Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Recent feminist movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp have called out sexism. They have empowered women to become more aware and also raise more questions: How do we find common ground in the new world we are building? How do we keep the momentum going with individual power, structural power and the power of movements? How do we handle a real situation at work, which could affect our livelihoods? Join psychotherapist and professor Joanne Bagshaw, author of The Feminist Handbook, and Professor Kellie McElhaney, founder and executive director of the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership, in a lively, engaging dialogue meant to educate, prompt inner reflection and inspire. Walk away with a plan to help change society for yourself, your community and future generations. MLF Organizer: Elizabeth Carney MLF: Business & Leadership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his sophomore year of college, Mark Zuckerberg created a simple website to serve as a campus social network. The site caught on like wildfire, and soon students nationwide were on it. Today, the social network that Zuckerberg created in 2004 has grown far beyond its original iteration, larger and more powerful than anyone could have imagined. Facebook has grown into a tech giant, the largest social media platform and one of the most gargantuan companies in the world, with a valuation of more than $576 billion and almost 3 billion users across the globe. There is no denying the power and omnipresence of Facebook in American daily life. And in light of recent controversies surrounding election-influencing "fake news" accounts, the handling of its users' personal data and growing discontent with the actions of its founder and CEO, never has the company been more central to the national conversation regarding the direction of the county's politics, economy and how individuals communicate with each other. There

Joseph S. Nye Jr. provides a concise, penetrating analysis of the role of ethics in U.S. foreign policy after World War II. Nye works through each presidency from FDR to Trump and scores their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions: their intentions, the means they used and the consequences of their decisions. He also evaluates their leadership qualities, elaborating on which approaches worked and which did not. Nye shows that each president was not fully constrained by the structure of the system and actually had choices. He further notes the important ethical consequences of nonactions, such as Truman's willingness to accept stalemate in Korea rather than use nuclear weapons. Most importantly, he points out that presidents need to factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy and will need to do so even more in a future international system that presents not only great power competition from China and Russia but a host of transnat

Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter is renowned for strategy, innovation and leadership for change. Her insights guide leaders worldwide through teaching, writing and direct consultation to major corporations, governments and startup ventures. She is either the author or co-author of 20 books. Her breakthrough work with hundreds of successful professionals and executives, as well as aspiring young entrepreneurs, identifies the leadership paradigm of the future: the ability to “think outside the building” to overcome establishment paralysis and produce significant innovation for a better world. Kanter is convinced that positive change is possible, and she’ll discuss how that philosophy can have real impact on some of today’s biggest problems—from climate change to gun safety to inequality to racial issues. Come hear Kanter's advice on finding an innovative approach to improving both your life and the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 21, 1964, more than 20 Klansmen murdered three civil rights workers. The killings, in what would become known as the Mississippi Burning case, were among the most brazen acts of violence during the civil rights movement. And even though the killers’ identities, including the sheriff’s deputy, were an open secret, no one was charged with murder in the months and years that followed. It took 41 years before the mastermind was brought to trial and finally convicted for the three innocent lives he took. If there is one man who helped pave the way for justice, it is investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell. In his new book, Race Against Time, Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham and

Is there an answer to the widespread—and increasingly public—rise of racial extremism? Come learn about the white nationalist movement from someone who was a leader in it until he renounced racism and devoted his life to helping others leave it behind. Christian Picciolini went from leading neo-Nazi bands with names such as Final Solution and White American Youth to running a record store that only sold "white power" music. But he left that and led organizations to counter extremism domestically and abroad, and has become an award-winning television producer, speaker, author and peace advocate. Come learn the truth about "white power" movements and the inspiring story about how to leave them behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a young officer in World War I, George Marshall's sterling reputation started forming when he planned and executed a nighttime movement of more than a half million troops from one battlefield to another, leading to the armistice. Between the world wars, he helped modernize combat training, restaffed the U.S. Army's officer corps with future leaders such as Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and George Patton, and served as army chief of staff in the run up to Work War II, when his commitment to duty came face-to-face with the realities of Washington politics. Roll sets his biography of Marshall against the backdrop of five major conflicts—the two world wars, Palestine, Korea and the Cold War—and focuses on the nuances and ambiguities of Marshall's education in the use of military, diplomatic and political power while watching America emerge as a global superpower. Roll's conclusion could hardly be clearer: Principled leadership matters. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your

