Podcasts about Commonwealth Club

Sometimes, because of the current political pushback, one can get the false impression that the academic attention that has recently been paid to increasing a university's diversity, equity and inclusion profile is a new phenomenon—one that developed after the civil rights gains of minorities and women in the 1950s-70s. But the idea that people with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints would produce better work by engaging with each other was a core principle of the first modern research university—which was founded in Germany in 1810. The health sciences are especially dependent on accurate data, and imaginative but reasoned analysis of that data, and both the accuracy of the data and the usefulness of its analysis are put at risk by pretending that diversity, equity and inclusion are harming universities, including medical research universities, rather than helping them. The known inaccuracies caused by a historical research emphasis on male health, and inappropriate applications of those conclusions to female health due to the lack of research data on women, are examples of the risks involved. Join us to hear Dr. Robert Hiatt, whose central focus at UCSF has been on building a strong transdisciplinary research and training program in epidemiology, make the case for how scientifically harmful deemphasizing diversity could be, and how the emergence of Big Data will be derailed quickly if the data that it uses has been corrupted by political whims distorting its scientific objectivity.  In association with The Lundberg Institute and the Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From "gainfully employed robots" to AI that accidentally ruins lives, this week's conversation unpacks the real-world fallout of futuristic promises. Leo, JPT, Iain, and Richard tackle energy sources, social media effects, tech layoffs, and the algorithms quietly taking charge. Meta is planning sweeping layoffs as AI costs mount Meta Said to Push Back Launch of Avocado Model Social media addiction trial: the plaintiff, Meta, and YouTube make closing arguments; jurors begin deliberations Friday on liability for harm to children Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal Bluesky CEO Jay Graber will step aside Digg's open beta shuts down after just two months, blaming AI bot spam X says it suspended 800 million accounts in 2024 over spam and manipulation Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X Musk admits xAI 'not built right' — weeks after Tesla invested $2 billion Nvidia Is Planning to Launch an Open-Source AI Agent Platform Amazon Wins Court Order To Block Perplexity's AI Shopping Bots Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down After Judge Order and Widespread Mockery U.S. State Bans on Lab-Grown Meats Challenged in Court Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them EcoFlow brings its plug-in solar power plant to US homes (related to the plug-in solar story) TerraPower gets permit to build reactor Ex-Uber CEO Kalanick Debuts Plan for 'Gainfully Employed Robots' Tennessee grandmother jailed after AI facial recognition error links her to fraud Justice Department and Live Nation Reach Settlement Terms in Antitrust Case Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power Palantir's lethal AI weaponry deployed to find chairs for US government staff How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world 'Flying Cars' Will Take Off in American Skies This Summer YouTube surpasses Disney, Paramount, WBD in 2025 ad revenue Ig Nobel Prize flees US for Switzerland after 35 years over safety concerns Swiss e-voting can't count 2,048 ballots after USB keys fail to decrypt them Tony Hoare, Turing Award-Winning Computer Scientist Behind QuickSort, Dies At 92 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Iain Thomson, Richard Campbell, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit preview.modulate.ai monarch.com with code TWIT spaceship.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit

From "gainfully employed robots" to AI that accidentally ruins lives, this week's conversation unpacks the real-world fallout of futuristic promises. Leo, JPT, Iain, and Richard tackle energy sources, social media effects, tech layoffs, and the algorithms quietly taking charge. Meta is planning sweeping layoffs as AI costs mount Meta Said to Push Back Launch of Avocado Model Social media addiction trial: the plaintiff, Meta, and YouTube make closing arguments; jurors begin deliberations Friday on liability for harm to children Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal Bluesky CEO Jay Graber will step aside Digg's open beta shuts down after just two months, blaming AI bot spam X says it suspended 800 million accounts in 2024 over spam and manipulation Fake AI Content About the Iran War Is All Over X Musk admits xAI 'not built right' — weeks after Tesla invested $2 billion Nvidia Is Planning to Launch an Open-Source AI Agent Platform Amazon Wins Court Order To Block Perplexity's AI Shopping Bots Social Security watchdog investigating claims that DOGE engineer copied its databases DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down After Judge Order and Widespread Mockery U.S. State Bans on Lab-Grown Meats Challenged in Court Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them EcoFlow brings its plug-in solar power plant to US homes (related to the plug-in solar story) TerraPower gets permit to build reactor Ex-Uber CEO Kalanick Debuts Plan for 'Gainfully Employed Robots' Tennessee grandmother jailed after AI facial recognition error links her to fraud Justice Department and Live Nation Reach Settlement Terms in Antitrust Case Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power Palantir's lethal AI weaponry deployed to find chairs for US government staff How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world 'Flying Cars' Will Take Off in American Skies This Summer YouTube surpasses Disney, Paramount, WBD in 2025 ad revenue Ig Nobel Prize flees US for Switzerland after 35 years over safety concerns Swiss e-voting can't count 2,048 ballots after USB keys fail to decrypt them Tony Hoare, Turing Award-Winning Computer Scientist Behind QuickSort, Dies At 92 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Iain Thomson, Richard Campbell, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit preview.modulate.ai monarch.com with code TWIT spaceship.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit

In The Enlightened Bottom Line, author Jenna Nicholas explores how businesses can align purpose and profit to create lasting social impact. Drawing on stories from investors, entrepreneurs, and wisdom traditions, the conversation will examine how leaders can integrate spirituality, purpose, ethics, and economic performance to shape a more just and regenerative future. She says participants will come away with an expanded sense of possibility for the intersection of purpose and profit and how each of us can lead from a place of meaning, wholeness and interconnection. Jenna Nicholas is an investor, entrepreneur, advisor, coach, speaker and author of Enlightened Bottom Line: Exploring the Intersection of Spirituality, Business, and Investing. She is president of LightPost Capital, an investment and acquisition firm, and CEO of Impact Experience. An active angel investor, she has backed multiple unicorns. A Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Echoing Green, Stanford Social Innovation, and PD Soros Fellow, she holds a BA and MBA from Stanford University. Her work has been profiled in major media, and she speaks globally on regenerative economics and purpose-driven leadership. She is an active member of the Baha'i Faith. Joining us remotely for part of our program will be Wayne Silby, a pioneering social investor and entrepreneur, best known as co-founder and founding chair of Calvert Investments, one of the earliest and largest socially responsible investment firms in the United States, currently $45 billion in assets under management. He also helped launch Calvert Impact Capital, ImpactAssets, Calvert Social Venture Partners, and Social Venture Network, giving money and markets a conscience worldwide. Silby later co-founded SynTao and ZenFlo in China, advancing sustainable finance and mindfulness, and serves on several global boards. He holds degrees from Wharton and Georgetown Law. A Business & Leadership Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerElizabeth Carney  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Takes All Kinds”—An American Public Affairs Discussion and Demonstration of Journalistic Theatre Actor and playwright Dan Hoyle and his director, celebrated director/actor Aldo Billingslea, provide an inside look at the creation of their widely acclaimed new solo performance piece “Takes All Kinds.” Dan's blog reminds the viewer that  ”I'll be disappearing into these different characters and stories and you'll be glad to journey there with me. They've been traveling with me these last couple years. I think they'll stay with you too.” With “Takes All Kinds,” Hoyle and Billingslea use journalistic theater and embodied storytelling to portray powerful, funny and complex people caught in the social and political currents roiling our society. They create portraits of everyday Americans through moving and funny true stories of American democracy: school board showdowns in Florida, grassroots organizers in Atlanta, barber shops in Las Vegas, deprogrammers of violent extremists in Missouri and more. In this mostly offstage oriented “talk-back” presentation, listeners and observers will have an opportunity to explore with Hoyle and Billingslea how thousands of hours go into a little over an hour show. The artists' view reveals (somewhat) the amazing mystery of live transformative theatrical narrative that has everyone laughing and pin-drop listening with the next moment. And always has the audience talking as they depart. Yes—it's about politics, but could experiencing public affairs embodied theatre journalism bring people something they needed more than they realized?   “Stunning…something almost supernatural happens,” according to the  San Francisco Chronicle. Currently based at the Marsh Theatre, “Takes All Kinds” has toured elsewhere in California plus New York City, Charleston and Chicago, and will be heading to Idaho, Florida and more in 2026. About the Speakers Oakland-based Dan Hoyle is an actor and writer whose immersion research theater work has been hailed as "riveting, funny and poignant" (The New York Times) and "hilarious, moving and very necessary" (Salon). His solo shows, all originated at The Marsh in San Francisco, have played across the country at The Public Theater, Culture Project, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Mosaic Theater Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Center Stage, Playmakers Rep, Painted Bride, Pure Theater and abroad in India, Ireland, Wales, Mexico, Canada and Nigeria. Aldo Billingslea (director) is a professor of theater at Santa Clara University (SCU). SCU's associate provost for diversity and inclusion, and served as the vice president of the 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley; he's a board member of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, theatre program director for The222.org in Healdsburg, California.As an academic, he is a professor of American theatre from the Black perspective, acting styles, Shakespeare, and seminars on August Wilson. Billingslea is a lifelong professional actor featured in more than two dozen Shakespeare plays, productions of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Fences, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, and Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sydney Bernstein's Window. He also worked at the American Conservatory Theater, the Aurora Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, and the Marin Shakespeare Theater. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.  Organizer: Anne W. Smith  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday Night Philosophy focuses tonight on the political philosophical principles generated by George Hammond's “Life is an Eternal Democracy” theory. His latest book, A Slightly Better Future: Short Term Fixes for America, Long Term Fixes for Democracy, details many incremental institutional improvements that could make democracies far more effective in the future. His ideas, based upon what we should have learned over the last 250 years, include a thoroughly revised democratic constitution, significantly redesigned political institutions, and several new forms of institutional checks and balances.  Fortunately, even amidst the current dismaying destruction of valued political norms, there remains a strong, sustaining undercurrent—the hope that all this institutional chaos will ultimately just remind us why compromise in the pursuit of consensus has been, and could continue to be, so productive in America's political culture.  Join us to discuss political principles that are designed to promote a civilized future, using realistic 21st century political thought—and political hope. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us to hear from renowned historian Frank Dikötter, who offers a commanding history recasting how communists seized power in China. In April 1927, soldiers and detectives descended upon the Russian Embassy in Beijing, revolvers drawn. An hour later, they emerged with a trove of documents, some of them partly damaged by Russians who had tried quickly to destroy them. In these singed and soggy papers was proof that Moscow, despite agreeing three years earlier not to “propagate communistic doctrines,” had, in fact, sent what amounts to millions in today's dollars—along with shiploads of arms and advisors—to support nothing less than a revolution in China.  These findings are hardly ever mentioned by historians—until now. Dikötter says the history of modern China has long been framed as an organic enterprise, wherein Communists mobilized the “peasants,” took land from the rich and redistributed it to the poor. Drawing on the Beijing raid as well as several other overlooked archives, Dikötter's new book Red Dawn Over China reveals how unlikely a communist victory actually was, had it not been for massive financial and military support from the Soviet Union; a brutal war of occupation by Japan; severe miscalculations by the United States; and—most of all—the Communist Party's unflinching will to conquer at all costs. Dikötter reveals how what began in 1921 with 13 delegates in a dusty room led to a red flag being raised over the Forbidden City in 1949, forever altering the course of history for a quarter of humanity and shaping the global balance of power as we know it today.  About the Speaker: Frank Dikötter is the Milias Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. His books have changed the way historians view China, from the classic The Discourse of Race in Modern China to his award-winning People's Trilogy, a series of books that document the lives of ordinary people under Mao: Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe; The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution, 1945-1957; and The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962-1976. An Asia-Pacific Affairs Member-led Forum program. Forums and chapters at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Lillian K NakagawaNotes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Robert Wachter examined the future of artificial intelligence being used in health care. The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Robert Wachter examined the future of artificial intelligence being used in health care. The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we are continually being inundated with news about what the federal government is up to, and wondering what else is going on that we don't know about, Miranda Spivack reminds us that most Americans are more likely to encounter the effects of government malfeasance or neglect closer to home—from their governors, mayors, town councils, school boards, police and prosecutors. Deals shrouded in darkness are regularly made at the state and local levels, the result of closed-door discussions between government officials and industry leaders without any scrutiny whatsoever from the public. As Spivack's groundbreaking investigative reporting makes clear, residents are intentionally kept on the outside, struggling to get information about significant issues affecting their communities—from car crashes and dirty drinking water, to failing safety gear—until the backroom deals are done and it's too late to challenge them effectively. Based on years of original reporting, Spivack tells the story of five “accidental activists”—people from across the United States who started questioning why their local and state governments didn't protect them from issues facing their communities and why there was a frightening lack of transparency surrounding the way these issues were resolved. The secret deals, lies, and corruption they uncovered shook their faith in government but also moved them to action. Spivack's revealing take on a hidden dimension of American politics will outrage and educate anyone who cares about the forces shaping their own communities. And it will show how ordinary people are fighting back against their local and state governments to keep their communities safer. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reagan presidency marked a turning point in American political history, bringing in changes in voting allegiances, long-lasting economic and foreign policy shifts, and a new direction in the country's political culture that lasted for decades. Now former Reagan aide Frank Lavin comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to share behind-the-scenes stories of the Reagan White House. Drawing on his new book Inside the Reagan White House: A Front-Row Seat to Presidential Leadership with Lessons for Today, Lavin includes a mix of personal stories, insights on the president, discussions of policy and historical events, and crazy, colorful anecdotes in his insider's look at the Reagan presidency. The Reagan assassination attempt, the Gorbachev Reykjavik summit, Ollie North and the Contras, the 1988 Bush-Dukakis contest and other critical moments of the Reagan years are all covered.  Lavin also offers original insights into Reagan cabinet members and other top players, along with personal anecdotes, off-hand comments, and unique family details. Not to mention the movie stars, Soviet spies, neo-Nazis, plain old Nazis, intimate affairs, fights on planes, and con men who were chased by Interpol.  But Lavin says that at the heart of his story are the thousands of dedicated Americans who helped Ronald Reagan as he worked to push back against the Soviet Union, promote democracy, improve trade, lower taxes, and reduce the size and scope of government—back when those were the main focuses of conservative Republicans.  Join us to discuss whether the Reagan years provide us with any lessons for our current political situation. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are scientific truths, religious truths, historical truths, mythical truths, and more. In our current swamp of misinformation, disinformation, truthiness, rewritten history, conspiracy theories, “fake news,” and bald-faced lies, how do we discern actual facts and truth? What is “truth,” anyway? The Declaration of Independence claims that “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” What about those “truths”? These questions are crucial if we're to have a functioning democracy.  Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of the new book Truth, returns to our podium to tackle these issues with us. He will clarify the different kinds of truth, take us on an entertaining ride through some classic fallacies, and then show us how to figure out, within the context of the various types of “truth,” whether a particular “fact” is, in fact, factual.  So join us for an informative discussion and maybe a few enjoyable, and illuminating, experiential exercises in which we'll practice tackling the problem of finding truth, then maybe have dinner afterward at a nearby restaurant! A Personal Growth Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Eric Siegel  The program contains EXPLICIT language.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humanities West explores Ansel Adams' legendary six-decade career as a conservationist, teacher, musician and, above all, photographer, bringing you the stories behind the famous images to reveal the infectious enthusiasms, fervent battles, and bountiful friendships of a truly American original.  Two of Ansel Adams' best friends, Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Weston, criticized him for being too involved with the world. They advised that his activism—for the environment, for the rights of American citizens, for the recognition of photography as a creative art—all came at a grave cost to his art. To be a serious artist, they agreed, one must focus only on one's art. Ansel Adams proved them wrong. But too often, Adams' photographs are appreciated only for their aesthetic appeal, without consideration of the social and political circumstances of their making.  On what would have been his 123rd birthday, how do we celebrate this great artist and American citizen? Mary Street Alinder and Dr. Jasmine Alinder will place Adams' artistic work and political convictions in conversation, not as opposing forces, but as mutually supporting objectives.  Mary Street Alinder first studied with Adams in 1967, eventually becoming his chief assistant from 1979 until his death in 1984. During those years she worked very closely with him and completed his autobiography posthumously. She will share her very personal experiences with this great San Franciscan.  Jasmine Alinder is an interdisciplinary, community-engaged scholar and teacher of public history, the history of photography, and the history of Japanese-Americans during World War II. In her talk, she will focus on Ansel Adams' 1944 project Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In association with Humanities West. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join two 25-year veterans representing the elder justice profession as they provide an overview of the troubling trends they have seen with the burgeoning problem of elder abuse. Their focus will be on financial exploitation—perpetrated by a broad spectrum of offenders, including strangers and people known to their older targets.  The presenters will also address key challenges and threats to the physical and financial safety of older people, including the proposed dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its Office for Older Americans, along with other concerning issues at the federal, state and local level that are leaving thousands of older people at the mercy of financial predators. Topics will include financial grooming (a.k.a. “pig-butchering”), crypto scams, romance scams, and the growth of transnational crime rings that are targeting American seniors to the tune of billions in losses. About the Speakers Jenefer Duane is an elder justice advocate and consultant. Duane is a former senior program analyst in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Office for Older Americans. With 40 years in aging services and consumer protection, she specializes in prevention, response, investigation, prosecution and resolution of cases of elder financial exploitation. At the CFPB, she led the development of the national Elder Financial Protection and Response Network program. She was the agency lead for the award-winning Money Smart for Older Adults program with the FDIC. She also led several CFPB-FinCin initiatives to strengthen the suspicious-activity reporting and investigation of elder financial exploitation.  Paul Greenwood is a former deputy district attorney and an AARP consultant. Greenwood headed up the Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit at the San Diego DA's Office for 22 years. In 1999 California Lawyer magazine named Paul as one of their top 20 lawyers of the year in recognition of his pioneering efforts to pursue justice on behalf of senior citizens. He has prosecuted more than 750 felony cases of physical, sexual, emotional and financial elder abuse. He has also prosecuted 10 murder cases, including one death penalty case. In March 2018 Greenwood retired from the San Diego DA's office to concentrate on sharing lessons learned from his elder abuse prosecutions with a wider audience. In October 2018 he was given a lifetime achievement award by his former office. Greenwood now spends much of his post retirement time speaking on behalf of AARP nationally, consulting on elder abuse cases, testifying as an expert witness and providing trainings to law enforcement and Adult Protective Services agencies across the country and internationally. He is also involved as the criminal justice board member of the National Adult Protective Services Association. A Grownups Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Denise Michaud  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us at Commonwealth Club World Affairs on February 13 to prepare scientifically for Valentine's Day. Paul Eastwick has taken a groundbreaking look at the science of attraction and compatibility, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about how human mating has evolved. Eastwick takes exception to evolutionary psychology's claim, cloaked in incontrovertible Darwinian terms, that our minds have been shaped by primal drives that pit the genders against each other—from the myth that men are wired to be promiscuous to the notion that wealth, status and beauty are the ultimate aphrodisiacs.   Drawing on pathbreaking research—including original experiments from his own UC Davis lab—Eastwick reveals that these stories bear little resemblance to how pair-bonding really works. While beauty and charisma factor into first impressions, their influence fades fast. Lasting attraction is built through gradual, often mundane moments that forge strong attachment bonds. Eastwick's liberating new paradigm for finding meaningful, exciting relationships includes: that personality, lifestyle, values and humor are poor predictors of compatibility; that a person's tendency to “date around” has little bearing on their long-term relationship potential; and that the most secure relationships offer a “safe haven” and “secure base” for each partner. By excavating the hidden history of human mating, Eastwick paints a radical new picture of the roots of enduring chemistry. Distilling evolutionary biology, anthropology and psychology into accessible insights, Eastwick explains a more evolved approach to dating which makes it far more effective. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Black History Month, Commonwealth Club World Affairs invites you to a special evening celebrating Black excellence, civic leadership, and the innovations shaping stronger, more liberated communities. Moderator Chantel Walker, managing director of the Black Funders Network and vice mayor of San Anselmo, whose work bridges civic leadership with philanthropic systems change, will lead an engaging conversation on contemporary Black leadership across public service, philanthropy, youth empowerment, and community power-building. Guest speaker Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James will share insights from her perspective as a public leader working at the intersection of governance, equity and community investment. Dr. Brandon Nicholson has a track record of growing a local nonprofit in Oakland to seven cities nationally, securing and managing a $15 million annual budget, by leveraging public grants, individual donations, and private sector partnerships, as well as having a global presence in the UK and Africa. As CEO of The Hidden Genius Project, he and his team of innovators, operations, training, and curriculum experts have spearheaded initiatives that have positively impacted thousands of youth of color, particularly young Black males in enhancing college graduation rates and opening doors to rewarding career pathways.  Together, Supervisor James and Dr. Nicholson will explore what excellence in leadership looks like today, the role of innovation in expanding collective opportunity, and how communities are building power and possibility for future generations. Key themes include: Black leadership and public service in the Bay Area and beyond Investing in youth, creativity and innovation as engines of change Philanthropy and community-centered systems transformation Honoring history through action, vision and liberation Join us for an inspiring Black History Month conversation and a call toward a future grounded in equity, dignity and community strength. A Social Impact Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerIan McCuaig & Virginia Cheung  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the Bay Area, young people—especially youth of color from historically underinvested communities—are coming of age in a moment defined by deep inequities, rapid economic change, and profound social challenges. While the region boasts immense wealth and innovation, it also holds some of the nation's starkest disparities in housing, education, health and opportunity. Our young people are growing up in the shadow of systems that too often overlook their brilliance. Yet we know the truth: these young people are not problems to be solved, they are leaders waiting to be unleashed.  This conversation with Regina Jackson is not just about a book—it's about a blueprint for closing that gap, for building a region where every young person can rise, lead, and thrive. And she says the urgency is real: The choices we make in this decade will shape our youths' opportunities for a lifetime.Youth in communities like East Oakland, Bayview-Hunters Point, and Richmond often face: Displacement and loss of cultural anchors due to gentrification Limited access to mentorship and leadership pathways that reflect their identities and lived experiences Systemic inequities in education, economic mobility, and civic influence At the same time, these youth carry extraordinary resilience, creativity and leadership potential. But potential alone is not enough—it must be recognized, nurtured and resourced to thrive. Without intentional investment and support, do we risk losing a generation's capacity to lead us toward a more equitable future? About the Speakers Regina Jackson's work at the East Oakland Youth Development Center has transformed thousands of lives by combining mentorship, cultural pride, academic readiness, and civic engagement. She is the author of the new book Unleashed Potential: How Youth Lead the Way to a Stronger Future, which distills decades of wisdom into actionable guidance for leaders, educators, parents and policymakers.  Fred Blackwell and the San Francisco Foundation have made advancing racial equity and economic inclusion core to their mission, championing systemic change that aligns directly with Jackson's vision. A Psychology Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. ORGANIZERPatrick O'Reilly & Veronica OrtegaNOTES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Stein, a nonprofit strategist with 30+ years of experience, has witnessed the complete evolution of digital fundraising from its inception in the 80's to today's AI-powered landscape. In this conversation with May Harris, he reveals how nonprofit strategy has shifted from simple email collection to sophisticated donor stewardship programs using predictive analytics. Discover why CRM platforms are the single most transformational investment, how to leverage multi-channel marketing without overwhelming small teams, and why donor privacy must guide every technology decision. Stein shares practical insights on wealth screening, social media advertising, and breaking down organizational silos that prevent innovation. This episode offers actionable strategies for building sustainable donor relationships.   What You'll Learn in This Episode:   How digital fundraising has evolved from experimental donation pages in the 1990s to today's integrated multi-channel marketing approaches, and why understanding this progression helps nonprofits make smarter technology investments for donor relationship building. The essential role of CRM platforms in modern nonprofit operations, including how to choose the right system for your organization's size, why platforms like Salesforce and MailChimp democratize access to fundraising technology, and how donor data management drives success. Strategic approaches to donor stewardship using wealth screening, behavioral analysis, and AI in nonprofits for predictive modeling that helps identify monthly donor candidates and major gift prospects across all organization sizes.   Subscribe to The Nonprofit Counsel Podcast and stay ahead on the legal and strategic insights that help nonprofits thrive. Join the conversation and empower your mission with expert guidance every episode.   TIMESTAMPS:   00:00 Michael discusses donor data collection and privacy considerations in digital fundraising 04:50 Evolution from experimental donation pages to essential customer relationship management platforms  12:51 Donor privacy best practices and data security in modern fundraising technology and donor behavior 16:00 Using wealth screening and behavioral analysis to identify donor relationship potential 22:30 Essential mindset shifts for nonprofit strategy success in the digital age, including AI in nonprofits and predictive donor stewardship models 33:03 Measuring campaign effectiveness across platforms and future trends in social media advertising    KEY TAKEAWAYS:   The most transformational investment any nonprofit can make is securing the right CRM platform that integrates email marketing tools, donation processing, event management, and donor data tracking, with options now affordable even for three-person organizations through vendors like MailChimp, Salesforce, and Blue Orange. AI in nonprofits is democratizing access to sophisticated predictive analytics and wealth screening capabilities, allowing smaller organizations to identify monthly donor prospects and major gift candidates with the same precision previously available only to large institutions. Donor privacy must guide every technology decision, requiring nonprofits to invest in secure platforms and use private versions of AI tools rather than free options.   ABOUT THE GUEST:  Michael Stein is a nonprofit strategist with 30+ years of experience leading multi-channel campaigns for Habitat for Humanity International, Consumer Reports, the Clinton Foundation, and the Commonwealth Club. He helps small- to mid-sized nonprofits through strategy, digital innovation, and technology adoption. Former Senior Account Executive at Mal Warwick Donordigital and AFP Golden Gate Chapter Board Member, Michael authored three books, including Fundraising on the Internet (1997). Featured in The New York Times, Chronicle of Philanthropy, NPR, and Wired.   Laguna Creek Consulting Michael Stein - Digital marketing & fundraising consultant to nonprofits. | LinkedIn For Profit Law Group - Website Nonprofit Counsel - Website Nonprofit Counsel - Instagram Nonprofit Counsel  - LinkedIn  

Fermented foods have been part of traditional diets around the world for centuries—and for good reason. From improved digestion and gut health to enhanced nutrient absorption and immune support, fermentation offers both flavor and function. This event brings together local business owners who specialize in fermented foods to share their knowledge, craft, and passion. Panelists will discuss the fermentation process, the unique health benefits of their products, and how to incorporate fermented foods into everyday life.  Whether you're new to fermentation or already a fan, this event offers insight, inspiration and a deeper appreciation for foods that truly support well-being. Organizer: Patty James  A Nutrition, Food & Wellness Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Prof. Ronjon Nag (of Stanford University and R42 Group) for an accessible, fast-moving tour of the most important technology approaches in longevity today. We'll also explore the companies investing heavily to turn these ideas into real-world therapies and tools. Prof. Nag works at the intersection of AI and biology and teaches on topics that include longevity science and venture capital. This program is designed for a broad audience: the curious public, students, technologists, investors, clinicians, and anyone trying to understand what's real, what's hype, and what breakthroughs could plausibly shift how we age over the next decade. About the Speakers Professor Ronjon Nag is an inventor, educator and entrepreneur. He is an adjunct professor in genetics at Stanford School of Medicine and teaches topics including AI, genes, ethics, longevity science, and venture capital. He is also president of the R42 Group, which invests in and creates AI and longevity companies. Ronald Petty is the chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapters of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Internet Society, focused on the societal impact of emerging technologies. He is a technology consultant at RX-M and a member of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. A Technology & Society Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Gerald Anthony Harris  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please join us for a special film documentary screening of Epicenter:The Struggle for Black Studies in the Bay Area, followed by an intimate conversation with filmmaker Doug Harris, Douglas Harris Jr. and cast members.  The film examines the early student activism of the 1960s and 1970s, which brought the first Black studies departments to higher education in the entire country. The film is very timely, as African American studies programs at institutions of higher education are currently being targeted for closure around the country.  In chronological order, the documentary will feature segments about Merritt College (1966), San Francisco State (1968) and UC Berkeley (1970), as told by cast members of the film who were on the ground floor of the Bay Area struggles through protests, strikes and riots. The Bay Area stood at the forefront, taking the leap toward introducing the study of Black and other minority cultures that would eventually spread throughout the country. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: Robert Melton  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Balancing activism with personal life and relationships can be difficult. At this crucial time in our history, activists are burning out when we need them the most. That's why this event with Kitty Stryker, who has spent two decades as a direct activist and a street medic during radical actions, is so timely.  Stryker, author of Love Rebels: How I Learned to Burn It Down Without Burning Out, has both burned it down and burned herself out. Trying to "show up bravely" as a leader despite exhaustion, she almost destroyed herself.  But now she says, "Activism does not demand martyrdom to be effective ... it's important to have some fun together!" She'll show us how to build effective teams composed of people with different backgrounds, interests, and abilities, while managing the inevitable internal conflicts. She will discuss how to inspire powerful action while keeping the team safe, how to nurture yourself and others while staying in the fight, how to make your most effective contribution, and how to decide when you truly need to take a break.  About the Speaker Kitty Stryker is the author of Love Rebels: How I Learned to Burn It Down Without Burning Out, three books on consent, and articles about activism and politics. She founded the Ladies High Tea and Pornography Society in London and has been a radical activist since she was ten.  Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Personal Growth Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: Eric Siegel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us as Bruce Henderson shares the previously untold history of a top-secret operation in the run-up to D-Day in which American flyers and Allied spies carried out some of the most daring cloak-and-dagger operations of the Second World War.  In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to support the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis. The OSS brought some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield 20 miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger.  Their dangerous plan called for a new kind of flying: taking their B-24 Liberator bombers in the middle of the night across the English Channel and down to extremely low altitudes in Nazi-occupied France to find drop zones in dark fields. On the ground, resistance members waited to receive steel containers filled with everything from rifles and hand grenades to medicine and bicycle tires. Some nights, the flyers also dropped Allied secret agents by parachute to assist the French partisans.  Though their story remained classified for half a century, the Carpetbaggers ultimately received a Presidential Unit Citation from the U.S. military, which declared “it is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort.” Along with other members of the wartime OSS, they were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.  It's a story Henderson tells in his new book Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II. Based on exclusive research and interviews, Henderson relates the story of the patriotism, courage and sacrifice of these heroic flyers—and of the brave secret agents and French resistance leaders they aided. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iran's authoritarian government has faced widespread protests in recent weeks, marking the most extensive unrest the country has seen in decades. The demonstrations, which began at the end of 2025, were triggered by an economic crisis and plummeting currency values. Tehran has responded with a violent crackdown leading to thousands of deaths. President Donald Trump initially responded by threatening military action. Will he follow through? Join us for a conversation between Iran expert Banafsheh Keynoush and UCLA professor and fellow Iran scholar Dalia Dassa Kaye about the latest developments in the crisis, possible U.S. responses, and what it all means for the region.  They'll also discuss Dassa Kaye's new book Enduring Hostility, which explores how America's Iran policy is made, the people who make it, and the underlying ideas and perceptions that inform it. The book looks back at U.S. policy toward Iran over the past four decades to help us look ahead, offering wider lessons for understanding American foreign policymaking and providing critical insights at a pivotal time of heightened military tensions in and around the Middle East. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Middle East Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: Banafsheh Keynoush  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can a university ever truly be neutral in today's social and political climate? Pushing against the tide of universities increasingly pledging to stay neutral about contentious issues, law professor Brian Soucek argues that their promises are doomed to fail—universities can't help being opinionated.  Soucek says that neutrality is a myth, and he takes a deep dive into several prominent campus controversies of the day, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and restrictions on campus speech and protest. Each issue requires universities to choose a side in what they do, if not also in what they say. In everything from curricular and admissions decisions to their response to outside rankings and their evaluation of faculty, universities express the values at the heart of their mission. Soucek argues that those pushing for neutrality are only preventing universities from standing up for their values, whether in today's current moment of crisis or in periods of political calm.  Join us to discuss Soucek's timely and deeply engaging call for universities to dispense with neutrality as a governing principle and to focus instead on what their mission should be, and who should determine it. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In association with the American Constitution Society. OrganizerGeorge Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us on January 21, 2026, in San Francisco for a fact-based exploration of immigration and the future of the United States. Moderated by the Population Reference Bureau's Jennifer Sciubba, this conversation will cut through opinion and politics to reveal the real data shaping America's demographics, economy, and competitiveness. Hear from leading experts Dr. Giovanni Peri, Daniel Costa, and Dr. Russell Hancock on what's working—and what needs fixing—in U.S. immigration policy. Gain clear insights into how these forces will shape our businesses and communities for years to come.  This core learning event offers an intentionally apolitical and fact-based perspective on a politically, emotionally and culturally charged topic. Credible, fact-based information on immigration can be hard to discern from opinion and rhetoric. Amplifying the stakes for the United States, at a time of intense rivalry for leadership of large global industries of the future, the full scope and impact of federal policy actions is unknowable. Some are immediate, obvious and reported in mass media. Others will take years to be known, understood and reported. All businesses, communities and individuals will be affected. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. Program support provided by YPO Gold NorCal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have entered the second quarter of this century, and the general public's concern in regard to past, present and future relationships and alliances looms large on the horizon.Established practices, agreements, and alliances seem to be under review.  Are the accepted patterns of diplomatic, political and economic institutions wobbling and leaving the future uncertain?Our panel will have an open conversation among the consuls general of the United Kingdom and Ireland; the deputy consul general of Italy; and the honorary consul general of the Czech Republic about what we can expect. Will the established relationships of the past 25 years among the European nations and the United States dramatically change? The new year is a great time to review what we have all experienced and thought, with an eye on the present and the future. This should be a frank and open conversation. An International Relations Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerFrank Price and Norma Walden  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Social Impact Holiday Mixer is an evening of celebration and connection bringing together philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, and changemakers from across the Bay Area. Hosted at Commonwealth Club World Affairs, the program blends festive warmth with civic purpose. Honorary chair and emcee Willie L. Brown, Jr., two-term mayor of San Francisco and former speaker of the California Assembly, opens the evening with reflections on leadership, philanthropy and community. He is joined by co-hosts Elisabeth Pang Fullerton, a philanthropist and impact investor studying Global Public Health Leadership at Harvard, and Eddy Zheng, founder of the New Breath Foundation and national advocate for cross-cultural healing and justice. Following brief remarks, the evening transforms into an interactive roundtable discussion, with microphones, held by the co-organizers, circulating among guests to share social impact success stories and lessons learned. The program concludes with an open reception, inviting continued conversation and collaboration. Wine and hors d'oeuvres by Vino Godfather. About the Speakers  Honorary chair and emcee Willie Brown was a two-term mayor of San Francisco, legendary speaker of the California State Assembly and is widely regarded as one of the most influential African-American politicians of the late 20th century. Mayor Brown has been at the center of California politics, government and civic life for more than five decades. Co-host Elizabeth Pang Fullerton is a philanthropist, early-stage investor, and startup veteran who leads a foundation advancing equity in health care, education and conservation. As general partner of her family office, she invests in mission-driven ventures addressing global challenges. Currently studying at the Global Public Health Leadership Program at Harvard, she focuses on building more just, inclusive, and human-centered systems. Co-host Eddy Zheng, president and founder of the New Breath Foundation, bridges Black, Asian American, immigrant, refugee, and formerly incarcerated communities. Featured in The New Yorker, The Guardian, PBS, NPR, and the award-winning film Breathin': The Eddy Zheng Story, he advances cross-cultural healing and justice through culture, history and identity. Moderator Dave Clark is an Emmy Award-winning television news anchor for KTVU Channel 2, a trusted Bay Area morning voice since 2007. With more than 50 years in broadcasting, his work has aired nationally and internationally. He now pairs journalism with community service, supporting Joshua's Gift and The Vibrancy Foundation alongside his wife, artist and entrepreneur Lucretia Clark (aka Livacious Lu). A Social Impact Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerVirginia Cheung & Ian McCuaig  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From patents to IPOs to international bridge titles, Vinita Gupta has navigated male-dominated arenas with clarity and courage. In this fireside chat with Nalini Elkins, she shares fresh takes from her new memoir on resilience, inclusion, and building durable success in a volatile world—plus what it takes to keep learning through every pivot. join us to hear her timely playbook for founders, operators and the curious. Vinita Gupta is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the first woman of Indian origin to take a company public in the United States. Her memoir, The Woman in Deed: Road to IPO, Bridge Tables, and Beyond, traces a life of invention, leadership, and competitive bridge at the highest levels. She writes on innovation, integrity, and reinvention across the India–U.S. corridor. Nalini Elkins, the CEO and founder of Inside Products, Inc., is a recognized leader in the field of computer performance measurement and analysis. She is also the chief technical officer and co-founder of Outside the Stacks. An accomplished software product designer, developer and strategist, she has founded or co-founded three high-tech start-ups over the course of her career. In 2014, Nalini was awarded the prestigious AA Michelson Award by the Computer Measurement Group (CMG). An International Relations Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: Frank Price  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and noted historian Mark Shaw returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to discuss his latest research and his newest book. They strengthen his conclusion that New Orleans mafia don Carlos Marcello was the point person pulling the strings behind the murders of JFK and famed journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. And, for the first time, he also links Marcello to the murder of Robert Kennedy. In his previous books, Shaw established the connections between Marcello, Oswald, Ruby and Kilgallen and Marcello's use of Kilgallen's lover to silence her before she could expose Marcello's involvement in the JFK assassination. In his latest book, Abuse of Power, Shaw lays out compelling evidence that Marcello's pattern of using patsies to exact his revenge culminated in his setting Sirhan Sirhan up to take the fall for the assassination of RFK on June 6, 1968.  Shaw's new research includes his examination of the JFK assassination records recently released by the federal government. In those files is a December 1985 FBI transcript in which Carlos Marcello was taped “confessing” to his role in JFK's death: “Yeah, I had the son of a b---h killed. I'm glad I did. I wish I could have done it myself.”  Shaw investigates whether Marcello decided on a similar approach when it became clear in early 1968 that RFK could become president. Shaw says that since Robert Kennedy, as attorney general, had ordered Marcello deported in April 1961, charging him with racketeering, Marcello had no intention of allowing RFK to get in his way again and so had Bobby killed.  Shaw alleges that Marcello used his “associate,” mobster Mickey Cohen, who controlled the Southern California racetracks, including Santa Anita, and knew the layout of the Ambassador Hotel where RFK was killed, to “recruit” 24-year-old Sirhan just as the mafia don had recruited Lee Harvey Oswald to assassinate JFK. Evidence for Shaw's allegation is a never-before-published, eyewitness, video-taped account from John Shear, a celebrated paddock captain at Santa Anita Racetrack. He had hired Sirhan to work as a “hot walker” at the racetrack and considered him “easily manipulated.”  Shortly before RFK was killed, Shear noticed that Sirhan was all dressed up, had money and was hanging around nearby Hollywood Park Racetrack with “two hoodlums” despite being poorly paid and having gambling debts. Shaw says that shortly after RFK's murder, it was Shear who first identified Sirhan for the LAPD and the FBI from the photo of Sirhan being shown on TV—but Shear was never contacted by either the LAPD or the FBI about Sirhan, pointing to a cover up.  Then, just as twice before regarding JFK's and Kilgallen's deaths, the trail of evidence quickly and suspiciously went cold. Join us as Shaw makes sense of the newfound evidence and heats up his call for justice in the murders of JFK, Dorothy Kilgallen and Robert Kennedy. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. OrganizerGeorge Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a December program and celebration featuring youth speakers from San Francisco's LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth. These young people will speak about today's important social issues affecting their lives. After the program, stick around for an appreciation reception with food and beverages. The Commonwealth Club thanks Gilead Sciences, Inc. for its generous support of The Michelle Meow Show.  See more  Michelle Meow Show programs at Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California.   This program contains EXPLICIT language.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leading writers and researchers will discuss and explain the issues that arise in writing with the entrance of large language models into this space. Are they useful for fiction and nonfiction writers, and in what ways? Can their use be considered ethical? About the Speakers Nina Beguš is a researcher at UC Berkeley working in artificial humanities, an interdisciplinary approach she designed to understand the cultural, ethical and philosophical dimensions of AI. Focusing on language and literature, her work foregrounds our imaginary around AI. She lives in the West Coast's only residential college, Bowles Hall, with her husband, three sons, and 188 students. James Yu is a speculative fiction writer and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Sudowrite, the AI assistant for creative writers. His writing explores how technology mediates our everyday experiences. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, two kids, and a growing number of AIs (none sentient yet.). Ted Chiang is an American science fiction writer. His work has won four Nebula awards, four Hugo awards, six Locus awards, and the PEN Malamud Award. His novella “Story of Your Life” was the basis of the film Arrival (2016). His most recent short story collection, Exhalation (Knopf, 2019), was listed as one of the Top Ten Books of 2019 by The New York Times and was included in former President Barack Obama's 2019 reading list. In 2023, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in AI. A Technology & Society Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerGerald Anthony Harris  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Civic engagement is being redefined by members of a generation that is both deeply critical of the systems around them and deeply committed to shaping something better. Rather than relying solely on traditional channels such as electoral politics or government-backed programs, students and young leaders are turning to alternative forms of participation—mutual aid networks, campus resource-sharing, community coalitions, and peer-led initiatives—that center care, solidarity and local action. How can civic life can be sustained and strengthened even when public institutions appear stagnant or unresponsive? What does it mean to be civically engaged when government channels feel inaccessible? How can young people build community and foster accountability when the structures designed to support them fall short? And how can higher education remain a space for meaningful participation amid growing tensions around inclusion, access and speech? Through a conversation rooted in practice and reflection, this event highlights how civic engagement today is as much about relationships and shared responsibility as it is about politics or policy. It invites us to think expansively about how community, on campus and beyond, can serve as a foundation for democratic life, particularly when formal institutions struggle to meet the moment. At a time when many are asking where their voice fits into the broader civic landscape, this event offers space to consider new answers and new paths forward. This event is part of the Creating Citizens Speaker Series at UC Berkeley, an ongoing student-led series that provides opportunities for Berkeley students, faculty, and staff, and the surrounding community to interact with leading minds in politics, media and education as they learn how to become better, more involved citizens. We welcome community members and students from around the Bay Area to participate in this riveting conversation and to join us for future programs in the series. This program is part of The Commonwealth Club's civics education initiative, Creating Citizens. Produced in partnership with the UC Berkeley Vote Coalition and co-sponsored by the Mario Savio Social Justice Program at the UC Berkeley Public Service Center.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're in the middle of a small series of episodes right now on Buddhism and art, and this one is about our host, Scott Snibbe. Not everyone who listens to this podcast or who's read How to Train a Happy Mind knows that Scott's main job for most of his life has been as an artist: one who works mostly with computer software and interactive installations. He often jokes that he used to be a part-time Buddhist, and now he's a full-time Buddhist, but he still spends about 25% of his time making art. Earlier this year, Scott was invited to San Francisco's Commonwealth Club to give a talk and have a discussion with Hugh Leeman about his new series of work called Hidden Geometries. These new pieces reveal the hidden geometric diagrams that underlie the thousand-year-old tradition of devotional Buddhist paintings known as thangkas. In the talk, Scott also shares a couple of the greatest hits from his career in interactive art. We also recommend watching this on our YouTube channel so you can see all of the artworks discussed! Support the show

Dr. Melody Glenn was a burned-out emergency physician who had grown to resent the large population of opioid-dependent patients passing through her ER. While working at a methadone clinic, she realized how effective harm reduction treatments could be and set out to discover why they weren't used more broadly. That's when she found Dr. Marie Nyswander. In the 1960s, Dr. Nyswander defied the DEA and medical establishment to co-develop methadone maintenance as a treatment for heroin addiction. According to some addiction specialists, its discovery could be considered as monumental as the discovery of penicillin. Yet, it still carries a stigma today. As the United States continues to struggle with opioid and fentanyl use, Dr. Glenn shares Dr. Nyswander's legacy and important lessons that can be used in dealing with today's addiction crisis. Dr. Melody Glenn is an author and associate professor of addiction and emergency medicine at the University of Arizona. She graduated with her M.D. from The University of Southern California, completed her emergency medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center, and earned her EMS fellowship from The University of California, San Francisco. Moderator Margaret Juhae Lee is the author of Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History. She received a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University and a Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korean Foundation in support of research for her book. Previously, she was an editor for the Books and the Arts section at The Nation magazine. Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Psychology Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. OrganizerPatrick O'Reilly  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Commonwealth Club World Affairs welcomes back Jeffrey Rosen, this time to explore the clashing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson about how to balance liberty and power in a debate that continues to define—and divide—our country. Hamilton pushed for a strong federal government and a powerful executive, while Jefferson championed states' rights and individual liberties. This ongoing tug-of-war has shaped all the pivotal moments in American history, including Abraham Lincoln's fight against slavery and Southern secession, the expansion of federal power under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, and Ronald Reagan's and Donald Trump's conservative pushes to attempt to shrink the size of the federal government. Rosen will explain how Hamilton's and Jefferson's disagreement over how to interpret the Constitution has shaped landmark debates in Congress and the Supreme Court about executive power, from John Marshall's early battles with Andrew Jackson to the current divisions among the justices on issues from presidential immunity to control over the administrative state. More than ever, the clash between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideals resonates today in our most urgent national debates over the question of whether modern presidents have been consolidating power and subverting the Constitution—the very threat to American democracy that both Hamilton and Jefferson were determined to avoid. Rosen explores all of this in his new book The Pursuit of Liberty, and he'll join us in-person to offer a compelling history of the opposing forces that have shaped our country since its founding, and the ongoing struggle to define the balance between liberty and power. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerGeorge Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the secret to a long, healthy life? Join us for a live conversation with longevity expert Ken Stern, who will discuss the research that went into his new book Healthy to 100. Contrary to popular belief, the secret to living longer is not just about eating well, exercising, or getting regular checkups. Instead, successful aging depends on the nature of your relationships and your social connections. If you want to live a healthy and rewarding life, Stern says, you need to start with social health.  In Healthy to 100, Stern goes on a journey to some of the longest-lived countries in the world—Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Spain—places that have achieved great advances in longevity by intentionally strengthening social connections. Science shows that physical and mental health outcomes are all improved by the intergenerational connectedness, sense of purpose, and respect enjoyed by older people in these countries.  Their example offers a personal and societal guide for how people can improve the second half of their lives. Stern will weave in surprising, colorful stories from around the world, arguing that the key to healthy longevity involves a mindset shift and purposeful building of social connections.  About the Speakers Ken Stern is a nationally recognized expert on longevity and aging. He is the founder of the Longevity Project and hosts the popular “Century Lives” podcast from the Stanford Center on Longevity. Stern is a best-selling author and has been a frequent contributor to a wide variety of publications, including Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and Slate. He is also the former CEO of NPR. He lives in Washington, D.C. A Grownups Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerDenise Michaud  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert S. McNamara was widely considered to be one of the most brilliant men of his generation. He was an invaluable ally of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as their secretary of defense, and he had a deeply moving relationship with Jackie Kennedy. But to the country, McNamara was the leading advocate for American escalation in Vietnam. He strongly advised Johnson to deploy hundreds of thousands of American ground troops, just weeks before concluding that the war was unwinnable, and for the next two and a half years McNamara failed to urge Johnson to cut his losses and withdraw. Join us to hear Philip and William Taubman examine McNamara's life of intense personal contradictions—from his childhood, his career as a young faculty member at Harvard Business School, and his World War II service, to his leadership of the Ford Motor Company and the World Bank. They had access to materials previously unavailable to McNamara biographers, including Jacqueline Kennedy's warm letters to McNamara; family correspondence dating back to McNamara's service in World War II; and a secret diary maintained by McNamara's top Vietnam policy aide. What emerges is a comprehensive story of the controversial former leader of the Pentagon: riven by melancholy, guilt, zealous loyalty, and a profound inability to admit his flawed thinking about Vietnam before it was too late. The Taubmans relate this story in McNamara at War, presenting a portrait of a man at war with himself―with a grave influence on the history of the United States and the world. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Philip Taubman photo by and copyright Linda Cicero, Stanford University; William Taubman photo by Michele Stapleton; courtesy the speakers. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year marked the steepest retreat to foreign assistance in recent memory, and the human cost is staggering. Global needs are growing more complex under the weight of today's crises, while the aid system—built for a different era—is facing unprecedented disruption.  Yet, this moment of upheaval may be the catalyst needed for meaningful humanitarian reform. Innovation is no longer optional; it's the driving force behind resilience, adaptability, mobilizing new funding and creating pathways to progress. From reimagining delivery models to forging unconventional philanthropic partnerships, the future of aid demands transformation we cannot afford to miss and one that brings glimmers of hope.  Named to the 2025 Forbes 50 Over 50, Save the Children U.S. President & CEO Janti Soeripto is navigating the funding crisis with a bold philosophy: respond, rebound, reform. In this exclusive Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California discussion, Janti joins fellow leaders tackling this urgent question: Where do we go from here, and how do we unlock innovative financing to drive shared progress? An International Relations Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Frank Price  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Nygren is the founder and CEO of Serenbe, a wellness community created as a model to demonstrate that preserving green space interlaced with agriculture, housing and retail is not only economically viable, but the future of community wellbeing. Nygren, a visionary placemaker—someone who specializes in transforming public spaces into areas that foster community, connection and well-being—has pulled together his expertise in Start in Your Own Backyard: Transforming Where We Live with Radical Common Sense, a blueprint for developing sustainable communities where citizens of all generations can thrive, "and awe is found in everyday moments." He says this requires understanding the following: The unintended consequences of sprawl, and why clustered development supports more green space, more housing and lower costs Why being disconnected from nature and each other is at the root of many environmental, societal and health-related woes Tactics to encourage a local food-based economy (and why that matters) How small yards, front porches, and blueberry bushes at crosswalks lead to strong, supportive neighborhoods The benefits of aging in place, and how to nurture connections between uncaged elders and free-range kids Nygren says that for many Americans, life is no longer working. We are increasingly sick, stressed, anxious, and unhappy. Many feel left behind by the economy, disillusioned by once-respected institutions, and helpless in the face of environmental decline. Nygren argues that much of this can be traced to where—and how—we live, and that by rethinking and reinvesting in our own communities, we can rediscover the joy of connected, meaningful lives for ourselves and future generations. Nygren's work has earned him the Global Wellness Institute's Leader in Innovation Award and Southface's Argon Award as well as recognition from the Urban Land Institute and the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was also named Georgia Trend's 2019 Most Respected Business Leader and the MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award in 2025. Nygren currently serves on multiple local and national boards dealing with children, agriculture and environmental issues, including The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Children & Nature Network, Chattahoochee Now and The Biophilic Institute. He is also a partner at Nygren Placemaking consulting and started his career as a serial hospitality entrepreneur, having founded the 34-restaurant group, Peasant Restaurants.  A People & Nature Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Andrew Dudley  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Karen Hao discussed her reporting on OpenAI under the leadership of Sam Altman. The Commonwealth Club of California hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Karen Hao discussed her reporting on OpenAI under the leadership of Sam Altman. The Commonwealth Club of California hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Charles H. Kahn wrote that Pythagorean contributions to Western thought were "on the one hand, a mathematical understanding of the world of nature; and, on the other hand, a conception of human destiny that points beyond the visible world and beyond the mortal body to a higher form of life." Unfortunately, for the following 2,500 years, we took the first part: logic and reason, and largely discarded the other: intuition and imagination. Or, as Nietzsche put it in The Birth of Tragedy, we chose to rely heavily on our Apollonian side (yang) while neglecting our Dionysian side (yin).  And here we are, in a world of contradictions which are becoming ever more acute with the astounding recent advancements of Artificial Intelligence, which is of course based on numbers (in fact, it was Pythagoras who said, "everything known is a number").  How do we go back to the Pythagorean tradition? How do we restore balance between Apollo and Dionysus?  On this special evening, we will attempt to do just that. We will start with a talk by Edward Frenkel, mathematician, Berkeley professor, and author of Love and Math (currently out in 20 languages) who considers himself a Pythagorean. He will provide the context and the background. His talk will be followed by a ceremony, administered not by a priest or shaman but, as is more common these days, by DJs.  During the dance party following Edward Frenkel's talk, DJ Wilder (Anna Fedorova) will dazzle us with music sourced from different genres and epochs, followed by Edward Frenkel himself (as DJ Moonstein) playing back-to-back with Cihat Fitzgerald (DJ Chi) taking us further into the unknown. Magic awaits. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Frenkel photo courtesy the speaker; public domain painting is "Pythagoreans Celebrate the Sunrise" by Fyodor Bronnikov. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Film screening and Q&A with director Naja Pham Lockwood and panelists; building community and healing through food with Bay Area Vietnamese chefs and restaurateurs. Join us for a film screening of On Healing Land, Birds Perch, a documentary by Naja Pham Lockwood, a Vietnamese-born filmmaker, which explores the continuing aftershocks of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of both sides of the war: North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese, including Vietnamese Americans alive today. The story is told through the iconic Pulitzer-Prize-winning photo by Associated Press photojournalist Eddie Adams of South Vietnamese General Loan executing Viet Cong Captain Lem two days after the 1968 Tet Offensive. Interviewees include the daughter of General Loan, the children of Captain Lem, and the son of the family who was allegedly killed by Captain Lem and his men. All share the intense emotions this photo continues to elicit and the impact it has had on their lives. The interviewees hold widely differing views, but the film poignantly portrays what they all have in common: the lasting trauma from the war. The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit public forum; we welcome donations made during registration to support the production of our programming. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Commonwealth Club World Affairs is a public forum. Any views expressed in our programs are those of the speakers and not of Commonwealth Club World Affairs.   