Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Amanda Tyler with Soledad O'Brien: The Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her decades in public service advocating for guaranteed rights and protections of all people. She transformed the legislative landscape by pioneering conversations on American freedom with a particular focus on gender equality. In the new book Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue, UC Berkeley law school professor Amanda Tyler celebrates the life work of RBG to tell the story of Justice Ginsburg's unwavering commitment to the achievement of "a more perfect Union." With a research focus in the Supreme Court, legal history and civil procedure, Tyler encapsulates the life of RBG and what we can learn from her experiences in politics.

Drawing from personal conversations and additional materials on Justice Ginsburg’s life, Tyler dives into her notable briefs and oral arguments, last speeches and favorite opinions, along with the statements that she read from the bench in her most important cases. She emphasizes Ginsburg’s pursuit for constitutional interpretation that defends all people based on humanity rather than status—a mission she said all politicians should strive to follow. Dubbed “The Notorious RBG,” her tireless work in the government will have a lasting impact on our nation’s political culture.

Join us as professor Amanda Tyler and award winning journalist Soledad O’Brien commemorate the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and tell us what we can learn from the late justice’s life work.

SPEAKERS

Amanda Tyler

Shannon Cecil Turner Professor of Law, University of California Berkeley School of Law; Author, Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union

In Conversation with Soledad O’Brien

Journalist

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 15th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: The Disordered Cosmos Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Theoretical physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein wants to share the wonders of the universe with people who might think they are inaccessible. As a professor at the University of New Hampshire in theoretical physics and women’s studies, Prescod-Weinstein teaches and studies the outer reaches of scientific understanding and seeks to make complex concepts understandable. In her new book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, Prescod-Weinstein provides a unique chronicle of the physics of our cosmos through the lens of the Star Trek universe.

Join Prescod-Weinstein at INFORUM to learn about the universe from her perspective, formed by Black feminism and a view of our cosmos as, despite its intricacies, accessible to all.

SPEAKERS

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics and Core Faculty Member in Women’s Studies, University of New Hampshire; Author, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

Raja GuhaThakurta

Ph.D., Professor/Astronomer & Department Chair, Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz

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 6th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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I Hear You: Talking and Listening to People with Alzheimer’s Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Join us for a far-reaching conversation with co-authors Dr. Jane Mahakian and Alyson Kuhn about their practical guide for caregivers and the rest of us. Learning to communicate with someone with dementia is an enormous first step toward making that person’s life easier and richer in the moment. The more of us who want to talk and listen to people with dementia, the less “socially disappeared” they will be.

Dr. Mahakian and Kuhn will share several of the book’s vignettes, giving us glimpses into the realm of forgetfulness and demonstrating ways to connect with someone with dementia. They will also share reader responses to I Hear You, which are diverse, touching and thoughtful.

The co-authors met in 2003, when it became prudent to move Caroline, Kuhn’s mother, from her home of 50 years—before her dementia posed serious risks to her physical and social well-being. Dr. Mahakian masterminded the successful move, and Kuhn’s extensive email exchanges with Dr. Mahakian over several years formed the basis for the I Hear You writing partnership.

MLF ORGANIZER

Denise Michaud

NOTES

MLF: Grownups

SPEAKERS

Jane Mahakian

Gerontologist; Author, I Hear You

Alyson Kuhn

Freelance Writer and Editor; Co-author, I Hear You

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 th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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CLIMATE ONE REWIND: Billionaire Wilderness Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

For many of us, the story of the American wilderness begins when Europeans arrived on these shores and began conquering it. The wide open spaces of the American West loom large in our country’s mythology. But what often gets written out is the history and culture of those native societies who were here to begin with - and whose relationship to this land is very different. And while one-percenters have contributed generously to preserve and protect the pristine wilderness they love, the people who work for them are often struggling, working two or three jobs. How are public and private land interests competing in the American West? Can conservation and recreation coalesce in a way that is inclusive of all communities?

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Cass Sunstein: Liars, Deception and Free Speech Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

There have always been officials in the political arena who lie to appease their constituents and undermine their opponents. In recent years, lying and falsehoods have only worsened. All over the world, people circulate and amplify damaging lies through social media platforms that influence the masses. These untruths serve to plant seeds of doubt in everyday citizens, citizens who can no longer tell what’s real and what’s fake. In his new book Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception, legal scholar and Harvard professor Cass Sunstein seeks to understand society’s role in regulating lies and falsehoods without threatening the right to freedom of speech.

Generally, he says society must allow lies to circulate to some extent; the government cannot make unbiased judgements about what counts as "fake news.” Still, public officials and private institutions, such as Facebook and Twitter, have the responsibility to regulate the kinds of falsehoods that endanger health, safety and the capacity of the public to govern itself. Sunstein says that as of now, we are allowing far too many lies that both threaten public health and undermine the foundations of democracy itself.

Join us for a conversation with Cass Sunstein as he discusses the tactics used by powerful figures to spread lies, and shows how the government and private institutions can control false information.

