Renaissance Weekend Comes to Santa Monica

Renaissance Weekend Comes to Santa Monica
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I've been receiving invitations to the Renaissance Weekend for nearly a decade now and am only now getting around to joining this illustrious group for one of their first weekends in Southern California. While I always managed to find an excuse not to attend in the past, this time with the Weekend coming to L.A., I had no good reason not to, and have been looking forward to attending for some time. As some readers may remember, the group made headlines when it hosted Bill Clinton shortly after he was elected President and he and his family were regulars both before and after his election in 1992.

Blogging is generally discouraged, but I received a special dispensation to write a few general words about the Weekend. Hosted by Philip & Linda Lader who worked in the Clinton administration, the weekends serve as a sort of incubator for new and interesting ideas and each guest serves on various panels in which current topics are discussed. I'll be on panels discussing topics related to film, spirituality, the economic situation in Asia and other interesting and relevant topics.

In the polarized culture in which we live, opportunities to dialogue across partisan and religious divides is more important than ever, and we all owe the Laders' a debt of gratitude for keeping this wonderful tradition alive.

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