Revelations about misconduct at the biggest startups and tech companies seem to saturate today’s news cycle—but it wasn’t always this way. In 2017, when penning her now famous 2,900-word blog post about the pervasive culture of sexual harassment at Uber, soon-to-be whistleblower Susan Fowler was stepping into uncharted territory. Her decision to share a blog post about her “very, very strange year at Uber” with the public would open the floodgates for women to share similar experiences of systematic sexual harassment in Silicon Valley and beyond. Fowler’s open letter not only led to the CEO’s ouster but it also caused a complete disruption of the status quo of workplaces, culminating in mass movements for women’s empowerment launched worldwide. In her new memoir, Whistleblower: My Journey to Silicon Valley and Fight for Justice at Uber, Fowler details how this courageous act was entirely consistent with her life so far—a life characterized by extraordinary determination, a refusal to accept things as they are

Tobacco companies, opioid suppliers, gun manufacturers and the fossil fuel industry -- all have been brought under fire, and into the courts, for knowingly causing public harm, and even death, with their products. Should corporations be held liable for harmful outcomes like mass shootings, the opioid crisis, and climate change? We all benefit from the energy fossil fuels provide, from the lights we turn on to around-the-world airline flights. How much responsibility falls on the product, and how much on the user? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After more than a decade of inquiry, the artist David Maisel was granted access to photograph the terrain and testing facilities of Dugway Proving Ground, a classified military site covering nearly 800,000 acres in a remote region of Utah’s Great Salt Lake Desert. This is a site where chemical and biological weaponry and defense programs were developed, tested and implemented by the U.S. government. Maisel began by photographing at ground level before moving to an overhead and aerial perspective. The result is a remarkable series of photographs that addresses questions of power, secrecy and land use, all collected in a single volume and freighted with an abiding skepticism toward technology and human endeavor. Please join The Commonwealth Club and Maisel in conversation to discuss his work, the site and the larger issues of power and surveillance that his book, Proving Ground, brings to the fore at a very acute time in American democracy. David Maisel was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2018 for the work he did

Renowned Washington Post columnist and author E.J. Dionne Jr. says the 2020 election will be a test for progressives and moderates. Will they feud or unite to defeat President Trump? Dionne postulates that if progressives and moderates are unable―and unwilling―to overcome their differences, they could not only enable Donald Trump to prevail again but also squander an occasion for launching a new era of reform. Dionne will discuss what he calls the politics of remedy: one that solves problems, resolve disputes and moves forward; that sits at the heart of the demands for justice by both long-marginalized and recently displaced groups; and that posits a positive future for Americans with more covered by health insurance, more with decent wages, more with good schools, more security from gun violence, more action to roll back climate change. Join the conversation with one of America’s most respected political analysts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Until recently, it was widely believed that the brain was hardwired from childhood and resistant to any remodeling in adults. Breakthrough research and clinical practice has recently shown that our brains are remarkably plastic across the human life span. Neuroplasticity accounts for functional self-improvement at any age, often remarkable recoveries from brain injury or stroke, demonstrated impacts of brain exercise for sustaining our brain health, and for successful supportive therapies in patients facing age-related dementia. Strategies for employing neuroplasticity science for human benefit are rapidly emerging. One of the pioneers in this field is neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, a professor emeritus at UC San Francisco. MLF ORGANIZER Bill Grant, Tamara Gurin NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World-renowned physicist Brian Greene offers a captivating exploration of the cosmos and our ongoing quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time—from our most refined understanding of the universe’s beginning to the closest science can take us to the very end. He also explains the distinct but interwoven layers of reality—from quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes. Greene is known for his groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory. He provides a clearer sense of how we came to be, where we are now and where we are ultimately headed. In association with Wonderfest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dying is an unavoidable part of life, yet we all seem to find ways to dodge questions about death and how we’d like to die. Katy Butler, author of the new book The Art of Dying Well, wants to inspire us to meet this fear. Butler offers a practical guide for all aspects of life before dying, including: living with a chronic medical condition, choosing the right doctor, and even when not to call 911. Butler’s guide to living and dying is both reassuring and thoroughly researched. It offers both guides and testimonials to help us all cope and succeed in our last act. Katy Butler is one of the leading advocates for medical reform. Her first book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death, was a heartfelt and personal memoir of her own parents’ experience with dying. Butler believes that whether you have two weeks or two decades, it is never the wrong time to discuss how to forge a better path to the end of life. Join us as Katy Butler visits INFORUM and answers all of your questions about dying

