Paul Bloom Joins CT Forum Panel on The Brain

We are excited to announce that

Paul Bloom
Cognitive Scientist and Popular Yale Professor,
Author of How Pleasure Works

has joined our panel for The Glorious, Mysterious Brain on Friday, February 25, 2011.

He will be joined by Temple Grandin, renowned autism advocate and inspiration to millions, and Steven Pinker, author of The Blank Slate and How the Mind Works.

Paul Bloom is a distinguished cognitive scientist and award-winning author, most recently of the book, How Pleasure Works: The new science of why we like what we like and the May 2010 article in The New York Times Magazine, “The Moral Life of Babies.”

A popular professor of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University, Bloom’s research is wide ranging, including the study of morality, happiness, language, and pleasure.

In How Pleasure Works, Bloom argues that there are deep and surprising commonalities in the pleasures that we get from art, food, sex, stories, and consumer products.  His study of everyday morality and the factors that underlie moral conflict have addressed philosophical questions like, Where do our gut feelings about issues such as abortion, torture, and gay marriage come form? Do liberals think differently than conservatives? How much does religion matter?

Bloom believes that we can learn much about morality through the study of babies, chimpanzees, and psychopaths. In his article, “The Moral Life of Babies,” Bloom asserts that babies possess certain moral foundations, including the capacity and willingness to judge the actions of others, some sense of justice, and gut responses to altruism and nastiness.

In addition to How Pleasure Works, Bloom is the author of Descartes’ Baby: How the science of child development explains what makes us human. He has written more than 100 scientific articles in journals such as Nature and Science, and his popular writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The American Scientist, Slate, and The Atlantic. His article in The Atlantic, “Is God an Accident?” was included in The Best American Science Writing 2006.

Education Showcase and More at "Our Great Education Challenge"

We'll be holding a special Education Showcase featuring local education groups in the Bushnell theater lobby on Thursday, November 11 as a part of our second Forum of the Season, Our Great Education Challenge.

The Education Showcase will be available to Forum audience members beginning at 7pm, during intermission, and immediately following The Forum. The Showcase offers an opportunity to interact with local education groups, ask questions and learn more.

The following organizations will be part of the Education Showcase:

Achieve Hartford: Achieve Hartford is an independent, nonprofit organization of business and community leaders that focuses on student achievement and supporting effective and sustained school reform in the Hartford Public Schools.

CBIA Education Foundation: CBIA's Education Foundation is a nonprofit affiliate of CBIA whose mission is to help develop a skilled, knowledgeable workforce in Connecticut.

CommPACT Schools: CommPACT Schools is a partnership including the American Federation of Teachers - Connecticut; Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents; Connecticut Education Association; Connecticut Federation of School Administrators; and Neag School of Education at The University of Connecticut.

ConnCAN: ConnCAN is a platform for Connecticut citizens to effectively speak up for kids. To close Connecticut's gaping achievement gap, a new ethos of reform must permeate state government, the education establishment, and the wide community of citizens.

The Connecticut State University System: The Connecticut State University System is an exemplary state university system advancing the educational needs of the citizens of Connecticut and the nation within a global society.

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund: The mission of The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is to improve the effectiveness of education in fostering both personal development and leadership. A belief that education benefits both individuals and society as a whole guides their work.

University of Connecticut Neag School of Education: The Neag School of Education works to develop students with strong ethical standards into leaders dedicated to improving education, health and wellness for all children and adults.

Sheff Movement: The Sheff Movement Coalition is a collaboration of parents, citizens, educators and others who work to educate the public about proven voluntary integration measures and increase support for quality education for all children.

The Connecticut YOUTH Forum Student Voices: With more than 750 high school-aged youth from 40 high schools and community groups, The CT YOUTH Forum comes together year round to exchange ideas and learn from one another. We invite you to ask us about our schools and our views on education.

Rock Legend Patti Smith Added to The Forum Music Fest with John Legend and Wyclef Jean

JUST ANNOUNCED!

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Poet, Author, and Creative Spirit Patti Smith will join John Legend and Wyclef Jean at The Forum Music Fest on Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Patti Smith has been making a mark as a musician and artist since the 1970s. Her recently released memoir, Just Kids, about the music scene in New York City in the 1970s and her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, has become a best seller.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and this April awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) highest award, the Founders Award, ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams said, "Patti fused raw rock energy with the heart of a poet and ignited the 1970s New York punk scene. She expanded the boundaries of artistic expression, musically and otherwise, inspiring generations of rockers worldwide. She continues to be a vibrant, prolific artist, working in a wide variety of media.”  

