Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

​ Join host Michelle Meow as our panel discusses the contributions women and non-binary filmmakers have made in film, talking with Liz Sargent, Julia Gouw, and Michelle Sugihara of CAPE (the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at The Commonwealth Club of California. This program is generously supported by Nielsen, Alaska Airlines, Julia S. Gouw and Priscilla S Y Lim. Julia S. Gouw Priscilla S Y Lim   ​     ​   Our partners for this program: ​ ​ ​   Community Partners: ​ ​ ​   ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the climate movement’s earliest days, young people have been at the forefront of activism. But the first major international climate conferences took place 30 years ago. The first cohort of youth activists are now adults, some with children of their own. The emotional cost of seeing so little payoff for years spent fighting can be agonizing at any age, but perhaps more so for young people who put so much of themselves into the effort. Many youth activists burned out along the way, frustrated by participating in actions that rarely led to meaningful and lasting change. How do former youth activists now view the work of their younger selves? And what advice do they have for the next generation? Guests: Alec Loorz, Writer, Photographer, former youth climate activist Slater Jewell-Kemker, Director, “Youth Unstoppable;” former youth climate activist Victoria Loorz, Founder, Center for Wild Spirituality; Author, “Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred”  Abrar Anwar, Chief Technology Officer

Seattle-based conservative radio host and commentator Jason Rantz is a rising star on the right, making frequent appearances on Fox News and "The Ben Shapiro Show." Join us in-person for his first appearance at The Commonwealth Club, where he'll discuss his claims that left-wing policies and "woke" Democrats are ruining America's biggest cities and threatening to spread that ruin to the rest of the country. Taking aim at "crime, drug addiction, homelessness, left-wing school indoctrination, so-called inclusive housing policies, and outrageous taxes," Rantz says the effects of left-wing policies "always spread, which should alarm Americans regardless of their political leanings." Hear him for yourself at The Commonwealth Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News Channel Chief Political Correspondent Bret Baier returns for a Club program exploring the critical role George Washington played in securing the future of the United States. Baier, author of the new biography To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment, focuses on Washington's return from retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and establish the foundation of American governance. George Washington rescued the nation and the Constitution three times: first by winning the Revolutionary War, second by presiding over the Constitutional Convention and ushering the Constitution through a fractious ratification process, and third by leading the nation as president in its first years. There is no doubt, says Baier, that the struggling new nation needed to be rescued. After the victorious war, the states were no more than a loosely knit and contentious confederation, and they were in constant conflict. Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon, Washington

Just Completed: Global Threat Assessment — U.S. Strategic Posture Commissioners’ Report In October, the U.S. Congressional Strategic Posture Commission released its final report, “America’s Strategic Posture.” The bipartisan group of 12 former officials, appointed by Congress, assessed the international threats facing the United States, reviewing U.S. defense strategy and force structure, including nuclear weapons.  The report concludes that the United States now faces unprecedented threats, from authoritarian regimes that are building up their military forces and behaving aggressively towards their neighbors. Major concerns include the Chinese program to add 1,000 strategic nuclear weapons to their arsenal, Russian behavior in Ukraine and mutual support between Russia and China. The commissioners call for an “all of government” U.S. effort to combat these threats.  What are the greatest threats faced by the United States? How should they be addressed? What does this mean for the U.S. nuclear posture, for our

In the wake of Fox News' historic $787 million legal settlement with Dominion, investigative journalist Brian Stelter takes a look at how the conservative channel handles truth and misinformation—and its influence on elections. Stelter, bestselling author of Hoax, an inside look at Fox News, promises an even more revealing take on the channel and how it does business. From panic among its anchors to the handling of misinformation, Stelter goes behind the scenes to show how what ended up on the air got there. With the lawsuits dragging the network’s secrets into the light—such as Tucker Carlson’s passionate hatred for Donald Trump and Sean Hannity’s contempt for his own colleagues—the future of the network, and the Republican Party, hangs in the balance. Join us for a special online-only talk with Stelter about one of the biggest forces in the news industry today, and how it uses its power in ways that impact us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute city, a new name for an old idea. Reducing the need for cars cuts emissions and gets autos off of the roads, which is a boon for safety, air quality and the climate. But, as is often the case, good ideas become a lot more difficult when you have to implement them in real places, with real people, who don’t always share the enthusiasm for the idea. What will it take to make compact, walkable cities a reality in the U.S., where the car is king? Guests:  Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America David Miller, Former Mayor of Toronto Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland Henry Grabar, Author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. For show notes and related links, visit our website. 

When historian and California state librarian Kevin Starr passed away in 2017, he left behind a legacy of historiography and storytelling that was unrivaled, including his mammoth California Dream series. Former Governor Jerry Brown said that Starr "chronicled the history of California as no one else. He captured the spirit of our state and brought to life the characters and personalities that made the California story. His vision, like California itself, was bigger than life." Now a group of academics is taking a new look at Starr and his works, including the largely unexplored role of his Catholic faith on how he interpreted California and its history, as well as reinterpreting his works in light of new trends in academia. Jason Sexton, the editor and Russell Jeung and Peter Richardson, two contributors to the new book Redemptive Dreams: Engaging Kevin Starr's California will take Club audiences through some of the challenges involved in interpreting Starr's work and his impact on our understanding of Calif

This is a special episode of On shifting Ground is made available from the Club's newly merged sister organization, World Affairs of Northern California. We're thrilled to now offer thousands of podcast episodes on important current events, critical global issues and the inside scoop from thought-leaders located around the world on our three podcast channels. Each of our media departments also distributes radio programs heard across the country each week. World Affairs Climate One The Commonwealth Club of California About this episode: As the war on Gaza continues with no end in sight, two peace activists – one Palestinian and one Israeli – are already charting a non-violent path forward. Ray Suarez sits down with Luxembourg Peace Prize laureates, Ali Abu Awwad, founding leader of the Taghyeer (Change) Palestinian National Nonviolence movement, and Dr. Gershon Baskin, the Middle East director of the International Communities Organization, to learn why they maintain hope for a peaceful, two-state solution

If you have trouble sleeping, you’re not alone: 50–70 million people in the United States struggle with ongoing sleep disorders. What many of us don’t realize is that poor sleep can impact your health in many ways. Insomnia is defined as a lack of sleep and includes common symptoms like trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up frequently. Multiple factors can cause insomnia, yet many people don’t yet realize how wearable technology can give them insights into their sleep. Lifestyle factors such as proper nutrition and exercise are imperative as well to obtain a good night's sleep. This lecture will describe optimal sleep and discuss the relationship between sleep and alcohol, depression and weight gain. Eric Pifer, M.D., will explain how new technology collects sleep measurements at home and uses it with integrative therapies to promote restorative sleep. Find out how to optimize sleep through wearable tech that can measure sleep quality, physical activity, and heart rate variability. Use data col

Join Rob Mintz, chief curator at the Asian Art Museum, and Laura Allen, the museum's Senior Curator of Japanese Art for an engaging conversation about Murakami's blockbuster exhibition Unfamiliar People: The Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego. The show, four years in the making, takes anime and manga to new heights. This is Takashi Murakami's first solo exhibition in San Francisco. The exhibit is not only a commentary on our society, it's a nuanced examination of human behavior within an extraordinary artistic framework. Laura Allen has known Murakami since the Fall of 2019, when she visited the artist in his Tokyo studio. Together with Rob Mintz, she'll provide insight into Murakami's personality, both as an artist as well as a social scientist. She'll also talk about her collaboration with Murakami; discuss the many pitfalls she encountered along the way as well as what finally convinced him to create this extraordinary exhibit and display it at the Asian Art Museum. About the Speaker Dr. Laura W. Allen is 

Conceived in the Gilded Age, the Ferry Building opened in 1898 as San Francisco’s portal to the world―the terminus of the transcontinental railway and a showcase of civic ambition. In silent films and World’s Fair postcards, nothing said “San Francisco” more than its soaring clocktower. But as architectural critic John King reminds us, the rise of the automobile and double-deck freeways severed the city from its beloved structure. King recounts the rise and fall and rebirth of the Ferry Building, introducing the colorful figures who fought to preserve its character, and the city’s soul, from architect Arthur Page Brown and legendary columnist Herb Caen to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Senator Dianne Feinstein. A microcosm of the changing American waterfront, the saga of the Ferry Building explores the tensions of tourism and development―and the threat that the expected sea level rise poses to a landmark that in the 21st century remains as vital as ever. MLF ORGANIZER: George Hammond A Humanities Member-led F

Mass produced. Industrially farmed. Corporate owned. Ordinary. To Food & Wine editor Ray Isle, those words describe much of today's wine. He says the way that a wine is made, and who made it, can make a huge difference when you drink it—and that information matters much more than knowing it scored 90 points in some competition. Or that it tastes like blueberries. Or it has "hints of violets and black pepper." Isle aims to help readers choose more delicious, interesting and environmentally friendly wines without breaking the bank. He examined several hundred independently owned wineries around the world, from France to Oregon to southern Chile, and says that a glass of wine can express the place it comes from and capture the essence of the person who made it. He focuses on wines people can afford, rather than $500 rarities, and he'll help you learn where and how to find the most interesting bottles available today. In this special December program, join us for a discussion with Isle followed by a delicious—and

Ben Santer has spent decades researching and identifying the human fingerprints on the climate system changes we’re now all seeing. He was lead author on the historic 1995 conclusion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which proclaimed that “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” That was the first time the IPCC authoritatively stated humans are causing climate change. At the time, Stephen Schneider told Ben Santer that the sentence he wrote would change the world. Santer’s foundational work also laid the groundwork for the expanding field of attribution science, which enables activists and lawyers to ascribe proportionate blame to specific polluters in lawsuits demanding damages for climate-disrupting emissions. Climate One is delighted to present the 2023 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to atmospheric scientist Ben Santer. Guests: Ben Santer, Fowler Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Woods Hole; Visiting Res

In 1964, Ronald Reagan told Americans it was “a time for choosing.” Sixty years later, Republicans have their own choice to make: Are they tired of winning? Perhaps no one has changed the Republican Party in the modern era as much as Ronald Reagan and one of his successors in office, Donald Trump. But Trump's post-presidency has been as filled with controversy and chaos as his time in the White House.  Journalist Jonathan Karl has known Trump since his days as a New York Post reporter in the 1990s, and he covered every day of Trump's administration as ABC News's chief White House correspondent. Now he follows up his bestselling book Betrayal with Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party. Karl tracks Trump's improbable journey from defeated former president to the dominant force, yet again, in the Republican Party.  Karl says that from his exile in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has become more extreme, vengeful and divorced from reality than he was on January 6, 2021. His meddling damaged t

Sam Lebovic demonstrates how The Espionage Act, passed in 1917 to punish the critics of American participation in World War I, gave rise over time to a vast American security state designed to keep its citizens in the dark. When Americans began to balk at the act’s restrictions on political dissidents and the press, the government turned its focus toward keeping its own secrets under wraps. The resulting system for classifying information is shrouded in secrecy, absurdly cautious, and staggeringly costly, preventing ordinary Americans from learning what their country is doing in their name, both at home and abroad.   Shedding new light on the bloated governmental security apparatus that’s weighing our democracy down, Lebovic sets out in detail the history of America’s ever-increasing drift toward secrecy—and the staggering human and political costs that has had on our society.  Join us online for an in-depth look at this far-reaching law. MLF ORGANIZER: George Hammond A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Fo

It's that time of year again when we gather together to remember the year that was, share expectations for the year ahead, and celebrate. We'll start our evening with Michelle Meow interviewing the two Jeffs—Jeff Yang, author of the new book The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America (which features a foreword by Michelle Yeoh and an afterword by Jon M. Chu), and Jeff Chang, author and editor of numerous books, including the forthcoming Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America. After that, we'll head to our beautiful second-floor lounge for some food, drink, music and togetherness.  Reserve your ticket early and join us in-person for our once-a-year tradition at The Commonwealth Club's bayfront home! See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a year of weather extremes — again. But there’s also been cause for  renewed hope about our climate future. On the heels of this year’s international climate conference held in the oil-rich Middle East, Climate One hosts Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious review major climate stories of the year, both lows and highs. This special episode features excerpts from some of Climate One’s most surprising, moving and compelling interviews of 2023, including conversations with luminaries Rev. Lennox Yearwood and Rebecca Solnit, White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, climate activist Nalleli Cobo and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker. A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated that the COP28 agreement includes a transition from fossil fuels this decade. While the deal calls for the transition to happen in “a just, orderly and equitable manner,” it does not include a timeframe. We regret the error. Guests:  Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., CEO, Hip Hop Caucus  Kathy Baughman-McLeod, Director, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller

The new government of Thailand's prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, has pledged to be a leader on LGBTQ rights. What are their plans? To find out, "Michelle Meow Show" producer and host Michelle Meow met with Prime Minister Thavisin when he was in San Francisco for meetings this fall of APEC. See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To many of us, it might seem like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humanity. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a trailblazer in AI research, this moment has been a long time in the making. Dr. Buolamwini has spent decades pondering the many implications of an AI-powered world—all the potential benefits, detriments, and injustices.  But Dr. Buolamwini hasn’t simply explored the potential for harm by AI; she has researched and identified real-world AI harm that has already been done by some of the world’s largest tech companies. In graduate school, she led groundbreaking research at MIT’s Future Factory that exposed widespread racial and gender bias in AI services from tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, and Apple. In her upcoming book, Unmasking AI, Dr. Buolamwini takes readers through the remarkable journey of how she uncovered what she calls “the coded gaze”—the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products—and how she galvanized