Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Images of dancers or sculptures don’t leap to mind with the mention of climate change. But artists are increasingly using the carbon conundrum as a creative lens, using their mediums to design cultural moments that bring people together. Storytellers and artists are reaching people on a deeper and more emotional level than the cerebral facts and charts often used to shape the climate narrative. Can art reach and activate people on climate in new and compelling ways? How can art convey the joy of nature and the grief of how humans are destroying it? Join us for a conversation about art, beauty and humanity in the age of climate disruption with celebrated choreographer Alonzo King, whose new dance is inspired by the beauty and tragedy unfolding in the Arctic. The world premier will be held in San Francisco later this year. Also joining is senior curator Nora Lawrence, whose 2018 exhibition at New York's Storm King Art Center, Indicators: Artists on Climate Change, was one of the first major museum exhibitions to address climate change.

Science has given us a realistic picture of what Earth will look like with uninhibited levels of climate change: increased extreme weather events, crippled economies and a world where those with the least are the hardest hit. What would a radically re-envisioned future look like? What solutions do we need to replace tomorrow’s doom-and-gloom projections with thriving cities, renewed political consciousness, equitable societies and carbon-free economies? Join us with climate journalist and The Future Earth author Eric Holthaus and Project Drawdown Vice President Katharine Wikinson for a conversation on reimagining our role in creating climate solutions.

Haven't had the opportunity for adventurous travel recently? Then join us for a virtual conversation with remote travel writer Sophy Roberts, direct from London, about her first book: The Lost Pianos of Siberia. Although Siberia’s story is usually one of exile, penal colonies and unmarked graves, there is another tale to tell about one of our planet's harshest landscapes. Dotted throughout this remote land are many pianos―grand instruments created during the boom years of the 19th century, as well as humble, Soviet-made uprights. These pianos bear witness to the enthusiasm with which Russians have taken to piano music ever since Catherine the Great's westernizing influences introduced it to Russian culture. Follow Roberts as she tracks pianos and their histories through a desolate land inhabited by wild tigers and deeply shaped by its dark history—from the piano that Maria Volkonsky, wife of an exiled Decembrist revolutionary, used to spread music east of the Urals, to those that brought reprieve to the Soviet gulag. That these pianos still exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable. That they are still capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than miraculous. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

Few people can reflect as deeply on the politics of political life like Katie Hill, a former U.S. representative for California’s 25th congressional district. She ran for Congress before turning 30 and won her seat in November 2018 as a Democrat, beating a 26-year Republican incumbent. Her win, along with many others that year, was part of a larger turning of the tides in American politics — one centered around young women who were determined to lead change. Then, a mere 11 months later, Hill experienced a major sex scandal that ultimately resulted in her untimely resignation. In her new book, She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality, Hill recounts the complicated details of her story and the extreme sexism and abuse she faced at the hands of the highly invasive media. Join her at INFORUM, where she will share her experience with the longstanding double standard of sex and gender in politics, and how we can all play a part in dismantling these systems.

It's a stressful time, and it's difficult even for those with a naturally sunny personality to maintain the mood they want. So what about those of us who are coping with unwanted sadness, depression or irritability? And why does stigma still make it difficult to openly discuss these experiences? We have therefore asked Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California Berkeley and of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, to join Dr. Brad Berman, M.D., for an hour of Q&A to discuss your questions about managing the sadder moods at this time of COVID-19. Learn how taking even small steps can help you to improve your mood, outlook and perhaps even help you feel more hopeful. Just write your questions on the chat channel during the talk, and we will forward them to Drs. Hinshaw and Berman anonymously for their answers. Our previous discussion about anxiety with Dr. Michael Tompkins used a similar format, and it was extremely successful. There were great questions that received excellent practical answers, so be sure to attend and ask those questions! Remember, thousands of people will download the podcast afterwards; the answer you get may lighten the day for hundreds of subsequent listeners. MLF ORGANIZER Brad Berman NOTES MLF: Personal Growth

