through cosmo from the sixties, there is really no mention of martin luther king or kennedy and people talk about how good-looking he was.f my in other titles and headlines i remember from that era were one of my favorites was the undiscovered joys of having a chinese lover. [laughter] i don't know. it was so out of touch. and really crazily out of touch. but she wasn't, her target was really illustrated in contracts to mid magazines. her target reader was white but a simple, small town, like working-class girl from the boondocks basically. as i lean in some other people who worked at cosmo the 70s told me, the women and men whoei

actually worked at cosmo were the college educated, sometimes graduate school educated, new york sophisticates who were filtering their knowledge down to these from cincinnati. and this is the girl who didn't know what to do with her dessert for continual how to tie a tie. and so that was really like helen's girl. so she even said she was like talking to herself like 20 or 30 or later in her career. but i don't know know if i buy that either because she was obviously somewhat sophisticated to achieve this level of success. but she really created this cinematic log line for herself which is from hillbilly to hollywood. everyone still buys buys it and that's not true. >> that reminds me of a lot of why i look at women's magazines because i look at and think that

they sometimes create or make things important that aren't actually that important. like i don't think it's that important to know how to use it dessert forks. >> i don't know that i've ever really held one before. >> and maybe i'm wrong but i don't think it's that important to know how to tie a tie. i think -- i don't know how to tie a tie either. >> so part of why the magazines become problematic is because the editor then starts privileging certain things are communicating to readers that they shouldn't know this that or the other. cover and that if you don't, then you're somehow less than. there is a famous cover famous cover lining glamour before i got there. i believe it caused some controversy and i think retailers wanted to cover up the magazine with brown paper. the cover line was an i know monsey spin, but but is what you think of your orgasm -- this was

like for a lot of women the first time something they had to worry about. so i know you can do a lot of damage because you can invent problems that you didn't know you had. and then try to solve them like you're left with a problem. >> will just today i was looking at cosmo online at the cab over here and actually one of the stories was, i think it was something like the wrong way of washing your hair. mike well and that's like a helen kind of story because she is the were dumb a lot. she saim you're dumb here and what can you do about it. >> me my while people are being killed in vietnam. so in some ways it was a real escape and i think think magazines are still intended to be a an escape and i think cosmo today for all their fluffy articles they do they do run some serious and investigative pieces. they did a great great package on birth control and contraception.

it won a big award. it's that perfect cocktail, that to me when i look at women's magazine i look at that perfect cocktail she was like there has to be sex, sex, sex but thereour also has to be stuff about your career, working girls. favor gosh, one of my favorite parts of looking up these old cosmos was finding gloria simon in a cosmo from 1968 in helen opposed to the thread about sexy, is said that div burnett starting with cleo patrick and then check it out. i was looking through and i didn't know gloria was gonna be in it. and here she is, like us. fold in the purple romper dress with, i want to say too much, but it's like a low-cut thing, her hair was wild, and i interviewed her and i asked her, what in the world is that about. as she was sitting on the set of

a famous tv actor at the time. >> when she said well, i think that was the case in which -- i should have walked away when i saw what they wanted me to wear, but i was young and i didn't have the script yet i didn't know what to say and i just set for that photo and boy did i regret it because the next year she was a campaigning is she ha a great political career. and i interviewed the photographer who took the picture and 50 years later he feels horrible about it. >> i think that's the metaphor for something that. [inaudible] there is next to it in our goal about making -- that these are

things that were marketed or glamorized. you know it's the founder of this feminist. and there she is in a romper. forcing it a lot now, they came out with feminism and a lack of ideas, and when i hear about whether or not these continue to go forward, within those ideas but within the raw fresh. >> i definitely, i don't know if i been guilty of it, but i don't know if i think it's a bad thing, i still think the jury is out in my brain if it's a good thing or bad thing to bring it up with an actress, do you think you're a feminist which i think there's certain things magazine

editors want you to hit. there a lot of young women who say no, i'm not a feminist and clearly they have no idea what it meanss i don't think it's a bad thing to have people saying yes i'm a feminist and here's why. i asked her her that question when she was 17 or 18, i thought it was important, i think it's important for young women to hear their idol saying yes some of feminist. so i have mixed mixed feelings about the marketing of feminism. like if there's yucky stuff about up there's also good stufm about it. my >> i think my last question to both of you before we take audience questions is keep in mind with them magazine, where's the future the magazine, what you like to see them become? another's new initiatives, e-newsse letters, there's all these great magazines that have popped up in the last decade that have allowed it to happen on a matter mission.

but if we could go further where would that be? >> i think was so cool about jezebel is that it has really been this launching pad for really incredible writers and editors. when you look at the book of jezebel and i've never sent herr name out loud so not sure from bronson it correctly. and also [inaudible] the list goes on and on. the people the people jezebel are just pretty incredible. but the other thing is, they're not already for women's magazines or women's media and included in the new york times and i think there's something to be said for that too. maybe future women's magazine is like when people say about the women's movement, it want me to exist when everybody's equal. maybe there's truth to that. well maybe there won't be a need

for women's magazines when men care more to read about women's issues to her when they're considered to be more important needs frankly. i think it's great, i i do read women's magazines and there a special audience out there for them which is women, but i like also the idea that a lot of women are starting to write for dual audiences, men and women, everybody. >> i think a lot of it has to do with what editors ares are comfortable giving female writers and a lot of editors are still stuck in the past where they think well let's do the lifestyle stories to the woman writers are women writers can't do the harder stuff. i mean honestly, i've no idea s where it women's magazines are going to go and i don't look at him. i think i aged out of him but i also spent so much time between 2007 and 2010 staring at them every single month and picking them apart that i don't want to look at them anymore.

but personally i'm not can you read them websites anymore. i think because, it's not that they're not necessary, but i doa think there have been a market in the content that you find a general interest websites or a magazines that have to do with women's issues. they're not all shunted off toto the side. you see a lot of female writers and reporters who came out writing for websites are creating their own blogs. but they were making any money who have been snapped up by legacyup publications. cosmo has a gal which once ran a blog named family. a law school student, not someone not someone who came up in the media.for the that's really heartening. so ideally maybe there won't be a need for women's magazine. but that said would it be

fascinating to have a magazine or website that was entirely staffed by women but it wasn't about women. in the same way men's that are mainly high-ranking men on the top. mail is the default. a lot of the time because it's why women's fiction written by women, where you don't have that with men. i like to see there is no need for women's magazine versus men's magazine. i don't knows that's going to happen. i feel like i'm starting to see integration of content that was previously on limited insight into traditional, and even more recent digital brands.

>> i think it's time to take questions from the audience. anyone have questions. >> why just want to say rachel for this book online called -- the women's lies club and it has like 1300 plus members. can we give them a microphone? >> your chapters on the relationship i thought were very well. and also the revolution that changed everything. >> thank you. so bob thinks that with "goodod morning america" and the

producer, it was also friends with helen and david. and his wife was a will wonderful talk of her. she did a of the pictures for the book. thank you. >> questions. >> i was inspired to write about your book and when i brought it to my website one of the many lovelies on the side said oh my gosh, i love cosmo, she just went on and on and i said oh great, very excited i love the book. and then somehow talking about the website, i think think talks were really late and she just

completely dismissed it and said the website is so different than the magazine. i love the magazine. and i look for work for digital media and have worked for a magazine and website i like to know your thoughts on when you have magazines and have these really intense loyal readership and you have these websites that are branching off and doing different things, where do the to converge and where do they go out into their own and do veryry interesting thing is that a good thing or bad thing? speaking of magazines that have both the did print and digital side.d like t >> anyway interesting to know

what you thought about why that is the thing if it's a thing, why could be good or debt bad. >> i think it's important for them to do really different, it's just different functions actually. i'm definitely not as badly and digital media as both rachel and anna are. but i can speak from the beginning of the digitizing, like the stone ages which is when i worked at premier magazine which folded after like 25 years. i remember when they're trying to transfer to premier.com employee was that rough. >> i think the problem was that they were trying to make it like the magazine. that was impossible because the magazine took it was such great reporters and the stories even though they are about movies they still took months to report. a lot of investigative work being done, a lot of profiles, meanwhile the website of things just was not as good. it is not as well thought through. soon others a lot of websites

the are extremely well thought t through and that content is excellent but i think they havee to exist on their own event they are connected to print version. >> what did the young woman say as to why she didn't like the website? [inaudible] [inaudible] >> well a field that has to compete more with women's website there's a lot of serious content about him but i'm surprised that. i'm surprised to hear that. >> i am too. i think i actually feel like tht internet actually takes it down.

people make such a big deal about whether or not you give credit to the new yorker or the new yorker.com like it it's such a giant. >> it is. when you have like lies in the sand. . . screen. [inaudible] and with a few publications while they still can. [laughter] but for me i don't read that much media in

>> and be interactive. >> i love the book and wanted to know why you wrote it. >> i just wanted a new book project and my husband found a wonderful agent team.