SPEAKERS

Cass Sunstein

Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University; Author, Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception

In Conversation with Kirk Hanson

Senior Fellow and Former Executive Director, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University

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 March 30th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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Brooke Baldwin: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Women in male-dominated industries face a wide-range of sexist and misogynist obstacles that bring moral and societal dilemmas to the forefront. In these industries, CNN's Brooke Baldwin says that women-led “huddles” are necessary to provide young women in the workplace with the necessary support, inspiration, and strength to succeed. These all-girl learning and work environments ensure that self-care, skill-building, and intersectionality are prioritized to uplift other women. According to Baldwin, trailblazing women have been doing this for generations to break glass ceilings and pave new paths for women everywhere. In her new book Huddle: How Women Unlock their Collective Power, Baldwin explores this group phenomenon and what it means for gender equality and female empowerment.

Through Huddle, Baldwin investigates the periods of “huddle” droughts, the benefits of participating in all-women spaces, and her own input from personal experiences growing up in the South and climbing the ladder of a male-dominated industry. To Baldwin, anything is possible for women in a huddle: success in the workplace, effective grassroots change, confidence in girlhood, and a better physical and mental health profile in adulthood.

Join us as Brooke Baldwin and CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota explore the rewards of women-led spaces for mental health, workplace assistance and overall wellness.

SPEAKERS:

Brooke Baldwin, Anchor, CNN; Author, Huddle: How Women Unlock their Collective Power; Twitter @BrookeBaldwin

In Conversation with Alisyn Camerota, Anchor, New Day on CNN

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National Poetry Month Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Monday Night Philosophy celebrates National Poetry Month (in partial atonement for a few harsh words about poetry in Plato's Republic) by virtually welcoming acclaimed poet Phillis Levin, the author of five books of poetry, to San Francisco. Since its inauguration in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with poets, publishers, booksellers, libraries and schools celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.

Join Phillis Levin, and poet-lawyer Paul Gupta, for a dive into the pleasures of poetry and for readings from each of their own works. We will also hear from some of the Bay Area's student poets, and then from all of you. Instead of the usual Q&A, livestream audience members can either ask the poets a question using the chat room or send us one of their own poems for us to read. Given our time constraints, if you are an epic poet, remember that brevity is the soul of wit.

MLF: Humanities

MLF: Organizer: George Hammond

SPEAKERS:

Phillis Levin

Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence, Hofstra University; Editor, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet; Author, Mr. Memory & Other Poems

Paul Gupta

Cybersecurity and IP Litigation Attorney; Author, “Holding Lady Liberty’s Hand,” Headcount's Voter Registration Poem

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Commonwealth Club Week in Review for April 9, 2021 Apr 10, 2021

Show notes

This is your Commonwealth Club week in review. Hear what you missed this week, and what we’ve got lined up for you next week.

We’re always adding new programs - check out commonwealthclub.org/online for all of our upcoming events.

If you haven’t already - please consider becoming a member of the Club. Enjoy exclusive discounts and access to special programs all while knowing your contributions directly support our many public programs and civic initiatives.

Visit commonwealthclub.org/special, for special rates on memberships.

Thanks for your support and as always - thanks for listening!

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Ty McCormick with James Fallows: Beyond the Sand and Sea Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya is home to more than 200,000 Somali refugees. Of these 200,000 people, 56 percent are children. These young boys and girls growing up in the world's largest refugee camp must resist recruitment into extremist groups, avoid brutality from security forces, and forego dangerous job opportunities. Asad Hussein, a Somali refugee born and raised in Dadaab, found resistance in donated novels written by American immigrants and through communication with his sister Maryan, who already found sanctuary in Arizona. Through stories of happenstance, long odds, impossibly good luck, and uncommon generosity, Hussein would eventually overcome tireless obstacles, reunite his family in the United States, and win a scholarship to study literature at Princeton University.

In his new book Beyond the Sand and Sea, American foreign correspondent Ty McCormick reports on Asad Hussein and his family over a three-year period to gain a better understanding of refugee life and place in America. The story of Asad, Maryan, and their family’s escape from Dadaab Refugee Camp is just one of many. This timeless narrative uncovers the perseverance of refugees everywhere, and exposes the broken refugee resettlement system that has kept thousands of families in permanent exile.

Join us as Ty McCormick speaks on his experiences with Asad Hussein and his family to give readers a better understanding of refugee life and belonging in the world.

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Suneel Gupta with DJ Patil: Convincing Others to Back Your Dreams Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

Entrepreneur Suneel Gupta argues that it's more important than ever to be "backable," to get the support we need for re-entering the workforce, changing life direction after quarantine, and navigating a very different social scene. Gupta, who comes from a family of highly backable people—including his mother, Damyanti Hingorani, the first woman engineer for Ford Motor Company, and his brother Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN—will also share advice for how we can all find support, based on his own backing of such companies as Impossible Foods, Airbnb, 23&Me and SpaceX. He will further reveal secrets of success from producers of Oscar-winning films, members of Congress, military leaders, culinary stars, venture capitalists, founders of unicorn-status startups, and executives at iconic companies such as Lego, Method and Pixar.

Gupta says he went from being afraid to speak inside a room to running for public office. He went from being rejected by every major investor he pitched to raising millions of dollars of funding from the same investors that backed Google, Uber, and Airbnb. Come hear the advice and amazing personal story of a man who struggled to find his voice and now, among his other achievements, also serves as the emissary for Gross National Happiness between the United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan.

SPEAKERS

Suneel Gupta

J.D. M.B.A., Lecture on Innovation, Harvard University; Author, Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You

DJ Patil

Ph.D., Former U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors

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