Individuals of Honor and Good Intent
When I was in high school, I kept a light-blue three ring binder full of quotes that inspired me. It went to college with me, and grad school. It’s moved every time I’ve moved since 1980-something. At some point, I stopped adding quotes to it—the most recent entry being President George W. Bush’s address to the national prayer breakfast in 2001, not long after 9/11. I don’t look at the … Read More
Memory, Connection, and Healing Through Storytelling with Patricia Nguyen
Air Dates: October 21-27, 2019 If you are a regular viewer of “Story in the Public Square,” you know we define “story” and “story-teller” very broadly. Educators, artists, scholars—and more—all qualify in our eyes; but occasionally, we meet a talent that weaves all three skills together with a profound humanity that commends their work to us, as they inspire and even heal others. Patricia Nguyen is just such a person. … Read More
Pell Center To Host Joint Cybersecurity Awareness Event During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Newport, RI – For the fifth year in a row, the Pell Center is supporting the annual DHS National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) campaign as a NCSAM Champion Organization. This national effort, now on its 16th consecutive year, aims to raise public awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and share useful resources through social media and various events across the country. The Pell Center is also partnering with the RI Joint Cyber … Read More
On Partisans and Truth
On two separate occasions recently, I’ve heard variations of a critique: “Don’t be partisan,” someone said to me recently when I told him about a talk I’ve been asked to give in Washington next month. “I’d like to share it, but it’s too partisan,” came from another friend who read a piece I wrote a couple weeks ago about the oath I swore to defend and uphold the Constitution. In … Read More
The Value of Liberal Arts in a Digital World with Scott Hartley
Air Dates: October 7-13, 2019 For generations, a liberal arts education was the gold standard of preparation for career and a well-rounded-life. For much of the last decade, however, voices—including those of prominent technology leaders—have warned that the jobs of today and tomorrow require education in so-called STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Not surprisingly, enrollments in liberal arts fields have declined. Scott Hartley argues that far more than … Read More
The Real Meaning of “Deep State”
One of the proudest moments in my life had no witnesses—at least none that I know personally. On my very first day working on Capitol Hill, I reported to the Senate personnel office. I think I was told to go down to complete some paperwork. I signed a couple of documents, and then a clerk—I remember he wasn’t wearing his suit-coat—told me to raise my right hand. I did, and … Read More
The Iranian Nuclear Landscape with Ilan Goldenberg
Air Dates: September 30-October 6, 2019 In 2015, the United States and Iran concluded years of difficult diplomacy that froze Iran’s nuclear weapons program for ten years. Less than two years later, Donald Trump was president and withdrew the United States from that agreement in May of 2018. IIan Goldenberg warns that while neither the United States nor Iran want a war, the potential for miscalculation and stumbling into war … Read More
The Responsibility of Citizenship
We have heard a lot in the last couple of years—and even more in the last couple of days—about the challenge to the Constitution and our free institutions. With momentum building for impeachment proceedings in the aftermath of the whistleblower complaint against the president, those concerns are rising, again. The op-ed pages and the cable news channels are going to be full of breathless accounts of malfeasance, corruption, and violations … Read More
Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis with Joseph Sakran
Air Dates: September 23-29, 2019 On an otherwise typical Friday night in 1994, 17-year-old Joseph Sakran, a high school student in Northern Virginia, was shot through his throat by an errant bullet from a fight at a high school football game. Trauma surgeons saved his life, launching him on a career as a trauma surgeon and as a leading voice against gun violence. Dr. Joseph Sakran is the Director of … Read More
System or Market? The Political Debate over Healthcare in America with Michael Fine
Air Dates: September 16-22, 2019 The political debate over healthcare in the United States seems cyclical—it rises and falls with America’s political calendar. Dr. Michael Fine argues that for patients and caregivers, issues like cost, access, and outcomes are real, they are present, and they often have life-and-death consequences. A former director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Fine has been a writer, community organizer, family physician and public … Read More