Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Latest Episodes:

CLIMATE ONE: Can California Go Carbon Neutral? Feb 17, 2019

Show notes

Just ten years ago, an entire state running on 100% renewable electricity seemed fanciful. But this dreamy vision became reality when, with the backing of big utilities, California committed to 100% use of zero-carbon electricity by 2045. A statewide pledge to go carbon-neutral by 2045 raised the stakes even higher. So what will it take for California to achieve such a feat? Will Governor Gavin Newsom embrace climate initiatives started by former Governor Jerry Brown? Join us for a discussion of California’s surprise gambit to take the world’s fifth largest economy to net zero.

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One Paycheck Away: Addressing Homelessness in the Bay Area Feb 17, 2019

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This event is the latest in the San Francisco Foundation’s series on People, Place and Power. Every night, more than 130,000 people go to sleep homeless in California. An estimated 25,000 of them are in the San Francisco Bay Area: sleeping on couches, in cars or sometimes in tents on the sidewalk. At this point, people from coast to coast know that the Bay Area is in the midst of a housing crisis. But what is the city doing to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis? Come hear from some of the Bay Area’s leading experts on issues surrounding homelessness. From working on the service and legal sides to fighting for policy changes to having experienced homelessness themselves, our speakers will discuss the state of the crisis, how we got here and where we’re headed next. This program is generously supported by the San Francisco Foundation's Bay Area Leads Fund.

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Modern Love: Valentine's Day with INFORUM Feb 17, 2019

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Join INFORUM for our annual Valentine’s Day event and party, with a multifaceted conversation about love. Guests include Daniel Jones, editor of The New York Times’ famous “Modern Love” column; Dr. Jess Carbino, sociologist for Bumble, the dating, friendship and networking app; and Myisha Battle, a certified sex and dating coach and host of the sex-positive podcast "Down for Whatever." Expect a discussion of love, sex, culture, the complex subjects we navigate in relationships and more. Come early and stay afterwards for drinks, snacks, activities and a chance to keep the conversation flowing. Thanks to Fort Point Beer and Rudd Wines for their support. Notes: In collaboration with The New York Times ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Content **

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The Exit Interview: Jane Kim on The Michelle Meow Show Feb 14, 2019

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The Art of Flirting Feb 14, 2019

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Don't let shyness prevent you from meeting your Valentine! In today's world of apps and texting, the delightful, seductive art of flirtation has been lost—so much the better for those who know its secrets. And who better to teach us than Rich Gosse? Gosse is the chairperson of the world's largest nonprofit singles organization, author of nine books on dating, guest on hundreds of TV shows (including “Oprah,” CNN, and “The Today Show”), and organizer of thousands of singles parties. Gosse will share three techniques for meeting anyone at any time and at any place. Equally important, we'll learn how to feel attractive without resorting to liquid courage, and how to handle rejection without feeling discouraged. There will also be a flirting contest with prizes, where Gosse will crown Mr. and Ms. San Francisco Flirt. Compete for the title or just sit back and enjoy the fun. (The winner of Gosse’s first San Francisco flirting contest so impressed Oprah that she flew Ms. San Francisco Flirt to Chicago to be on her talk show.) So stop hugging the wall, a drink or the person you don't want. Come get advice from Gosse, and become the man or woman everyone wants to meet. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Eric Siegel NOTES MLF: Personal Growth

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Roger McNamee: Inside the Facebook Catastrophe Feb 14, 2019

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If you had told Bay Area technology investor Roger McNamee even three years ago that he would soon be devoting himself to stopping Facebook from destroying our democracy, he would have howled with laughter. He had mentored many tech leaders in his illustrious career, but few things had made him prouder, or had been better for his own bottom line, than helping Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the world's largest social network. Still a large shareholder in Zuckerberg's creation, McNamee had every good reason to stay on the sidelines as the dark side of Facebook came to light. But he couldn't stay quiet. McNamee's new book, Zucked, is about the outspoken investor's efforts to come to terms with the serious damage Facebook was doing to our society. McNamee set out to try to change the massive social network and other tech companies that use design tools to addict and manipulate its users. With the election of Donald Trump, and the emergence of one horrific piece of news after another about the malign ends to which the Facebook platform has been put, McNamee has dedicated his energies to have people understand the threat of Facebook and other social networks. He will discuss what we can do to hold the companies responsible and to protect our public health and political order. Please join us for this important and timely discussion with one of Silicon Valley's most important and outspoken leaders.