when i read her a pictur of thed the times and e-mailed about it, it was a conversation we said this sounds really interesting what about a story about helen gurley brown cosmo and the ad agency so that's how it started and as to why i thought that it would be a good story for me and it was. my first book i had to spend several years with these teenagers either immigrants or refugees from around the world. they were wonderful and it was a great experience.

i had a boyfriend for a long time and we didn't get married because then by the time i came to write "enter helen" i wanted to do something immersive but have my own life because i had a child at the time and they couldn't bcouldbe living like ar people's lives. so it was a great subject and practical, something i could do. >> if she were here today do you think she would've liked the book? >> a couple people who knew her well said she would and that is heartening. do i want her to like the book?

i do but i wouldn't want her to like everything because it wouldn't be an honest depiction. she did a lot of things and gave some advice and did questionable things and was a complicated complex person so the result is hopefully a complicated complex portrait of her and i think anyone who reads something about themselves has mixed feelings about it. i would hate to read something this long about myself. ..

best inaccuracy the carpet and the brass and structure the original stores were modeled on this. >> he was born 1936. when he was growing up he did not grow up in the era

when fathers were typically heavily involved so that was part of it. also writing was the most important thing is it's been a family was secondary for sure. >> so there may be some out here as some other, then mammal's occasionally there is a bear by the 18 eighties

denver his up -- it so that got in rich from mining and wanted to become the center of commerce in the western united states though they decided at that point it would be part of the process

of. >> diary these all to the sacrifice of a seal team six operator adam brown. this is a book that chronicles a flawed american who became an american hero.

he channeled some of his characteristics and risky behavior into what makes him a warrior in defense of our country. >> what made you read this quick to make a colleague of mine from the central valley of california is a good personal friend we were eating dinner in was talking about a bookie was reading. i was intrigued by did not know him as super e emotional but he clearly was impacted personally by the story. so why ask more about the book he described it to me i had to get a copy and i devoured the book it was a page turner from the very first paragraph which begins by saying on march 17, navy

seal team six operator not knowing he would be killed later that evening in the mountains of afghanistan. so his little boy woke up worried about his daddy. from the compelling introduction through the last part of the book you cannot put it down. with your own personal challenges with the courageous service and sacrifice with the american heroes. >> i had the privilege to attend sunday school

recently. did with this in this school class a was amazing. being and continues to be a true moral leader and was ahead of his time it is well written. and gives a lot of history but tells you who he is as the man and a person who is a believer that how he applies his christian values in terms of sheltering the homeless with the great values that are taught through the bible. >> at the present time a reading of book president

kennedy and heard and speed data book addicts conference it is pretty thick to have some insights in the issues that he faced that i have never seen nor have heard of before i just highly recommend the book. >> pager go to a biography nonfiction? >> in then to throw them all out of extortion. >> and one after thistle

>> thanks for coming to tonight's event hosted by politics & prose. we have manet a mainstay of the literary scene over the last 30 years but only last

year we have partnered with busboys and poets taking over the book operations and part of that is exciting new opportunities to host events like these where new canady hear discussions also enjoy delicious food and drink. if you have questions about defense popover to the register we also have a full calendar of events on the web site. a couple quick scenes on protocol please silence or turn off your cellphone.org c-span is here recording but the second thing he has agreed to sign books however

we do ask that you purchase of book that is out near the front. also mr. clark has agreed to answer questions and then to come around with the microphone. to speak clearly with the benefit of everyone. i am pleased to introduce mr. duncan clark and his book "alibaba" the house that jack ma built". when first heard about all the baba in 2014 with the u.s. ipo it turned out that only to be the of largest of any company but the largest in u.s. history . and that is amazing considering we don't really know what

alibaba is. party bay, a part amazon part paper out why someone with experience of why he is so valuable because he is the founder and still charming blend dash chairman which is a consultant here based in china and the status is will they to daniel and an allied of ways that mirrors the chinese economy with insider knowledge to explain that in a way that very few kay and. and enjoyed the talk. [applause] >> i am impressed you committed all that to

memory. for those of you to reach out digest did they look around because that is not uh alibaba product suss talk about the driving internet culture. but obviously there is a book but i want to talk about alibaba is my first book is actually his third company when you look at entrepreneurialism, failure is more interesting than success and jack allow failure but the bookstores with a chapter with alibaba

accompanied than jack but then we go back in time for a lot of challenges one of the things that will resonate citizen just uh tiny -- and china story if to be a underestimated for so to start with three things it isn't the amazon but what we mean by this is with the iconic companies it is not the chinese market say would not expect them to be the equivalent jack did not start off to create the

amazon of china but they did try to become the amazon of china that is the height in meters of mount everest but it was the unlucky name for a company and jack to not want to do the company in 1999 because the chinese market was not mature enough because people did not have enough money they could not ship them reliably when the reasons it is a successful peace all these problems and created the architecture of trust to know the iris commodity other than fresh air is trust anomie that with the people of china but

society is developed and separate ways and erratically invent to be broken down and ultimately create a successful trading environment he had to close the loop and so he did with the innovation yes it is partly like pay paul wicked is better than those in the u.s. by steadied innovation in people think of that year recap moment like the label if it is incremental and that is what jack has done.

