Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

From the climate movement’s earliest days, young people have been at the forefront of activism. But the first major international climate conferences took place 30 years ago. The first cohort of youth activists are now adults, some with children of their own. The emotional cost of seeing so little payoff for years spent fighting can be agonizing at any age, but perhaps more so for young people who put so much of themselves into the effort. Many youth activists burned out along the way, frustrated by participating in actions that rarely led to meaningful and lasting change. How do former youth activists now view the work of their younger selves? And what advice do they have for the next generation?Guests:Alec Loorz, Writer, Photographer, former youth climate activistSlater Jewell-Kemker, Director, “Youth Unstoppable;” former youth climate activistVictoria Loorz, Founder, Center for Wild Spirituality; Author, “Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred” Abrar Anwar, Chief Technology Officer, Rebel Force Tech Solutions; former youth climate activistKyle Gracey, Strategy Consultant, Future Matters; former youth climate activistFor show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seattle-based conservative radio host and commentator Jason Rantz is a rising star on the right, making frequent appearances on Fox News and "The Ben Shapiro Show." Join us in-person for his first appearance at The Commonwealth Club, where he'll discuss his claims that left-wing policies and "woke" Democrats are ruining America's biggest cities and threatening to spread that ruin to the rest of the country.Taking aim at "crime, drug addiction, homelessness, left-wing school indoctrination, so-called inclusive housing policies, and outrageous taxes," Rantz says the effects of left-wing policies "always spread, which should alarm Americans regardless of their political leanings."Hear him for yourself at The Commonwealth Club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News Channel Chief Political Correspondent Bret Baier returns for a Club program exploring the critical role George Washington played in securing the future of the United States.Baier, author of the new biography To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment, focuses on Washington's return from retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and establish the foundation of American governance.George Washington rescued the nation and the Constitution three times: first by winning the Revolutionary War, second by presiding over the Constitutional Convention and ushering the Constitution through a fractious ratification process, and third by leading the nation as president in its first years. There is no doubt, says Baier, that the struggling new nation needed to be rescued.After the victorious war, the states were no more than a loosely knit and contentious confederation, and they were in constant conflict. Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon, Washington agreed to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. There he was unanimously elected president of the convention. After successfully bringing the Constitution into being, Washington then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life by accepting the election to be the nation’s first president. Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose, but his quiet, steady leadership gave life to the Constitution by showing how it should be enacted. Join us as Baier explores the dramatic moments when Washington’s leadership brought the nation from the brink of collapse. He says early America was grittier and far more divided than it is often portrayed—one we can see reflected in today’s political conflicts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just Completed: Global Threat Assessment — U.S. Strategic Posture Commissioners’ ReportIn October, the U.S. Congressional Strategic Posture Commission released its final report, “America’s Strategic Posture.” The bipartisan group of 12 former officials, appointed by Congress, assessed the international threats facing the United States, reviewing U.S. defense strategy and force structure, including nuclear weapons. The report concludes that the United States now faces unprecedented threats, from authoritarian regimes that are building up their military forces and behaving aggressively towards their neighbors. Major concerns include the Chinese program to add 1,000 strategic nuclear weapons to their arsenal, Russian behavior in Ukraine and mutual support between Russia and China. The commissioners call for an “all of government” U.S. effort to combat these threats. What are the greatest threats faced by the United States? How should they be addressed? What does this mean for the U.S. nuclear posture, for our alliances, for defense spending and for arms control and other approaches to reducing risk? What will be the impact of the report? Will its recommendations be implemented?Join four of the commissioners, including Commission Chair Dr. Madelyn Creedon, and the vice chair, former Arizona Senator Jon Kyle, plus Ambassador Rose Gottemoeller and Dr. Gloria Duffy, for a review and discussion of their year-long evaluation and final report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Fox News' historic $787 million legal settlement with Dominion, investigative journalist Brian Stelter takes a look at how the conservative channel handles truth and misinformation—and its influence on elections.Stelter, bestselling author of Hoax, an inside look at Fox News, promises an even more revealing take on the channel and how it does business. From panic among its anchors to the handling of misinformation, Stelter goes behind the scenes to show how what ended up on the air got there. With the lawsuits dragging the network’s secrets into the light—such as Tucker Carlson’s passionate hatred for Donald Trump and Sean Hannity’s contempt for his own colleagues—the future of the network, and the Republican Party, hangs in the balance.Join us for a special online-only talk with Stelter about one of the biggest forces in the news industry today, and how it uses its power in ways that impact us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute city, a new name for an old idea. Reducing the need for cars cuts emissions and gets autos off of the roads, which is a boon for safety, air quality and the climate. But, as is often the case, good ideas become a lot more difficult when you have to implement them in real places, with real people, who don’t always share the enthusiasm for the idea. What will it take to make compact, walkable cities a reality in the U.S., where the car is king?Guests: Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for AmericaDavid Miller, Former Mayor of TorontoJustin Bibb, Mayor of ClevelandHenry Grabar, Author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.For show notes and related links, visit our website.