Great Minds Gather Here

Award winning author and emeritus faculty member at UC Berkeley Maxine Hong Kingston reads and discusses her work, "I Love a Broad Margin to My Life." She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the presidentially conferred National Humanities Medal, and the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 20629]

Most people think “green businesses” provide or support the use of alternative energy or energy efficient products. Yvon Chouinard recounts how Patagonia grew from a retail climbing equipment business operating out of the back of his van to a successful global business based on sustainability and social responsibility principles. Chouinard and Patagonia’s story demonstrates how any business can be a green, sustainable and socially responsible business. Series: "UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability" [Business] [Show ID: 21368]

Bill Moyers examines the deteriorating and increasingly corrupt state of affairs that our government has devolved into and the accompanying divisiveness sweeping the country. Is there hope for things to improve? For the first time in his life, Moyers isn't optimistic. Series: "Voices" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20774]

Author, documentarian and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr gives a stirring address on race in the United States with a look at the genealogy and genetics in African-American history. Gates is presented by the Council of Provosts and Thurgood Marshall College at UC San Diego. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 19364]

Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt speaks with UC San Diego’s Peter H. Smith about her kidnapping by FARC guerillas, her six-year long captivity and dramatic rescue, and her extensive work raising awareness of the plight of victims of terrorism throughout the world. Series: "Revelle Forum" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20013]

Robert Winter, UCLA professor of music and Presidential Chair in Music and Interactive Arts, treats the audience to a lively and seamless blending of art and technology in the 108th Faculty Research Lecture. And that is precisely the point behind Winter’s talk in which he explores three fugues by Bach and a waltz by Chopin with a mixture of talk, piano performances, and an incredibly active, animated screen. Series: "UCLA Faculty Research Lectures" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 19381]

In this presentation at UCSB, His Holiness the Dalai Lama turns to one of his favorite themes: the importance of compassion. Far from being a uniquely Buddhist concern, the Dalai Lama explains why caring for others can be the basis for a rich and rewarding life for all people. Series: "Voices" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17091]

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: "Osher WISE: Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]

Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, is the author of the bestseller “The Measure of Our Success – A Letter to My Children and Yours” and eight other books. The first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she worked as counsel for the Poor People’s Campaign begun by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She discusses her newest work The Sea is So Wide and My Boat is So Small – Charting a Course for the Next Generation. Series: "Voices" [Humanities] [Show ID: 16213]

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, screenwriter, columnist and short story writer Michael Chabon’s books include “Mysteries of Pittsburgh,” “Wonder Boys,” “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” and most recently, “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union.” Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 15434]