the commonwealth october/november 2013

CommonwealthTHE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013

The

$5.00; free for members | commonwealthclub.org

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN & BILL RITTER RISK & RESILIENCE

KEN ROBINSON page 8

DAVIDGERGEN page 12

REZAASLAN page 57

JOSEPHELLIS page 19

THE COMMO N WE AL TH 3JUNE/JULY 2013

8 KEN ROBINSON REVOLUTIONIZING YOUWhat options allow education to better fit the needs of students?

ON THE COVER10 CHRISTINE TODD

WHITMAN & BILL RITTER RISK & RISILIENCEA bipartisan panel of two former governors discusses how states are meeting environmental challenges

12 DAVID GERGEN INSIDE WASHINGTON

A veteran government insider discusses the characters and issues in the nation’s capital

19 JOSEPH ELLIS THE DRIVE FOR INDEPENDENCEThe Revolutionary War did not begin with the Declaration of Independence

29 THE NEXT 110A pictorial tribute to the Commonwealth Club’s record-breaking 110th anniversary and 25th Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner

57 REZA ASLAN INVESTIGATING JESUSAn exploration of the humanity and the lasting impact of Jesus of Nazareth

23 PROGRAM INFORMATION

24 EIGHT WEEKS CALENDAREvents from September 30 to November 22

26 PROGRAM LISTINGS

27 LANGUAGE CLASSES

5 EDITOR’S DESKIntroducing the Club’s new series: Marin Conversations

6 THE COMMONSSeeing the Club through Google Glass; our humble Internet beginnings; Latinas in business, and more

62 INSIGHTDr. Gloria C. Duffy, President and CEO

Photo by Peter Stember

Photo by Beth Byrne

About Our Cover: Former New Jersey Governor and EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman joined former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter for a Climate One talk on states and climate change. Original Photos by L. Herrada-Rios

VOLUME 108, NO. 06 | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013

INSIDE The Commonwealth

FEATURES

EVENTS

DEPARTMENTS

“Everybody’s biography is di!erent; a unique mix of talents, aspirations, motivations, feelings, dispositions. The reason a lot of kids drop out is that the system isn’t designed to cater to diversity but to a certain idea of standardization, and it doesn’t speak to them in that way.” – Ken Robinson

Photo by Rikki Ward

19

57

8

Photo by L. Herrada-Rios

10

CST: 2096889-40

Detailed brochure available at: commonwealthclub.org/travel

Discover two of the world’s last great frontiers: the majestic fjords and glaciers of southern Patagonia, and the stunningly dramatic scenery of Torres del Paine. Along with Buenos Aires and Santiago, we discover the remarkable diversity of South America.

Enjoy three nights in Buenos Aires, including a tango show, the bohemian district of La Boca, and a guided tour of the world-famous Latin American Art Museum.

Sail the Patagonian Channels for three nights aboard a 64-cabin expedition ship, and explore the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle and Murray Channels and stop at Magdalena Island, home to more than 120,000 Magellanic penguins.

Explore Torres del Paine, a 700-square-mile World Biosphere Reserve of jagged mountain peaks, ice-blue glaciers, turquoise lakes, rushing rivers and thunderous waterfalls.

Experience Chile’s Lake District, including Vicente Rosales Park, Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Waterfalls. Discover vibrant Santiago with a visit Pablo Neruda’s home, a home-

hosted dinner with Santiago families, and create your own wine blend in Santiago’s wine country.

Learn about important issues during a briefing by U.S. Foreign Service staff and talks by guest speakers.

Pre-Trip Option to Iguazu Falls is also available.

Cost: $7,949 to $8,744 per person double occupancy, depending on cabin category – (including land, cruise and air from SFO, and airline taxes and fees). Single cabins are limited. Departure is limited to 24 guests.

Photos: Paul Vladuchick/flickr; Liam Quinn/wikicommons

Patagonian FrontiersArgentina and Chile by Land & Sea

January 3–19, 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH 5OC TOBER/NOVEMBER 2013

The Commonwealth Club, in partnership with Marin Com-munity Foundation, is launching an exciting new series of programs in the North Bay called Marin Conversations.

“Marin is populated with some of the most fascinating, intrigu-ing people on earth,” said Dr. !omas Peters, president and CEO of Marin Community Foundation. “Marin Conversations will provide a platform for those people – the thought leaders, the celebrities, the visionaries – to engage in thought-provoking discussions in intimate surroundings. I’m thrilled that MCF is the sponsor for this new event from !e Commonwealth Club – and hope that it gets everyone talking!”

!e director of Marin Conversations is Ruth Shapiro, who also seves as the Club’s social entrepreneur in residence. “I thought that it would be nice to put together a series that would appeal to people living in Marin in a variety of ways. We are fortunate to have suc-cessful and influential people who have made their marks in busi-ness, film and music, politics and as thought leaders. It would be nice to hear what they are concerned about and bring them into an up-close conversation.We decided from the beginning to ask well-known personalities to talk about an issue they care about rather than themselves, because it is a way for them to shine the light on a topic that they feel deserves additional understanding and support. !us far, this idea has met with great enthusiasm.”

!e first three programs have already been scheduled:

ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Tara Crain, Development Manager, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships, (415) 869-5919, [email protected] Commonwealth ISSN 00103349 is published bimonthly (6 times a year) by The Commonwealth Club of California, 595 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-2805. | PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID at San Francisco, CA. Subscription rate $34 per year included in annual membership dues. | POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Commonwealth, The Commonwealth Club of California, 595 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-2805. | Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Copyright © 2013 The Commonwealth Club of California. Tel: (415) 597-6700 Fax: (415) 597-6729 E-mail: [email protected] | EDITORIAL TRANSCRIPT POLICY: The Commonwealth magazine covers a range of programs in each issue. Program transcripts and question and answer sessions are routinely condensed due to space limitations. Hear full-length recordings online at commonwealthclub.org/archive or contact Club offices to order a compact disc.

Introducing the Club’s Marin Conversations

EDITOR’S DESK

FOLLOW US ONLINE facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub twitter.com/cwclub commonwealthclub.org/blog commonwealthclub.org

BUSINESS OFFICES The Commonwealth, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 | [email protected]

VP, MEDIA & EDITORIAL John Zipperer | SENIOR EDITOR Sonya Abrams | DESIGNER Tyler R. Swofford

EDITORIAL INTERNS Amelia Cass, Ellen Cohan, Jordan Plaut | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ed Ritger, Rikki Ward

JOHN ZIPPERER VP, MEDIA & EDITORIAL

Wed, October 02, 7-9 p.m.: Living with Apex Predators: A Conversation with Peter Coyote. Actor Peter Coyote will discuss sustainable habitat and how to live side by side with apex predators in a conversation with Project Coyote’s Executive Director Camilla Fox and Yellowstone Ecological Research Center’s Bob Crabtree.

Wed, November 06, 7-9 p.m.: Moving Forward on the Hill: A Conversation with Jared Hu!man and Tom Peters. Congressman Jared Hu"man will share his insights and experiences to date with Marin Community Foundation’s Dr. Peters.

Wed, December 04, 7-9 p.m.: "e News about the News: A Con-versation with Michael Krasny. KQED’s award-winning “Forum” host Michael Krasny will be in conversation with noted journalist Phil Bronstein on this important topic.

Marin Conversations will have 10 programs per year. Tickets are limited to 100 people for each event. Marin Conversations take place the first Wednesday of every month at !e Outdoor Art Club, which is located at One W. Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley. And for social-izing, there will be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres 7-8 p.m., followed by the program from 8-9 p.m.

“!ere are 1,200 Club members in Marin,” said Shapiro. “!e future home of !e Commonwealth Club is across the street from the Ferry Terminal. We hope that with increased exposure, Marin mem-bers can feel energized to make the trip across the bridge or by boat and see some of the other amazing programs taking place.”

Photo by: Nelso

THE COMMO N WE AL TH6 OC TOBER/NOVEMBER 2013

There are many hidden gems we are highlighting in this regular spotlight of organizations, businesses and locations that will be our new neighbors when The Commonwealth Club moves into

our new home at 110 The Embarcadero. This issue, however, we look at one of the best-known buildings in the state: the iconic Ferry Building, less than a block from our new building.

Built in the 1890s and designed by architect A. Page Brown, the Beaux Arts-style Ferry Building was the second-busiest transportation terminal in the world by the 1930s. Today, it has multiple functions, including ferry terminal, office space and marketplace.

Brown’s steel-framed building replaced an 1875 wood ferry building. According to the Ferry Building’s history of the site, “Brown’s founda-tion – which has supported the entire steel-framed structure in such a remarkably dependable manner through two earthquakes (1906 and 1989) – became the largest such foundation for a building over water anywhere in the world.”

Today, the Ferry Building is a favorite site for embarking on boat trips to Angel Island, for shopping at the gourmet food stores or the regular farmers markets, and for fast or fine dining. In fact, it’s a favorite for locals and for visitors, such as the thousands of people who commute into the city each day for their jobs downtown, who can look down Market Street every day and see the 22-foot-wide clock, telling them it’s time to get their lunch and enjoy it sitting on a park bench along the waterfront.

I t was a Very Silicon Valley Moment at our August event with Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. The se-curity guards at the doors of the auditorium paused

to model a set of Google Glass brought by an attendee. According to Kara Iwahashi, the Club’s asociate program director, the Internet-enabled wearable device is becom-ing a common sight at Club events in Silicon Valley.

New technology has a way of showing up at the Club. Climate One director Greg Dalton got an early look at the Chevy Volt before his program with a GM executive. An iPad 2 was demonstrated on the Club’s stage two hours after its official release. It’s only a matter of time before you see someone sporting the new Samsung computer wristwatch at a Club event.

COMMONSTHE

Our New Neighbors, Part V The Ferry Building

Google Glassy-eyedYou can spot more and more people with the ‘net glasses at Club events

Photo by Stephen Balaban

Photo by JaGa

Talk of the Club

The Club in num-bers: Members:

18,000; unique month-ly visitors to common wealthclub.org: 45,000; individual downloads of podcasts each year: more than 1 million; number of followers on Facebook: 7,000; number of followers on Twitter: 4,500.

Say it: Club Board of Governors member Dr. Carol A. Fleming’s book, It’s the Way You Say It: Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken, and Clear, not only has a near-perfect rating on Ama-zon, but it’s a frequent highlighted book on the wall at Alexander’s Books, down the block from our offices.

THE TICKER

Updates and check-ins

The Commonwealth Club is hard at work pre-paring the launch of its new, improved iPhone app, the latest in our series of new media offer-

ings. So it was a nice coincidence when we discovered in a box of old files a 1995 memorandum about plans to create the Club’s first website.

The document starts with the greeting “Welcome to the World Wide Web (WWW)!” and includes helpful descriptions of just what the web is, how HTML language works, and how people navigate (“clicking a mouse

button on the ... icon will transport you to that other page”). The website has grown a lot and has been revised a number of times since the mid-1990s, most recently with the help of design firm Pyramid Communications.

The Club’s website now reaches more than a half-million people a year. And as an increasing number of our website visitors access it via handheld devices, our newest mobile apps will feature more services to ensure you can carry The Commonwealth Club with you wherever you go.

Back to the Future Our humble e-beginnings


Shared Ideas

Julian Guthrie, Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle; Author, The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Me-chanic Teamed Up to Win Sailing’s Greatest Race, The America’s Cup; June 26, 2013: It’s not very often that you get Larry Ellison the billionaire and a radiator repair shop owner [Norbert Bajurin] teaming up. I was drawn in by these two really compelling characters and they seem so different, but in my reporting I found out that they aren’t so different after all.

They were going after the oldest trophy in international sports; they had this singular quest, but they were coming at it from very different places. [Bajurin] did something pretty heroic in reaching out to Larry Ellison and saving his yacht club and becoming the sponsoring club of Oracle Racing, and their friendship and partnership have endured.

In learning about Norbert’s story and his father’s story of fleeing Yugoslavia under Tito’s dictatorship, fleeing in a boat and making his way to America and making his American Dream – I was touched by that. Then when I got to know Norbert and understood this story as it pertains to the America’s Cup, I felt that this was Norbert finding his own slice of the American Dream, and what he did in helping to bring the America’s Cup back to America was pretty profound. This was this wonderful, seemingly ordinary guy in that he’s not a billionaire doing something really extraordinary. I found his story very, very powerful – and also obviously the juxtaposi-tion with the billionaire, their partnership and their friendship, and how they kind of play against one another but are very comple-mentary. I think that Larry Ellison is grounded by Norbert and Norbert is inspired by Larry, and so it’s this really wonderful collaboration.

Hubert Horatio “Skip” Humphrey III, As-sistant Director, Consumer Financial Pro-tection Bureau, Office of Older Americans; May 15, 2013: Understand what’s going on here. You have individuals who are isolated [and dealing] one on one with profession-als. These are well-trained, well-understood con artists. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they know how to play on your emotions, they know how to isolate you, they know where the resources are. They’re not just accidentally coming up to you. They’ve already done all their research.

This is the same thing that happens when you get a call at 2 a.m. in the morning about a nephew or a grandson or somebody that has been in trouble across the border and you need to send money right away. Well, first of all, think about it. If you get a phone call at two o’clock in the morning, how sharp are you? They know exactly what they’re doing. So, I would just say this: We as citizens must understand that if it sounds too good to be true, if it sounds too unusual, step back. Step back. Take a moment. Ask a friend. Ask an-other relative, “What’s going on?” And catch yourself before you send that money away or give that money away, because these folks, they’re pros. They know exactly what’s go-ing on. And when it’s in the family, the same thing operates. Make sure that you’re asking the larger number of family members, “Is this right? Is this what I should be doing?”

