We were pleased to invite MK Amir Peretz to join us for breakfast and a timely conversation about the Middle East. Peretz discussed the peace process and Middle Eastern security, his leadership of the Labor party, the political reality on the ground in Israel, as well as a variety of other topics in current international affairs.
The Congresswoman spoke passionately about hot button issues facing our country today. The discussion was preempted by Congresswoman Berkley who spoke eloquently about her life with a brief but important depiction of her childhood in a family whose financial woes forced them to move from her home in New York to her current home, and district, of Las Vegas.
The Common Good hosted Dr. Emily Landau for a discussion about regional security issues in the Middle East. Dr. Landau focused on the global implications of nuclear developments in Iran. She lamented that current U.S. strategies do not reflect the urgency of the issue, potentially undermining negotiation efforts.
The Common Good was honored to host an evening with Emmy and Grammy Award winner, Ken Burns. Ken discussed Vietnam, the Civil War, civil discourse as well as presenting a brief 13 minute clip, including past footage as well as a teaser of his upcoming film “Prohibition”. We were thrilled to host Ken, pay tribute to his work both past and present, and to celebrate what he has in store for us in the future.
We were pleased to welcome Congressman Barney Frank for a brief discussion over coffee. Frank, who was Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee before Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2008, spoke about implementation of the financial reform he helped shape and other topics.
The Common Good hosted a breakfast discussion with Professor Uzi Rabi from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at the Tel Aviv University. This discussion touched on recent events in the Middle East including the renewal of the peace process and democracy in the Middle East.
The Common Good hosted a film screening and discussion about the film Desert Flower. Joined by the star of the film, Liya Kebede, Acclaimed Producer and Author, Susan Fales-Hill and Former First Lady of New York, Michelle Paige Paterson, in partnership with InStyle Magazine and National Geographic Entertainment
The Common Good honored Ruth Gruber with the American Spirit Award. Catherine Crier served as the evening's emcee and presenting the award was Ann Curry. Hosted by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Catherine Keener, Kelly Klein, Barbara Kopple, Former First Lady of New York Michelle Paige Paterson, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Bob Richman, Rachel Roy, and Naomi Wolf. Other VIP guests included: Lola Astanova, Debbie Bancroft, Kathleen Chalfant, Henry Chalfant, Rita Cosby, Dr. Lewis M. Feder, Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Ara Hovnanian and Lynne White.
The Common Good was honored to have hosted Jenny McCarthy for a breakfast discussion for a meet and greet. She spoke about how raising her son who is autistic and her new books.
The Common Good presented an exclusive screening of the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury award-winning documentary, Restrepo. This powerful documentary chronicles the one-year deployment of a platoon of American soldiers at one of the most dangerous outposts in Afghanistan. Featuring a Q&A session with directors, Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, and moderated by ABC news host, Cynthia McFadden, the evening was a rousing success.
From June 2007 to July 2008, Hetherington and Junger followed the soldiers of Second Platoon, Battle Company in the remote Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan, as they fought to build and maintain a remote 15-man outpost named “Restrepo,” after a platoon medic who was killed in action. The filmmakers avoid all outside commentary and political context in order to present us with war as it is actually lived by soldiers, through their own eyes and in their own words—the backbreaking labor, the deadly firefights, the boredom, and the camaraderie.
Sebastian Junger is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated director, war journalist and best-selling author. He has written The Perfect Storm, A Death in Belmont, and Fire. Junger is acclaimed for his coverage of major international news stories across the world, including in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He has contributed as an editor to Vanity Fair and ABC News with his captivating reporting, and has received many awards for his endeavors, including the National Magazine Award and the SAIS Novartis Prize for Journalism. His debut as an author proved to be successful—The Perfect Storm remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than three years, set sales records, and was picked up by Warner Bros. for a major motion picture.
Tim Hetherington, a photographer and filmmaker, spoke to the Common Good in 2010. Sadly, he was killed while covering the escalating violence in Misrata, Libya at age 40 on April 20th, 2011. At the time of his death, he was working along side three other photographers on the city’s front lines when they came under fire.
The Common Good and the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College joined forces to present “Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010.” This timely forum brought together America’s top political journalists with an authoritative range of strategists from across the political spectrum to discuss the importance—and likely impact—of the November Congressional…
The Common Good was proud to host Ken Auletta, author of Googled. He is known for his thorough research and fascinating profiles of leading figures and companies. These efforts have earned him five national bestsellers on subjects including Bill Gates, The New York Times, and now the multinational computing and internet search corporation, Google. In this latest best-seller, Auletta delves into the company and its success, and unmasks how the digital revolution may disrupt the world.
In his book, Googled, Auletta takes readers inside Google’s closed-door meetings and discusses Google’s notoriously private founders, Larry Page and Sergei Brin. In his narrative, Auletta provides the fullest account to date of Google’s meteoric rise.
Ken Auletta is an American journalist and media critic at The New Yorker. He has worked in government and on several political campaigns along with having taught and trained Peace Corps volunteers. In 1974, Auletta became the chief political correspondent for the New York Post. Following that, he was a staff writer and weekly columnist for The Village Voice, and then a contributing editor at New York Magazine. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, he wrote a weekly political column for the New York Daily News.
