Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Ethan Russell is a multi-Grammy nominated photographer and director, and was the tour photographer for The Rolling Stones on the 69 Let it Bleed tour. Russell was almost literally on the last chopper out of the Sixties when he was airlifted with The Rolling Stones from Altamont in the far East Bay of San Francisco. These moments and many more fill the pages of Russell's recently released career retrospective Best Seat in the House, a 200+ page coffee table photography book. The beautiful book includes rare and iconic images of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, James Taylor, Steve Winwood and many, many more. Russell's photographs are about history----his own, that of his subjects, and the music industry. Russell's photographs show us rock and roll as it grows into a bigger and bigger business through the increased number of managers and handlers. It is a story of particular relevance to San Francisco—and to anyone who cares about rock and roll. Please joi

Celebrate April Fool's Day by joining us for a virtual discussion with Shankar Vendantam about how useful fooling ourselves can actually be. It is of course clear that self-deception does terrible harm to ourselves, to our communities and to the planet. But if it is so irretrievably bad for us, why is it so ubiquitous? Paradoxically, Vedantam argues that self-deception also plays a vital role in our successes and our well-being. Most of us are at least vaguely aware that the lies we tell ourselves lubricate our daily interactions with our friends, lovers and co-workers. But those lies can also explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, and why some nations hold together while others splinter. Drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience and philosophy, Vendantam comes to the fascinating conclusion that, if we were just honest about our lies, we might begin to understand ourselves, and our human lives, much better. NOTES MLF: Humanities SPEAKERS Sh

San Francisco-based Michael Pritchard travels America teaching the art of learning through laughter and play. He has done voices for many characters on television and in movies and cartoons. A first-prize winner in comedy and counseling, Michael will use humor and humanitarian observations from his decades of working in the education and justice fields to talk (and laugh) about building compassion and community. About the Speaker Michael Pritchard began his career on both the comedy stage and as a juvenile counselor in San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center. In 1980, Michael Pritchard won first place in the San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition as well as winning the prestigious California Probation Officer of the Year. Drawing from his counseling background, Michael Pritchard began using humor to inspire, teach communication skills, anger management, diversity, conflict resolution and overcoming burnout and stress. In recognition for his award winning work in social emotional education and p

Discussions on immigration policy often focus on building and tearing down walls, keeping people out of the country, and maintaining law and order. Debates over the social contract and the rights of citizens versus noncitizens shape our understanding of immigration and influence the extent to which protections are provided for immigrants. In her new book The Walls Within, historian Sarah Coleman seeks to shift discourse on immigration politics away from the security of international borders and toward domestic policy and its effect on civil rights. Drawing on new materials from past presidential administrations, immigration groups and civil rights organizations, Coleman examines who is entitled to the American dream, and how such dreams can be subverted for those already calling the country home. She shows that immigration politics is not just about building walls, but about employer sanctions, access to schools, welfare and the role of local authorities in implementing policies. Join us as Sarah Coleman dive

America prides itself on freedom and guaranteed rights for all its citizens, but has the explosion of rights resulted in a partisan divide among its citizens? You have the right to remain silent and the right to free speech. The right to worship, and to doubt. The right to be free from discrimination, and to hate. These rights were not written at the founding of our country, but rather an afterthought of our country’s founding fathers. It wasn't until the racial strife resulting from the Civil War and missteps by the Supreme Court that rights gained a great deal of controversy. This controversy has falsely led many Americans to believe that awarding rights to one group means denying rights to others. Columbia professor and constitutional law expert Jamal Greene seeks to understand this phenomenon in his new book How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession with Rights Is Tearing America Apart. Greene says that in order to prevent society from complete division, we must recouple rights for all with justice for all

American life is dominated by machines: our computers, our televisions, our phones. This has been especially true over the past year as technology kept us connected—to our jobs, our friends, our families, even our doctors. But, as the country sees the light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic, what now? What has our reliance on technology done to us for not only the past year, but for the past decade (or longer)? Two authors, Sherry Turkle and Tiffany Shlain, will use the occasion of the publications of Turkle's new book (The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir) and the paperback version of Shlain's book (24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection) to have an intimate and timely discussion on the urgent need to reclaim humanity and empathy in this technological age. Turke's latest book illuminates our present search for authentic connection in a time of uncharted challenges. Her book ties together her coming-of-age and her pathbreaking research on technology, empathy and et

A century ago, food was industrialized. Since then, new styles of agriculture and food production have written a new chapter of human history, one that’s driving both climate change and global health crises. Best-selling food authority Mark Bittman will offer a panoramic view of the story and explain how we can rescue ourselves from the modern wrong turn. Mark Bittman has been a leading voice in global food culture and policy for more than three decades. Born in New York City in 1950, Bittman began writing professionally in 1978. After five years as a general assignment reporter, he turned all of his attention to food. His first cookbook, Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking, was published in 1994 and remains in print; since then he has written or co-written thirty others, including the How to Cook Everything series. Bittman was a distinguished fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and a fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists; he remains a fellow at Yale and is now on the faculty of 

