Gore Freebie

Freebie Friday! 

 Enter to win a copy of Al Gore’s The Future Six Drivers of Global Change. 

We are excited to announce the first giveaway of our 2013-2014 season! Former Vice President, Al Gore, will be coming to Sacramento Tuesday, November 12^th 2013, to share his insights on big issues, big ideas and big solutions. This one is for those passionate about global change… or even those interested in worldwide technological revolutions. 

Almost a decade ago, Al Gore was presented with a question, "what are the drivers of global change?" Unable to immediately answer the question in full, he has continued to revisit the query, and over the last two years has researched, analyzed and produced a complex and comprehensive map of the forces that are shaping our world. The result is "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change." While mapping the future is a risky undertaking, perhaps the only thing riskier is doing nothing.

Hear Gore discuss his book here: 

When: One lucky patron will win a week from today, Friday, November 1^st 2013.   Drawing is random and will be announced at the end of the comments submitted. Check back after 5 pm to see if you’re a winner!

How to Enter: Post a comment on our blog below answering Gore's question:  

What do you think about when you hear the phrase the future?

Thanks to the Sacramento Speakers Series for this week’s freebie!

Steve Wozniak at the Podium

Last week we welcomed Steve Wozniak to open the Sacramento Speakers Series 2013-2014 season. Not being a computer geek myself I didn’t know quite what to expect, but the evening exceeded my expectations, and apparently most of you agreed.   

Before the event I was able to sit in with high school students invited to Share the Vision in a small group reception with Mr. Wozniak. Being a bit more computer savvy than me, the students had good questions for Woz, and his love for kids and teaching came through in that intimate setting.

Then, I got to spend time with Wozniak in the green room before he took the stage. He is very down to earth and does not take himself too seriously. When he signed my book he misspelled the name, crossed it out, then wrote it correctly with ‘syntax error’ above the message!

As for the lecture itself, the words that come to my mind and that we heard over and over again in patron feedback are passionate, enthusiastic, engaging, dynamic- even for those of us who couldn’t follow the technical talk. Many patrons would’ve like to let Wozniak go on for hours, as it seemed he was just getting into the good stuff when time ran out.   

As for patron feedback:

80% felt the night met their expectations.

98% would recommend the Sacramento Speakers Series to a friend.

Comments from our patrons:

“Spellbinding speaker with a rich inventory of tales of Silicon Valley. He comes across as REAL!”

"He was great because he was unpolished"

"Wished he could've gone on longer"

"Smart and funny"

“Enthusiastic speaker! It was great to see someone who so truly loved his "inventive" life!

“He was like a kid, telling everyone what he had discovered, for the first time. Great!”

“I admit I didn't understand some of his technical talk, but his enthusiasm and energy were contagious, and I could have listened even longer. We are not all old, and do not have to be vertical by 10!”

"Technical part was over my head but I didn't care"

"A celebration of one's inner geek"

"His enthusiasm and energy were contagious"

"Fascinating to hear the details behind the invention of the personal computer and his role in it"

Recent Press Coverage of the Sacramento Speakers Series

Recently, the Sacramento Speakers Series has been featured in a number of articles.  The following links are 2 of the most recent articles. Enjoy!

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/14/5335625/between-the-lines-sacramento-speakers.html

http://www.insidepublications.org/index.php/meet-your-neighbors/336-big-names

Current Patrons:  Do not forget to renew your subscriptions between now and May 10 to guarantee your seats for next season.

A Message from the Managing Principal: "Big Names are Coming"

SACRAMENTO SPEAKERS SERIES

AN EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE 2013-2014 SEASON

RENEW TODAY FOR THE BEST SEATS AT THE BEST PRICES

Dear Subscriber,                          

I’m happy to announce that the 2013-2014 lineup is in place.    As I’ve said before, the process of putting together a series of distinguished speakers is like trying to fit puzzle pieces together as we choose from among the most exciting BIG NAMES with our subscribers in mind.   We are now considered one of the top Series in the country, and I am thrilled to announce that once again we have assembled a diverse group of fascinating individuals that will make another great season. 

