Topic: Culture

Moira speaks with Fresh Air commentator and linguist Geoff Nunberg, who discusses his book The Years of Talking Dangerously and assesses the impact of words in a dynamic, changing world. In the book, he explains why grammar buffs are drawn to sarcasm, and deftly unpacks the telling phrases of our national conversation, from progressive to elite to change, as well as the national conversation itself.

Social innovation can both ease the terrible consequences of the xenophobia and insularity inherent in nationalism, and enhance the positive opportunities for social change within established heritage and cultural traditions. In this discussion, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, experts consider topics ranging from multiculturalism within countries to cross-national and international cultural challenges and opportunities.

Under Tony Hsieh's leadership as CEO, Zappos.com has grown gross merchandise sales from $1.6 million in 2000 to $840 million in 2008. In this presentation at the Web 2.0 Conference, Tony Hsieh talks about his initial business background and how those experiences influenced him to focus on corporate culture. He discusses why he thinks culture is so important, and provides numerous examples that reinforce the importance of culture at Zappos.

Sara Nelson of Publishers Weekly takes a closer look at some of the things you think you know about the book business. She also raises the questions, "Why should we care about books any more?" and doesn't anyone read books for pleasure today? Topics range from what kinds of books we read, how the book industry advertise its products, the issue of piracy in today's electronic society, and why we are a long way from doing away with books completely.

Susan RoAne, author of the book Face to Face: How to Reclaim the Personal Touch in a Digital World, talks to Moira Gunn about how basic conversational and social skills have deteriorated. RoAne's book offers simple steps to more effective communication.

How can the United States and the world benefit from the work of people who have been dedicated to social change over the last 30 years? What can those with the most diverse array of backgrounds and careers do to impact social, economic, and political policy, particularly in this unprecedented era of new political leadership? In this panel from the 2008 Encore Careers Summit, activist leaders from the women's, civil rights, and environmental movements discuss how we can reinvent this country by drawing on lessons from the past.

What does the ability to resist marshmallows have in common with a successful life? David Brooks of the New York Times gives a fascinating talk about neuroscience and sociology, what these seemingly disjointed topics have in common, and why he feels that these topics are important. He explores why some people succeed, and why some people don't, and how success fits into the transformation from a global, physical economy to a global, human-capital economy.

Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai interviews Nobel Prize winning economist and globalization "rockstar" Joseph Stiglitz. The conversation focuses on his new concept of economics, "The Economics of Information," and his latest book, "Making Globalization Work". In this fascinating in-depth interview, Stiglitz discusses intellectual property rights, the shifting global balance of power, challenges facing Africa, and much more.

Twelve speakers, five minutes each, speak what's on their minds on topics as varied as email apnea, how to be successful, a digital fairy tale, and nine other sessions in this hour of mind jamming discussion.

Steve Jelley, Eric Lindstrom, Matt Locke, and Jeremy Silver discuss digital media in the context of teen social networking, books, activism, and predictions of what the digital future will look like. Because we are a social race and need to communicate, content will remain even when platforms mutate and we create and talk about content in new ways. Each panelist gives his predictions of the dramatic changes which will define the digital world just ten years from now.