Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Immigration Is a Public Health Concern Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Donald Trump began his campaign for president by making immigration restrictions a centerpiece of his platform. He is ending his (first?) term with his administration dealing with the biggest public health crisis in decades. But there are a lot of connections between public health and our country's immigration policies and practices. Join us for a conversation with New Orleans-based Giuli Alvarenga, an award-winning writer and law student. Alvarenga will share personal accounts as a volunteer at the border, witnessing unsafe conditions, and the conviction that immigration is actually a public health concern. NOTE: This program contains EXPLICIT language

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CLIMATE ONE: A Feminist Climate Renaissance Oct 15, 2020

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Pathways for reducing carbon emissions include electrifying transportation, replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar power. But in this time of national reckoning on racial and economic disparities there is growing support for a more holistic approach. This view holds that the climate crisis won’t be resolved until we first address the systemic imbalances that have fueled it - racism, capitalism, white supremacy and patriarchy. In their new book, All We Can Save:Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, co-editors Katharine Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson bring together the voices of women artists, writers and changemakers who are at the forefront of climate action. “The work that we’re doing is instigating or nurturing a feminist climate renaissance,” says Johnson, “which is what we feel the climate movement so desperately needs right now.”

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Be Antiracist: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi Oct 14, 2020

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Ibram X. Kendi is one of America’s foremost authorities on anti-racism, authoring books such as the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning and the number-one New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist. Kendi’s new book, Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection, and Action, gives the reader a space to reflect on their personal journey in becoming an anti-racist. At INFORUM, Kendi will discuss how changing one’s outlook on race in America is not easy—becoming a true anti-racist requires careful introspection. While progress toward anti-racism does not look the same for everyone, it is a goal that everyone can and should take on.

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CLIMATE ONE: Tech to the Rescue? Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Technology has helped the world survive, thrive and stay connected through the COVID-19 lockdown. As countries look toward re-opening in a post-pandemic world, does tech hold the same promise in the fight to solve climate change?

From mapping weather patterns with pinpoint accuracy using artificial intelligence, to engineering algae that gobbles up carbon dioxide, climate tech is ripe with breakthroughs. “The technology is there,” says inventor and entrepreneur Saul Griffith, ”it’s now down to the politics and the financing.”

Guests:

Saul Griffith, Founder & Chief Scientist, Otherlab Valerie Shen, Chief Operating Officer, G2VP

Michael Wilshire, Head of Strategy, Bloomberg NEF

This program was recorded on August 18, 2020.

For full show notes, visit our website.

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99% Invisible's Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Curious minds seeking more information on the untold secrets (literally) surrounding them should look no further than "99% Invisible," the podcast hosted by Roman Mars that reports on how our lives are impacted by the architecture, transportation and infrastructure of our cities. "99% Invisible" episodes address a wide variety of issues, from the effects of American car culture on policing to the confusions of print and virtual mapmaking. In their new book The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, Mars and "99% Invisible" digital director and producer Kurt Kohlstedt share stories from the podcast that will both enlighten readers and encourage them to think more critically about their living environments. Join them both at INFORUM, where they will discuss the small marvels that make up our big world and the role that people played in building them. This conversation will be moderated by The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal.

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The UAE and Bahrain Deals With Israel Oct 13, 2020

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Our distinguished panel will discuss the U.S.-mediated deal (which President Trump calls "The Abraham Accord") between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and its impact on the Arab world, Iran and Turkey, and neighboring states. Some observers consider that this tentative public declaration of peace was a historic shift legitimizing Israel in the Arab world, which fears Iran and opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Others consider the efforts to be politically motivated by the Trump and Netanyahu administrations. The expert panel will also discuss how a potential formal peace treaty, the first between the Arab world and Israel in 25 years, could lead to greater peace in the region. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East

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A Conversation with Jacques Pépin Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Master Chef Jacques Pépin has been influencing American tastes and cooking techniques for generations. The winner of 16 James Beard Awards, Chef Pépin has written 29 cookbooks and spent 4 decades on television. In this era when so many of us are confined at home, Chef Pepin says you don’t need a state of the art kitchen or pantry full of expensive ingredients to create a delicious meal. More important, cooking quick and simple dishes doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality and flavor. Come get some kitchen inspiration from this legendary culinary artist. NOTES Part of our Food Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation

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Week to Week: California Election 2020 Special Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

It's October, which means some people in California will have already voted early and others are planning to do it soon. Regardless of where your political sympathies lie, Election 2020 is a watershed election, and the decisions voters make on their November ballots will have far-reaching effects locally, statewide, and nationally. Join us for the latest edition of our Week to Week political roundtable, in which we bring together a panel of politics experts to discuss the latest political news with insight, civility, and humor. This time, we'll be focusing on the fall election from a California perspective—looking at the candidates and propositions voters are being asked to consider. NOTES In partnership with the Silicon Valley Capital Club See other upcoming Week to Week political roundtables

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Critical Thinking and the Psychology of Confidence Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Reading the self-help literature could leave you with the impression that the goal in life is to maximize your confidence. On the other hand, research on overconfidence highlights all the ways in which people can get themselves into trouble by being too confident. Expert Don Moore will explore this tension by examining the psychology of confidence. Evidence underscores risks on both sides. Overconfidence leads people to delude themselves with wishful thinking, take too many risks, pursue impossible goals and waste their time on doomed ventures. Under-confidence dissuades people from taking risks that would pay off and scares them away from trying things they would enjoy. The evidence highlights a promising middle way between these twin risks. Don Moore holds the Lorraine Tyson Mitchell Chair in Leadership at the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley. His research interests include overconfidence, including when people think they are better than they actually are, when people think they are better than others, and when they are too sure they know the truth. He is only occasionally overconfident. MLF ORGANIZER Patrick O'Reilly NOTES MLF: Psychology Co-presented by Wonderfest

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How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

Over the last several years, and especially since the 2016 election, the extraordinary impact of technology, particularly social media, on our privacy, democracy, economy, kids and families, race and gender roles, climate change and mental health, among other topics, has become an issue of urgent national concern. These are all issues that James P. Steyer, founder & CEO of Common Sense Media, knows well. Since 2003, under Steyer’s leadership, Common Sense Media has helped millions of parents and educators navigate the digital world with their kids and students. And now, in a new book (to be released on October 13, 2020), Which Side of History? How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, Steyer and some of the country’s leading writers and thinkers take on these issues from an even broader perspective to help shape conversations on how approaches and policies related to technology can be improved. In this program, Steyer and Franklin Foer, a writer for The Atlantic, will discuss big issues related to technology’s impact on society, including Foer’s essay in the book, “The Era of Fake Video Begins.” about the use of “deep fake” videos, particularly in political campaigns. With less than a month until the 2020 election, it is a conversation you won’t want to miss. NOTES In association with Common Sense Media

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