Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Freedom. Ambition. Diet. Frustration. Exercise. Anxiety. Grief. These are concerns we recognize as central to the shape and scope of contemporary American life, especially life in the Bay Area. At times they seem so overwhelming as to be unique to our present moment—but they are not. In fact, much of ancient philosophy was committed to addressing and alleviating them. Ancient Athens and imperial Rome were in many ways quite similar to 21st century America. Antiquity was a world that included slaves and immigrants, plutocrats and exiles, political strife and crushing poverty. Beginning in the 4th century B.C., philosophers began to develop teachings and schools that addressed the freedom life promised and the constraints under which it unfolded. The names of two of these schools—the Stoics and the Epicureans—have so endured as to have entered the common lexicon. Along the way, however, they have lost much of their original force: We now tend to equate Stoicism with a kind of John Wayne-inflected, flat-bellied

What happens when you go abroad to live and work in another culture, surrounded by the strange sounds of a different language, different food, music and customs? What does it take to achieve a successful expatriate experience? Come and learn about the diverse experiences of 14 Americans who worked and lived in various countries—from England to Vietnam, Belarus to India. Learn about their challenges and how they finally adjusted and thrived in their foreign environments. Schickel presents the results of her recent qualitative research, conducted years after she herself experienced the expat life during her two years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco, which inspired her continuing interest in these issues and led to her recently successfully defended dissertation. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s most popular alcoholic beverages are about to take a hit from climate. Mild, sunny growing conditions have made California king of a $62 billion wine industry—from Napa Valley’s prized cabernet sauvignon to the plumy pinot noirs of Sonoma County. And more than 7,000 breweries in the United States rely on barley, a key ingredient in beer that is partial to the cool temperatures of northwestern states and Canada. But both grapes and barley are sensitive to a changing climate. And years of disruptions from drought, fires and rising temperatures have brewers and winemakers wondering: Will business as usual survive into the next generation? Join us for a conversation with Esther Mobley, wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, and Dan Petroski, winemaker for Larkmead Vineyards; and Katie Wallace, director of social and environmental impact at New Belgium Brewing, on how climate is reshaping the wine and beer industries—and what that means for consumers and our wallets. Learn more about your ad choice

Law professor Ian Haney López is one of the world’s pioneers of critical race theory. A challenger of the racial status quo, López has worked to emphasize the impact of racial divisions in the United States while also exploring how politicians exploit fractured societal structures to benefit the rich. In his newest book, Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America, López gives progressives the tools to fight politicized racism and build a multicultural future. López describes his last two years of research with union activists, racial justice leaders and statisticians, concluding that the “middle ground” of Americans can be persuaded Right or Left depending on the narrative of America that they are given. Join us for an important conversation with esteemed professor and author Ian Haney López as he gives us the tools to rebuild a better, racially equitable future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday Night Philosophy celebrates its 10th anniversary by making predictions about the future of our common wealth: the ideas and assumptions that underlie all human cultures. The Commonwealth Club is dedicated to finding truth and turning it loose in the world. But what is truth? Whatever it is, that ancient question remains provocative. To come closer to an answer, George Hammond distinguishes between those ideas that describe inherent patterns in life and those cultural ideals that are basically a group consensus on how to live life. Our 21st century cultures are rapidly increasing in cultural communication, competition, discussion and dispute. Could that set the stage for sorting out long-standing but still competing cultural assumptions about justice, virtue, the meaning of life, and the purposes of community, nation and civilization building? If so, which assumptions are headed for the discard pile? And which will prove enduring? Hammond’s predictions about where trends in how we pursue happiness are h

