Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

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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

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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

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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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Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg Oct 08, 2020

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In an America that seems increasingly divided, how can we regain trust in our government and in each other? Pete Buttigieg gained a comprehensive view of American democracy during his time as a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Now, in his new book Trust: America’s Best Chance, Buttigieg argues that re-building trust as an American ideal is the key to tackling our country’s biggest challenges. Buttigieg returns to INFORUM to share a vision that urges us to reject our divided present in favor of a future that is more inclusive, conciliatory and trusting. Through this path, he states, American democracy can truly live up to its guiding tenets.

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Student Summit on Civics Oct 08, 2020

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In these increasingly divisive and unstable times, it is more apparent than ever that the health of our democracy depends on educating and empowering young people to participate. But the barriers to their involvement can seem insurmountable: from the lack of civics in schools, indifferent local legislators, and partisan efforts to suppress voting and spark social unrest. Combined, these numerous factors conspire to deny youth the tools and information they need to become involved. Yet young people have a powerful voice, and they are increasingly using it to challenge all of us to step up, pay attention, and solve pressing social and political issues. In this program, we bring together four youth leaders from across the United States, whose diverse perspectives will provide insights into the experiences of young Americans today. Join us to hear first-hand what it means to grow up during this unique historic moment, to learn about the actions young people are taking to effect meaningful change in their schools and communities, and to consider together what we all must do to empower citizens of all ages, now and for generations to come.

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Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper: Re-Imagining U.S. Foreign Policy Oct 07, 2020

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Foreign policy experts Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper paint a provocative picture of the United States’ future. As the country prepares for a presidential election of historic significance and charts its course in a post-pandemic world, they say the United States must reject the temptation to embrace nationalistic calls for closure, global disengagement or self-sufficiency, and instead redouble its commitment to international leadership, economic interdependence and alliances in an “open world.” They say that despite considerable foreign threats, the greatest dangers to the United States come from within: decades of underinvestment in the American people, economy and democracy; misalignment of the tech sector with the nation’s vital interests; and acute partisan polarization. Come for an engaging discussion on how the future of American power in a post-COVID world must build on the foundation of 21st century competitiveness.

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John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge: COVID’s Wake-Up Call Oct 07, 2020

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COVID-19 has been a startling wake-up call and exposed the medical and economic challenges of dealing with a pandemic. As the death toll continues to rise, what can be done to keep people safe? And why are some countries handling the crisis better than others? Economic journalists Micklethwait and Wooldridge identify the problems that global leaders face and outline a detailed plan to ensure we are better prepared and responsive to any disruptive events in the future.

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A Conversation with Peter Baker and Susan Glasser Oct 06, 2020

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The early 1970s were a tumultuous time for the Republican Party—not unlike today. The party was battling national security risks, wrestling with the expansion of civil rights, and dealing with the political fallout of an embattled president. In order to survive, the Republican Party needed someone to guide them. That someone was James A. Baker III. Baker was the right-hand man of presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and a major player in constructing modern conservatism, yet his story has gone largely untold until now. Revered political journalists (and husband and wife) Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker have teamed up to tell the story of the man behind the curtain. In their book The Man Who Ran Washington, they describe that man who pieced the Republican Party back together, leading with vision and a loyalty to the party, but also in service to all Americans. Join us as Baker and Glasser discuss the story of a power broker who influenced America’s future for generations, the current state of politics, and more! NOTES Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation This program contains EXPLICIT language

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JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century Oct 06, 2020

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Join us for a virtual conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Fredrik Logevall, who has written a revealing biography about our iconic, yet still elusive, 35th president. At the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation that he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War. Born in 1917 to a wealthy Irish American family, JFK developed political ambition at an early age. His meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president helped mythologize him, as did the many hagiographic portrayals of his dazzling charisma. Reports of his extramarital affairs, and disagreements over his political legacy, have also proliferated since his untimely death, but all these accounts fail to capture the full person. Attracted by this gap in our historical knowledge, Logevall spent the last decade searching for the “real” JFK. The result is a two-volume biography that effectively contextualizes JFK amidst the roiling American Century. We will discuss volume one, which covers the first 39 years of his life—from his birth through his decision to run for president—revealing his early relationships, his formative experiences during World War II, his ideas, his writings and his political aspirations. Logevall shows us a more serious, independent-minded Kennedy than we’ve previously known, especially his distinct international sensibility, which developed amid the tumult of mid-century America and the Second World War, preparing JFK for his crucial role in keeping the Cold War cold. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond

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