Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Farming to Save the Earth Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

One of the best-kept secrets in combating the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity and agricultural productivity is a return to an agriculture model that sustained people and the planet prior to the age of industrial agriculture. The answer to the future of farming is to look to the past. Beginning from the modern sustainable agricultural and slow food movement, California's early pioneers in organic farming have redefined the meaning of sustainability. The new models for an earth-friendly, food-healthy system have drawn from the teachings of Rudolf Steiner—noted scientist, philosopher and founder of the Waldorf School. Interestingly, he was instrumental in helping European farmers combat the rapid decline in seed fertility, crop vitality and animal health on their farms. Join fourth-generation winemaker Paul Dolan, former chairman of the Wine Institute and former president of Fetzer Vineyards, who led a transformation that put the company at the forefront of organic viticulture and sustainable business. Today, besides growing and making biodynamic wines, Dolan is a leader in redefining the farming system, with a focus on regenerative agriculture and biodynamic farming. Joining Dolan is Roots of Change (ROC) president Michael Dimock, an organizer and thought leader on food and farming systems. ROC develops and campaigns for smart, incentive-based food and farm policies that position agriculture and food enterprises as solutions to critical challenges of the 21st century. He is the host of the new podcast “Flipping the Table,” featuring honest conversations about food, farms and the future. Dimock serves on the boards of the UCLA Law School’s Resnick food law and policy program, Farm to Pantry, the Wild Farm Alliance and Sonoma Academy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Inner Ecology—It's All About Shifting How We Think Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Nora Bateson’s cinematic vision will help you to see the world in a different way. At the bottom of the climate crisis is the problem of how we think and how we encounter the world. In conversation with Gil Friend, they will have a conversation about new forms of leadership. In today’s complex world, the tools they are offering can be applied to problem solving the pressing dilemmas of our time. Join Friend and Bateson as they explore warm data, the patterns that connect, the dilemma of purpose and the ways our words shape the worlds we inhabit. It is about the possibilities we generate, in each other and in ourselves. As Gregory Bateson said, "The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think." MLF Organizer: Elizabeth Carney MLF: Business & Leadership In partnership with Presidio Graduate School

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clive Thompson: How Tech Remade the World Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

When we think of the people behind the most influential technological advances of our day, we usually imagine the leaders of the industry but forget the armies behind them: coders. Dedicated to the pursuit of higher efficiency, these lovers of logic and puzzles are able to withstand unbelievable amounts of frustration; they are arguably the most quietly influential people on the planet. In his new book, Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World, Clive Thompson argues just that. Through increasingly pervasive artificial intelligence, coders have a larger and larger role to play. Thompson analyzes how embedded this industry is in our lives, questioning the lack of geographic and demographic diversity in the sector while outlining his optimistic view on the opportunities that this age of code can unlock. Join us for a conversation about this frequently misunderstood industry culture and a refreshingly enthusiastic take on its future. Thompson is a freelance journalist and one of the most prominent technology writers. He is a longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language **

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America and the Great Power Competition Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Retired Vice Admiral Charles W. Martoglio of the U.S. Navy will discuss America’s greatest security challenge of the 21st century, the increasingly competitive rivalry posed by China and Russia teaming against American interests at home and around the world. He’ll discuss the global security environment, how China and Russia are challenging America, internal challenges faced by Russia and China, and America’s way ahead to ensure its global position in this increasingly dynamic and competitive world. MLF Organizer: Linda Calhoun MLF: International Relations

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Invisible Women's Voices Finally Being Heard Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

In her book Sacred Voices: Stories from the Caravan of Women, Mariam Baker shows how we are all connected, and how women can lead the way. Finding herself strongly connected to Islam and Sufism since she was 20 years old, Baker, who grew up Catholic in the United States, conducts workshops all over the world, bridging the divide between Islam and the West. Believing it’s about time the greatness of women’s wisdom is spoken and heard, her lifelong work is devoted to empowering us all, especially women, with the goal of freeing women’s voices throughout the world and amongst all religions. Baker has led a rich and varied life that has helped launch her career as a spiritual teacher, conducting workshops all over the world. A specialist in women's and religious studies, she has spoken throughout the United States and in Canada, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Tunisia and Australia. A leader in women’s spirituality since the 1970s, Baker has dedicated herself to uncovering the voices that have been forgotten, shunted aside or deliberately silenced. MLF Organizer: Denise Michaud MLF: Grownups

