Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

If you are approaching the Medicare qualifying age of 65 and Medicare seems like one big alphabetical maze to you, you are not alone. For most, a true understanding of how Medicare works, what options are best for you, and when or how to sign up is not clear at all. Learn the ABC and Ds of Medicare as well as the realities of what to expect and what not to expect. Here’s what every boomer needs to know before they turn 65. MLF Organizer: Denise Michaud MLF: Grownups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a special edition of The Michelle Meow Show at The Commonwealth Club, as we welcome the director and the choreographer of "Falsettos," the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical now running at SHN Golden Gate Theatre from March 19–April 14. "Falsettos" tells the story of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, lover, son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. James Lapine wrote the book and directed the Broadway musical Falsettos in 1992. His extensive experience on stage and film includes directing the films Impromptu (written by his wife, Sarah Kernochan), Earthly Possessions, and Custody. His decades of work on and off Broadway have earned him many honors, including the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the 2015 Mr. Abbott Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation "in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional achievement in the theatre." Spencer Liff has been a resident choreographer for the past nine seasons of "So You Think You Can Dance"

Jackie Speier was 28 when she joined congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’ Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac, and Speier was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Speier had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, her memoir, Undaunted, reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Speier’s experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right—no matter the challenges

Twenty years after Written in Stone was first published, the questions it asked are more relevant than ever. Is it Stalinist for a formerly communist country to tear down a statue of Stalin? Should the Confederate flag be allowed to fly over the South Carolina state capitol? Is it possible for America to honor General Custer and also the Sioux Nation, both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln? Indeed, can a liberal, multicultural society memorialize anyone at all, or is it committed to a strict neutrality about the quality of the lives led by its citizens? Levinson considers the tangled responses of ever-changing societies to their monuments, drawing on examples from Albania to Zimbabwe, Moscow to Managua. He looks at social and legal arguments regarding the display, construction, modification and destruction of public monuments. And he asks what kinds of claims the past has on the present, particularly if the present is defined in dramatic opposition to its past values. He also addresses how a culture might m

Join us as we 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. Our panelists will provide informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, and we'll have audience discussion of the week’s events and our live news quiz! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our members social (open to all attendees). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This program was originally recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on February 27, 2018. John Hope Bryant is an entrepreneur, author, advisor and one of the nation’s most recognized empowerment leaders. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of Operation Hope and the Bryant Group Companies and The Promise Homes Company, the largest for-profit minority-controlled owners of institutional-quality, single-family residential rental homes in the United States. He is also one of the top-selling African-American business authors in America. Along with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland, Bryant is also a co-founder of Global Dignity. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. In his new book, The Memo, Bryant argues that true power in this world comes from economic independence, but too many people don’t have enough money left at the end of the month. His message is simple: The supermajority of pe

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Even with just a two-word title, John Lanchester’s newest novel, The Wall, evokes the political divisiveness our time. In this dystopian future, current political issues are taken to their logical extremes: issues of mass immigration (and populist reactions against it) are cast as symptoms of the ultimate problem of climate change. Lanchester’s ability to merge reality with metaphor make the novel a poignant wake-up call in the context of global politics, which are often too shortsighted. Join us with moderator Michael Lewis, best-selling author of Moneyball and The Big Short, for a witty back-and-forth between two authors who both have a knack for understanding some of the largest political issues of our time—and more importantly, know how to communicate them in an effective and engaging way. **This Program Contains Explicit Language** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The free market, limited government development model has been an ecological and social disaster for the developing world. Sustainable and equitable development is possible only with the active involvement of a strong central state that can guide the economy, protect the environment and prioritize meeting its people's basic needs. In his latest book, The Sustainable State, Chandran Nair shows that the market-dominated model followed by the industrialized West is simply not scalable. The United States alone, with less than 5 percent of the world's population, consumes nearly a quarter of its resources. If countries in Asia, where 60 percent of the world's population lives, try to follow the western lead, the results will be calamitous. Instead, Nair argues that development must be directed by a state that is willing and able to intervene in the economy. Corporations, which demand ever-expanding consumption, need to be directed toward meeting societal needs or otherwise restrained, not unleashed. Development ne

Growing up as an American-born daughter of immigrant parents, Dr. Sunita Puri always tried to live up to her parents’ expectations and the examples they set. While completing medical school at UCSF, a troubling issue seemed to arise. Between her mother’s experiences as an anesthesiologist and her own conversations with her family about their faith, the disconnect between the traditional medical objective of lengthening life at any cost and her family’s spiritual teachings became more and more apparent. It was this tension that ultimately drew her to palliative medicine, a practice that aims not to simply extend life, but to improve its quality, especially in patients living with fatal illnesses. In her new book, Dr. Puri recounts the most instructive—and often heart-wrenching—stories she has experienced in this line of medicine, intertwining them with the childhood memories of her family that have shaped who she is today. The lessons are not black and white but nuanced in ways that medicine often isn’t. When

Greg Dalton sits down for a rare interview with newly-confirmed U.S. EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler on cars, coal, and climate. Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board, responds to Wheeler’s position on vehicle standards, and discusses her agency’s role leading a group of states in contesting the Trump administration’s revised auto emissions rules. Also featuring Albert Cheung of Bloomberg New Energy Finance on the future of personal mobility, and Helen Clarkson of The Climate Group on getting some of the world’s biggest companies to commit to 100% renewable energy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily 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. This week's in-studio guest is singer and songwriter Matt Alber. Portland-based singer/songwriter Matt Alber is currently touring his fourth self-produced studio album entitled Wind Sand Stars. The album features original pop/folk art songs rooted in melody with vocals reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright, Iron & Wine and John Grant. In 2014, Lincoln Center in New York invited Matt to perform on its esteemed American Songbook series, which garnered a review by The New York Times. In 2015, he was selected by the U.S. State Department as a musical ambassador to Russia, Hungary, Kosovo and to Sudan, where he taught recording arts and sciences to young artists in Khartoum. Matt's music has been featured on ABC Family's series "The Fosters" and "Bones" and he appears on

