Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Flawed. Furtive. Facebook. In the nearly two decades of the social media platform’s existence, it has both soared into worldwide popularity and plummeted into the depths of conspiracy peddling and hate-mongering. Is this the fate of any globally devoured site, or is it due to miscalculations in programming, or is it the consequence of decisions made at the top by the site’s infamous leaders?Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang, authors of the book An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination, argue that Facebook is doing exactly what it was created to do. From abusing user data and empowering political corruption to creating echo chambers of misinformation, they say Facebook is in the midst of a reckoning—and Frenkel and Kang are in front row seats. Their work, built on intimate connections to the industry and insiders, is a call for accountability from the site’s two mogul leaders who have time and time again shown their willingness to turn a blind eye.At INFORUM Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang will disentangle the many narratives that shroud Facebook and its leaders in mystery. By unpacking the years of manipulation they say Facebook has baked into its platform, they argue that there’s no time like the present to understand the pitfalls the behemoth succumbed to and to prevent history from repeating itself.SPEAKERSSheera FrenkelCybersecurity Correspondent, The New York Times; Co-author, An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for DominationCecilia KangTechnology and Regulatory Policy Correspondent, The New York Times; Co-author, An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for DominationEmily ChangAnchor and Executive Producer, Bloomberg Technology; Author, Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon ValleyIn 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 August 4th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pixel, the smallest element of a picture, has, with little fanfare, helped push forward the digital revolution to new heights over the past 2 decades. Today, nearly every picture in the world is composed of pixels—cell phone pictures, app interfaces, Mars Rover transmissions, book illustrations, video games—and these digital images drive our understanding of the world around us. But where did pixels come from, and why are they so important? Alvy Ray Smith, the co-founder of Pixar, has a some answers to these increasingly important questions.In his his timely book A Biography of the Pixel, Ray Smith notes that the pixel is the organizing principle of most modern media. Smith's story of the pixel's development—which touches upon technology, entertainment, business and history—begins with Fourier waves, proceeds through Turing machines and ends with the first digital movies from Pixar.For anyone who has watched a video on a cell phone, played a video game, or streamed a television show or movie at home, this important discussion with one of digital media's pioneers who made it all possible is not to be missed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join an important discussion with this veteran congresswoman about her role on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack and its potential impact, as well as the state of the country and our democracy, the possibilities for bipartisan legislation, and how to handle such crucial issues as the pandemic variants, the economy, gun violence and immigration.Zoe Lofgren has been a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 19th District of California, encompassing San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley. She currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and is a former law professor.Representative Lofgren has most recently been appointed to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol and has said her goal is to "uncover the truth, protect our democracy, and ensure that such an attack will never happen again.”SPEAKERSZoe LofgrenU.S. Representative, California's 19th Congressional DistrictDr. Gloria DuffyPresident and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California—ModeratoIn 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 August 4th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In October 2020, California Gov. Newsom announced a plan to protect 30% of his state by 2030. In 2021, the Biden Administration announced its own 30x30 plan, later dubbed America the Beautiful. With 12% of the U.S. already under some form of protection, where will the other 18% come from? In states like Nebraska, nearly all the land is in private hands — and the owners are worried.With increased focus on the climate crisis, it’s easy to think we have enough to worry about without considering species other than our own. But the natural world provides critical resources that counteract the damaging impacts of climate change and sustain all life — including human life. About one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction. How much land does nature need to survive?Guests:Paula Ehrlich, CEO, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity FoundationWoody Lee, Executive Director, Utah Diné BikéyahJennifer Norris, Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat, California Natural Resources AgencyCatherine Semcer, Research Fellow, Property and Environment Research Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalists Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block spent years chronicling the human consequences of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s relentless immigration enforcement in Maricopa County, Arizona. In Driving While Brown, they tell the tale of two opposing movements that redefined Arizona’s political landscape—the restrictionist cause embraced by Arpaio and the Latino-led resistance that rose up against it.Sterling and Joffe-Block reported on Arpaio, his supporters, and his adversaries, including Lydia Guzman, who gathered evidence for a racial-profiling lawsuit that took surprising turns. Guzman joined a coalition determined to stop Arpaio, reform unconstitutional policing, and fight for Latino civil rights. In the process, Arpaio transformed from "America’s Toughest Sheriff," who forced inmates to wear pink underwear, into the nation’s most feared immigration enforcer who ended up receiving President Donald Trump’s first pardon.Join us for an online discussion with the two authors and their investigative reporting, which provided critical insights into the