he is the entrepreneur and entrepreneur. so is the of book we talk about how he saw as the of problems it is only those three things to become very prominent to take on ebay and defeated them. mcginnis the book's center has a left-of-center origin i am most became an evil capitalist with the stock options to work with him several years and was given the right in 2003 pdf that is a $30 million mistake so this gives me street crash. [laughter] i had the opportunity but the fact is i underestimated

jack. i will not do that again. but this problem is so difficult nobody can resist the huge company coming and. but with ebay basically if you were not borne back then we had uh crisis and they survived reasonably well done and there was the presumption but jack outsmarted them so the origins of his iconic status because he took on and defeated the big ad international american company. and famously people talk

about the crocodile. but he is the machine. and it took awhile. and it is light a comedian. this endeavor early is a stand-up is a reservoir. so we can just pick one at random but those are good ones but everybody thinks there is of great danger of opportunity here and there. slam trying to make fortune cookies. so maybe there is a joint venture but he always has

this type of job but going back into more detail but it is more about jack with this book is interesting i have known him again and i have worked with him but rarely before that i heard lots of things and i heard his story . and to do research with the dow jones search service. but found a news article to talk about the australian family that jack met at 15 years old. to track down the boys who was 12 years old when he met jack. and he has been extremely helpful to me.

some of the pictures in the books have never been seen before. talk about the ipo every story was just recycling the same pictures and often did not make sense. so i dug into this story randomly calling and dealing. then i e-mail the u.s. studio fence said that's me how can i help? to impose a stereotype his name is not bruce but it is stated and he shared with me the family photos but it was 18 oz meeting -- the chance meeting.

but it says the sign in life we have wealthy people was it look? jack has made his own look he really isn't a tektite - - day tech guy. he had one of the of 120 at uneven know how you get that. you have to do that three times but in china it isn't a society that values the creativity. and it is age huge obstacle for him. his english was good.

sewed true to the traditions i overplay that left-wing element but a union organizer with of communist party and tell it disbanded soviet taken his family to china because he wanted to show the three children a socialist environment so as a result jack became a penthouse with david that was pretty embarrassing for jack i think it is cute. and corresponded that is the big deal in china and ultimately helped them about

the man apartment and had some savings to be a risk and in a entrepreneur. >> as that personal element is a corporate element with the of broader picture what is the rise the tells us about china? and by the way he might be here. no he had to go descend francisco but their opening an office here in washington d.c.. but i don't know i find the geography in the pronunciation of names even today it is like i never heard of.

so this is where alibaba is from and his constituency but in indonesia of book with a map of the u.s. west coast because he get to know the names in chinese. will the chinese investment in that is important because they discovered the internet tuesday next week. there is a holdback story had they got there but in a sense of the west coast the trade and relationship but now alibaba is on the east coast with europe and london and paris and munich they're increasingly reach a note it is having an impact even if you're not in china.

but it just surpassed the wal-mart to become the largest retail and the world. it is a platform the above masson scale in is allowed because it is the business model but to bring in the products of the u.s. in its next week of washington and state with the apple commission. last year added promotional even and alibaba fell the equivalent of 3,747th and then 72 hours their autumn the table in china.

with the world the york state this is the dream with the allies and europe and but in china as constituency represents the interest and i have a whole chapter maybe some of us know some of that with most of the fixtures in this room dash and whether that is a trading place but that crazy element of concentration in but we are beginning to understand is we need to know what does this mean?

but here is n washington d.c. we hear the state department on the defense side but nationalism but it is pretty small by have been trying to connect we have sally schwartz like this crazy place this change lives. there is able back story. there are important similarities. trying to connect with the outback alleys.

so people to people sounds trite and commerce is about people to people to leave. and sells newspapers but other them a lesson from jack is a possible for businesspeople to go into politics? that is a shining sample so i support the communist party and china so in a normal country and to have a huge constituency i think he is a politician and really knows what he says.

i saw him on the stage with bill clinton. the the charisma but he has that in spades. and then interviewed jacqueline stage. and that you never want to go onstage after jack. [laughter] if he has been sporting mohawk coarsening. he is not tall for go easy extra terrestrial over the english teacher who hoodoos somebody could go from an english teacher?

we'll take a question before this goes in another direction which it already is. [laughter] >> aggression bank go to nike and why did they feel the need to go through the website in china although of western and international businesses. >> and with the commerce with the umpire and brands

to get the training wheels to know about the of product they don't want to start selling their coats but they will do a scarf or a promotion also to see a porsche key ring. it is smoking but if you think about china it is on the escalator. you will be writing up. . .

