Zócalo Public Square

The poke craze that has swept across the U.S. is only the latest sign that Hawaii’s food holds a strong fascination for mainlanders. In recent years, high-profile chefs and experimental restaurants have popularized not only poke, but also Hawaii-nurtured Pan-Pacific dishes like Filipino pork and loco moco—which now can be enjoyed at a food truck in Topeka or a Tiki restaurant in Scottsdale. Although much of the islands’ signature fare (including pineapples) was actually imported during the colonial period, Hawaii conjures mouthwatering images of homegrown Kona coffee and macadamia nuts. And the traditional Hawaiian Luau has become a universal emblem of savory hospitality. Why is the mainland so enraptured by Hawaii’s cuisine? What role does its culinary bounty play in Hawaii’s tourist industry, and what will be its next five-star food export? Is there any downside to the mainland’s embrace—and sometimes kitschy, carb-heavy reimagining—of authentic island dishes? Chef, restaurateur, and television personality Sam Choy, food writer and author of The Poke Cookbook Martha Cheng, corporate executive chef of Foodland Super Markets Keoni Chang, Hawaii native and San Francisco restaurateur Jordan Keao, and moderator Noe Tanigawa, Arts & Culture Reporter for Hawai’i Public Radio visited Honolulu on May 31, 2018 to take part in a Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute “Pau Hana” discussion at Artistry Honolulu titled “Why Is the Mainland So Fascinated by Hawaii's Food?”

Are Ordinary Virtues More Powerful Than Universal Values?

Are Ordinary Virtues More Powerful Than Universal Values?

The conventional wisdom is that America’s rural communities and small cities are sliding into decline, despair, and disconnection. Anger, frustration, and insularity in such places are widely seen as the fuel behind President Trump’s election and a rise in white nationalism and racism. But a more nuanced look at cities like Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Eastport, Maine; Columbus, Mississippi, and Clarkson, Washington can reveal a very different picture, with local communities often demonstrating robust civic life. Are these places really so desperately disconnected from the 21st-century economy—or do they feel closer to the rest of the world through growing trade and advanced technology? Are they turning their backs on a changing nation, or demonstrating how to live together as the country diversifies? Why doesn’t the media cover more of their stories of innovation and renewal? James Fallows and Deborah Fallows, co-authors of "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America," visited Zócalo to discuss what they found in their travels across the U.S. in a single-engine prop airplane. The event, titled “Are Small Towns Reinventing America?” and held at The RedZone at Gensler in downtown Los Angeles, was moderated by Joe Mathews, Zócalo’s California and Innovation Editor.

The conventional wisdom is that America’s rural communities and small cities are sliding into decline, despair, and disconnection. Anger, frustration, and insularity in such places are widely seen as the fuel behind President Trump’s election and a rise in white nationalism and racism. But a more nuanced look at cities like Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Eastport, Maine; Columbus, Mississippi, and Clarkson, Washington can reveal a very different picture, with local communities often demonstrating robust civic life. Are these places really so desperately disconnected from the 21st-century economy—or do they feel closer to the rest of the world through growing trade and advanced technology? Are they turning their backs on a changing nation, or demonstrating how to live together as the country diversifies? Why doesn’t the media cover more of their stories of innovation and renewal? James Fallows and Deborah Fallows, co-authors of "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America," visited Zócalo to discuss what they found in their travels across the U.S. in a single-engine prop airplane. The event, titled “Are Small Towns Reinventing America?” and held at The RedZone at Gensler in downtown Los Angeles, was moderated by Joe Mathews, Zócalo’s California and Innovation Editor.

Eadweard Muybridge, who made the first motion pictures, was a murderer. Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot were both rabid anti-Semites. And Picasso was a brutal misogynist who drove both his wife and his mistress to suicide. Great artists have never been angels. But as we learn more about the crimes and misdemeanors of today’s artists, to what extent can we still separate appreciation of great art from celebrating its compromised creators? Does an artist's bad behavior diminish the quality of their artwork? What does it mean for arts institutions to reject art on moral grounds? Cultural historian and film critic Neal Gabler, USC popular culture scholar Todd Boyd, Notre Dame art historian Ingrid Rowland and moderator Amanda Fortini, a contributing writer to The New Yorker, took part in a May 16 Zócalo/Getty panel discussion titled “Can We Appreciate the Great Art of Bad People?” at The Getty Center to examine how, and whether, we can value the art of rogues and criminals.

