Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Join us for an online discussion of LGBTQIA+ spaces and making changes to accommodate diverse and growing communities. We will also cover GAPA Runway—a night of fashion, glamour and entertainment celebrating the artistry, talents and humanity of the QTAPI community—and how iconic LGBTQIA+ events continue to support and provide services to our community.  Show editorially warning About the SpeakerEmmett Chen-Ran graduated from Yale in 2020, where he did a lot of theatre production and occasionally attended computer science classes. Emmett joined the GBLTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance as its first trans board member in late 2020 and started producing GAPA Runway, and after two years of Covid-induced delays, he's finally seeing his work come to fruition in the first in-person Runway since 2019. He is passionate about building inclusive community spaces that welcome people of all stripes, spearheading GAPA Runway's transformation from a binary gendered competition into a category-less genderqueer bonanza. A man of man

Written by one of the world’s most distinguished historians of psychiatry, Psychiatry and Its Discontents provides a wide-ranging and critical perspective on the profession that dominates the treatment of mental illness. Andrew Scull traces the rise of the field, the midcentury hegemony of psychoanalytic methods, and the paradigm’s decline with the ascendance of biological and pharmaceutical approaches to mental illness. Scull's historical sweep is broad, ranging from the age of the asylum to the rise of psychopharmacology and the dubious triumphs of “community care.” The essays in Psychiatry and Its Discontents provide a vivid and compelling portrait of the recurring crises of legitimacy experienced by “mad-doctors,” as psychiatrists were once called, and illustrates the impact of psychiatry’s ideas and interventions on the lives of those afflicted with mental illness. About the Speaker Dr. Andrew Scull was educated at Oxford, Princeton and University College London; he is the author of more than a dozen boo

Rick Ridgeway estimates he’s spent about five years of his life sleeping in tents, often in the world’s most remote places alongside fellow outdoor adventure luminaries. Ridgeway worked for Patagonia for 15 years and was behind the company’s infamous “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ad campaign, which paradoxically advocated sustainability and increased sales.  Outdoor companies like Patagonia may push for sustainability, but they largely still present a mostly white, wealthy experience with nature, which can be off-putting for people of color. “You know if you can't see yourself in those spaces then it’s hard to feel invited or welcome in that movement,” says writer and social justice facilitator Amanda Machado.   What is the role of corporations in conservation? And how can the outdoor industry help make nature more safe, accessible and welcoming for all? Guests: Rick Ridgeway, former Vice President of Public Engagement, Patagonia Amanda Machado, writer and social justice facilitator Learn more about your ad choices

COVID-19 illustrated to the nation the need to address disparities that exist in our communities, especially as they relate to mental health. These disparities are chronic, with intergenerational health impacts that also affect employment and create socioeconomic racial inequities. The direct result of all these inequities is that people of color die at a rate 3.6 times higher than that of the overall general population. Eliminating persistent disparities and stigma in mental health will require correcting the systemic barriers created over generations. Join us for a conversation on ways to overcome these barriers at the intersection of mental health and equity with the Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy, former congressman from Rhode Island and one of the world’s leading voices on mental health and addiction, and Paul Rains, system senior vice president for behavioral health for CommonSpirit Health and president at St Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center in Stockton, California. Leading the discussion will be Janet R

Roberto González will discuss the important work the Human Rights Foundation has done since its inception in 2005, including its project Defund Dictators Too. The HRF is a nonprofit that defends and promotes freedom and justice throughout the world. He will likely include the recent Oslo Freedom Forum. Malaak Jamal will concentrate on HRF's 2022 report, "Framing Justice in Syria." Roberto González is an attorney admitted to practice in the State of New York. He graduated cum laude from Rafael Landívar University, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree. He also holds a master’s degree in International Law and Justice from Fordham University School of Law. As a part of HRF’s Center for Law and Democracy, González’s research focuses on comparative constitutional law and international law. Malaak Jamal oversees HRF research and analyzes political regimes in countries under authoritarian rule. She received her M.A. in diplomacy and international relations from Seton Hall University, with specializations in huma

As the San Francisco Giants gear up after the All-Star break, what can we expect from this team in 2022? It is the 140th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball, its 65th year in San Francisco, and its 23rd at Oracle Park. This is also the third season under manager Gabe Kapler, and perhaps more important, the first season since 2008 without longtime catcher Buster Posey, who retired in November.  With three World Series titles in the last 12 years, and last year’s all- time franchise record of 107 winning games and the National League West title, can the Giants make another run for the pennant this year? Who better to ask than Larry Baer, president and CEO of the SF Giants franchise? A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Larry Baer has gained a national reputation as one of professional sports’ leading visionaries. Baer joined the team in 1992 as the executive vice president after he and Peter Magowan led the effort to assemble a new ownership group that kept the Giants in San Francisco. A limited pa

As the CEO of the California utility giant PG&E, Patti Poppe is charged with navigating the company through massive wildfires, disrupted energy markets, and lingering public distrust of the utility. The company is undergrounding 10,000 miles of electric lines, working with GM and Ford on incorporating power from electric vehicles into homes and the grid, deploying batteries at large power plants, and pushing to change net metering rates that pay homeowners for electricity generated on their roofs. How can utilities like PG&E reinvent themselves and modernize the electric grid to deliver renewable power when their own systems are threatened by catastrophic climate change? Guests: Patricia Poppe, CEO, PG&E Katherine Blunt, Reporter, Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Hafner is a technology, health care, and society journalist who wrote on staff for The New York Times for 10 years and remains a frequent contributor. She has also worked at Newsweek and BusinessWeek and has written for many major publications, including The Washington Post and Oprah Magazine. She is the author of five previous works of nonfiction covering a range of topics, including the origins of the Internet, computer hackers, German reunification, and the pianist Glenn Gould. Hafner’s first novel, The Boys, writes a charming narrative about love and the yearning for connection. The story follows Ethan Fawcett, an introvert who marries the vivacious Barb. One day Barb brings home two young brothers, Tommy and Sam, for them to foster, and when the pandemic hits, Ethan becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for the boys. The introduction of the boys into their household drives a wedge between Ethan and Barb. Ethan decides to take the boys on a biking trip in Italy on a misguided quest for love

The Republican Party used to stand for individualism, and according to journalist and author Mark Leibovich, it now largely answers to the whims of one man: former president Donald Trump. Tracing Trump’s ascent to the top of a party that in the early months of his candidacy viewed him with contempt, Leibovich brings answers to the massive question of “what happened?” Mark Leibovich is an award-winning journalist and writer for The Atlantic. Called the “reigning master of the political profile” by Washingtonian magazine and named one of “Washington's 25 Most Powerful, Least Famous People” by The New Republic, Leibovich has decades of journalistic experience, including previously writing for The New York Times for 15 years.  In his latest book Thank You For Your Servitude, Leibovich retells how figures like Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham went from vocal Trump critics to loyal soldiers. With shocking honesty from some of Trump’s biggest supporters admitting they are “in on the joke,” Leibovich uses int

In the post-2020 world, Americans, having faced the controversies of the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection, may be tempted to do their best to forget these events and move on — yet to bestselling author Malcolm Nance, this is the worst thing they can do. As the country is experiencing a sharp rise in radicalism and hostility toward democracy, Nance argues that it is more important than ever to be actively confronting the rise of a new threat to democracy from within. Malcolm Nance is a leading expert in counter-terrorism studies, as well as an intelligence analyst, cryptologist, former senior chief petty officer in the United States Navy and founding executive director of the New York-based think tank Terror Asymmetrics Project on Strategy, Tactics and Radical Ideologies. Nance has written at length on the dangers posed by major terrorist groups, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. In his latest book, They Want to Kill Americans, Nance explains how conspiracy theories, white privilege and increasing hostili

The Greatest Generation, having faced the Great Depression and fought World War II with a clear goal and responsible leadership, ended up enduring a generational divide with their Baby Boom children, because their continuing trust in American political leadership did not erode as quickly as their children’s did during the 1960s. The Vietnam War’s lies, deaths, destruction and deteriorated goals, arriving at the same time as political assassinations and the ongoing cultural violence in reaction to a seemingly simple plea for racial equality, undermined many a family’s intergenerational communications. Prior to serving as secretary of defense in JFK’s cabinet of “the best and the brightest,” Robert McNamara was a skilled executive who had helped turn around the Ford Motor Company. Craig, his youngest child and only son, came of age in the political tumult and upheaval of the late 1960s and took part in anti-war demonstrations in direct conflict with his father’s policies. Then he traveled by motorcycle across C

Ian Morris returns to The Commonwealth Club for an online discussion of his latest research into the deep history of the human race. In the wake of Brexit, Morris now tackles the 8 millennia history of Britain's relationship to Europe as that relationship keeps changing in the context of a continually globalizing world. When Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, the 48 percent who wanted to stay and the 52 percent who wanted to go each accused the other of stupidity, fraud and treason. But the Brexit debate merely reran a script written 8,000 years earlier, when rising seas physically separated the British Isles from the European continent. Morris describes how technology and organization have steadily enlarged Britain's arena, and how its people have turned this to their advantage. For the first 7,500 years, the British were never more than bit players at the western edge of a European stage, struggling to find a role among bigger, richer and more sophisticated continental rivals. By A.D. 1500,

Along with aviation, the construction industry is one of the hardest to decarbonize sectors in the global economy. Cement and steel production together are responsible for about 15% of global CO2 emissions. But look around our modern world and it’s hard to imagine doing without these materials. Carbon-negative cement has been talked about for years, and innovations in steel production show promise as well, but is either technology ready for primetime? And what about replacing these materials with engineered wood, which could also store carbon for decades? Guests:  John Fernández, Professor of Architecture, MIT Chathurika Gamage, Manager, Climate Aligned Industries, RMI Radhika Lalit, Chief Strategy Officer, RMI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UC Davis Professor of Law Mary Ziegler is one of the world’s leading authorities on the U.S. abortion wars and the history of reproductive rights in this country. Since the leak of a draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and the guaranteed right to an abortion, Ziegler has been one of the most sought-after experts on this issue. Ziegler's timely new book Dollars for Life: the Antiabortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment, explores how the antiabortion movement remade the Republican Party and led to this current historic moment. She traces how the anti-abortion movement helped to revolutionize the rules of money in U.S. politics and persuaded conservative voters to focus on the federal courts. Ziegler offers a surprising new view of the slow drift to extremes in American politics and says it had everything to do with the strange intersection of right-to-life politics and campaign spending. Her previous books have explored the legal history of Roe v. Wade

