Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CLIMATE ONE: Heavy Weather: Balancing Joy and Despair Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Nearly half of all Americans are dealing with a new mental stressor: climate anxiety. Whether we get it from the news, the trauma of a natural disaster, or fear of a warming planet, it’s undermining our health and well-being, according to the American Psychological Association. So what’s the solution to preventing stress, fear, and helplessness from taking a toll on your well-being? Can we simultaneously enjoy a beautiful day in nature and worry about the future of human civilization? Join us for a conversation about cultivating awareness and resilience in an age of unprecedented disruption.

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CLIMATE ONE: A Tale of Two Cities: Miami and Detroit Oct 01, 2019

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Climate change is turning one of Miami’s poorest neighborhoods into some of the most desirable real estate around. But there’s only so much Little Haiti to go around. And as hurricanes pummel the coast and rising seas lap at Florida’s shoreline, Midwestern cities like Detroit look more and more appealing. Is the Motor City ready for a Sunshine State invasion?

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Top Myths About Homelessness Sep 30, 2019

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If we build homeless housing, won't that just attract more homeless people? I read an article about this cool thing they're doing in Utah; why don't we do that? What about tiny homes? We know the causes of and solutions to homelessness, but public opinion is based on anecdotes and personal observation rather than facts. This talk will look at some of the most common misconceptions and provide a nuanced, evidence-based response on one of the country's most pressing issues. MLF Organizer: Patrick O'Reilly MLF: Psychology

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Jennifer Eberhardt: Understanding Bias Sep 28, 2019

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How biased are you? According to Jennifer Eberhardt, we live in a world where unconscious bias and innate prejudices affect our visual perception, attention, memory and behavior. These stereotypes can dramatically influence and impact our education, employment, housing and our criminal justice system. Eberhardt has worked extensively as a psychologist and consultant with numerous companies and law enforcement agencies. She shares her groundbreaking research, covering courtrooms, boardrooms, classrooms and prisons, to better understand and invoke change at all levels in society. Eberhardt is the co-founder and co-director of SPARQ (Social Psychological Answers to Real-World Questions), a university initiative that uses social psychological research to address significant social problems. She was also the recipient of a 2014 MacArthur Genius Grant. In association with Wonderfest

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Josh Campbell: The War Against Intelligence Sep 28, 2019

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In Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump’s War on the FBI, CNN analyst and former FBI agent Josh Campbell takes his readers behind the scenes of the FBI during the historic investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Campbell argues that President Trump’s unprecedented attacks on the FBI undermine the democratic integrity of the bureau and the men and women who work to uphold the law. Compelled to take action, Campbell provides a narrative that urges readers to discover the truth of what happened in 2016. Campbell served as a career special agent and special assistant to former FBI Director James Comey for over a decade before resigning in February 2018. As a national security expert for CNN, he analyzed developments in Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. Campbell also regularly contributes to The Washington Post, USA Today and The New York Times. His Times piece, “Why I Am Leaving the F.B.I.,” went viral after publication in early 2018. Come join us for a conversation with Josh Campbell, who will discuss the dangers of President Trump’s relentless attacks on the FBI and what it means for the future of national security.

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'Chosen Fam': Behind the Scenes of Panda Dulce's New Web Series Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

Join us for a discussion of "Chosen Fam," a new web series telling stores of queer people of color in the Bay Area. Kyle Casey Chu (aka Panda Dulce) is a Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) core queen who writes about race, power and desire. Her work has appeared on NPR, Vice, HuffPost, Fusion, MTV, NBC, and them. She has spoken and performed at SFMOMA, RuPaul's Drag Con, and universities across the United States. Most recently, she is the co-writer, lead actress and songwriter of the forthcoming QTPOC web series "Chosen Fam." Come for a free midday program, as Michelle Meow brings her long-running radio show to The Commonwealth Club one day each week. Meet fascinating—and often controversial—people discussing important issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, and have your questions ready.

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The Education of Brett Kavanaugh - Marin Conversations Sep 27, 2019

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Last year’s Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were dominated by allegations of sexual misconduct during Kavanaugh’s past, including during his prep school and college years. While Kavanaugh was ultimately sworn in for a lifetime position on the Supreme Court, many questions about his past remained unanswered. In the new book, The Education of Brett Kavanaugh, New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly—two journalists who broke many critical stories about Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing—take a deeper look at the formative years of the Supreme Court justice and his confirmation. Their research fills in some of the blanks and explores the essential question: Who is Brett Kavanaugh? By offering commentary from key players from his confirmation process who haven't yet spoken publicly and pursuing lines of inquiry that were left hanging, the new book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our political system and Kavanaugh's unexpectedly emblematic role in it. The authors are the perfect people to tell this story: Kate Kelly was in the same Washington, D.C. high school circuit as Kavanaugh, while Robin Pogrebin was one of his former classmates at Yale.

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The Unspeakable Mind: Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science Sep 27, 2019

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Shaili Jain will share nuanced cartography of PTSD, a widely misunderstood yet crushing condition that afflicts millions of Americans. Jain's new book, The Unspeakable Mind, is the definitive guide for a trauma-burdened age. With profound empathy and meticulous research, Jain—a practicing psychiatrist and PTSD specialist at one of America’s top VA hospitals; trauma scientist at the National Center for PTSD; and a Stanford professor—shines a long overdue light on the PTSD epidemic affecting today’s fractured world. Post-traumatic stress disorder goes far beyond the horrors of war, and it is an inescapable part of all our lives. At any given moment, more than six million Americans are suffering with PTSD. Jain’s groundbreaking work demonstrates the ways this disorder cuts to the heart of life, interfering with one’s capacity to love, create and work—incapacity brought on by a complex interplay between biology, genetics and environment. Beyond the struggles of individuals, PTSD has a tangible imprint on cultures and societies around the world. MLF Organizer: Patty James MLF: Health & Medicine

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An Evening with George Takei Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

With an acting career spanning six decades, George Takei is known around the world for his founding role in the acclaimed television series “Star Trek,” in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise. But Takei's story goes where few stories have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to becoming one of the country's leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ rights and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture. Mashable.com named him the no. 1 most influential person on Facebook, currently with 10.4 million likes and 2.8 million followers on Twitter. Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series “Takei's Take,” and is the subject of To Be Takei, a Jennifer M. Kroot documentary on his life and career. "Takei's Take" explores the world of technology, trends, current events and pop culture. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad Takei bring viewers into their personal life in the heightened reality web series, “It Takeis Two.” Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical, Allegiance, inspired by his true-life experience in American internment camps. Allegiance ran in New York in 2015 and 2016 and had its Los Angeles premiere in 2018. In his new graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, Takei revisits his haunted childhood in American concentration camps as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. He details the forces that shaped him—and America itself—in a tale of courage, country, loyalty and love. Come for a rare visit with an American icon about his life, his activism and his ongoing mission to ensure that, at least on Earth, very few frontiers are final. This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

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Daniel Handler's Bottle Grove Sep 25, 2019

Show notes

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Daniel Handler, best-selling author known for his adult novels and children’s books under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket, returns with a new dark comedy about his hometown of San Francisco. As Handler knows, San Francisco is a one-of-a-kind place, but it's leaving its residents behind. The city is flooded with tech money and innovation, but skyrocketing rents, income inequality, homelessness and other issues in the city have never been more urgent. Handler’s new novel, Bottle Grove, addresses love, greed and the precipice of change as two couples living in San Francisco deal with the effects of the tech boom looming over its citizens. Join us in welcoming Daniel Handler back to INFORUM and San Francisco this fall! NOTES Handler photo by Meredith Heuer

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