Commentaries from the Edge

Keren Goldberg
  • 4.8 (12)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Bimonthly

Views on many subjects where we can discover new understandings. Cover photo by John Goldberg.

  1. Jun 10

    A TIME CAPSULE: Opening the Capsule at the Los Angeles Central Library after 100 years | Todd Lerew

    The City of Los Angeles began to build a magnificent architectural beauty for its Central Library in the downtown area. As part of the ceremony to mark the building’s site in 1925, a time capsule was created and buried. When the Central Library opened its doors in July of 1926, the Time Capsule was securely covered buried in a cornerstone made of Indiana Limestone. Did the Leaders of the City and the Library imagine then that this Time Capsule would not be seen nor opened for 100 years, until May of 2026? Todd Lerew, Director of Special Projects for the Los Angeles Library Foundation, tells us about that moment, the effort it took to retrieve it, and what was found once opened. For Todd, he considers that to be his greatest experience in his eleven year career at the Library. This historic event came about for the celebration of the Centennial of the iconic building’s architectural achievement and the importance of Libraries to the citizens of Los Angeles. The Time Capsule will be part of the July 11 Centennial Festival to be held at the Central Library, 630 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, 90071, phone (213) 228-7000. Come join the free fun on July 11th and throughout the year for CENTRAL 100, 1926 to 2026, with the theme, “Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning”. To view the entire program go to LAPL.org/Central 100.

    35 min

  2. Jun 10

    TO READ, TO THINK, TO DREAM: Celebrating a 100 Year Old Library | Christina Rice and Madeline Rice

    The approach and the entrance to the Los Angeles Central Library in the City’s downtown, is both dramatic and inviting. The experience can conjure the feeling of entering a Cathedral. One is walking through arches, rotundas, gothic high ceilings past large posters, rare paintings and sculpture, and ahead the awesome sight of escalators facing huge figurines hanging overhead. It is from the escalators that you will have a dizzying choice of reading rooms to visit like the International Room with books in over 100 different languages, the History Room, The Literacy Room for tutoring, and so many more to explore. Christina Rice, Senior Librarian of the Photo Collection and Madeline Pena, Director of Engagement and Learning Division, are the dynamic and creative team who for over the last two years have been preparing for a grand celebration of this very 100 year old building and its history. They named this Centennial, CENTRAL 100, 1926 to 2026. The theme is, “Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning”. It is a celebration of the architecture, of the survival of the Central Library and its role as a “crown jewel” of a Library system of 73 branches beloved in a City that has gown with it in the last 100 years. The highlight of the year long activities is the July 11th Festival to be held all day, from 10:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. Listen to Christina and Madeline and hear their stories of an iconic building welcoming people from the diversity of Los Angeles and from around the world. To View the full program of the July 11th Free Festival go to the website, LAPL.org/Central 100 Central Los Angeles Library 630 West 5th Street Los Angeles, 90071, phone (213) 228-7000

    32 min

  3. Mar 13

    The Extraordinary Life from Hollywood to being a Pioneering Elected Official - with Sheila Kuehl

    From radio days as an Actress, to the political halls of California State and County governments, Sheila Kuehl has always excelled. In her youth and young adulthood she was in key roles on very popular T. V. programs for years. At Harvard Law School she was a leader in various campus organizations, and once a Lawyer, began to use her power and influence to make a difference for good. Los Angeles became the center of her activism and the issue that propelled her into public life was the way battered women had no protection, no laws that supported their needs. Listen to Sheila Kuehl and hear why she is a celebrity - from her acting days and in the world of public service. She has made a path in her long life on the forefront of creating pioneering legislation when at the California Assembly and the Senate. At the time she was the first openly Lesbian to be elected to both politics institutions and served their for 14 years. Her stand out legislative accomplishments to name a few were in family law for parental leave, establishing training for Judges to understand their personal bias, and water use in the State essential for its huge population and agricultural needs, and for gender and LGQBT in the work place. We are fortunate to have Sheila Kuehl among us who is a leader who leads with character and values and has always made peoples’ lives better in her distinguished and inspiring career as a public servant.

    50 min

  4. Feb 20

    MEDITATION: Navigating Through Uncertain Times with Dr. Marvin J. Southard, Ph.d

    The need for calm, for compassion, to feel centered, all attributes that can be result of meditating according to return guest to the podcast, Dr. Marvin J. Southard. He carries an expertise about meditation not only professionally as a leader in the field of mental health, but personally as a long time practitioner. Listen to his ideas of what meditation is, how it can benefit your daily life and instructions on how to begin. Living in a world of constant crisis, as we are, with a sense of turmoil and an increase of violence and anger toward others, it seems a perfect time to introduce a tool that can calm the spirit and open a path to a more peaceful inner life. It may be a tool that each of us in our own way can use to make the world around us a better place.

    27 min

  5. Jan 31

    The Courtroom Goes to the Movies - with Author and UCLA Law Professor Paul Bergman

    Podcast Guest Professor Paul Bergman easily expresses a kind of joy and delight he has enjoyed in his over 40 years as a Professor at the UCLA School of Law. As retired and now with the status of Emeritus, he continues to allow his students at the Law School to contemplate their upcoming profession in a special light. Listen and you will hear from a pioneering educator who chartered new directions in how to teach law with great creativity. He added also a most crucial element; a determination to have his students see the practice of law as helping people at a most difficult time in their life. Bergman insists that his students understand their role as advocates for their clients so that they may have a better life. In general his contribution to the UCLA School of Law, which was transformative, was the idea of developing clinical education where real cases are used as teaching tools, dissected and analyzed, with role playing. An evolution from this idea came his next innovation based on his enthusiasm for films to present famous courtroom scenes in movies in his classes. Bergman discovered that using these movie scenes had a certain power in preparing future Lawyers for courtroom experiences. Today, Professor Paul Bergman is as active as ever, continuing to teach a class at the Law School, writing books and bringing his creative approach to classes he teaches in the community. He is the Author of 15 books including THE COURTROOM GOES TO THE MOVIES.

