Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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Week to Week Political Roundtable: September 19, 2024 Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

About a month and a half before Election Day, and even less time than that before the first votes begin to be cast, join us live for a roundup of the latest political news on the local, state and national levels.

Join us for our latest election season Week to Week political roundtable. Enjoy and learn as our panel of political experts explains what happened and what to expect, and answers your questions.

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Joseph Stiglitz: Economics and the Good Society Sep 24, 2024

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One of the world’s leading economists joins us to offer a compelling new vision of personal and economic freedom.

Many Americans believe this nation was born from the conviction that people must be free. But since the middle of the last century, that idea has been co-opted. Forces on the political right have justified exploitation by cloaking it in the rhetoric of freedom, leading to pharmaceutical companies freely overcharging for medication, a Big Tech free from oversight, politicians free to incite rebellion, corporations free to pollute, and more.

How did we get here? Whose freedom are we―and should we―be thinking about?

In his new book The Road to Freedom, Nobel Prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz dissects America’s current economic system and the political ideology that created it, laying bare what he identifies as their twinned failure. He says that “free” and unfettered markets have only succeeded in delivering a series of crises: the financial crisis, the opioid crisis, and the crisis of inequality. While a small portion of the population has amassed considerable wealth, wages for most people have stagnated. Free and unfettered markets have exploited consumers, workers, and the environment alike. Such failures have fed populist movements that believe being free means abandoning any obligations citizens have to one another. As they grow in strength, Stiglitz warns that these movements now pose a real threat to true economic and political freedom.

As an economic advisor to presidents and as chief economist at the World Bank, Stiglitz has witnessed these profound changes firsthand. He argues the failures follow from the elites’ unshakeable dedication to “the neoliberal experiment.” Explicitly taking on giants such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, Stiglitz says accepted ideas about our political and economic life are really just twisted visions that tear at the social fabric while they enrich the very few.

Stiglitz posits what he says is a deeper, more humane way to assess freedoms―one that considers with care what to do when one person’s freedom conflicts with another’s. He says we must reimagine our existing economic and legal systems and embrace forms of collective action, including regulation and investment, if we are to create an innovative society in which everyone can flourish.

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CLIMATE ONE REWIND – Wardrobe Malfunction: The Climate Impact of Clothing Sep 20, 2024

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What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashion, with major consequences for our climate and environment. From mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation, fossil fuels are embedded in the clothing industry at every step of the process. Companies large and small are working against this trend, with some setting lofty goals for reducing carbon emissions and water use.

But achieving those goals is hard. So what are the solutions? Buy less? Design new fibers and materials? Thrifting and repurposing existing clothing? New business models? How can we make low-impact clothing?

Guests:

Aja Barber, Author, “Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change and Consumerism”

Jason Kibbey, Former CEO, Sustainable Apparel Coalition; Former President, Worldly

Molly Morse, CEO, Mango Materials

Jonathan Chapman, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University School of Design

For show notes and related links, visit our website.

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Don Lemon: My Search for God in America Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

Journalist Don Lemon says he always had a complicated relationship with God. He cherished the Southern Black church he was raised in, but struggled with the fundamentalist rejection of his right to exist as a gay man—one who wanted to marry his longtime love in a church wedding with all the traditional trimmings. In his work as a reporter, moreover, he saw his fellow Americans losing faith in a higher power, in institutions, and in each other.

Setting out to understand the place that religion has in our lives today, Lemon turned a journalistic eye on ancient stories and found connections that sparked memories, conversations, and chance encounters. Then, suddenly, his world unraveled: In a blaze of inglorious headlines, Don was ousted from his high-profile network news job and tasked with redefining his role in the shifting media landscape. But through a year of personal changes and professional whiplash, he kept his “eyes on the prize” and ultimately found what he was seeking: grace, within himself and in this nation we call home.

Rich with humor and Louisiana realness, his new book I Once Was Lost is a prayer for a country that reflects the multifaceted image of God and a clarion call to those who believe in our common humanity enough to fight for it. Join us for an online-only talk with Don Lemon about faith and how tribulations can make us stronger, as individuals and as a nation.

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

This program contains EXPLICIT language.

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Cass Sunstein: Campus Free Speech Sep 17, 2024

Show notes

Free speech is indispensable on college campuses: allowing varied views and frank exchanges of opinion is a core component of the educational enterprise and the pursuit of truth. But, says renowned legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein, free speech does not mean a free-for-all. The First Amendment prohibits “abridging the freedom of speech,” yet laws against perjury or bribery, for example, are still constitutional. In the same way, valuing freedom of speech does not stop a university from regulating speech when doing so is necessary for its educational mission. So where is the dividing line? How can we distinguish reasonable restrictions from impermissible infringement?

Join us for a special online-only program in which Sunstein will provide a pragmatic, no-nonsense explainer, taking us through a wide range of scenarios involving students, professors and administrators. He says it’s consistent with the First Amendment to punish students who shout down a speaker, but not those who chant offensive slogans; why a professor cannot be fired for writing a politically charged op-ed, yet a university might legitimately consider an applicant’s political views when deciding whether to hire her. He explains why private universities are not legally bound by the First Amendment yet should, in most cases, look to follow it. And he addresses the thorny question of whether a university should officially take sides on public issues or deliberately keep the institution outside the fray.

He'll draw on the work he put into his new book Campus Free Speech: A Pocket Guide and will provide a concise guide to resolving free-speech dilemmas at colleges and universities.

