Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to Navigate Epic Estate Battles Before They Start Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Join John O'Grady in a lively and enlightening session where he will address essential questions such as: protecting property rights; planning for care without giving up control of your affairs; passing your values on to the next generation; providing for your loved ones and your favorite causes; documenting your intentions to prevent misunderstandings; and how you can save on tax dollars, professional fees and court costs. John O'Grady is an estate planning attorney who can help you navigate family conflicts about aging, death, taxes, inheritance and property rights while addressing the true underlying conflicts. He leads O'Grady Law Group, a full-service estate planning law firm in San Francisco. MLF Organizer: Denise Michaud MLF: Grownups

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Filmmaker Richard Wong on The Michelle Meow Show at The Commonwealth Club Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Richard Wong is an award-winning director and cinematographer. His newest feature, Come as You Are, premiered at SXSW and will be released by Samuel Goldwyn. His first feature was the critically acclaimed Colma: The Musical, which premiered at Sundance and garnered him nominations for a Spirit Award and a Gotham Award. Wong started his career in production and segued to being a cinematographer, lensing films such as the upcoming immigration drama Saint Judy for director Sean Hanish, starring Michelle Monaghan and Common, Girlfriend's Day with Bob Odenkirk, Spare Parts with George Lopez, Sundance favorite To the Bone for director Marti Noxon, starring Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for acclaimed director Wayne Wang.

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Andrea Bernstein: The Trumps, The Kushners and American Greed Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Andrea Bernstein is a senior editor at WNYC and co-host of the “Trump, Inc.” podcast. A Peabody and duPont-Columbia award-winning journalist, Bernstein’s new work is an exposé on two families at the pinnacle of American power. American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power, is Bernstein’s investigative journey into two emblematic American families—the Kushners and the Trumps. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump enjoy limitless access to the Oval Office, but beyond their marriage, little about the families’ relationship is public knowledge. Throughout American Oligarchs, Bernstein reveals their campaign into the White House by tracing history stretching from the Gilded Age to WWII to the 21st century. Bernstein draws on private interviews, never-before-seen documents and forgotten files in order to expose the families’ accumulated wealth through real estate, manipulation and crime. Bernstein’s American Oligarchs is a serious examination of the half-truths, secrecy and media manipulation weaponized by the Trumps and the Kushners. Join us as she discusses the Trumps, Kushners, and the marriage of money and power.

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Finding the Humanity in AI with Rumman Chowdhury Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

As technology becomes more embedded in our lives, the fear of a big data takeover is becoming even more tangible. Recent headlines, including those reporting on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in racially biased algorithms, “deepfakes” that are indistinguishable from reality and fatal accidents involving self-driving cars, have only contributed to these fears. Many of these stories, however, do not include ways non-tech people can gain agency over their data. As a practicing data scientist and AI developer since 2013, Rumman Chowdhury is no stranger to the problems with tech. However, her optimism about the good it can do—in identifying cancer cells, for example, or helping you clean your apartment—has led her to focus her career on bringing humanity to data and including everyone in the process. Instead of sitting on the sidelines as bystanders to the techpocalypse, Chowdhury encourages both companies and consumers to take an active role in recognizing the real-world problems that perpetuate bad algorithms, instilling a moral compass in our tech. Chowdhury has been recognized as one of Silicon Valley's 40 under 40, one of the BBC's 100 Women and is a fellow at the Royal Society of the Arts. She is currently the global lead for responsible AI at Accenture Applied Intelligence, where she works with c-suite clients to create cutting-edge technical solutions for ethical, explainable and transparent AI. Come calm your fears about our data-driven future with Rumman Chowdhury as she joins INFORUM to break down how we can all work to shape AI for the better. This conversation will be moderated by Moira Weigel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard Society of Fellows and a founding editor of Logic magazine.

