Video Friday: Tyson Ponders Aliens

Will aliens treat us like we treat on another? CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses Stephen Hawking's theory on alien life with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Upcoming Event: Sea Shepherd's NYC Evening for the Oceans

Fresh from Operation Waltzing Matilda in the Antarctic protecting the whales, on their way to the Mediterranean to kick off Operation BlueRage defending the bluefin tuna, Sea Shepherd and its vessel, the Steve Irwin, will make a stop in New York City on Friday, April 30.

A NYC Evening for the Oceans is an exclusive evening that will take place at Collective Hardware at 169 Bowery in NYC and feature a meet and greet with Captain Paul Watson and his crew, vegan treats, special auctions, and more. The cost is $100 per ticket, but all proceeds benefit the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Learn more, and purchase tickets, here. 

Don't live in NYC? Interested in bringing Captain Paul Watson to your event? Let us know! 

New Speaker: Richard Rhodes

Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau is thrilled to welcome Richard Rhodes to our speaking roster!

Rhodes is the author or editor of twenty-three books including “The Making of the Atomic Bomb,” which won a Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction, a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award. His new book "The Twilight of the Bombs" will be published in August 2010. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard and MIT and a host and correspondent for documentaries on public television's Frontline and American Experience series, as well as a recipient of numerous grants and fellowships.

To learn more about how you can bring Rhodes to your organization, click here. 

Video: Neil deGrasse Tyson's Secret Life

“The Secret Life of Scientists” is a fantastic web-only series that shows what happens when scientists take off the lab coats.

Check out Tyson's page here to read about his cosmic tie collection, his job as a dog-walker, and who he chooses: Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart.

Learn more about Neil deGrasse Tyson, and how you can bring him to speak at your organization,  here. 

Video Friday: Edith Widder at TED's Mission Blue

Some 80 to 90 percent of undersea creatures make light -- and we know very little about how or why. Bioluminescence expert Edith Widder explores this glowing, sparkling, luminous world, sharing glorious images and insight into the unseen depths (and brights) of the ocean. 

Interested in bringing Edith Widder to your organization? Contact us. 

"Earth Day - The View from the F Terminal" by Sandra Steingraber

A few weeks ago, environmental advocate Sandra Steingraber wrote a piece about how Earth Day needs to take a lesson from Black History Month and Women's History Month. 

"...I am willing to view Earth Day, with its picnics and downloadable craft projects, as an opportunity for serious conversation. Not all ignorance is willful. Sometimes people don't know about the history of a problem simply because no one has yet bothered to explain it to them in an unscornful way. I was once an 18-year-old who had never heard of the Freedom Riders or the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments. Surely, there are students walking around now who have not heard the basic news from my field of study. How the oceans make half of our planet's oxygen supply. How insect pollinators provide us one-sixth of the food we eat. How cancer rates among young adults are rising and sperm counts falling. Earth Day offers me the chance to talk about this evidence."

Read the full article here. 

So why not spend today thinking about what Earth Day means to you and how can help save Mother Earth. And if you need some inspiration, our speakers are here to help: 

• Annie Leonard: Writer/Director of The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard is an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues. 
• Dr. Edith Widder: 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. 
• Dr. Robert Bullard: Named Environmental Leader of the Century by Newsweek, Robert Bullard is considered the father of the environmental justice movement supporting diverse environmental health issues, water quality, urban sprawl, and toxic dumping issues in disenfranchised communities. 
• Captain Paul Watson: 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. 

New Speaker: Sonia Shah

We're thrilled to welcome Sonia Shah to our speaking roster!

Shah is an investigative journalist and author of critically acclaimed and prize-winning books on science, human rights, and international politics.

Her latest book, “The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years,” described by international malaria expert Malcolm Molyneux as "thrilling" and "astonishing," is based on five years of original reportage in Cameroon, Malawi, Panama and elsewhere.

Learn more about the book here. And be sure to read an excerpt, check out the slideshow, and read reviews of the book.

*And while you're at it, read her most recent story on the problem of pharmaceutical residues in the environment here.

During a recent Presidential Symposium at Montgomery County Community College, author Bruce A. Jacobs explained that issues between races will improve once people begin to relate on a more personal level.


"It's a big problem," he said. "We don't know how to know each other."


His book "Race Manners for the 21st Century: Navigating the Minefield Between Black and White Americans in an Age of Fear," provides strategies to help people better understand each other.


Some of these strategies include: embrace a person's goodness while challenging bad ideas; be prepared to occasionally speak inappropriately; talk to people as they show themselves to be; don't wait for a major issue to communicate with people of another race; and don't shy away from discussing difficult issues.


To learn more about Bruce A. Jacobs and his innovative ideas, click here. Read The Reporter article on Jacobs' lecture here. 

