  Once called "the most popular children's entertainer in the western world" (Washington Post), Raffi now lectures on his Child Honouring philosophy. He calls it a "compassion revolution." Raffi challenges his audience to become a catalyst for change with an idea whose time has come.
  As Director of the Hayden Planetarium and the host of PBS NOVA Science NOW, Dr. Tyson is one of the most high profile astrophysicists in America. Tyson is always working to pique the scientific curiosity of a new generation of young people. His recent books include "One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos," "Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries," "Origins," and "The Pluto Files."
 Could the food you eat or the floors you walk on be toxic? Praised as "the new Rachel Carson" for her groundbreaking book "Living Downstream," Steingraber raises awareness of how toxins all around us adversely affect our health. She takes a personal and scientific look at the ecological links to cancer and other medical problems, and offers insight into how we can protect our environment and ourselves. Her new documentary Living Downstream, based on her highly-acclaimed book, was released in early 2010. [Photo Credit: Dede Hatch]
.jpg) Essayist Richard Rodriguez discusses how America - and every American - is shaped by the continual interaction of cultures, blurring boundaries between "black" and "white," Hispanic and Anglo. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books "Hunger of Memory," "Days of Obligation: An Argument With My Mexican Father" and "Brown: The Last Discovery of America."
 Founder of the popular website Feministing.com, Valenti is author of the recently released "The Purity Myth," as well as "Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters," "She's a Slut, He's a Stud and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know," and "Yes Means Yes." Valenti is a seasoned activist for women's rights and presents a fresh vision of feminism that debunks the myths and focuses on the future.
 Dr. Reagon is a Freedom Singer who highlights her forty year journey as a cultural activist, scholar and artist. Founder of 'Sweet Honey In the Rock,' she renders her passionate convictions in a moving and memorable mixture of song and spoken word, drawing on the life stories of 19th and 20th century African American women whose struggles for freedom guide her in this moving presentation.
 A true Renaissance man, Johnson is a poet, Buddhist philosopher, novelist, teacher, cartoonist, screenwriter and essayist. His writing, including the National Book Award winning novel, "Middle Passage," braids history, philosophy and artistry to show how the power of the past shapes the present. His engaging speaking style draws the audience into an unforgettable dialogue.
 What beauty can be found at the ocean's greatest depths? And how can we protect it? Biologist and deep-sea explorer Edith Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of degradation in our marine environment. Her presentation gives a breathtaking view of the world beneath the surface of the seas.
 A powerful storyteller, Mann's most recent book "1491" explores the history of the Americas before Columbus. A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has received awards for his articles and books on everything from emerging technologies to the business of medicine to endangered species. [ Photo Credit Josh D'Aluisio-Guerrieri ]
 Stephanie Coontz addresses today's debates on marriage and family in the 21st century. One of the most widely quoted researchers on family issues in America today, and the author of six books on family history and sociology, Coontz draws on history, facts, figures, and anecdotes to challenge our most cherished myths about the past and future of marriage, parenting and family relations.
 CSI has brought crime scenes into America's living room, and has sparked a wave of interest (and enrollment!) in forensic science as a career. CSI consultant and forensic pathologist Gary Telgenhoff uses science, experience and his own macabre sense of humor to bring audiences the tales that the dead can't tell.
 Leading the battle for environmental justice, from dealing with the toxic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to curbing urban sprawl, Dr. Bullard tells the stories of frontline warriors who are fighting environmental and human rights abuses. His research and activism challenges government and industry policies that place people of color and the poor at special risk. He is the author of 15 books, including “Race, Place, and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina.”
 Imagine if your job required you to stand in the winds of a Category 5 hurricane. That's just one of the adventures of the world's first full-time professional storm chaser, who regularly risks his life to capture some of the most breathtaking images of extreme weather. Warren Faidley's first-hand experiences of outwitting storms have made him one of the most sought-after experts on storm chasing and storm survival.
Jeff Stetson 
Jeff Stetson is an internationally acclaimed award-winning playwright and screenwriter for film and television.He is the author of "The Meeting" and "Blood on the Leaves."
Richard Feldman 
How the firearm issue was hijacked by the Conservative Movement to advance their agenda and how progressives can change America with the same techniques! The inside story from a Washington lobbyist! |
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 As experienced veterans of academia, Dreifus and Hacker ask: What do students and families receive for the approximate quarter of a million dollars which four years at a top-tier American university cost them? Their new book "Higher Education?" has been called "thought-provoking," "timely," and "readable."
Jeff Lieberman
 Jeff Lieberman is the star of Discovery Channel's Time Warp, where cool science is s-l-o-w-e-d down to better understand movement as an art form. Lieberman is also a musician, roboticist, sculptor and photographer.
 Star of Animal Planet's hit show Whale Wars and founder of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Captain Paul Watson is a dynamic and passionate speaker on conservation and environmental issues. A controversial figure dedicated to preventing the illegal slaughter of whales, dolphins and other endangered sea life, Watson takes major risks to protect the environment.
 Writer and Director of The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard is an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues. Her new book, based on the film, was released in March 2010 to rave reviews. Annie's film, book, and program explore how our obsession with stuff is trashing the planet, our communities, and our health - and offers us a vision for change.
 Kate Clinton is a faith-based, tax-paying, America-loving political humorist and family entertainer. Clinton uses humor as a force for social change and has been performing nationwide for 28 years. Her "standup" lecture reviews theories of contemporary comedy, debunks the premature report of the death of irony, and reveals the secret human longing for the wild ride of smart, challenging humor. Oh, and it entertains you. Really entertains you.
 How does a child who was both a victim and survivor of the Cambodian genocide grow to become an internationally recognized human rights leader? Subject of the documentary The Flute Player and a founder of Children of War, an international youth leadership organization for building community, activism and healing for teenagers, Pond opens our eyes and hearts, and helps us to heal.
 Stacy Malkan asks: what's in your makeup? The co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and award-winning author of "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry," Malkan explains the truth behind the beauty industry.
 In the debate about immigration, we often forget the human side of the story. Enrique Morones is determined to help us remember. The founder of Border Angels, a humanitarian organization which provides support and relief to migrant workers on the US-Mexican border, he wants Americans to know the truth about the people behind the immigration policy debates, both migrants and the vigilante Minutemen.
 If personal privacy is something we truly value, how do we find a balance with the role of emerging technologies? Attorney and technology expert Lane takes a hard look at the rapid evolving laws governing computers, privacy and free speech, at home, in school and in the workplace. Look for his recent books "The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture" and "The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Crusade to Reshape the Supreme Court."
 A leading organizer in the Chinese student democracy movement, he is among forty-nine individuals blacklisted by the Beijing government. As research fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and President of The Foundation For China In The 21st Century, he continues to provide a forceful and unique perspective on this historic struggle. Jianli Yang, returned to his adopted home in 2007 in the United States after five years in Chinese prisons.
 An unrelenting investigative journalist, best-selling author Dan Moldea focuses on the world of organized crime in America in the highly acclaimed Hoffa Wars and Dark Victory. His controversial book Interference linked the NFL to the Mafia and embroiled Moldea in a landmark legal battle. He has also published the definitive books on the murder of Robert Kennedy, the O.J. Simpson case, and Vincent Foster's suicide.
 Steve Brodner's award-winning career as a satirical illustrator and art journalist spans three decades. As a political artist for The New York Magazine, his iconic caricatures of pop and political culture have appeared all over the U.S., as well as his visual essays of political campaigns and the struggles of everyday working families.
Ted Conover's experiences as a rookie prison guard, companion of undocumented Mexicans, and hopper of freight trains are just some of what makes him a celebrated participatory journalist.
Conover is an expert at sharing stories and creating conversational dialogues that are engaging, interesting, and relevant.
 Consider a world where marketers use brain scans to determine a customer’s interest in a product; politicians target voters via brain-image based profiles; job applicants undergo screening of their brain’s electrical responses aimed at detecting unconsciously held prejudices and beliefs. Welcome to the Neurosociety where brain science is changing how we live, work and love. Richard Restak, author of 19 books on the human brain, including the recent The Naked Brain , explores such new and controversial applications of brain research and presents complex scientific material in a style that is, according to a recent appraisal, “immediate, visceral provocative and practical.”
James Galbraith  Economist James Galbraith currently serves as the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Government and Business Relations and Professor of Economics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
Richard Rhodes  Richard Rhodes is the author or editor of twenty-three books including “The Making of the Atomic Bomb,” which won a Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction. His new book "The Twilight of the Bombs" is set to be released in summer 2010.
 Finding your liberties and conscience under attack? Attorney, activist and a founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Silverglate addresses the issues that profoundly affect us all: freedom of conscience, academic freedom, civil liberties, freedom in cyberspace, and individual rights.His forthcoming book is "Three Felonies a Day" explores how the Department of Justice uses vague federal statutes to prosecute innocent citizens. |
