Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CLIMATE ONE: Colorado River Reckoning: Drought, Climate and Equal Access Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people across seven states. Lake Mead has fallen to its lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s, which could trigger the first stage of real water cutbacks.

For years, “much of the discussion in the Colorado River Basin has been who gets the next drop,” says journalist Luke Runyon. “The conversation very recently has shifted to who has to use less.”

In the midst of long-term drought, warming temperatures and decreasing runoff, water managers are gearing up for the next round of negotiations to divvy up the Colorado River’s supply in the future. Tribal water users are hoping to have a bigger say in those basin-wide negotiations, and to finally correct an historic injustice by ensuring universal access to clean water for tribes.

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Dr. Jen Gunter with Samantha Bee: The Menopause Manifesto Play Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Jen Gunter, the outspoken and digitally savvy Bay Area doctor who has been called "the world's most famous gynecologist" returns to The Commonwealth Club for what should be a fun discussion on her new book, The Menopause Manifesto, with television comedian Samantha Bee.

Dr. Gunter, who has made waves with her fierce advocacy of women's health, saw great success with her previous book, The Vagina Bible. The Menopause Manifesto takes on stubborn myths and misunderstandings about menopause in Dr. Gunter's traditional fashion: hard facts, real science, fascinating historical perspective, expert advice, and strong doses of humor. As the book notes, the only thing predictable about menopause is its unpredictability. Factor in widespread misinformation, misogyny, a lack of research, and the culture of shame around women's bodies, and it's no wonder women are unsure what to expect during the menopause transition and beyond. Dr. Gunter believes women (and men) should be educated on what's to come with menopause years in advance of it happening rather than the current practice of leaving people on their own with bothersome symptoms and too much conflicting information.

Join us for what is sure to be a frank, funny, and unique discussion!

About the Speakers

Dr. Jen Gunter is an internationally bestselling author, obstetrician, and gynecologist with more than three decades of experience as a vulvar and vaginal diseases expert. Her New York Times and USA Today bestselling book, The Vagina Bible, has been translated into 19 languages, and The Guardian calls her "the world's most famous—and outspoken—gynecologist." The recipient of the 2020 NAMS Media Award from The North American Menopause Society, she is a columnist for The New York Times and the star of "Jensplaining," a CBC video series that highlights the impact of medical misinformation on women.

Samantha Bee is the host of the Emmy Award-winning "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," the first late-night satire show hosted by a woman. Previously, she was the longest-serving correspondent on "The Daily Show," and she served as co-creator and executive producer of "The Detour." She is the author of the essay collection I Know I Am, But What Are You? and has been featured in Time 100: The Most Influential People. Recently, Bee and "Full Frontal" launched the successful #MailedIt campaign to help save the United States Postal Service and also launched a podcast titled "Full Release."

In association with INFORUM and Marin Conversations.

This program is part of our Marin Conversations series, spotlighting the thought-leadership of the North Bay, and is presented with support from Relevant Wealth Advisors.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Jen Gunter

M.D., OB/GYN and Pain Medicine Specialist; Author, The Menopause Manifesto; Twitter @DrJenGunter

Samantha Bee

Comedian; Host, "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," TBS; Twitter @iamsambee

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 2nd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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START Treaty Negotiator Rose Gottemoeller: How to Deal with Russia Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

One of President Biden’s first acts in office was to extend the New START Treaty with Russia. Concluded in 2010, the treaty cut the strategic nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia in half. It was set to expire on February 5, 2021, and is now in force for another five years. That treaty—which is holding back a new nuclear arms race between the United States and Russia—was negotiated by Rose Gottemoeller, former U.S. under secretary of state and former deputy secretary general of NATO.

But now, what comes next—in arms control and in dealing with Russia? Fueled by petro-rubles, a stronger economy has enabled the Russians to fund a decade of investments in high-tech nuclear and conventional weapons, including cybermeasures targeting the internal information systems of the United States and other countries. How should the United States respond to those threats, and to possible new opportunities for cooperation with Russia? What dangers, and opportunities, are presented by flash-points like the recent Russian military presence on the Ukrainian border?

What was it like to negotiate a major nuclear arms control treaty with the Russians, to get Presidents Obama and Medvedev to agree to it, and then negotiate its ratification through the U.S. Senate, at one of the most deeply partisan times in American history? Importantly, how did Republicans and Democrats come together to ratify a treaty to safeguard the future of all Americans?

Please join our CEO, Dr. Gloria Duffy, for a conversation with Rose Gottemoeller, on the eve of the first summit meeting between Presidents Biden and Putin. Deputy Secretary General Gottemoeller and Dr. Duffy have worked together on a number of occasions, including on dismantling weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet countries during the Clinton administration.

SPEAKERS

Rose Gottemoeller

Distinguished Lecturer, Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute; Research Fellow, Hoover Institution; Former Deputy Secretary General, NATO; Former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control; Author, Negotiating the New START Treaty

In Conversation with Dr. Gloria Duffy

President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Clinton

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 1st, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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What Do Otto Warburg, Nazis, Cancer and Diet Have in Common? Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

The Nobel laureate Otto Warburg was widely regarded in his day as one of the most important biochemists of the 20th century. As a Jewish homosexual living openly with his male partner, Warburg represented all that the Third Reich abhorred. Yet Hitler and his top advisors dreaded cancer, and protected Warburg in the hope that he could cure it.

Apple demonstrates how Warburg's midcentury work may well hold the secret to why cancer became so common in the modern world and how we can reverse the trend.

A tale of scientific discovery, personal peril, and the race to end a disastrous disease, Ravenous would be the stuff of the most inventive fiction were it not, in fact, true.

MLF ORGANIZER

Patty James

NOTES

MLF: Health & Medicine

SPEAKERS

Sam Apple

Faculty Member, Johns Hopkins University; Writer; Author, Ravenous: Otto Warburg, The Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection

Patty James

M.S., N.C. Nutritionist; Chef; Author—Moderator

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Gary Kamiya, Kimberly Reyes and Daniel Handler: Reflections of San Francisco Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Over the last few decades, San Francisco has experienced radical changes with the influence of Silicon Valley, tech companies and more. Countless articles, blogs and even movies have tried to capture the complex nature of what San Francisco has become, a place millions of people have loved to call home, and yet are compelled to consider leaving.

In the new book The End of the Golden Gate, 25 acclaimed writers take on the eternal question: "Should I stay or should I go?" Subjects include: the tech-industry invasion and the evolution, gentrification, and radical cost of living that has transformed San Francisco's most beloved neighborhoods; the lasting imprint of the 1960s counterculture movement; and the fight to preserve the art, music and other creative movements that make San Francisco forever the city of love.

Come hear the compelling thoughts of three of the book's contributors: journalist and historian Gary Kamiya; poet, essayist and cultural critic Kimberly Reyes; and writer and musician Daniel Handler, also well known as Lemony Snicket.

A percentage of the book proceeds will be given to charities that help those in the bay experiencing homelessness.

SPEAKERS

Gary Kamiya

Journalist; Historian; Contributor, The End of the Golden Gate

Kimberly Reyes

Poet; Essayist; Cultural Critic; Contributor, The End of the Golden Gate

Daniel Handler

Writer; Musician; A.K.A. Lemony Snicket: Contributor, The End of the Golden Gate

In Conversation with Heather Knight

Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on May 27th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Heino Falcke: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Join us for a virtual discussion, live-streamed direct from Berlin, Germany, with Heino Falcke, the German astrophysicist, about his research into the nature of black holes. His new book A Light in the Darkness is the story of how the first photographic evidence of black holes was achieved by Falcke in April 2019, and what its significance for humanity might be. Falcke wrestles with the ways in which black holes force us to confront the boundary where human life ends and the celestial begins. He also ponders why black holes are so difficult for most of us to understand, comparing that to our inability to envisage our own inevitable death.

Black holes develop when a massive star dies, and its matter is condensed. That extreme amount of mass contained in a small space generates a gigantic amount of gravitational force, allowing the black hole to suck up everything that comes near, including light. These astronomical wonders are the subject of intense scientific and philosophical theorizing—the journey to a black hole might even be a journey to the end of time itself. Which is why Falcke regards black holes as exquisite representations of fear, death—and, surprisingly, the divine.

Empirical and profound, Falcke examines both the physical nature and the spiritual meaning of black holes, which he calls “the epitome of merciless destruction.”

MLF ORGANIZER

George Hammond

NOTES

MLF: Humanities

SPEAKERS

Heino Falcke

Professor, Radio Astronomy and Astroparticle Physics, Radboud University Nijmegen; Winner, 2011 Spinoza Prize; Author, A Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us

In Conversation with George Hammond

Author, Conversations With Socrates

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The History and Relevance of Ethnic Studies in a Diverse America Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

In 1968, San Francisco made history when, as a result of the student strike at San Francisco State University, the country’s first ethnic studies department was born. Over the years, community advocates have continued to find inadequacies in educational programs for students, citing a lack of inclusion of instructional materials for the teaching of history and culture regarding diverse population demographics. They also believe the learning and understanding of diverse cultures will help foster understanding and mutual respect between and among people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Join us for an in-depth discussion with panelists who will discuss their personal stories about the origins of ethnic studies and their individual advocacy within the movement. Learn how and why they have devoted their efforts to advocate for the programs and hear their visions about how ethnic studies can shape our society’s future.

