Author Dan Cryer discusses his biography of the Rev. Forrest Church, the foremost Unitarian Universalist of our time. Church championed the separation of church and state, and a religion that respected the mind and fostered tolerance. He wrote books on theology, pastoral meditations, and histories, while building his All Souls Church into a congregation committed to social justice. Being Alive and Having to Die chronicles Church’s life’s journey.
Wednesday, January 25 @ 7 pm
UCLA neuroscientist Gary Small looks at what Alzheimer’s disease actually is and reviews the research on preventing its onset. Small challenges the widely held notion that Alzheimer’s is not preventable and discusses a variety of ways to keep the brain healthy–there’s more to it than a crossword puzzle a day!
Thursday, February 9 @ 7 pm
Cambridge Forum hosts a mini-conference on the impact of global engagement on America’s sense of security and well-being. During the afternoon session, speakers will examine challenges posed by the European debt crisis, changing relationships in the Middle East, and the war on terror. A new grad strategy for American global engagement in the 21st century is the focus of Stephen van Evera’s evening keynote.
This Program was supported by Mass Humanities. 
Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, assesses the high-stakes diplomatic sparring between Washington and Tehran.
Have the diplomatic efforts of the Obama administration toward Iran failed? Was the Bush administration’s emphasis on military intervention, refusal to negotiate, and pursuit of regime change a better approach? How can the United States best address the ongoing turmoil in Tehran?
Recorded March 14, 2012
A mini-conference on economic globalization explores the impact of globalization of labor, capital, and markets on American workers, investors, and consumers. Robert Kuttner of Demos moderates.
2 pm Globalization of Labor: Is the Race to the Bottom Inevitable? Robert Pollin, University of Massachusetts
3 pm Globalization of Capital: The Rise of the Multinationals Robert Scott, Economic Policy Institute
4 pm Globalization of Markets: Do American Corporations Need American Consumers? Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect
7 pm Keynote: The Globalization Paradox Dani Rodrik, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Monday, April 16 @ 2pm Keynote @ 7pm
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities. Co-sponsored by Mullane, Michel & McInnes, Counselors at Law
Actors from the Underground Railway Theater read a selection from But the Giraffe! , the curtain-raiser Tony Kushner wrote for the Broadway revival of Brundibar. A panel discussion follows about the relationship between stress and creativity. Does creativity help people cope with stress? How does stress stimulate or impede creativity? Panelists include Debra Wise, Artistic Director of Underground Railway Theater; Dr. Michael Grodin, Professor of Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights at Boston University School of Public Health; and Guila Clara Kessous, Carr Center’s Initiative in Theater and Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Recorded April 22, 2012
Chuck Collins, director of the Institute for Policy Studies Program onInequality and the Common Good, and journalist Linda McQuaig explore the impact of the growing wealth gap, and suggest ways to reverse the increase in economic inequality. What role does the call for austerity play in reinforcing or overcoming economic inequality? Where do they see the political will to make the necessary policy changes? Recorded April 25, 2012
Stanford University Middle East specialist Joel Beinin discusses the results of the Egyptian elections. What is their significance for the future of the Arab Spring movement in Eqypt? In the region? What impact will the election results have on Egypt’s relations with Israel and with the Palestinian people?
+ recorded January 22, 2012 +
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities.
Co-Sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace, Boston