As California prepares to vote in a presidential primary with huge implications for the 2020 general election, we're assembling a panel of LGBTQI leaders who will share their picks for the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Some of their choices might surprise you! Join us for a timely, lively and fun evening talking presidential politics and LGBTQI concerns in one of the most momentous elections in modern times. Note: This program contains some Explicit Language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This event is the second in The Commonwealth Club's Thought Leadership series on the future of health, featuring in-depth conversations on the challenges driving physical, mental and social health. Gun violence is one of the most critical health issues of our time. Every day in the United States, health professionals confront the effects of firearm injury in the clinical arena. In emergency rooms, trauma centers, ambulatory offices, and acute care and rehabilitation facilities, health professionals, and the health systems they work within, attempt to heal the wounds that firearms inflict on individuals, their families and their communities. This critical public health issue requires us to move past the politics around gun ownership and develop nonpolitical solutions to this crisis. What can we do right now to prevent gun violence? Join a diverse panel of experts and advocates as they discuss public–private partnership solutions to this growing public health crisis. Together we will explore new ways to build h

California has been at the forefront of America’s climate fight since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the country’s first major climate law in 2006. The state’s suite of policies for decarbonizing the economy survived industry-funded attacks in court and at the ballot box, and remained largely consistent under Democratic and Republican governors. But a recent report by Next 10, an independent think tank, indicates the state will meet its 2030 goals 30 years late. Is California really the climate leader it’s purported to be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Rose Brooker, 83-year-old author, teacher and performer, will talk about her personal experiences with ageism in the Hollywood industry, our anti-age culture and how to promote a generation where age doesn’t count. She will sign copies of her new novel, Love, Sometimes. Join us for this fabulous evening. Brooker, a native San Francisco author of 13 books, is the founder of the first Age March in history. Her new best-selling novel, Love, Sometimes, is about risk, ageism in Hollywood and controversial love and is being made into a TV series, which will air in 2021. Brooker has been on “The Today Show,” Andy Cohen, Sharon Osbourne, and many other local and national shows. She teaches writing to adults over 50 and up at San Francisco State's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). She is at work on a new book about aging and love and staying on the path of your dreams at any age. MLF Organizer: Denise Michaud MLF: Grownups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our birthday—come celebrate with us! Join us to celebrate the Club’s 117th birthday and attend our 8th anniversary Week to Week political roundtable program. To kick the night off, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. we will have sweet treats to sample, popcorn and hot chocolate, and we'll finish with a champagne toast to the Club and to our wonderful members. Following the Club birthday party, we will have our Week to Week program for all to attend. During the program, we will discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Our panelists will provide informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, and we'll have audience discussion of the week’s events, culminating in our live news quiz. It's an evening to celebrate, for members and nonmembers alike to enjoy. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we build communities that are more resilient than the ones we were raised in? As severe weather hammers cities and spurs more migration, who will pay to shore up infrastructure and secure the border? Experts at the highest levels of U.S. government are now working to uncover the ways that climate could threaten critical infrastructure and reshape the way communities respond to risk. Meanwhile, as damages increase, so do insurance claims, making homeownership nearly impossible in areas with the greatest risk of fires, floods and hurricanes. Pricing that risk and spreading the costs across society will test American democracy and could further exacerbate the growing wealth gap. Join us for a conversation with Alice Hill, senior fellow for climate change policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Building a Resilient Tomorrow: How to Prepare for the Coming Climate Disruption, and Janet Ruiz, strategic communication director at the Insurance Information Institute. Joining remotely is Sherri G