Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Imagine a place where you can anonymously purchase drugs, hire hit men, and acquire forged passports counterfeit cash, guns, grenades and poisons. Journalist Nick Bilton has written about politics and power struggles behind the founding of Twitter. Now he turns his investigative journalism to the story of Ross Ulbricht, the notorious and enigmatic founder of a drug empire and the Silk Road website. Bilton will divulge Ulbricht's rise and fall and what Ulbricht's story reveals about the clash of a libertarian-leaning web, where everything is decentralized, against the old world of government, law and order. He will also discuss what this could ultimately mean for all of us.

Samin Nosrat has taught everyone how to cook—professional chefs, children and even Michael Pollan—by mastering just four important elements: salt, fat, acid and heat. In this program, Nosrat will share her kitchen philosophy of making meals delicious by enhancing, balancing and adding texture and flavor. Hear the hows and whys of what good cooking can be. Nosrat trained under Alice Waters at Chez Panisse and has been called “the next Julia Child” by NPR’s All Things Considered. MacNaughton is a renowned illustrator and contributed 150 images and infographics to the book.

Monday Night Philosophy investigates the accepted myth of the “American Enlightenment,” which suggests that the rejection of monarchy and establishment of a new republic in the U.S. in the 18th century was the realization of utopian philosophies born in the intellectual salons of Europe, which radiated outward to the New World. Winterer argues that this national mythology of a unitary, patriotic era of Enlightenment in America was created during the Cold War to shield against the threat of totalitarianism, and Americans in the 1700s were influenced by European models in far more complex ways than commonly thought. Winterer explores which of our ideas and ideals are truly rooted in the 18th century and which are inventions and mystifications of more recent times.

Christopher de Bellaigue, who has covered the Middle East since 1996, will discuss his latest book, The Islamic Enlightenment, which discusses Islamic history as it relates to the modern world. De Bellaigue posits that, contrary to popular opinion, remarkable men and women from across the Muslim world have welcomed modern ideals and practices.

Can the far right and far left come together on clean energy despite the polarization in Washington DC? As a founding member of the Tea Party Movement, Debbie Dooley believes in the conservative principles of competitive markets and personal liberty. As leader of the grassroots organization 350.org, May Boeve uses different language and has a different view of the role of government. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined the Senate when climate change was still a bipartisan issue, and thinks the impetus to partisanship today began with Citizens United. Coming from different places, all three think the Koch brothers and electric monopolies are restricting individual choice to protect their profits and the environment. And they all agree that climate change is a real concern that needs to be addressed.

The Witches is Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff's account of a primal mystery. Women's suffrage, Prohibition and the Salem witch trials are three rare moments when women played a central role in American history, and in Salem it was adolescent girls who stood at center stage. The panic began during a raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's niece began to writhe and roar. The panic spread quickly, as neighbors accused neighbors, husbands accused wives and parents, and children accused each other. The witch trials ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and an elderly man crushed to death. Drawing masterfully on the archives, Schiff introduces us to the strains of Puritan adolescent life and the vulnerability of wilderness settlements adrift from the mother country, and she brilliantly aligns them with our own anxieties: religious provocations, crowdsourcing and invisible enemies.

Join Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, authors of Option B, as they talk about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks. After the sudden death of her husband, Sandberg felt certain she and her children would never feel pure joy again. Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are steps people can take to recover and even rebound. Option B combines Sandberg’s emotional insights and Grant’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. The authors will share what they’ve learned on helping others in crisis; developing compassion for ourselves; raising strong children; and creating resilient families, communities and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to ordinary struggles, allowing us to build resilience for whatever lies ahead. Sandberg and Grant will discuss the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy.

Join us for a rare conversation with one of the world’s most prominent transgender women. As former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn over the past few years, her personal journey has been public, painful and inspiring. What has her path of discovery taught her about truth, and what has it revealed about the challenges facing the transgender community? Bring your questions, and get ready to hear how a story of pain and deception can ultimately become one of embracing a person’s true identity.