planning and community organizing that helped transform Arizona from a conservative stronghold into a battleground state.SPEAKERSTerry Greene SterlingAffiliated Faculty and Writer-in-Residence, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University; Author, Illegal; Co-Author, Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Versus the Latino ResistanceJude Joffe-BlockReporter; Co-Author, Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Versus the Latino ResistanceMichelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show" on KBCW/KPIX TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—Co-HostJohn ZippererProducer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club—Co-hostIn 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 July 29th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every two seconds a girl is married against her will. COVID-19 exacerbated this already massive problem, reversing many gains that had been made in the past decade as schools closed and millions of girls lost their one chance at freedom—an education.Join us for a conversation with three women working to end child marriage. Through their stories, you will hear more about the critical importance of girls’ freedom for families and communities worldwide, and what you can do to help end this unjust and inequitable practice. About the SpeakersSangeeta Lama is an independent Nepali journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in the field. Sangeeta has provided invaluable support to international publications such as National Geographic and The New York Times and has collaborated with Stephanie Sinclair / Too Young to Wed to support families in Kagati village since 2006. She is a board member of Working Women Journalists, an organization committed to strengthening the capacity of female journalists and the role of women in Nepali media. She is the senior vice chair of Sankalpa-Women’s Alliance for Peace Justice and Democracy, an organization committed to strengthening women's rights in Nepal.Stephanie Sinclair is the founding executive director of Too Young to Wed, a nonprofit dedicated to abolishing child marriage. Stephanie is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for gaining unique access to the most sensitive gender and human rights issues around the world; she regularly publishes in esteemed outlets, including National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine.Olga Murray is the founder and honorary president of the Nepal Youth Foundation. Born in 1925 in Transylvania, Murray immigrated with her parents and in 1954, became one of the first women to graduate with a law degree from George Washington University. During her 37-year tenure at the California Supreme Court, Murray helped write important decisions in the areas of civil rights, women’s rights and environmental policy. In 1990, she founded the Nepal Youth Foundation to help provide health, shelter, education, and freedom to children and families in Nepal.Lori Barra is the executive director of The Isabel Allende Foundation, a private family foundation, whose mission is to invest in the power of women and girls to secure reproductive rights, economic independence and freedom from violence. Prior to leading the foundation, Lori designed books and magazines in New York and Tokyo and worked for Apple as an art director.Renee Saedi has a deep-rooted passion for social justice, especially human rights and equity for women and girls. She currently serves as the Champions for Equality program manager at Global Fund for Women, where she has worked for more than 9 years. As a feminist fund, Global Fund for Women strengthens gender justice movements to shift power, privilege, and perception and create meaningful change by offering flexible support to a diverse group of partners—more than 5,000 groups across 175 countries so far.MLF ORGANIZER: Ian McCuaigSPEAKERSLori BarraExecutive Director, Isabel Allende FoundationSangeeta LamaJournalist; Board Member, Working Women Journalists; Senior Vice Chair, Sankalpa-Women’s Alliance for Peace Justice and DemocracyOlga MurrayFounder and Honorary President, Nepal Youth FoundationStephanie SinclairFounding Director, Too Young to WedRenee SaediChampions for Equality Program Manager, Global Fund for Women—ModeratorIn 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 July 28th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk is one of the most influential and controversial tech icons in Silicon Valley. He has talked about forward-thinking projects like mind-uploading and space travel, but by far his most bold and effective vision led to Tesla and the creation of a widely available and affordable electric vehicle. Before Tesla was founded in the early 2000s, electric cars were considered novelties. But as many cars were gas guzzlers, there was a great need for a more sustainable mode of transportation.Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century explores the Tesla phenomenon. Tim Higgins traces its history of a hellish first 15 years, attacks by rivals, pressure from investors and surprises by whistleblowers. As a Wall Street Journal tech and auto reporter, Higgins had a front-row seat for all the drama. He spent almost a decade reporting on the car business from Detroit before he moved to San Francisco and focused his writing more on Apple, Tesla and other tech companies.Power Play is Tesla’s story of power, recklessness, struggle and triumph coming together to change the future. Join us as Tim Higgins discusses Tesla’s rise and what it means for a tech-driven future.SPEAKERSTim HigginsAutomotive and Technology Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Author Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the CenturyIn Conversation with Joanna SternSenior Personal Technology Columnist, The Wall Street JournalNote: This program contains EXPLICIT languageIn 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 August 4th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might not realize it, but we’re already living through the beginnings of climate chaos. In Arizona, laborers now start their day at 3 a.m., because it’s too hot to work past noon. Chinese investors are snapping up real estate in Canada. Millennials have evacuation plans. Moguls are building bunkers. Retirees in Miami are moving inland.In How to Prepare for Climate Change, bestselling self-help author David Pogue offers deeply researched advice for how the rest of us should start to ready ourselves for the years ahead. Pogue will walk you through what to grow, what to eat, how