Eadweard Muybridge, who made the first motion pictures, was a murderer. Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot were both rabid anti-Semites. And Picasso was a brutal misogynist who drove both his wife and his mistress to suicide. Great artists have never been angels. But as we learn more about the crimes and misdemeanors of today’s artists, to what extent can we still separate appreciation of great art from celebrating its compromised creators? Does an artist's bad behavior diminish the quality of their artwork? What does it mean for arts institutions to reject art on moral grounds? Cultural historian and film critic Neal Gabler, USC popular culture scholar Todd Boyd, Notre Dame art historian Ingrid Rowland and moderator Amanda Fortini, a contributing writer to The New Yorker, took part in a May 16 Zócalo/Getty panel discussion titled “Can We Appreciate the Great Art of Bad People?” at The Getty Center to examine how, and whether, we can value the art of rogues and criminals.

Ancient peoples and thinkers had sophisticated ideas about living in harmony with nature. From Greek city-states to Maya civilization, people thought that what humans did—how they planted, how they worshipped, how they conducted themselves—could influence both the Earth’s behavior and their own fate. When droughts or volcanic eruptions threatened crops, rulers had to manage panicked citizens while explaining the cosmic reasons for nature’s revolt. Many ancient societies adopted ecological practices emphasizing individual civic responsibility for the benefit of all, and some ancient thinkers developed such ideas as well. What can the ancients teach us about how collective moral values and social habits can connect citizens to the world around us? What were the blind spots in ancient orders that sometimes led to ecological catastrophe? How can understanding ancient mythologies and philosophies about nature help us rethink our own? Princeton political scientist Melissa Lane, author of "Eco-Republic: What the Ancients Can Teach Us About Ethics, Virtue, and Sustainable Living," archaeologist and director of the UC Santa Barbara Mesoamerican Research Center Anabel Ford, Yale historian of Ptolemaic Egypt Joseph Manning, and moderator Scott Tong, Sustainability Correspondent for Marketplace, took part in a Zócalo/Getty Villa Event panel discussion at The Getty Villa to explore what ancient civilizations can teach us about how to live with nature today.

Ancient peoples and thinkers had sophisticated ideas about living in harmony with nature. From Greek city-states to Maya civilization, people thought that what humans did—how they planted, how they worshipped, how they conducted themselves—could influence both the Earth’s behavior and their own fate. When droughts or volcanic eruptions threatened crops, rulers had to manage panicked citizens while explaining the cosmic reasons for nature’s revolt. Many ancient societies adopted ecological practices emphasizing individual civic responsibility for the benefit of all, and some ancient thinkers developed such ideas as well. What can the ancients teach us about how collective moral values and social habits can connect citizens to the world around us? What were the blind spots in ancient orders that sometimes led to ecological catastrophe? How can understanding ancient mythologies and philosophies about nature help us rethink our own? Princeton political scientist Melissa Lane, author of "Eco-Republic: What the Ancients Can Teach Us About Ethics, Virtue, and Sustainable Living," archaeologist and director of the UC Santa Barbara Mesoamerican Research Center Anabel Ford, Yale historian of Ptolemaic Egypt Joseph Manning, and moderator Scott Tong, Sustainability Correspondent for Marketplace, took part in a Zócalo/Getty Villa Event panel discussion at The Getty Villa to explore what ancient civilizations can teach us about how to live with nature today.

The United States is moving toward more protectionist policies—abandoning a system of free trade that America itself had built. Nationalists in the White House and labor unions are embracing tariffs to protect older industries, like steel and aluminum, while some economists encourage trade protections for America’s intellectual property and new technologies like artificial intelligence. What does greater protectionism look like in 21st-century America? Are there advantages to raising tariffs? And in what ways will American businesses, workers, and consumers feel the consequences of protectionism and resulting trade wars? UCLA Anderson economist Ed Leamer, Former U.S. Treasury Department senior coordinator for China affairs David Loevinger, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade and Compliance in the Obama Administration Michael Camuñez, Director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center Daniel Sumner, and moderator and reporter for The New York Times Natalie Kitroeff, took part in a Zócalo/UCLA Anderson event at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in downtown Los Angeles to discuss how a newly protectionist America will affect Americans.