As a subscriber, you know that the new season reflects the expressed interests of our patrons.  Our lineup this year includes interesting and influential speakers on a wide range of topical issues: the uses and abuses of modern technology;  the protection of the environment; the role of the military in today’s world; integrative medicine; managing crises in the age of the perpetual 24/7 news cycle; and the simple enjoyment of delicious food. The season kicks off on October 1, 2013 with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the legendary creative genius who dropped out of college to invent the personal computer, an invention that, for better or worse, has changed all of our lives.  Woz will share with us his passion for bringing “hands on” learning and a focus on creativity to schools, and for protecting free speech, privacy and innovation in the digital age. 

Next up, on November 12, 2013, we are privileged to host former vice-president and current climate change advocate Al Gore.  After a long and fruitful political career in Washington, Gore turned his considerable energy and talents to protecting the environment.  His film An Inconvenient Truth garnered an Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize.  He now spends most of his time working with The Climate Reality Project, the non-profit company he founded, devoted to removing the doubt about climate change and encouraging people to demand solutions to the climate crisis.      

To start the New Year, on January 7, 2014, Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will join us.  Having commanded three ships and served in Navy leadership positions ashore, Admiral Mullen served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under two Presidents, Bush and Obama, from 2007 to 2011, and is familiar with the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq.  While serving, he expressed his support for ending Clinton’s policy of “don’t ask don’t tell,” and he is outspoken about the importance of diplomacy and economics to national security.

 On January 21, 2014, Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer in the fields of health, wellness, and integrative medicine, will be with us.  Weil is founder, professor and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.  His best-selling books, website, newsletters, PBS specials, and frequent appearances on Today and The Dr. Oz Show have inspired people to lead healthier and happier lives.

 Next, on February 18, 2014, Judy Smith will bring her unique combination of communication skills, media savvy, and legal and political acumen to Sacramento.  Smith honed her skills through first-hand experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. and as Deputy Press Secretary to President George H. W. Bush.  Best known for her crisis management advice to a host of high profile clients, Smith’s resume helped inspire the prime-time hit drama, Scandal.    

The season will end on April 1, 2014, with every cook’s favorite: Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa!  Ina is a self-taught cook who, while working as an analyst in the White House, decided she needed to do something more creative—and went from gourmet food store owner/operator to best-selling cookbook author to her own Food Network tv show—and now brings her talent of creating delicious food with style to our community in Sacramento.      Because of the fine quality and variety of these speakers, we again expect the series to sell out quickly. As a current subscriber YOU have the first opportunity to join us next season, before subscriptions go on sale to the public! Renew by May 10, 2013, and you:·         

Keep the same seats next season--or be the first in line for upgrading or changing your seat;
·         Enjoy payment options: pay in full or by payment plan;
·         Can win an opportunity to meet one of our BIG NAMES.

We hope you’ll act by May 10 to take advantage of the subscriber renewal opportunity.  I look forward to seeing you at the Speakers Series.

Sincerely,

Mitchell S. Ostwald

Managing Principal

Ballard Blows the Audience Away with Tales of Deep-Sea Exploration

Sacramento Speakers Series Rounds out This Year’s Season with the Man Who Discovered the Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard on Tuesday, April 2^nd

The Sacramento Speakers Series welcomed one of the world’s most accomplished and well known deep-sea explorers, Dr. Robert Ballard to Sacramento as he spoke at the Community Center Theater on Tuesday, April 2^nd.  The six-part lecture series showcases contemporary insights from some of today’s most influential figures in a candid and relaxed setting.  Dr. Ballard is probably best known for his discovery of the RMS Titanic wreckage in 1985.

Dr. Ballard impressed the audience by saying that his mission is to go where no one has gone before…on planet Earth.  Ballard encouraged the exploration of our oceans as he believes our planet’s future to be here on Earth, not in space.  This is evident through his historic discoveries of hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Islands in 1977, the German battleship Bismarck in 1989, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998 and the wreckage of John F. Kennedy’s PT-109 in 2002.    

In addition to his field work, Dr. Ballard is also an educator.  He is a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and has pioneered distance learning in American classrooms and around the world with the JASON Project.  The JASON Project is an award-winning program that provides educational materials, courses and workshops to more than 1 million students and 25,000 teachers annually.  The program is designed to motivate and inspire students to pursue interests and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

Dr. Robert Ballard’s talk is sure to inspire those in attendance through his natural storytelling ability and animated presentation skills.

