Below is a good debate between progressive Ana Kasparian and conservative Ben Shapiro. In this video, Kasparian and Shapiro Ana have a good-faith discussion about breaking ideological bubbles and finding nuance in complex political issues. They’re able to agree — and disagree — on a number of topics, including renewable energy, campaign strategy, localism vs federalism, political power incentives, and the destructive outcomes of liberal policies in California. Ana and Ben also debate nationalized healthcare, labor and economic incentives, and diagnose the current state of the Democrat and Rep ..read more

On February 11, 2024, San Francisco Bay Area fine artists Hadi Aghaee, Viviana Leiga-Sysak, Carolyn Li and Angelo Lopez had a talk on their artistic inspirations, what they want their art to communicate, and the best ways to exhibit and market their art. At a young age, Hadi Aghaee discovered his passion for art, but life took him on a different path, and he temporarily set aside his artistic pursuits for nearly three and a half decades. However, in mid-2014, he made the decision to reignite that creative spark and pick up where he had left off. As Hadi dedicated himself to art, his artistic ..read more

On February 4, 2024, political cartoonists Emanuele Del Rosso, Stellina Chen and Angelo Lopez had a talk on the challenges facing political cartoonists in Italy, the Netherlands and Taiwan. Emanuele Del Rosso is an Italian editorial cartoonist whose work appears in The Washington Post, The Japan Times, Le Monde, Courrier International, Alternative Economiques, the Swiss daily Le Temps, the Dutch daily Het Financieele Dagblad, the environmental magazine Renewable Matters, France24 TV, The Nation, and more. Since 2016, he has been a member of Cartoon Movement, where he also works as a freelance ..read more

On January 21, 2024, editorial cartoonists Nick Anderson and Angelo Lopez had a conversation on the political scene in Texas, the editorial cartoon website Counterpoint, and the power of editorial cartoons to make a difference both locally and nationally. Nick Anderson has been the editorial cartoonist for the Louisville Courier Journal and was staff cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle from 2006 to 2017. He currently draws cartoons for the Tribune Content Agency and is editor of Reform Austin. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post and USA Today. Nick Ande ..read more

On January 14, 2024, editorial cartoonists Clay Jones and Angelo Lopez had a conversation on the state of American editorial cartooning, the importance of editorial cartoonists to protect their independent thinking, and the continued power of editorial cartoonists to influence state and local issues. Clay Jones began his editorial cartooning career at The Panolian in Batesville, Mississippi. Clay was editorial cartoonist for the Daily Leader in Brookhaven, the Mississippi Business Journal, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and the The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Jones was with Crea ..read more

On January 7, 2024, fine artists Jayashree Sadasivan and Angelo Lopez had a talk on their journeys as artists, the influence of Indian art, and the fun in doing artwork for utility boxes. Jayashree Sadasivan is a Fine Artist/Mural Artist, Illustrator and Graphic Designer from Sunnyvale, California. She had a wide variety interests including Painting, Drawing, Utility Art Box projects, Creating Illustrations for Children’s Picture books along with Logo design and Branding for local small business needs. Her love for drawing and painting started ever since my parents gifted me a box of crayons ..read more

On December 3, 2023, political cartoonists Joaquin Junco Jr. and Angelo Lopez had a talk on the responsibilities of a Chicano political cartoonist to authentically represent their community, as well as Joaquin’s experience as an intern to the great cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz. Joaquin Junco Jr, aka “Junco Canché” was the political cartoonist for El Coyote Crossing Borders and the San Diego Free Press, and he has had cartoons published in El Coyote Online, La Prensa News, and the Southwestern College Sun. Junco studied graphic design at Cal State San Bernardino. His cartoons offer an incisive vie ..read more

On November 26, 2023, editorial cartoonists Wes Rowell and Angelo Lopez had a conversation on the editorial cartooning profession, the issues facing the state of New Mexico and the growing problems of hyper-partisanship in the national political landscape. For over 20 years Wes Rowell has provided illustrations for a number industries, including editorial, advertising, education, publishing, and more. Wes’s art has been influenced by Caravaggio, Michael Schwab, and Gary Larson. As a result of his wide range of experiences, Rowell developed a love of learning new things through my interaction ..read more

On November 21, 2023, theater artist Vinh G. Nguyen and political cartoonist and fine artist Angelo Lopez had a talk on theater arts, the American Musical Theater and the role of Chopsticks Alley Art in promoting Asian American art in the San Jose area in California. Vinh G. Nguyen is a first generation, Vietnamese-American arts administrator, theatre artist, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the Managing Artistic Director at Chopsticks Alley Art, a non-profit Southeast Asian arts organization based in San Jose. As a stage director, Vinh aims to critically examine and r ..read more

On Thursday, November 16, 2023, I had a fun time giving an art demonstration for East Valley Artists, an artist group that has been in existence since 1957. I showed them my pen and ink and acrylic technique. It was an enjoyable time talking to the group about my favorite cartoonists and children’s book illustrators. I also enjoyed listening to them talk about their own art. In 1957, East Valley Artists was founded by a handful of artists living in the eastern foothills of San Jose, CA. They met in watercolorist Mary Mintz’s living room, a small but talented and energetic group. Their intenti ..read more