This is one of an occasional series sharing perspectives on the subject of ethnic studies.

NOTES

Presented in association with the APA Heritage Foundation.

This program is made free thanks to the generous support of Gilead Sciences, Inc..

SPEAKERS

Ana De Almeida Amaral

Student Activist, Stanford University; Advocate, National Equity Project

Artnelson Concordia

Educator; Coordinator, Santa Barbara Unified School District Ethnic Studies Program; Founding Teacher, San Francisco Unified School District Ethic Studies Program

Dr. Taunya Jaco

6th Grade ELA/Social Studies Teacher, San Jose; Board of Directors Member, National Education Association; Secretary, NEA Black Caucus; Chair, Civil Rights in Education Committee, California Teachers Association's State Council

Dr. Theresa Montaño

Teacher, CSUN; Former Board Director and President, National Council for Higher Education

Dr. Samia Shoman

Advocate, Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Coalition; Manager of English Learner and Adacemic Support Programs, San Mateo Union High School District; Co-Coordinator, Teach Palestine, Middle East Children Alliance

Iza McGawley

Student Activist, UC Santa Cruz; Co-Founder, Ethnic Studies Program, High Tech High

Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales

Professor, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University—Moderator

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on April 29th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Niall Ferguson: The Politics of Catastrophe Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Disasters are inherently inevitable in life. We cannot predict the next earthquake, wildfire, financial crisis, war or pandemic, but we can predict how to handle each situation better. Unexpected calamities have happened all throughout human history, yet even in the 21st century we are ill-prepared to recover from them. In the new book Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe, popular historian Niall Ferguson explores the reasoning behind this phenomena and offers solutions on how to handle unforeseen circumstances of mass misfortune.

Ferguson has spent his academic career lecturing on the international, financial, and economic history of British and American imperialism. In his new book, Ferguson uses centuries of knowledge to understand the complex pathologies at work that make societies fail in the face of disaster. He offers the lesson he says the West urgently needs to learn if we want to handle the next crisis better and avoid the ultimate doom of irreversible decline.

Join us as Niall Ferguson offers an explanation of disaster response and strategies to make us better at handling the next catastrophe we will inevitably face.

SPEAKERS

Niall Ferguson

Milbank Family Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe; Twitter @nfergus

In Conversation with Maya Jasanoff

Coolidge Professor of History, Harvard University

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CLIMATE ONE: Finding the Heart to Talk About Climate Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

Ever have a difficult conversation about climate? Pretty much everyone has. Knowing all the facts and figures only goes so far when talking to someone who just doesn’t agree. So how do we break through the barriers? Scientists trained to present information in a one-way lecture format face a particular challenge: they first need to unlearn old habits.

“Everybody's trying to figure out ‘how do we move past this idea that just arming people with facts will lead to a better world,’ right, because we’ve just seen that that’s absolutely not true,” says Faith Kearns, author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communication.

Kearns argues that we all need to move from an “information deficit” model of communication – where it’s assumed that the audience simply needs more information – to a relational model, where the science communicator does as much listening as talking in order to first find empathy and common ground.

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Asian Americans: Learning from the Past to Change the Future Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

As attacks on Asian Americans repeatedly make the news, there is also a bigger story to tell: What the challenges of the future are, and how Asian Americans will help America be more competitive in this brave new world.

Join this insightful discussion with prominent Asian American leaders not only about the history of Asian Americans in the United States, but about what Asian Americans are contributing today, and what all Americans should think about doing as we fight together against modern stereotypes and broken systems, and face current and future challenges.

In association with The Committee of 100, Northern California.

SPEAKERS

Daniel Chao

Ph.D., Board Chair, 1990 Institute; Member, Committee of 100; Former Senior Vice President, TerraPower, LLC; Former Chairman, Bechtel, China

Dennis Wu

Chair, Asia Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, San Francisco; Managing Partner, WuHoover & Co., CPA Advisory Firm; Retired Partner, Deloitte; Past Chair, Commonwealth Club's Board of Governors

In Conversation with Evelyn Dilsaver

Chair, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on May 26th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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