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Cambridge Forum hosts free, public discussions that inform and engage, so that people can better explore the varied issues and ideas that shape our changing world. CF broadcasts its live events via podcasts, weekly NPR shows and online presentations via GBH Forum Network on YouTube.

http://www.cambridgeforum.org

Why Do We Need The Humanities?

Tue, Jan 31, 2023

What kind of society do we wish to live in? Nobel Laureate and physicist, Steven Weinberg once said that science discovers many things but nothing in science can ever tell us what we ought to value. At a time when interest and investment in the humanities is plummeting, and enrolment in STEM subjects is flourishing, we consider the human consequences of such a shift in direction. What good are the arts and why should we care about the past? Martin Puchner, has been grappling with these questions in his latest book "CULTURE: THE STORY OF US, FROM CAVE ART TO K-POP". Historically, humanity has sought to understand and pass onto future generations not just the know-how of life but the know-why. Puchner suggests that the meaning and purpose of existence as expressed in art, philosophy and religion are essential to the focus and purpose of human civilization. Puchner is an author & Harvard Professor of English and Comparative Literature. Patrick Bringley, a writer, spent 10 years working as a museum guard at the Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York and he has just published “ALL THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD” about his many and varied experiences there. What is the function of a place like the MET and what effects does it have on our psyche and humanity? Join the discussion.

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The Resurgence of the Independent Bookstore

Tue, Jan 17, 2023

Something exciting and unexpected has been happening over the past few years. More than 300 new independent bookstores have sprouted up across the country and the bookstore owners and their inventory have become much more diverse. The phenomenon is in some part, attributable to the pandemic. People were shuttered in for extended periods and had time to read. Secondly, they recognized their hunger for a place of connection that was safe. The public had rallied rather unexpectedly to support their local bookstores during lockdown and when restrictions relaxed, people returned to their favorite places. These bookstores represented much more than anonymous Amazonian warehouses for purchasing; they had become much-needed centers for community engagement and dialogue, crucibles for ideas and human interaction. Consequently, all sorts of people with no professional background in books, used their savings or government stimulus checks to follow a dream of opening their own bookstore. Despite the numerous ongoing challenges, nobody seems to have regretted their decision. So, what makes a bookstore special and why become a bookseller? In this Forum we talk to a variety of bookstore owners about their passion for the printed word and their experiences in the literary world. ### Resources [List of Independent Bookstores in the Boston Area](https://www.thebostoncalendar.com/events/13-independent-bookstores-around-boston) [Other fabulous bookstores to try](https://newenglandbooks.org/page/NEIBAmap) [And two new bookstores coming up in 2023](https://www.boston.com/news/business/2023/01/09/bostons-bookstore-boom-continues-in-2023-with-two-more-new-shops/?s_campaign=Email:ThingsToDo) [Direct link to Frugal Bookstore](https://frugalbookstore.net/) [Direct Link to All She Wrote Books](https://www.allshewrotebooks.com/) [Direct link to Harvard Bookstore](https://www.harvard.com) [Trailer to a new documentary “The Booksellers”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymcRRt3Ix04&list=PLr2L6TB8fh8F6V1sZ4spOilYyibWf-NCu&index=5)