This is your Commonwealth Club week in review. Hear what you missed this week, and what we’ve got lined up for you next week. We’re always adding new programs - check out commonwealthclub.org/online for all of our upcoming events. If you haven’t already - please consider becoming a member of the Club. Enjoy exclusive discounts and access to special programs all while knowing your contributions directly support our many public programs and civic initiatives. Visit commonwealthclub.org/special, for special rates on memberships. Thanks for your support and as always - thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the challenges of 2020, most of higher education was already facing intense demographic, financial and cultural pressures. Now, with the likelihood of some online learning remaining part of college curriculum even post-pandemic, what does the future hold for higher education? What questions should students and families be asking institutions as they prepare to return to campus in the fall? Will higher education as we once knew it return, or has the pandemic fundamentally changed how students will experience college? Join us for this engaging conversation between two seasoned experts on the rapidly changing state of higher education, and how colleges are preparing to meet the needs of students for generations to come. Dr. Marcy is the ninth president of Dominican University of California, serving since 2011. Her research focuses on higher education innovation and transformation. She has published and presented extensively on issues of leadership, strategy and diversity. She holds a doctorate and master'

In a recent article on The Daily Beast, Dr. Steven Hassan refers to the cult leaders’ “playbook” and lists some of the mind-control strategies employed by former President Donald Trump: These include his grandiose claims, his practice of sowing confusion, his demand for absolute loyalty, his tendency to lie and create alternative "facts" and realities, his shunning and belittling of critics and ex-believers, and his cultivating an "us versus them" mindset. Of all these tactics, the "us versus them" mindset is probably one of the most effective. He says that from the moment you are recruited into a cult, you are made to feel special, part of an "inside" group in opposition to unenlightened, unbelieving, dangerous "outsiders." Join us for an intriguing talk with Dr. Hassan on cult-like behavior in the political world. Steven Hassan, Ph.D., is a mental health professional who has been helping people leave destructive cults since 1976 after he was deprogrammed from Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. He is the a

Guests: Sandra Kwak, CEO and Founder, 10Power Donnel Baird, CEO, BlocPower Andreas Karelas, Author, Climate Courage: How Tackling Climate Change Can Build Community, Transform the Economy, and Bridge the Political Divide in America  Summary: As the spring of 2021 arrives, it would be hard to design a more challenging — or more promising — moment for implementing climate solutions. Americans are reeling from an economic shutdown that’s pushed many out of the workforce, and widened the gap between the wealthy and the poor. In this brave new post-Covid world, can President Biden step up where Obama couldn’t?  “I'm delighted about what I'm seeing from the Biden-Harris team,” notes Donnel Baird, CEO of BlocPower. “Climate justice and racial equality are wedded together alongside employment, alongside public health and working our way out of these kinds of four simultaneous crises we’re dealing with.” From big tech to clean energy, what are the opportunities for scaling new solutions — and where do inequity and pol

Nipsey Hussle lived a life full of passion for his craft and compassion for his community. As a prolific rapper and artist, Nipsey strove for excellence in his work without forgetting Crenshaw, Los Angeles, the neighborhood he grew up in and sought to lift out of poverty. In his new book The Marathon Don’t Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle, music journalist Rob Kenner studies Nipsey’s life in exacting detail, sharing interviews from friends and family that reveal unknown information about Nipsey’s goals and mission. While Nipsey’s tragic passing deprived the world of his future success, Kenner emphasizes the influence Nipsey already held at his young age. Join Rob Kenner at INFORUM to learn more about Nipsey’s life and his legacy, which will have an impact long beyond his lifetime. This conversation is moderated by Dave “Davey D” Cook, a hip hop historian and professor at San Francisco State University. Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language. SPEAKERS Rob Kenner Founding editor, Vibe Magazine;

The National Rifle Association is widely considered to be one of the most influential—and arguably most controversial—interest groups in America. In its infancy, the NRA operated as a nonpartisan organization for gun owners to learn firearm safety, practice marksmanship and shoot for recreation. The organization has expanded into a political powerhouse since then. Despite existing in an era where mass shootings and other gun-related deaths provoke public outcry, the NRA still manages to exert its power and consistently defeat proposals for gun restrictions. In his new book Firepower, political researcher Matthew Lacombe seeks to understand how the NRA came to be this powerful. Drawing on nearly a century of archives and records, Lacombe discovers that the NRA has fashioned a distinct pro-gun worldview among its supporters to influence their political actions and mobilize them when necessary. He says the NRA has used its large, unified and active base to secure an alliance with the Republican Party and ensure