    45 min

  6. 10/17/2025

    THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES with Director Fernando Guerra, Ph.D

    Los Angeles, the City of promise, a history where people came to start life anew, native born Americans and people from around the world. Once again, Dr. Fernando Guerra is a guest on the podcast program for the third time. This year 2025 is closing, a year like no other in Los Angeles. Dr Guerra, Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University, a distinguished local University, has been on the frontlines engaging residents and community leaders regarding the impact of this turbulent year. It began with unprecedented wildfires, walls of fire never seen before decimating two historic neighborhoods. Then as June arrived, the United States Federal government descended upon the City disrupting the life of the City with raids conducted by Immigration Agents in tandem with the military National Guard. They came to a City still in grief and stunned by the fires’s destruction and began spreading fear and terror among immigrant households with a focus on Latino neighborhoods. StudyLA faced these calamities with their traditional method of surveying to find information that could make a difference in the operation of a City facing multiple and unexpected challenges. Listen to Fernando Guerra and learn what the people of Los Angeles are thinking and what kind of remedies Dr. Guerra is suggesting to solve these festering problems. He began the Center inspired by his teaching of young college students. Now he is even more determined to foster civic leaders of the future ready to be agents of change for a better and more equitable City and world. TO CONTACT - Dr. Fernando Guerra, email, StudyLA@lmu.edu

    40 min

  7. 08/22/2025

    The Play, AUGUST 29, at a time of America In Struggle with Guest Evelina Fernandez

    It is the Summer of 2025, a time like no other in Los Angeles, California. There is drama on the streets, especially in Latino neighborhoods, where masked men jump out of unmarked cars and grab people who look like they might not have citizenship papers. It is at this time that the Latino Theatre Company has decided to mount their famous play, AUGUST 29, originally premiered in 1990, about a crisis and a killing in 1970 in East Los Angeles, a mostly Mexican American - Chicano area. Listen to Evelina Fernandez, founding member of the Latino Theatre Company now celebrating their 40th year, who knows the history of abuse toward Latinos in Los Angeles and cities across the USA, and can give first person tales of the back story of the play, AUGUST 29. The theatrical work created long ago inspires us to contemplate where we are as a society in 2025.. AUGUST 29’s last performances at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC) in downtown, Los Angeles are August 22, 23, and 24. Performances will be held in other venues throughout September. It is being produced in partnership with the students of the Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy. CONTACT: LATC Ticket Office for performance information, (213) 489-0994 FREE ADMISSION The Los Angeles Theatre Center - Theater 1 Friday, August 22 - 8:00PM Saturday, August 23 - 8:00PM Sunday, August 24 - 4:00PM https://www.latinotheaterco.org/august29 Box Office: (213) 489-0994, tickets@thelatc.org 514 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013 Plan Your Visit: DIRECTIONS & PARKING East Los Angeles College August 29, 2025 at 8:00 PM (Sold Out) S2 Recital Hall https://www.latinotheaterco.org/august29 Box Office: (213) 489-0994, tickets@thelatc.org 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez Monterey Park, CA 91754 Mt. San Antonio College September 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM September 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM Sophia B. Clarke Theater https://www.latinotheaterco.org/august29 Box Office: (213) 489-0994, tickets@thelatc.org 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut, CA 91789

    39 min

  8. 04/28/2025

    THE OFFICE OF LIFE, JUSTICE AND PEACE at the L. A. Catholic Archdiocese

    A visit to the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese gives the opportunity to enter a world envisioned by the L. A. Archbishop Jose Gomez, and Pope Francis just days after his passing. And how can we describe that vision? One way is to picture the great power of a Church with a following of five million across the expanse of Parishes in Southern California, dedicating this power to making a better life for all, Catholic and non-Catholic. The vision manifests itself clearly in the subject of this episode - the Archdiocese Office of Life, Justice and Peace. Michael Donaldson, Office Director, and Jeanette Gomez Senerviatne, Director of the Whole Person, are carrying forward all that Pope Francis and Archbishop Gomez would hope for. They are addressing the most pressing issues in every community they serve, giving voice to the voiceless, collaborating with and creating partnerships to bring supportive resources to individuals and families. Listen to how their programming acts as a showcase for good emanating from a global city like Los Angeles. At this time, as the three of us sat together in conversation, grateful for Pope Francis, we are dedicating the episode to him, and remembering the way he brought us to focus on the suffering while celebrating the joy of life. The Office of Life, Justice and Peace will continue developing projects and activities in that spirit. “Hope never disappoints”, is what he said in his last Easter message to the world. TO CONTACT: Mpdonaldson@la-archdiocese.org - for Michael Donaldson JSeneviratne@la-archdiocese.org - for Jeanette Seneviratne

    48 min
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4.8
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About

Views on many subjects where we can discover new understandings. Cover photo by John Goldberg.

Information

  • Creator
    Keren Goldberg
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Keren Goldberg
  • Show Website
    Commentaries from the Edge