This program is part of The Commonwealth Club’s Future of Democracy Series, supported by Betsy and Roy Eisenhardt.

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Banking on Purpose: A Fireside Chat with Darrel Hackett, President & CEO, BMO Bank N.A. Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

Join us for a fireside chat with Darrel Hackett, BMO Bank’s president and CEO.

In 2023, BMO completed the $16 billion acquisition of San Francisco-based Bank of the West, doubling its U.S. footprint. Under Hackett's leadership, BMO is now a top 10 U.S. bank with significant growth ambitions.

In contrast to recent high-profile corporate departures from the Bay Area, BMO has boldly entered the market with this major acquisition and a $16 billion commitment for community giving and lending in California. BMO is driven by a single purpose—to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life—and is committed to making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future, and inclusive society. In conversation with ABC 7 Anchor Dan Ashley, Hackett will share more about BMO’s headline-making growth and purpose-driven corporate leadership, as well as the bank’s future in the Bay Area and beyond.

This program is generously supported by BMO.

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The Connection Between Autoimmunity and Trauma Sep 14, 2024

Show notes

Approximately one in three Americans has autoimmunity, according to our speaker, Dr. Sara Szal Gottfried, M.D. Conventional medicine falls short when it comes to both diagnosing and treating autoimmune conditions. In The Autoimmune Cure, by Dr. Gottfried, there is hope for the tens of millions of people who suffer from autoimmune disease. Dr. Gottfried explains the connection between trauma and autoimmunity, and has created a powerful program designed to break the vicious cycle of autoimmune disease, reset your immune system, and restore your health.

About the Speakers

Dr. Sara Szal Gottfried, M.D., is a physician, researcher, author, and educator. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and MIT, and completed residency at UCSF, but is more likely to prescribe a continuous glucose monitor and personalized nutrition plan than the latest pharmaceutical. Dr. Gottfried is an international keynote speaker and the author of four New York Times bestselling books about hormones, nutrition and health. She is clinical assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University, and director of precision medicine at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health. Her focus is at the interface of mental and physical health, N-of-1 trial design, personalized molecular profiling, use of wearables, and how to leverage these tools to improve health outcomes.

Dr. Brad Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.O.I.M., is a recognized leader in conscious leadership, personal transformation and precision medicine. He is a Stanford-trained physician board-certified in internal medicine and integrative medicine and was the endowed professor and founding medical director of the University of California at San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.

Organizer: Patty James

A Nutrition, Food & Wellness Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

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Daniel Levitin: Music as Medicine Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

What are the deep connections between music and healing?

Music is one of humanity’s oldest medicines. From the Far East to the Ottoman Empire, Europe to Africa and the pre-colonial Americas, many cultures have developed their own rich traditions for using sound and rhythm to ease suffering, promote healing, and calm the mind.

Join us as neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin shares some of the findings he put in his latest book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, in which he explores the curative powers of music, showing us how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He examines the results of numerous studies on music and the brain, demonstrating how music can contribute to the treatment of a host of ailments, from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, to cognitive injury, depression and pain.

Levitin is not your typical scientist—he is also an award-winning musician and composer, and through lively interviews with some of today’s most celebrated musicians, from Sting to Kent Nagano and Mari Kodama, he shares their observations as to why music might be an effective therapy, in addition to plumbing scientific case studies, music theory, and music history.

Come learn about the critical role music has played in human biology.

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

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CLIMATE ONE: Turning Election Anxiety Into Action Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

The U.S. is gearing up for a presidential election between a climate advocate and a climate denier. Scientists have given humanity a deadline to drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels if we want a habitable Earth. While there has been some progress, it’s not anywhere nearly enough, and the consequences of our failure to address our fossil fuel addiction is becoming more and more obvious. All of which generates lots of anxiety about the election’s outcome.

So what are some ways we can address that anxiety? Can that worry be put to good use?

Guests:

Lise Van Susteren, General and forensic psychiatrist; Author

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President & CEO, Hip Hop Caucus

David Hogg, Gun control activist; Cofounder, March for Our Lives, Leaders We Deserve

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today for just $5/month.

🎟️ Climate One has three incredible live shows on the horizon! Join us for conversations featuring Jane Goodall, Justin J. Pearson, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben, and Abigail Dillen. Tickets are on sale now.

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Dan Morain: Making History with Kamala Harris Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Kamala Harris is going toe-to-toe with Donald Trump in a high-stakes race for the presidency. Though she has served as vice president for four years, many Americans don’t know a lot about her. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we know her from her days as San Francisco district attorney and then California attorney general and senator. But perhaps no observer knows her as well as journalist Dan Morain, whose biography of Harris—Kamala’s Way—gives insight into her history in the Bay Area. And Morain returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to talk about Harris on the cusp of making history on the national stage.

There’s very little that’s conventional about Kamala Harris, and yet her personal story also represents many Americans. She grew up the eldest daughter of a single mother, a no-nonsense cancer researcher who emigrated from India at the age of 19 in search of a better education. She and her husband, an accomplished economist from Jamaica, split up when Kamala was only five. The Kamala Harris the public knows today is tough, smart, quick-witted, and demanding. She’s a prosecutor—her one-liners are legendary—but she’s more reticent when it comes to sharing much about herself, even in her memoirs. Fortunately, former Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Morain has been there from the start.

Join us in-person in San Francisco or online to learn more about the person who might well be America’s first female president, its first southeast Asian president, and its second Black president.

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