Smith has described her work as “three chords merged with the power of the word.” Her first album Horses (1975) fused punk rock with poetry, and the cover photo by Mapplethorpe became a rock classic. Her album Easter (1978) included her best known hit, Because the Night, co-written with Bruce Springsteen.

In 1988 Smith and then husband Fred “Sonic” Smith recorded Dream of Life that included the classic anthem, People Have the Power. A documentary about Smith, Patti Smith, Dream of Life, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.

Smith has released 18 music albums, published 14 books of poetry and art, and performed and exhibited around the world. She has been nominated for two Grammy awards, has received poetry awards and an honorary doctorate, and was awarded the highest honor given to artists in France, the Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres. Smith also received the prestigious Women of Valor Award at the ROCKRGRL Music Conference on November 10, 2005 - exactly 30 years to the day since Horses’ release.

Smith is politically active and participates in benefit work and in various human rights organizations, including the Neil Young Bridge School, Jewel Heart, and the Tibet House Foundation. The song 1959, about the Chinese invasion of Tibet from the album Peace and Noise, was nominated for a Grammy in 1998.

Changes to CTForum YouTube page

You may have noticed that our CT Forum YouTube Channel has a new look. We wanted to take a moment to answer any questions about these changes and give you more details about our new video website, TheForumChannel.

TheForumChannel is the new website that is the exclusive place to watch full Forum conversations from the past 18 years. TheForumChannel also has easy-to-use search capabilities for browsing hundreds of clips and for searching through dozens of past panelists.

We created TheForumChannel in response to the popularity of Forum clips on YouTube. Our three million YouTube viewers were often asking where they could find more clips and where they could view full Forums - TheForumChannel offers all of that!

And despite the new look, our YouTube Channel still features the same great content it always has. We will continue to post timely clips (like when our past panelists make news, or a clip from a past Forum addresses a timely topic, etc.), as well as clips from our most recent Forums on our YouTube page. As always, our YouTube channel will be a place where you can find clips from our most recent Forum, and we will continue to use YouTube to keep the conversation going in the days following a Forum event.

TheForumChannel, moreover, is now a place to house selected full Forums and clips from our 18 years of conversations. It's an archive of the most interesting and entertaining Forums, and we will continue to add to it often. We hope that you enjoy reliving these past Forums and that you will subscribe to the site and offer your feedback.

So just remember:
YouTube = Recent and timely clips
TheForumChannel = An archive of selected full Forums, as well as hundreds of additional clips

Like what you see? Join TheForumChannel.tv on Twitter @TheForumChannel. We’d love to hear what you think!

Wyclef Jean: Hip-Hopping Humanitarian

As you may know, Hip-Hop Musician and Humanitarian Wyclef Jean will be a panelist at our Forum Music Fest on May 1, 2010. A Haitian native, Wyclef has long been an advocate for the people of Haiti, fighting to bring hope and change to the distressed nation. Since last week's devastating earthquake, Wyclef has been on the ground in Haiti aiding in both rescue and humanitarian efforts. In an interview with Oprah, he described the disaster as "an apocalypse, the seventh hell." Amidst his efforts, questions arose last week about the legitimacy of his foundation, Yele Haiti, after financial records released by The Smoking Gun suggested a potential misappropriation of funds. Wyclef directly addressed these allegations in a press conference on January 16th, 2010:

"Have we made mistakes before? Yes. Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefit? Absolutely not. Yele's books are open and transparent, and we have been given a clean bill of health from an external auditor."

All this recent press may have you wondering...

Who is Wyclef jean?

Wyclef Jean is a multi-platinum musician, actor, producer, and former member of The Fugees, a group MTV ranks as one of the best hip-hop groups of all time. Although best known as a hip-hop artist, Wyclef embraces many forms of music and all expressions of culture, from classic rock to ska to down and dirty bass to country to thugged-out rap to folk and reggae.

The son of a preacher, Wyclef was born in Haiti and moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine-years-old, before moving again to northern New Jersey. He received his first guitar from his mother and studied jazz through high school. He briefly attended Eastern Nazarene College, before dropping out of school to pursue music.

