Six Degrees of Bill Clinton: The Clinton Global Initiative Recognizes Will Allen and Kiva

Yes, we've heard - you want us to bring Bill Clinton to The Forum.

Every year, when we survey our audience, YOUTH Forum members and various community members regarding ideas for our upcoming Season, there are certain individuals who repeatedly appear on your list of desired panelists - names like Oprah, Nelson Mandela, and... Bill Clinton.

And we try, we really do.

But did you know that two people honored by Clinton's Global Initiative (CGI) last week - one of whom Clinton called his hero - will be here, in Hartford, at The Forum this Friday? (That's tomorrow!)

Will Allen and his organization Growing Power work to provide high quality, safe and affordable food to all members of the community. With support from the Clinton Global Initiative, Growing Power will introduce its model of local food systems and sustainability in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Jessica Jackley and Kiva.org were also a part of the commitments made by the Clinton Global Initiative. Kiva.org provides micro-loans to third-world entrepreneurs to help them lift themselves out of poverty. With the commitment from CGI, Kiva, in partnership with Moodys, will build on-the-ground teams to "expand its capacity to connect with entrepreneurs, assess their creditworthiness, and monitor progress toward loan repayment."

Allen and Jackley will be joined at The Forum by Harvard Sociologist and Educator Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and the futurist, scientist and businessman Juan Enriquez. Award-winning TV and radio journalist Alison Stewart will moderate.

You may not see Bill Clinton on stage at The Forum tomorrow night, but you will most definitely see the people Bill Clinton would like to see on the world's stage. And we think that's pretty cool.

The Protect Insurance Companies PSA: Some Satire for your Thursday Afternoon

Sure, the healthcare debate is still in full swing, but it's never too soon to bring on the satire. And I think Will Ferrell gets it right...

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Bob Woodward leaks confidential Afghanistan Policy Report in The Washington Post

Bob Woodward, known as one of the greatest investigative reporters of our time, has done it again.

In a front page article of The Washington Post yesterday, Woodward leaked the details of a confidential 66-page report, in which top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal explains to President Barack Obama that if more troops are not sent overseas, U.S. Military efforts "will likely result in failure." In the article, McChrystal goes on to explain:
"Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) -- while Afghan security capacity matures -- risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible."

While many are calling the leak a political embarrassment, there is no indication that the White House plans to launch a formal investigation into the leaker's identity or intentions, and some are speculating that it might even have been an intentional leak from the Obama administration.

Known for his ability to shake down administrations through high powered sources and leaks, Woodward is one of the most renowned, and perhaps feared journalists in D.C. Here, he shares tips on investigative reporting:

Want more? Mr. Woodward will visit The Connecticut Forum
on Thursday, March 4, 2010 as part of the World of Change panel!
For more details, visit www.ctforum.org.

Jason Alexander to Join Samantha Bee in Hartford

Yesterday we announced that Jason Alexander (a.k.a. George Costanza from Seinfeld) will be joining our panel for It's Satire on November 14th - a panel that already includes The Daily Show's hilarious and uber-talented Samantha Bee.

As if that weren't enough, Randy Cohen, humorist and author of The Ethicist from The New York Times Magazine, will moderate the conversation. But the fun doesn't stop there! We'll be announcing yet another panelist for this Forum in the coming weeks.

Needless to say, judging by the litany of bad Seinfeld character impersonations ("Helloooooo!") and the copious research being conducted on Comedy Central and YouTube, we're just a wee bit excited here at The Forum office.

That said, here's a little taste of Jason Alexander as everyone's favorite lovable loser, George Costanza.