Zócalo Public Square (Audio)

Like nearly everyone else, those working in non-profit organizations are concerned with the bleak economic forecast: a diminished public purse, shrunken private foundation portfolios and donor wallets slapping shut. Yet in the fretting corridors outside conference centers, community rooms and local meeting halls nationwide, it’s actually possible to detect a heartening and persistent belief in the resilience of the non-profit sector. What causes some leaders, social entrepreneurs, community activists and service providers to possess such impertinent optimism and to entertain bold ideas and possibilities when the economy appears so grim? A panel of experts--the Weingart Foundation's Fred Ali, California Black Women's Health Project founder Frances E. Jemmott, United Way's Alicia Lara, L.A. Health Action's Yolanda Vera and USC's Adlai Wertman—chatted with moderator Paul Vandeventer at Zócalo to discuss what lies ahead for nonprofits and how they can survive.

In the face of global competition and rapid technological change, the American economy will soon face its most severe test in nearly a century—one that will make the recent turmoil in the financial system look like a modest setback by comparison. Matt Miller, host of KCRW's "Left, Right & Center" and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, visited Zócalo, arguing that our leaders have failed to prepare us for what lies ahead because they cling to old truisms about how a modern economy works. Exploring themes from his new book, “The Tyranny of Dead Ideas,” Miller discusses what he considers the greatest threat to our economic future: the things we think we know—but don’t.

Barack Obama is said to be the fulfillment of King's dream, the post-racial candidate perfect for helping the country transcend the divide between black and white. But Louis Chude-Sokei and Robin D.G. Kelley beg to differ in their Zócalo dialogue. Hear Chude-Sokei, author of The Last "Darky": Bert Williams, Black-on-Black Minstrelsy, and the African Diaspora, and Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination, discuss King's still unfulfilled legacy, and what Obama's

election does mean for the country.

Not all fiction by contemporary female authors concerns itself with stiletto heels, Martini glasses, or wedding gowns. But in the last decade, material written by women--particularly white, middle-class American women--is increasingly assumed to be a lesser literary endeavor than similar projects by men. From the shocking dearth of female bylines in magazines like Harper's and The Atlantic to novels that are automatically deemed "beach reads" because they feature female characters, we seem to be in the midst of a troublingly sexist cultural moment. Are women the victims of a male-centered world of letters, or do they purposefully choose stories that lack philosophical or sociological heft? Authors Elisabeth Robinson and Laura Zigman visit Zócalo to talk with Los Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum about whether women could do more to close the literary gender gap.

Forget superpowers. Hyperpowers are what count, dominating not just their part of the world but the entire breadth of it with their military might and cultural range. The U.S. is the seventh hyperpower in history. Yale Law School’s John Duff Jr. Professor of Law Amy Chua, author of Day of Empire, visits Zócalo to discuss the extraordinary hyperpowers of the past and the fate of the American power in the 21st century.

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton has been leading the force for more than twice as long as he served in the same capacity in New York, the city where he firmly cemented his reputation as “America’s Top Cop” and put himself on the short list for high-level law-enforcement jobs around the world. Bratton’s time in L.A. has given him the chance to move beyond being a "turnaround" specialist, putting longer-term plans into place that have led to consistent and significant reductions in crime. Bratton visits Zócalo to talk about his tenure and its impact on the LAPD, the agency’s goals and challenges, and his plans for the future.

After the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers worked to heal one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods by planting a garden, letting families grow their own food and rebuild their community. But the fourteen-acre site became the subject of a fierce and ongoing dispute between the mostly immigrant farmers and the developer who bought the land below market price and planned to build a warehouse on it. Capturing the story of the country’s largest urban farm, Scott Hamilton Kennedy, producer and director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Garden,“ visits Zócalo to screen his work and discuss with actress and environmentalist Daryl Hannah and South Central Farmers activist Tezozomoc the crucial issues it raises about development, environment, power, money and race in Los Angeles.

It's all but certain that the state government will run out of money this year. Even if the legislature and governor somehow reach an agreement on budget cuts or tax increases, any solution likely will come too late to prevent a cash crunch. This is uncharted territory for California. What happens if the state goes broke? A panel of California’s top fiscal and economic experts — including State ControllerJohn Chiang, New America Foundation Senior Scholar Mark Paul, and Peter Taylor of Barclays Capital— visited Zócalo to discuss with moderator Joe Mathews how this quasi-bankruptcy will impact state finances, public services, and Californians.

Despite tallies of Facebook friends or Evites in inboxes, loneliness happens. It can strike us while we’re dining at a table of one, taking a long solo journey, or even while we’re with family and friends. The lonely feel more depressed, more deeply addicted, and are more easily angered. Why does loneliness hit and why does it hurt? Humans have evolved, thanks to the long period of abject dependency of our offspring, as social beings, with brains wired for communication and empathy. Forming and maintaining social connections—from romantic partners to families, communities, cities, and civilizations—is essential to our survival. John Cacioppo, director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago and co-author of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, visited Zócalo to discuss the evolutionary basis of human relationships and why they matter.

Following up on last year's panel on the Writers Guild of America strike, Zócalo’s panel of Hollywood and high-tech experts -- including AFTRA National Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, actress Kathryn Joosten, actor Ron Ostrow, UCLA’s David R. Ginsburg, Veoh Founder and Chief Innovation Officer Dmitry Shapiro and TroyGould entertainment attorney Jonathan Handel -- explores how Hollywood will handle negotiations and divide revenue during its transition to the digital age.