Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Join us for a memorable program exploring the struggles of African-American transgender women, who are the most frequent victims of anti-trans violence. Toni Newman is the executive director of St. James Infirmary in San Francisco. St. James is a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic, offering free, compassionate and nonjudgmental health care and social services for former and current sex industry workers. With the many challenges facing the aforementioned—including but not limited to political climate, homelessness, violence and the overwhelming intricacies of the legal, public and social systems—St. James Infirmary offers an independent alternative, providing individuals with culturally competent and nonjudgmental services. Monica Roberts is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog and is an award-winning human rights advocate. She is a sought-after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for more than 20 years, with a focus on the issues affecting black trans people. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, The Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous and OutSmart magazine. Roberts has also received the 2018 GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles “Call of Service” award from Harvard University's Phillips Brooks House Association, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award and the Barbara Jordan breaking barriers award from the Harris County Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new book, The Knowledge Gap, education journalist Natalie Wexler chronicles what she calls America’s broken education system. She cites the devastating impact, especially on underserved children, of an elementary education where she says comprehension is mistakenly seen as a matter of building generic skills, overlooking the essential need to build actual knowledge. Wexler says not only is school boring as a result, but scores on measures of reading comprehension remain stagnant. Beyond diagnosing the problem, Wexler showcases innovative educators who she says are bringing real learning into the classroom. Wexler challenges all of us to think beyond the typical excuses for failing schools and consider the need for a knowledge-rich curriculum that exposes children to vocabulary and stories that build upon each other. A senior contributor to Forbes.com, Wexler’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post, and she is the co-author with Judith C. Hochman of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades. Kati Haycock is the founder and former CEO of Education Trust, an organization dedicated to high achievement for all students, particularly those of color or living in poverty. Kate Walsh has led the National Council on Teacher Quality for over 15 years, championing greater transparency and higher standards for all institutions that impact teacher effectiveness. Wexler will speak about her findings and then join a conversation with education advocates Kati Haycock and Kate Walsh, moderated by KIPP teacher Josh Martinez. Come for a vital discussion aimed at solving America’s education woes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can oil companies reinvent themselves as clean energy providers? John Browne attempted it over more than a decade as CEO of British Petroleum, where he led the company's “Beyond Petroleum” rebranding campaign. In his new book, Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization, Browne argues that the solution to reducing emissions and addressing climate change is a mass deployment of engineered technology — and that the tools we need to get there already exist. Join us for a conversation on the potential of energy incumbents to become innovators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich Lowry, editor of National Review and author of The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free, is a leading innovator in national conservative thought circles. A respected conservative commentator, Lowry joined National Review in 1992 and was hand selected by William F. Buckley Jr. to lead the magazine in 1998. He’s been a frequent guest on Fox News and is the best-selling author of Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years and Lincoln Unbound. Lowry has taken his extensive experience and conservative ideology to his new book, The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free. In this book, Lowry argues that nationalism is not a dirty word, refuting criticism from the Left and the Right that nationalism means fascism, militancy and racism. Instead, Lowry shows us that nationalism means self-realization and identity, chronicling the history of America and how nationalism was integral to its success. Through The Case for Nationalism, Lowry argues that now, more than ever, is the time to rekindle a healthy sense of American nationalism in our civic life. Join us as we welcome Rich Lowry for a discussion on nationalism and why it matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Luxenberg presents the myth-shattering story of how our nation embraced separation and the devastating consequences of that decision. Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case synonymous with "separate but equal," created remarkably little stir when the justices announced their nearly unanimous decision on May 18, 1896. Yet it is at the center of one of the most dramatic stories of the 19th century, and its cultural reverberations are still felt today. Wending his way through a half century of American history, Luxenberg begins at the dawn of the railroad age in the North, home to the nation’s first separate railroad car, and then moves through the Civil War and Reconstruction to its aftermath: separation taking root in nearly every aspect of American life. Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case: resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans, led by Louis Martinet, a lawyer and crusading newspaper editor; Homer Plessy’s lawyer, Albion Tourgée, a best-selling author and the country’s best-known white advocate for civil rights; Justice Henry Billings Brown, from antislavery New England, whose majority ruling endorsed separation; and Justice John Harlan, the southerner from a slaveholding family whose singular dissent cemented his reputation as a steadfast voice for justice. Luxenberg's new book, Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation, has been long listed for the 2019 Cundill History Prize, an international award recognizing the best history writing in English. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Football legend Jerry Rice is regarded as one of the best wide receivers ever to play in the NFL. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. Rice celebrates some of the most memorable moments in NFL history and reflects on his own love of the game. He offers a comprehensive look at the players and coaches that helped define and transform football to the cultural phenomenon it is today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has long led the country in environmental action. It established strong automobile emission standards; it preserved fragile lands from development; it set energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances. But as climate change fuels megafires across the state and the state’s largest electric utility shuts off power to more than a million residents, can the state’s legacy of environmental leadership save it from climate disaster? In a state already accustomed to swinging wildly between drought and flood, what will become of the California dream? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freedom. Ambition. Diet. Frustration. Exercise. Anxiety. Grief. These are concerns we recognize as central to the shape and scope of contemporary American life, especially life in the Bay Area. At times they seem so overwhelming as to be unique to our present moment—but they are not. In fact, much of ancient philosophy was committed to addressing and alleviating them. Ancient Athens and imperial Rome were in many ways quite similar to 21st century America. Antiquity was a world that included slaves and immigrants, plutocrats and exiles, political strife and crushing poverty. Beginning in the 4th century B.C., philosophers began to develop teachings and schools that addressed the freedom life promised and the constraints under which it unfolded. The names of two of these schools—the Stoics and the Epicureans—have so endured as to have entered the common lexicon. Along the way, however, they have lost much of their original force: We now tend to equate Stoicism with a kind of John Wayne-inflected, flat-bellied machismo. Epicureanism has become synonymous with an unbridled appetite for food, wine and “the good life.” This is a mistake. There is much we could learn and from which we could benefit by a renewed consideration of ancient thought. Please join us as we host Tony Long and Jim Porter, two of the world’s leading authorities on classical thought, in a conversation that will make relevant to our own time the teachings of ancient philosophy. Their conversation, which will touch on everything from climate crises to religion to gratitude and human dignity, will be moderated by Amanda Goldstein. Do you consider yourself a Stoic or an Epicurean? Or perhaps a Cynic, a skeptic or a Pythagorean? Join us, and experience the strength and relevance of ancient thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you go abroad to live and work in another culture, surrounded by the strange sounds of a different language, different food, music and customs? What does it take to achieve a successful expatriate experience? Come and learn about the diverse experiences of 14 Americans who worked and lived in various countries—from England to Vietnam, Belarus to India. Learn about their challenges and how they finally adjusted and thrived in their foreign environments. Schickel presents the results of her recent qualitative research, conducted years after she herself experienced the expat life during her two years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco, which inspired her continuing interest in these issues and led to her recently successfully defended dissertation. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s most popular alcoholic beverages are about to take a hit from climate. Mild, sunny growing conditions have made California king of a $62 billion wine industry—from Napa Valley’s prized cabernet sauvignon to the plumy pinot noirs of Sonoma County. And more than 7,000 breweries in the United States rely on barley, a key ingredient in beer that is partial to the cool temperatures of northwestern states and Canada. But both grapes and barley are sensitive to a changing climate. And years of disruptions from drought, fires and rising temperatures have brewers and winemakers wondering: Will business as usual survive into the next generation? Join us for a conversation with Esther Mobley, wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, and Dan Petroski, winemaker for Larkmead Vineyards; and Katie Wallace, director of social and environmental impact at New Belgium Brewing, on how climate is reshaping the wine and beer industries—and what that means for consumers and our wallets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Law professor Ian Haney López is one of the world’s pioneers of critical race theory. A challenger of the racial status quo, López has worked to emphasize the impact of racial divisions in the United States while also exploring how politicians exploit fractured societal structures to benefit the rich. In his newest book, Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America, López gives progressives the tools to fight politicized racism and build a multicultural future. López describes his last two years of research with union activists, racial justice leaders and statisticians, concluding that the “middle ground” of Americans can be persuaded Right or Left depending on the narrative of America that they are given. Join us for an important conversation with esteemed professor and author Ian Haney López as he gives us the tools to rebuild a better, racially equitable future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday Night Philosophy celebrates its 10th anniversary by making predictions about the future of our common wealth: the ideas and assumptions that underlie all human cultures. The Commonwealth Club is dedicated to finding truth and turning it loose in the world. But what is truth? Whatever it is, that ancient question remains provocative. To come closer to an answer, George Hammond distinguishes between those ideas that describe inherent patterns in life and those cultural ideals that are basically a group consensus on how to live life. Our 21st century cultures are rapidly increasing in cultural communication, competition, discussion and dispute. Could that set the stage for sorting out long-standing but still competing cultural assumptions about justice, virtue, the meaning of life, and the purposes of community, nation and civilization building? If so, which assumptions are headed for the discard pile? And which will prove enduring? Hammond’s predictions about where trends in how we pursue happiness are headed will probably surprise you. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Green New Deal has raised hopes for a major push to address climate change and social injustice. Is it just pie in the sky? Not at all. The original New Deal of the 1930s brought a revolution in conservation and public health, worker rights and wages, income and regional equality, and public investment for the common good—all during the worst depression in history. A Green New Deal is possible because we have done it before. Come learn more about this initiative. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 8, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the nation’s most far-reaching bills, which are designed to prevent homelessness, protect tenants from being evicted and make it possible to create new homes for many thousands of Californians. The work was made possible by a collaboration of diverse allies who are attempting to preserve existing affordable homes, protect the families in them and produce more housing at all income levels. They were joined by a broad coalition of elected officials, including Assemblymember David Chiu, who authored several of the recently passed bills and who has made preventing homelessness and providing affordable homes to all Californians one of his signature issues. While these represent important strides, some say a great deal of work still needs to be done. On November 4, The Commonwealth Club will host a panel discussion about the implications of this new legislation as well as what the future holds for addressing the challenge of homelessness and housing in the Bay Area. The panel will include Chiu; Guillermo Mayer, president and CEO of Public Advocates—a key organization that helped advance the public call for a comprehensive housing package; Denise Pinkston, a partner at TMG Partners—a local developer that has been involved in the housing debate at the local, regional and statewide levels and that has been a strong advocate for more housing; and Gina Dalma, special adviser to the CEO and vice president of government relations at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, where she has brought her leadership into the housing arena. The event will be moderated by Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, which helped lead the coalition to advance the housing legislation. Larry Kramer, president of the Hewlett Foundation, which is providing unrestricted grant support to the San Francisco Foundation, will provide introductory remarks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco is a city of contradictions. It is one of the most socially liberal cities in America, but it also has some of the nation’s worst income inequality. It is a playground for tech millionaires, with an outrageously high cost of living, yet it also supports vibrant alternative and avant-garde scenes. So how did the city get this way? San Francisco native Lincoln Mitchell traces the roots of the current situation back to 1978, when three key events occurred: the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk occurring fewer than two weeks after the massacre of Peoples Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana; the explosion of the city’s punk rock scene; and a breakthrough season for the San Francisco Giants. Through these three strands, Mitchell explores the rifts between the city’s pro-business and progressive-Left politicians, the emergence of Dianne Feinstein as a political powerhouse, the increasing prominence of the city’s LGBT community, punk’s reinvigoration of the Bay Area’s radical cultural politics, and the ways that the Giants helped unify one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the nation. Join us for a panel discussion of four leaders who influenced this seminal cultural transformation. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This event explores faith and inequity among the seriously ill and dying in our healthcare system. What role does spirituality play at end of life and in a health care setting? How can healthcare providers build trust with patients across cultures and faith traditions? How can we address the inequities faced by African Americans when seeking care at the end of life? Join Pastor Corey Kennard, Healthcare Activist and Lead Pastor of Detroit’s Amplify Christian Church, and Dr. Jessica Zitter, author and physician at Oakland’s Highland Hospital, for a rich conversation about improving end of life care. MLF Organizer: Mark Zitter MLF: Health & Medicine This event is part of the Reimagine End of Life, a festival exploring big questions about life and death through creativity and conversation, taking place throughout the Bay Area on Oct. 24-Nov. 3, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2013, Bob Satawake accompanied his husband, Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster, to the Dominican Republic for what would be a historic and controversial tour of duty representing the United States in the island nation. As the first gay diplomatic spouse in the Western Hemisphere, Satawake received little if any guidance from the U.S. State Department on navigating his new role. As a result, he had little choice but to break the sometimes rigid protocols of diplomatic life. Come hear Satawake and Brewster talk about their experience making a new path as openly gay diplomats in a conservative and religious country, overcoming obstacles with kindness and sensitivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this lecture, Harvard-trained physician Akil Palanisamy will describe the outlines of a comprehensive road map to heart health, sharing research on the optimal heart-healthy diet, cutting-edge nutritional science, key vitamins and supplements, and the evidence-based practices and techniques of integrative