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Living a Good Enough Life

Tue, Dec 20, 2022

**Tuesday, December 20, 2022 - 5 pm - Webinar** Do you constantly obsess about being happy? Well, you are not alone. It appears that many Americans share this national proclivity. These pervasive desires with how to be the wealthiest, the most powerful or famous, take up a lot of psychic energy, and the end results are not too impressive. Despite the myriad of self-help books out there, we Americans are among the most anxious people on earth. At this time of year, it is particularly noticeable with people struggling to make their holiday celebrations perfect and feeling guilt-tripped into spending money they don’t have on gifts that aren’t needed. So, we are taking a stop and asking, is there a better way? We suggest that you inhale the sweet spices of the season and join us to consider some fresh thinking on the subject. **AVRAM ALPERT**, writer and educator, shares his ideas from _The Good-Enough Life_, suggesting how an acceptance of our own limitations can lead to a more fulfilling life and a more harmonious society. ”Obsessing about greatness has given us an epidemic of stress, anxiety, inequality and ecological damage,” according to Alpert who is a writer and teacher, and currently a Research Fellow at The New Institute in Hamburg where he is working on a book on wisdom. He previously taught at Princeton and Rutgers. **KIERAN SETIYA**, a professor of philosophy at MIT provides a refreshing and realistic antidote to many of the platitudes pushed by our contemporary American self-improvement industry. His latest book _Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help us Find our Way_ suggests that trying to live a perfect life in difficult circumstances only brings dismay. Much in life that makes us miserable can neither be changed nor ignored, so we need to come to terms with reality. Both guests challenge the notion that happiness should be life’s primary pursuit – arguing we might be better served by living well within our means, acknowledging some difficult truths and concentrating on leading a meaningful life instead? Embracing the “good-enough” life might be preferable to hankering for the perfect one, and we might just stumble across happiness in the process. Join this stimulating discussion for some useful suggestions about how to maintain our humanity, in challenging times. Photo credit : Pexels.com - Pixabay

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ALL ABOUT MEDICARE: info and live Q/A session

Tue, Nov 22, 2022

Cambridge Forum is pleased to bring its first live/hybrid event to Cambridge Public Library on Tuesday, November 22 at 5 pm, to answer questions and concerns in an hour-long session “ALL ABOUT MEDICARE”. Despite the booklets and on-line information sessions available to the public, many people still find themselves confused and in need of personal advice about Medicare benefits. This event is designed to provide some answers. AARP will begin by giving a brief overview of Medicare – what it is, what it does and does not provide for retirees? This will be followed by a slide presentation from Maureen Harty of Paine Senior Services, who will talk about the latest changes in Medicare provisions and the current period of open enrollment, which enables users to make changes to their coverage. There will be ample opportunity to ask questions in person or via Zoom.

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RETIRE OR RESIST: the pros and cons of working longer

Tue, Nov 15, 2022

Many Americans face a huge decision in the years ahead: is delaying their retirement a realistic, practical and tenable option or should they work longer, in an attempt to be in better financial shape for their retirement? Many policymakers think it is logical – almost inevitable – that Americans will delay retirement and spend more years in the paid labor force. However, working longer is not a one-size fits all solution especially when you factor in economic and social inequalities, precarious working conditions, family caregiving responsibilities, poor health, and age discrimination. All of these make it difficult or impossible for many to consider working past the age of 65. Marginalized groups in particular face special challenges and society’s legislative responses affect us all. Is there a way to find a path toward better working lives and improved retirement security for all Americans – and if so, what it is?

Resources
Learn more about The Overtime Project .
Get the book from Oxford University Press
Read Lisa Berkman Labor Day op-ed in The Nation

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Healing Trauma with EMDR

Tue, Oct 18, 2022

Nearly every day, we see evidence further confirming that we are facing a mental health crisis, especially among our youth. American society is beset by mass shootings and other acts of violence, which serve to exacerbate the large-scale trauma already inflicted by the pandemic. Only this week, the media highlighted the urgent issue confronting Generation Z’ers, who lack the funds to pay for medications or mental health therapy. Inadvertently, it seems, we are fueling rather than defusing the problem. Fortunately, there is affordable hope on the horizon. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) was discovered in 1987 by psychologist, Francine Shapiro who found a novel method for aligning people’s “thinking brains” with their “emotional brains”, to help process traumatic events. Since then, it has been providing hope and healing to countless sufferers of PTSD and other emotional and stress-related problems; these include depression, chronic pain, anxiety, phobias, substance abuse and addictions. Studies demonstrate EMDR’s clinical effectiveness in dealing with trauma in a limited number of sessions and it is rated the most cost-effective treatment among the top 11 trauma therapies. With Deborah Korn, PsyD, an internationally renowned expert in EMDR and Michael Baldwin, co-author of the book with Deborah Korn : Every Memory Deserves Respect", also branding and communication professional in New York. ### Resources [What's EMDR](https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/) [Video from the International Association](youtu.be/Pkfln-ZtWeY) [Dutch video explaining working Memory Hypothesis](youtu.be/hKrfH43srg8) [Research Overview](https://www.emdr.com/research-overview/)