In 2018, Emily Chang’s Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley made national headlines, further opening up the conversation around discrimination, sexual harassment and toxic work environments taking place across industries and in Silicon Valley. One year later, join Chang and moderator Aileen Lee, partner at Cowboy VC and founder of All Raise, the new nonprofit dedicated to strategically engaging more women and minorities in the founding and funding of technology-driven companies. In this powerful expose, Chang reveals how Silicon Valley got so sexist despite its utopian ideals. Drawing on her deep network of tech insiders, Chang sheds light on how hard it is for women to crack the Silicon ceiling and offers insight on what companies and employees need to do to bring down the “brotopia” culture once and for all. This program was generously supported by Ernst & Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grain by Grain tells the story of Bob Quinn, an organic farmer from Big Sandy, Montana. Quinn was raised with traditional farming methods but learned that organic farming could create better, healthier food and bring economic opportunity to his small town. He is the founder of the international company Kamut International and the leader in reviving that ancient grain. Ultimately, Quinn’s story shows the way to a better future for American agriculture, proving that rural America can lead sustainability. MLF Organizer Name: Cathy Curtis Notes, MLF: Food Matters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Caro will describe the Longevity Explorers’ most recent explorations. The explorers are a unique sharing, evaluation and ideation community made up of older adults (in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s) and their friends, families and caregivers. The presentation will include promising products the explorers have tried, ideas the explorers have been discussing related to improving the quality of life for older adults and some ideas for products we wish someone would develop. The Longevity Explorers program is an initiative enabled by Tech-enhanced Life. MLF Organizer Name: John Milford MLF: Grownups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 16, 2018, just 26 hours before his scheduled retirement, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired by then Attorney General Jeff Sessions. President Donald Trump celebrated on Twitter, saying: "Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy." Now McCabe is telling his side of one of the most intriguing political episodes of 2018. In The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, Andrew G. McCabe offers a dramatic and candid account of his career and an impassioned defense of the FBI's agents and of the institution's integrity and independence in protecting America and upholding our Constitution. Under FBI Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey, McCabe led the investigations of major attacks such as the Boston Marathon bombing, a plot to bomb the New York subways, the Benghazi attack and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. According to McCabe, the greatest threat to th

Is Silicon Valley at a breaking point? The power of technology has been called into question amid the growing number of data breaches, disinformation and lack of privacy. Kara Swisher reflects on what has brought Silicon Valley to this point, the ethical challenges facing tech companies and prognosis for the future. Notes: In association with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Businesses Can Restore the State’s Middle Class California’s powerhouse economy, the fifth largest in the world, relies on a skilled, healthy and available workforce. Yet employers say that job candidates often lack the skills they need—and they cannot grow as a result. Meanwhile, many workers make low wages that are stagnant, despite ever higher living costs. Often workers lack access to quality job training and are increasingly shut out of California’s middle class. As one of the state’s largest philanthropic funders, with $2.3 billion in assets and annual grantmaking of nearly $100 million, The James Irvine Foundation envisions a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. The foundation recently commissioned a survey of California workers, finding that nearly half are struggling with poverty. Join business and community leaders for a discussion of the California workforce and how to increase the skills, qualifications and well-being of employees in ways to benefit i

Monday Night Philosophy analyzes the biblical roots of philosophical inquiry. Accepting your divinely ordained lot in life, as Job did (but ironically Lot did not), is often lauded in the Bible. A few dared negotiate with Jehovah (Abraham, Lot and Moses), and quite a few even tried to outsmart omniscience. But Jeremiah makes it clear he has a problem with the whole prophetic game, even as he was fulfilling his role as the messenger of dire and accurate prophecies. One element of his argument with Jehovah involves his passionate complaints about the uselessness of delivering precise but unpatriotic predictions. Even more fundamentally, Jeremiah's hope for a future where organized religion disappears, along with its crucial concepts of sin and punishment, expresses his emotional frustration with the ineffectiveness of Jehovah's ancient plan for instilling virtue. A god and his prophet might disagree on tactics, but it is something else to disagree about goals. Come hear why that is exactly the kind of fundament

Join us as Michelle Meow brings her long-running daily 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. This week's in-studio guests, from St. James Infirmary in San Francisco, will discuss the decriminalization of sex work. James Burch is St. James Infirmary’s policy and advocacy officer. He began his work at the Southern Center for Human Rights where he investigated human rights conditions in Georgia and Alabama’s prisons, jails, and court systems. He studied civil rights law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Burch clerked briefly at the ACLU of Southern California before moving to the Bay Area. In the Bay, Burch organized with the Frisco 500 before joining APTP and assuming the role of policy coordinator. He joined St. James Infirmary in January of 2019. Toni Newman is the executive director of St. James Infirmary in San Francisco. St. James Infirmary i

Monday Night Philosophy features author Benn Steil, winner of the 2018 American Academy of Diplomacy Douglas Dillon Prize for best book. Steil will discuss the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan. In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, U.S. officials under new Secretary of State George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct Western Europe as a bulwark against Communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union and a Western identity that continues to shape world events. Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Steil’s account brings to life the Prague Coup, the Berlin Blockade, the division of Germany, and Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe. As Putin’s Russia is again rattling the world order, the te