... >> it like a virtual supermarket or large merchants. this is how i should have invested. but in 2003, they started the cycle and that is nine million merchants. it is my friend miss wong who doesn't have much to do and she is trading during the day.

there is a lot of under employed people and people that need to supplement their income. this is why ebay didn't work. people start selling thing. you said nike. we can have vike -- there is a lot of fakes. but the reality is they are a platform. willing buyer and willing seller. most westerns in beijing are hunting for fakes. this is getting hard because they have been shutting down the silk market. the chinese go overseas to buy the real thing. and i will repeat this, i said it last night, i was just with

the chancellor telling me a story about christine lagard. she lives here and was walking down the streets in paris and a chinese woman came up to her saying can you come with me? i will give you 200 or 500 your euros. when the chinese go overseas they want to by louis vaton and others. this is what they do. temperature happened to me. you might be able to pay for your ticket to paris. they go up to people on the street i just need your id. i will pay you up front and you will keep whatever it was.

the chinese want to buy the real stuff and the westerns want to buy the fake stuff. it is a market. a scrappy market and how alibaba keeps it going was important to understand. it is free. i could sell plastic garbage cans which i might do. but i could sell them for nothing. they might charge something but i don't have to pay alibaba because it is free. of course. forget my plastic garbage merchant. i will probably spend time on advertising. it makes money on advertising but nothing on listing fees and that is why ebay died in china. alibaba wants to do more. they are becoming a bigger part

of the business because they make commission and the issue of fakes. but the issue is the merchants sometimes buy their own products. it is called brushing. they may ship empty boxes or buy lots of products because it gets them up in the rankings and they are the number one plastic garbage can company. those of you who lived and visited china know it is unpredictable. in china, if you want to cross the road and i can see a stop light here. green does not mean it is okay to go. green is probably run with more awareness than red actually. so that is how you have to understand china. often contradictory rules. when the ex-pats come, the first day or two when we come out of

china, you kind of -- i have yelled at people and they are like chill. because life is not stressful but it is intense. it is sort of -- but we miss it and love it there. that is what alibaba has. it has captured that street feel. it is not for me but i heard a recent story about a guy selling tights. many people use this guy because he is always having good quality and delivered on time. he goes home from nestle and makes five times his salary selling women's stockings. it is not just a one-off thing. they have a chat function that is like a messenger client that

po pops up. you have the spokes vendors and you basically have people who you know are your guy which is kind of like the old market. the fruit person, the umbrella person. and they will often give you discounts. they will send you free stuff. so alibaba is thriving because it re-created that china we love online. ebay and others you have to fill out this form and they just failed. even though they had a very good early start. ebay did but they messed it up. so the creator was early to see the promise of china but let down by the people in her team. any other questions? sorry, i will leave it to you.

>> thank you for being here and sharing the story of alibaba and jack ma. i was wondering if you could tell us about ten cents with respect to alibaba? you brought up in your discussion that there is going to be a venture here in washington, d.c. as well as new york. two questions and with the second question is it going to be a government affairs office? just again, help me out with respect to -- >> sure. the second one, i think, yeah, governor relations, eric mill tay is the representative who had to go to san francisco but they have a lot of people who have worked in the white house, in commerce, various trading bodies. there is a political element or government to government element because we have seen how many chinese companies are not played

that card well and it is cheap and i love it. but sprint wasn't allowed to buy from them and maytag got the review because the maytag man asked not to be chinese. there is practical reasons to reach out to the commerce department. i think penny visited and my formal colleague who i met jack ma through is working at the commerce department. it is true for alibaba in china as well. there is the endless question of the government and internet and i tend to thing of it not just within the country but on a global level. these tech companies have huge power and influence and of course they have to consult.

the first question, the competitors, j d, i did the look around on my phone which is a way to hook up but also connect with friends. i can see right now in washington, d.c. there are looks like hundreds of people, including chinese students but others like ourselves who use the app for their daily life. in china, which you cannot do here, you can go out without your wallet. this is your digital wallet. i could send you money. location. everybody in this room, we could actually put ourselves on a map. say we were disbursed in d.c. and we could converse on this one point. there is aug