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The Art of Resistance: Visions & Voices of Change

Tue, Oct 4, 2022

Art provides a powerful expression for resistance both in word and image, and Peter Sacks uses both to great effect in his latest works. Sacks, an expatriate of South Africa is currently presenting his first solo museum exhibition at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University. “RESISTANCE” is a collection of 88 portraits of individuals who have resisted political, racial or cultural oppression over the past two centuries ranging from Frederick Douglass, Rachel Carson and Nelson Mandela to Emmeline Pankhurst, Sitting Bull and Volodymyr Zelensky. Sacks, who began as a poet and still teaches at Harvard University produced all the portraits in the past two years, a prolific output for someone who did not pick up a paintbrush until he was 48 years of age. Drawing from his anti-apartheid activism and multicultural experiences, Sacks creates an inspiring cast of writers, artists, philosophers and activists from around the world, who all resisted oppression in various ways. Each portrait consists of a face embedded in a tactile composition of fabric, paint, personal items and text. The exhibit is immersive; alongside the visuals, there is an audio collage of voices of numerous contemporary literary, social, political and cultural figures. “Many of these figures have inspired me over a lifetime, in ways at once intimate and public. Many of the portrayed individuals became each other’s powerful guides and sources of courage. I hope they will do the same for viewers and conjure a community among them.” Peter Sacks: Resistance pays tribute to generations of resisters using the power of art to transmit their legacies to future generations. This is a collaboration with the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis Museum. The Rose Art Museum exhibit runs until December 30, 2022 and admission is free.

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Heart To Heart : The Exquisite Machine

Mon, Sep 19, 2022

The human heart is a miraculous organ, a marvel of construction unsurpassed by any man-made creation with its resilience and precision. It beats 100,000 times a day so that if you live 100 years, that would be more than 3 billion beats in a lifetime. In “The Exquisite Machine: the new science of the heart”, Professor Sian Harding explores the latest scientific developments and mysteries of the heart. Harding, a world leader in cardiac research at Imperial College in London, reveals the latest cardiac discoveries as well as the relationship between the emotions and heart function. In addition to being a powerful pump, the heart is super-sensitive – not just in responding to emotions but in creating them. And yes, you can die of “broken heart syndrome” – although there are profound differences between men and women. There is also a much deeper connection between the heart and the brain than we previously realized. Since the heart is at the nexus of feeling we use the word in everyday conversation – heartfelt, heartache, the heart of the matter, a good heart. E E Cummings, the poet, famously wrote “I carry your heart with me” but writers have obsessed with this organ for centuries. Dr Fady Joudah practices Internal Medicine at St Luke’s Baylor Medical Center in Houston, TX. When not administering to his patients, Joudah is an award-winning poet who first starting writing when working for Doctors Without Frontiers in Africa and published “Earth in the Attic”. He has now published five collections of poems and will read from his work and discuss how poetry informs his mission as a physician. ### Resources **The heart’s mini-brain: Intrinsic cardiac ganglionated plexus ** “Neurocardiology: Structure-Based Function,” J. L. Ardell and J. A. Armour, Comprehensive Physiology 6 (2016): 1635–1653. **Stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte patches for the heart** “Large Cardiac Muscle Patches Engineered from Human Induced-Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Cells Improve Recovery from Myocardial Infarction in Swine,” L. Gao, Z. R. Gregorich, W. Zhu, S. Mattapally, Y. Oduk, X. Lou, R. Kannappan, A. V. Borovjagin, G. P. Walcott, and A. E. Pollard et al., Circulation 137 (2018): 1712–1730. **Men vs. women in responses to emotional stress** “A Missed Penalty Kick Triggered Coronary Death in the Husband and Broken Heart Syndrome in the Wife,” Y. H. Shams, K. Feldt, and M. Stålberg American Journal of Cardiology 116 (2015): 1639–1642. **Even happy stress can cause Takotsubo syndrome** “Happy Heart Syndrome: Role of Positive Emotional Stress in Takotsubo Syndrome,” J. R. Ghadri, A. Sarcon, J. Diekmann, D. R. Bataiosu, V. L. Cammann, S. Jurisic, L. C. Napp, M. Jaguszewski, F. Scherff, and P. Brugger et al., European Heart Journal 37 (2016): 2823–2829. **Pollution and heart disease – the Oxford Street Study** Respiratory and cardiovascular responses to walking down a traffic-polluted road compared with walking in a traffic-free area in participants aged 60 years and older with chronic lung or heart disease and age-matched healthy controls: a randomised, crossover study. Sinharay R, Gong J, Barratt B, Ohman-Strickland P, Ernst S, Kelly FJ, Zhang JJ, Collins P, Cullinan P, Chung KF. Lancet. 2018 Jan 27;391(10118):339-349.

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Tyrants on Twitter

Tue, Sep 6, 2022

_TYRANTS ON TWITTER_, a new book by national security expert David Sloss, details how by investing heavily in global media and information technology systems, Russia and China are undermining democracy. Sloss provides a careful analysis of how Chinese and Russian agents weaponize Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media platforms for the sole purpose of subverting the liberal international order, both in America and Europe. In this forum, we’ll examine questions about the 2016 US election and also explore Russia’s use of foreign infiltration to meddle with Western democratic elections. What can be done to mitigate the damage? David L. Sloss is an educator, author, and national security expert. His latest book, Tyrants on Twitter: Protecting Democracies from Information Warfare focuses on Russian and Chinese information warfare. Sloss is currently Professor of Law at Santa Clara University. Before entering academia, in 2008, he spent nine years in the federal government, working on U.S.-Soviet arms control negotiations and nuclear proliferation issues. Sloss will be joined in the discussion by John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. ### Resources [Article : As autocrats ascend, gloomy data on democracies' decline](https://www.dw.com/en/as-autocrats-ascend-gloomy-data-on-democracies-decline/a-62674756) [Tyrants on Twitter ](https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=33642) [A short op-ed piece related to the book](https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/the-us-should-ban-chinas-state-media-from-social-platforms/) [John Feffer on Russia's invasion of Ukraine](https://fpif.org/putins-cold-cold-strategy/) [John Feffer on Ukraine, Russia and Food Politics](https://fpif.org/the-weaponization-of-food/)

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Much Ado About Mushrooms

Tue, Jun 28, 2022

Fungi are perhaps the most underappreciated kingdom of the natural world. As billion year-old organisms they are masters of survival and integral to the development of life on Earth. Fungi are also remarkable chemists producing molecules that humans still can’t make in a lab, and scientists are only scratching the surface since there are an estimated 5,000,000 species of fungi, and we’ve only discovered about one per cent of them. One species that is attracting great attention is psilocybin mushrooms, which have been part of religious rituals for thousands of years. The Aztecs referred to these mushrooms as “God’s flesh” in homage to their believed sacred power. In 1957, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working for the pharmaceutical company Sandoz, isolated psilocybin from a mushroom and unleashed all sorts of interesting discoveries. During the 60s, Sandoz sold psilocybin and LSD for research in medical trials, but the substances were soon outlawed after they became associated with Timothy Leary and the 60’s counterculture. Well Psilocybin has been making a steady comeback within the medical community who have conducted clinical trials showing remarkable success in treating patients with severe depression, anxiety and PTSD. Many individuals speak of life-changing experiences during a single session and emerge with new-found awareness including author Michael Pollan, author of “How to Change your Mind”. ---------- Bibliography: The Future Is Fungi: How Fungi Feed Us, Heal Us, and Save Our World By Michael Shu Lim and Yun Shue Thames and Hudson Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact // Official Book of Smash Hit Documentary Hardcover – Illustrated, August 27, 2019 Introduction by Paul Stamets Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World By Paul Stamets Ten Speed Press (2005) Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures By Merlin Sheldrake Random House (2021) Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest By Suzanne Simard Allen Lane (2021)

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