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Printing Abolition: How the Slave Trade Was Abolished in Britain Feb 10, 2019

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Michael Suarez is the director of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. A renowned historian, author and worldwide leader of rare book scholarship interests, he co-edited The Oxford Companion to the Book. Suarez will provide us with a compelling, richly illustrated description about how a group of printers were instrumental in making the antislavery movement happen in England. Their broadside engraving with an image diagramming human cargo on the Brookes, a slave ship, became a force for political change in the worldwide abolitionist movement. MLF Organizer: Anne W. Smith Notes: MLF: Arts

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CLIMATE ONE: Katharine Hayhoe: Why We Need to Talk About Climate Change Feb 08, 2019

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Many of us find it daunting to talk with our neighbors, colleagues and family members about climate change. But climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says that having those difficult conversations is the first step towards solving the problem. Hayhoe is known as a “rock star” in the climate world for her ability to talk to just about anyone about global warming. She is joined by Stanford atmospheric scientist Noah Diffenbaugh for a conversation about communicating climate change in transparent, engaging, and accessible ways.

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Gopi Kallayil: The Happy Human Feb 08, 2019

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Happiness has become a multimillion dollar industry, catering to our deep desire to live joyfully, with the expectation that we as human beings deserve to be happy. Gopi Kallayil believes in reversing that equation, focusing on the need to be human first. He will explore the qualities that make us human and what happiness means in both his personal life and his professional career. Speaking with candor and humor, his deep compassion, and his love of the absurd, Kallayil will share his story—from his first job as a software programmer in South China to his current role at Google in Silicon Valley. Kallayil will explain why the key to happiness lies in being 100 percent who we are and reveling in our authentic selves, even if that means falling on our face. By embracing not only our own selves but also the entire human experience, Kallayil inspires us to expect miracles daily, to use every fall as a chance to bounce back, to go for what we want on every front and to live our lives fully. Kallayil is the chief evangelist of brand marketing at Google and a self-proclaimed “happy human." In association with the Wharton Club.

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Tina D’Elia on The Michelle Meow Show Feb 07, 2019

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Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily 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. This week's in-studio guest: Tina D'Elia Tina D’Elia is a Bay Area award-winning solo performer, SAG-AFTRA actor, casting director, performance coach, co-screenwriter and consultant. Tina’s West Coast premiere of her solo show Overlooked Latinas (premiering in February 2019) has had previews at The Marsh SF, Solo Sunday’s (Stage Werx), and Best of LezWrites (2016, 2018). Tina received the Diversity Casting Award and Best Actress Award from the Equality International Film Festival in 2017. In 2015, Tina’s popular solo show directed by Mary Guzman, The Rita Hayworth of This Generation, won Best of Fringe and won Best of Sold Out Shows at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Tina is honored to be part of CURVE Magazine’s CURVE Power list of 2017. She is the recipient of the Executive Producer Award and the Trail Blazer Award for diverse casting and her diverse creative solo performance work with the Equality International Film Festival. Tina’s acting credits include The Pursuit of Happyness, Knife Fight, Guitar Man, Miles to Go, Trauma(NBC), Rellik (Pilot), Sense8 (Netflix), Possession (World Equality Television), and Dyke Central(Amazon). Tina and director Maria Breaux won the Audience Award for co-writing the short film Lucha in 2009.

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