medicine. He will share practical tips on what to eat in order to maintain lifelong cardiovascular well-being and vitality, and he will have detailed and practical information about implementing these concepts in our daily lives. MLF Organizer: Patty James MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambitious and executive women often wonder how to best mix family ambitions with big, juicy career goals. Should I lean in? Pivot? Freelance? Quit? If I leave my job, will I ever get back in? Whether you’re struggling with the big question of whether to stay or quit or looking to reenter the workforce after time away, this event features insider knowledge from people who have already taken the journey, as well as a step-by-step analysis to ensure you are making the right career decision for you. MLF Organizer: Emily Meghan Morrow Howe MLF: Executive Womxn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Marc Benioff started Salesforce 20 years ago, he envisioned building a company that would not only change the way the world does business but also change the world at the same time. Benioff believes that businesses are the greatest platforms for change and that they should serve not only shareholders but all stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, communities and the environment, to make the world a better place. On day one, Benioff created the 1-1-1 model of philanthropy, which leverages the resources of Salesforce to improve communities around the world. And with the core values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality as its foundation, Salesforce has not only been one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies ever, it’s become one of the world’s most admired companies and is consistently ranked globally as one of the best companies to work for. Benioff is an unapologetically outspoken social advocate and has publicly admonished other business leaders for not doing enough for the local community in San Francisco and beyond. In his new book, Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change, Benioff touches on these values and shares his insights and best practices for anyone, from the CEO to an intern, who wants to make the world a better place. He also discusses his belief that in the future, profits and progress will not be sustainable unless they serve the greater good. Join us for a conversation with a pioneering business leader who wants to challenge us all to be agents of change in a fast-moving world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In cases of domestic violence, what can be done at the local and national levels to prevent future instances of violence against women, families and society at large from occurring? What role can restorative justice and community based approaches have in mitigating harm? As CEO of Safe & Sound, Katie Albright highlights the connection between domestic violence and the compounding pressures of socioeconomic instability, lack of education and childhood abuse. Safe & Sound works to raise awareness about the red flags of abuse, challenge existing laws and ensure that survivors have a voice. With the resulting cost of child abuse estimated to be about $2.2 billion in the Bay Area alone, prioritizing prevention merits attention from not just a moral but an economic standpoint. An expert on domestic violence policy, family law and intimate partner abuse, Julia Weber’s work at Giffords Law Center focuses on restraining order implementation in relation to gun violence. The center's work highlights the relationship between domestic violence and firearms—in the majority of mass shootings, the perpetrator was committing an act of domestic or family violence. Delia Ginorio’s work prompts us to consider the role restorative justice can play in cases of domestic violence and the broader legal framework. Ginorio currently oversees all women’s services for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and also serves on the boards of the Insight Prison Project and the Five Keys Charter Schools. All of these programs bring education, accountability and restoration to offenders and survivors of violence. Join us this Domestic Violence Awareness Month for an evening of discussion around policy and community-based approaches we must fight for to end domestic violence and ensure a better future for us all. NOTES This program is generously supported by Blue Shield of California Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having dementia is the greatest fear shared by most people as they age. One needs to plan for the time when you may no longer have a clear mind and the ability to make decisions about your own medical care. The advance directive (AD) in its usual format is insufficient if you suffer from dementia. In this case, a dementia provision should be added to your AD to describe what kind of medical care you’d like. Various options and strategies will be discussed to help you develop a plan should you develop dementia. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Bill Grant NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine, Grownups (co-sponsor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the final three years of the Obama administration, Richard Stengel, the former editor of Time and an under secretary of state, was on the front lines of a new global information war. At the time, he was the single person in the U.S. government tasked with unpacking, disproving and combating both ISIS’s messaging and Russian disinformation. Then, in 2016, as the presidential election unfolded, Stengel watched as Donald Trump rode to victory, in part because of how disinformation was weaponized on social media domestically and internationally. According to Stengel, the battle against weaponized disinformation has only gotten worse since, and democracies such as the United States are proving not to be very good at fighting it. In his new book, Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What We Can Do About It, Stengel walks readers through this new war and where the battles are taking place, including Russia and Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He illustrates how ISIS terrorized the world using social media, and how the Russians launched a tsunami of disinformation around the annexation of Crimea—a scheme that became the model for their interference with the 2016 presidential