In the early 1990’s he formed the hip-hop trio The Refugee Camp (a.k.a. The Fugees) with Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel “Pras” Michel. The group’s debut album, Blunted on Reality, sold poorly, but their follow-up album, The Score, became one of the largest-selling and most influential hip-hop records in chart history, selling over 18 million copies worldwide and eventually becoming a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album. Their cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" topped U.S. airplay charts for weeks.

Despite their groundbreaking success, The Fugees have remained in limbo, with a follow-up album to The Score being continually postponed as all three members cultivated solo careers. Wyclef released his first solo CD, The Carnival, in 1997, featuring the single “Gone Till November” which earned him a Grammy nomination for best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

He has since recorded six solo albums, collaborating with guests including (click link to listen to the collaboration) Kenny Rogers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Mary J. Blige, Santana, Shakira, and many others. His latest album, Wyclefjean, is scheduled to be released in February 2010.

In all, Wyclef has sold more than 31 million albums throughout his career. Over the years, he has emerged as a leading champion for Haiti, serving as a spokesperson for many issues and created his foundation Yele to help children both in Haiti and the United States by providing scholarship opportunities, food distribution, humanitarian aid and now, earthquake relief.

We applaud Wyclef for his long standing support of the people in Haiti-come back soon to learn more about what you can do to help.

CT YOUTH Forum Members Discuss Race in America on NPR

Photo by Chion Wolf, WNPR

Students from our very own YOUTH Forum appeared on WNPR's Where We Live yesterday to discuss their views and experiences on race in America in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Check out the audio on WNPR! (click episode audio)

The Simpsons Celebrate 20th Anniversary

The Simpsons celebrated their 20th anniversary with the airing of their 450th episode last night.

Check out these great clips from our Forum, Behind the Scenes with The Simpsons featuring Producer Al Jean, writer Tim Long, actor Harry Shearer voice of Mr. Burns, Flanders, Principal Skinner and others and Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson (March 4, 2004)

For more clips, or for the ENTIRE Simpsons Forum,
visit The Forum Channel

The Connecticut Forum Announces a New Video Website!

We are excited to announce the launch of The Forum Channel, a new website showcasing video from our Forum archives! This site is the only place to find full Forum conversations, and also includes hundreds of clips and dozens of past panelists.

Visitors to The Forum Channel will have free access to videos of past guests ranging from Phish’s Trey Anastasio to Spike Lee, touching on topics ranging from humor, politics, sports, music, race, American life, and more.

Visit the site at www.theforumchannel.tv, and subscribe to the site to receive updates as we add new video content over the coming months.

Behind the Scenes at the YOUTH Forum Press Conference

A guest blog post from Danielle Joseph, YOUTH Forum Associate.

Many of you have heard of the Youth Forum, but do you really know what they do? Sure they have monthly meetings with 200 students, they take trips to colleges, they go to local plays, but one of the most sought-after activities is the opportunity to interview the celebrity panelists before they ever go on stage at The Bushnell, as a part of the pre-Forum press conference.

At the YOUTH Forum Press Conference, eight lucky high school students get to interview people like Elizabeth Edwards, Malcolm Gladwell, and Mo Rocca. At our recent Forum, It's Satire!, the students got to meet and talk with panelists Samantha Bee, Jason Alexander, Randy Cohen and David Javerbaum.


YOUTH Forum students at the press conference.

The 30 minutes of discussion was exciting, interesting, and hilarious. Samantha Bee passionately discussed universal health care and her beloved Canadian system.

Samantha Bee emphasizes her point.


Youth Forum student Isaac Silk questioned Jason Alexander about his view on becoming the iconic George Costanza. (Turns out, he has no regrets!) Alexander also talked candidly about the effects of fame on his family and personal life.

Jason Alexander responds to a student inquiry.

Randy Cohen got caught up in the conversation of whether satire should or should not be politically inclined. The Ethicist was quick to question our students back on this question. At the end of the night, each of the students walked away not only meeting a funny celebrity but making a personal connection to a fascinating individual.





From left to right: Randy Cohen, Jason Alexander, Samantha Bee and David Javerbaum,
ready to answer YOUTH Forum questions.







YOUTH Forum students and the panelists pose together.

Behind the scenes with Jason Alexander, Samantha Bee, David Javerbaum & Randy Cohen

Photo courtesy of Nick Caito, Fox 61 News

Can't get enough of our It's Satire! panelists? Neither can we! Check our their answers to our backstage questionnaire, and stay tuned for more photos and videos from behind the scenes coming soon!


