Saint Helena Forum

Episode 26: Altruism

The Science of Doing Good Is it a source of joy or is it selfishness? Dr. Abigail Marsh in conversation with Journalist David Freed

25: The Science of Hate. Why do people commit hate crimes? Are our brains wired to hate?

Professor Matthew Williams in conversation with Journalist David Freed

24: Why Whales Sing: Decoding the Oldest System of Culture and Communication on Earth. A Conversation with Acoustic Ecologist, Dr. Michelle Fournet

About Dr. Michelle Fournet: Michelle Fournet is a National Geographic Explorer, a professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire, a behavioral ecologist, and the director of the Sound Science Research Collective. As a bio acoustician, Fournet specializes in listening to the world's oceans and the marine animals who live there. Her research focuses on investigating how animals communicate underwater, and how anthropogenic (man-made) activities are changing ocean ecosystems. Fournet is particularly interested in marine mammals including humpback whales, bowhead whales, harbor seals and bearded seals. Fournet's research experience spans pole-to-pole with expeditions and projects ranging from Antarctica to the Alaskan Arctic, and Hawaii to the Caribbean. However, most of Fournet's research focuses on the calling behavior of humpback whales in Southeast Alaska. She was a longtime resident of Juneau, Alaska where the Sound Science Research Collective was founded and has spent the over 15 years listening to the voices of Alaska's whales.   About Douglas Barr: Doug is Board Chair of the Educational Non-profit, Saint Helena Forum. He moved to Napa Valley from Los Angeles in 1997. He is a former vintner, actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Doug believes that the Forum is a step toward making Saint Helena a cultural center for the North Bay and an invaluable resource for the people of our community and beyond.

23: America’s Immigration Divide: How our country’s current polarization is based upon historic regional lines

America’s Immigration Divide: How our country’s current polarization is based upon historic regional lines Historian and Author Colin Woodard in conversation with  Journalist and Author David Freed.   About Colin Woodard: Colin is a New York Times bestselling historian and Polk Award-winning journalist – is one of the most respected authorities on North American regionalism, the sociology of United States’ Nationhood, and how our colonial past shapes and explains the present. Compelling, dynamic and thought provoking, he offers a fascinating look at where America has come from, how we ended up as we are, and how we might shape our future. About David Freed: Dave is a screenwriter, novelist and former award-winning investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Times where he shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the newspaper's coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and was an individual finalist for the Pulitzer Prize's Gold Medal for Public Service, the most prestigious award in American journalism.    About the Saint Helena Forum: Founded in 2019, the Saint Helena Forum for Innovation and Creativity is a grass roots, entirely volunteer organization, funded by donations and grants from our local Napa Valley friends and neighbors. Our mission is to inform, inspire, and entertain every citizen of the region and beyond by providing access to a broad range of humanities-based presentations.

22: Beauty Sick

Dr. Engeln is a professor at Northwestern University where she teaches psychopathology, the psychology of women and gender, social psychology, and the psychology of human beauty. Doctor Engeln  directs the “The Body and Media Lab” [http://bodyandmedia.com/] which conducts research exploring issues surrounding women's body images. She is the author of "Beauty Sick" [http://beautysick.com/] a book about the cultural obsession with appearance and how it effects girls and women.  Renee's work has appeared in numerous academic journals, and she is regularly interviewed by the New York Times, the Chicago tribune, the Huffington Post, and other national media. Dr. Engeln will be interviewed by Saint Helena Forum Board Member Michele Mitchell. In addition to being a member of the Forum’s board of directors, Michelle is a filmmaker, journalist, and author, best known for her on-camera reporting for PBS and CNN Headline News, and her documentary films: “Haiti: Where did the Money Go? “ [https://films.com/id/27706/Haiti_Where_Did_the_Money_Go.htm] which tracked what happened to the money donated by US citizens to US-based charities after the Haiti earthquake  and ”The Un-condemned “,  [https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tbP1TcwNDLMMTY3M2D04i_JSFUozUvOz0tJzc1LTQEAfGcJLA&q=the+uncondemned&oq=the+un&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgBEC4YQxiABBiKBTIGCAAQRRg7MgwIARAuGEMYgAQYigUyDAgCEAAYQxiABBiKBTINCAMQLhiDARixAxiABDINCAQQABiDARixAxiABDIGCAUQRRg8MgYIBhBFGDwyBggHEEUYPNIBCDM2NzRqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#wptab=si:APYL9btLsCLyBNVDMNiB9zj5AdxV1PPyQBpTCyTfIJCkzq3PWXCu65927AxOh7RosZjpQC-0Yjj-NPxDMV-bprma7JVy4ouneIpmI6SdfBVzscNlSlTRixBEZh1QYe37q3aE30rocyfr]a riveting documentary about an underdog group of lawyers and activists who defied the odds to do what had never been done: prosecute rape as an international war crime.