The Green New Deal has raised hopes for a major push to address climate change and social injustice. Is it just pie in the sky? Not at all. The original New Deal of the 1930s brought a revolution in conservation and public health, worker rights and wages, income and regional equality, and public investment for the common good—all during the worst depression in history. A Green New Deal is possible because we have done it before. Come learn more about this initiative. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 8, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the nation’s most far-reaching bills, which are designed to prevent homelessness, protect tenants from being evicted and make it possible to create new homes for many thousands of Californians. The work was made possible by a collaboration of diverse allies who are attempting to preserve existing affordable homes, protect the families in them and produce more housing at all income levels. They were joined by a broad coalition of elected officials, including Assemblymember David Chiu, who authored several of the recently passed bills and who has made preventing homelessness and providing affordable homes to all Californians one of his signature issues. While these represent important strides, some say a great deal of work still needs to be done. On November 4, The Commonwealth Club will host a panel discussion about the implications of this new legislation as well as what the future holds for addressing the challenge of homelessness and housing in

San Francisco is a city of contradictions. It is one of the most socially liberal cities in America, but it also has some of the nation’s worst income inequality. It is a playground for tech millionaires, with an outrageously high cost of living, yet it also supports vibrant alternative and avant-garde scenes. So how did the city get this way? San Francisco native Lincoln Mitchell traces the roots of the current situation back to 1978, when three key events occurred: the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk occurring fewer than two weeks after the massacre of Peoples Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana; the explosion of the city’s punk rock scene; and a breakthrough season for the San Francisco Giants. Through these three strands, Mitchell explores the rifts between the city’s pro-business and progressive-Left politicians, the emergence of Dianne Feinstein as a political powerhouse, the increasing prominence of the city’s LGBT community, punk’s reinvigoration of the B

This event explores faith and inequity among the seriously ill and dying in our healthcare system. What role does spirituality play at end of life and in a health care setting? How can healthcare providers build trust with patients across cultures and faith traditions? How can we address the inequities faced by African Americans when seeking care at the end of life? Join Pastor Corey Kennard, Healthcare Activist and Lead Pastor of Detroit’s Amplify Christian Church, and Dr. Jessica Zitter, author and physician at Oakland’s Highland Hospital, for a rich conversation about improving end of life care. MLF Organizer: Mark Zitter MLF: Health & Medicine This event is part of the Reimagine End of Life, a festival exploring big questions about life and death through creativity and conversation, taking place throughout the Bay Area on Oct. 24-Nov. 3, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2013, Bob Satawake accompanied his husband, Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster, to the Dominican Republic for what would be a historic and controversial tour of duty representing the United States in the island nation. As the first gay diplomatic spouse in the Western Hemisphere, Satawake received little if any guidance from the U.S. State Department on navigating his new role. As a result, he had little choice but to break the sometimes rigid protocols of diplomatic life. Come hear Satawake and Brewster talk about their experience making a new path as openly gay diplomats in a conservative and religious country, overcoming obstacles with kindness and sensitivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this lecture, Harvard-trained physician Akil Palanisamy will describe the outlines of a comprehensive road map to heart health, sharing research on the optimal heart-healthy diet, cutting-edge nutritional science, key vitamins and supplements, and the evidence-based practices and techniques of integrative medicine. He will share practical tips on what to eat in order to maintain lifelong cardiovascular well-being and vitality, and he will have detailed and practical information about implementing these concepts in our daily lives. MLF Organizer: Patty James MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambitious and executive women often wonder how to best mix family ambitions with big, juicy career goals. Should I lean in? Pivot? Freelance? Quit? If I leave my job, will I ever get back in? Whether you’re struggling with the big question of whether to stay or quit or looking to reenter the workforce after time away, this event features insider knowledge from people who have already taken the journey, as well as a step-by-step analysis to ensure you are making the right career decision for you. MLF Organizer: Emily Meghan Morrow Howe MLF: Executive Womxn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Marc Benioff started Salesforce 20 years ago, he envisioned building a company that would not only change the way the world does business but also change the world at the same time. Benioff believes that businesses are the greatest platforms for change and that they should serve not only shareholders but all stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, communities and the environment, to make the world a better place. On day one, Benioff created the 1-1-1 model of philanthropy, which leverages the resources of Salesforce to improve communities around the world. And with the core values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality as its foundation, Salesforce has not only been one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies ever, it’s become one of the world’s most admired companies and is consistently ranked globally as one of the best companies to work for. Benioff is an unapologetically outspoken social advocate and has publicly admonished other business leaders for not doin

In cases of domestic violence, what can be done at the local and national levels to prevent future instances of violence against women, families and society at large from occurring? What role can restorative justice and community based approaches have in mitigating harm? As CEO of Safe & Sound, Katie Albright highlights the connection between domestic violence and the compounding pressures of socioeconomic instability, lack of education and childhood abuse. Safe & Sound works to raise awareness about the red flags of abuse, challenge existing laws and ensure that survivors have a voice. With the resulting cost of child abuse estimated to be about $2.2 billion in the Bay Area alone, prioritizing prevention merits attention from not just a moral but an economic standpoint. An expert on domestic violence policy, family law and intimate partner abuse, Julia Weber’s work at Giffords Law Center focuses on restraining order implementation in relation to gun violence. The center's work highlights the relationship bet

Having dementia is the greatest fear shared by most people as they age. One needs to plan for the time when you may no longer have a clear mind and the ability to make decisions about your own medical care. The advance directive (AD) in its usual format is insufficient if you suffer from dementia. In this case, a dementia provision should be added to your AD to describe what kind of medical care you’d like. Various options and strategies will be discussed to help you develop a plan should you develop dementia. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Bill Grant NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine, Grownups (co-sponsor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the final three years of the Obama administration, Richard Stengel, the former editor of Time and an under secretary of state, was on the front lines of a new global information war. At the time, he was the single person in the U.S. government tasked with unpacking, disproving and combating both ISIS’s messaging and Russian disinformation. Then, in 2016, as the presidential election unfolded, Stengel watched as Donald Trump rode to victory, in part because of how disinformation was weaponized on social media domestically and internationally. According to Stengel, the battle against weaponized disinformation has only gotten worse since, and democracies such as the United States are proving not to be very good at fighting it. In his new book, Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What We Can Do About It, Stengel walks readers through this new war and where the battles are taking place, including Russia and Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He illustrates how ISIS terror

Join us for an in-depth program addressing anti-blackness in the LGBTQ+ community and how it affects the ways its members navigate spaces with community, in addition to the way that people show up for each other. The goal of the program is to spark conversations around how folks in the LGBTQ+ community can work to eliminate anti-blackness in their everyday lives, how the LGBTQ+ community can work together to uplift each other regardless of race, gender identity, gender expression or anything else. The discussion is designed to help people identity anti-blackness and be able to address it. Don't miss this important community program. In association with Compton's Transgender Cultural District, ColorBloq, and "The Michelle Meow Show" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The comedy news quiz “Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!” is the most popular show on public radio. But it wasn’t always that way. The program didn’t take off until Doug Berman (who also produced the NPR hit “Car Talk”) took a chance on a playwright named Peter Sagal to serve as host. Ever since, the show has drawn enthusiastic audiences both on radio and in person, at its Chicago home and on the road. The program covers current news and is consistently both informative and entertaining. What’s the secret to the show’s success? Peter Sagal, the host of “Wait Wait” since 1998, is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author, most recently of The Incomplete Book of Running. He has interviewed two U.S. presidents, appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and run a race in his underwear, but he insists that none of this has gone to his head. Peabody Award-winning producer Doug Berman is responsible for NPR's two most successful entertainment programs. He continues to create comedy shows seeded with a modicu

Have you been curious about Club trips and want to know more? Join us for a presentation and discussion with past travelers and staff about the unique opportunities for learning, dialogue, friendship and adventure on our trips. What is different about Club trips, and what does it mean to travel with a group of Club members? We’ll answer these and other frequently asked questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover the lives and legacies of Italy's Renaissance women as well as those of several unheralded Italian women who inspired Botticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo and some of the greatest art of all time. Carla Gambescia will revitalize your amore with Italy and its remarkable art treasures and cultural gifts. Learn about Artemisia Gentileschi and Isabella d’Este, whose lives and accomplishments can still inspire us today, and gain new perspectives on some of the Renaissance’s most beloved paintings. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices