Friday, October 25th 7:30 PM - Housatonic Valley Regional High School

The news media prepared to cover the 2024 presidential election as a historic test of American democracy. It has turned into a test of the future of American journalism. David D. Kirkpatrick is a writer for The New Yorker whose work includes coverage of American politics. He spent 22 years as a correspondent for The New York Times, where he contributed to the coverage of several American presidential elections and led coverage of the 2011 uprisings for democracy across the Middle East.

Note that David Kirkpatrick has a recent article in the August 18 online and August 26 print edition of The New Yorker called "The Infiltrators". Here is the tagline: The threat from domestic terrorism is rising, but, with Republicans decrying the “deep state,” the F.B.I. is cautious about investigating far-right groups. Vigilantes are leaping into the fray.

Friday, September 27th at Salisbury School 7:30 PM

Moderated by Jonathan P. Costa, executive director of EdAdvance, and joined by an expert panel featuring three school-based administrators and an AI specialist, this talk will provide a brief overview of artificial intelligence. The discussion will explore the recent history, current trends, and potential future of AI, and examine its potential impact on our schools.

The panelists are Ian Strever, principal of Housatonic Valley Regional High School; Sarah Mulrooney, dean of academic life at Salisbury School; Richard Davis, dean of academic life at The Hotchkiss School; and Matt Mervis, director of AI Strategy at EdAdvance.

Joshua S. Goldstein is an award-winning scholar of international relations who has written and spoken widely on war and society, including war's effects on gender, economics, and psychological trauma, and on peace and diplomacy. His book, A Bright Future (with Staffan Qvist) is on international responses to climate change, especially Sweden's success in rapid decarbonization using nuclear power. It is the basis of the new Oliver Stone documentary, Nuclear Now!

Goldstein’s book War and Gender won the International Studies Association's "Book of the Decade" award. He is coauthor (with Jon C. Pevehouse) of the widely used textbook International Relations. Goldstein's book Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide (2011) was the Conflict Research Society's "Book of the Year" in 2013.

Goldstein has published articles in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, American Political Science Review, and Journal of Conflict Resolution, among others, and Op Ed pieces in The New York Times, Washington Post, and elsewhere.

For interesting background on current nuclear power policy and pending legislation in Congress, see this March 1 article from the NY Times.

Additional interesting background information can be found in this article from Time on December 4.

Friday, April 5th, 7:30 PM at Hotchkiss School

Dr. Richard Haass will be interviewed by Brian Ross.

Dr. Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and respected scholar of international relations, is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also senior counselor with Centerview Partners, an international investment banking advisory firm. He previously served as CFR’s president for twenty years, in the State Department under Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, at the White House under George H.W. Bush, and at the Pentagon under Jimmy Carter. He was US envoy to the Cyprus negotiations and the Northern Ireland peace process, and after 9/11 was US coordinator for the future of Afghanistan. Dr. Haass is the author or editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His latest book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, was published by Penguin Press in January 2023 and became a New York Times best seller. He also authors a weekly newsletter, Home & Away, available on Substack. A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Haass holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, the masters and doctorate of philosophy degrees from Oxford University, and numerous honorary degrees. He is the recipient of the State Department's Superior Honor Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Tipperary International Peace Award. Dr. Haass, who was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island, lives with his wife in New York City.

For a sneak preview of Richard Haass, listen to this Ezra Klein podcast from March 1 called “The Wars in Gaza and Ukraine Have Changed. America’s Policy Hasn’t”.

Friday, March 8th, 7:30 PM at Housatonic Valley Regional High School

Thom Shanker and Andrew Hoehn interviewed by Alex Ward, former editorial director at NYTimes Books

Authors Andrew Hoehn and Thom Shanker address the major security challenges facing America--from adversarial superpowers--to emerging threats like pandemics, cybersecurity, and climate change. Weaving expert analysis with exclusive interviews, the authors argue that the U.S. must pivot from a military system focused on deterrence and global operations to life and money saving strategies that keep America safe.

Thursday, February 8th at 7:00 PM, via Zoom

Biden described his meeting with Xi at the APEC Summit as the “most constructive and productive” since he came to office. But what can the U.S. really expect? Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program, will discuss the next phase in US-China relations. Her latest book on Asia-Pacific geopolitics is US-Taiwan Relations: Will China's Challenge Lead to a Crisis, (Brookings Press, April 2023).

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 7:30 PM

Housatonic Valley Regional High School

Dr. James Shepherd, a faculty physician at Yale University, will lead a forum on how the world must confront infectious diseases in the 21st century. Dr. Shepherd has spent the last two decades as an infectious disease specialist, including in Africa and India treating HIV, TB, and managing public health systems and disease outbreaks. He is also a farmer in Sharon, CT, growing hops for local brewers and raising cows and sheep. With his broad experience as a doctor and a farmer, Dr. Shepherd provides a unique perspective on epidemics, the changing environment, and the place of our species amongst the community of animals, plants, and pathogens.