In 2016, there was no bilateral human rights dialogue between China and the United States, nor was there any dialogue on rule of law. The decision to disengage was mutual. Now Beijing and Washington, D.C. are considering how (and if) to reengage on two of the most sensitive topics in their relationship: human rights and rule of law. Although President Trump has discussed many issues related to U.S.–China relations, he has remained largely silent on human rights. John Kamm’s Dui Hua Foundation has been conducting an unofficial dialogue with the Chinese government and judiciary for many years. This dialogue focuses on treatment of prisoners, juvenile justice, women in prison and the death penalty—all topics that could be covered if official dialogue is revitalized. Kamm, having just returned from Beijing, will provide a briefing on where things stand in both the official and unofficial dialogue between China and the U.S.

Mackey makes the case for why a whole food, plant-based diet is optimum for a long, healthy, disease-free life. As one of the leaders of this plant-based movement, Mackey shares his vision and discusses the science behind changing the way we eat. He will also address food, politics and health as well as the ethical and environmental impact of our dietary habits.

Would you like to achieve more with less—at work and at home—and be happier and more creative at the same time? Scott Sonenshein, author of Stretch, will teach us how to do it! In a constantly changing world, fewer and fewer corporate and personal situations can be handled using practiced routines. Instead, we need to be resilient and use the resources we already have; we need to stretch beyond our normal set of solutions, colleagues and friends. Sonenshein has rigorously researched techniques that produce results in a fluid environment. Teams learn to improvise quickly and pull in ideas from other disciplines. They play improvisational jazz instead of classical music, and they have fun doing it! We can use the same tools to improve our personal lives and relationships. So come stretch out of your usual routine! Learn how to improve both your organization and yourself. Sonenshein holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He also has degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Virginia. He teaches organizational behavior, change and leadership.

Climate disruption and the California drought have been mocked or marginalized in the national political debate. Are Republicans and Democrats in California similarly divided? Where can they agree on water, energy, agriculture, housing, transit and other issues related to rewiring the economy to run cleaner? Climate impacts such as massive forest fires, rising tides, and severe storms are hitting the state today. California recently extended part of its main climate law, AB 32. Will that get the job done? A conversation about power and politics at the state and regional level in this wild election year.

A distinguished panel will discuss their perspectives on Donald Trump's presidency as well as policies and actions which may lead to peace or further conflict in the region. Alon Sachar has worked to advance Middle East peace under two U.S. administrations and cowrote A Path to Peace (with Senator George Mitchell). Maher Kalaji is a frequent contributor to our Middle East forum, and Eddy Simonian, an Assyrian Christian, wrote his master's thesis on Lebanon's sectarian conflict. Along with moderator Banafsheh Keynoush, the three panelists will present their perspectives on the potential effects of Trump’s words and actions in the Middle East.

How far could you get digging a hole to China? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? Did you ever want insights into the physics, anatomy and astronomy behind some of the weirdest deaths you can think of? Paul Doherty, a senior scientist at San Francisco’s Exploratorium, and co-author Cody Cassidy answer these questions and more. Join us for an interesting conversation about some of the most cartoonish, outlandish and impossible deaths and how these fantastical scenarios relate to real science.

Can Donald Trump, the ultimate outsider, learn how to be an effective president? According to author and documentarian Chris Whipple, Trump cannot be effective unless he empowers a strong chief of staff to take charge of his White House and execute his agenda. Drawing on his extensive interviews with two former presidents and 17 living chiefs of staff, Whipple says this is one of many lessons learned by such diverse figures as Dick Cheney, Rahm Emanuel, Donald Rumsfeld and Leon Panettta. Whipple says chiefs of staff, often referred to as "the gatekeepers," can make or break an administration. Whipple will offer new insight into our understanding of presidential history—from how James Baker’s expert managing of the White House, the press and Capitol Hill paved the way for the Reagan Revolution to how Watergate, the Iraq War and even the bungled Obamacare rollout might, conversely, have been prevented by a more effective chief. Come hear a fascinating look at this unique fraternity and the inner workings of the White House.