Video Friday: Thinking about Thinking with Eugene Linden

Have you ever wondered about your dog's thought process?

Author Eugene Linden writes about  humanity's relationship with nature, sharing anecdotes of animals (like your dog) who seem to display their thoughts proudly. Stories include penguins trying to play touch football like the humans they were watching, monkeys playing practical jokes, and tigers hiding in shame at their mean pranks.

Check out what Linden has to say in this clip from ABC's Nature Edge: 

Not familiar with Eugene Linden?

Linden writes about science, technology, the environment and humanity’s relationship with nature.  How do animals communicate with each other? How do the arctic meltdown and the destruction of the Amazon affect our planet?  How does the impoverishment of human knowledge as tribes around the world abandon their ways and forget the wisdom acquired over thousands of years?  

Let us know YOUR speaker ideas!

Best of Green 2010

Congratulations to Stacy Malkan, whose book "Not Just a Pretty Face," is the recipient of a Treehugger Best of Green 2010 Award!

Named the best beauty/fashion book of the year, Treehugger says "the page-turner offers a gripping account of the five-year campaign by environmental and health groups to pressure the United States' cosmetics industry to use safer ingredients in products we use every day."

Learn more about Stacy Malkan, and her dynamic environmental work, here. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Colbert Report

In case you missed Neil deGrasse Tyson explain to Stephen Colbert why the manned space program is the force that inspires people to become scientists. Enjoy!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Neil deGrasse Tyson
www.colbertnation.com
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Video Friday: Amber Madison on NECN

If you want to help your kids make responsible sexual choices, not only do you have to talk to them about sex, you have to do it in a way that addresses their real concerns with advice that's relevant to their lives. 

Forget psychobabble scripts like "let's initiate a dialogue about sexual intercourse, Amber Madison's new book"Talking Sex With Your Kids" is written in down to earth language with real life advice by 26-year-old sex educator Amber Madison—who's spent her post college years touring the country talking with teens about sex.

Watch Amber Madison discuss her new book on NECN here. 

Tyson on The Colbert Report. Again.

You know it's going to be good. 


Neil deGrasse Tyson will be a guest on The Colbert Report tonight, which ultimately ensures a fantastic and hilarious episode of the faux news show. Tune in to Comedy Central at 11:30PM EST for your dose of the duo. 


And before the show, catch up on all his past appearances on The Colbert Report here. 


And Tyson doesn't just visit Comedy Central, he can also lecture at your organization or school. Learn more about bringing Tyson to you here. 

Tonight: Jeff Jacoby & Mitt Romney at BPL

Live in Boston? Then be sure to join American businessman and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby as they explore why American strength is essential - not just for our own well-being, but for the world. They will discuss how we can move America back to a position of political and economic strength. 

This Ford Hall Forum event will take place in the Rabb Auditorium at the Boston Public Library tonight (April 8) at 6:30PM. This event is free. Learn more, and register, here. 

Chief Wilma Mankiller

We mourn the loss of our friend Chief Wilma Mankiller. A woman who always walked tall.

Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, passed away yesterday morning.  Mankiller served 12 years in elective office at the Cherokee Nation, and was the first woman to lead the Native American tribe. 

Among her many honors, Mankiller was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton. 

Busy Day for Jeff Lieberman!

Are you a Cleveland-er? Then get ready for a full day of Jeff Lieberman, host of Discovery Channel's hit show Time Warp.

Lieberman will be a guest on the radio show Around Noon on WCPN today. The show, which is hosted by Dee Perry, celebrates the visual and performing arts, explores cultural trends, and examines current events through an artistic lens. Learn more about Jeff's interview (and listen live) here. 

And be sure to check out Jeff Lieberman at Case Western Reserve University today at 5PM in the Strosacker Auditorium. This event is open to the public, but if you have any questions about the event, contact College-Scholars-Program@Case.edu. Learn more about the event here. 

Interested in bringing Jeff Lieberman to your college or organization? Click here. 

Edith Widder meets TED

Congratulations to scientist Edith Widder, who was recently chosen to take part in TED Mission Blue Voyage, a conference April 6-10 aboard the National Geographic ship “Endeavor” in the Galapagos Islands. 

Alongside Widder will be other well-known participants such as film producer Jean-Michel Cousteau, musician Jackson Browne and cartoonist Jim Toomey, creator of “Sherman’s Lagoon.” All of these speakers will present unique talks about how/why to protect marine areas. 

The trip will be documented by Fisher Stevens, this year’s Academy Award winner for “The Cove.”

“I’m thrilled. I’m ecstatic,” Widder said. “It’s so wonderful to be included in such an energetic group. ... This is not just about science. It’s philosophy, humor, architecture, music.”

Learn more here. And if you're interested in bringing Edith Widder to discuss the blue heart of the planet, click here.