We need to help each other. This is a community-wide concern, both in a closer community like a family as well as in a larger community of a city and of a state and of a na-tion. There are significant amounts of money going out, and we need to put a stop to it. The only ones who can do it are us.

Rose Castillo Guilbault, President of Com-munity Safety Foundation; Author of The Latina’s Guide to Success in the Workplace; June 17, 2013: I think that once you get into the workplace, the importance of a mentor is really one of the main things, and a lot of us don’t have that opportunity to get mentor-ship. I remember when I was coming up, the people that I spoke with were other Latinas or Latinos, and we just kind of asked each other, “What do you think? What do I do? What do you do?” It was more about what we were experiencing at the time. There weren’t any people that kind of tapped you, or that you could go to and say, “Do you want to be my mentor?” It just wasn’t part of it.

I know that today, a lot of the young women who’ve come up to me or other people are really savvy about that, that whole mentorship, but they’re still having problems, and there are still not that many Latinas or Latinos who are in executive positions that are [in large enough numbers] to help.

The other thing is the whole issue of “sponsored.” Within the corporate world, there’s the area of having a sponsor that is different than a mentor, that will support you and will actually make something hap-pen, or you can be chosen because you have everything that is right for leadership roles, and that they will help you get through what needs to be done. I think that’s still a major issue in the workplace. ...

That’s another thing; a lot of people don’t ask questions like, “How many executives do you have that are people of color, women?” “What is your diversity and how do you support folks?” Those kinds of questions are perfectly legitimate, and you should be ask-ing questions like that when looking for a job.

Photo by Don Hankins/flickr


Stopping Scammers Inside America’s Cup Latinas in Business

Photo by Rikki Ward


KenRobinsonrevolutionizing

YOUPhoto by Peter Stember


I was born in Liverpool in 1950. I now live in Los Angeles. We moved there about 12 years ago. !is book I published a

couple of years ago was called !e Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. One of the people I interviewed for it was Paul McCartney, the bass guitarist of the popular music group the Beatles. I tell you that because I wouldn’t like you to leave this evening without being aware of the fact that I hang out with Paul McCartney. [Laughter.]

I asked him if he’d enjoyed music at school, and he said he didn’t enjoy it at all. I said, “Did anybody think you had any talent at school?” He said, “No. Nobody thought I had any particular talent at school in music.”

One of the other people in the same music program was George Harrison, the lead gui-tarist of the popular music group the Beatles. Nobody thought he had any talent either in music. So I said to Paul McCartney, “Would this be a fair summary: !ere was this one music teacher in Liverpool in the 1950s that had half the Beatles in his class and he missed it?” He said, “!at’s right.” !at’s a bit of an oversight, isn’t it?

My wife is a major fan of Elvis Presley. Terry and I have been together now for 37 years. !ere are in fact three of us in this mar-riage. Fortunately I’m alive, but it’s a marginal advantage to be honest. !irty-seven years and the same look of disappointment at breakfast; it wears you down.

Elvis Presley wasn’t allowed in the glee club in school in Tupelo, Mississippi. !ey said he would ruin their sound. Elvis. Well, we all know what great heights the glee club went on to once they had managed to keep Elvis out of the picture.

See, this is partly my point, that human talent is highly diverse, very rich and often hidden. It’s often buried beneath the surface. One of the consequences of this is that very many people go through their entire lives without ever discovering what they’re good at, what their real talents are. !e consequence of that is that very many people think that they don’t have any talents at all, no special talents to speak of.

!e consequence of that is that many people go through their whole lives just try-ing to get to the weekend. !ey don’t enjoy their lives; they endure them, they put up with them. I feel that it’s a tragedy that this should happen.

I had an event recently in Vancouver. Actually it was two years ago now, or two and a half. I did this event in Vancouver. It was called the Vancouver Peace Summit, as it turns out. !e Canadians are very good with titles, I find.

I was moderating the opening session of this thing and the guest of honor on the platform – there were over 2,000 people in the room, there were eight of us on the panel – was the Dalai Lama. He was a remarkable and wonderful man.

He said lots of very interesting things, as you’d imagine. He was asked a question at one point, and there was a long silence in the room as he pondered on it. It was a minute long probably, which is a long time when you’re waiting for a thought to be formed with 2,000 people. We all kind of metaphorically leaned forward as he framed this response. !en he took a breath and we thought, here it is. He said, “I don’t know.” We thought, What do you mean you don’t know? You’re the Dalai Lama. We don’t know, but you’re the Dalai Lama. He said, “You know, I’ve never thought of that. I don’t know, I’ve never thought about that. What do you think?” I thought that was a great response from one of the world’s great teachers. I have no idea. Teach me. Tell me what you think.

By the way, I had to introduce the Dalai Lama. I was a bit concerned about how to do it, frankly. He’s an amazing man in himself, and he’s also the 14th. !ere are another 13 you’ve got to take into account when you’re introducing him. !en I thought, I really don’t need to introduce him at all really, be-cause if your name starts with “!e,” I think you’ve arrived socially. If you’ve managed to

collect the definite article somewhere along the way, I think you can relax in most settings at this point. Which Dalai Lama are you? !at would be !e.

One of the other things he said is this. He said, “To be born at all is a miracle. So, what are you going to do with your life?” I really thought that was an important and simple statement because it is the case: To be born at all is a miracle.

It was calculated recently – I won’t take you through the process of asking the whole question but it’s a question worth asking yourself: About how many human beings have ever lived on Earth? How many of us? Modern human beings are thought to have evolved behaviorally about 150,000 years ago. I know there are some people who think it all happened in the last two weeks, but I’m discarding this alternative view. I think we’ve been around longer. I’m not talking about prehistoric creatures that went about on their knuckles. I’m talking about groovy people like us, with attractive profiles and a sense of irony. If you Google the question, the best calculation that people have come up with is maybe 100 billion people have lived on Earth.

I have a couple of interesting things to say about this. !e first is, of that total number almost 10 percent are on the planet now. It’s actually just over 7 percent. !ere are 7.2 bil-lion people on the Earth, and we’re heading toward 9 billion in the middle of the century, maybe 11 billion by the end of it. !at’s more people than have ever been on the planet at the same time in the history of humanity. We don’t know, honestly, if we can cope with it.

!ere was a very interesting program on the BBC about how many people can live on Earth. It was called “How Many People Can Live on Earth?” !ey made this calculation that if everybody on this Earth consumed food, fuel, water in the way we do now at the same rate and by the same means of produc-tion – if everybody on Earth consumed at the same rate as the average person in Rwanda or India, the Earth could sustain a maximum population of about 15 billion people. We’re halfway there for the first time in history.

!e trouble of course is that we don’t all consume as they do in Rwanda or India. They said if everybody on Earth consumed at the same rate as the average person in North America – that’s us –

Can mass education become individualized education? What do we lose with the way our current education system is structured? Excerpted from “Revolutionizing You,” June 19, 2013.

KEN ROBINSON Advisor on Education in the Arts; Author, !e Element and Finding Your Element

Continued on page 16

KenRobinsonrevolutionizing

YOU

THE COMMO N WE AL TH10 OC TOBER/NOVEMBER

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN

Whitman served as the first woman gover-nor of New Jersey, from 1994 to 2001. She was a member of President George W. Bush’s Cabinet as administrator of the U.S. EPA from 2001 until 2003. She’s currently head of the Whitman Strategy Group, a business consulting firm.

Governor Whitman, can you tell us where you were when Super Storm Sandy hit New Jersey, and how that a!ected you? CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN: I was home, on the farm. My husband has a way of disappearing for major events like this, so he wasn’t around. We had a lot of warn-ing. However, we don’t live anywhere near the shore. We are in central western Jersey, on a farm.

It was really the most interesting thing to me; the day before, walking in the woods, there wasn’t a sound to be heard – not a bird, nothing. It was dead quiet, and it was eerie. You noticed it right away. When the storm hit, we – far away from the shore – still lost over 100 trees; we had to replace about half the barn roof; and we were o! the grid for

GREG DALTON: Seventy percent of Americans recognize climate change is real; 54 percent say its e!ects have already begun. "at’s according to an April poll by the American Enterprise Institute, a conser-vative think tank. Prospects for a compre-hensive national plan to lead America from brown to green energy remain grim, given the current political stalemate in the nation’s capital. "e story in state capitals is more promising. Twenty-nine states have goals for generating electricity from renewable sources, though many are considering relax-ing those e!orts. States are also leading the way in dealing with severe weather: Rising seas, fierce forest fires, searing droughts and historic floods are hitting just about every state in the country

We’re pleased to have with us two former governors whose states have confronted severe weather head-on. Bill Ritter Jr. was Democratic governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. He’s currently director of the Center for a New Energy Economy at Colorado State University. Christine Todd

BILL RITTER, JR. Former Governor, ColoradoCHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN Former Governor, New Jersey; Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyIn conversation with GREG DALTON Director, Host, Climate One

12 days. I say it that way because we have a generator, so I was able to provide warm meals and showers for a lot of the neighbors and relatives for quite some time. It was really impressive when you see what hap-pened as far away as we were, and there were many inland areas – because we are heavily forested – that were without power and o! the grid for two weeks or even [more]. It was very expensive and [put] a lot of hardship on people, not to mention what happened along the shore, and of course Staten Island in New York is a community that still has a long way to go to come back. It was major.DALTON: We’ll get into more of the impli-cations of Sandy, and the cost of rebuilding. Governor Ritter, it seems like Colorado’s on fire a lot lately, every time we look in the news. How have the forest fires a!ected you and your state? BILL RITTER, JR.: Well, they’ve a!ected the state a lot more than me personally. We had two major fires last year. I had one seri-ous fire when I was governor and a couple of tornadoes, but last year, two significant

Two former governors examine what states can do, can’t do and should do regarding environmental issues. Excerpted from “Risk and Resilience,” June 19, 2013.

THE COMMO N WE AL TH 11OC TOBER/NOVEMBER

Continued on page 52


CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN & BILL RITTER

fires, one of which was a record breaker in terms of homes lost, and then we turned around this year – in fact, this month – and broke that record; 369 homes were lost in this most recent fire.

!ere are huge implications. You lose the homes, certainly, and that’s economically devastating to communities and personally devastating to the families; and you lose that infrastructure as well, so the counties – the municipalities – are out, and the insurance industry has to really evaluate the loss, but also re-evaluate the risk based on two years in a row of serious, serious fires. Drought conditions in this part of the state – 4 million acres of pine beetles killed, pretty much related to drought and dryness and, I would say, climate change. Our aspens, which aren’t a"ected by pine beetles – there’s probably a 15 percent kill rate from a fungus there that still has everything to do with climate change and with just being vulner-able because of the dry weather, the drought conditions, the longer seasons for things like pine beetles now – that’s two life cycles in one season, where it used to have one. !ere’s a variety of ways to think about this. Actually, none of the areas that have been victimized by these forest fires are serious pine beetle areas. One of the fires got into some pine beetles. It didn’t burn faster than the rest, but we’ve had a lot of pine beetles killed that’s a part of this as well, so it’s a combination of drought, dry conditions and longer dry, warm seasons that really are impacting us in a pretty serious way for fires.DALTON: !ere have been droughts. !e

year 2012 was the hottest year on record. There have been floods in some areas. How is this a"ecting the national political debate or the public awareness? Governor Whitman?WHITMAN: Not enough. !at, to my mind, is what’s so frustrating. You see this happening. !e insurance companies called

last year annus horribilis because of what they had to put out, and that was before they had to put it out for other major storms. We’re seeing the hundred-year flood every two or three years now. Even for people who want to argue over, “Is it climate change?” or, “Do humans have an impact on it?” – at least they’ve got to start thinking about, well, something is happening and we’ve got to start preparing for it.

Part of what drives up the cost of forest fires, and of things like the floods and Super Storm Sandy, is the fact that we’re building in places where we haven’t built before – par-ticularly in states like Colorado and [across] the west, but also along the shore we’re re-

building in communities. !ey’ve been there for a long time. I understand how di#cult it is to take on this issue, but we’re going to have to look at: Should we be rebuilding in some of the places that we’re rebuilding, and if so, do we do it in a di"erent way? !at is something we’re seeing the towns start to take on. !e local people get it; that’s why the states are the laboratories of democracy, because governors have to deliver. We see it happening and we have to pay for it, and so governors tend to step up where the federal government doesn’t and say, “!is is how we’re going to address this issue.” DALTON: Let’s talk about the Jersey shore. Is rebuilding happening in places that it shouldn’t? If not, then what about a person who loses some property? Do they then get paid by the government?WHITMAN: Right now, the governor is looking at buying out a whole bunch of homes in places where he doesn’t think redevelopment should take place. FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] just came out with their maps – he’d adopted their maps before they were finalized – and what’s interesting is, the governor adopted the FEMA maps when they were just proposals. FEMA came out with the finalized maps earlier this week, and they took a number of areas out of the flood-prone designation. But people had already started to rebuild based on what the governor had said, so they had put them up on stilts. A number of the home-owners who were interviewed, [and were asked], “Did you regret having gone ahead

“The insurance companies

called last year annus horribilis,

and that was before they had to

[pay] for other major storms.”–Whitman


DAVID GERGEN: I don’t think there’s any-body in the room who can remember a time when the country’s problems seemed more pressing or bigger and when our capacity to solve them through the political process seemed smaller. It is very disheartening. I come to you as someone who’s pretty pes-simistic about the short term. I think the next few years are going to be a little bit like the last few years: not very productive, dis-satisfying, disillusioning, cynical. But I also

come to you as someone who’s a long-term optimist. I see signs of hope out there and we shouldn’t despair or walk away from the pub-lic square. If anything, these are times that call for more energy and more engagement because the way we’re going to pull ourselves out of this is more citizen engagement and an insistence that things can be better than what we’re seeing.

