makes these wines so freaking special. Downtown Wine and Spirits, 225 Elm St., Somerville, 7 p.m. $10.

Gentle Music

Icelandic pop band múm is not going to knock you out with volume, but it might lull you into submission with washes of unusual chords and broken beats. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, 8 p.m. $22.

Flamenco

Flamenco isn't just for Mike Tyson's Punch Out! characters anymore. New York flamenco singer Bárbara Martínez brings her pipes and her entourage to the South End for a night of dancing suitable for flamenco dancers of all skill levels. The Beehive, 541 Tremont St., 8 p.m. Free.