Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Find out what’s in the pipeline for 350 and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation as well as what is on the minds of their organizations this election cycle and into 2017. Join us for politics, activism and stories from two of the nation’s most prominent climate voices.

We are living in extraordinary times. Rapid advances in information technology continuously transform our lives in countless ways. But we are now aware that our increasingly information-saturated world, coupled with growing expectations of constant availability and immediate responsiveness, can place excessive demands on our brains. The consequences can include detrimental effects on our safety, education, workplace and relationships with family and friends. Dr. Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist and trailblazer in the study of how our brains process information, will take us on a journey into how and why we struggle with interruptions and distractions that emerge from both our inner and outer worlds. He will present a unique evolutionary perspective that the very essence of what has evolved in our brains to make us most human—our ability to set high-level goals —collides head-first with our brain’s fundamental limitations in cognitive control. He will conclude by offering practical strategies for modifying our behavior, as well as sharing his lab's latest innovations in enhancing our brain's function, so that we can better survive and thrive in the information age.

Egon Schiele, artistically active in Vienna during the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, adored women, and was influenced by the fin-de-siècle preoccupation with sex. The Viennese artist was excited by Sigmund Freud's 1905 Theories of Sexuality, Gustav Mahler’s suggestive music, and Gustav Klimt's gorgeous images of desire. Schiele was even more audacious in his nudes and his explorations of self in his self-portraits, in his landscapes of the small village where he had retreated from Vienna (and was imprisoned for his erotic art) and in his deeply perceptive portraits. His many masterpieces explore the mysteries of love and death.

Jeremiah Tower was a founding chef in the 1970s at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse restaurant and is widely credited as one of the creators of both New American Cuisine and California Cuisine. In 1984, Tower opened his own restaurant, Stars, in San Francisco. It was an overnight sensation and fostered the careers of numerous American chefs, including Mark Franz, Mario Batali, Tim Grable, Emily Luchetti and Jerry Traunfeld. The restaurant was among the top-grossing restaurants in the United States for close to a decade. Tower went on to win a James Beard Award as the best chef in America, hosted a PBS Series and opened restaurants in Singapore and Hong Kong. He holds a degree in architecture from Harvard. Come hear his both witty and serious thoughts on manners in 2016—at the dinner party, the bar or in your own home. Tower has advice on everything: food allergies, RSVPs, iPhones, running late, thank-yous, restaurant etiquette, even what to do when you are served something disgusting.

The Bay Area is in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis. The way that we deal with this crisis will have repercussions for generations to come. Across the Bay Area, everyone is feeling the effects, but none more than the 1 million working families—predominantly people of color—living below the poverty line. Without significant coordinated intervention, the housing crisis threatens to displace more than 1.5 million people in the Bay Area and erode the diversity, cultural vitality and spirit that make the Bay Area a successful, prosperous and resilient region. Despite the obvious challenges, there is growing awareness among elected officials, policymakers, business leaders and the general public of the magnitude of the region’s housing crisis, and we have seen significant willingness among all of these groups to take action. In this forum, we will hear from experts in government, the housing industry, and the nonprofit community about how to ensure that all residents in the Bay Area have a safe, affordable place to call home.

After last winter’s rains, Californians breathed a collective sigh of relief. But short-term weather is not the same as long-term climate. And state water watchers understand that this rainfall did not break the worst drought in over a thousand years. With the effects of climate change being felt around the country – droughts in some areas and flooding in others – the nation is looking to California as a model for how to handle a new normal. Today we’ll dig into the water woes of this bellwether state. How is California planning for a hotter, drier climate in the cities and down on the farm?

Joel McHale is one of America’s favorite funny men, from "Community" and "The Soup" to sold-out stand-up comedy shows, and he’s ready to let INFORUM behind the scenes of the comedic life. His brand-new memoir Thanks for the Money: How to Use My Life Story to Become the Best Joel McHale You Can Be, is part memoir, part “self-help” book, and all hilarious. Thanks for the Money covers Joel’s ascent to fame, insider celeb secrets, tongue-in-cheek tips for becoming Joel, and more, plus graphics and charts to give you a truly illustrated perspective on it all. Whether you want to know if there’s an upcoming "Community" movie starring Joel as Jeff Winger, or are dying to know what pop culture gossip never made it on to "The Soup," get your tickets now!

Climate disruption and the California drought have been mocked or marginalized in the national political debate. Are Republicans and Democrats in California similarly divided? Where can they agree on water, energy, agriculture and other issues related to the changing climate? Climate impacts such as massive forest fires, rising tides, and severe storms are hitting the state today. Governor Jerry Brown is trying to extend the state’s main climate law, AB 32. Is that going to happen? A conversation about power and politics at the state and regional level in this wild election year.

Origami is the centuries-old Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures. Lang, a world-renowned origami artist, has taken this traditional art form one step further. Lang is one of the pioneers of cross-disciplinary origami that combines mathematics, science, technology, engineering and design with origami. His applications have been used on medical devices, air bag designs and expandable space telescopes. With 50 patents awarded and pending on semiconductor lasers, optics and integrated optoelectronics, Lang has more than 500 designs catalogued and diagrammed and his artwork has been shown around the world in exhibits at the MoMA in New York, Carrousel du Louvre in Paris and the Nippon Museum of Origami in Japan. Hear more about the blending of art and technology what drives him to create such inspirational masterpieces.

"One goal of this memoir is to inspire people to fight for change. It takes what I call the Art of Tough and I've had to do it all my life." —Senator Barbara Boxer Barbara Boxer has made her mark, combining compassionate advocacy with scrappiness in a political career spanning more than three decades. Now, retiring from the Senate, she continues the work to which she's dedicated 30 years in Congress. Her memoir, The Art of Tough, shares her provocative and touching recollections of service, and cements her commitment to the fight for women, families, quality, and environmental protection—all in a peaceful world. Sometimes lauded, sometimes vilified, but always standing tough, Boxer has fought for her values even when her personal convictions conflicted with her party or the majority rule.