📞 Call us at (650) 382-3869 to share your clothing story for a chance to be featured on an upcoming episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When historian and California state librarian Kevin Starr passed away in 2017, he left behind a legacy of historiography and storytelling that was unrivaled, including his mammoth California Dream series. Former Governor Jerry Brown said that Starr "chronicled the history of California as no one else. He captured the spirit of our state and brought to life the characters and personalities that made the California story. His vision, like California itself, was bigger than life."Now a group of academics is taking a new look at Starr and his works, including the largely unexplored role of his Catholic faith on how he interpreted California and its history, as well as reinterpreting his works in light of new trends in academia. Jason Sexton, the editor and Russell Jeung and Peter Richardson, two contributors to the new book Redemptive Dreams: Engaging Kevin Starr's California will take Club audiences through some of the challenges involved in interpreting Starr's work and his impact on our understanding of California's past, present and future, and what they mean for Starr's view of the California dream.MLF ORGANIZER: George HammondA Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special episode of On shifting Ground is made available from the Club's newly merged sister organization, World Affairs of Northern California. We're thrilled to now offer thousands of podcast episodes on important current events, critical global issues and the inside scoop from thought-leaders located around the world on our three podcast channels. Each of our media departments also distributes radio programs heard across the country each week. World Affairs Climate OneThe Commonwealth Club of California About this episode: As the war on Gaza continues with no end in sight, two peace activists – one Palestinian and one Israeli – are already charting a non-violent path forward. Ray Suarez sits down with Luxembourg Peace Prize laureates, Ali Abu Awwad, founding leader of the Taghyeer (Change) Palestinian National Nonviolence movement, and Dr. Gershon Baskin, the Middle East director of the International Communities Organization, to learn why they maintain hope for a peaceful, two-state solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have trouble sleeping, you’re not alone: 50–70 million people in the United States struggle with ongoing sleep disorders. What many of us don’t realize is that poor sleep can impact your health in many ways.Insomnia is defined as a lack of sleep and includes common symptoms like trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up frequently. Multiple factors can cause insomnia, yet many people don’t yet realize how wearable technology can give them insights into their sleep. Lifestyle factors such as proper nutrition and exercise are imperative as well to obtain a good night's sleep.This lecture will describe optimal sleep and discuss the relationship between sleep and alcohol, depression and weight gain. Eric Pifer, M.D., will explain how new technology collects sleep measurements at home and uses it with integrative therapies to promote restorative sleep. Find out how to optimize sleep through wearable tech that can measure sleep quality, physical activity, and heart rate variability. Use data collected to create, develop and track sleep goals.About the SpeakerEric Pifer, M.D., is a board-certified physician in internal medicine, and he serves as the medical director of San Francisco Concierge Medicine at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation. His passion for the highest quality clinical care led him to become a clinical educator and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a two-time chief medical officer who developed a wide variety of innovative programs for cancer, heart disease, women’s health, and brain wellness. Dr. Pifer is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Drexel University of Medicine. MLF ORGANIZER: Patty JamesA Nutrition, Food, & Wellness Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Rob Mintz, chief curator at the Asian Art Museum, and Laura Allen, the museum's Senior Curator of Japanese Art for an engaging conversation about Murakami's blockbuster exhibition Unfamiliar People: The Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego. The show, four years in the making, takes anime and manga to new heights. This is Takashi Murakami's first solo exhibition in San Francisco. The exhibit is not only a commentary on our society, it's a nuanced examination of human behavior within an extraordinary artistic framework.Laura Allen has known Murakami since the Fall of 2019, when she visited the artist in his Tokyo studio. Together with Rob Mintz, she'll provide insight into Murakami's personality, both as an artist as well as a social scientist. She'll also talk about her collaboration with Murakami; discuss the many pitfalls she encountered along the way as well as what finally convinced him to create this extraordinary exhibit and display it at the Asian Art Museum.About the Speaker Dr. Laura W. Allen is senior curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. After receiving a doctorate in Japanese art history at UC Berkeley, Dr. Allen spent more than two decades teaching, consulting, and publishing on Japanese art before joining the Asian Art Museum staff in 2012. Since then, she has overseen an ambitious program of exhibitions, including two very different shows opening in the fall of 2023, Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People – Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego and The Heart of Zen. Dr. Robert Mintz is the chief curator at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. He oversees the curatorial research program and guides the growth and preservation of the museum’s art collections. Mintz is a specialist in Japanese art history with a keen interest in painting. With degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Washington, he has spent his career working in public art museums trying to make the arts of Asia accessible and inspirational to the widest possible range of audiences.Main image: Bacon: Scream, 2019, by Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b. 1962). Acrylic, gold leaf, and platinum leaf on canvas mounted on aluminum frame. Collection of D.K., courtesy of the artist and Perrotin. © 2019 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.MLF ORGANIZER: Jim BrownAn Asia Pacific Affairs Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices