Zócalo Public Square (Audio)

Mentoring programs like Big Brothers, Big Sisters have been highly touted as a way to keep troubled kids off the streets. But can an outsider who has never been homeless or been recruited into a gang actually help a kid who knows those experiences all too well? A quarter-century ago, John Prendergast, now one of the most prominent activists on human rights issues in Africa, took on a 7-year-old “little brother,” Michael Mattocks, who lived in a dangerous neighborhood of Washington. They’ve both confronted violence and tragedy since: Prendergast in the war zones of Africa, Mattocks through his life as a drug dealer in the nation’s capital. They got together occasionally but never fully confronted the monumental challenges each faced until nearly 25 years after their relationship began. Now, each man names the other as a profound influence on his life. Prendergast, author with Michael Mattocks of Unlikely Brothers: Our Story of Adventure, Loss and Redemption, visited Zócalo to discuss his relationship with his “little brother” and how a mentorship can change two lives.

We like to think we have choices, but when it comes to health care in California, geography is destiny. If you live in Clear Lake, you are ten times more likely to have an elective cardiac stent or angioplasty than if you live in nearby Sonoma -- whether or not that's the right treatment for you. Women who live in El Centro are 22 times less likely than women who live in Greenbrae to have a vaginal birth after C-section. Men living in San Luis Obispo have the highest rate of prostate surgery in the nation. When facing a decision about elective surgeries and tests, patients need two things: honest information they can understand, and doctors who make sure their patients receive the treatment they prefer. Yet all too often, patients don't understand their choices, or they leave the decision up to their doctor in the mistaken belief that "doctor knows best." Shannon Brownlee, acting director of the health policy program at the New America Foundation, visited Zócalo to discuss how these disparities happen, and what individuals can do to make sure they get the treatment they want and nothing more, what they need and nothing less.

The new maps that will create boundaries for California’s political districts will be certified in August, but will they actually change the state’s political landscape? Zócalo invites a panel including Kathay Feng, director of California Common Cause and one of the authors of the 2008 redistricting reform bill; Steven Ochoa, national redistricting coordinator for MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Joe Mathews, senior fellow at the New America Foundation; and Dan Schnur, director of University of Southern California's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics to discuss whether regular Californians can expect any effects from the latest round of redistricting.

Conflicts between Mexican national character traits and the current state of the country are abundant, former foreign minister Jorge Castañeda argues. As Mexico sits at a crossroads, with its future path very much undecided, Castañeda says those paradoxes must be resolved. He visits Zócalo to discuss what makes up the national character, and how it can determine the nation's fate.

Many stories from Mexico -- from the high poverty rate to the flourishing economy to the booming cultural scene -- don't get much media attention because drug trafficking and related violence take up so much of reporters' energy. Mexico City-based news producer Susana Seijas, Belo TV border bureau chief Angela Kocherga, Dallas Morning News Mexico City bureau chief Alfredo Corchado, Los Angeles Times arts and culture reporter Reed Johnson and Imagen News host Ana Maria Salazar discuss the challenges of portraying the real Mexico.

The number of prominent people who lie under oath has reached epic proportions, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart. For wealthy, successful people like Barry Bonds, Scooter Libby, Martha Stewart and Bernard Madoff, the risks of perjury far outweigh the possible benefits, yet they lie anyway. Stewart visits Zócalo to discuss why they do it and what it means for the rest of us.

Most people agree that California’s political system is broken, and experts say one major hurdle to fixing it is citizens’ disengagement. The voter registration rate is among the lowest in the country, and just one-third of residents report talking about politics at least a few times a week – putting the state 46th nationwide. Zócalo presents a panel of experts including Pete Peterson, executive director of Pepperdine's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership; political scientist R. Michael Alvarez; education professor and founder of UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access John Rogers; and Alliance For Innovation president Karen Thoreson to discuss why Californians don't talk about politics, and what can be done about it.

Poverty and low social status have long been shown to correlate with shorter lives among many groups of Americans. The inequities have important consequences for California and the nation as a whole, but what can we do about it? Zócalo presents a panel including Larry Adelman, creator and executive producer of the documentary Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?; Tony Iton, senior vice president for healthy communities at The California Endowment; and urban planner Ryan Snyder to discuss what these challenges mean for California's future and how we can solve them in a way that improves health outcomes and the quality of life for everyone.

Humans rely on trees for oxygen and food, but also shade and beauty, creating a tension that imbues the relationship with meaning. Trees are part of every aspect of human life and are amply represented in literature, music and art. Farmer David "Mas" Masumoto, artist Jennifer Steinkamp and environmental studies professor Nadlini Nadkarni discuss the many facets of that connection in a panel moderated by Sierra Magazine editor Bob Sipchen at the Getty Center.

Many scholars and activists have raised alarms about the world getting worse, but economist Charles Kenny disagrees. In his new book Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding -- And How We Can Improve the World Even More, Kenny catalogs several measures -- literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality and more -- that have improved globally. Kenny visits Zócalo to discuss his research and argue that the world isn't as bad as we fear.