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Ford Hall Forum

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.

http://www.fordhallforum.org/

Reforming Boston Schools: Race, History, and the Future

Thu, Apr 15, 2010

Joseph Cronin, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education; George Greenidge, Executive Director of National Black College Alliance; Claudio Martinez, Executive Director of Hyde Square Task Force; and Jean McGuire, Executive Director of METCO, join moderator Tessil Collins, senior coordinator of the Boston Public Schools, to reflect on Boston Public Schools' challenges of previous decades, as well as the hurdles ahead in developing a stronger education system for our city.

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Fifth Estate: Can Twitter and YouTube Solve Real Government Problems?

Thu, May 6, 2010

Chris Csilkszentmihalti, Director of the MIT Center for Future Civic Media; Nigel Jacob, Senior Advisor for Emerging Technology for the City of Boston's Mayor's Office; and Joseph Porcelli, founder of Neighbors for Neighbors, Inc., join moderator Callie Crossley, host of WGBH's *The Callie Crossley Show*, to address the promise--and challenges--of building more transparent, participatory, and effective institutions through the evolving technological tools at our fingertips.

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A Presidency in Peril

Thu, Jun 3, 2010

Robert Kuttner, co-founder and co-editor of *The American Prospect*, Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow, and columnist for *The Boston Globe*, joins Wendy Ballinger, founder of Ballinger Consulting, to discuss the dilemmas facing the Obama administration from trade to efficiency to the challenge of regulating global capitalism.

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Lessons from the Financial Crisis: More Government or Less?

Thu, May 20, 2010

Yaron Brook, President and Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute, and Peter Kadzis, Editor of the *Boston Phoenix* and former contributor to *Money*, *Forbes*, and the *Boston Business Journal* debate the lessons learned during the financial crisis--from bailouts to reforms to our efforts to prevent another economic disaster.

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Modern Islam

Thu, Apr 22, 2010

Zuhdi Jasser, Founding Member and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), an American Muslim organization advocating for the separation of mosque and state, and Bilal Kaleem, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society of Boston, join moderator James Carroll, Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Suffolk University, recipient of the James Parks Morton Interfaith Award, and Boston Globe columnist, to address the questions facing Islam, the West, and democracy in the 21st century.

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Food, Inc.

Thu, Apr 29, 2010

Jody Adams, award-winning chef/owner of Rialto restaurant, and Donald Wiest, President of Boston Public Market, join moderator Annie B. Copps, senior food editor for Yankee Magazine, to screen the documentary film "Food, Inc." and explore how the food industry shapes our economy, our health, and our lives.

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Putting Massachusetts Students and Schools to the Test

Wed, Apr 10, 2002

James Peyser, chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education, and Ted Sizer, founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools, discuss the controversial Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. Heated debate has surrounded the MCAS test since 1993, when it was first introduced to identify and help students and schools that were failing. Advocates call the MCAS test the foundation for a bold plan to reform education in the state while critics insist this standardized text is too narrow in its assessment of students' abilities.

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Debating Civil Liberties Post 9/11

Tue, Feb 12, 2002

The two basic poles of thought within the civil liberties community regarding US government’s response to the large-scale arrival of terrorism on our shores are represented by Alan Dershowitz, who says that some compromises can and should be made, and Harvey Silverglate, who believes that the Bill of Rights is a timeless document, suitable for all seasons. Listen to a complementary [interview with Alan Dershowitz](http://thoughtcast.org/casts/alan-dershowitz-on-preemption-and-the-hezbollah) on Thoughcast.org, a podcast and public radio interview program on authors, academics and intellectuals.

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Building Bridges: Both Sides of the Abortion Debate

Thu, Oct 24, 2002

Laura Chasin, director of the Public Conversations Project, moderates a panel discussion motivated by the 1994 shootings at two Brookline clinics. After these tragic events, six leaders on both sides of the abortion debate began meeting, not for the purpose of reaching compromise, but to build relationships of mutual respect and understanding that might de-escalate the rhetoric of the abortion controversy and reduce the risk of future attacks on clinics. "In this world of polarizing conflicts", they explain, "we have glimpsed a new possibility: a way in which people can disagree frankly and passionately, become clearer in heart and mind about their activities, and, at the same time, contribute to a more civil and compassionate society."

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Afghanistan and Freedom of the Press

Thu, Nov 7, 2002

Christopher Lydon, former host of The Connection, leads a discussion on the importance of American citizens having a sense of the full picture in order for them to participate in democracy. He is joined by Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould, the first American journalists to enter Afghanistan behind Soviet lines in 1981, and Bob Zelnick, former ABC News Pentagon correspondent and chairman of the Department of Journalism at Boston University. Since September 11, 2001, the press has been criticized for not challenging our government's conduct rigorously enough. In light of security concerns and the Bush administration's alleged attempts at censorship, doubts have been raised about the ability and commitment of reporters to tell all the news.

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