Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Join us for a conversation about family, faith and responsibility, with Valerie Biden Owens and Dr. Gloria Duffy. Valerie Biden Owens is Biden Institute chair at the University of Delaware, campaign manager, political strategist, and New York Times best-selling author of Growing Up Biden.Welcome remarks will be delivered by Paul J. Fitzgerald, S. J., president of the University of San Francisco, with introductions by Charles M. Collins, president emeritus of YMCA of San Francisco.NOTESThis program is presented in partnership with the University of San Francisco.SPEAKERSValerie Biden OwensChair, Biden Institute, University of DelawareWelcome by Paul J. FitzgeraldS. J., President, University of San FranciscoIntroductions by Charles M. CollinsPresident Emeritus, YMCA of San FranciscoDr. Gloria DuffyPresident and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California—ModeratorWe are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded on September 12th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is today’s America really the one the Founding Fathers envisioned? That is the question constitutional scholar Kermit Roosevelt asks, tracing the majority of American political sentiments from the modern day not back as far as the Revolution, but to the Reconstruction era.Kermit Roosevelt is a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the great-great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt. He is an expert in constitutional law, national security, conflicts of law and civil liberties. His work has been published in the Virginia Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, and the Columbia Law Review and he is the author of two historical novels examining themes of equality and civil liberty.In his latest book, The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story, Roosevelt argues that America in the modern day is not the ideological descendant of the era of the Founding Fathers but that of Reconstruction and Abraham Lincoln. Examining the writings, history and political thought of America’s first century, he explains that many of the country’s core political beliefs, especially equality, originated in the Reconstruction era not as a return to the Founder’s vision but as a rejection of it.Join us as Roosevelt rethinks how American history is viewed, and how the ideas underpinning the country have shifted in the past two centuries—and along with it, what it means to be American itself.SPEAKERSKermit Roosevelt IIIDavid Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; Author, The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s StoryIn Conversation with David SpencerFounder, SenSpa; Member, Commonwealth Club of California Board of GovernorsWe are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded Live on September 8th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a 20-year career as a tech reporter for CNET, the New York Times, and the public radio program Marketplace, Molly Wood has come to see the climate crisis as an engineering problem requiring an acceleration of investment. And so, after producing the acclaimed climate podcast “How We Survive” for Marketplace, she recently left that program to begin a new career in venture capital. Now, in conversation with Climate One Host Greg Dalton, Molly Wood explores the limits of media in changing human behavior and the role of capital in addressing the climate crisis, even while considering that capitalism itself may be incompatible with survival. Guests:Molly Wood, Investor, Podcaster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people talk about the many attacks on Asian and Pacific Islander (API) people, they usually don’t talk about gay or queer people. These attacks have been going on for a long time, and seemingly nobody pays attention to it.This special panel will highlight how these attacks are affecting the queer Asian community and how this silent violence is impacting their lives and the lives of their loved ones. It will also remove the veil of shame and secrecy around queerness that is experienced by many in the Asian diaspora.NOTESThank you to our promotional partner, Openhouse Leadership Council on Queerness, Race, and Privilege.SPEAKERSCecilia ChungSenior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Evaluation, Transgender Law Center; Health Commissioner, San Francisco; Founding Producer, Trans MarchAnjali RimiPresident and Co-founder, Parivar Bay Area; Member, Trans Advisory Committee, Office of Transgender Initiatives, San Francisco Mayor's OfficeMorningstar VancilActivist; Artist; Co-founder, ForS/mWoCMichelle MeowProducer and Host, "The Michelle Meow Show," KBCW TV and Podcast; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors—Co-hostJohn ZippererProducer and Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club of California—Co-hostWe are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded Live on February 8th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oysters are one of humanity’s oldest foods and have great historical significance and current-day importance. For John Finger, founding partner and CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company, the shellfish are not only a vocation but a way of life. Finger is a marine biologist who has helped Hog Island become one of the premier producers of certified sustainable shellfish in the country. And Finger's work at Hog Island has never been more important.Today, health, science, technology and climate change all combine to elevate the importance of the oyster and oyster farming to society. The marine equivalent of the canary in the coal mine, oysters are giving scientists a better understanding of rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification, and signaling the need for new scientific and technological solutions, if these and other shellfish are to thrive into the future.There has never been a better time to return to The Commonwealth Club! Come join this special member-led forum event with John Finger to talk about the importance of oysters in the 21st century.MLF ORGANIZERRobbie KilpatrickSPEAKERSJohn FingerFounding Partner and CEO, Hog Island Oyster CompanyRobbie KilpatrickMember, Board of Governors, The Commonwealth Club of California; Chair, Health and Medicine Member-LedwWe are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded live on September 7th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March 1938, German soldiers, under Hitler's orders, crossed the border and absorbed Austria into the Third Reich. Anticipating these events, many Jews had fled Austria, but the most famous Austrian Jew