No one doubts that there is some corruption in America, as there is in every other country. But in her latest book, Sarah Chayes contends that the United States is showing symptoms distressingly similar to those of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption, as Chayes defines it, is an operating system of sophisticated networks in which government officials, key private-sector interests, and out-and-out criminals interweave. Their main objective: to maximize returns for network members. Chayes shows how corrupt systems are organized, how they enforce the rules so their crimes are rarely punished, how they are overlooked and downplayed—shrugged off with a roll of the eyes—by the richer and better educated, and how they shape our government, affecting all levels of society. Chayes also reviews the historical trends involved, beginning with the titans of America's Gilded Age (Carnegie, Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan), the collapse of the stock market in 1929, the Great Depression and FDR's New Deal, and Joe Kennedy's banking, bootlegging and machine politics financial empire, which led to the Kennedy presidency. She says all of that was soon followed by the deregulation of the Reagan Revolution, which undermined the middle class and the unions, the Clinton policies of political favors and personal enrichment, and most recently Trump's hydra-headed network of corrupt players, systematically undoing the Constitution and our laws. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond

In late 1976, Ronald Reagan was dismissed as a man without a political future: defeated in his nomination bid against a sitting president of his own party, blamed for President Gerald Ford’s defeat, too old to make another run. Four years later, the former California governor would win the White House and expand a conservative revolution begun with Barry Goldwater that continues to impact the country’s politics today. Reagan’s comeback was fueled by an extraordinary confluence: fundamentalist preachers and former segregationists reinventing themselves as militant crusaders against gay rights and feminism; business executives uniting against regulation in an era of economic decline; a cadre of secretive “New Right” organizers deploying state-of-the-art technology, bending political norms to the breaking point—and Reagan’s own unbending optimism, his ability to convey unshakable confidence in America as the world’s “shining city on a hill.” Backed by a reenergized conservative Republican base, Reagan ran on the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”—and prevailed. Rick Perlstein’s new book Reaganland is the story of how this all happened, tracing conservatives’ tough strategies to gain power and explaining why they endure four decades later. Over two decades, Rick Perlstein has published three essential works about the emerging dominance of conservatism in modern American politics. Reaganland is the saga’s final installment, and it comes just as the country heads into the final stages of the 2020 election, in which many say the politics embraced and pushed by Reagan and his supporters could meet their final test. Please join us for this timely discussion.

Join us for a virtual conversation between Alan Mikhail and Adam Hochschild about Mikhail's new book, God's Shadow. Although long neglected in European-centric world histories, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of intellectual fervor, geopolitical power and enlightened pluralistic rule. At the height of their authority in the 16th century, the Ottomans, with military dominance and monopolies over trade routes, controlled more territory and ruled over more people than any other world power of the time, forcing Europeans out of the Mediterranean and to the New World. Mikhail recasts this Ottoman history by retelling it through the dramatic biography of Sultan Selim I (1470–1520). Born to a concubine, the fourth of his sultan father’s 10 sons, Selim's charisma and military prowess―as well as the guidance of his mother Gülbahar―allowed him to claim power in 1512 and then nearly triple the empire's territory, building a governing structure that lasted into the 20th century. Selim also fostered religious diversity, encouraged learning and philosophy, and penned his own verse. Drawing on previously unexamined sources, Mikhail’s game-changing account adroitly uses Selim’s life to upend prevailing shibboleths about Islamic history, radically reshaping our understanding of the history of the modern world. MLF ORGANIZER George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

What happens when wilderness meets wealth in the most iconic parts of the country? Teton County, Wyoming, is famous for pristine outdoors, recreation, ranching and land stewardship. It also leads the country in per capita income, with residents averaging a quarter of a million dollars annually. This massive accrual of wealth comes with far-reaching consequences for income inequality and the environment. How are public and private land interests competing in the American West? Can conservation and recreation coalesce in a way that is inclusive of all communities? Join us for a conversation with Justin Farrell, associate professor of sociology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and author of Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West; Dina Gilio-Whitaker, American Indian studies lecturer at California State University, San Marcos; and Diane Regas, president and CEO of The Trust for Public Land.

As 2020 continues to challenge our way of life, young people are facing the brunt of this unrest. COVID-19 is quickly defining this era, but issues such as racial inequity, economic disparity, historic unemployment rates and the fast-approaching presidential election are also informing Generation Z’s worldview. How are young people processing the government’s role in this crisis? What is the current state of civics education in the United States and, most important, what can we do to make sure youth are civically engaged during this time of uncertainty and into the future? INFORUM and The Commonwealth Club's education initiative, Creating Citizens, have gathered a panel of experts in civics education and youth engagement to discuss how we can continue to educate young people on the structures that impact their lives, and how we can make sure they are an active part of political decision making. Join Generation Citizen’s Scott Warren, IGNITE National’s Sara Guillermo, Kidizenship's Amanda Little and iCivics’ Amber Coleman-Mortley for a conversation on the future of democracy in our country and how we can prepare our youth to save it. This program is generously supported by Levi Strauss & Co. We are grateful for their support and hope others will follow their example to support the Club during these uncertain times.

