Spending four months a year overseas, Rick Steves believes that thoughtful travel can expand our world view and shape how we address the political challenges that confront our country.
This popular speaker returns to The Commonwealth Club to provide a unique perspective on how the other 96 percent of humanity views our country and why we should "challenge truths we were raised to think were self-evident" in order to become citizens of the planet.
Bio
Rick Steves
Rick Steves grew up in Edmonds, Washington and studied at the University of Washington where he received degrees in Business Administration and European History. Since 1973, he has spent 120 days a year in Europe.
Today he employs 80 people at his Europe Through the Back Door headquarters in Edmonds where he produces 30 guidebooks on European travel, the most popular travel series in America on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune.
Indian hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) or the crude drug made of its dried and crushed leaves or flowers. The active ingredient is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Also called pot, grass, and weed, the drug has long been used as a sedative or analgesic; it was in use in China by the 3rd millennium BC and had reached Europe by AD 500. Today it is used worldwide, though it has been generally illegal at least since the International Opium Convention of 1925. Its psychological and physical effects, including mild euphoria and alterations in vision and judgment, vary with strength and amount consumed, the setting, and the user's experience. Chronic use is not physically habit-forming but may be mildly psychologically habit-forming. Marijuana has been shown to be medically therapeutic for patients with glaucoma, AIDS, and the side effects of chemotherapy; in 2001 Canada became the first country to legalize the use of marijuana by people with terminal illnesses and chronic conditions. Supporters of legalization claim that it is a more benign drug than alcohol; opponents contend that it is addictive and leads to use of more serious drugs. A resin from the plant is the source of hashish.
I love Rick as a travel guy, but listening to his opinion on the topic of legalization has just as much value as Rosie O'Donnel talking about foreign policy. My suggestion to Steve? Stick to your knitting! Your opinion on TRAVEL I will listen to intently. Your opinion on MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION? Not so much!
Steves information fuels my first trip to Europe, he is a wealth of information.
He is 100% correct on his views about the legislation of Morality...he could be a bit more forceful with this information, but I don't think he wants to offend anyone. Great show.
What an amazing presentation. I definitely took a turn from his book and I refuse to go on traditional guided tours. I've met some interesting people by going where the locals go or just walking without a plan. It is very much a political act to interact with people as if you're there to get to know them. Thanks Rick!
I have great appreciation for many forums I've viewed on Fora, but I felt the need to register because I want to comment about how much I LOVE this presentation. As a fellow global wanderer, a human rights activist, a documentary filmmaker, and a person who considers herself a global citizen..... I just want to say that this speech is something of a masterpiece. I am very inspired and I've learned a lot watching this. Thanks Rick Steves!
Rick for Congress. Seriously, he is a man of the world and a real Renaissance Man. I would love to go live in Europe. Frankly, America sucks unless you're rich.
I never would have expected Rick Steves to be a spokesman for the legalization of marijuana. Is this being streamed from some kind of Bizarro internet?