With regard to President Obama, I was one of those who shared high hopes for his presidency. I continue to hope that he suc-ceeds. As someone who has had the privilege of being in the White House, what one rapidly learns there is that there’s a fraternity of people who have worked in the White House over the years who have come to see the presidency in the same way even though they’re of di"erent backgrounds and di"erent persuasions, and that is that it’s important for the country # we only have one president at the time # and it’s important for the country that that person succeed, that the world sees a functioning democracy, that we feel that we can tell our children and grandchildren that there is someone we can look up to who is getting things done on behalf of the country.

So I’d like him to succeed. I think some of the things he has done for our country have been very much in our best interest. I have been increasingly uncomfortable with the paralysis in Washington, and I must say I think it’s only fair [to say] that much of the di$culty he has faced has not been of his own doing, but has come from the other party.

Unhappy as I am with Obama, I am equally unhappy with the Republican Party. !is is not the party that I knew when I first went to work in the White House back in the early 1970s. I can tell you that the presidents I have known over the years on the Republican side – I dare say most of them would have a very di$cult time winning the nomination of the party in today’s current environment. I can tell you Richard Nixon would not have won the nomination of this party, because he was too liberal. Gerry Ford certainly would not have won the nomina-tion of this party. Ronald Reagan would have been suspect; he did sign an abortion bill here in California; he did raise taxes here in California. !ose are verboten in the modern Republican Party. I can guarantee

A Washington veteran explains our dysfunctional national capital. Excerpt from “What’s Going on in Washington,” July 17, 2013.

DAVID GERGEN

Political Analyst, CNN; Professor and Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government

DAVIDGERGEN

INSIDE WASHINGTON


you George H.W. Bush would not have been able to win the nomination in this party. And even George W. would have probably run into some [trouble.] Look how at odds he is with the party over immigration today. I congratulate him for speaking out this week on the immigration bill; I think he made the right arguments. !is was the first time he’s really taken a position since he left the presidency.

In both parties there have always been more extreme elements. But normally, politics in this country, as we say in Wash-ington, is played between the 40-yard lines. You don’t play down at one end of the field or the other end of the field. It tends to be played between the 40-yard lines, and the people who make things work are those who are willing to work across the aisle and work with others.

!at’s the tradition that the Second World War generation left us; that was the genera-tion that I went to work for originally; that’s the generation I now miss in public life, be-cause I think things have not been the same since they started leaving the stage. Among other things, when I went to Washington, 78 percent of members of Congress were vet-erans; today it’s down to around 35 percent. But more than that, we had seven presidents in a row from President Kennedy on through President H. W. Bush – seven presidents, Democratic and Republican – who were veterans of the World War II era. And when they got to Washington some were strong Democrats, some were strong Republicans, but they thought of themselves as first and foremost strong Americans. And that made a big di"erence in how they legislated, how they got together.

We’ve lost that perspective with this new generation of politics. We’ve got a genera-tion that did not grow up with a war that united us. Many of us came of age with a war that put an axe right down the middle of our generation # Vietnam split us apart; the culture wars split us apart. !ere were many great things about the ’60s and ’70s, but they left us splintered. We haven’t yet healed. We will, but it’s going to take some time. And this generation that is in power now has been used to divisiveness since they were coming of age, and they live o" divisiveness; they specialize in it; they get votes because of it; they raise money because of it. It serves their personal interest while it hurts the national

interest a great deal. From the 1930s on, there were three

presidents who stand out for their legislative achievements. One was Franklin Roosevelt, another was Lyndon Johnson and, to create balance, I would say the third is Ronald Rea-

gan. What characterized all three was that they were very extroverted men who loved the arena. !ey loved the banging that goes in politics. Politics is a contact sport, and you either have to like it or you shouldn’t be doing it.

So let’s look at President Obama and his second term. A lot of us thought that if tradi-tion held, the president would have a year to a year and a half to govern domestically. !e window is small, but there is a window in your second term when you return – after all, you’ve beaten the opposition twice – and there’s a deep reservoir of support out there and you can take advantage of it and get things done. After that, people start turning toward the first midterm elections. After that, they start turning toward the general election two years later, they start looking over your shoulder as president and you can get very little done domestically. It’s hard; it can be done, but it’s hard. Most second terms have, frankly, been much, much weaker because of that. So most presidents after that year-and-a-half or so turn to inter-national a"airs because, even though they’re weaker at home, they still retain the title of commander in chief of the most important military country in the world and the most powerful nation and largest economy, etc. !at gives you a lot of inherent power on the international stage. Ronald Reagan had two not very productive first years in his second term, but his last two years were highly pro-ductive, mostly on the international relations side. He got a lot done with the Soviets in his last two years. !at seemed to be prob-

ably what we were facing then. But we’re six months in out of forty-eight and it appears that the wind is going out of [President Obama’s] sails. He’s having a really, really hard time commanding the national stage. !ere are a lot of reasons for that.

It’s also true that in the second term you often get hit with scandals. !ings build up in the first term that people don’t know about; you can bottle them up until the second term when things start spilling out. I worked for Nixon, so I know what can come spilling out. Little did I know then, but I was working for the mafia. [Laughter.] It wasn’t really that bad, but there was an ele-ment in there, a reality I had no clue about. With Obama, there hasn’t been anything like Watergate, but there have been a lot of little things that have hit him at the wrong time and taken the national attention away from “Where are we going” to “Oh my God, what happened?” !at’s all the way down to Snowden, but we have the IRS in particular and a number of these surprises that have gotten in his way. Another big surprise was that – I don’t think they understood inside how overexposed he was in terms of televi-sion and the media in the first two or three years of the presidency. What we’re seeing now is that people have heard a lot from him and they see dysfunction within the government and now people are bored with it, because it’s been the same story for a few years now. It’s a boring story, because nothing really changes. It’s like watching grass not grow. [Laughter.]

Coming into the second term, [the Obama administration’s] real hope was that they could get a couple of things done early on domestically – they could get a budget agreement, they could get immigration done and gun control. !en they would pivot internationally, get out of Afghanistan and Iraq and pull out a bit from the Middle East and pivot toward Asia. We’d put more ships in the water and try to build up trade relationships and make sure it’s a stable neighborhood as China gets stronger.

Unfortunately, the Middle East turns out to be like tarpaper. !ere’s turmoil almost everywhere you turn in the Middle East, whether you look at Egypt or Syria – and President Obama doesn’t want us to play a lead role in any of it. Instead of wanting to be an architect in a new order, he wants to be cautious. And I don’t blame him; who

“Roosevelt, Johnson, and

Reagan ... loved the arena.

Politics is a contact sport, and

you either have to like it or

you shouldn’t be doing it.”


does know what exactly to do in Egypt and whom you want to support and whatnot?

You do have to be pretty clearheaded about your goals, but it’s tough and he’s hav-ing a hard time. So if you look at it overall, we’re looking at a situation where in the next three years we’ll make some modest headway, but pretty soon we’ll ask if Hillary is really going to do this or not – or Jeb Bush, or re-ally Rand Paul, or anyone. If Hillary goes, I think she’s going to be the strong favorite to win. I think a lot depends on her health, but I think she’s healthy – really though, who knows?

I assume she wants to do it and I can tell you that Bill wants her to do it. [Laughter.] I’m a big Bill Clinton fan, and I think he’s been marvelously disciplined. He’s really let her take her turn and ever since he took that position – everyone said he would interfere when she became secretary of state, but he really kept his mouth shut and let things be. But here we are, and I think she’s a very, very popular person. One thing she would do is heal the rift between the business com-munity and the White House; that ought to be addressed, too. It’s not just about Con-gress and the White House; it’s also about the degree of uncertainty and the rift that’s developed that’s deeper than it should be.

Question and answer session with Mar y Marc y, President, Dominican University of California; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of GovernorsMARY MARCY: You just mentioned Bill Clinton in the context of Hillary. All of the descriptions you had of FDR and Reagan were very much descriptions of Bill Clinton as well – loves the game of politics, very gregarious, very interested in talking to both sides. But you didn’t put Clinton in that list of great presidents of the 20th century. GERGEN: Well after two Democrats, I needed to get one Republican. [Laughter.] As a political scientist, as you know, most people like groups of three. I do think that one thing Clinton proves is that even when a Congress is hostile, if you play things right you have a decent shot of getting things done. Bill Clinton had a hostile Republican Congress in his second term; they impeached him! It’s worth remembering that, and yet the same man who was impeached by a Republican Congress got welfare reform done and got

four straight balanced budgets done, work-ing with Newt Gingrich. Gingrich was no slouch as an opposition figure. I don’t think just because there’s opposition you can’t get something done.MARCY: What do you think about the [Su-preme Court’s] Voting Rights Act decision? You were born and raised in North Carolina – has the world changed that much since the Voting Rights Act was originally written?GERGEN: Yes. !is is not politically popu-lar to say, but I would approach the voting rights decision by the courts with some caution. Under the Constitution, all states are to be created equally. Now, we did have a group of states that was engaged in outra-

geous practices and it was important to have the Voting Rights Act passed to correct those practices; it was exactly the right thing. One of the biggest gifts Lyndon Johnson gave to this country was the passage of the 1964-65 civil rights bills. !ey were milestones. But, in most of the states things have changed. So why should they be held up as examples of egregious behavior when the egregious behavior is no longer there? !e New York Times doesn’t like to say this, but the gap between black and white voting is bigger in Massachusetts than anywhere else. If there are bad practices going on, they ought to be hammered; we ought to come down really, really strong. But there is something wrong to say to Mississippi and Alabama and some of these other states, “No matter what you do, we’re always going to hold you at fault. We’re going to always say you’re basically racist no matter what you do.” !at’s not fair to the good folks in those states who have come a long, long way. MARCY: You have an extraordinary record of public service and also supporting and mentoring service programs for young people. So given the influence of service in

the history or success of great presidents, what is your opinion on mandatory service for all Americans for at least two years – not military service but simply service?GERGEN: I’m a very strong advocate for national service. !e general Stanley McChrystal, who came back from Afghani-stan and is now teaching at Yale, just took charge of the Franklin Project out of the Aspen Institute. I’m on the advisory board. We had a big gathering with 250 heads of major nonprofits – a lot of social entrepre-neurs – who came to Aspen about three or four weeks ago. We were there for about two days and I came away very, very encouraged. !ere’s a strong desire on the part of a lot of interesting and influential people to create more opportunities for national service.

!e goal of the Franklin Project is to create one million opportunities for service for people between the ages of 18 and 24. !at would mean one-quarter of the cohort would have a great opportunity for service. !at would also mean greatly expanding what we do. Not only in education, but there would be a health corps and a legal corps. In New Orleans, for example, they’ve turned a lot of things around, but there are still strong crime problems and 60 to 70 arrests every night. !ey don’t have lawyers to represent those people who are nailed every night, and they could use about 60 or 70 young lawyers who can spend a year and come in and work through to get a better, fairer system. !at happens to be a really good deal. We’re graduating twice as many people from law school every year as there are jobs. We’ve got a mismatch going on right now, and that’s one of the reasons there’s a lot of pressure on law schools to change their curriculums, maybe making it two years, etc. But they’re business models. Law schools have to have three years and big classes, but it’s not fair to the kids. A legal corps would enable a lot of young people to go o" and get experience for a year or two in service, prove themselves, and then they will be in better position to be hired by law firms or start their own businesses.

Let me segue out of that to a general proposition. I just want to tell you that the people who are in the upper reaches of the millennial generation are the finest, most promising group since World War II. !ere are people who are just so impressive and care

“The New York Times doesn’t

like to say this, but the gap

between black and white

voting is bigger in Mass-

achusetts than anywhere else.”


so much about the country and are talented and truly want to make a di"erence. !ey do not particularly want to go work for the national government, and who can blame them? !ey want to make a di"erence, not just be in a place where power is misused. !ey come in two di"erent forms. One is the people coming through who really be-lieve in social service and want to be in the political arena. Wendy Kopp started Teach for America back in 1989 and, by the way, she got the initial money to start from the Gap. She asked young people to go teach in the toughest urban and rural schools in the country for two years after finishing college. !is year she has 4,700 new corps members out, and she had 48,000 applications; 10-to-1 is pretty hard to get into. At Harvard four years ago, 9 percent of our graduating seniors applied for Teach for America; this last year one out of every five Harvard students said, “I don’t want to go to Wall Street. I want to go teach eighth grade in the Bronx.” !at is a huge change, and these kids are not just improving their resumes; 60 percent stay involved in public education reform. Many of them go o" to charter schools; they are full of Teach for America people.

!ere’s another group that comes along, and they’re not the only wonderful group, but this group coming through is a silver lin-ing of 12 years of war. !e men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan who take o" their uniforms and want to pitch in and help rebuild America. Another board I’ve joined recently is for something called

!e Mission Continues, run by Eric Greitens in St. Louis. Greitens was a philosophy major at Duke, thought it was too cushy and left to become a boxer. He won several titles before winning a Rhodes scholarship and going o" to get a Ph.D. from Oxford. Eric then became a humanitarian and went to Rwanda and Bosnia and was really doing good work before he decided he wanted to do some-thing tougher. So he signed up with the Navy SEALS for four tours. !is guy could do anything he wants in life, and he started a nonprofit for veterans who are disabled in one way or another. !ey went overseas with a sense of mission for the country, and now they don’t have one because they were shot up and demoralized.

He started his organization because he knows that the country needs these men and women to succeed back home. !e Mission Continues [is] doing fabulous work. Well, I see these kids joining up with the social entrepreneurs in favor of national service saying, “How do we do this across the board?” We had a young man who just graduated this year from Harvard who, when he finished high school, went o" and joined the Marine Corps as an enlisted guy. !ey turned him into a sniper and he had four tours in Iraq. !at can be really traumatiz-ing being a sniper; there’s a very high PTSD and disability rate for snipers. He came back healthy, signed up and went to Harvard and just finished. Do you know what he’s going to be doing this fall? He’s going to be teach-ing the eighth grade in Chicago for Teach for

America. !at is what I see in this younger generation. !at’s one of the big, big reasons why I’m excited for the future. We need to help these young people by giving them op-portunities, the education they deserve and the encouragement they deserve. MARCY: A number of people in the audi-ence want to peek behind the curtain at CNN. One person wants to know whether the people who yell at each other on TV yell at each other when the cameras are o".GERGEN: Well, whom are you talking about? [Laughter.] No, at least at CNN actu-ally I’ve found it very civil. It’s funny; there were one or two individuals – I can think of one in particular – who were uncivil, but on Twitter. He didn’t go behind a curtain; he was just full out there saying things about his colleagues. !at’s not what we were all hoping to build there.

CNN has been going through di$cult challenges; everybody knows that. We were way up in 2008 during the election cycle. We had the biggest audience on election night, including over on the networks. After President Obama got elected and things were so polarized, we found that a lot of the conservative audience went over to Fox and a lot of the liberal audience went to MSNBC. !at left CNN trying to be non-partisan and representative of both points of view, but people said they wanted more fire, more opinion. So we have a new leader now named Je" Zucker, and he’s trying to experiment with a lot of things and the numbers are go-ing up. MSNBC is now taking a slide.



the Earth could sustain a maximum popula-tion of 1.5 billion. We’re four times past that already. If the whole planet wanted to live as we do here – and they do, incidentally; all the evidence from the emerging economies [sug-gests] they rather like what we’ve been up to. !ey’re not suggesting they’ll hold back in the common interest and say, “You had a great time. We’ll forgo it for the time being, but could you send us the photographs because it looks terrific.” !ey want the same thing. Well, if they were to want that, if we were to carry on as we do now, we would need four more planets by the middle of the century to make it feasible. We don’t have them.

I want to come back to that. !e real point I want to get to here is: Of those hundred billion people who have ever lived here on Earth, nobody has ever lived your life. Each of you – your children, your grandchildren, everyone you know – is a unique moment in the whole of history. Nobody has ever been like you.

I don’t mean nobody ever resembled you. I’m like my father. It’s one of the curious things, isn’t it; you start to resemble your parents. I don’t just mean physically, but you start saying things they used to say to you with deep disapproval. You start repeat-ing them in favorable terms to your own children. I’m a lot like my dad. I’m also a lot like my mother. I’m not a clone. I’m similar to them.

But here’s the thing. I’m one of seven kids; my brother John is currently doing our

family tree. It’s not much of a tree as it turns out. It’s like a small shrub with a kind of odd fungus infection in the roots, from what we can make out, which we’re trying to eradicate at the moment. John discovered something, which I thought was very interesting, that our eight great-grandparents were all born in Liv-erpool in the 19th century within two miles of each other. !at’s how they met. !ey bumped into each other in the street or in a pub or wherever it was, in somebody’s house.

By the way, that’s how people did meet. For most of human history people didn’t go anywhere. !ey might have gone in times of conflict or if they became sailors or traders, but it was unusual for people to travel much further than where they lived. !ey lived near where they worked. It’s why communities were so intensely vernacular in a way that they’re not just now.

Anyway, that’s how they met. You can say that’s not how it worked, that this was a cosmic plan to which I am oblivious, that the cosmos have arranged things, that these eight soul mates convened at the same point at the same time in the space-time continuum, that they should procreate and continue the process that has led to the miracle that is me. It’s a way of thinking about it.

I don’t think so. I just think they had lower standards then. I think people ran into each other in the street and thought, “You’ll do. I can spend my life with you without being constantly embarrassed. !is will be fine.”

They didn’t have TMZ, did they? Or People magazine or Facebook. !ey didn’t

know Charlize !eron was out there. !ey settled for what was available. !en, eventu-ally my grandparents were born and years later my parents were born in these separate families and they ran into each other, and then there was that night in the pub and here I am. It’s a miracle.

!e same is true of you, too, according to what view you take of these things; your personal ancestry weaves its way through the whole tapestry of humanity and many of our lives have intersected at various points through the past, and that’s true of your children, too. !e odds of you being here are remarkably slim. Far more people didn’t get here than did.

Somebody once said – it’s an old proverb – that you should never regret growing old; it’s a privilege denied to many. I think that’s right. What amazes me is how little people settle for. !ey kind of just get on and wait for the weekend.

I think of this as the other climate crisis. !ere is a crisis in the world’s natural resourc-es. It has to be a backdrop to any conversation about education, by the way. But there’s a crisis in the world’s human resources, too. I’ll give you some examples of it.

I live [in America], just to make this clear. I didn’t just pop over to take a quick shot at you; I live here now and have for 12 years. But in America, for example, something approaching a third of all kids who start the ninth grade in high school do not graduate from the twelfth grade. It wouldn’t be accu-rate to use the single term drop out for all of

ROBINSON from page 9


“If you were running a

business and you lost 30

percent of your customers

a year, you’d star t to

wonder whether it was

y o u , w o u l d n’ t y o u ? ”


that. Some people walk away from it. Some people are bored of it. Some people decide it’s not for them. !ere are family circumstances that may get in the way. !ey may have to go. !ere are all kinds of reasons. Every child, every student has a biography. Like you, they wake up and they have feelings and motiva-tions and aspirations and every single one of them is living a story. !ey have their reasons if they leave school, just in the way that kids who stay on also have reasons. Either way, about 30 percent don’t complete high school. !at’s a catastrophe, isn’t it?

If you were running a business and you lost 30 percent of your customers a year, you’d start to wonder whether it was you, wouldn’t you? Is it me? Is it something I’m doing? It would be wrong to say these kids are failing school. It would be much more accurate to say school is failing them.

I’m very keen to emphasize this: I don’t say this in criticism of teachers, school principals or superintendents. I know wonderful people who work in schools against tremendous odds, out of a passionate conviction that this is how they should spend their lives. !ey work intently with the best intentions with a passion. I’m talking about the dominant culture, which a"ects the teachers as much as the students. Often those people who run the school districts as well. [We are all locked inside] this culture of standardization.

Everybody’s biography is different; a unique mix of talents, aspirations, motiva-tions, feelings, dispositions – a unique mix-ture – every single human life. !e reason a lot of kids drop out is that the system isn’t designed to cater to diversity but to a certain idea of standardization, and it doesn’t speak to them in that way.

Years ago when I was a student in my 20s, I went around the slaughterhouse. I can’t remember why now. Half my family is vegetarian, the other half, well, two of them are vegan and I teach on the edge of this all the time. I don’t know why at the time I went around the slaughterhouse. I think I was taking a girl out. I know how to treat a woman. “Come with me to the abattoir. It will amaze you.” Anyway, this is a facility designed to systematically slaughter animals, and it does. It doesn’t fail. Very few of them get away. It’s not like some escape committee where they’re all writing folk songs about the near miss they had.

As I was coming out of it, there was a door

at the end of the facility and there was a sign on it that said “veterinarian.” I thought, it’s a bit late, isn’t it? He must be one of the most depressed people in the area. Another day of abject failure at the slaughterhouse; not a single one has recovered despite administer-ing CPR. I said to the person showing me around, “Why do you have a veterinarian at the slaughterhouse?” He said, “He comes in periodically to conduct occasional autopsies.” I thought he must have seen the [pattern] by

now. “Another 2,000 dead animals; there’s something happening in here. I insist on seeing what’s going on in there. !is isn’t right.” What I’m saying is – and by the way they’re also appalling places, but the reason I’m telling you is, if you set up a facility to do something, don’t be surprised if it does.

If you set up a system of education predi-cated on standardization and conformity and compliance and a narrow curriculum that excludes people’s talents and takes no account of their personal interests, don’t be surprised if they get the message and leave it not feeling fulfilled.

I think it’s not just a personal issue. It is a big personal issue. It’s [also] a big economic issue. We can’t a"ord to squander talent like this. It’s a major cultural issue. H.G. Wells once said, quite rightly, that civilization is a race between education and catastrophe. I think that’s right. We have an education system that is literally pointing in the wrong direction.

!e Element and Finding Your Element are about trying to recover this talent and diversity. When I say there is another cli-mate crisis, one of the examples is the way the school system works. !e second is that more and more people are su"ering from depression. !e World Health Organization recently anticipated that by 2020 depression will be the second largest cause of mortal-

ity in human populations. It’s a shocking figure, isn’t it? Depression can range from anything, from being mildly down to being bereaved – which is a proper response – to being clinically depressed. !ese distinctions tend to be lost in the way drugs are being administered. For example, last year the sales of antipsychotic drugs were totaled; for the first time in America [they] exceeded sales of drugs for acid reflux. !at’s an achievement in America, to exceed sales of drugs for acid reflux.

People aren’t born depressed. !ey be-come so for various reasons. One of them is a lack of personal fulfillment in the lives that people lead. Gallup has just published a study that says, based on a national survey, that 70 percent of adult Americans are disengaged at work; just not interested. !ey’re paying attention while you’re there but then they’re back on Facebook.

I’m not saying that finding your element will solve all these social problems, but it will help. Being in your element is this to me; there’s a di"erence between getting through the week and waking up wanting to get to it. I also meet people who love what they do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. If you said, “Why don’t you change track for a bit and try something else,” they’d look at you as if you’ve gone mad and say, “But you don’t understand. !is isn’t what I do; this is who I am. I love this.” I find this in every form of occupation and activity. If you can think of a human activity, somebody will love it, and somebody else couldn’t stand to do it for five minutes.

I tweeted recently – I’m replete with tweets. I asked people to say if they could name a job that they would hate that other people love. I got the normal run of things that you would expect like proctologist, but people love that. !ey do. I spoke recently at a conference of pathologists. !ey love what they do. !ey’re highly talented, gifted, committed people. Somebody tweeted back, “Teacher. I couldn’t bear to teach.” Yet teach-ers love what they do for the most part. If they don’t, by the way, I suggest they do something else, because I don’t think you should waste your own time, let alone anyone else’s.

Being in your element is two things: It’s finding things you’re naturally good at, dis-covering your talents. For reasons I said at the beginning, they’re often obscured. !ey’re hard to find. Often you have to go looking for

“ Y our personal ancestr y

weaves its way through the

whole tapestry of humanity

and many of our lives have

intersected at various points.”


them and create the circumstances for them to show themselves. If you’ve never picked up an instrument, how do you know if you could play it? If you’ve never worked in the outdoors, how do you know you wouldn’t get on with that? If you’ve never sailed a boat, how would you know [if you could]? If you’ve never worked in social care, how would you know if you had a gift for it or not? If you don’t do things, you never really find out. We’re all born with extraordinary latent talents, but they have to manifest themselves somehow. !at’s one of the problems with education. !e curriculum becomes very narrow, so people don’t discover what they can do because they lack opportunity.

Being in your element is more than just being good at something. I know all kinds of people who are good at things that they don’t really care for. !ey do it because they’re good at it. To be in your element you have to love it. If you love something you’re good at, well as I say, you’ll never work again.

I published a book with others in 1982 on the arts in schools. Being in your element is not just about the arts, but by the way the e"ect of standardization in testing has been to cut arts programs from schools across the country. It’s a catastrophe that we’re doing that. We’re depriving people of access to some of their most important talents and forms of understanding.

I was talking to this woman who was editing this book I did called !e Arts in Schools in the early ’80s. I was having lunch with her and said, “When did you get to be an editor?” She said, “About five years ago.”

I was curious because she was a brilliant edi-tor who had the temerity to correct some of the things I’ve written. I was suppressing this kind of fervent rage against this woman. How dare you? I was trying to establish whether she was qualified to question me in this way. Actually she was brilliant. I said, “Really? What were you doing before this?” She said, “I was a musician, a concert musician.” I said,

“Well, why did you change?” She’d been a concert pianist. She was giv-

ing a concert in London in the Southbank Centre and at the end of it she went out for dinner with the conductor to celebrate the week. She said, “We got along really well and the conductor said, ‘You were brilliant this evening.’” She said, “Well, thank you very much.” !ere was this pause. !en he said, “But you didn’t enjoy it, did you?” She said, “Well, how do you mean?” He said, “Playing. You were brilliant, but you didn’t seem to be enjoying the performance.” She said, “No, not really.” He said, “Do you enjoy playing?” She said, “No. Not really, no.” He said, “Why

do you do it?” She said, “I suppose because I’m good at it.” He then said, “Being good at something isn’t a good enough reason to spend your life doing it.”

She thought about this and realized that what had happened was that she’d been born into a musical family – her parents both played in an accomplished way – so she was introduced to music lessons. She learned the piano, she passed all the guild hall exams, she went to a music high school, then a college of music, where she studied piano. !en she took a doctorate of music degree, and she said, “As the night follows the day I progressed onto the concert platform and nobody, least of all me, stopped to ask if I really wanted to do that. I realized when I was speaking to him that I’d never really enjoyed it. I was just responding to other people’s expectations of me. I knew that what I loved was books. In every interval in every performance I was sitting reading books, I was making notes on books. I sought out the company of writers and poets. I loved the literary world. I spent every spare minute I had in it, but I kept on denying it to myself because I thought, this is just a hobby. What I was meant to do is play the piano. At the end of that season I closed the piano lid.” She never opened it again and she has been immersed in books ever since. She said, “And I have never been happier. Never poorer, but never happier.”

!is is the point I want to make. We are born with these tremendous talents. We have to discover them, but our lives move in a di"erent direction when we do. Life is not linear.


“We are born with these

tremendous talents. We have

to discover them, but our lives

move in a different direction

when we do. Life is not linear.”


I’ve been here once before. !is is a really venerable venue. In my view, the most important political speech of the 20th

century was delivered here by Franklin Roo-sevelt. It actually prophesied the New Deal; it explained why the role of government had to change for demographic and historical and economic reasons.

[In my book Founding Brothers] I am try-ing to tell a story that’s one of the oldest and most familiar and oft-told stories in American history: how the American Revolution hap-pened. !ere are a lot of misconceptions that are easily corrected, but the challenge that I have is to try to tell it in a distinctive and fresh way. Every generation of American historians has told this story and at times in doing the work on it I felt like I was stripping layers of wallpaper. Each generation had its own interpretive layer of wallpaper to get back to the original wall. So some of the things that I have to say are not really new; they’re so old that nobody knows them anymore. !ey knew it back then and one of those things is why a consensus developed for independence in the late spring of ’76. I’ll try to o"er you an explanation there.

When George Washington decided to attend the Continental Congress in May of 1775, he put on his military uniform. He knew we were going to war. !is is one of the things that needs to be underlined in your understanding of the story. !e war started 15 months before we declared independence. !e war started in April of ’75 at Lexington and Concord. One of the bloodiest battles of the war was June of 1775 at Bunker Hill. We didn’t declare independence until, obviously, July of 1776. Washington already knew it was

Ellis reframes the arguments over American independence in terms of British invasion and American response. Excerpted from “the Birth of American Independence,“ July 11, 2013.

JOSEPH ELLISAuthor, Founding Brothers, American Sphinx and Revolutionary Summer: !e Birth of American Independence

JOSEPH ELLIS

The Drive forIndependence

Photo by Rikki Ward


the [state]; so in Massachusetts – 42 towns. Guess what? In this obscure 1840s collection of documents called American Archive – 9 volumes, 1,000 pages each volume – if you look hard enough you can find every one of those towns in Massachusetts and counties in, say, Virginia. And they all say the same thing. !ey say, “We can’t believe we’re saying this. Only a few months ago, it would have been impossible to imagine us committing ourselves to independence. But given the invasion and given the behavior of George III, he is not our monarch. He is not the person whom we can turn to to rescue us from Parliament. He is the most tyrannical of them all.” It helped that Tom Paine had written this pamphlet called Common Sense at the same time – though Paine’s pamphlet was as influential as it was for the context in which it appears as well as for the argument that it made.

So this was an avoidable war. !e Brit-ish sent two generals, the Howes – Richard Howe was the admiral and William Howe was the general – to lead the British invasion. !e fact that they picked the Howes was really fortunate for the Americans, because in this battle on Long Island – if you notice, New York is an archipelago of Staten Island, Long Island, Manhattan – whoever controls the sea controls the battle. It was indefensible for the Americans. Why were they going to defend it? Well, the Continental Congress tells Washington he has to defend it. But it’s more than that. Washington has an honor-driven definition of battle. If the opponent appears on the field, he is duty-bound to respond in the same way that he would to a summons to duel; the Howes are invading at Long Island, that’s where I go to defend it.

Stupid. Suicidal. He’s going to start with 28,000; he’s going to end up with 3,500. !e escape from Brooklyn Heights on the night of August 30 was the greatest military tactic of the war for Washington and the American side – more so than crossing the Delaware, because he gets his whole army across the East River. If they don’t get across the East River, they’re all going to be captured and annihilated; they’re trapped. And it has to work perfectly. !e Nor’easter has to be blowing, the fog has to come in at the right time; it’s an even more dramatic version of Dunkirk. !e papers didn’t report it – and I read 17 newspapers – the papers didn’t report the American defeat. !e papers reported

going to be a war. Part of being a leader is to have a sense of the future in your bones. And when he left Mount Vernon, he gave these in-structions to his manager, Lund Washington, who was a second cousin. He said, “When the British come up the Potomac to burn Mount Vernon” – not if but when – “get out my books and Martha,” presumably not in that order. He assumed he was going to lose everything. !is was a crisis that required an all-in mentality.

!e American Revolution was an un-necessary war. It was obvious to both sides what the diplomatic resolution was. While New England was ready to rock and roll in 1774-5, because they were being occupied, the rest of the American colonies really were reluctant to go to war with the major military power on the planet. !e British army wasn’t that much better than the French army or the Prussian army, but if you put the British army and the navy together, they were invincible, as France would discover.

So in England, both Edmund Burke and William Pitt embraced this diplomatic solu-tion. In the moderate section of Congress, John Dickinson [and] Thomas Jefferson wrote to the British Parliament and the Brit-ish king o"ering this resolution. What’s the resolution? What’s the diplomatic answer? Parliament said, “We’re not going to tax you or legislate for you; we’re going to recognize that your colonial legislatures have that sov-ereign ability. You will remain in the empire, under the authority of the king and under the economic reign of the Navigation Acts – you benefit from those mostly anyway.” You would have, in e"ect, invented the British Commonwealth 100 years beforehand – and both sides knew that option was on the table, and they were expecting that option to be the one that eventually resolved the conflict. A consensus on independence didn’t develop until the middle and late spring of ’76, and it developed for a particular reason. !e British, and this means George III – not his ministers, not Parliament – he wants to declare himself a real monarch within the British system, pushing the monarchy forward as an equal player with Parliament. He said, “We’re going to invade America with the largest amphibi-ous force ever to be sent across the Atlantic: 42,000 people, 437 ships.” !e next time a fleet that large goes across would be World War I. “We’re gonna squash this rebellion in the cradle.”

Why did the British decide this? !is would turn out to be the biggest blunder in the history of British statecraft.

Number one: Blackstone, the great jurist, says, “!ere must be a single source of sov-ereignty in any government or empire.” You can’t let each colonial legislature do its own thing. It must in the end be [in this case] Par-liament. !is is a very Aristotelian position. Madison, in the Constitution, thought you should have multiple sovereignties. It’s like, “Is there one God, or many gods?” From a constitutional point of view, the British didn’t have the luxury of permitting Americans to have sovereign legislatures.

Second: a version of the domino theory. If we let the Americans get away with this, what happens in Scotland? What happens in Ireland? What happens in India? !at’s not a good signal for an empire to be sending to its colonies.

And third, Why should we negotiate since we have such military superiority we can’t lose? So let’s go do it, squash this rebel-lion, round up the ringleaders and hang ’em, and then we’ll let them come back into the Empire.

Well, that [military action] is the reason the colonists decide on independence. How do I know that? I have evidence. On May 15, John Adams wrote a resolution in the Continental Congress and he said to each of the colonies, “If you believe that we should head toward independence, you should rewrite your colonial constitution or charter to a state constitution or charter,” and this goes to all the governors and states. Adams always thought this was the real declaration of independence. One of the reasons he thought that was because he wrote it! He always thought Je"erson got credit for this. !e governors and legislatures in each state sent that request to every county and town in

“The British army wasn’t that

much better than the French

or the Prussian army. But if you

put the British army and navy

together, they’re invincible.”


an American victory on Long Island. It was treasonable to tell the truth.

Anyway, the two British generals – the Howe brothers – brought to this a certain attitude; they didn’t want to destroy the Continental Army. !ey wanted to stun it, deliver a sti" blow that demonstrated to the Continental Army and to the Continental Congress that they [the Americans] couldn’t win the war. !ey did that, first on Long Is-land, then on Manhattan – easy victories and very few British casualties. !en they said, “OK, you’ve seen you can’t win. Why don’t we talk about reconciliation? We have terms to o"er you.” !ey met and the Americans sent [Benjamin] Franklin, [John] Adams and this other guy, [Edward] Rutledge from South Carolina, to meet in this stone house on Staten Island on September 11.

Howe and Franklin were friends from London; they worked together to try to avoid this situation. Both the Howes thought this war was misguided, by the way; they voted against the war when they were in Parlia-ment. [!e Howe brothers] said, “Let’s end this silly business and all you have to do is step back from independence. !en we’ll let you have control over your own legislatures. OK, we’ll have to hang some of you…” But the response from Adams and Franklin is really interesting here. Adams said, “!ere’s no turning back. Once upon a time if you had proposed those terms, we would have been willing to accept them. But it’s too late now. Too many people have died; we’ve crossed the Rubicon. Plus, you’re assuming that if you can defeat the army here that that makes a di"erence. If you kill everybody in the army, we’ll just raise another army. We’ve got su$cient manpower to field an army of 150,000 if we need to. We’ll find another

Washington.” Franklin said to Howe, “Sir Richard, I

know you think we can’t win, but I’m go-ing to tell you, you can’t win. Because it’s not a conflict between armies, it’s a conflict between the British Army and the American populous. It’s a war for hearts and minds, and you cannot win that war. Or you can only win it at a cost that the British people won’t be able to pay.”

I think our own experience in Southeast Asia and the Middle East makes us more aware of the dilemma the British Army faced. !e question often asked is: How could an army of amateurs defeat the greatest military force in the world? !at’s the way Washing-ton put it, too. He said it was a “standing miracle.” I always wonder what a sitting miracle would look like. [Laughter.]

It’s possible that the question now should be changed: did the British ever really have a chance? I think they did. !ey had to win it quickly, and New York was their one and only opportunity. !ey missed it and then after that Washington stopped this honor-driven definition of battle. He saw that he had to fight what he called a “war of posts.” It’s not quite a guerilla war, because it is a conventional army, but he’s never going to allow the Continental Army to be totally at risk. He’s not going to fight unless he has a tactical or numerical advantage, and that is the trick. !ink about this: !ere are all these great generals in world history. Washington was not a great general; he lost more battles than he won. A lot of the great generals, like Hannibal, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee – they’re all losers. Washington’s a winner. Washington won the war, because he had the key insight – he doesn’t have to win; the British have to win. !at makes all the di"erence in the

world, because eventually they’re going to go away, and that’s what happened.Question and answer session with Roy EisenhardtROY EISENHARDT: We talk about phraseology and how so much of what we think about ourselves today is rooted in language rising out of this period. One of those phrases is, of course, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” One of our audience members is curious because it, at least in part, derives from [John] Locke’s phrase of “life, liberty and property.” !ey’re wondering why the transition was made.JOSEPH ELLIS: At the same time he [Jef-ferson] was writing these words in mid-June in Philadelphia, the Virginians down in Williamsburg were writing the Virginia con-stitution and the guy writing the preamble was George Mason. He wrote a preamble in which he said, “life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.” !at’s where he got it. It was published in the Pennsylvania Packet at the same time Je"erson was writing that.

You can also argue that this is the one place where Jefferson is making a clear statement against slavery, because it is the “property” that is going to be used by the Southern planters to justify slavery under the revolutionary principle. You know, “You can’t take my property away from me.” It’s by dropping property that he removes that; when they debated in the Williamsburg convention, the planters were very clear about keeping it. When asked about “the pursuit of happiness” later in his life, he made things up [as we all do] and he said that happiness isn’t a function of wealth; there are many forms of happiness that will not be possible for people who are not wealthy but they need to have their right to pursue their happiness in how-

Photo by Rikki Ward


they’re going to overturn Roe v. Wade. It’s because they can claim the Second Amend-ment does not say you have the right to bear arms; that’s a natural right. It says that if you serve in a militia, you have the right to bear arms. !e Second Amendment and all the amendments were written by Madison. He actually wrote 12 of them and they reduced it to 10 because in 7 of the state-ratifying conventions ratifying the Constitution, the respective legislatures submitted suggested amendments to the Constitution – a total of 124. None of them had to do with the right

to bear arms; 11 of them had to do with the fear of a standing army. !e Second Amend-ment is really about the fact that national security would be in the hands of militia rather than a standing army; that’s what it’s really about. Scalia’s attempt to discover the natural right to bear arms is like the CIA’s search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. [Laughter.] You can be damned sure he’s going to find them. EISENHARDT: You do an interesting thing, which is not that common, and that is to join the political and military aspects of [1776]. Could you comment on that?ELLIS: That’s my major contribution. People have told this story primarily as a political story centered on the Continental Congress – major players Adams, Dickin-son, Je"erson and Franklin. Some people have also decided to write about the military side of this. David McCullough did a great book called 1776, which is all about the Continental Army. I’m saying you’ve got to put the New York campaign and Conti-nental Army together with the Continental Congress to understand the story.

I told you one thing: !e reason you get consensus on independence is because they’re being invaded! It’s a militarized situation; it’s no longer just a constitutional argument.

ever way they want to. !at’s operative too. But those are the most important 37

words in American history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” When the women get together in upstate New York –EISENHARDT: at Seneca –ELLIS: – at Seneca Falls in 1848, they begin their resolution for women’s rights with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women…” When Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address in 1863, he says, “Four score and seven…” that’s 1776. He’s reinterpreting the Declaration to mean that slavery is wrong. When Martin Luther King gets up on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he says he’s coming to collect a promissory note from Je"erson ending segregation. I did a piece for the San Francisco Chronicle on this in which the last sentence is, “For our time, for the younger generation at least for sure, the meaning for those words has expanded to include gays.”

None of that would have been imaginable to Je"erson, but that’s what the words say and what they’ve come to mean. !ey’re the basis for the liberal agenda in American history. More so, all these guys that are jurists, like lawyers – they think that the Constitution is the document. It’s interesting; Lincoln thought it was the Declaration. !at has the real principles, and the Constitution is the legal framework in which we argue about these principles. EISENHARDT: What you just said implies a flexibility in what those words mean as social values evolve, yet we have a judicial doctrine of originalism which suggests that they are frozen in their meaning. I was wondering if you could comment on that.ELLIS: The doctrine of originalism as advocated by Justices !omas and Scalia is historically preposterous. First of all, the Founders don’t themselves agree on what the Constitution means. Secondly, they all said, “Don’t make this written in stone.” Je"erson expected there to be a new constitution every 20 years – every generation. !e last thing they wanted was to be regarded as the source of original intent.

Originalism has become a doctrine that allows the conservative members of the Court to do away with stare decisis. !is is how

!e Howe brothers make decisions about how to fight in New York based on their perceived e"ect on popular opinion. !ey’re not fighting for territory; they’re really fight-ing for hearts and minds. So it’s going back and forth in that way that gives the story a di"erent chemistry.

I’m also trying to recover the way it looked to the participants, while periodically step-ping back and saying, “In hindsight, we can see that that was misguided, etc.” When you look at the interpretations of the American Revolution – the layers of wallpaper – every generation interprets it through the cultural values of its own context. So getting back to the primary sources and to the recovery of that psychological and political mentality, that’s the first order of business. !en, I think, I recognize that my interpretation is very much a function of my recognition of the Vietnam War’s impact on my thinking about the British Army. But I’m upfront about that. You can’t escape your present; no historian is going to be able to do that. EISENHARDT: I think the point you made about the Howes – miscalculating, as you described it, their little punch to the Continental Army – ran on the rocks of the fact that nobody knew that had happened.ELLIS: !at’s partly true. Plus, the guys in the Continental Congress who are going to make the decision about whether they’re going to consider this – all these guys are on the list to get hanged. [Laughter.] So it’s not in their interest to consider this. Now, if you took an actual poll in the countryside – I don’t know. We know that 19-20 percent of the populous was loyalist or Tory. But the other 80 percent is not all patriot. It varies from region to region. In New England –it’s solid; if you’re against the revolution, they’ve either killed you or sent you away. But there’s this middle group of probably 20-25 percent of people that want to be neutral. !ey just want this thing to go away, and I think they would have been vulnerable if the American army was destroyed. I think that could have tilted it in that direction, but Adams, Je"erson, Franklin, Washington – all those guys – they’re never going to let that happen. !ey talked about the “cause” – that’s what they believed in. It’s the best kind of conviction, because it’s based totally on faith. !ey believed, and this was not go-ing to change. !ey were going to go down fighting, or else they were going to win.

“The reason you get consensus

on independence is they’re

being invaded. It’s a militarized

situation; it’s no longer just

a constitutional argument.”


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The Commonwealth Club organizes more than 450 events every year – on politics, the arts, media, literature, business and sports. Programs are held throughout the Bay Area.

STANDARD PROGRAMSTypically one hour long, these speeches cover a variety of topics and are followed by a question and answer session. Most evening programs include a networking reception with wine.

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12:00 p.m. Robot Morality FE5:15 p.m. How to Turn Your Memories into History FM6:00 p.m. Achieving Political Stability in the Middle East FM

6:00 p.m. Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West6:00 p.m. Spying on Democracy: Government Surveillance, Corporate Power and Public Resistance

12:00 p.m. Hunting an Elusive Killer5:30 p.m. The Leopard Book Discussion FM6:00 p.m. Gary Kamiya 6:30 p.m. Food to Change the World7:00 p.m. Vaughn Walker FE

5:30 p.m. The Orphan Master’s Son Book Discussion FM6:00 p.m. Designing with a Small “D” FM6:00 p.m. Behind the Scenes at NPR7:00 p.m. Chris Matthews

5:15 p.m. The ‘Ex’ Files: The Trend of Ex-wives caring for Ex-husbands

6:00 p.m. Living in the Material World: The Future of the Humanities FM6:30 p.m. Week to Week

6:00 p.m. Living Technology Today/Artificial Life Tomorrow 6:00 p.m. The Bay Delta: A Grand Bargain? (in Sacramento) 6:00 p.m. Marion Nestle: Politics of Food

12:00 p.m. Alzheimer’s Disease: The Powerful Role of Nutrition6:00 p.m. Decision-Making in Modern China

2:00 p.m. Opening Reception for “Ten Decades” FE6:00 p.m. Fine Art at the State Capitol? FM 6:00 p.m. Ambassador Thomas Pickering: Treatment of Suspected Terrorists FM

6:00 p.m. Human Trafficking: Ending the Myths, Confronting the Facts7:00 p.m. Kenneth Feinberg FE

6:00 p.m. The Golden Shore

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7:00 p.m. Richard Dawkins

6:00 p.m. Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation6:00 p.m. Janet Napolitano

6:00 p.m. Tejal Desai6:30 p.m. Mollie Katzen6:30 p.m. IDEO’s Kelley Brothers: Unleash Your Creative Potential

12:00 p.m. Simon Winchester5:30 p.m. Middle East Discussion Group FE6:00 p.m. Gurcharan Das FM6:30 p.m. Deep Blue (in Monterey)

5:30 p.m. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Book Discussion FM6:00 p.m. Edmund Phelps FM 6:00 p.m. Future Ethics: Reproduction Rights Versus Social Policy FM

6:00 p.m. Challenges of International Justice6:30 p.m. Howard G. Buffett and Howard W. Buffett

6:00 p.m. Mark Halperin and John Heile-mann: Game Change 20126:00 p.m. Comet Ison

6:00 p.m. Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet7:00 p.m. Stephen Kosslyn: Top Brain, Bot-tom Brain

5:15 p.m. How to Keep Your Brain in Shape: Brain Science and Lifelong Learning FM6:00 p.m. Howard Willens

7:00 p.m. Jon Bonné: The New California Wine

5:30 p.m. Humanities West Book Discussion: Verdi6:00 p.m. A Photographer’s Journey Through Modern-Day Slavery6:00 p.m. Robert Reich


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6:00 p.m. Women in National Security 12:00 p.m. The Voyage of Volcanoes of the Deep Sea FM

2:00 p.m. Russian Hill Walking Tour5:30 p.m. Arts Forum Planning Meeting FE6:00 p.m. Heart of a Tiger: Growing Up with My Grandfather Ty Cobb

12:00 p.m. Hope and Fear: Egypt on the Tipping Point FM

1:00 p.m. Testarossa Winery Tour and Wine Tasting

12:00 p.m. Women at Risk: What’s Ahead for Reproductive Rights?6:00 p.m. Da Vinci’s Knots6:30 p.m. Ask Me Anything Live with Alexis Ohanian

8:00 a.m. Governor Bill Richardson: How to Sweet Talk a Shark11:00 a.m. Congressional Testimony and OPEC Embargo + 40

2:00 p.m. Chinatown Walking Tour7:00 p.m. Do We Understand the Origins of Life? FE

12:00 p.m. Turkey at 90 FM

12:00 p.m. The Art and Soul of Combat Vetrans FM

5:30 p.m. Explore the World from The Commonwealth Club FE6:00 p.m. Responsible Leadership6:30 p.m. Self-Publishing 1017:00 p.m. Biological Evolution FE

12:00 p.m. Dangerous Changes to Wealth Distribution, the Economy & Environment FM12:00 p.m. Week to Week Political Round-table and Member Social

2:00 p.m. SF Architecture Walking Tour6:00 p.m. Covered California: Affordable, High-Quality Health Care on Its Way7:00 p.m. Rorke Denver: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior

12:00 p.m. Sustainability & the Living Roof at the Academy of Sciences12:00 p.m. Dull, Duller, Dulles:Cold War Roots of Today’s World Crises FM

12:00 p.m. Thom Hartmann: The Crash of 20166:00 p.m. An Old Barbershop Becomes a Family Home6:30 p.m. Ben Rattray: Visionary Award

23 24


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Spying on Democracy: Government Surveillance, Corporate Power and Public Resistance

Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Author, Spying on Democracy

Boghosian documents the increase in surveillance of citizens and then explains the danger she believes it poses to our privacy, to civil liberties, and to the future of democracy. An experts in her field, Boghosian has been interviewed in more than 30 media outlets nationwide. Come find out how deeply embedded our surveillance culture has become.

MLF: HUMANITIES

Location: SF Club Office

Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7

students (with valid ID)

Program Organizer: George Hammond

Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West

James Redford, Board Member, Redford Center; Producer, WatershedJill Tidman, Executive Director, Redford Center; Producer, WatershedBarry Nelson, Senior Policy Analyst, National Resources Defense CouncilMaria Baier, Chief Executive Officer, Sonoran Institute - Moderator

Water – everyone needs it. So what do we do when it’s threatened by overuse? !e Colorado River provides much of the Southwest U.S. with water for drinking, sanita-tion, energy generation and agricultural production. Running through seven states and into Mexico, the river is a vital water source for 40 million people – and the strain of supporting the surrounding population is causing an unnatural and potentially prob-lematic retreat. Watershed is a new documentary created to raise awareness about the river and the issues facing the communities throughout the river basin. Analyst Nelson will join producers Redford and Tidman in discussing how the Colorado River can be saved and the documentary’s role in achieving that goal. Watershed is a production of the Redford Center, an organization founded by Redford along with his siblings and father, the actor Robert Redford, to e"ect social and environmental change.

MLF: ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES


Time: 5:15 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, students free (with valid ID)

Program Organizer: Ann Clark

Also know: Part of the New Visions for the Environment Series

Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco

Gary Kamiya, Author, Cool Gray City of Love; Co-founder, Salon.com; Col-umnist, “Portals of the Past,” SF ChronicleIn conversation with Mark Hertsgaard, Independent Journalist and Author.

Learn the hidden history of San Francisco with Cool Gray City of Love, a new, kalei-doscopic love letter to San Francisco by Kamiya. Each of the 49 chapters explores a di"erent location in the city, from the seamy depths of the Tenderloin to the towering cli"s at Lands End. !e City by the Bay has always followed a trajectory as wildly independent as the untrammeled natural forces that created it.


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7


Program Organizer: Kristina Nemeth

Humanities West Book Discussion: The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa

Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. !e richness of observation and the grasp of human frailty imbue !e Leopard with its mel-ancholic beauty and power. Join us in a discussion led by Lynn Harris about Lampedusa’s novel, set in 1860s Italy.

MLF: HUMANITIES


Time: 5:30 p.m. programCost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: George Hammond

Also know: In association with Humanities

West

Fighting an Environmental Trigger for ALS, Alzheimer’s and other Tangle Diseases

Paul Alan Cox, Ph.D., Institute for Ethno-medicine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Cox’s studies of tribes worldwide with the highest known rates of the “tangle” diseases led to the discovery that cyanobacteria that contaminate lakes, reservoirs and other wa-ter supplies produce BMAA, a neurotoxin that can trigger misfolding and protein aggregations in brain proteins. !ese dis-coveries have led to two new drugs for ALS that are now being tested in FDA-approved human clinical trials. Cox’s team is now seeking to use that research to develop new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE/SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7


Program Organizer: Bill Grant

T U E 0 1 | S a n F r a n c s i c o

W E D 0 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 0 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 0 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T U E 0 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

October 01 – 02


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Food to Change the World

Nick Saul, CEO, Community Food Centres Canada; Author, The StopRaj Patel, Activist; Author, Stu!ed and StarvedNikki Henderson, Executive Director, People’s Grocery

When Nick Saul became the executive director of !e Stop in 1998, the little urban food bank was like thousands of others – cramped and dreary, a last refuge for the area’s poor. Fifteen years later, !e Stop is a thriving, interna-

tionally respected community food center with gardens, kitchens, farmers markets and a mission to radically revolutionize the food system. How did a single food bank turn into an international movement? We’ve assembled a group of clarion voices for a think tank discussion on how fighting for a just food system can have a soaring impact on individual communities and the world at large. Join us as Nick Saul, Raj Patel, Nikki Henderson and others unpack the story of !e Stop and the forward-thinking models that can combat not only hunger, but environmental degradation, global health and international security.

Location: SF Office

Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 reception and book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Women in National Security

Anja Manuel, Co-founder and Partner, Rice Hadley Gates LLC; Former Senior Official, U.S. Department of State; Lecturer, Stanford UniversityLauren Webster, Director, The Chertoff Group; Intelligence Officer, U.S. Navy Reserve

Women in national security roles are becoming increasingly common – three of the last five secretaries of state have been women, as have two of the last three UN ambassadors. Only a generation ago this was unheard of, so what changed? Who are these women who are crafting our foreign and defense policies? More important, how are they transforming national and international security? Come hear former State Department senior o$cial Anja Manuel and Lauren Webster of the Cherto" Group speak about their perspectives on women in the seat of power.

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Program Organizer: Paul Clarke

Also know: In association with Women in International Security, Truman National Security Institute

and the United Nations Association

W E D 0 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T H U 0 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

W E D 0 2 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y

Vaughn Walker

Retired Chief U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California

Judge Walker presided over numerous high-profile cases, including one involv-ing the constitutionality of the NSA’s spy program, and litigation involving tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft and Oracle. In August 2010, Judge Walker issued a ruling that California’s Proposi-tion 8 was a violation of the Constitution’s equal protection clause, paving the way for the Supreme Court’s decision in Hol-lingsworth v. Perry, which legalized gay marriage in California. Hear more about his history-making tenure on the bench.

Location: Tower Hall, San Jose State Univer-

sity, One Washington Square, San Jose

Time: 7 p.m. programCost: FREEAlso know: Part of San Jose State University’s

Don Edwards Lecture series

October 02 – 03

FOREIGNLANGUAGEGROUPSFree for members Location: SF Club Office

FRENCH, Intermediate Class Thursdays, noon Pierrette Spetz, Graziella Danieli, [email protected]

FRENCH, Advanced Conversation Tuesdays, noon Gary Lawrence, (925) 932-2458

GERMAN, Int./Adv. Conversation Wednesdays, noon Sara Shahin, (415) 314-6482

ITALIAN, Intermediate Class Mondays, noon Ebe Fiori Sapone, (415) 564-6789

SPANISH, Advanced Conversation (fluent only) Fridays, noon Luis Salvago-Toledo, [email protected]


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The Voyage of Volcanoes of the Deep Sea

Dr. Richard A. Lutz, Director, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University; Science Director, IMAX FilmsDr. Jaleh Daie, Managing Partner, Au-rora Equity, LLC – Moderator

Come with us on a journey miles beneath the sea. !rough the use of new film and science technologies, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea propels us from the dramatic sea cli"s of Spain, through two oceans and into deep-sea sites dense with astounding life forms and the far reaches of space. After viewing the 42-minute film, join Dr. Lutz in a discussion of his work and the importance of deep sea explorations and discoveries.



Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: Ann Clark

Also know: Part of the New Visions for the

Environment series

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

!e protagonist of !e Orphan Master’s Son is a stranger in his own mysteri-ous land, North Korea. Through his journey, Jun Do goes from orphan to a professional kidnapper to a labor camp detainee. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong-Il in an attempt to save a famous actress, Sun Moon. !e book gives us an ingeniously plotted adventure in a country best known for its brutality and secrecy. As a reminder, this is a book discussion; the author will NOT be present.

MLF: SF BOOK DISCUSSION


Time: 5:30 p.m. programCost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: Barbara Massey

The ‘Ex’ Files: The Trend of Ex-wives Caring for Ex-husbands

Teresa M. Cooney, Ph.D., Professor and Department Chair, Department of Soci-ology, University of Colorado Denver

More divorced couples are now entering those critical older years when the risk of disease and death rises dramatically. Professor Cooney studies ex-wives com-ing back into the picture to care for their aging ex-husbands. She’ll talk about what motivated them and the surprising things learned during her research.

MLF: GROWNUPS


Time: 4:45 p.m. networking, 5:15 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7

students (with valid ID

Program Organizer: John Milford

Also know: In association with San Francisco

Village

Chris Matthews

Host, “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” MSNBC; Author, Tip and the Gipper

Matthews spent six years as a top aide and chief-of-sta" to legendary Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, witnessing the inner workings of the highest levels of politics, including the relationship between two of the most powerful men in the country – O’Neill and President Reagan. Matthews focuses on the unlikely friendship between the pair, which endured philosophical dif-ferences and bipartisan politics to reach much-needed compromises.

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Fam-

ily JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program,

8 p.m. book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, $15 members, $8 stu-

dents (with valid ID). Premium: $55 non-members,

$45 members (priority seating and copy of book)

Behind the Scenes at National Public Radio

Gary Knell, President and CEO, National Public Radio

With 900 stations around the U.S., Nation-al Public Radio is one of the country’s most iconic news organizations. During Knell’s tenure at the helm, NPR has thrived due to cross-platform journalism and cultural programming, has found new avenues of philanthropic and corporate underwriting support, and has attracted growing audi-ences to NPR’s distinct o"erings. Knell was formerly the CEO of Sesame Workshop and served in several other global multi-media companies.


Time: 5:15 p.m. reception with light appetizers,

6 p.m. program, 7:15 p.m. VIP reception


students. Premium (seating in first rows) with VIP

reception: $35 non-members, $20 members.

F R I 0 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M O N 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 0 7 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y W E D 0 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M O N 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Designing with a Small “D”: Kitchens, Bathrooms and a Lot of Insects

Peter Williams, Founder and Executive Director, ARCHIVE Global

Projections about urban health and urban growth warrant an innovative strategy that invests in building green, healthy and a"ordably. Architect Wil-liams designs healthy homes to help prevent illnesses in poor and underserved communities through his nonprofit organization ARCHIVE Global. Wil-liams will discuss why he founded the organization and how it has helped in many devastating situations.



Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: Karen Keefer

Also know: In assn. with the UC Berkeley Col-

lege of Environmental Design and the NorCal

Peace Corps Association

October 04 – 09

The Commonwealth Club’s

110th Anniversary and 25th Annual

Distinguished Citizen Award DinnerHonoring: Esther Wojcicki, Stanley G. Wojcicki, Ph.D., Anne Wojcicki, Janet Wojcicki Ph.D., MPH, Susan Wojcicki, Jed York

G athering on Wednesday, April 10th, hundreds of guests celebrated and recognized The Commonwealth Club of California’s 110th Anniversar y and 25th Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner. Honoring

Susan Wojcicki, Dr. Janet Wojcicki Ph.D., MPH, Anne Wojcicki and Jed York with the Club’s Distinguished Citizen Award, and Esther and Professor Stanley G. Wojcick i with the Wil l iam K . Bowes, Jr. L i fet ime Achievement Award, the Club celebrated The Next 110: 110 years of bringing insightful, enlightened, unique and informed dialogue to the Bay Area and beyond, in addition to looking forward to what the next 110 years holds for the Club. In keeping with The Commonwealth Club’s mission of engagement, guests enjoyed a panel discussion with the honorees, moderated by Dr. Michael Krasny, and were entertained by a l ively l ive auction and a fi lm highlighting the evening’s acclaimed honorees. Once again held at San Francisco’s historic and magnificent Palace Hotel, this year ’s fundraiser was the Club’s most successful ever, raising more than one mill ion dollars!

THENEXT110

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231. Carol Fleming, Dennis Bonney 2. Dennis Collins, Colleen Wilcox 3. Jim Brumfield, Jaleh Daie, Douglas Keyston 4. Skip Rhodes, Mary Wright, Dixon Wright, Anton Barton, Frankie Rhodes, Mary Barton 5. Stanley Wojcicki, Esther Wojcicki 6. Dan Ashley 7. Jed York, Danielle York, Denise York, John York 8. Mike Righi, Massey Bambara 9. Holly Friden, Evelyn Dilsaver 10. Lynn Walters, Clarence Jones, Elizabeth Carey 11. Rob Fetherstonhaugh, Serena Perkins, Daniel Lurie 12. Bill Bowes 13. Steve Diamond, Marti McMahon-Diamond 14. Dianne Taube, Tad Taube, Tina Frank 15. Todd Travers, Gail Travers, Justine Travers, Beth Travers, Chuck Travers 16. John Boland, Gloria Duffy 17. Gloria Duffy, Jed York, Anna Mok 18. Anne Wilson, Jimi Harris 19. Frank Meerkamp, Iris Chan, Lynn Curtis, Kerry Curtis, Brenda Nirenstein, Victor Revenko 20. Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Janet Wojcicki, Ph.D., MPH, Stanley Wojcicki 21. Andy Kerr, Nancy Thompson 22. Michael Rubio, Dora Rubio 23. Dan Ashley, Joe Epstein Photos by Drew Altizer Photography

CubaHavana and the Viñales Valley

December 7–14, 2013 & March 19–26, 2014You’ve always wanted to go. Now is the time.

ItineraryDay 1 U.S./HavanaDepart from Miami on our charter !ight for Havana. (Travelers arrive in Miami the prior evening, independently.) A"er a traditional Cuban lunch, take an orientation walk down the Prado before checking into the Hotel Parque Central, perfectly located in the cen-tral part of Havana. Enjoy a welcome drink on the roof or our hotel, before dinner at one of Cuba’s best restaurants. (L,D)

Day 2 HavanaEnjoy a morning lecture and discussion with historian, author and journalist Rafael M. Hernandez. Continue on a walking tour of Old Havana, including the Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de San Francisco (with buildings dating from the 18th centu-ry) and the Plaza Vieja, the oldest in Havana, dating from the 16th century. Meet artists at the Taller de Gra#ca Experimental. More than Havana’s printmaking workshop, it is a studio and a school. Enjoy dinner in a pri-vate home at one of Havana’s top paladares. (B,L,D)

Day 3 HavanaLecture and discussion with Professor Car-los Alzugaray, former Cuban ambassador to the European Union. Take an architect-led tour of Western Havana, a treasure trove of 20th-century architecture, including the University of Havana and the Christopher Colon Cemetery. Enjoy fabulous views from La Torre Restaurant, which boasts the high-est point in Havana. Visit the Organoponico de Alamar, an agricultural cooperative. En-joy dinner on your own. (B,L)

Day 4 HavanaAttend a brie#ng by our foreign service sta$ at the United States Interests Section, which represents U.S. interests in Cuba. %en visit Callejon de Hamel, a street in Havana known for its lively murals, and an area popular with followers of the Santeria religion. Our host and guide will be Cuban scholar Elias Ase$. A"er lunch at the Hotel Nacional, meet with residents at the Santovenia Home for the El-derly. For those interested, join professional dancers at La Casa del Son for a dance dem-onstration and lesson. (B,L,D)

Day 5 Viñales Valley/HavanaConsidered by many to be the most beautiful place in Cuba, the Viñales Valley National Monument holds stunning landscapes and is the premier tobacco growing area in the world. Led by a family member, we a tour a beautiful 40-acre privately owned farm. We have lunch with the family at the farm. %en visit Mario Pelegrin who created a charm-ing community art, education and garden project dedicated to local children. Return to Havana for dinner on your own. (Depending on the schedule, attend a national baseball game. (B,L)

Day 6 HavanaAttend a private dance performance of the Compañía Irene Rodríguez (!amenco). Meet Irene and the company, considered by many to be the #nest !amenco dancers in Cuba. Pending ministerial approval, visit In-stituto Superior de Arte (ISA), the premier school in Cuba for students studying music, visual and performing arts. Lunch is at the whimsical home of artist Jose Fuster, who has made a major contribution to rebuilding and decorating the #shing town of Jaimani-tas. Experience the beautiful home of collec-tor and art dealer Milagros Borges. Finally, attend a lecture on Cuban music by Prof. Alberto Faya Dinner at Havana Gourmet Restaurant, which used to be the old Ameri-can Club. (B,L,D)

Day 7 HavanaMorning lecture with a professor from the University of Havana on gender and the role of women in Cuba today. %en visit the Mu-seum of Cuban Art with an art historian and curator. %e museum is dedicated exclu-sively to Cuban art. A"er lunch, explore the Mercado Cuatro Caminos and speak with vendors and customers to understand how the local economy works, the use of convert-ible pesos, dual currency and ration cards. Enjoy a farewell dinner at La Guarida, one of the best paladares in Havana, housed on the third !oor of a large, old townhouse car-rying the charming ambience of the 1920s. (B,L,D)

Day 8 Havana/U.S.Check out of the hotel and depart for the airport for our !ight to Miami. (Please note that charter !ight times are subject to change. Details on air arrangements into and out of Miami will be mailed with con#rmation.) (B)

Online: commonwealthclub.org/travel Phone: 415.597.6720 Email: [email protected]

*Itinerary is subject to change

What to Expect Travelers must be in overall good health and with good mobility in order to enjoy this pro-gram fully. %ere is considerable walking over uneven terrain and old city streets throughout the tour. Many places have stairs without handrails. In addition, many buildings do not have elevators, or the elevators may not be functioning. Restaurants in private homes o"en re-quire walking up several !ights of stairs. %is is a busy program, with many activities. We are sure you will enjoy the trip, but want you to be aware of the physical requirements and pace.

Trip Details Dates:December 7–14, 2013March 19–26, 2014

Group Size: Pricing is based on a minimum of 15 travelers and a maximum of 25.

Cost: $4,685, per person, based on double occupancy; $450 single room supplement (limited), includes all land and charter !ight from Miami.

Included: 7 nights accommodation at 4-5 Star Hotel Parque Central Havana (standard room); round trip airfare MIA-HAV-MIA; meals as listed in itinerary (B=Breakfast L=Lunch and D=dinner. Includes at least one beverage: water, beer, mojito or so" drink. Wine with welcome and fare-well dinners.); bottled water; air-conditioned bus throughout the trip equipped with water; admission to all museums and public buildings listed in itinerary; speaker fees and confer-ence room rentals; gratuities for all group activities – including meals, baggage handling, bus driver and local Cuban guide; Commonwealth Club representative and local Cuban tour guide; Cuban Tourist Visa; Cuban Medical Insurance for those under 80 years of age (health and evacuation); Compliance with U.S. Treasury Department.

Not included: Airfare to Miami; airline baggage fees; meals and beverages other than listed on itinerary; individualized hotel expenses (mini bar, room service, laundry fees, Internet); personal ac-tivities and additional gratuities; Havana Airport departure tax.

Terms and Conditions: Reservations: A $1,000 per person deposit, along with a completed and signed Reservation Form, will reserve a place for participants on this program. %e balance of the trip is due 90 days prior to departure and must be paid by check. Cancellation and Refund Policy: Noti#cation of cancella-tion must be received in writing. At the time we receive your written cancellation, the following penalties will apply:

Tour can also be cancelled due to low enrollment. CWC does not accept liability for cancellation penalties related to domestic or international airline tickets purchased in conjunction with the tour. Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: We strong-ly advise that all travelers purchase trip cancellation and inter-ruption insurance as coverage against a covered unforeseen emergency that may force you to cancel or leave trip while it is in progress. A brochure describing coverage will be sent to you

upon receipt of your reservation. Medical Information: Participation in this program requires that you be in good health. It is essential that persons with any medical problems and related dietary restrictions make them known to us well before departure. Itinerary Changes & Trip Delay: Itinerary is based on infor-mation available at the time of printing and is subject to change. We reserve the right to change a program’s dates, sta$, itiner-aries, or accommodations as conditions warrant. If a trip must be delayed, or the itinerary changed, due to bad weather, road conditions, transportation delays, airline schedules, government intervention, sickness or other contingency for which CWC or its agents cannot make provision, the cost of delays or changes is not included. Limitations of Liability: CWC and Owners, Agents, and Employees act only as the agent for any transportation carrier, hotel, ground operator, or other suppliers of services connected with this program (“other providers”), and the other providers are solely responsible and liable for providing their respective services. CWC hall not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned

directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other pro-vider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircra", or vehicle operated or provided by such other provider, and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, #re, !ood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quar-antine, epidemics, the", or any other cause(s) beyond their control. %e participant waives any claim against CWC for any such loss, damage, injury, or death. By registering for the trip, the participant certi#es that he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other participants. CWC shall not be liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket to or from the departure city. Baggage and personal e$ects are at all times the sole responsi-bility of the traveler. Reasonable changes in the itinerary may be made where deemed advisable for the comfort and well-being of the passengers.