The recent white supremacist shooting in Buffalo that targeted African-Americans renewed attention to the global rise in white nationalistic terrorism. The shooting in Buffalo, which has brought domestic terrorism charges to the alleged assailant, included a digital manifesto that copied and mirrored previous manifestos—infused with racism and anti-Semitism—that accompanied previous terrorist shootings in New Zealand, Norway and the United States. The increasing numbers of these incidents and their similarities are signs of a growing but diffuse white power movement that is alarming terrorism experts globally. One of those most concerned is Dr. Daniel Byman, an author, professor and leading global counter-terrorism expert. Byman's new book Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism draws upon vast amounts of research and years of experiencing analyzing the spread of the global phenomenon of white supremacy and white power. Explaining that after 9/11 pushed white supremacist terrorism to a

Alice Waters is a true Bay Area icon and one of the most influential chefs of her generation.  A long-time food activist, Waters first opened Bay Area local restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971 with the intention of feeding people good food during a time of political turmoil. Customers responded positively to the restaurant and its focus on locally sourced organic ingredients, delectable hand-made dishes, and wonderfully mastered hospitality.  In pioneering a revolutionary approach to food preparation and service, Waters determined that the rise of fast food, frozen meals, and prepackaged ingredients were increasingly overshadowing the human qualities of eating and cooking. In her recent book We Are What We Eat, Waters urges us to take up the mantle of slow food culture. She writes this book as a declaration of action against fast food values and a working theory about what we can do to change the course.  From years of working with regional farmers, Waters learned about the dangers of pesticides; the plight of fi

The climate crisis is a growing driver of human migration, exacerbating the misery of already struggling communities. According to the UN Refugee Agency, climate change typically creates internal displacement within countries before it pushes people across national borders. While much of this displacement is involuntary, many with wealth and foresight are able to move before they personally feel the most devastating effects. How well are governments prepared to handle an influx of people driven from their homes – and support those who are left behind?  Guests: Abrahm Lustgarten,  Senior Reporter at ProPublica Colette Pichon Battle, Esq., Co-Executive Director, Taproot Earth  Kayly Ober, Senior Advocate and Program Manager, Climate Displacement Program, Refugees International Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From 2000 to 2022, one thing is certain: What it means to be Republican has changed. To former Republican political consultant Tim Miller, the GOP started down a path to disaster in the early 2000s. Lack of strategic decision making within the Republican Party at that time set the stage for Donald Trump to take over the party Miller once loved. He now seeks to answer a simple question: “Why did normal people go along with the worst of Trumpism?” Tim Miller is an author, activist and consultant who has held many positions within Republican campaigns. He has served as co-founder and political director for the advocacy group Republican Voters Against Trump and director of communications for Jed Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign. During his time in the Republican Party, he served in a variety of positions, including co-founder and executive director of the opposition research firm America Rising and “forensic analyst” for Mitt Romney’s failed 2012 presidential campaign. In his new book Why We Did It, Miller cuts

In a special online program live from Thailand, Matcha Phorn-In will join us for a discussion focused on how vulnerable populations who are "invisible" are impacted by racism, homophobia, transphobia, and gender inequities. Matcha Phorn-In is a lesbian, feminist human rights defender, passionately committed to building peoples' movements to advance human rights and justice. She has 15 years of experiences working to empower youth and people from the most marginalized communities, including LGBTQ, Indigenous, ethnic minorities, young women and girls, the stateless, undocumented refugees, and more.  She is the founder and executive director of the Aangsan Anakot Yawachon Development Project. Matcha Phorn-In has also served as president of the board of directors of APWLD (Asia-Pacific Forum on Weomen, Law and Development), a member of the board of directors for Internation Femily Equality Day, and president of the board of directors for ILGA ASIA Foundation. SPEAKERS Matcha Phorn-In Executive Director, Sangsan A

We’re on track for yet another summer of record wildfires in the western U.S., endangering lives, displacing communities, and sending unhealthy smoke across the nation.  The science is clear: human-caused climate change is making lands more conducive to burning, and we are increasingly living in flammable landscapes. Forest experts say there are tools to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, keep forests alive as valuable carbon sinks and make communities more resilient to megafires. But we may also have to become accustomed to more fire – and smoke – in our lives.  How can we better live with fire, including using it as a tool, rather than always fighting it? This week, we also take a deep dive into the recent Supreme Court case West Virginia v. EPA with Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law. Guests: Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Berkeley Law  Stephen Pyne, author, The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next  Susan Husari, member of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Prot