RMU Speakers Series - Douglas Brinkley

Historian Douglas Brinkley was the featured speaker at  the RMU Speakers Series fourth installment for the 2019-20 season.

Over the course of Brinkley's ninety minutes on stage, he gave those of us in attendance a graduate level course in the American Presidency.  He began with Thomas Jefferson, talked extensively about Abraham Lincoln, waxed eloquently on the contributions of the Roosevelts, both Teddy and Franklin, took us through Truman, Ike, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan, both Bushes, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and, of course, the Current Occupant of the White House. He even made a James Polk reference in his talk.  James Polk!!!

He indicated that the results of the 2020 election could be "seismic", and urged that everyone needs to be sure to vote.  

And on top of all of this great info, he concluded the Q & A session with stories of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Bob Dylan!!  And he told us that his next book will be on Hank Aaron, timed for release in 2024, the 50th anniversary of the year the Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record.  I can't wait for that one.

We could have listened to him for another couple of hours at least.

Another Four Star evening courtesy of the RMU Speakers Series.

RMU Speakers Series - Bob Woodward

Last night the Robert Morris University Speakers Series presented Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.  As we left Heinz Hall last night, Marilyn said that he was "enthralling" and that summed it up perfectly.

Woodward spoke about he and Carl Bernstein's coverage of the entire Watergate story and how its lessons still relate to happenings today.  He also spoke of his interactions with and coverage with nine United States Presidents (20% of all of the Presidents in our history), his reverence for his one time boss Katherine Graham, and he concluded with an amazing story of how his feelings evolved over the decision of President Ford to grant Richard Nixon a full pardon for the role that he, Nixon, played in the whole Watergate affair.  It was a tremendous story and it led to Ford being given a Profiles in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library some twenty-five years after the pardon.

I will not spell out everything that Woodward spoke of in his lecture last night, as I will stick to my policy to avoid political commentary in this Blog so as to avoid riling people up, but I will mention one comment that he did make.  "Every time that a lie is told, a debt is incurred against the truth, and sometimes the repayment of that debt can be very painful."  That's not an exact quote, but I think I got the gist of it right.

Suffice to say, I could have listened to Bob Woodward speak for another couple of hours last night.

Oh, and he did end on a humorous note.  The final written question from the audience was How cool was it to be portrayed by Robert Redford in a movie?  "You have no idea" Woodward responded, "how many women that has caused me to disappoint over the years."

RMU Speakers Series - Zanny Minton Beddoes

Last night we attended, for the first time (we finally got around to subscribing to this), one of the Robert Morris University Speakers Series events.  The speaker was Zanny Minton Beddoes, the Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, the first woman to hold this position in the 176 year history of that publication.

She is a renowned expert on global economics, and Forbes magazine cites her as one of the most powerful women in the world.   After listening to her speak, I get it.

I know a lot of smart people, and I have heard a lot of smart people speak over the years, but Zanny Minton Beddoes, if she's not the smartest person I've ever heard speak, she's certainly in the Top Five, maybe Top Three.

I could only try to absorb some of what she was saying last night.  I certainly cannot summarize it here, but I will tell you that she identified four factors that have already begun and will continue to shape world economics and political policy over the course of the next five to ten years.

1. The increasing use of digital technology and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence.
2. The fact that China has emerged as the preeminent economic super power in the world.  It's no longer the USA, folks, it's China.
3.  The aging population across the world.  For the first time in history, there are more people over age 65 than there are under age 5.
4. Climate change.  It's very real, despite what some may try to tell us.  The rest of the world is getting this far better than we are in America.

She expounded on each of those points, and it made for fascinating listening.

I went into the lecture thinking "An economist?  Hope I can stay awake", and I ended up listening to, as I said, one of the smartest people I've ever heard.  It was terrific.

It wasn't all deadly serious.  A question from the audience asked Ms. Beddoes to compare and contrast President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  "Well, they both have very interesting hair" was her opening line, before she gave a very reasoned and serious answer to the question. 

And the name Zanny?  Her birth name is Susan.  Her mother wanted to name her Suzanne, and "Zanny" just evolved from that as she grew up.

Next up in the Speakers Series - Bob Woodward of the Washington Post.  Can't wait for that one.