election. Disinformation, of course, is as old as humanity. But the rise of social media has made disinformation even more pervasive and pernicious in our current era. Perhaps no one has faced this issue more head on than Stengel. With the 2020 election just a year away, come hear firsthand about what citizens can do to combat this ever-growing threat to democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an in-depth program addressing anti-blackness in the LGBTQ+ community and how it affects the ways its members navigate spaces with community, in addition to the way that people show up for each other. The goal of the program is to spark conversations around how folks in the LGBTQ+ community can work to eliminate anti-blackness in their everyday lives, how the LGBTQ+ community can work together to uplift each other regardless of race, gender identity, gender expression or anything else. The discussion is designed to help people identity anti-blackness and be able to address it. Don't miss this important community program. In association with Compton's Transgender Cultural District, ColorBloq, and "The Michelle Meow Show" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The comedy news quiz “Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!” is the most popular show on public radio. But it wasn’t always that way. The program didn’t take off until Doug Berman (who also produced the NPR hit “Car Talk”) took a chance on a playwright named Peter Sagal to serve as host. Ever since, the show has drawn enthusiastic audiences both on radio and in person, at its Chicago home and on the road. The program covers current news and is consistently both informative and entertaining. What’s the secret to the show’s success? Peter Sagal, the host of “Wait Wait” since 1998, is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author, most recently of The Incomplete Book of Running. He has interviewed two U.S. presidents, appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and run a race in his underwear, but he insists that none of this has gone to his head. Peabody Award-winning producer Doug Berman is responsible for NPR's two most successful entertainment programs. He continues to create comedy shows seeded with a modicum of useful information or, as Berman puts it, "not a complete waste of time." Here's a chance to laugh and go behind the scenes of this NPR phenomenon. Come with your own questions to stump Sagal and Berman. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you been curious about Club trips and want to know more? Join us for a presentation and discussion with past travelers and staff about the unique opportunities for learning, dialogue, friendship and adventure on our trips. What is different about Club trips, and what does it mean to travel with a group of Club members? We’ll answer these and other frequently asked questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover the lives and legacies of Italy's Renaissance women as well as those of several unheralded Italian women who inspired Botticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo and some of the greatest art of all time. Carla Gambescia will revitalize your amore with Italy and its remarkable art treasures and cultural gifts. Learn about Artemisia Gentileschi and Isabella d’Este, whose lives and accomplishments can still inspire us today, and gain new perspectives on some of the Renaissance’s most beloved paintings. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our distinguished panel will discuss the United Religions Initiative (URI), which was begun by Bishop William Swing in 1993 after he was invited by the United Nations (UN) to hold a large interfaith service to mark the UN’s 50th anniversary. The URI envisions a world at peace sustained by a global grassroots interfaith network (known as cooperation circles) that cultivates peace and justice by engaging people to bridge religious and cultural differences. MLF Organizer: Celia Menczel MLF: Middle East In association with the San Francisco Interfaith Council Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Schwab is one of the world’s most influential financial executives, with, as of 2019, nearly $3.6 trillion worth of assets managed by the eponymous Charles Schwab and Co. He founded the brokerage firm in 1971 with a $100,000 loan and has since grown it into a financial service juggernaut. Schwab’s memoir, Invested: Changing Forever the Way Americans Invest, lays out his passion to change the way we invest and the hard work, ingenuity and entrepreneurship that propelled his vision into one of the leading financial service firms in the world. From studying economics at Stanford University to guiding his company through decades of economic transformations and fluctuations, Schwab recounts the defining moments of his life while providing unique insight into the evolutionary dynamics of entrepreneurial companies. Join us for an insightful conversation with Charles Schwab as he discusses the how-tos of finance management and imparts advice on obtaining a fulfilling career and life. This program is part of our Ethics and Accountability series, underwritten by the Travers Family Foundation, with additional support from the Bernard Osher Foundation for our Good Lit programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rise of social media has led to an increased appetite for new and more intimate ways of storytelling. The New York Times' column “Modern Love" has documented this movement, publishing over 700 personal narratives over the past 15 years about relationships of all kinds. As editor of the column, Daniel Jones reads over 100 submissions a day that range from euphoric exclamations of love to harrowing experiences of loss. Jones has overseen the broad success of “Modern Love,” which first grew into a popular podcast and is now reaching new heights as an upcoming series on Amazon Prime Video. “Modern Love” moves beyond the stereotypical boy meets girl tropes of the romance genre and looks toward complicating the way we think of love today. The series will bring eight of the most compelling essays to life, one story per episode, with a stellar cast that includes stars Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel and Tina Fey. Join us at INFORUM for an exciting screening of the first episode of the new “Modern Love” series followed by a discussion