Commonwealth Club of California Podcast show

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Summary: The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's largest public affairs forum. The nonpartisan and nonprofit Club produces and distributes programs featuring diverse viewpoints from thought leaders on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast — the oldest in the U.S., since 1924 — is carried on hundreds of stations. Our website features audio and video of our programs. This podcast feed is usually updated multiple times each week.

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  • Artist: Commonwealth Club of California
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Podcasts:

 Refugees Without Refuge: Stories of LGBTQ Refugees Stranded in the Middle East | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Subhi Nahas, founder and board chair of Spectra Project and a Syrian refugee who gained asylum in the U.S. in 2015, will describe his experiences as a refugee as well as his efforts to help others and advocate for minorities of different sexual orientations and genders in the Middle East and North Africa. While many organizations assist refugees worldwide, only one organization supports the extremely vulnerable group of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa regions who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and who remain in countries of transit, unsure of when and if they will be resettled. Nahas has been recognized by the California State Assembly, testified at the first United Nations assembly on LGBTQ rights and has received numerous prestigious awards.

 Is Climate Denial Destroying Our Planet? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

The majority of Americans agree climate disruption is a major concern. The Paris Climate Agreement has been ratified by 61 countries and counting, which so far represents 47.81 percent of the world’s emissions. So we all agree, climate change is the biggest problem humankind has ever faced? Not so fast. Here in the United States, denial and confusion about the science is rampant, and we may be the only developed nation where it is written into a major political party’s platform. Climate scientist Michael Mann and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Toles take a satirical look at how this lack of consensus came to be. Cristine Russell is a veteran science journalist with deep knowledge about conveying complex scientific issues to a broad public. How deep does climate doubt run, and how can communication help us move on to solutions? Join us for a fun and informative look at manufactured doubt and genuine skepticism.

 The New California Health-Care Model | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

With single-payer health care being debated in Sacramento while the repeal of the Affordable Care Act winds its way through Congress, California is setting itself apart from the rest on the nation. What will this new California model look like, and how will it lift up the underserved populations who need the most care? Is a single-payer system viable for the Golden State? Join us for a discussion on an important and timely issue that affects everyone in all corners of California

 Age-Friendly Cities and the Future of Aging | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Santa Clara will soon become the first U.S. county to have each of its 15 cities designated “age friendly” by the World Health Organization (WHO). But what does that mean? You're invited to meet Dr. James Goodwin, a global leader in aging. He will be in the Bay Area from the United Kingdom, attending the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) Summit. Goodwin will describe the age-friendly global movement, the new thinking about aging and health, and why the age-friendly concept is an indispensable part of that picture. Goodwin will also reveal how Santa Clara County became one of the nation’s leaders in the age-friendly movement. Together with Alex Kalache of the WHO and Margaret Gillis of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Goodwin was at the forefront in establishing the age-friendly movement. He also knows John Beard, current age-friendly leader and the director of the aging and life course department at the WHO. Goodwin will tell the rarely heard story of how and why the age-friendly movement was created.

 Week to Week Politics Roundtable and Social Hour 7/24/17 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Local, state, and national politics is in the news like never before. It's never a dull moment in politics these days, and we'll discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!

 Chain Reaction: Why Two Wheels Are Better Than Four | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Getting out of a car and onto a bike is one of the best things you can do for the climate and your personal health. Bike lanes are growing in American cities from New York City to Houston, the country’s oil and gasoline capital. Cycling is also a way for people to raise awareness and money for their climate work. Still, many potential cyclists are worried about their personal safety while biking—and about breathing bus exhaust. What are cities doing to take cycling to the next level? Is bike sharing really displacing taxi rides? How is pedal power helping the broader climate movement? Join us for a conversation about cycling and the ways it is changing urban America and cutting carbon emissions.

 Vinod Khosla: The Future of Technology | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Vinod Khosla is an entrepreneur, investor and technology fan who is driven by his passions. One of his greatest passions is being a mentor to entrepreneurs and helping them build technology-based businesses. He is also driven by the desire to make a positive impact through scaling alternative energy, achieving petroleum independence and promoting a pragmatic approach to the environment. Khosla will discuss how to harness the entrepreneurial spirit to develop the clean technologies we desperately need.

 For-Profit Punishment? The Private Prison Question | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

In 2016, the Obama administration declared that the federal government would begin phasing out the use of private, for-profit prisons in the justice system. This move came in response to a Justice Department report that showed private prisons did not save money and were less safe than public facilities. In early 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded this decision. Today, the debate continues: Should the American criminal justice system include private, for-profit entities? Or should the prison system at the state and federal levels be run by the government? Join our panelists for a conversation about the state of the American criminal justice system and private prisons. Mother Jones senior reporter Shane Bauer, who reported on his four-month stint as a private prison guard, will share his experience and insights from inside a private prison. Alysia Santo, a staff reporter at the Marshall Project, a nonprofit outlet that features journalism on criminal justice reform, recently exposed the deadly conditions on board a private prisoner transportation van. Joanne Woodford, former warden of San Quentin State Prison and former undersecretary for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, will offer her perspective from decades of experience within the criminal justice system.

