Topic: Human Rights

San Francisco's young and charismatic mayor, Gavin Newsom, has suffered his share of punches for taking bold positions on controversial issues. In this Stanford Center for Social Innovation sponsored talk, Newsom tells of the courage and persistence it takes to make real social change as a leader. He outlines progressive reforms in areas such as education, health care, and business, and reflects on the personal and professional price paid for supporting one particularly contentious issue: gay marriage.

Ken Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, gives a thoughtful perspective on the "State of Human Rights" in the 70 countries where they work. He thinks the biggest issue in human rights is the lack of leadership from governments that can exert a positive influence. America has become sidetracked and lost some of its moral high ground, while the European Union's structure keeps it from acting strongly enough.

Rick Falkvinge is a Swedish politician who recently founded a new party. Its values include freedom, upholding laws, and rights to privacy. These may sound like safe and just laws - things that are constant and don't need defending; so what's jeopardizing them? According to Falkvinge, that would be copyrights and patents.

Scientific advances have opened previously unimaginable possibilities in the realm of human reproduction. Determining the sex of an early stage embryo, or shifting the pre-conception arrangement of chromosomes in favor of certain outcomes further opens the door to sex selection. By various means, it is becoming feasible to genetically engineer a child with specific qualities. Harvard Professor Michael J. Sandel, and William Haseltine, CEO of Human Genome Sciences, debate the moral and ethical implications of such actions.

How do you spot an asshole in the workplace--or figure out whether you might be one? At the 2nd Annual Nonprofit Management Institute at Stanford in September 2007, Robert Sutton, author of the best-selling book, The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't, provides a sure-fire test and offers tips for keeping your "inner jerk" from rearing its ugly head on the job. Drawing on serious research and analysis, Sutton shows how managers can eliminate mean-spirited and unproductive behavior.

Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank, changes traditional principles of banking by putting poor people's needs first. Today Grameen Bank is a powerful organization, which supports poor people by providing microloans, credits, and banking services. Yunus describes the reasons behind his philosophies and how they have led to the launch of new enterprises in various industries in Bangladesh.

If open source and the architecture of participation all come down to community, where does that leave those traditionally underrepresented in IT, such as women and minorities? How can such communities become more inclusive and diverse? How can we encourage diversity in the companies who increasingly bankroll many open source projects? On the heels of Black History Month and in the midst of Women's History Month, Fastcompany.com's Lynne d Johnson talks with Scott about possible solutions.