On Shifting Ground

Many are looking to the United States for its known potential to reinvent, reinvigorate and revitalize economic and political reality. How will the US harness innovation and regain its competitive edge? Chris Anderson will focus on innovation in terms of the new technology driven industrial revolution. Today's entrepreneurs, using open source design and 3-D printing, are bringing manufacturing to the desktop. This DIY movement coupled with social networking is creating a new world of crowd-sourced design and production. Do It Yourself!: What are the implications of the worldwide Maker revolution?

Speaker: Chris Anderson, Co-founder, 3D Robotics; Former Editor, Wired magazine
http://www.worldaffairs.org/speakers/profile/chris-anderson.html

Moderator: Adam Lashinsky, Senior Editor-at-Large, FORTUNE
http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/worldaffairs-conference/2013/speakers/adam-lashinsky.html

Direct download: WA2013_Keynote_Chris_Anderson_The_Maker_Revolution.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 4:30pm PDT

Economic challenges continue to dominate the political environment in the United States and are likely to do so for the foreseeable future. The slow pace of economic recovery and the political stalemate in Washington on fiscal and budgetary policies impact not only the US economy, but also the global economy. What are the prospects for the US economy in 2013, and how might the ripple effects of US policy impact the global marketplace. Are there other debt crises looming elsewhere in the world which may threaten the US recovery?

Speakers: Gillian Tett, Assistant Editor and Columnist, Financial Times
http://www.worldaffairs.org/speakers/profile/gillian-tett.html
 
Laura D'Andrea Tyson, S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
http://www.worldaffairs.org/speakers/profile/laura-tyson.html

Moderator: Robert Rosenthal, Executive Director, Center for Investigative Reporting
http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/worldaffairs-conference/2013/speakers/robert-rosenthal.html

Direct download: WA2013_Keynote_Tett_Tyson_The_Global_Economy.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 4:30pm PDT

Recent weather-related phenomena contribute to a growing sense of the world as more unstable, or at least unpredictable. Unforeseen environmental disasters like hurricane Sandy are causing major disruptions in people's daily lives, with broad economic and political implications. As the frequency of these local events increases, the debate over whether global warming is real or what are its causes may now take a back seat to the mounting evidence that the climate is indeed changing. What are the strategic implications of climate change? What are the threats which face human societies as a result, both now and in the future? Can anything be done to mitigate or adapt to these threats?

Speaker: John Steinbruner, Director, Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, University of Maryland; Professor of Public Policy, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland
http://www.worldaffairs.org/speakers/profile/john-steinbruner.html

Moderator: Mark Hertsgaard, Author and Journalist
http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/worldaffairs-conference/2013/speakers/mark-hertsgaard.html

Direct download: WA2013_Keynote_John_Steinbruner_Climate_Change.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 4:00pm PDT

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