about the ways in which modern love can keep us together—and drive us apart. In collaboration with The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The food you eat and the choices you make impact your health and, according to the science of epigenetics, becomes interwoven with the genes you pass on to your children. Thanks to the discovery of epigenetics, we now know that the experiences of your ancestors are at work to influence your health and well-being. Everything from chronic diseases and trauma to how you age and sleep is determined by the epigenetics that turn on and off your DNA sequences. In You Are What Your Grandparents Ate: What You Need to Know About Nutrition, Experience, Epigenetics, and the Origins of Chronic Disease, best-selling author Judith Finlayson charts the steps you can take to making healthy dietary choices that have shown to spark epigenetic adjustments leading to better health, not only for yourself, but for your offspring and their children in the generations to come. Finlayson has dedicated her career to sharing her wide-ranging passions—from women’s history to the joys of cooking—through her best-selling books. Her penchant for cooking translates to her successful cookbooks which have sold over a million copies worldwide. Join us for an exciting conversation about the intergenerational impact of nutrition on long-term health with cooking expert Judith Finlayson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Poniewozik joined The New York Times in 2015 after spending 16 years as a Time magazine columnist and television and media critic. At The Times, he has written about television as a reflection of changing culture and politics. In his new book, Poniewozik says that television has not only entertained us, but, with the election of Donald Trump, it has conquered America. Poniewozik argues that television has morphed from the three-network era of the 20th century, which joined millions of Americans in a shared monoculture, into today’s zillion-channel, Internet-atomized universe, which has sliced and diced us into fractious, alienated subcultures. Against that background, he offers a portrait of Donald Trump as the chameleonic celebrity who courted fame, achieved a mind meld with the media beast, and rode it to ultimate power. Come hear Poniewozik discuss his view that the age of Trump is a 24-hour TV production and that we live in an era where politics has become pop culture and vice versa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As events, social media and media coverage bring the world closer together, professionals at all career levels (public sector, nonprofit and for-profit) are interested in international career opportunities to make the world a better place. Come to this event to learn more. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Ian McCuaig NOTES MLF: International Relations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michelle Malkin is a nationally recognized syndicated columnist who made her name through sharp humor to become an unapologetic conservative voice in America’s political discourse. A popular Fox News Channel contributor, Malkin has more than 2 million Twitter followers. Adding to her collection of four no. 1 best sellers, Malkin’s new book, Open Borders, Inc., is her exposé about what happens at America’s borders. Beginning with a thorough reexamination of the southern border’s history of immigration to its current state of crisis, Malkin argues that powerful special interest groups are working behind the scenes to keep America’s borders open for an influx of cheap labor in order to enrich the nation’s elite and create new generations of Democratic voters. Unafraid to challenge the status quo, Malkin offers her insight and confrontational approach on a variety of issues, from identity politics to social matters. Join us for an engaging conversation with one of the most outspoken voices of the American Right, and be sure to bring your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a conversation with a leading trans artistic couple—Shawna Virago and Sean Dorsey—about their lives as transgender activists and successful performing artists. Shawna Virago is a singer and songwriter who is known for her striking lyric-based songs. She was one of the country's first openly transgender women to perform and tour nationally. She is also the artistic director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, which will take place November 7–10 at San Francisco's Roxie Theater. Sean Dorsey founded and leads the Sean Dorsey Dance troupe, which is celebrating its 15th year. He is known as the nation's first critically acclaimed transgender choreographer in modern dance; he has toured 30 cities domestically and abroad. He has been awarded four Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and the Goldie Award for Performance. Come for a free midday program, as Michelle Meow brings her long-running 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. See more upcoming Michelle Meow Shows at The Commonwealth Club here. Note: This program contains EXPLICIT language Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Carrie Bradshaw’s newspaper dress to her iconic Manolo Blahniks, the popular Instagram sensation Every Outfit on Sex and the City’s mission is to document every single pump, dress and accessory that became a quintessential part of the hit TV show. The account is a not-so-ironic take on the series, as it blends equal parts adoration and nostalgia for the 90s classic while offering up a hilarious critical lens on some of the show’s less politically correct moments. The page is responsible for the viral meme #WokeCharlotte, rewriting the show’s straight-laced conservative into an intersectional feminist who calls out microaggressions and always makes sure you check your privilege. With nearly 600,000 followers, account creators Lauren Garroni and Chelsea Fairless are now releasing their highly anticipated book We Should All Be Mirandas: Life Lessons From Sex and The City’s Most Underrated Character. Cynthia Nixon’s sarcastic and workaholic portrayal of Miranda Hobbes was a foil to the trendy and romantic Carrie Bradshaw, but Garroni and Fairless argue that her no-nonsense style makes her the best role model for women in today’s world. Everyone can learn important life lessons from Miranda—fashionistas, pop culture