Lisa Ling Among Latest Celebrities to Take "Hollywood Pledge"

This week our own Sacramento native and final speaker in our upcoming season, Lisa Ling, became one of the latest celebrities to take the "Hollywood Pledge".

According to PRWeb.com, this Pledge is a "philanthropy campaign led by the Give Back Hollywood Foundation and inspired by Bill Gates & Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge. The "Hollywood Pledge" and its companion website unites celebrity philanthropists and serves as a convenient way for them to promote the charities and causes they are most passionate about."

Fans of the celebrites are also encouraged to give back. Check the website to see if your favorite stars are on there, and see how you can contribute. Click here to read the rest of this article.

David McCullough interviewed by WSJ

David McCullough, the kick-off speaker to our 2011-2012 season was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal this past weekend. Following the release of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, McCullough had a few comments on what makes the youth of America "historically illiterate" and some ideas on how to change it.

He says that we've been teaching history poorly. He blames teachers, methods, and textbooks, but also notes that "Teachers are the most important people in our society."

To find out what else McCullough said, including a look into the reasons he wrote his new book, "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris", please click here.

Condoleezza Rice Stresses the Importance of Freedom

Our 3rd and probably most well-known speaker of the 2011-2012 season was in the news recently.

In a conference hosted by the George W. Bush Institute two weeks ago, Rice spoke about reforms in the Mideast.

She said that "the message should be freedom is always worth it."

To read more of this article click here.