Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Advancing the Science: The Latest in Alzheimer’s Research Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

Alzheimer’s disease is a global health problem with more than 5.8 million people living with the disease in the United States alone. The only way to solve that problem is through research, and this talk will focus on the scientific advancements and progress in the field. Tremendous gains have been made in the understanding of the science and basic biology underlying Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and these advances are leading to great strides in prevention, detection, diagnostics and therapeutic interventions. MLF Organizer: Patrick O'Reilly MLF: Psychology

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Seeking Asylum at the Southern Border Feb 12, 2020

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Border walls and immigration were hot-button issues in the 2016 federal election, and the Trump administration’s evolving policies and practices have been the subject of numerous media stories and segments. Join Julie Small of KQED and Clara Long of Human Rights Watch in a discussion of conditions for asylum seekers on the southern border and what you need to know. MLF ORGANIZER Ian McCuaig NOTES MLF: International Relations

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Franklin and Washington: The Founding Partnership Feb 11, 2020

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Monday Night Philosophy welcomes back Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson to discuss his joint biography of our two most influential Founding Fathers. Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, though divided by a 26-year age gap and vastly different life experiences, underwent a similarly dramatic transformation from loyal British colonists to American nationalists, and Larson makes a persuasive case that neither one could have succeeded without the other's help. Washington's military skills required Franklin's diplomatic skills to win the Revolutionary War. Their partnership was also key to the success of the Constitutional Convention. In an enlightening and dramatic account of these two men’s intertwined lives, Larson covers from the French and Indian War through the Revolution and Constitutional Convention, and he concludes with Franklin's last political maneuver: forcing the issue of slavery before the new republic’s first Congress. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

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Global Convergence in Digital Privacy? With Elizabeth Denham Feb 11, 2020

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Personal data is as important to modern digital businesses as finance and human capital. It is used to record customers’ behavior, predict it and even to manipulate it. But as awareness of these practices grows, is increasing concern among consumers influencing data regulation and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic? U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham gives her perspective on the global trends in data protection and privacy. Denham will discuss the big data cases her office has looked at—including Facebook, WhatsApp and Cambridge Analytica—and reflect on their international influence from her perspective as chair of her global regulatory community. Denham chairs the Global Privacy Assembly, which brings together digital data protection and privacy commissioners from around the world to share knowledge and build stronger cooperation. Denham will reflect on the recently implemented California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the impact of growing regulation around data protection and privacy, particularly in Silicon Valley. And crucially, she will talk about her office’s newly launched "children’s code," which sets out standards that digital services should meet to protect children’s privacy. Denham became the U.K.’s information commissioner in 2016. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the U.K.’s regulator for data protection and information rights. It enforces the law, both civil and criminal, against organizations that have violated data protection rules. Denham brings an international dimension to her U.K. role from her previous work as information and privacy commissioner for British Columbia and Canada and assistant privacy commissioner of Canada. She is recognized as one of the most influential people in her field, most recently in Politico’s list of 28 people shaping, shaking and stirring Europe. She also chairs the International Conference of Information Commissioners, which works globally to improve access to information rights. In association with the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology/UC Berkeley School of Law

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Hong Kong on the Brink Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

After witnessing the biggest protests in its history during the middle months of 2019, Hong Kong remains a subject of intense global interest and global concern. In this talk, Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a professor of modern Chinese history at UC Irvine and longtime scholar of social unrest, will use forays into history and comparison to help audience members make sense of Hong Kong's complex present and uncertain future. Wasserstrom’s new book, Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, has been described by one reviewer as “. . . essential reading for understanding China’s foreign policies, the legacies of empire and above all the extraordinary politics, society and culture of contemporary Hong Kong.” In addition to his academic writings, Wasserstrom has authored numerous books and articles for the general public. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Financial Times, The Atlantic online edition, The New York Times and other print and online publications. MLF ORGANIZER Lillian Nakagawa NOTES MLF: Asia-Pacific Affairs

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CLIMATE ONE: Driving Forces: How Climate Fuels Human Migration Feb 07, 2020

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From the first humans to venture out of Africa 60,000 years ago to the displaced refugees of today, migration has always been a part of human life. And in parts of the world where immediate threats include violence and poverty, climate change probably isn't a driving motivation to leave home. But with erratic weather, extended droughts, and resource scarcity fueling political conflict and pressures on vulnerable rural livelihoods, it's impossible to leave climate out of the conversation. How is climate change fueling the mass movement of humans around the world, and what does that mean for national security and economies?

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Ezra Klein: Why We're Polarized Feb 07, 2020

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Ezra Klein doesn’t believe America’s political system is broken. He argues that the truth is scarier: It’s working exactly as designed. Over the past 50 years, our partisan identities have merged with our racial, religious, geographic, ideological and cultural identities. According to Klein, this merging has created a toxic system that is tearing at the bonds that hold this country together. In his new book, Why We’re Polarized, Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the 20th century and what that polarization did to the way we see the world and each other. The book provides a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture. Join us for a conversation around how American politics became a gridlocked system, why we participate in it and what it means for our future. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

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Nonviolence: The Fierce Urgency of Now Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. implored us to fight racism, poverty and militarism with disciplined nonviolence and radical love. “The choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence,” he said. “It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” Tragically, more than a half century after Dr. King’s assassination, we face a resurgence of racist hatred, ubiquitous gun violence, extreme inequality, pervasive homelessness and threats to the human species from global warming and nuclear weapons. How can we rediscover the power of nonviolence to effectively address these grave problems and urgent threats? What role do colleges and universities play to further Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolence? Join the Rev. Paul Fitzgerald and Clarence Jones in a dialogue on nonviolence, social justice, moral vision and higher education today. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

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Harvard’s Laura Huang: Turning Adversity into Success Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

Laura Huang, a preeminent Harvard Business School professor, says that success is about gaining an edge: that elusive quality that gives you an upper hand and attracts attention and support. Some people seem to naturally have it. She says the rest of us can create our own successes from the challenges and biases we think hold us back, turning them to work in our favor. Huang argues that success is rarely just about the quality of our ideas, credentials and skills, or our effort. Instead, she says achieving success hinges on how well we shape others' perceptions—of our strengths, certainly, but also of our flaws. It's about creating our own edge by confronting the factors that seem like shortcomings and turning them into assets that make others take notice. Come for a fascinating conversation about how to find your unique edge and keep it sharp.

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Daniel J. Levitin: Successful Aging - Marin Conversations Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

As American society continues to have a growing older population, understanding all aspects of aging is a critical national priority. Perhaps no subject is more important than understanding what happens to our brains as they age and what people can do to enhance cognition as they get older. And there is, perhaps, no better person to explain this all than best-selling neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin, author of the iconic best sellers This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind. In his latest book, Successful Aging, Levitin turns his keen insights to what happens in our brains as people get older and, based on a rigorous analysis of neuroscientific evidence, what people can do to make the most of their 70s, 80s and 90s. Successful Aging uses research from developmental neuroscience and the psychology of individual differences to show that 60+ years is a unique developmental stage that, like infancy or adolescence, has its own demands and distinct advantages. Levitin looks at the science behind what we all can learn from those who age joyously as well as how to adapt our culture to take full advantage of older people's wisdom and experience. Successful Aging inspires a powerful new approach to how readers think about our final decades and has the potential to revolutionize the way we plan for old age as individuals, family members and citizens within a society where the average life expectancy continues to rise. This event will be hosted at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, one of the leading research institutions on helping people live longer. In association with the Buck Institute

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