Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

It’s been a challenging year, the Department of State and its diplomats often finding themselves sidelined and starved for resources. Ambassador Barbara Stephenson will discuss the importance of fully deploying the Foreign Service so they can do their work on behalf of the United States—at our 273 embassies and consulates around the world. Stephenson will discuss concrete examples of the important work carried out by American diplomats overseas and lay out the argument that maintaining global leadership through effective diplomacy is the most cost-effective way to keep America secure and prosperous. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Linda Calhoun NOTES MLF: International Relations

This event is the latest in our member-led forums’ Crisis in Our Country summer series. The Bay Area is currently the jewel in the crown of capitalism—the tech capital of the world and a gusher of wealth from the Silicon gold rush. It has been generating jobs, spawning new innovation and spreading ideas that are changing lives everywhere. It boasts of being the Left Coast, the Greenest City and the best place for workers in the United States. So, what could be wrong? There is a dark side of this success: overheated bubbles and spectacular crashes; exploding inequality and millions of underpaid workers; a boiling housing crisis, mass displacement; severe environmental damage; a delusional tech elite and complicity with the worst in American politics. Richard Walker's sweeping account of the Bay Area in the age of the tech boom covers many bases: the phenomenal concentration of IT in the Greater Silicon Valley, the fabulous economic growth and the unbelievable wealth piling up for some. All this is contrasted with the fate of the working class earning poverty wages and struggling to keep their heads above water, the greatest housing bubble in the United States, the local urban geography turned inside out, the environmental impact of the boom, the fantastical ideology of TechWorld and the political implications of the tech-led transformation of the Bay Area. MLF ORGANIZER NAME George Hammond NOTES MLF: Humanities

Can a menu at a fancy restaurant be a map for solving the climate challenge? A handful of prominent San Francisco chefs are using their high-end restaurants to illustrate how innovative grazing and growing practices can cut carbon pollution. They want chefs and their clients to know the “foodprint” of their choices and consider the impacts. But they are not preachy vegans who think cows are evil. Rather Anthony Myint, whose Commonwealth restaurant received a Michelin star, thinks putting compost on grasslands used to graze cattle can be a big lever for healing the climate and regenerating soils. San Francisco’s restaurants will be showcasing their climate-friendly dishes during the Global Climate Action Summit from September 12-14. Can restaurants be platforms for changing the food system? Join us for an engaging conversation about carbon-neutral dining and for a sampling of appetizers from The Perennial.

Just as American protests and demonstrations have garnered global attention in recent years, so have many popular and renowned leaders that are well versed in the ways of community organizing. But what can the average American do to make sure their voice is being heard in a way that is both knowledgeable and safe? What steps, large or small, can you make every day to be part of a revolution? Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All is a direct and easy-to-read guidebook for those who are looking to make lasting change but aren’t sure where or how to get started. Co-authors Elisa Camahort Page and Carolyn Gerin will join INFORUM to discuss key issues such as navigating the government and elections, protecting yourself on both the frontlines of a protest and on the Internet, knowing your rights in the workplace, and much more. Whether you’re a seasoned activist, a newcomer considering joining your first demonstration or just curious about how you can help a cause you care about, the conversation is sure to be enlightening.

You may think the world is racing ahead too fast, but it will never be slower than it is right now, says Beth Comstock, the former vice chair and head of marketing and innovation at General Electric (GE). Comstock spent 30 years at GE and wants to share lessons from her career as a “changemaker in chief.” But confronting the relentless pace of progress is difficult. To thrive in today’s world, every one of us has to become ready for change. For Comstock, the concept of being “change ready” calls for the courage to defy convention, the resilience to overcome doubts and the savvy to know when to go around corporate gatekeepers to reinvent what is possible. Join us for an inspiring evening with one of today’s foremost innovation leaders. This program is generously supported by Wells Fargo.

Tom Stienstra explores how trail blazers crossed the 70-mile Sierra Nevadas from east to west from the perspective of early pioneers and explorers. Share the long trek that starts from the flank of Mount Whitney at 14,497 feet—the highest point in the lower 48. Find the path that goes over the Sierra Crest, down 5,000 feet into Kern Canyon, up to a notch in the Great Western Divide to Sequoia National Park at the foot of the western Sierra. Walk in the footsteps of trailblazers, explorers and pioneers across a pristine landscape that looks much like it did 5,000 years ago. Marvel at the beauty, the challenges and courage of the people who settled the land and the explorers who joined them. MLF ORGANIZER NAME Ann Clark NOTES MLF: Environment & Natural Resources

P.J. O’Rourke’s commentary and satire have earned him plaudits from around the world. But now O’Rourke is tackling another issue: money. In his new book, None of My Business, he tackles the politics behind how you should conduct your businesses, investments and finances. With chapters such as “How I Learned Economics by Watching People Try to Kill Each Other” and proposals such as a 200 percent tax on celebrities, O’Rourke clearly holds a unique perspective on the proper ways we can spend our money. Where traditional advice goes one way, O’Rourke turns the other. O’Rourke is a best-selling author and the H.L. Mencken research fellow at the Cato Institute. Having written a number of successful books on subjects ranging from politics to cars to economics, he now tackles the chaos within the world finance and business. Come listen to him explain why “he’s not rich and neither are you.”

Our in-studio guest this week: Ghazwan Alsharif, the subject of the film From Baghdad to the Bay; he is also a former Iraq war translator In his words: "My name is Ghazwan Alsharif, and I am a survivor. I am thankful to be a blessed and happy man. In my view, the world is a classroom and every day is a lesson. We learn from it and we move on. My goal is to always be optimistic whenever possible! At the time we started making this documentary, I was not ready to come out as a gay man. I wanted to protect my family and was more worried for them than I was for myself and the gay community. You may know that the culture and religion in Iraq prohibits homosexuality. When I heard the news in 2012 about what was happening in Iraq regarding the killing of gay men, I decided that someone needed to step up and help stop the craziness. So I took this chance to give a voice to the problem by telling my story. I sincerely hope you enjoy the film." 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.

China has emerged as the most formidable long-term competitor that the United States has ever faced. The competition, unlike the previous one with the Soviet Union, extends beyond traditional geopolitics into trade and investment, technology, and civil society—realms where the two countries are already closely intertwined. Competing effectively without sacrificing the benefits of this integration and the potential to cooperate on climate, health and other global issues of common concern, or escalating into all-out hostilities, is a complex challenge that cannot be left only to the current administration; it will likely require all the wisdom and expertise that U.S. society can muster. MLF Organizer Name: David Lehr MLF: Asia Pacific Affairs

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. In 2015, during the midst of police brutality and social unrest, DeRay Mckesson rose to national prominence not only for his role in the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson but also for his platform of choice: social media. Since his rise as a figure in both traditional and online activism, Mckesson has also established a wide-ranging career, running the gamut from podcast host of the popular “Pod Save the People” show under Crooked Media to mayoral candidate in Baltimore’s 2016 election. His new book, On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope, is a memoir that dives into the systems that keep racial injustice in place. The book takes an in-depth look at the United States’ complicated history with oppression and race relations while also tracking the importance that technology has served in finding the “other side of freedom.”