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If TV Wants to Bring America Together, It Needs to Avoid “Preachiness and Condescension”

By | February 22, 2017

“Can television bring America together?” asked writer John Bowman, the moderator of a panel posing that question. He immediately answered his own query with, “God knows I’ve tried.” And so began a lively and engaged conversation between Bowman and several other writers and creators of television shows that have challenged traditional cultural and social boundaries.
The discussion, before a full house at a Smithsonian/Zócalo “What …

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If the Central Valley Wants to Grow up, It Needs to Bridge Its Urban-Rural Character With Unity and Planning

By | February 16, 2017

“Are we urban or are we rural?” moderator Dan Morain asked at the start of a lively Wednesday panel discussion on the future of California’s Central Valley.
“Both” was the answer that emerged over the course of the hour-long exchange among Morain, editorial page editor and political affairs columnist for The Sacramento Bee, and a panel of civic, education, and community leaders before a packed audience …

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Could a “Trigger Moment” Imperil Civil Liberties?

By | January 19, 2017

In December 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the “trigger moment” that eventually led the U.S. government to herd tens of thousands of Japanese Americans into internment camps. If some explosive incident were to occur during Donald Trump’s presidency, could it provoke a similar mass round-up of Muslims, immigrants, or some other ethnic or religious group?
On Wednesday night, a standing-room-only crowd gathered to …

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Go Ahead: Eat Your Genetically Modified Vegetables

By | December 15, 2016

“So you know this topic isn’t controversial or anything,” joked chef and KCRW Good Food host Evan Kleiman as she launched a spirited conversation about genetically modified organisms—also known as GMOs—and their impact on food and agriculture today.
But at the recent Zócalo/UCLA event, “What’s So Bad about GMOs?”, held at MOCA Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, three food and agricultural experts argued that …

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Is Political Correctness Making Comedians More Creative Than Ever Before?

By | December 7, 2016

When New York Times Magazine contributing writer Carina Chocano was initially approached to moderate a Zócalo/UCLA event on political correctness and humor, she was intimidated by what she thought was the title: “Has Political Correctness Killed Humor?” On learning that the title was, in fact, “Has Political Correctness Really Killed Humor?”, she felt great relief. “I found it interesting that one little word would make …

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The Painful Truth About America’s Opioid Addiction

By | December 1, 2016

Lisa Girion, a Reuters top news editor for the Americas and the moderator of a Zócalo/UCLA panel on America’s opioid addiction problem, opened the discussion with some startling statistics. “Over the last 15 years, more than 200,000 people have died of drug deaths in this country,” most due to prescription opioids but increasingly heroin as well, she said. “20 million people are currently addicted in …

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Digital Media Is Challenging Journalists, but Fake News Won’t Kill Democracy

By | November 18, 2016

Does the Digitization of Journalism Threaten Democracy? Donostia from Zocalo Public Square on Vimeo.
The world now confronts a bitter irony: the democratization of information has proven not to be all that good for democracy.
That provocative observation, offered by moderator and Zócalo Public Square executive editor Andrés Martinez, framed a Zócalo/Democracy International event in Donostia-San Sebastián, a coastal city in the Spanish Basque Country.
“Does …

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How Do You Fix a “Bad” Neighborhood? Out of 99 Problems, Disconnectedness Is Number One

By | November 2, 2016

The California Wellness Foundation President Judy Belk introduced a Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation event at MOCA Grand Avenue by explaining to a large crowd why she was intrigued to hear what people who live and work in Los Angeles have to say about wellness in their neighborhoods. In a recent poll the foundation conducted of Californians, “L.A. rated their community and their wellness experience the …

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For Ceramicist and Gulf War Veteran Ehren Tool, It’s Not as Simple As “Make Art Not War”

By | October 28, 2016

“Is it an obligation of the artist to address war in a time of war?”
Artillery editor Tulsa Kinney opened a Zócalo Public Square/MOCA discussion in front of an engaged and curious crowd at MOCA Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles with this question. After all, she pointed out, we live in a world of both Jeff Koons (“who makes balloon dogs”) and Thomas Hirschhorn, …

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More Sprawl Can’t Keep the Inland Empire Down

By | October 27, 2016

The Inland Empire is facing a boom in population growth that presents a challenge for increasingly sprawling communities. Still, the region remains optimistic and open to embracing positive change to create healthy neighborhoods.
Four panelists, each involved in different Inland Empire communities, shared their diverse perspectives on this topic at the Zócalo Public Square/The California Wellness Foundation event “Will the Inland Empire’s Sprawl Create …

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