 The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Much has been lost over the last 70 years. Big businesses once took responsibility for providing their workers and retirees with an array of social benefits. Post World War II, these companies believed that worker pay needed to be kept high in order to preserve morale. Productivity boomed. Rick Wartzman illustrates how much things have changed since then. Job security, steadily rising pay, guaranteed pensions, and robust health benefits were once thought to contribute to worker morale and to keep the company humming, but these benefits are now gone. Wartzman will trace the ups and downs of four corporate icons–General Motors, General Electric, Kodak and Coca-Cola—and the erosion of the relationship between American companies and their workers. Wartzman also addresses what can be done to rebuild the work force and help resurrect the middle class. Before joining the Drucker Institute in 2007 as its founding executive director, Wartzman worked for two decades as a reporter, editor and columnist at The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. While business editor of the LA Times, he helped shape a three-part series on Walmart’s impact on the economy and society, which won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

 Ancestry’s Catherine Ball: Who Do You Think You Are? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Perceived identity has been a discussion for centuries because of its crucial and diverse psychological implications. Culture, social roles, relationships and family structure have been known to make up and create one’s sense of self. This need rests deep inside every human—to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves and to find our place in the world. Catherine Ball will discuss how the combination of DNA and family history data provides us with better sense of identity—a deeper and empowering understanding of who we are, how we connect to society and how we’ve been shaped by human history. Recently published research enables an unprecedented look at ancestral migration patterns, including 500 million genetic relationships, and ties these groups to historical events of the past 400 years. Ball will discuss these incredibly valuable insights into our history and the forces that continue to shape our beliefs, giving us a more granular look at how immigration, geography, politics, religion and economics have shaped the world.

 Begin with the End in Mind: The Impact of Trauma on Children’s Brains and Bodies | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Evolving brain science has taught us much about the impact of trauma on developing brains. As a foster parent and as CEO of Lincoln, a Bay Area nonprofit serving children and youth, Christine Stoner-Mertz brings a deep understanding of the many ways trauma associated with poverty, community violence and mental health challenges impact children’s growth and development. She will discuss these impacts and the urgency to develop policies that support early screening and interventions for at-risk children. Stoner-Mertz is driven by the belief that every young person deserves a family, and every parent wants his or her child to succeed despite the challenges of poverty, trauma, substance use and limited educational resources. She received her MSW from the University of Michigan and is a licensed clinical social worker. She has served on several state and local association boards and was a recipient of the Exemplar Award from the National Network for Social Work Managers. Stoner-Mertz currently serves on the board of the National Council of Behavioral Health and the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies.

 Trumping the Climate: Coming in Hot | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

The Trump administration’s determination to revive coal mining and domestic oil drilling is causing concern that international efforts to combat climate change will crumble. But how far will the new Trump team be able to shrink rules created under President Obama and as far back as President Nixon? U.S. Senator John McCain recently cast a deciding vote against a Republican effort to roll back restrictions on methane, a powerful heat-trapping gas. California, long the vanguard of environmental protections, vows to keep forging ahead with its climate agenda. What are the new politics of carbon? How much change will the Trump administration really bring to the climate change fight? What are energy investors and companies doing in the new political context? Join a conversation about energy, markets and the mainstream news media.

 Richard Harris and Mary Roach: Is Sloppy Science Killing Us? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Richard Harris says that American taxpayers spend more than $30 billion every year to fund biomedical research and that half of all the studies funded cannot be replicated elsewhere. He says this biomedical research, anchored in a system that often rewards wrong behaviors, is needlessly slowing the search for new treatments and cures. To get and keep a job in research or in academia, Harris says, scientists need to publish results rather than get the right answers. It’s simply too easy for these scientists to use bad ingredients, poor experimental designs or improper methods in analyzing their results. Join us for a startling discussion on how sloppy science has dangerous consequences for all of us. Harris is one of the nation’s most celebrated science journalists, covering science, medicine and the environment. Now in his 30th year at NPR, his latest research concerns medical science, or the lack thereof.

 I'm Not Blind, But I Can't See: Resources for Those with Low Vision | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Low vision occurs when a person's vision cannot be corrected with contact lenses or glasses. This talk will briefly review common conditions that may result in low vision, what is involved in a low vision evaluation, and what supportive services and resources are available in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 How to Fall in Love with Anyone | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: Unknown

Remember Mandy Len Catron’s viral New York Times Modern Love column: “To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This”? In the column, she and an acquaintance followed a less than scientific version of a psychology study comprised of answering 36 increasingly personal questions. The experiment ended with the two staring silently into each other’s eyes for four minutes. Mandy and her partner went on to actually fall in love. After reading her column, millions of people became invested in the future of her relationship. Now, in her new book, How to Fall in Love with Anyone, Catron explores the romantic myths we create and talks frankly about how they limit our ability to achieve and sustain intimacy. Whether you’re dating and dubious about love or deep in a relationship, Catron’s mix of history, science, theory and personal experience will make you question the unwritten scripts we follow in love and relationships. Catron will be in conversation with Moira Weigel, author of Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating, a fellow academic and writer entranced by the complexity of love. Originally from Appalachian Virginia, Catron is a writer living and working in Vancouver, British Columbia. She writes about love at The Love Story Project. She also teaches English and creative writing at the University of British Columbia.

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