What is your favorite place in the world? Why?

David Javerbaum: My mother's womb...because I was happy there.

Samantha Bee: My cottage in the Catskills is my favorite place. When I go there with my family we instantly transform into out best, most relaxed, pink cheeked selves.

Jason Alexander: To hard to choose a favorite, but one of the most beautiful places is Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

Randy Cohen: Central Park-that urban jewel. It's the finest municipal park in America.



What is something you can't live without?

David Javerbaum: My lymphatic system.

Samantha Bee: My children and my husband.

Jason Alexander: My family, including the dog. Things are not something I get overly attached to as my entire childhood home was robbed by 8 men in a moving van when I was little.

Randy Cohen: A feeling of remorse.



What book are you currently reading?

David Javerbaum: Hop on Pop. (I have a two year old)

Samantha Bee: The Sheriff of Yrnameer by Mike Rubens (friend, ex-Daily Show producer)

Jason Alexander: Giants by Jonathan Stauffer a comparative study of the life and times of Frederick Douglas and Abe Lincoln.

Randy Cohen: Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel's Booker winner.


What is always in your fridge?

David Javerbaum: Cold air.

Samantha Bee: Whole milk, eggs, Perrier, broccoli, onions, and yogurt. I am boring.

Jason Alexander: Deodorant.

Randy Cohen: Hummus.


What surprises people about you?

David Javerbaum: When I jump out of a giant birthday cake.

Samantha Bee: That I am short, and nice.

Jason Alexander: Any discernible intelligence.

Randy Cohen: My having a refrigerator full of hummus.

David Javerbaum Joins Panel for It's Satire! (Who's He?)

Who is David Javerbaum, you ask?

Well, he's the guy Jon Stewart called as a "lifeline" while participating on the TV game show, Celebrity Millionaire.

He's won a few (11!) Emmy awards producing and writing for The Daily Show.

He's also written for The Onion, Colbert Report, The Late Show & Harvard Lampoon.

And perhaps most importantly, he was a finalist on the Jeopardy! 1988 Teen Tournament and its 1998 Teen Reunion Tournament. ("Yes, Alex. I'll take Clearasil for 500, please.")

Then, of course, there's his latest book (released today!), What to Expect When You're Expected: A Fetus's Guide to the First Three Trimesters. Here's a quick "get to know you" video of Javerbaum discussing his book.



We're really looking forward to laughing along with David Javerbaum and fellow Forum panelists Jason Alexander and Samantha Bee at It's Satire! on Saturday, November 14th.

You can read more about David Javerbaum here.

Some Revolutionary Thinking...

A taste of some of the the revolutionary thinking going on at the Forum on Friday...



Do you have a favorite moment? Want to see more? Let us know!

What a REVOLUTIONARY Evening!

Last night we kicked off our exciting season with Revolutionary Thinkers featuring Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, renowned Harvard sociologist and educator, and Juan Enriquez, futurist and scientist. Award-winning TV and radio journalist Alison Stewart moderated.

Here are some behind the scenes photos!

Doris and Richard Sugarman welcome Moderator Alison Stewart to Hartford. Alison was very very interested in learning about Hartford and seeing how the current economic climate has affected our town.

Alison, Sara and Juan chat about their hometowns while signing autographs at the panelist meeting. Here, the panelists meet for the first time and get acquainted before the evening begins.

Want to know what Juan's favorite book is, or what is always in his refrigerator?
He answers those questions and more on our new panelist questionnaire.
Check back next week to see what all of our panelists shared!

Jessica Jackley warms up the crowd at the pre-Forum dinner.

Will Allen and Richard Sugarman greet the pre-Forum dinner guests. Richard and Will were old college pals at The University of Miami!

The panelists visit The Bushnell and meet our stage director Arnold Berman (at left).

Richard and Sara admire the many signatures that adorn the walls backstage at The Bushnell.

Alison and Richard sort through questions from the audience in preparation for the second half.

As you can imagine, it's easy to be intimidated by these big thinkers with even bigger accomplishments - but there was no need. They were all extremely friendly and kind, and seemed to be in awe of each other, just as we were all in awe of them. Revolutionary Thinkers proved to be just what we hoped...an inspirational, educational, and motivational evening full of ideas, reflections, and insights.

Come back soon for behind the scenes videos and more!