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Violins of Hope: A Journey of Heroism, Healing and Humanity Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day and on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Avshalom Weinstein, the co-founder of Violins of Hope, will discuss the work of Violins of Hope, a collection of over 70 violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. Weinstein and his father, who are brilliant violin makers and restorers, have devoted 20 years to locating and restoring the lost violins of the Holocaust, as a tribute to those who were lost, including 400 members of his own family. Weinstein, who assists his father in his Tel Aviv studio and has his own workshop in Istanbul, is sponsored by San Francisco's Violins of Hope, an organization which aims to address the root causes of hatred and bigotry and to promote healing and bridge building in response to contemporary issues. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East

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Week to Week Political Roundtable and Social Hour 1/24/20 Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Join us for a brand new year of political insight and discussion! 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 and our live news quiz! And come early before the program for our members social (all attendees welcome).

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Keith Hennessey and Christina Romer: Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Walter E. Hoadley Annual Economic Forecast Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

With an election year looming, trade wars with China and other countries impeding economic progress, health care remaining in flux, housing problems and governmental gridlock continuing on, what does all of this mean for your business, your investments and the overall economy for 2020? Join us for a lively discussion on where the U.S. and global economies are headed and what should be done to keep them on track. NOTES This event is underwritten by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch

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State Senate Candidate Jackie Fielder Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Jackie Fielder is challenging State Senator Scott Wiener in this year's November election. She'll sit down with us to talk about what she would do differently if her campaign is successful. Fielder is a Native American, Mexicana, and queer educator and organizer. She has been involved in the battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, advocated for a public bank in San Francisco, and campaigned against police policies she saw as dangerous. She was handpicked by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza to be Garza's successor leading a class on "Race, Women, and Class" at San Francisco State University.

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The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Institutions Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

In 1940, Engla Schey, the daughter of Norwegian immigrants, took a job as a low-paid attendant at Anoka State Hospital, one of Minnesota’s seven asylums. She worked among the 12,000 Minnesotans who were called inmates and shamefully locked away under the label “insane.” Susan Bartlett Foote tells of Schey's campaign to reform the deplorable conditions of mental institutions and of the politicians and other civic leaders who made her crusade for forgotten souls a success, breaking the stigma of shame and silence surrounding mental illness, publicizing the painful truth about asylums and building support among citizens. The result was the first modern mental health system, which catapulted Minnesota to national leadership and empowered families of the mentally ill and disabled. Though their vision met resistance, the accomplishments of these early advocates for compassionate care of the mentally ill hold many lessons that resonate to this day, when debates about what to do about the homeless and the mentally ill are chilling reminders of our shameful past. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

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Your Body Says “Yes”: How to Easily Activate Your Body–Health–Nature Intelligence to Optimize Your Health and Well-Being Jan 26, 2020

Show notes

By combining the latest scientific research and more than 20 years of medical practice, Rachel Carlton Abrams will give you a body roadmap for you to easily find greater health and joy within your body and your life. She will explain how to find and listen to your body’s “yes” as a guide to choosing a life your body will love. She will guide you through exercises that help you listen to your own innate body intelligence—the subtle and not-so-subtle signals that your body uses to communicate with you. When we listen to our body intelligence and enter into the right relationship with ourselves, she says, we have the foundation to cultivate the right relationship with others and with the natural world. Research shows that our personal relationships and our connection to nature have an enormous impact on our health. Lack of connection may increase many health risks, including all chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety and even cancer). Abrams will teach you a method to find your way back to the right relationship with the important people in your life—whether finding the connections you crave or setting the boundaries that keep you safe. You will learn about your deep and abiding connection to the natural world and how you can reimmerse yourself in the healing and calming power of nature. She says we are not separate from nature, and its impact on us is physically and emotionally profound. Abrams has written five books on integrative and holistic approaches to health, relationships and sexuality. She is a much sought-after speaker who integrates the latest science with ancient wisdom to help you heal and finally discover true lasting health. MLF Organizer: Adrea Brier MLF: Health & Medicine This event is the latest in our member-led forums’ Art and Science of Well-Being series. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

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