Click. Share. Cyberwarfare. More than ever before, people are logging on, sharing posts, updating statuses, and posting picture after picture as social media offers a physically distant form of connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. But how is this rapid shift in media consumption and the information (and disinformation) that we share affecting democracy during an election year? For more than a decade, online platforms have provided people with much-needed virtual alternatives to in-person offices, classrooms, gyms, and now social activism. And yet with every check-in sent, story posted and account made comes a new bank of user information that can be hacked, data mined, and weaponized by both foreign and domestic threats. Alex Stamos has built his career on ensuring that internet users are safe and protected, especially as social media becomes more pervasive. As Facebook’s former chief security officer, Stamos is no stranger to the dangers of cybersecurity breaches and the widespread consequences of these types of breaches. With less than three months before a pivotal election, join us to discuss what tech companies can do to help safeguard democracy, what users can do to protect themselves, and how the cybersecurity industry is adapting to meet the rising calls for user protection in the age of digital democracy.

Join us for a virtual conversation with Susan Eisenhower, who describes in How Ike Led the ways in which her grandfather, President Dwight Eisenhower, led America through a transformational time using strategic, principled leadership. Few people have made major decisions as momentous or varied as Eisenhower did. From D-Day to Little Rock, from the Korean War to Cold War crises, from the Red Scare to the Missile Gap controversies, Ike relied on a core set of principles to give our country 8 years of peace and prosperity. These were informed by his heritage and upbringing, as well as his strong character and personal discipline. But he also avoided making himself the center of things. He was a man of judgment, and steadying force. He sought national unity by pursuing a course he called the "Middle Way" that tried to make winners on both sides of any issue. And he was a strategic leader who relied on a rigorous pursuit of the facts for decision-making. His talent for envisioning a whole, especially in the context of the long game, and his ability to see causes and various consequences, explain his successes both as Allied commander and as president. And after making a decision, he made himself accountable for it, recognizing that personal responsibility is the bedrock of sound principles and is sorely missed whenever leaders lack it. Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation MLF ORGANIZER: George Hammond MLF: Humanities

Jason Valadão has overcome numerous challenges—serving in the U.S. Navy as a flight officer during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and currently as a doctor of family and sports medicine, teaching and mentoring at several universities, including in the Department of Naval Science at the University of California, Berkeley (where he also spent three years as a faculty fellow and volunteer with the football team's coaching staff and earned a master's degree in education), and surviving cancer. Since 2009, he has served as an adjunct professor for Concordia University Irvine's Master's degree program in coaching and athletic administration, and in 2017 he joined the faculty of the American Academy of Family Physicians Chief Resident Leadership Development Program, helping to develop the physician leaders of tomorrow. His passion for leadership and personal growth led Jason to become a certified coach, speaker and trainer, mentoring people on their journeys toward personal growth and development. In his book Exceptional Every Day, Dr. Valadão uses his own and others’ personal anecdotes to enable readers to refocus their priorities and design the life they desire. Come hear his inspirational story and his tips for how we all can unlock our best productivity, incorporate routines that won’t break, and develop an unstoppable mindset.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation's leading voice on mental health. Today, it is an association of more than 500 local affiliates who work in communities to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need. Offered in thousands of communities across the United States through NAMI state organizations and NAMI affiliates, its education programs ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators get the support and information they need. NAMI shapes national public policy for people impacted by mental illness and their families and provides volunteer leaders with the tools, resources and skills necessary to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination across this country. MLF ORGANIZER Patrick OReilly

Students: This program is for you! What do you want to tell or ask adults who are making the decisions that have changed your lives so dramatically over the past few months? Please join us for this free program to share your thoughts, questions, concerns and suggestions. Ever since the coronavirus shut down schools last spring, the national conversation has swirled around questions of whether and how to reopen. And though the new school year is upon us, we seem to be no closer to a resolution. But amidst all of the controversy, one set of voices has been almost entirely left out of the conversation: that of the students themselves. Developed by and for students, this program will be an interactive conversation about issues that are on young people’s minds, such as: What do students think about going to school—or not—in the middle of a pandemic? How have they been managing remote learning? What thoughts or worries do they have about social distancing? How have protests and social unrest affected them? Adults are encouraged to share this rare opportunity with the students in their lives and to listen in on this important conversation.