remained in Vienna, where he had lived since early childhood. Sigmund Freud was 81 years old, ill with cancer, and still unconvinced that his life was in danger.But those close to Freud thought otherwise and began a coordinated effort to persuade Freud to leave Vienna before it was too late. The persuaders included Freud’s devoted youngest daughter Anna, his personal doctor, a Welsh physician, an American ambassador, and Napoleon’s great-grandniece.Join us as Andrew Nagorski shares how this remarkable collection of people succeeded in coaxing Freud out of his deep state of denial, allowing them both to extricate Freud and his family from Austria and to arrange for Freud to live out the remaining 16 months of his life in freedom in London.MLF ORGANIZERGeorge HammondNOTESA 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. This program is part of The Commonwealth Club's Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.SPEAKERSAndrew NagorskiFormer Bureau Chief (Hong Kong, Moscow, Rome, Bonn, Warsaw, and Berlin), Newsweek; Author, Saving Freud: The Rescuers Who Brought Him to FreedomIn Conversation with George HammondAuthor, Conversations With SocratesWe are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on February 7th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past two years, Rhode Island congressman David N. Cicilline has become an outspoken voice on some of the most critical issues facing the country and the Bay Area, including regulating and reining in big social media companies, reducing gun violence, and promoting economic development. As chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Rep. Cicilline is leading efforts to promote equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.Thrust into the national spotlight during the second impeachment of President Trump, Cicilline is increasingly concerned about America's democracy and the threats to it from within the country and on Capitol Hill itself. He believes in an extensive response that spans both citizen opposition and potent political reforms, including an end to the Senate filibuster, discarding the Electoral College, expanding the Supreme Court, and requiring that justices adhere to a code of ethics. He outlines some of these thoughts in his new book, House on Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Political Arson. In it, Cicilline spares no one from criticism as he argues for a politics that produces results and warns that without it, America could slip into being a country we no longer recognize. Please join us to hear a rising force in Democratic politics on fighting for what matters.SPEAKERSRep. David N. Cicilline(D–RI 1st District), Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Author, House on Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Political Arson; Twitter @RepCicillineIn Conversation with Mark FollmanNational Affairs Editor, Mother Jones; Twitter @markfollmanIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded Live on September 7th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this second part of our series on conspiracy theories and other false narratives, we'll look at practical actions we can take and tools we can use to have fruitful discussions with friends and family who have been misled.There are ways that we can help untangle the snare of a mind-gripping false narrative. They're usually not easy, and they're usually not fast, but they can work in most cases. To help us learn how, Dr. Lee McIntyre, author of How to Talk to a Science Denier, will provide detailed recommendations for countering science denial and other false narratives in one-on-one discussions with friends and family. And be sure to look for the next event in this series, which will discuss actions society can take to defend itself.MLF ORGANIZEREric SiegelSPEAKERSLee McIntyrePh.D., Research Fellow, Center for Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University, Former Executive Director, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University; Author, How To Talk To A Science Denier and Post-TruthEric SiegelChair, Personal Growth Member-led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—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 September 6th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the tech world, there’s a common belief that once a new device hits 5% market penetration, it rapidly goes from a niche to mass adoption. According to Bloomberg, the US has just passed that critical 5% tipping point for new EV purchases. Norway, an oil-rich country, was first to hit that 5% mark in 2013 and today boasts a stunning 86% of new cars being fully electric. Now California is driving the US along a similar road away from gasoline and diesel by passing a new law that will only allow emission free vehicles to be sold by 2035. Even with that California law, how confident can we be that all new American cars will be running clean? What does the 5% tipping point mean for other clean tech adoption? Guests:Albert Cheung, Head of Global Analysis, BloombergNEF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does a lie travel around the world while the truth is still lacing up its boots? In all areas, not just politics, science, and medicine, outrageous or fascinating false information outpaces truth, which is often more nuanced. False narratives pose a real danger to democracy, to our health, and to society. This series will discuss the reasons for that destructive state of affairs and what we can do about it, as individuals and as a society.In this first part of our series, Dr. Joe Pierre, health sciences clinical professor at UCLA and specialist in delusional thinking and conspiracy theories, will discuss the age-old psychological reasons that conspiracy theories and other false narratives have been successful throughout human history. He will also look at how false narratives have been noticeably empowered and accelerated during the past few years by COVID isolation and modern technologies, among other factors.Also look for the next events in this series, which will use the insights from this event to discuss how we can reach out to a friend who has become ensnared in a conspiracy theory, and actions we can take as individuals and as a society.MLF ORGANIZEREric SiegelNote: This program contains EXPLICIT languageSPEAKERSJoe PierreM.D., Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. Author; Expert Witness; Legal Consultant Eric SiegelChair, Personal Growth Member-led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—ModeratorIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded live on September 1st, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices