Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

From microwaves to missiles, smartphones to the stock market, our world is increasingly dependent on microchip technology. According to Chris Miller, microchips are the new oil, a critical resource that defines the current state of military, economic and geopolitical power. At the heart of the decades-long battle over control of this technology are the United States and China, two superpowers enga...

Since 18th century and pre-Constitution America, libraries have been a public space, a central repository where books could be borrowed, read and returned—a long defended democratic ideal of the public library. The nonprofit Internet Archive, founded in 1996, was built to be both the library of the Internet and the library on the Internet—a grand repository of knowledge. Its mission: universal acc...

The new Netflix miniseries Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is one of the streaming service's most popular hits all around the world, telling the horrific story of the serial killer who preyed upon young men from 1978 to 1991. Join us for a discussion of how racism and xenophobia played a role in the Jeffrey Dahmer case. Some of his victims might be alive today if police had listened to Gl...

Poland is rapidly becoming the linchpin of the Western effort to defend Ukraine and deter Russia. The Polish-Ukrainian border, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, is a hub of activity. With refugees from Ukraine flowing back and forth and military equipment being transferred in to help the Ukrainian war effort along with aid for Ukraine's people, Poland has taken a leadership...

Humanities West presents a performance, and an elucidation, of Mozart’s String Quintet in G minor, K. 516, composed in Vienna in 1787. It is widely considered to be among Mozart's greatest and most tragic works. But the Quintet is not only “tragic”; it is a “tragedy” in the mode of the ancient Greeks: the enactment of the story of a hero who meets a catastrophic fate. Mozart scholar Steve Machting...

Young people's voices are an integral part of our democracy. Yet Gen Z and Millennial voters consistently turn out at lower rates than older generations. To inspire youth civic engagement, the Associated Students of the University of California Vote Coalition, Berkeley Women in Politics, and The Commonwealth Club have proudly launched a first-of-its kind partnership: the Creating Citizens Speaker...

The Paris Agreement requires every country to declare their own nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, for reducing emissions. Last year at COP26 in Glasgow, it became clear that even the updated targets would – at best – limit warming to 2.4°C, almost a full degree above the 1.5° goal. But even more important than goals or promises is how every country turns policy into reality. This year’...

For decades, scientists and activists have called for action to slow the pace of global warming. The political process has struggled and largely failed to keep up with the growing climate crisis. But through annual summits known as the United Nations Conference of the Parties, or COP, countries have finally started to commit to reducing their emissions. At last year’s climate summit, nations that...

For visionary businessman and AOL founder Steve Case, great entrepreneurs can be found anywhere and can thrive with the proper support and investment. At a time when America's economy is undergoing fundamental shifts on several fronts, entrepreneurs are obviously essential to America's future. Back in 2014, Case helped the country prepare for this moment with the launch of Rise of the Rest, an eff...

Women and girls all over the world are using intelligence, creativity, energy, and courage to help stop global warming. Paola Gianturco and her 12-year-old granddaughter Avery Sangster set out to chronicle their stories, interviewing and photographing women politicians, corporate executives, scholars, heads of grassroots groups, and presidents of organizations that are all dedicated to combating g...

Today’s students have grown up in a political culture of polarization that has exacerbated public distrust. In this environment, how can educators teach young people to engage with controversial issues in such a way that schools do not become partisan institutions? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy propose that teachers should not shy away from political controversy. Instead, they should see their job a...

Just how dangerous are memes? The power of memes has grown and is now a weapon used to push disinformation, spread ideologies, and deepen partisanship. They are fueling a cultural war that continues to accelerate and intensify. Joan Donovan and Emily Dreyfuss recount how “Stop the Steal” went from online to real life. They reveal startling secrets from the digital war rooms and the troubling devel...

In this third part of our series on conspiracy theories and other false narratives, we'll look at actions society can take to defend itself. We'll focus on what journalists and educators can do, what technology companies can do, and what government and individuals can do. Our speaker, Dr. Samuel Woolley, will discuss media literacy, technologies for quick detection and management of false narrativ...

California State Senator Brian Dahle is the Republican candidate for governor. He is making his first visit to The Commonwealth Club to discuss his proposals and plans for leading the largest state in the country.  A longtime advocate of building a better business climate in California, Brian Dahle was the California Chamber of Commerce’s top-rated senator for pro-business votes in 2021 and has a...

Why do you fall in love with some music, and not with other music? And why do those you love sometimes fall in love with music you don't? Susan Rogers, a record-producer–turned–brain-scientist, explains why, taking us on a journey into the science and the soul of music that reveals why your favorite songs move you. Rogers also shares her personal story—she began as an audio tech in Los Angeles, br...

With the US midterm elections looming, the window for enacting meaningful climate policy may be closing. November’s elections will determine which party controls Congress, and that will have far reaching implications for the planet. Historically, the midterms have been bad news for the party in control of the White House, but the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and the...

It would be difficult to overstate the influence on American television of director James Burrows. Co-creator of Cheers, he also directed 237 of the long-running show's 275 episodes. He directed every episode of Will & Grace, the groundbreaking show that turned gay characters and storylines into must-see TV. He also directed 75 episodes of Taxi, 32 episodes of Frasier, 15 episodes of Friends, and...

Do we really understand the reach and impact that social media has on our lives? We all have a vague sense that social media can be bad for our minds, for our children, and for our democracies. Yet that doesn't stop us from constantly using it. New York Times investigative reporter Max Fisher looks at how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networks drive everyday users to extreme opinion...

Jann Wenner has had an outsized impact on Bay Area history, music, popular culture and the world of magazines. In 1967, with the founding of Rolling Stone magazine in San Francisco, Wenner not only created the "bible of the counterculture," he helped catalyze a generation of young people into a force that would go on to transform the politics and lifestyles of much of the country. In his deeply pe...

Decades of cuts to local government amidst rising concentrations of poverty have wreaked havoc on communities left behind by the modern economy. Some of these discarded places are rural. Others are big cities, small cities, or historic suburbs. Some vote blue, others red. Mostly, their governments are just broke. Stanford Law School Professor Michelle Wilde Anderson says that 40 years after the an...

From its chaotic beginning to the violent finale, the Trump presidency was filled with moments ranging from the unthinkable to the deadly serious. That has continued until these past several weeks, and the man at the center of all of this could announce he is running for president again. That makes understanding his presidency even more important today. Veteran journalists Peter Baker and Susan Gl...

From 41BC to September 2022, the persona of Cleopatra has been modeled as an archetype of female power and beauty. Yet—as with most tellings of history—her story has been mostly written by men who never knew her. Providing another context, in concurrence with John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra premiere, San Francisco Opera’s Diversity, Equity and Community department presents a panel of women arts l...

In recent years, hundreds of thousands of people in high-risk disaster areas across the US have been dropped from their insurance policies, leaving them both physically and financially vulnerable. At the same time, premiums have sky-rocketed, making insuring homes and businesses out of reach for many. And federal insurance and relief programs have come under scrutiny for payouts that contribute to...

Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe that many find mysterious, complex and confusing. Theoretical physicist and "Mindscape" podcast host Sean Carroll breaks down some of the most mind-boggling concepts in his newest book The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion. Join us for an online discussion to learn more about the wonders of modern physics and the m...

What’s the last video you watched on YouTube? Across the world, people view more than a billion hours of video on YouTube every day. This digital platform created the attention economy that forever changed how we consume information and entertainment. Everyone knows YouTube. And yet virtually no one knows how it really works. Mark Bergen’s Like, Comment, Subscribe reveals the inside story of YouTu...