Shark Free is the Way to be: Alice Waters Vows to Skip the Shark Fin Soup

Alice Waters found herself in some hot water following our May 14th Forum, Food for Thought, when she shared that she would like her last meal to be shark fin soup.



This surprised fellow Food for Thought panelists Anthony Bourdain and Duff Goldman as Alice is best known as the revolutionary leader of the Slow Food movement. "That's not local," chuckled Bourdain.

But, there is some good news for sharks around the globe this weekend, as the New York Times has reported that Alice recently signed a No Shark Fin pledge, promising to never to consume or serve shark fin soup or any product containing shark fin.

News Legend Walter Cronkite Has Died

Walter Cronkite, legendary CBS Evening News anchorman and former Forum panelist has passed away at the age of 92 after a long battle with cardiovascular disease.

Mr. Cronkite visited The Connecticut Forum in 1999 as a member of the Integrity and the Media panel alongside Mike McCurry, Ben Bradlee, and Rita Braver.







For more on Cronkite, and the long legacy he will leave behind, visit CBS News' tribute pages.

Behind the Scenes of Food for Thought with Anthony Bourdain and Duff Goldman

Backstage at The Bushnell, there is a very small room that holds the signatures of the very big names that have graced the stage there. Ray Charles, Walter Cronkite, Al Franken, Carol Channing, Bernadette Peters, and hundreds more, including a slew of Forum panelists, have all signed their John Hancock on these walls.

Food for Thought panelists Anthony Bourdain and Duff Goldman couldn't resist!

Anthony accompanied his name with a bloody knife...

and Duff cheered it up with some hearts and smiley faces.


Stay tuned all week for more behind the scenes photos and stories
from Food for Thought!

Colin McEnroe to Moderate the Food for Thought Forum

We're happy to announce that Hartford's own Colin McEnroe will be moderating the May 14 Forum, Food for Thought with Anthony Bourdain, Duff Goldman and Alice Waters.


Colin has moderated more Forums than anyone else, including: 90 Minutes with 60 Minutes, Behind the Scenes with The Simpsons and Talking Authors, and we're happy to have him on board again!

Check out Colin moderating as the cast of The Simpsons reads a scene:

Behind the Scenes: GOD

Why God?

Last night our diverse panel of experts lead us on a provocative and enlightening journey exploring the role of God in people’s lives and the common language we have used across all cultures and time to make sense of the mysteries of life.

Let's take a look behind the scenes!

The evening began with the panelist meeting. Here, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rev. Peter Gomes, and Christopher Hitchens along with Moderator Connie Schultz had the opportunity to meet and greet each other before the Forum got underway.

Next it's off to the YOUTH Forum press conference. Here, YOUTH Forum Members, who are high school students from around the state, have an intimate opportunity to ask the panel anything that is on their minds.

Once the Forum was underway, the stage was electrified with a spirited, enlightening, and eye-opening conversation about God and religion. Stay tuned to our YouTube Page for clips of the Forum!

Ever wonder what's happening back stage at intermission?

A group of Forum Subscribers, Friends of the Forum, and Sponsors gather backstage to sort through your great questions, in preparation for the second half.

The panelists grab a quick snack in the green room.

After the program ended, we had the opportunity to ask Christopher Hitchens just one more question backstage...

(Click Here to see a video of Christopher's water board experience)

Want more insight on what happened back stage? Check out Forum Valet Peterson Toscano's Blog!

It's your turn! Share your reactions to God, leave us a comment!

Forum Panelist Honored as New York Public Theater's First "Master Writer"

Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright, MacArthur Genius and our very own Storytellers panelist Suzan-Lori Parks has another impressive title to add to her collection: Master Writer Chair at New York's Public Theater.

"Suzan-Lori Parks is one of our greatest artists, and this chair will allow her the freedom to follow her unique vision wherever it might lead her. We at The Public are honored to have her as part of our family," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis yesterday in a press release.

From today's New York Times:

The residency, which Ms. Parks assumes on Nov. 1, is a salaried three-year position that “affords writers the flexibility and freedom to pursue their artistic goals and endeavors,” according to the Public Theater. As part of the appointment, Ms. Parks will also become a visiting arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in its dramatic writing program.

Kudos to Ms. Parks! See you at The Forum!

Suzan-Lori Parks will be a featured panelist at The Connecticut Forum's "Storytellers & the Stories They Tell" on Friday, November 21. More info available at ctforum.org!