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janet Napolitano: Homeland Security Since 9/11 Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

The Department of Homeland Security seems to appear in the headlines and in the media more and more often. Covering everything from terrorism prevention, law enforcement, disaster recovery and public safety, the department’s goals can often seem self-contradictory and overly politicized, especially today. Few people understand this better than Janet Napolitano, who served as the Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009-2013. In her new book, How Safe Are We? Homeland Security Since 9/11, Napolitano unabashedly acknowledges the shortcomings and challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security today, especially the politicization of border security and our lagging cybersecurity sector. But she also makes a pragmatic and honest case for its successes and explains the ways in which Homeland Security does indeed make us safer. Join us for a discussion that chronicles the evolution of our national security and cuts through the political noise that too often dominates these conversations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black Futures Lab and the Black Census Project Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

The issues facing black communities are often complicated, nuanced and heavily weighted by centuries of historical injustice. Black Futures Lab, founded by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, works to make black people powerful in politics by transforming black communities into constituencies that build power in cities and states. The Black Futures Lab recently completed the largest survey of black people since Reconstruction, with nearly 40,000 respondents from diverse communities across the nation. The survey included questions regarding many defining characteristics, including gender, sexuality, age and other categories, and it dug into several key issues rooted in inequality and to understand better what black communities desire for their futures. Join Garza and other cultural leaders, scholars and experts for a conversation about the inaugural data results and how to use this data to create solutions with lasting impact.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guy Kawasaki: Lessons from Silicon Valley Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Guy Kawasaki has been a fixture in Silicon Valley and the tech world since he was part of Apple's original Macintosh team in the 1980s. He's widely respected as a source of wisdom about entrepreneurship, venture capital, marketing and business evangelism. But before all that, he was just a middle-class kid in Hawaii, a grandson of Japanese immigrants. Kawaski's new book, Wise Guy, is this unique tech icon's opportunity to share what he has learned throughout his life. In his more than 10 previous best-selling books, Kawasaki has shared business insights that have been taught at business schools across the country and inspired innovators. In this most recent book, Kawsaki takes readers through his surprising journey and focuses on the experiences that have enlightened and inspired him. Guy covers everything from moral values to business skills to parenting. At a time when the tech world is under a microscope and wide swaths of the public are looking for more from their business leaders, Kawasaki's latest book comes at a perfect time, for him and the general public. Please join for a conversation with one of the top tech leaders of our time. Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, an online graphic design tool. He is a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz and an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He was the chief evangelist of Apple and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. He is also the author of The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment and nine other books. ***This Program Contains Explicit Language***

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Achieve Fool Realization on April Fools' Day Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

Celebrate the lunch hour on April Fools’ Day by sitting at the feet of cosmic comic Swami Beyondananda, whose favorite yoga pose is tongue in cheek. Swami will help you laugh lovingly at our human foolishness till the sacred cows come home. And at least one lucky person in the audience will achieve “fool realization" as to why author Marianne Williamson has called Swami the Mark Twain of our times. Come in darkness (to get a good seat), but expect to be enlightened. And BYOF (bring your own friends), because when it comes to laughter, the more the merrier. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deep Medicine Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

One of America's top doctors reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) will empower physicians and revolutionize patient care. Medicine has become inhuman to disastrous effect. The doctor–patient relationship—the heart of medicine—is broken: Doctors are too distracted and overwhelmed to truly connect with their patients, and medical errors and misdiagnoses abound. In his latest book, Deep Medicine, Topol reveals how AI can help. AI has the potential to transform everything doctors do, from note-taking and medical scans to diagnosis and treatment, greatly cutting down the cost of medicine and reducing human mortality. By freeing physicians from the tasks that interfere with human connection, AI will create space for the real healing that takes place between a doctor who can listen and a patient who needs to be heard. MLF Organizer Name: Bill Grant MLF: Health & Medicine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices