Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Join us for one of the Golden State’s premier literary events—the California Book Awards, now in its 86th year! The 2017 book awards recognize the best California writing published in 2016. The California Book Awards have often been in the vanguard, honoring previously unknown authors who go on to garner national acclaim. Since 1931, the California Book Awards have honored the exceptional literary merit of California writers and publishers. Each year, a select jury considers hundreds of books from around the state in search of the very best in literary achievement. This year’s award ceremony will include a special tribute to Kevin Starr, a giant of California letters who died this past January. Starr’s eight-volume history of the state, collectively known as Americans and the California Dream, lays out an epic story that is still unfolding today. Come celebrate the state's best writers! Meet and learn more about the authors, get your books signed and visit with your fellow admirers of great California writing. Enjoy wine and a chance to win a complete set of this year's award-winning books in the Book Awards raffle. See you at the ceremony!

Consumption-crazed baby boomers are leaving millennials and Generation Xers with a mountain of debt and a destabilized climate. In his new book, Bruce Gibney, a venture investor in PayPal, Facebook, Spotify, SpaceX and other tech companies, writes that boomers are a generation of sociopaths who betrayed America. According to Gibney, most climate deniers are aging boomers who won’t live to see the worst consequences of climate change. Therefore, they won’t pay to address these challenges. At the same time, some boomers feel guilty about the climate changes they are responsible for and are now striving for redemption. These boomers are attempting to use their wealth and knowledge to engage younger people in climate solutions. The conversation is a difficult one though, especially considering that many young people today know they are inheriting a darker future than the one their parents did. Join us for an intergenerational discussion about what you can do to make an impact—and how to persuade the climate doubters in your life.

For decades, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival has served as the embodiment of the Bay Area’s cultural diversity and as a beacon for sustaining and celebrating world culture. The festival’s two artistic directors, Carlos Carvajal and C.K. Ladzekpo, as well as a festival veteran artist, Eric Solano, will discuss and showcase world dance forms sustained and performed in the Bay Area, providing participants with an intimate look at the festival’s performance series, which will be performed at the San Francisco Opera House for the first time. Parangal Dance Company is led by Eric Solano. The company’s hopes to honor Filipino heritage, presenting richly varied ethnic attire, music and inspired dances from different regions.

While some people may think of the golf industry as one of waste and excess, recent climate changes and resources have required golf course operators to rethink their strategy when it comes to golfing, natural resources and adjustments for changing golf courses and game environments. Join the operations team from the Presidio Golf Course as they discuss water conservation, sustainable environmental improvements and the model the Presidio Golf Course has created for current and future golfers, environments and the golfing industry.

In May 1997, the world watched as Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player in the world, was defeated for the first time by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. Kasparov's competition symbolized man’s fight against machine, yet years after losing to Deep Blue, he has come to see how humans and machines can partner to reach results that neither can attain alone. Come join us for a conversation about what it was like to strategize against a supercomputer—and how a world increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence can potentially overcome new challenges.

Could China and the U.S. be headed towards war, or is there a way to avoid it? Graham Allison, former assistant secretary of defense, argues that if both the U.S. and China refuse to back down, a trade conflict, cyberattack or accident at sea could escalate into war. Join us for a conversation with Graham Allison about how Thucydides’ Trap, the inevitable contention between a rising power and an established one, is still relevant today.

Lick Observatory is a vibrant research facility and the primary base for the University of California’s astronomy education and public outreach efforts. Lick is also used to develop new technologies, such as laser guide star adaptive optics, that produce very clear images of celestial objects. This is your chance to learn about the exciting research and other activities being completed at Lick. This program is presented by Alex Filippenko, one of the world's most frequently cited astronomers

It's summertime, so let's kick off the new season with a free-for-members special edition of our Week to Week political roundtable. It's never a dull moment in politics these days, and we'll 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. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!

Celebrate the 50th birthday of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by learning about the background, creation and songs of the Beatles' revolutionary album. The album was released on June 1, 1967, right as the Summer of Love was beginning. Six months earlier, just three months after their August 29 farewell concert in San Francisco, Paul McCartney suggested he and his bandmates create a new album based on their various childhood experiences; Sgt. Pepper's was the result. Want to know why “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” didn't make the cut? Want to learn other details you may not have known before, even if you’re a major fan? Come find out what Dulais Rhys' research has revealed. Singing along is encouraged.

Consul General Andy David and Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok will speak together in celebration of Israel and India’s 25 years of diplomatic relations and their centuries-long historical and cultural connections. The two diplomats will discuss the growing partnership and collaboration between their two countries as well as shared interests and mutual goals for the future.