Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The gene-editing technology known as CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is transforming everything, from pharmaceutical research to agriculture to the process of making yogurt (really). It is a disruptive technology that allows people to edit genomes, changing the genetic code of life. In some cases, it's also raising complicated global questions about risk, regulation and even human values. So, should we be excited or afraid? Come discuss these questions and more with science writer Jennifer Kahn, who gave a 2016 TED talk on CRISPR. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Gerald Harris NOTES MLF: Science & Technology

This past August marked the 30th anniversary of Myanmar’s pro-democracy uprising in 1988. At the same moment, accusations of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslims and widespread human rights abuses across the Southeast Asian nation have prompted the United States to impose new sanctions, specifically on four military and police commanders and two army units. These recent actions by government forces taking place in Rohingya communities within Myanmar suggest that the promises of democracy have been betrayed. The responsibility, according to Azeem Ibrahim, rests on Nobel Peace Prize winner and de facto leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her party as much as anyone else. Come hear this startling story. Ibrahim’s global analytical work has been praised by the likes of Secretary Madeleine Albright and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Ibrahim received his doctorate from Cambridge University and has previously been appointed an International Security Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a World Fellow at Yale University. Outside academia, Ibrahim has been a reservist in the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (the U.K.’s elite airborne infantry reserve) and an award-winning entrepreneur. He was named a young global leader by the World Economic Forum. In association with World Affairs.

"I'd give us an A." ―President Donald Trump, on his first 100 days in office. Bill Press, a popular radio host and former California Democratic chair, argues the opposite: that every day that Trump stays in office, he diminishes the United States and its people. In his new book, Trump Must Go, Press offers 100 reasons why he believes Trump needs to be removed from office, whether by impeachment, the 25th Amendment or the ballot box. Ranging from banning federal employees’ use of the phrase “climate change” to making disparaging comments about African nations and countries such as Haiti and El Salvador, Press lists his reasons why he believes the president is unfit for office. Press says that Trump’s calendar is marked with extensive “executive time” so he can tweet, golf and watch TV. But, in a political climate where the world has learned to expect the unexpected, Press will also offer a twist: one reason not to ditch Donald Trump.

Join our distinguished vintner and winegrower panelists as they share their year-long journey toward the 2018 vineyard harvest and their commitment to a healthier environment, stronger communities and vibrant businesses. Following the program, continue the conversation with our panel and celebrate the holidays with a tasting of their outstanding wines. MLF Organizer Name Ann Clark Notes MLF: Environment & Natural Resources

In an era where strong leadership qualities, for everyone from young college applicants to accomplished CEOs, are seemingly valued above all else, retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal offers his own experienced perspective on leadership. McChrystal has observed his fair share of successful and failed leaders—from his training at West Point to his service as top commander in Afghanistan under President Obama. In his most recent book, Leaders: Myth and Reality, McChrystal digs deeper into the legacies of famed leaders to better understand how particular environments determine what type of leader is needed. Join us for a thoughtful analysis of well-known leaders and a discussion about personal application with one of today’s most decorated military leaders. This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

There are a greater number of forcibly displaced people in the world today than at any time since the end of World War II, and the Bay Area has welcomed many of these individuals. Hear from clinicians working directly with Bay Area refugees and asylum seekers about how they are restoring health and awakening hope in response to human rights abuses. NOTES This program is generously supported by Northern California Grantmakers, Funder Network on Trauma and Resilience

This week's guest: San Francisco Supervisor David Campos discusses the recent election. Supervisor David Campos is a native of Puerto Barrios (Izabal), Guatemala, who came to the United States (with his parents and two sisters) when he was 14. Although he did not speak the language, Campos excelled in school, graduating at the top of his class from Jefferson High School, in South Central Los Angeles. He earned scholarships to Stanford University and Harvard Law School, from which he graduated, respectively, in 1993 and 1996. After a few years of private practice in some of the most prestigious law firms in the country, Campos became a deputy city attorney for San Francisco. As a deputy city attorney, he handled a variety of important legal matters and cases, including serving as the lead counsel in the San Francisco Unified School District’s school desegregation consent decree, serving on the legal team that sued the gun industry, and representing the city against PG&E and other energy generators. Prior to his election as supervisor, Campos served as general counsel to the San Francisco Unified School District and as a member of the San Francisco Police Commission. Since 2004, he has been an elected member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. 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. See more upcoming Michelle Meow Shows at The Commonwealth Club here.

There is a serious hidden epidemic just now being discovered by the public health community. It’s most obvious symptom is the growing frequency of children with crooked teeth wearing braces, but it includes children snoring, keeping their jaws hanging open, frequently afflicted with stuffy noses, children and adults with disturbed sleeping at night (sleep apnea) often unrecognized, attention and behavioral problems, and a general decline of physical appearance. Those symptoms indicate a building medical emergency that lies in the collection of serious diseases connected mouth breathing and disturbed sleep — a collection that includes heart disease, cancer, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, suicide, asthma and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease. Disturbed sleep is an extremely serious stressor of the human mind and body; among other things, it tends to depress the immune system, making an individual much more vulnerable to a wide variety of diseases, and modifications of the brain that are manifest in many ways only partially understood. Add to this the large contributions of sleep deprivation to highway accidents, medical mistakes and poor performance at work and in school, and it's easy to see how important this unrecognized public health emergency is. Come learn what causes this problem and many solutions. ‘Forwardontics' will be discussed with clear explanations. Sandra Kahn, D.D.S., M.S.D., is a graduate from the University of Mexico and the University of the Pacific. She has 25 years of clinical experience in orthodontics and is part of craniofacial anomalies teams at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University. Paul R. Ehrlich, Ph.D., has been a household name since the publication of his 1968 bestseller, The Population Bomb. He is Bing Professor of Population Studies Emeritus and President of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University. Ehrlich is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the Crafoord Prize, the Blue Planet Prize, and numerous other international honors. He investigates a wide range of topics in population biology, ecology, evolution, human ecology, and environmental science. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Patty James NOTES MLF: Health & Medicine

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Since 2015, a Saudi-led coalition, supported by Britain and the United States, has waged a devastating war on Yemen, resulting in a humanitarian disaster largely ignored by the world's media. Isa Blumi, a noted historian, senior lecturer and associate professor at Stockholm University (specializing in Ottoman history, Albania and Yemen) will discuss his latest book, Destroying Yemen: What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us About the World, published by UC Press. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East

Author, Poison Spring; Former Staff Scientist, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Former Staff Member, Congressional Office of Technology Assessment; Former Legislative Assistant, Representative Clarence Long (D–MD)