For more information about the Sacramento Speakers Series and the 2013-2014 Season visit them online at sacramentospeakers.com

Leakey Educates the Sacramento Speakers Crowd

Paleontologist, conservationist, educator and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Louise Leakey spoke to a sold-out crowd of Sacramento Speakers Series patrons Wednesday, February 27, 2013.  She spoke passionately about her work in the field as well as the future of her research.

Leakey is the youngest member of the famous Leakey family of fossil hunters in East Africa. With an adventurous spirit and unwavering focus on the advancement and understanding of human origins, she has spent much of her life leading expeditions into the remote badlands of northern Kenya. From these groundbreaking forays, Dr. Leakey and her team have yielded some of our deepest insights into what it is that makes us human.

Her team, The Koobi Fora Research Project, has made discoveries that have shaped modern thinking on the journey of humanity over the past 4 million years. One of the most publicized discoveries, Kenyanthropus platyops, challenged the earlier theories on the path of human evolution. Whether the fossil can be classified as a new genus, separate species, or unique looking individual is still up for debate.

From her earliest childhood spent among the nomadic desert people of Lake Turkana, Leakey has developed a deep attachment to the wildlife and cultural heritage of northern Kenya. Today she draws on her scientific background in human origins to work with the local communities in building a future for this region in a dramatically changing world.

Leakey co-directs the state of the art research center in the Turkana Basin where the rigorous process of search, excavation, and paleoecological and geological analysis make it one of the most comprehensive sources of information regarding the origins and evolution of humans.

Simultaneously, Dr. Leakey's work has allowed her to gain a unique perspective on the protection of the desert environment in Africa. Dr. Leakey also works with wildlife authorities to preserve the unique flora and fauna of Kenya's remotest National Park and World Heritage Site. Additionally, she is involved with various community projects near the Ethiopian border, in an effort to improve the welfare of people on the National Park boundaries.

She was recently selected to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The aims of the summit revolve around better understanding the problems and risks the world faces in the future. 

Michelle Rhee Says "We Have Gone Completely Soft"

The Sacramento Speakers Series presented education reform advocate and StudentsFirst founder and CEO, Michelle Rhee at the Community Center Theater on Tuesday, January 29th as part of this year’s lineup.  The six-part lecture series showcases contemporary insights from some of today’s most influential figures.   Interestingly on January 8th, speaker Thomas Friedman commented on the fact that America has lost its competitive disposition.  Michelle Rhee seems to agree as she stated “we have gone completely soft” in her visit to Sacramento.

Michelle Rhee began her lecture with some light dialogue about husband and mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, but then went right into her thoughts on America’s public school systems.  Rhee makes known that the current generation of children will be the first in history not to be better educated than their parents.  She continues to emphasize that “there is no greater issue than what to do with our public school system.”  Rhee also spoke of her time as Chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools as recalling the dilemma, “How do you go about fixing a system where almost everything needs fixing?”

Rhee provided some of her strategy to transform our education system into being more effective.  First and foremost, she stated that “we have to begin to honor and respect the teachers for the incredible jobs that they do.” Children are taught in schools from a variety of areas, whether it be inner city or rural, but the teachers need to be able to engage the minds of their students and effectively educate them regardless of geographic location.  Children can receive “wildly different” teaching experiences, but Rhee insists that is why we have to make absolutely sure that our children are in the presence of good teachers every day.

Michelle Rhee notes that "we need to regain the competitive American spirit.”  Rhee does not let the children off of the hook either, pointing out that if children want to compete for jobs when they grow up, they need to be willing to put in the time and work hard.  The children will no longer be competing for jobs in their local area, but rather with people in China, India and the rest of the world.  Parents can support the reform of our public schools by “being the change” in their communities and backing decisions, not based on their political agenda, but that put students first.  Rhee who has two daughters of her own supports parental involvement in school systems and says “more moms should run school districts.”

The audience was given plenty of food for thought and was encouraged by Michelle Rhee and Mayor Kevin Johnson to be engaged in the community in an effort to better the Sacramento public school system.

By: Ken Tronnes