This program contains EXPLICIT language. Organizer: George Hammond   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster Kahle will be in conversation about the rise of the internet, its continuing and explosive impact on society, the importance of the Internet Archive and other developing issues in the growth and use of the internet. Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the World Wide Web, HTML, the URL system and HTTP. Berners-Lee proposed an information management system on 12 March 1989 and implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the internet in mid-November of that year. He devised and implemented the first web browser and web server and helped foster the web's subsequent development. He is the founder and emeritus director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which oversees the continued development of the web. With Rosemary Leith he co-founded the World Wide Web Foundation. In April 2009, he was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences.  Brewster Kahle, founder and digital librarian of the Internet Archive, is a passionate advocate for public internet access. He has spent his career intent on a singular focus: providing universal access to all knowledge. Soon after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kahle helped found the company Thinking Machines, a parallel supercomputer maker. In 1989, Kahle created the internet's first publishing system, called the Wide Area Information Server (WAIS). In 1996, Kahle founded the Internet Archive, and he co-founded Alexa Internet, which helped catalog the Web. A Technology & Society Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. OrganizerGerald Anthony Harris  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This program features a unique public affairs arts conversation between Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo and Matthew Shilvock, who is in his tenth season as San Francisco Opera's general director. The Monkey King (猴王悟空), by Huang Ruo and American librettist/playwright David Henry Hwang, conducted by Carolyn Kuan, is of topical interest as an action hero story with moments of peace and reflection. The Monkey King centers around the mythic hero from China's classic novel Journey to the West. A monkey born from a stone becomes the ruler of the monkeys and challenges the gods of the seas and heavens in a bid for immortality. SF Opera is producing the world premiere, performed in English and Chinese, uniting the disciplines of opera, dance and puppetry. The Monkey King's blended production is not your grandmothers' traditional opera! It's also a 2024 blockbuster video game Black Myth: Wukong. Musical theatre audiences are familiar with Broadway's acclaimed Tony award winning M. Butterfly team, which was also led by Ruo and American librettist/playwright David Henry Whang and conductor Carolyn Kuan. Describing a technique he calls "dimensionalism," Ruo uses a “musical voice which draws equal inspiration from Chinese folk, Western avant-garde, rock and jazz (Mimakos, 2011)." Of Monkey King, he says, "In our new opera, which blends cultural traditions with a spectacular multidisciplinary production, I hope to bring this Eastern superhero to life and shine a hopeful light that will always appear in any turbulent time.” Shilvock announced that The Monkey King, opening November 14 at War Memorial Opera House, reflects SF Opera's commitment to global storytelling that makes a difference. He notes that “It's indicative of artistry that affirms the Bay Area as one of the great cultural centers of the world.” Our moderator will be Cole Thomason-Redus, vice chair of the Arts Member-led Forum, and educational content curator for San Francisco Opera. An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In Association with San Francisco Opera and Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota.  Organizer: Anne W Smith & Cole Thomas-Redus   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The global view from the frontlines of journalism, where every border tells a bigger story.  Commonwealth Club World Affairs welcomes the World Press Institute, which has been the premier organization in the United States providing international journalists with the opportunity to broadly investigate this country—its values, traditions of a free press, institutions, customs, and people. These nine journalists from across the globe are here because of the World Press Institute. This is the 60th annual journalism fellowship program.  Hailing from Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, and Namibia, these journalists represent the future of media and bring with them a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. Learn how these international journalists are reporting on a world in flux: where borders are hardening, alliances are shifting, and disinformation is redefining public trust. These journalists will share their notes on the dynamics of power in geopolitics, in tech, in media—and how these forces are felt on the ground back home. The journalists include (Argentina) Mr. Marcelo Silva de Sousa; (Bulgaria) Ms. Janan Dura; (Canada) Mr. Ian Froese; (Egypt) Ms. Eman Ahmed; (Finland) Ms. Nina Svahn; (Indonesia) Ms. Ardhike Setyaningrum; (Italy) Ms. Francesca Canto; and (Kenya) Mr. Njoroge Muiga; (Namibia) Ms. Sonja Smith. All are International Fellows of the World Press Institute. An International Relations Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Presented with the World Press Institute. Organizer: Frank Price  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we move from punishment to possibility? From cycles of incarceration to lasting opportunity? Join us for an urgent and inspiring evening as part of Commonwealth Club World Affairs' Social Impact Forum. "The Art of Second Chances" will highlight community-driven interventions—rooted in healing, education, and economic empowerment—that create real second chances and pave the way for collective liberation and greater public safety. Too often, people who fall into the justice system were overlooked in their youth, denied the opportunities, connection, and support they needed to thrive. The cost of that neglect shows up in families torn apart, communities destabilized, and lives lost to a system that punishes more than it heals. But there is another way. Our panel brings together changemakers from law, philanthropy, faith, and advocacy—alongside voices with lived experience—who are transforming systems through bold, community-rooted solutions. Together, they will explore how investing in people, not prisons can create safer, stronger, and more just communities. About the Speakers Mano Raju is the elected public defender of San Francisco. He completed his undergraduate work at Columbia University, earned a Master's degree in South Asian studies from UC Berkeley, and received his law degree at UC Berkeley Law. New Breath Foundation President and Founder Eddy Zheng has been bridging communities for decades, particularly among Black, Asian American, formerly incarcerated, immigrant, and refugee groups. He is the subject of the award-winning documentary Breathin': The Eddy Zheng Story and has been featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, The New Yorker, PBS, NPR, The Guardian, SXSW, and other national media outlets. Reverend Sonya Y. Brunswick, affectionately known as “Pastor Sonya,” is senior pastor of Greater Life Foursquare Church in San Francisco and visionary leader of Brunswick Leadership Group. Moderator Virginia Cheung is co-chair of the Social Impact Member-Led Forum at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California and co-founder and vice president of the Give a Beat Foundation, a nonprofit that uses music and the arts to reduce recidivism and create opportunities for incarcerated and justice-impacted individuals. A Social Impact Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Virginia Cheung  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9/15/25: SILICON 666 Beginning today, September 15, tech billionaires are openly planning the Luciferian World State — and they think you are too stupid to notice. Peter Thiel, the billionaire puppet master behind PayPal, Palantir's surveillance empire, and Facebook's early rise, is hosting a private, four-part lecture series at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club. The topic is not about "AI ethics." Not "technological disruption." Not "digital transformation." No, the lecture series will be about the Antichrist. And guess what - he's not warning about it. He's teaching Silicon Valley's elite how to recognize it, analyze it, and work with it. These new Silicon Valley companies are making inroads into creating a system that will only allow you to buy, sell, or conduct transactions if you have a unique identifier, similar to the mark of the beast, embedded in your hand—or in your forehead. Sound familiar? Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #ClydeLewis #markofthebeast #siliconvalley #PeterThiel

Take the Survey: https://tiny.cc/cc870 BestPodcastintheMetaverse.com Canary Cry News Talk #870 - 08.25.2025 - Recorded Live to 1s and 0s Deconstructing World Events from a Biblical Worldview Declaring Jesus as Lord amidst the Fifth Generation War! CageRattlerCoffee.com SD/TC email Ike for discount https://CanaryCry.Support   Send address and shirt size updates to canarycrysupplydrop@gmail.com   SHOW NOTES/TIMESTAMPS HELLO WORLD TEXT MESSAGE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER   PALANTIR/BEAST SYSTEM Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13; Luke 12:2; Matthew 6:4; Isaiah 1:17; Habakkuk 3:14 Peter Thiel Antichrist Lectures at Commonwealth Club (luma)   Clip: Thiel on Israel a year ago (X)  Palantir: The all-seeing tech giant (The Week) The War of the Machines: Peter Thiel, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Antichrist, and Tech (Wa. Stand) How you can stop Peter Thiel's Palantir (Robert Reich)   (2013) How A 'Deviant' Philosopher Built Palantir, A CIA-Funded Data-Mining Juggernaut (Forbes) (2021) What is it about Peter Thiel? (New Yorker) (2024) Israeli defence chooses Palantir over home-grown solutions (Intel Online)   CRYPTO/MONEY 3 reasons for Palantir's 17% stock tumble in recent weeks (BI) Ethereum News Today: Peter Thiel Invests in Ethereum as Institutional Adoption Grows (Tekedia) 3 Reasons BTC Price Failed to Cross $120K Despite Ethereum All-Time High Rally (CoinSpreaker)   BIBLICAL/AI The Download: churches in the age of AI, and how to run an LLM at home (MIT)    TRUMP TRUMP EO, Prosecuting the Burning of the American Flag (White House) Clip: Trump sign EO for American Flag burning (X)    FLIPPY Vietnam's humanoid robot dance crew dazzles political leaders at live event (IE)   EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS TALENT/TIME END