Zócalo Public Square

The digital age has brought us wonders—connecting instantly with friends and family on the other side of the world, the ability to order just about anything from anywhere, even new apps that limit your intake of calories and booze. But the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has also been blamed for a variety of different health problems, from obesity to sleep disorders. At a Zócalo/UCLA event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown L.A., UCLA Chancellor and biobehavioral scientist specializing in circadian rhythms Gene Block, health economist and Milken Institute Fellow Anusuya Chatterjee, and UCLA Children’s Digital Media Center director Patricia Greenfield discussed whether digital technology can do more harm than good to our health. The event was moderated by Chad Terhune of California Healthline and Kaiser Health News.

On June 23, 2016, British citizens will be asked, “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” On the surface, this would seem to be a simple yes-or-no question. But what are voters supposed to take into consideration when casting their votes? What does the European Union mean to them? And what exactly does “remaining” or “leaving” even mean, in the context of the U.K.’s ties to the continent? Those were the themes explored at a Zócalo/Democracy International event at the Royal Institution in London. The discussion was moderated by The New York Times International News Editor Sewell Chan and featured four panelists: University of Edinburgh political scientist Laura Cram, longtime German and European Parliament member Gerald Häfner, Open Europe Co-Director Stephen Booth, and London School of Economics legal scholar Damian Chalmers.

On June 23, 2016, British citizens will be asked, “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” On the surface, this would seem to be a simple yes-or-no question. But what are voters supposed to take into consideration when casting their votes? What does the European Union mean to them? And what exactly does “remaining” or “leaving” even mean, in the context of the U.K.’s ties to the continent? Those were the themes explored at a Zócalo/Democracy International event at the Royal Institution in London. The discussion was moderated by The New York Times International News Editor Sewell Chan and featured four panelists: University of Edinburgh political scientist Laura Cram, longtime German and European Parliament member Gerald Häfner, Open Europe Co-Director Stephen Booth, and London School of Economics legal scholar Damian Chalmers.

When Americans took a great leap of faith into popular sovereignty in 1776, they defined themselves in opposition to the culture and politics of Great Britain. Yet nearly 250 years later, Britain holds a grip on the American imagination. Will a more diverse America, with fewer people who trace their ancestry to the British Isles, continue to see itself as connected to Britain? At a Smithsonian/Zócalo "What It Means to Be American" event at the British Museum in London, Companies Editor at the Financial Times Brooke Masters, who moderated the discussion, and four panelists—American-British television presenter Loyd Grossman, That’s Not English author Erin Moore, The Economist editor and columnist Adrian Wooldridge, and London School of Economics Director Craig Calhoun—had no doubt that America owed a great deal to Britain. But the question of the night was how much it remained influenced by its former overlord.

When Americans took a great leap of faith into popular sovereignty in 1776, they defined themselves in opposition to the culture and politics of Great Britain. Yet nearly 250 years later, Britain holds a grip on the American imagination. Will a more diverse America, with fewer people who trace their ancestry to the British Isles, continue to see itself as connected to Britain? At a Smithsonian/Zócalo "What It Means to Be American" event at the British Museum in London, Companies Editor at the Financial Times Brooke Masters, who moderated the discussion, and four panelists—American-British television presenter Loyd Grossman, That’s Not English author Erin Moore, The Economist editor and columnist Adrian Wooldridge, and London School of Economics Director Craig Calhoun—had no doubt that America owed a great deal to Britain. But the question of the night was how much it remained influenced by its former overlord.

San Diego's arts scene is vibrant, but also lacks many factors that would allow it to attract global attention: media coverage, communication between people and arts institutions, and sufficient financial support from local governments, art patrons, and collectors. At a Zócalo Public Square event moderated by Kinsee Morlan of the Voice of San Diego, four panelists both celebrated and criticized the arts in San Diego, and discussed what steps need to be taken to improve the city's approach. Featuring: Artist Jenessa Goodman, museum and urban planner Priya Sircar, City of San Diego Senior Public Art Manager Christine Jones, and curator and educational director at A Ship in the Woods Lianne Thompson Mueller.

San Diego's arts scene is vibrant, but also lacks many factors that would allow it to attract global attention: media coverage, communication between people and arts institutions, and sufficient financial support from local governments, art patrons, and collectors. At a Zócalo Public Square event moderated by Kinsee Morlan of the Voice of San Diego, four panelists both celebrated and criticized the arts in San Diego, and discussed what steps need to be taken to improve the city's approach. Featuring: Artist Jenessa Goodman, museum and urban planner Priya Sircar, City of San Diego Senior Public Art Manager Christine Jones, and curator and educational director at A Ship in the Woods Lianne Thompson Mueller.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's open embrace of refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan has added urgency to longstanding soul-searching about what it means to be German, particularly for newly arrived immigrants, and even their children. At a Zócalo Public Square / Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft / NPR Berlin event moderated by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel, five speakers—actress and comedian Idil Baydar, Bundestag MP Özcan Mutlu of the Green Party, Riem Spielhaus of the Erlanger Center for Islam and Law in Europe, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Audrey Singer, and Bundestag MP Cemile Giousouf of the Christian Democratic Union—discuss the ways Germany can better integrate immigrants, with a particular focus on Muslims.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's open embrace of refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan has added urgency to longstanding soul-searching about what it means to be German, particularly for newly arrived immigrants, and even their children. At a Zócalo Public Square / Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft / NPR Berlin event moderated by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Rick Stengel, five speakers—actress and comedian Idil Baydar, Bundestag MP Özcan Mutlu of the Green Party, Riem Spielhaus of the Erlanger Center for Islam and Law in Europe, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Audrey Singer, and Bundestag MP Cemile Giousouf of the Christian Democratic Union—discuss the ways Germany can better integrate immigrants, with a particular focus on Muslims.

When should medicine fend off death, and when should it help patients prepare for the end? In the Zócalo/UCLA event “Does Medicine Know How to Approach Death?,” John Fairhall, the editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, moderated a panel discussion about the ethical challenges that accompany advances in medical treatment that allow us extending life longer than ever before. UCLA Ethics Center co-founder Katherine Brown-Saltzman, Dr. Susan Stone of St. Joseph Health & Annadel Medical Group, UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital Palliative Care Chaplain Rev. Lori Koutouratsas, and Bill Monning, CA Senator and co-author of the End of Life Option Act tackled the hard question of who decides when and how we should die.