to build, how to insure, where to invest, how to prepare your children and pets, and even where to consider relocating when the time comes. (He says two areas of the country, in particular, have the requisite cool temperatures, good hospitals, reliable access to water, and resilient infrastructure to serve as climate havens in the years ahead.) He also provides wise tips for managing your anxiety, as well as action plans for riding out every climate catastrophe, from superstorms and wildfires to ticks and epidemics.Join Pogue and renewable energy expert Wei-Tai Kwok for a look at their practical ways to make smart choices for the upheaval ahead.SPEAKERSDavid PogueCorrespondent, "CBS Sunday Morning"; Author, How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the ChaosWei-Tai KwokClimate Leader, The Climate Reality ProjectAhmad ThomasPresident & CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group—ModeratorIn 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 August 3rd, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If “caught in the middle” was a tightrope, Savala Nolan would be a well-seasoned expert at walking it. The lawyer, speaker, and author has learned to navigate the tedious limbo that is being mixed-race, changing economic status, and a fluctuating body painfully affected by diet culture. In her debut book, Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body, Nolan shares nostalgic, sometimes painful anecdotes from her life that illustrate the resilience and lessons learned from a life lived not in black nor white but in that somewhere in-between. Twelve poignant reflections unravel how injustice lurks around every corner and has done so for generations. But, with such wrong-doing, so too grows defiance, justice, and people like Savala Nolan who relentlessly resist by living with authenticity.Now in her fifth year at the Henderson Center for Social Justice, Nolan holds the title of executive director. She teaches law students and activists about the paramount topics of implicit bias and systemic racism—guiding the minds of tomorrow on how to mend the cracks in our system. At INFORUM, we will become Savala Nolan’s students, learning what authenticity looks like when existing between two distant opposites—many times over.SPEAKERSSavala NolanWriter; Executive Director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, University of California, Berkeley; Author, Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the BodyChristy HarrisonMPH, RD, CEDRD, Host, "Food Psych" Podcast; Author, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating—ModeratorNote: This program contains EXPLICIT languageIn 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 July 29th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there is one thing people have learned over the past 16 months, it is the importance and power of community. Join us for a special conversation with AAPI leaders and elders about anti-Asian racism, homophobia, transphobia, and their life-long activism and advocacy.And come early before the program to enjoy a lunch courtesy of What the Cluck Thai Chicken and Rice.Meet the SpeakersGil Mangaoang was born in San Francisco, California on March 22, 1947. He is the fourth of seven generations in his family to be born in the United States. Through more than four decades he has been active in the fight for social justice and equality in the United States and the Philippines. His memoirs also include his coming out story as a Filipino American gay man.Jasmine Gee has volunteered at film festivals (International, Frameline), music venues (Davies Symphony, Herbst Theater), and street fairs (Folsom, Castro); has worked as an advocate and activist for LGBTQ organizations; served in leadership positions in on the GAPA AdvisoryBoard and the Trans March; is a musician (a clarinetist and a singer in 3 choral groups); contributing author of Transascestors, Volume 1; and is an elder, with Felicia Elizondo, Tamara Ching. Crystal Jang loves being considered a QTAPI “Auntie.” Jang is a third generation San Franciscan and fourth generation Chinese American,. Having discovered she was attracted to girls at the age of 13, Jang has spend the last 6 decades dedicated to pushing the boundaries of API-queer visibility and activism. As a QTAPI elder, Crystal’s current focus is on fostering intergenerational relationships to sustain and strengthen the QTAPI community. She is a co-founder of OASIS (Older Sisters in Solidarity), APIQWTC (Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Trans Community, and the RED Envelope Giving Circle. Jang is happiest when she is causing “good trouble.”Randy Kikukawa has been active in the LGBTQ+ community for more than 40 years and is currently music director of the GAPA (GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance) Men’s Chorus and managing director of the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus. Both choruses are members of the Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses).Kitty Tsui is a writer and an activist, a multi-hyphenate lesbian elder. Her groundbreaking book, Words of a Woman Who Breathes Fire, is the first book by a Chinese American lesbian. Her second, Breathless: Erotica, won the Firecracker Alternative Book Award. She has been included in more than 80 anthologies worldwide. Her work has been translated into German, Japanese and Italian. In 2018, her alma mater, San Francisco State University, inducted her into the Alumni Hall of Fame. The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center commissioned her as one of 12 API queer poets to be honored for a poem/video for the digital exhibition, “A Day in the Life of Queer Asian Pacific American.” She is the subject of Nice Chinese Don’t: Kitty Tsui, directed by award-winning filmmaker, Jennifer Abod.Note: This program contains EXPLICIT languageSPEAKERSJasmine GeeAdvocate; Activist; MusicianCrystal JangCo-Founder, OASIS (Older Sisters in Solidarity), RED Envelope Giving Circle, and APQWTC (Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Trans Community)Randy KikukawaMusic Director, GAPA (GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance) Men’s Chorus; Managing Director, Golden Gate Men’s ChorusGil MangaoangSocial Justice and Equality Activist; AuthorKitty TsuiWriter; Activist; Author, Words of a Woman Who Breathes FireMichelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors; Twitter @msmichellemeow—HostIn 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 July 30th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices