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Newsmaker Vicente Fox Weighs in on Arizona Immigration Law

lesherspeakerseries — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:25:00 GMT

Our season 4 Newsmakers guest, former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, weighed in on the controversial Arizona immigration law this week. President Fox has strong feelings about the southern border of the United States and the impact it has on free trade, the relationship between the two countries and the continent as a whole. He shared those feelings when he visited the Lesher Center, and in his book, which came out shortly after that visit. He has been somewhat quieter than I thought he might be throughout this current debate, however, as this is one of the first time I have noticed him speaking out on the subject. Click below to see video of the interview courtesy of the Washington Post.

Vicente Fox on the Arizona immigration law courtesy of the Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/07/28/VI2010072803840.html

Newsmaker Bob Woodward to Return to East Bay in January

lesherspeakerseries — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:36:00 GMT

One of our best presentations at Newsmakers was in 2008, when legendary journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein joined us. Their visit to the Lesher Center made national news when the Watergate duo revealed that the previous day, they made a trek to Santa Rosa to visit Mark Felt (aka "Deep Throat") in what was Bernstein's first ever meeting with the most famous source in the history of journalism. Woodward will return to the East Bay, flying solo this time, to be the keynote speaker at the Contra Costa Council's annual "Contra Costa USA" program on Jan. 27.

The Council is not only the premier economic development association in our region, it has been one of the important partners in producing Newsmakers. Their annual conference is a terrific public policy event that was one of the original inspirations behind the Lesher Speaker Series. It routinely sells out, is the place to "see and be seen" as they say, and they will have an excellent keynote in Woodward, who seems to make news wherever he goes.

So mark your calendar for Jan. 27, 2011. You will not want to miss Woodward's return to the East Bay, and you will want to get tickets early while they are available. See the link below for a recap of last year's CCUSA program. It gives a good flavor for what the whole conference is like.

Recap of "Contra Costa USA," 2010
http://www.contracostacouncil.com/ccusa.php

Newsmaker Peter Bergen on Leaked War Documents

lesherspeakerseries — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:30:00 GMT

It appears to be the consensus of those media figures with institutional knowledge, that the Afghanistan War documents that just made their way into the public domain are the biggest intelligence bombshell since the Pentagon Papers. Our 2009 Newsmakers guest, CNN Terrorism Analyst Peter Bergen, is one of the foremost experts on Afghanistan and the war we are fighting there. He was on CNN ;last night with Anderson Cooper to talk about the leaked documents. Click below to see what he had to say.

Peter Bergen on CNN re: leaked war documents
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/07/26/afghanistan.wikileaks/?hpt=C1

Read Brokaw "To Kill a Mockingbird" Essay

lesherspeakerseries — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:01:00 GMT

I mentioned in a recent blog entry the participation of our upcoming Newsmakers guest, Tom Brokaw, in the events around the recent 50th anniversary celebration of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. In addition to appearing at one of the public readings, Brokaw has also penned an essay for the new book Scout, Atticus and Boo, which contains perspectives from famous people, and what the landmark novel meant to them. You can read Brokaw's essay courtesy of the Daily Beast by clicking below.

Brokaw's To Kill a Mockingbird essay in the Daily Beast and the new book, Scout, Atticus and Boo
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-07-10/to-kill-a-mockingbird-turns-50-tom-brokaw-on-why-its-special/

Read Excerpt of Soledad O' Brien's Upcoming Book, "The Next Big Story"

lesherspeakerseries — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:44:00 GMT

Our upcoming Newsmakers guest, CNN's Soledad O'Brien, will be releasing her new book soon, entitled The Next Big Story. You can read an excerpt courtesy of CNN. Click below.

Excerpt from Soledad O"Brien's upcoming book, The Next Big Story
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/07/12/soledad.obrien.haiti/index.html

Newsmaker Sally Ride Headlines Innovation Conference

lesherspeakerseries — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:38:00 GMT

Astronaut Sally Ride, who gave a memorable presentation at the Lesher Center back in 2007, was in the Midwest last week headlining Motorla's Innovation Generation Network conference. Dr. Ride promoted her message of strengthened math and science education in her talk, which you can read more about by clicking the link below from the Daily Herald suburban Chicago newspaper.

Daily Herald on Dr. Sally Ride's recent speech to the Motorla Innovatio Generation Network conference
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=393761

Newsmaker Frank Deford Sounds off on LeBron

lesherspeakerseries — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:32:00 GMT

Our Newsmakers friend, sportswriter Frank Deford, devoted his recent commentary on National Public Radio to the spectical that was LeBron James' decision to sign with the Miami Heat. As always, Deford has a thoughtful take that should make even James partisans think a second time. Click below to read.

Frank Deford on the media frenzy around the LeBron James announcement
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128489843

Newsmaker Naomi Judd Joins Anti-Coal Campaign

lesherspeakerseries — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:07:00 GMT

Our Season 5 Newsmakers guest, country music superstar Naomi Judd, has been doing more than just prepping for the upcoming Judds farewell tour. She recently joined an effort by the Natural Resource Defense Council to limit certain types of coal mining.

Judd is an interesting political animal with friendships that span the ideological spectrum from Maya Angelou to Sarah Palin. Like many Americans, she has a wide range of political views, and one might not have expected this as one of her pet causes. Read more from Rod Perk's NRDC blog below.

NRDC on Naomi Judd joining their anti-mining campaign
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rperks/naomi_judd_joins_nrdcs_music_s.html

Newsmaker Cal Ripken Jr. Considering Joining the Orioles

lesherspeakerseries — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:52:00 GMT

Our Newsmakers friend, Cal Ripken Jr. is in the news again with regard to his former team. Speculation has swirled around the now-hapless birds of Camden Yards that Ripken might consider re-joining the organization in some capacity, whether it be in the front office, or even to manage.

In this USA Today Article from last week (see link below), Ripken admits that he is having active talks with the O's about becoming a part of the organization. This is a move that would seem to make a lot of sense for both Ripken and the team that has never been the same since he retired.

USA Today on Cal Ripken Jr. talking to the Orioles about returning to baseball in some capacity
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/07/cal-ripken-jr-considers-return-to-orioles-organization/1

Future Newsmaker Peter Greenberg on BP Oil Cap

lesherspeakerseries — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:15:01 GMT

Our future Lesher Speaker Series guest, author/radio host/travel expert/commentator, Peter Greenberg, is also one of the most active bloggers in the world on a wide range of subjects. I'm looking forward to asking him how he gets it all done. Click the link below to read his piece on the recent BP capping the Gulf Coast oil leak.

Peter Greenberg on the oil leak cap
http://www.petergreenberg.com/2010/07/16/bp-caps-well-but-oil-spill-catastrophe-continues/

Newsmaker Geraldine Ferraro Made History on This Day

lesherspeakerseries — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:17:00 GMT

On this day in 1984, our Newsmakers friend,Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman on a national presidential ticket, winning the Vice Presidential nomination by acclimation at the Democractic Party convention here in the Bay Area. It was, as Time Magazine put it, a "historic choice" indeed.

Congresswoman Ferraro proved to be a very resilient individual and a tough fighter on the otherwise lackluster campaign of Walter Mondale against Ronald Reagan. Her toughness was on full display the night she visited the Lesher Center back in 2004 as well, when she was sick with the flu, chugged some chicken soup backstage and went on to debate Tucker Carlson in only our second Newsmakers program ever. We were nervous that night as to whether she was up to it, but she held her own with Carlson, and proved we had nothing to worry about. She even made time to visit with the people of the Wellness Community cancer support group, who was our non-profit that night.

So on this day, we congratulate and thank Congresswoman Ferraro, whose impact on both our series and on history, will not soon be forgotten.

Newsmaker Schieffer Hosts Lively Immigration Debate on Face the Nation

lesherspeakerseries — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:47:00 GMT

The debate over the Arizona immigration law continues around the country. Today on CBS' Face the Nation, our Newsmakers friend Bob Schieffer hosted a lively exchange on the subject between former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who have opposing views of the measure. Click the link below to view.

Bob Schieffer moderates debate between Richardson and Hayworth on Face the Nation
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6689841n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Cruising with Newsmaker Jehan Sadat

lesherspeakerseries — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:14:00 GMT

One of our most fascinating guests at the Lesher Speaker series came in our second season with the visit of former First Lady of Egypt, Jehan Sadat. A PhD peace advocate and author of two books, Madame Sadat is also an extremely gracious person, and I think it's fair to say that she captivated the audience. If you enjoyed her talk as much as I did, you might be interested in hearing her again. . . .on a cruise ship?

Believe it or not, Madame Sadat, along with Former Secretary of State James Baker, and Bill Moyers of PBS, is part of a public policy cruise going to the Middle East. You can click on the link below from "cruisereport.com" to read more about the trip. I have to confess I have never heard of a speaker cruise, but who knows? With the Lesher Center packed to the gills, maybe that's our next step.

On a more serious note, meeting and spending time with Madame Sadat remains one of the honors of my life. As I have shared before on this blog, my grandfather and benefactor of the Lesher Foundation, was part of a delegation that greeted President and Mrs. Sadat when they visited San Francisco in the 70's. I showed Madame Sadat a picture of it when she came to Walnut Creek, and it was a special moment. I will never forget that her security guard (a former Egyptian general who traveled with her) had to check the picture before she touched it, which struck me at the time as extremely sad.

Madame Sadat returned to the East Bay not long after she addressed Newsmakers to speak to the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce's East Bay Women's Conference. Here's hoping she is doing great, and has a wonderful trip on the high seas. I'm sure everyone who meets her on that trip will be as captivated as I was.

cruisereport.com on the upcoming cruise of the Middle East with Jehan Sadat
http://www.cruisereport.com/crNews.aspx?id=1270

Future Newsmaker Goodall Calls for Protections for Chimpanzees

lesherspeakerseries — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:00:00 GMT

Dr. Jane Goodall is, to me, among the world's most fascinating individuals, and I can't tell you how excited I am for her to visit Newsmakers in 2011. As she celebrates 50 years of her research of chimpanzees and other species, she is starting to speak out more publicly about the need for special protections. See below a recent piece from USA Today about Goodall and her work.

USA Today piece on Jane Goodall
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/07/jane-goodall-calls-for-the-protection-of-chimpanzees-/1

Latest on Mitchell/Obama Mideast Peace Efforts

lesherspeakerseries — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:12:00 GMT

Read the latest on the peace efforts of our Newsmakers friend, former Senator George Mitchell, from the New York Times (link below). Mitchell, who President Obama called back into service to serve as Peace Envoy to the Middle East, has been extremely active on the subject recently, as has the President.

New York Times on the Mitcell/Obama peace efforts
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/world/middleeast/15jerusalem.html

Newsmaker Garrison Keillor Embarks on "Summer Love Tour"

lesherspeakerseries — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:15:00 GMT

One of our most memorable Newsmakers guests, author/broadcaster/humorist Garrison Keillor is taking his show on the road at the end of the summer. His Prairie Home Companion gang will be embarking on the "Summer Love Tour" in August. Click the link below to learn more about the tour and how to buy tickets.

Prairie Home Companion "Summer Love Tour" link
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/tickets/2010/summer-love/

Newsmaker Ripken Sounds Off On All-Star Game Rule

lesherspeakerseries — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:32:00 GMT

The MLB All-Star game is tonight, and as with many things under the Bud Selig tenure, even the Mid-Summer Classic has generated controversy. The decision by Major League Baseball for the game to "count" as it were, in order to determine home field advantage for the World Series has invited many critics. Among them is the Iron Man of Baseball, our Newsmakers friend, Cal Ripken, Jr. who gave a television interview recently in which he stated that the game should not, in fact, "count."

See story link below from the Bright House Sports Network. Also see a link to Stuart Miller's recent Q&A with Ripken re: the All-Star Game in the New York Times.

Oh, and here's hoping the American League wins, especially since it "counts."

Bright House Sports interview with Cal Ripken. Jr. on the All-Star Game
http://www.baynews9.com/article/sports/2010/july/119349/Cal-Ripken-Jr.-Says-MLB-All-Star-Game-Should-Not-Determine-World-Series-Home-Field-Advantage

Stuart Miller's Q&A with Ripken in the New York Times
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/qa-with-cal-ripken-jr/

Watch Clip of New Baseball Film and Hear Interview With Newsmaker Burns

lesherspeakerseries — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:30:00 GMT

As we enter All-star week in Major League Baseball, it seems appropriate to check in with our favorite documentary filmmaker and Newsmakers alumnus, Ken Burns. Burns' addendum to his epic film Baseball, entitled The Tenth Inning, will premier on PBS in September. PBS has launched a special website as they do for most of Burns' films, and on it, you can read more about the film, get air times and view a clip. See the link below.

Also below is a link to a recent interview with Burns about the subject on NPR. Play Ball!

PBS website for Ken Burns Baseball, The Tenth Inning
www.pbs.org/baseball-the-tenth-inning/ /> />/>/>
NPR interview with Burns on The Tenth Inning
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/88441/

De klerk Predicts Great Things for South Africa in the Wake of the World Cup

lesherspeakerseries — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:00:00 GMT

It was the vision of former South African President (and future Newsmakers guest), F.W. de Klerk that the country could be a peaceful nation, one capable of hosting major world events, and representing itself well. Long after de Klerk ended apartheid and freed Nelson Mandela, South Africa got that chance to play host to the world in this year's World Cup soccer tournament.

There was some question going into the tournament as whether South Africa could pull it off. There were even contingency plans made to hold the games in another country if South Africa could not end up doing it.. Exercising those plans were never necessary, and by most accounts, South Africa has come through with shining colors and represented itself well on the world stage.

de Klerk has used his elder statesman status at several opportunities throughout the tournament to promote the country, and he is very proud of how the nation comported itself as we enter the final day of tournament play. President de Klerk also feels that the success of the Cup should be a point of pride for the country and a catalyst for future peace. It's also one more example of when a game isn't just a game. There are social ramifications to sports, particularly those with a global audience. This is, in many ways, South Africa's finest moment since Nelson Mandela walked out of his jail cell.

Click below to see two recent de Klerk interviews on the subject

De klerk on South African Sport 24 on his pride at how The World Cup turned out
http://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/WorldCup/NationalNews/De-Klerks-hopes-fulfilled-20100709

De klerk predicts peace in South Africa
http://news.iafrica.com/sa/2523531.htm

Newsmaker Leno Hosts Vice President Biden

lesherspeakerseries — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:51:00 GMT

Our inaugural Newsmakers guest, Jay Leno hosted Vice President Joe Biden on last night's Tonight Show. Among the news made from the visit was Biden's comments about the recent Russian spy-swap. Click below to watch a clip from the interview and the Associated Press report about it.

Leno interview with Vice President on The Tonight Show
http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/vp-spy-talk/1238106/?__source=tnt|home|featured|recent

Associated Press report on Biden visiting Leno
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jV3veX5PzJAsNQsXEL6tLI3xAwFgD9GRVDR80