Friday, October 27, 2023, at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School, 7:30 PM

News about artificial intelligence technology, AI, soared into board rooms and social media this Spring when chip maker Nvidia surprised Wall Street with quarterly sales of over $7 billion, a year-over-year jump of 64%. AI chips are designed to perform tasks faster and more efficiently than humans, including generating ideas and text for plotlines and stories. Mary Rasenberger, Chief Executive Officer of the Authors Guild, will discuss how generative AI is impacting and will impact the writing profession and the future creation of literary works. What will the writing life look like in 2030? Will there be one? How will AI change publishing and what gets published? 

Prior to joining the Authors Guild, Mary was an attorney specializing in intellectual property, media, and technology with special expertise in copyright law. She counseled authors and artists, as well as publishing, media, entertainment, and internet companies in digital rights, infringement, licensing, litigation, and enforcement.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023 7:00 PM

The Sharon Playhouse

Brian Ross, who has had an illustrious 40-year career as as an investigative journalist, most notably as the Chief Investigative Correspondent for ABC News from 1994 to 2018, will facilitate a panel including Kurt Andersen, an American author of novels and nonfiction as well as television and theater, and John Coston, editor of the Lakeville Journal, will discuss the importance of maintaining the truth in all news media platforms. Playwrights Jeremy Kareken and David Murrell will explain how facts become twisted into fiction in their critically acclaimed Broadway play "The Lifespan of a Fact" about the high-stakes world of publishing, on stage at the Playhouse from September 29-October 15.

Housing is rapidly becoming less affordable for residents in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut and the surrounding region, making it difficult for those who work in local businesses, schools, and nonprofits to find a home. This forum will explore how towns and local organizations can expand housing affordability while balancing other important issues, including land conservation. Discussion will focus on building a unifying process that merges the imperative for housing solutions with long-term commitments to conservation and preservation of open spaces.

The forum will be facilitated by Steve Rosenberg, co-convener Hudson Valley Affordable Housing & Conservation Strategy, formerly of Scenic Hudson.

Panelists include Jocelyn Ayer, Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO); Michael Polemis, Chair, Land Trust Alliance; and Gordon Ridgway, First Selectman, Cornwall, CT.

As part of the event, the Foundation for Community Health, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and its Fund for the Northwest Corner will announce the launch of a new grant program, in partnership with Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity. These grants are for organizations in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut to foster multi sector collaborations on housing. The grant program aims to build public will to move housing initiatives from concept to reality by engaging with a range of community groups, including employers, conservation organizations, educators, faith communities, and economic development committees.

SAM WATERSTON, award-winning actor in theater, film, and television, also is Chair of the Board of Oceana—since 2001, the largest global advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the world's oceans. He will discuss the state of the world’s oceans and various efforts to make them healthier and more abundant, while addressing climate change. Waterston will describe some of the policy approaches and victories in countries that govern much of the world’s marine life. Through collaborative efforts, Mexico, Brazil, and Belize have agreed to publish vessel tracking data for their commercial fishing fleets; California has enacted the boldest plastic pollution reduction policy in the nation; and Spain has created a new waste law that curbs ocean-polluting single-use plastics. Oceana is participating in global efforts to reduce carbon pollution by acting to prevent the expansion of offshore drilling that can also have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems and wildlife.

You know about his success as an actor. Come hear about Sam Waterston's leading role in saving our oceans.

Tuesday, March 28 at 7pm via Zoom

Carol Browner has had a lifelong commitment to securing environmental and public health protections, working in the private sector and serving two presidents, a governor and two senators.

As Director of President Obama’s White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, Browner oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transport, and related policy across the U.S. federal government. From 1993 through 2001, Ms. Browner served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Clinton, securing clean air and safe drinking water protections. She also served as Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida launching a large ecological restoration of the Everglades. Browner was able to secure science-based public protections while allowing private business flexibility to achieve high standards.

Presently Browner is a Senior Counsel at the law firm of Covington and Burlington LLP helping clients navigate climate change policy. She also serves on the board of Bunge Limited, a multinational agribusiness corporation, and is Board Chair of of the League of Conservation Voters. Ms. Browner previously served as Senior Counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory firm, and was a founding principal of The Albright Group. She splits her time between the Green Mountains of Vermont and Washington DC.

Vivian Garfein, member of the Salisbury Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, and former Central Director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will interview Carol Browner.

This documentary is an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, who was pulled from a fiery building after the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. The experience shaped her future life as she kept a pledge she made to her classmates who perished that no one would experience such a fate again.