mavens and every woman who has dealt with more than her fair share of mansplaining. Join INFORUM for a celebration of an underrated cultural icon and to learn how we can all elevate our inner Miranda. NOTE: This program contains EXPLICIT language Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now available on Netflix, Nancy Schwartzman’s new film, Roll Red Roll, goes behind the headlines to look at the aftermath of the assault of a teenage girl by members of the beloved high school football team in a small Ohio town. It is a searing look at the deep-rooted "boys will be boys" culture of so much high school sexual assault in America. Join us for a discussion with Schwartzman about her film and about the timely topic of sexual violence. Schwartzman is a documentary film director, producer and media strategist who uses storytelling and technology to create safer communities for women and girls. Roll Red Roll is her feature film debut. The film is designed to have a robust impact campaign focusing on engaging men and boys into the solution to end violence against women, as well as engaging communities, schools and parents. She released a companion short film Anonymous Comes to Town in April 2019 on The Guardian. Her first film, The Line (2010), a short documentary examining consent, was used by the White House for a campaign around sexuality, and her follow-up film xoxosms (2013), explored love between two teenagers, bridged by technology. A human rights activist, Schwartzman is a tech founder and created the Obama/Biden’s White House award-winning mobile app Circle of 6 designed to reduce sexual violence among America’s youth and college students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American political discourse is constantly calibrating its interpretation of what it means to be American. Coming from an undocumented family herself, writer Aarti Shahani has spent her life navigating the shifting tides of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. Her book Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares documents Shahani and her father’s disparate versions of the immigrant experience, coexisting as the scholarship kid at one of Manhattan’s most elite prep schools and the shopkeeper who mistakenly sells watches and calculators to the notorious Cali Cartel. In addition to being an author, Shahani is an award-winning correspondent for NPR in Silicon Valley, covering the largest companies on Earth. Shahani remains a resounding voice advocating on behalf of our country’s immigrant community. INFORUM hosts Aarti Shahani to address a question that plagues immigrants and natives alike: Who really belongs in America? In association with American India Foundation This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Witches in various guises have been with us for centuries, and they are notorious shape-shifters. In both spiritual culture and pop culture, they've changed from diabolical villains to empowered heroines as women and femmes have sought more autonomy in their own lives. In celebration of her spellbinding book Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power, Pam Grossman will delve into why witches matter, how they reflect our fear and love of feminine power, and what they can teach us during this age of profound transformation. Grossman will be joined by CEO, entrepreneur and documentary film executive Anne Devereux-Mills, founder of Parlay House, for this evening of feminist magic and bewitching conversation. In association with Parlay House Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prescription drug costs keep escalating with no cap in sight. Is it the drug companies that are marking up the prices, or is something else driving these high costs? The increase has been astronomical and affects patients’ ability to pay for drugs and take them as prescribed. This creates a dangerous situation for the patient. Come learn about pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), an industry secret that explains why drug prices are both confusing and expensive. Find out how PBMs control the amount paid for prescription drugs, why discounts don’t get to the patient and what actions we can take to reduce prescription drug costs. MLF Organizer: Judy Chan MLF: Health & Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, editor-in-chief of Heated, and former New York Times columnist Mark Bittman talks about what it means for food to be “good,” how to know it’s good, buy it and cook it. He guides us to think deeply about the food system and how it can be improved. Bittman is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his generation-defining cookbook How to Cook Everything, the definitive guide to simple home cooking. The new edition of the book has been completely revised for today’s cooks while retaining Bittman’s trademark minimalist style: easy-to-follow recipes and variations, and tons of ideas and inspiration. Bittman will celebrate this landmark in American food with a reception. He will be in conversation with author and Real Food Media’s Anna Lappé. This program is part of our Food Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. MLF Organizer: Elizabeth Carney MLF: Business & Leadership, Food Matters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gaspar de Portolá’s discovery of San Francisco Bay on November 4, 1769, was Spain’s most significant discovery in North America during the 18th century. It prompted a new strategy on how it would use its mission system to colonize Alta California. The historical ramifications of these plans have had an impact down to the present day. For the native people, who had successfully managed the California environment for thousands of years, the event marked the beginning of the end of their way of life. This discovery took place on Sweeney Ridge, which stretches between today’s Pacifica and San Bruno. As a result, San Mateo County will celebrate the 250th anniversary of this pivotal moment in western history with the creation of a historical and recreational trail tracing the path of Portola on the San Francisco Peninsula. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday Night Philosophy remembers the complexities of Columbus Day by investigating the various cultures of the Bay Area's indigenous peoples. Richard Schwartz has searched for, found and recorded hundreds of Native American sites in the Bay Area. The difficult and complex interactions among the different indigenous cultures living in the Bay Area multiplied dramatically with the arrival of the Spanish and was further complicated when the Gold Rush brought people from all over the world to their home territory. What survives and what has been lost? Schwartz details this complexity, enhancing our appreciation of the human inhabitation of our small piece of paradise over the millennia. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Proof!, Amir Alexander argues that Euclidean geometry has been uniquely responsible for how modern societies are structured. Geometry has shaped how our cities are built and has even been used as a rationale to explain political structures, because the proofs in Euclid’s Elements are not just true but are provable by reason alone. Alexander tracks the rediscovery of Euclidean geometry in 15th century Italy and recounts the French royals' centuries-long love affair with geometrical gardening. One night in 1661, Nicolas Fouquet, a superintendent under Louis XIV, was even arrested for the peculiar crime of having dared construct a grand geometrical garden for himself. In doing so, he had violated an irrefutable hierarchy: that geometry, in its perfection, was a testament to the divine right of kings. Elegant, symmetrical garden designs were more than just ornaments; they were proofs of incontestable certainty, and thus the authority to rule. Royal geometrical gardens proved to be a visual symbol of the French king’s consolidation of power during a time of violence and upheaval, with geometrical garden design reaching its apogee in Versailles. Proof! tells the monumental story of how geometry was carved into our world, the beliefs geometry supported and the ways geometry continues to shape our lives to this day. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Ninth Annual Lundberg Institute Lecture, Kenneth Kizer will provide an overview of the state of health care quality in the United States after taking a historical look at improvement strategies over the past 4,000 years. He will especially focus on the forces and strategies driving health care quality improvement in the past 20 years following several landmark events in the late 1990s. Despite these efforts, receiving high-quality health care remains illusory for many Americans. As the co-chair of the National Quality Task Force, he will then discuss the likely strategies to normalize high-quality health care over the next 10 years. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it possible to venture beyond our everyday lives and experience heightened states of awareness? Deepak Chopra, a world-renowned advocate for alternative medicine and personal transformation, answers yes. Chopra believes that higher consciousness is available here and now. In his new book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, Chopra explains his secrets to moving beyond our physical limitations and accessing peak experiences that revolutionize our lives. Once you wake up, Chopra writes, life becomes transformed, and through pure consciousness—which is the field of all possibilities—your infinite potential becomes your personal reality. Chopra is the author of more than 85 books including 25 New York Times best sellers. A global force in the field of human empowerment, his books have been published in more than 43 languages. Time magazine has described Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.” Join us for this deeply meaning conversation with Chopra on becoming metahuman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The jury is out on whether our legal system is equipped to deal with climate change. While some parts of the country are inundated by floods, others are resisting the growth of oil and gas infrastructure — and both are running into the law. Do youth have a constitutional right to a clean environment? At what point should disaster preparedness become disaster law? Does water have legal rights? A discussion on how many facets of the climate challenge are pushing, and changing, the law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are more women earning college degrees and participating in the workforce than ever before. Even still, women spend far more time on unpaid labor than men. Eve Rodsky, author of the new book Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live), seeks to address this universal imbalance. Rodsky began her journey to address this inequality after reaching a tipping point in her own marriage. After recording all of the unrecognized work she was doing for her busy household, she realized the disparity between her and her partner was striking. Fair Play offers four simple and practical steps to redistribute invisible work, reignite your relationship and reclaim your own time. Join Eve Rodsky and INFORUM on the quest for domestic rebalance. ** This Podcast Contains EXPLICIT Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we cope with the inevitability of death? How can we make better decisions for ourselves and our families? B.J. Miller and Shoshana Berger offer step-by-step instructions on managing the end of life, including how to navigate a complex system of hidden costs and intense emotions without shame and guilt often associated with this period of life. Miller is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCSF, where he practices and teaches palliative medicine. Berger is a journalist and editorial director at IDEO. Together they offer a lesson on dying—and how to live fully until you do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For nearly nine years, civil war has raged in Syria. The conflict has created millions of refugees and devastated countless towns and cities. For Sama is a new documentary that tells the story of one woman’s journey through love, motherhood, war and survival during five years of the Syrian conflict. Directed by Emmy award-winning filmmaking duo Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts (Escaping ISIS), the film chronicles the experiences of 26-year-old Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab, who filmed her life in the rebel-held city of Aleppo over five years. Join us for an in-depth discussion with al-Kateab and Watts for a view of the Syrian conflict you've never heard before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices