The Future of Western Democracies

Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley

Ralf Fuecks, President, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

May 3, 2017

Edward Said Lecture: The Myth of 'Clash of Civilizations'

Edward Said- The Myth of Culture Clash

Social Science and the Public Good

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Craig Calhoun, President, Social Science Research Council
Harry Kreisler / UC-Berkeley Conversations with History, May 2009

Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes the President of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Craig Calhoun, NYU's University Professor of the Social Sciences, for a discussion of the challenges confronting social science research. Topics covered include studying social movements; the changing nature of the research university; adaptation and change in the social sciences; and revitalization to of the public good. Professor Calhoun also analyzes the role of ideas in contributing to the current economic crisis and discusses the Obama movement in comparative perspective.

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Historical Perspectives on the Global Economic Crisis

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Conversations With History Series, 2009
University of California-Berkeley



Barry Eichengreen; Economic Historian, UCB: "Historical Perspective on the Global Economic Crisis," 01/22/09

Martin Wolf; Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times: "The Causes and Consequences of the Economic Collapse," 02/19/09

David M. Kennedy; McLachlan Professor of History Emeritus, Stanford University: "Lessons from FDR's New Deal," 02/03/09

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Animals' Fantastic World (NG Videos)

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More Videos Available
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/
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"Alhambra means mystery. It means eternity. It represents the human spirit"

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LOREENA McKENNITT
NIGHTS from the ALHAMBRA

I had long intended to make a pilgrimage to Spain, and to visit the palace called
Alhambra, but it wasn’t until I learned that the ancient Celts had settled on this Iberian
peninsula that I finally traveled there. I discovered Moorish towers built by a 13th century
sultan; interior courtyards with pools of water, elegant pillars and intricate tracery… all
designed to duplicate the famous descriptions of Paradise in Islamic poetry.

For centuries, it served as an oasis for nomads and travelers, a meeting place for cultures
and traditions. A crossroads for religions, where Muslims, Jew and Christians coexisted
in harmony.

It is a place where darkness gives way to light, where every stone has heard a thousand
and one secrets, and where distance feels so near.

It’s a place of infinite beauty; a mystic’s dream

I remember the Alhambra rising out of the Sierra Nevada mountains, surrounded by a
fertile flatland. It was a perfect place to build a defensive fortress and the castle grew
organically on the top of its own mountain, down through the centuries.

Moorish poets described it as a pearl surrounded by emeralds. The Alhambra exists out of
time. In my mind, it’s nestled right next to eternity, and the architectural details
everywhere are overwhelmingly Arabic. The Alhambra palace was at the apogee of
civilization when it was built.

Even the courtyard where we are performing our concert, constructed by King Carlos the
Fifth, pays tribute to the brilliance of the unknown Muslim architects who first erected
turrets and storehouses here, centuries earlier.

The name Alhambra means “the red” in Arabic. Some say that this derives from the
colour of the bricks on the outer walls. Some say it refers to the red colour of the torches
by which construction was carried out.

For me, Alhambra means mystery. It means eternity. It represents the human spirit.
I first came to Spain in search of the Celts. I was surprised to learn that Celtic tribes had
lived in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, before being pushed north towards Britain and
Ireland by invading Roman armies.

In fact, Galicians still play bagpipes, and there are aspects of their music which almost
sound Scottish or Irish. So it was this pan-Celtic connection that led me to the door of
Spain and a whole new path of discovery.

When I arrived at the Alhambra, I felt as though I’d always been there, and as though I’d
never ever leave. It’s a magical and mystical place filled with inspiration, and the music
that one hears here is eternal. The civilization that one feels here knows no borders. But
as the philosopher says, A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
For me, a journey is a never-ending road. A discovery that there is so much more to bind
us together than to tear us apart. These are the dreams that we hold in the palms of our
hands.

The Sounds of Nature (I)

"Thinking About Religion, Secularism and Politics"

Conversations With History Series
Univ. of California, Berkeley
October 2008

Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Talal Asad who reflects on his life and work as an anthropologist focusing on religion, modernity, and the complex relationships between Islam and the West.

Wikipedia Info on Talal Asad

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Cities on the Earth XI: Bogota, Brussels, Budapest, Mumbai, Nairobi

Bogota, Columbia





Brussels, Belgium





Budapest / Hungary





Mumbai/Bombay, India





Nairobi, Kenya





Coming Next…

Dakar, Senegal
Denver, USA
Edinburgh, Scotland
Hong Kong, China
Jakarta, Indonesia

Karachi, Pakistan
Los Angeles, USA
Melbourne, Australia
Moscow, Russia
Yerevan, Armenia

Beirut, Lebanon
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Prag, Czech Republic
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Stockholm, Sweden

Miami, USA
Quebec, Canada
Rome, Italy
Sofia, Bulgaria
Ulaanbaataar, Mongolia
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Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’

'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch/Jeffrey Zaslow

CMU professor shares wealth of values

Sunday, April 06, 2008

By Mark Roth, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For a man whose final lecture at Carnegie Mellon University has been viewed more than 6 million times on the Web, writing a book called "The Last Lecture" would seem to be the very definition of an anticlimax.

But with the help of Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, it doesn't come off that way at all. If anything, "The Last Lecture" has even more emotional punch than when Pausch told a packed auditorium in September that he was dying of pancreatic cancer, and then proceeded to describe all the ways he had been able to fulfill this childhood dreams.

Pausch has said more than once that no one would pay the slightest attention to his nuggets of wisdom if he weren't a 47-year-old man with a terminal illness, leaving behind a wife and three young children.

Realizing that, he has seized every opportunity to build a video and written legacy for his family, especially knowing that two of his children will be too young to have many concrete memories of him if he dies, as he expects, within the next several months.

Much of the book elaborates on the experiences he made famous in his lecture, from the importance of his parents to the value of his mentors, whether it was a football coach or a trusted professor.

But what comes through more strongly than in the lectures is the value Pausch places on hard work and learning from criticism, and his skewering of the prevailing cult of self-esteem.

Recalling his tough scholastic football coach, Jim Graham, he said, "Coach Graham worked in a no-coddling zone. Self-esteem? He knew there was really only one way to teach kids how to develop it: You give them something they can't do, they work hard until they find they can do it, and you just keep repeating the process."

"I've heard so many people talk about a downward spiral in our educational system," he writes later, "and I think one key factor is that there is too much stroking and too little real feedback."

Recalling how he used to put his entertainment technology students in working groups and require them to provide written feedback to each other, he remembered one socially abrasive student who was ranked in the bottom quartile of his peers' evaluations.

"He figured that if he was ranked in the bottom 25 percent, he must have been at the 24 percent or 25 percent level ... So he saw himself as 'not so far from 50 percent,' which meant his peers thought he was just fine."

That's when Pausch told the student that in fact he ranked dead last, and as the student tried to deal with the shock, his professor said:

"I used to be just like you. I was in denial. But I had a professor who cared about me by smacking the truth into my head. And here's what makes me so special: I listened. ... I'm a recovering jerk. That's what gives me the moral authority to tell you that you can be a recovering jerk, too."

The book isn't just a compendium of life lessons. It also contains surprisingly honest stories of his upbringing, how he met and wooed his wife, Jai, and why each of his children is special to him.

He relates, for instance, how his wife told him initially that she didn't love him enough to marry him. Of course, she relented, and then he was afraid he had nearly ruined everything when the hot air balloon they got into right after the wedding ceremony had to crash-land in a field outside Pittsburgh.

As they descended toward a set of railroad tracks and an approaching train, Pausch wrote, the balloonist said, "'When this thing hits the ground, run as fast as you can.' These are not the words most brides dream about hearing on their wedding day."

He also wrote about a recent scuba diving trip he took with friends, after he had given his lecture. "We reminisced, we horsed around and we made fun of each other," he said. "Actually, it was mostly them making fun of me for the 'St. Randy of Pittsburgh' reputation I've gotten since my last lecture."

Perhaps the most poignant -- and real -- moment of the book comes when he reveals what Jai said to him after he surprised her with a birthday cake during the lecture.

As she held him on stage, she put her lips next to his ear and whispered, "Please don't die."

It's the one dream he most wishes he could fulfill.

Barring that, he will leave the record of his life and love, and this tiny, powerful volume.

Mark Roth can be reached at mroth@post-gazette.com or at 412-263-1130.
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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08097/870343-148.stm

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Randy Pausch's Update page
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Cities on the Earth X: Caracas, Singapore City, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Washington D.C.

Caracas, Venezuela




Singapore City, Singapore




Tel Aviv / Israel




Warsaw, Poland




Washington D.C., USA





COMING NEXT…
Bogota, Columbia
Brussels, Belgium
Budapest, Hungary
Mumbai, India
Nairobi, Kenya

Dakar, Senegal
Denver, USA
Edinburgh, Scotland
Hong Kong, China
Jakarta, Indonesia

Karachi, Pakistan
Los Angeles, USA
Melbourne, Australia
Moscow, Russia
Yerevan, Armenia

Beirut, Lebanon
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Prag, Czech Republic
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Stockholm, Sweden

Miami, USA
Quebec, Canada
Rome, Italy
Sofia, Bulgaria
Ulaanbaataar, Mongolia

Cities on the Earth IX: Baku, Damascus, New York, Oslo, Riga

Baku / Azerbaijan





Damascus / Syria





New York, USA





Oslo, Norway





Riga / Latvia






Coming Next

Caracas, Venezuela
Singapore City, Singapore
Tel Aviv, Israel
Warsaw, Poland
Washington D.C., USA
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Cities on the Earth (VIII): Dublin, Lagos, Lima, Lisbon, Manila

Dublin / Ireland





Lagos, Nigeria





Lima / Peru





Lisbon, Portugal





Manila, Philippines





COMING NEXT

Baku, Azerbaijan
Damascus, Syria
New York, USA
Oslo, Norway
Riga, Latvia

Caracas, Venezuela
Singapore City, Singapore
Tel Aviv, Israel
Warsaw, Poland
Washington D.C., USA
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Cities on the Earth (VI): Mexico City, Munich, San Francisco, Taipei, Tehran

Mexico City / Mexico





Munich, Germany





San Francisco, USA





Taipei, Taiwan





Tehran, Iran





COMING NEXT…

Algiers, Algeria
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Bucharest, Romania
Toronto, Canada
Paris, France

Dublin, Ireland
Lagos, Nigeria
Lima, Peru
Lisbon, Portugal
Manila, Philippines

Baku, Azerbaijan
Damascus, Syria
New York, USA
Oslo, Norway
Riga, Latvia

Caracas, Venezuela
Singapore City, Singapore
Tel Aviv, Israel
Warsaw, Poland
Washington D.C., USA
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Cities on the Earth (V): Amsterdam, Athens, Boston, Casablanca, Kuala Lumpur

Amsterdam, Netherlands





Athens / Greece





Boston, USA





Casablanca, Morocco





Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia





COMING NEXT
Mexico City, Mexico
Munich, Germany
San Francisco, USA
Taipei, Taiwan
Tehran, Iran
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Cities on the Earth (IV): Cape Town, Madrid, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Vancouver

Cape Town, South Africa




Madrid, Spain




Sao Paulo, Brazil




Seoul, South Korea




Vancouver, Canada





COMING NEXT
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Athens, Greece
Boston, USA
Casablanca, Morocco
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mexico City, Mexico
Munich, Germany
San Francisco, USA
Taipei, Taiwan
Tehran, Iran
.

Cities on the Earth (III): Seattle, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Tokyo, Venice

Seattle, USA





St.Petersburg, Russia





Sydney, Australia





Tokyo, Japan





Venice, Italy





COMING NEXT
Cape Town, South Africa
Madrid, Spain
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seoul, South Korea
Vancouver, Canada

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Athens, Greece
Boston, USA
Casablanca, Morocco
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mexico City, Mexico
Munich, Germany
San Francisco, USA
Taipei, Taiwan
Tehran, Iran

Cities on the Earth (II): Dubai, Havana, Istanbul, London, Santiago
Cities on the Earth (I): Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chicago, Delhi
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Cities on the Earth (II): Dubai, Havana, Istanbul, London, Santiago

Dubai, United Arab Emirates





Havana, Cuba





Turkey


Istanbul



London, UK





Santiago & Chile


South of Chile



COMING NEXT...
Seattle, USA
St.Petersburg, Russia
Sydney, Australia
Tokyo, Japan
Venice, Italy
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Cape Town, South Africa
Madrid, Spain
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seoul, South Korea
Vancouver, Canada
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Cities on the Earth (I): Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chicago, Delhi
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Cities on the Earth (I): Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Chicago, Delhi

Beijing, China





Buenos Aires, Argentina





Cairo / Egypt




Chicago, IL, USA


Chicago River Cruise



Delhi / India


India

Cities on the Earth (II) Dubai, UAE / Havana, Cuba / Istanbul, Turkey / London, UK / Santiago, Chile

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COMING NEXT...
Seattle, USA
St.Petersburg, Russia
Sydney, Australia
Tokyo, Japan
Venice, Italy
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Cape Town, South Africa
Madrid, Spain
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seoul, South Korea
Vancouver, Canada
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The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Realist Perspective