Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

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 needs to be oriented toward the greatest good—clean drinking water for the many has to take precedence over swimming pools for the few. Nair provides three compelling case studies demonstrating the benefits of such strong state governance and the failings of weak state governance. This will mean rethinking the meaning of concepts such as prosperity, freedom, and rights and whether democracy is always the best way to ensure responsive government. As Nair writes, "A democracy that cannot work to improve the life of its citizens is not better than a non-democracy that can actually improve quality of life." Many people will find these to be challenging ideas, but what Nair offers is a model suited to the realities of the developing world, not the assumptions of the dominant culture. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Gerald Harris

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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 the only remaining treatment options have the possibility to extend life, but come with severe side effects, how does a physician have an honest conversation with the patient and their family about the "pros" and "cons" of their choices? In a field where physicians come face to face with mortality daily, there can be a surprising lack of fluency in discussing the hard truths of death. Through her years of experience in the field of palliative medicine, Dr. Puri has strived to change this by normalizing conversations about what kind of life matters most to patients at the end of their days. She is also a living testament to the power of storytelling, and how it can help us make better sense of our own mortality. Join us for an emotionally honest discussion on what kinds of life are worth living, and how even in the hardest and most difficult moments, these decisions can help bring peace to patients and their families.

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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 two Grammy Award-winning classical albums recorded at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch with the acapella men's ensemble Chanticleer.

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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.

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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

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This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Do you ever wish you had a blueprint for navigating some of life's toughest spaces, including relationships, friendships or your job? Alyssa Mastromonaco might have the answers. Since her years as a key member of the Obama administration, Mastromonaco has since become a media powerhouse with notable roles at companies such as Vice Media, Marie Claire Magazine and, most recently, A&E Networks. Along the way, she’s learned hard but incredibly valuable lessons that she’s ready to share with the world. From Congress to tech to Hollywood, being a woman in the workplace comes with challenges, but Mastromonaco is here to help you see a path for yourself.

Join Mastromonaco’s return to INFORUM on the heels of the release of her newest book, So Here's the Thing… Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older, and Trusting Your Gut. The book includes personal stories, interviews with some of the world’s most recognizable and hardworking women, and of course, Mastromonaco’s distinct sense of humor. She will offer tips and tricks she picked up during her illustrious career and offer advice on how to become (or support!) a modern woman on your own terms. Mastromonaco will be in conversation with her friend and former colleague in the Obama administration, Dan Pfeiffer.

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

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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 the United States right now comes from within, as he claims that President Trump and his administration ignore the law, attack democratic institutions, degrade human rights and undermine the U.S. Constitution that protects every citizen. Join us for an important and compelling conversation. This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

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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

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