The 11th Hour
August 1, 2007, 7:30pm – 9:30pmProduced and Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, The 11th Hour describes the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how humanity has arrived at this moment - how we live, how we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. The film features dialogues with experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet. Written and directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners, The 11th Hour is produced by Chuck Castleberry, Brian Gerber, Conners Petersen and DiCaprio.
Local Immigration Ordinances: The Result of Federal Inaction on Comprehensive Reform
August 8, 2007, 10:30am – 12:00pmIn light of Congress' failure to deliver immigration reform, cities and counties across the country are passing ordinances to fill the void of a coherent national immigration policy. On Wednesday, August 8th at 10:30 a.m., the Center for American Progress will host a panel discussion with elected officials and litigators at the center of this debate to discuss their views on local immigration ordinances, the impact they are having on communities of color, and the implications local ordinances present for the national immigration debate.
Neglecting America's Infrastructure
August 21, 2007, 9:30am – 11:00amThe recent Minnesota bridge collapse is yet another warning sign that risk related to critical infrastructure is rising at an alarming rate. The tragedy in Minneapolis occurred as we approach the sixth anniversary of 9/11, fourth anniversary of the Northeast blackout, and second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Critical infrastructure that contributes to our security, economy, and society is increasingly threatened by terrorists, more intense storms, functional obsolescence, and neglect. The Center for American Progress will convene a panel of experts to review the state of critical infrastructure in the United States, the implications of current trends regarding increased use, decreased investment, declining maintenance, and rising risk from natural and man-made sources; what must be done; what it will cost; how the resources can be generated; and potential applications for new technologies.
Panelists will include Dr. Stephen Flynn, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation; Dr. Dawn Bonnell, Trustee Professor of Material Sciences at University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Nano/Bio Interface Center; and Scott Lilly, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Dr. Flynn will highlight the urgent decline of infrastructure in the United States and how the United States is falling behind other global players, including China. Dr. Bonnell will describe developments in nanotechnology that may be applied to critical components of a rebuilt national infrastructure, including air travel and information systems as well as bridges and tunnels. Mr. Lilly will discuss how pragmatic investment now can be vastly more cost-efficient than prolonging infrastructure decay. The panel will be moderated by P.J. Crowley, Senior Fellow and Director of Homeland Security at the Center for American Progress.
Please join the Center for American Progress as we describe the implications of United States critical infrastructure under siege.
Forecast: Storm Warnings
August 27, 2007, 1:00pm – 2:00pmOver the last several days Hurricane Dean whipped through the Caribbean before slamming into the Yucatan Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. While loss of life and damages are still uncalculated, Dean will join the ranks of Andrew, Charlie, Hugo, Rita. And of course, Katrina. Their names are seared into the minds of those who lived through them. The 100+ mile an hour winds and stinging sideways rain wreaked devastation - ripping roofs off houses, flattening whole buildings, tossing around cars as if they were toys, causing billions of dollars' worth of damage, and taking lives. Recovery often takes years. Two years after Hurricane Katrina struck land on August 29, 2005, thousands of Mississippi and New Orleans residents have yet to restore their homes, businesses or lives. And some may never do so. Hurricanes gather and release nature's fury, and the consequences are deadly.
And now the actions of humans since the dawn of the industrial age will only propel future hurricanes' power. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere released by burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels has begun to warm the planet, including our oceans, and scientists have determined that warmer sea surface temperature can boost hurricanes' ferocity, and may even increase their frequency. It is imperative that we do everything we can to prepare for the potential disasters.
In conjunction with the release of the report, Forecast: Storm Warnings, the Center for American Progress will conduct a forum that will discuss the impact of global warming on hurricane severity and frequency. In addition, there will be a discussion of necessary federal, state, and local policies that would increase the resilience of hurricane prone communities. The forum will feature, Mayor Richard Crotty (R) of Orange County, Florida, hurricane scientist Dr. Peter J. Webster, John B. Copenhaver of DRI International, and Jane Bullock, former chief of staff of Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt.
The urgency of this work grows every day as thousands of Americans relocate to coastal areas, but with the best science, local mitigation, and federal support, we can minimize the likelihood that future storms join the tragic roster of the deadliest hurricanes. Unfortunately, the global warming forecast is for storm warnings ahead.
Turning Around Low-Performing Schools: Local Strategies in Action
August 28, 2007, 3:00pm – 4:30pmAs the nation's students begin another school year, advocates, administrators, and lawmakers are focusing on school quality, accountability, and school improvement. Sixteen percent of all schools and 20 percent of all districts did not make adequate yearly progress under the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. As the rigor of education and student expectations rise, greater attention is rightfully focused on low-performing schools and districts. Urban, rural, and suburban districts across the country are developing and strengthening strategies and interventions to support these schools and the students they serve. Several districts have instituted innovative and non-incremental approaches to education reform, like expanding learning time, and are seeing positive results.
Please join us for a discussion with D.C.-area public school leaders on their strategies to turn around low-performing schools and for the release of a new Center for American Progress paper on how expanded learning time strategies are being employed across the country to support student learning and close academic achievement gaps.