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic changed life as we know it in the United States, journalists Alexis Madrigal and Erin Kissane of The Atlantic started the COVID Tracking Project. The project was an effort to provide comprehensive data and to pressure public health agencies to publish better metrics regarding the spread of COVID-19. While the founders only anticipated that the project would last a few weeks until the government began to keep more accurate numbers, the project will officially cease collecting data on March 7, exactly one year after it started. Join Alexis Madrigal at INFORUM to learn more about how the project has functioned in the past year, the staff’s experiences working with government officials, and what lessons Madrigal has to impart as our society begins to envision a post-pandemic world. SPEAKERS Alexis Madrigal Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Founder, The COVID Tracking Project In Conversation with DJ Patil Ph.D., Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist; Senior Fellow, Harvard Kenne

The U.S. population is aging. The number of Americans aged 65 and older will more than double over the next 40 years, reaching 80 million in 2040. The group most often needing help with basic personal care, adults ages 85 and older, will nearly quadruple between 2000 and 2040. Aging in place will be an option for many people, which means staying in the comfort of your own home, rather than moving into a retirement or long-term care facility. Most of the care provided to older adults in this country comes from families, friends and neighbors. In fact, by 2030, it is projected that half of the families in the United States will be involved in caring for an older adult. While home-based care is less expensive than institutional care, few of the 45 million family caregivers in the United States are trained or paid to provide this complex care. In California, the economic value of family care was put at $63 trillion in 2017. This vast labor force could be tapped for future success, including better health outcomes

When Ifeoma Ozoma and a colleague resigned from the policy team at Pinterest last year and went public with their claims of discrimination, racism and retaliation at the social media giant, they helped fuel an ongoing examination of the corporate cultures in Silicon Valley and elsewhere that often reveal racial disparities that belie companies' public statements of gender and racial equity. Ozoma found herself being "doxed" — her personal information shared online by her opponents — and unsupported by the company's executives. Now she is working on an initiative that could help employees reporting discrimination get around often-stifling NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) they have signed. Join us for a conversation with Ozoma about her initiative and the experience of herself and many others in the corporate world. Ozoma is the founder and principal of Earthseed, a consulting firm advising individuals, organizations and companies on the issues of tech accountability, public policy, health misinformation and re

This is your Commonwealth Club week in review. Hear what you missed this week, and what we’ve got lined up for you next week. We’re always adding new programs - check out commonwealthclub.org/online for all of our upcoming events. If you haven’t already - please consider becoming a member of the Club. Enjoy exclusive discounts and access to special programs all while knowing your contributions directly support our many public programs and civic initiatives. Visit commonwealthclub.org/special, for special rates on memberships. Thanks for your support and as always - thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Too often, people are told to be professional and maintain traditional order in workplace settings, but this often leaves employees abandoning their humanity as soon as they step into the company building. As workplaces diversify, leaders are challenged to create a safe, justice-oriented working environment that simultaneously promotes creative individuality and traditional business models. Enter Kim Scott, author of the new book Just Work, looking to transform the modern workplace. She seeks to encourage leaders to create more just workplaces and establish new norms of collaboration and respect. With experience advising at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter and other tech companies, Scott shares her knowledge and power for confronting modern workplace challenges, and offers a new solution. Join us as Kim Scott reimagines workplace settings to create more just and humane company environments Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live

For too long, Americans have treated racism as a disease of the past. Now, it’s more than obvious that symptoms of intolerance and discrimination still linger today. Many are fatigued fighting for racial equality and attempting to solve a centuries-old problem, begging the urgent question: How can we end American racism in our lifetimes? CNN anchor Don Lemon seeks an answer. In his new book This Is the Fire, Lemon examines America’s systemic flaws that prevent equality for all. As America’s only Black prime-time anchor, Lemon has achieved mass popularity from his thoughtful and nuanced takes on modern racism. In his book, he shares his vulnerable experiences growing up in the shadows of segregation and his adult confrontations with scholars and politicians alike. In doing so, Lemon offers a searing and poetic plea to America: we must resist racism every day, and we must resist it with love. Join us as Don Lemon and Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama’s most trusted friend and advisor, imagine a better, mo

Warmer, shorter winters may sound like an impact of climate change that would inspire more joy than despair. But rising temperatures and decreasing snowpack won’t just transform water supplies and species ranges. It will also disrupt a multi-billion dollar winter sport industry, including the jobs and local economies associated with them.  “If we're not able to ski or snowboard anymore,” says Mario Molina, CEO of Protect Our Winters, “the least of our concerns will be the activities that we participate in.” So how are winter sports enthusiasts and others preparing to weather the storm? Speakers: Elizabeth Burakowski, Assistant Professor, Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire Kit DesLauriers, National Geographic Explorer; Skimountaineer  Geraldine Link, Director of Public Policy, National Ski Areas Association  Mario Molina, CEO, Protect our Winters Related Links: Protect Our Winters Higher Love: Climbing and Skiing the Seven Summits National Ski Areas Association Learn more about your ad