Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, takes on some of the most vexing political issues of our times: economic inequality, dark money, voter rights, campaign financing and more. … Read more »

Award-winning investigative science journalist, Maryn McKenna, has taken a deep dive into the antibiotic crisis, and her findings are as chilling as they are illuminating. Her 2017 bestseller, Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats, traces chicken’s meteoric rise from scarce treat to ubiquitous global commodity, and reveals the astounding role antibiotics have played in industrial farming. … Read more »

Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor of Plant Pathology and Genetics at the University of California at Davis, knows that meeting the challenge of producing enough food to feed our growing population will take every trick in the book. Prof. Ronald investigates how food plants respond to environmental stresses, and develops strategies employing genetic techniques to help plants thrive. … Read more »

Evolutionary biologist Rob Dunn investigates microbes and their hosts in the places where we live. Our homes may be one of the most novel habitats on the planet, with diverse ecological niches—showerheads and toilets, doormats and pillows, freezers and stovetops, cats and dogs, cleaning products and bathtub rings—plus all manner of manmade materials and imported foodstuffs. We share our homes with hundreds of thousands of species, a large proportion of which are unnamed and previously unknown to science. … Read more »

Not everyone caught up in the turmoil at the U.S.-Mexico border is an innocent victim. Author and journalist David Lida comes to the aid of undocumented immigrants accused of capital crimes, working with the legal defense team as a “mitigation specialist.” … Read more »

Award-winning science journalist Erik Vance explores the power of the brain to heal our bodies and color our lived experience in Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain’s Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal. Throughout, he sheds light on the surprising ways that our expectations and beliefs can influence our bodily responses to pain, disease, and everyday events. … Read more »

Miles O’Brien is a veteran journalist who focuses on science, technology and aerospace—and is an accomplished pilot and aviation enthusiast. His award-winning journalism has earned him six Emmys, a Peabody and a DuPont for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina. … Read more »

The concept of the “American Dream” has been a key part of the cultural conversation in the U.S. since at least World War II—the white collar job, the house with a picket fence, keeping up with the Joneses—all have come to signify the attainment of success in America. But what of those who leave the United States in order to attain that dream? … Read more »

Habitat destruction, desertification, biodiversity loss—these signatures of planetary abuse mark our decline into a dystopian future of degraded landscapes. According to ecologist and filmmaker John D. Liu, it doesn’t have to be that way! … Read more »

As a young man, Perkins developed cost justifications for huge infrastructure projects funded by the World Bank and other aid organizations. Recognizing the harm wrought by his work, Perkins suffered a crisis of conscious, leaving his lucrative position and eventually telling all in his international bestseller, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. … Read more »

From childhood on, we’re barraged by messages that it’s sad to be old. That wrinkles are embarrassing, and old people useless. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite believed them too—until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. … Read more »

On November 18, 2016 — barely a week after the stunning U.S. presidential election — former Mexican President Vicente Fox addressed a sold-out audience in the Hotel Real de Minas ballroom, discussing the future of U.S.-Mexico relations. Vicente Fox will return to San Miguel de Allende less than a week after the critical 2018 U.S. mid-term elections. … Read more »

Rates of Alzheimer’s dementia are expected to triple by 2050, and every drug developed to try to combat this epidemic has failed miserably. The bad news is that many of us are already on the road to Alzheimer’s disease without realizing it. The good news is that scientists have identified the key driving force behind most cases of this devastating illness—and it’s something well within your power to control. … Read more »

The U.S. citizenry lacks a legitimate understanding of its country’s capitalist character. This “identity crisis” presents serious problems on both national and international levels. Palombo will relay his experiences with crime, the criminal justice system and the ideological issues that inform to his conclusions. Given our current political and social turmoil, this promises to be a timely and engaging discussion. … Read more »

Bill Plante was a CBS News Correspondent for 52 years. He was White House correspondent during the administrations of Ronald Reagan (beginning in 1981), Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. … Read more »

Climate change and loss of biodiversity threaten the very existence of the human race. While professors and policymakers in ivory towers study, debate and try to forge agreements, campesinos with little money or education are stabilizing the climate, bringing biodiversity back to degraded lands and feeding the world. Meet some of these unsung heroes and learn how millions more could join their ranks to become the cornerstone of a healthy planet and food system. … Read more »

San Miguel and surrounding communities face unprecedented water challenges. Wells are going dry, and the water that remains contains harmful minerals that cannot be removed by ordinary means. Come learn what you need to know, and what YOU can do. … Read more »

Over the course of the twentieth century, San Miguel’s civic and cultural leaders made a series of trade offs to position the city as a “Best Destination” according to international travel trendsetters. This talk will examine economic development strategies and decisions about infrastructure and tourism promotion that prioritized international accolades over making San Miguel a great place to live. … Read more »

Emma Marris is a science journalist based in Oregon, writing about nature, people, food, language, books and film. She strives to find and tell stories that help us understand the past; take meaningful action in the present; and move towards a greener, wilder, happier and more equal future.
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Dr. Disis and colleagues are investigating and developing ingenious technologies that harness own immune systems to eradicate this life-threatening disease. … Read more »

Amidst a brutally polarized debate marked by passion, suspicion and confusion, FOOD EVOLUTION, by Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden, Fame High, OT: Our Town), explores the controversy surrounding GMOs and food. Traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves, to banana farms in Uganda to the cornfields of Iowa, the film, narrated by esteemed science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson, wrestles with the emotions and the science driving one of the most heated arguments of our time. … Read more »

Director Jeffrey Brown is an Academy, Emmy and Peabody Award winner. His feature film directing debut SOLD is the winner of five audience awards and two jury awards film, SOLD … Read more »

Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning author and journalist Hedrick Smith addressed a sold-out audience at the Hotel La Aldea ballroom, sharing some of the wisdom and insights he’s gained over … Read more »

On November 18, 2016 — barely a week after the stunning U.S. presidential election — former Mexican President Vicente Fox addressed a sold-out audience in the Hotel Real de Minas … Read more »