Moira talks to author David Helvarg about his book, Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes. He tells the story of the Coast Guard and how their missions range from saving fishermen in the icy waters off Alaska to rescuing thousands in the wake of Katrina.

President Obama has sent a powerful message to the American public since taking office: Social innovation can play an important role in rebuilding a stronger country. With the passage of stimulus packages in areas such as clean energy, national service, and climate change, it's clear that the White House is approaching national challenges in new ways. In this panel, hosted by Full Circle Fund and sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, key staff in the Obama administration provide the broad outlines for these exciting changes.

Capitalism and society have developed the way they have over the last several hundred years because of a few outdated assumptions. In this presentation from the Web 2.0 Expo, author Douglas Rushkoff explains how currency and corporations have warped society and how the internet has given us a chance to make a living by creating value sustainably.

To reduce or even stop the threat of global warming, it stands to reason that the first line of defense is to avoid using fossil fuels in the first place. In this overview followed by questions from the audience, John Podesta suggests that this can be done by focusing on greater energy efficiency--both at small and large levels--from everyday items to international policy.

On the one hand, biofuels offer a green substitute against petrol-based fuels such as gasoline. On the other, they are still expensive to produce and are causing a steep inflation in food prices the world over. A panel of experts debates the root causes of the increase in food prices, and the need to produce biofuels vis-a-vis the measures to tackle the economic and political side effects of its production.

Only 9 percent of the electorate thinks the U.S. Congress is doing a good job. Lawrence Lessig talks about the damage that arises from politicians focusing on raising funds to get themselves reelected. This constant attention to making money feeds the Washington 'economy of influence'. The morally destitute behavior, foretold by Thomas Jefferson in The Founders' Constitution, undermines the trust of the electorate in the institution of the government.

In this conversation with Joan Peckham, host Jon Udell continues a discussion about computational thinking that began in an earlier episode with Jeannette Wing, who now heads the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation. Joan Peckham, who is on leave from teaching computer science at the University of Rhode Island, is working with the NSF to define and promote computational thinking as an intellectual style that everyone can usefully learn and apply.

Dr. Moira Gunn interviews Craig Wheeler, CEO of Moementa Pharmaceuticals, who discusses biologics and the new biosimilars bill in Congress.

John Doerr discusses a range of topics including technology policy in the new Obama administration and his thoughts on the economy and the effect on innovation. He also gives specific advice for startups in the current economic climate. He also talks about recent VC investment direction in the Internet and green technology, the importance of the iPhone as a platform, and includes specific examples of companies and technologies to watch for in the near future.

A food crisis is upon us. Prices of food commodities have risen dramatically. Shrinking supply, due to weather and the production of biofuels, combined with spiking petroleum prices, has lead to rising demand and instability in countries the world over. Robert Hormats, Helene Gayle, and Jacqueline Novogratz discuss the roles that the financial sector, NGOs, and small farmers around the world play as well as what they can, and must do, to reverse this alarming situation.