Online: commonwealthclub.org/travel Phone: 415.597.6720 Email: [email protected]

NAME 1

NAME 2

ADDRESS CITY/STATE/ZIP

HOME PHONE CELL E-MAIL ADDRESS

PAYMENT:Here is my deposit of $______ ($1,000 per person) for ___ place(s). ___ Enclosed is my check (make payable to Commonwealth Club). OR ___ Charge my deposit to my ___ Visa ___ MasterCard ___ AMEX

CARD# EXPIRES SECURITY CODE AUTHORIZED CARDHOLDER SIGNATURE DATE A!er receipt of your deposit, a con"rmation packet will be sent with several forms for you to complete. Final payment must be paid by check and is due 60 days prior to departure.

Tour Conditions: (It is required that you initial and sign below)_____Travel to Cuba under the People to People license requires that everyone must participate in our scheduled activities. %erefore, I intend to comply with this O&ce of Foreign Assets Control requirement and attend the scheduled activities.

___ I/We have read the Terms and Conditions for this program and agree to them.

SIGNATURE

PLEASE RETURN TO:

Commonwealth Club Travel595 Market St., 2nd #oorSan Francisco, CA 94105

You may also fax the form to 415.597.6729

RESERVATION FORM CubaHavana and the Viñales Valley

SELECT DATE: ___ December 7–14, 2013 OR ___ March 19–26, 2014

CST: 2096889-40 Photos: (cover) Kristina Nemeth; PRDH/flickr; Paul Mannix/flickr; (inside) Kristina Nemeth; Andrea Balducci/wikicommons; Nigel Pacquette/wikicommons

Visit commonwealthclub.org/travel for this and other trip brochures including:

Havana, Viñales Valley, Trinidad & CienfuegosFebruary 8–17, 2014

Includes 7 nights in the cultural jewel of Havana, and 2 nights to explore the colonial city of Trinidad,

the “Bay of Pigs” and the historical sites of Cienfuegos.


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Richard Dawkins

Evolutionary Biologist; Author, The Self-ish Gene, The God Delusion and An Appe-tite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist

Dawkins has been central to the debates surrounding creationism, intelligent design and religion. He coined the word meme, and his gene-centric view of evo-lution helped popularize a radical new understanding of Darwinism. From his early childhood in Africa to his educational awakening at Oxford, Dawkins shares his personal experiences that shaped his re-markable life and intellectual development.

Location: Santa Clara Convention Center The-

atre, 5001 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara


8 p.m. book signing

Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members,

$10 students. Premium (priority seating and

book) $55 non-members, $45 members.

Also know: Underwritten by The Bernard

Osher Foundation

Russian Hill Walking Tour

Join a more active Commonwealth Club Neighborhood Adventure! Russian Hill is a magical area with secret gardens and amaz-ing views. Join Rick Evans for a two-hour hike up hills and staircases and learn about the history of this neighborhood. Walk down residential streets where some of the most historically significant houses in the Bay Area are located, and see where great artists and architects lived and worked.

Location: Meet in front of Swensen’s Ice Cream

Store located at 1999 Hyde Street at Union. Tour

ends about six blocks from the Swensen’s Ice

Cream Shop, at the corner of Vallejo and Jones.

Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2– 4 p.m. tourCost: $45 non-members, $35 membersAlso know: Steep hills and staircases, parking

difficult. Limited to 20. Must pre-register. Tour

operates rain or shine.

Living in the Material World: The Future of the Humanities

Tyler Stovall, Dean, Undergraduates, College of Letters & Science, UC BerkeleyRalph Lewin, President & CEO, Cal HumanitiesKatie McDonough, Humanities and Arts Initiatives Coordinator, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford

Material culture in the last two centuries has often overshadowed the pursuit of subtler forms of happiness and under-standing grouped under the title Humani-ties. Recently even the great universities have been struggling to define the value of critical thinking versus career building. Where will subtler pursuits fit within the cultural onslaught of materialism?

MLF: HUMANITIES


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: George Hammond

Also know: In assn. with Humanities West

Hope and Fear: Egypt on the Tipping Point

Dina Ibrahim, Ph.D. Associate Profes-sor of Broadcasting and Electronic Arts, SFSU; Associate Producer and Media Consultant, Hope and FearJonathan Curiel, Journalist; Author, Al America - Moderator

Ibrahim will show excerpts from the documentary Hope and Fear, which fol-lows young, liberal-minded Egyptians as they struggle to reshape their nation. One of the Egyptians interviewed for the film is Bassem Youssef, who has been called the “Jon Stewart of Egypt.”

MLF: MIDDLE EAST


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program

Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE,

students free (with valid ID)

Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

Heart of a Tiger: Growing Up with My Grandfather

Herschel Cobb, Grandson of Ty Cobb; Author, Heart of a Tiger

Baseball great Ty Cobb’s infamously cold, competitive nature allowed him to excel, but it undermined his relationship with his children. Herschel Cobb’s moving account of his relationship with his grandfather reveals a side of Ty Cobb that few people ever saw. Herschel recounts in this beauti-fully written memoir how his grandfather provided the stability, love and guidance he desperately needed.

MLF: HUMANITIES






Also know: Underwritten by The Bernard Osher

Foundation

W E D 0 9 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y

T H U 1 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o F R I 1 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 1 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T H U 1 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T H U 1 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Arts Forum Planning Meeting

Please join our discussion of ideas for upcoming programs in the visual and performing arts. Is there a topic that particularly interests you? !is is your chance to take a leadership role. Please bring your ideas and energy as we create together an exciting calendar.

MLF: THE ARTS


Time: 5:30 p.m. planning meetingCost: FREEProgram Organizer: Lynn Curtis

October 09 – 14


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Week to Week Political Roundtable and Member Social

Debra J. Saunders, Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle; “Token Conserva-tive” Blogger, SFGate.comJohn Zipperer, VP of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club – Host Additional panelists TBA

Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! Come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals, and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our member social (open to all attendees).


Time: 5:30 p.m. social with wine and snacks,

6:30 p.m. programCost: $15 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7


Living Technology Today/Artificial Life Tomorrow

Norman Packard, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, ProtoLife; Former CEO and Founder, The Prediction Company

ProtoLife CEO Packard will discuss the history and future of living technology, in-cluding the rise of wet artificial life. He will describe how new generations of artificial life will result from the current convergence of biotechnology and information technol-ogy. In studying these new forms of life, we may learn a thing or two about life itself.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY/ARTS/

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES




Program Organizers: Ralph Barhydt and

Chisako Ress

Also know: In association with the Mechan-

ics’ Institute

Inside the Black Box: Decision-Making in Modern China

Crystal Chang, Ph.D., Lecturer, UC Berkeley

In what directions are China’s new lead-ers steering that nation with respect to its economy, human rights and relations with the U.S.? Who among the new faces are emerging as key decision-makers, and what are their ties to the party elders who still wield considerable behind-the-scenes influence? What internal dynamics are in play as China’s leaders make decisions in a rapidly changing environment?

MLF: ASIA PACIFIC AFFAIRS




Program Organizer: Paul Clarke

Also know: In association with the United

Nations Association and the Truman National

Security Institute

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Powerful Role of Nutrition

Steve Blake, Doctor of Science, Nutri-tional Biochemistry; Author, A Nutritional Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease

What you eat may powerfully a"ect your chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Learn how folate and vitamin B12 lower the buildup of amyloid plaques by lowering homocysteine. Blake will also discuss stud-ies linking lowered risk of Alzheimer’s to antioxidant fruits and vegetables, as well as double-blind studies demonstrating which supplements and medical plants have been shown to be e"ective in reducing the risk and progression of this common dementia.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program,

1 p.m. book signing


$7 students (with valid ID)


The Bay Delta: A Grand Bargain?

Bettina Boxall, Reporter, Los Angeles TimesDavid Hayes, Former Deputy U.S. Secre-tary of InteriorJay Lund, Director, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

Fixing the Sacramento-San Joa-quin Bay Delta is one of Cali-fornia’s highest water priorities. But high costs and entrenched

interests are slowing progress. People know the system is broken and faces catastrophic risks. Once the state budget is at least partially resolved, can the water bonds get back on the ballot? Can a flexible system that takes water from di"erent places in wet and dry years be packaged and sold to the public?

Location: Sheraton Grand, Magnolia Room,

1230 J St, Sacramento


7 p.m. networking reception

Cost: $10 non-members, $5 members, students free

M O N 1 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T U E 1 5 | S a c r a m e n t o W E D 1 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 1 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T U E 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T U E 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Marion Nestle: The Politics of Food

Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, New York University; Author, Food Politics and Eat Drink VoteIn conversation with Narsai David, Food and Wine Editor, KCBS Radio

A renowned expert in the politics that impact what we consume, Nestle will discuss pressing food issues, including genetic modification and other hot topics. She will also reveal how we can fight for the best food products in the marketplace.



7 p.m. book signing



October 14 – 16


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Da Vinci’s Knots: It’s All About the Dress

Caroline Cocciardi, Screenwriter and Producer, Mona Lisa Revealed

There is one undisputed truth about Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait “Mona Lisa”: !e artist never relinquished his masterpiece. !e painting remained in his possession until his death in 1519. While researching Leonardo’s most famous painting, Cocciardi discov-ered that the embroidery on Mona Lisa’s bodice is not merely decorative. It is a geo-metrical interlocking pattern in a design not found in Renaissance haute couture. Come hear if this interlocking pattern unlocks yet another secret Da Vinci code.

MLF: HUMANITIES






Women at Risk: What’s Ahead for Reproductive Rights?

Fran Moreland Johns, Author, Perilous Times: An Inside Look at Abortion Before – and After – Roe v. Wade Tracy Weitz, Director, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive HealthLisa Lindelef, Board Member, NARAL Pro-Choice America FoundationScotty McLennan, Author; Dean for Religious Life, Stanford University

Forty years after the Supreme Court guaranteed a woman’s right to choose an abor-tion with Roe v. Wade, that right is facing challenges. Fran Moreland Johns’ new book, Perilous Times, tells stories of a di$cult struggle to maintain a woman’s right to choose. How did we get here and where are we headed? Johns believes a reasonable dialogue is possible – and imperative. Come join the conversation with experts who bring unique, critical perspectives to one of the most divisive issues of our time.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE


Time: 11:30 p.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing



Petrospective: Congressional Testimony + 25

Paul Hawken, Author and EntrepreneurAndy Revkin, Writer, The New York Times Dot Earth Blog

Carbon emissions are rising and a peak is nowhere in sight. With a new round of IPCC reports looming we back at the last 25 years of climate sci-ence and communication. What lessons have been learned? What headlines can be expected from the upcoming IPCC assessment report? Join us for a

conversation about science and communication in the era of rising seas and temperatures.

Petrospective: OPEC Embargo + 40

George Shultz, Former U.S. Secretary of StateJim Woolsey, Former CIA Director

Forty years after the 1973 OPEC oil embargo disrupted American life, we will look at petro-politics in the age of climate change. What lessons can be drawn today from the oil shock that left Americans stuck in gas station lines for hours? Join us for a conver-sation about powering global growth, pricing carbon pollution, and other energy and national security concerns.


Time: 10:30 a.m. check-in, first program 11 a.m., light lunch and networking reception 12 -12:30

p.m., second program 12:30-1:30 p.m.Cost: $40 non-members, $25 members, $15 students (includes all sessions and light lunch)

Ask Me Anything Live with Alexis Ohanian

Co-founder, reddit, Breadpig and Hipmunk; YCombinator Ambassador

Reddit founder Ohanian is ready to bare it all. We’re going reddit-style with an Ask Me Anything Live – so

come ready to put this serial entrepreneur in the hot seat. Ohanian has funded startups, worked in Armenia as a Kiva Fellow, and successfully led a campaign to overturn two Internet-a"ecting congressional bills. His new book, Without !eir Permission, details the fu-ture of the Internet for aspiring entrepreneurs.


Time: 6 p.m. check-in and premium reception,

6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. general recep-

tion and book signing


students. Premium (book, reserved seating and

premium reception with speakers) $50 non-

members, $35 members.


T H U 1 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o F R I 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o


October 17 – 18


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Strategies from a Master Negotiator

Bill Richardson, Former Governor of New Mexico; Author, Leading by Example

Sharks are not intrinsically evil, but they are single-minded and hungry. Former ambassador to the UN and New Mexico governor Richardson posits that sharks have sometimes been globally powerful people. He’s engaged in high-stakes, face-to-face negotiations with Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, two gen-erations of North Korean leadership and many more of the world’s most infamous dictators. He will provide frank lessons in the art of negotiation.


Time: 7:30 a.m. check-in/continental break-

fast, 8 a.m. program, 9 a.m. book signing

Cost: $35 non-members, $25 members.

Premium seating (seating in first rows) $45

non-members, $35 members.

Testarossa Winery Tour and Wine Tasting

Join us for a tour and wine tasting at Testarossa Winery, located in the historic Novitiate Winery in down-town Los Gatos. !e winery was built in 1888 by Jesuit fathers, and Testarossa still uses the same three-floor, gravity-flow facility for its winemaking and cellaring, making it one of the oldest continuously operating wineries in California. Of course, we will have time to sample a few of Testarossa’s limited-production wines from some of the state’s best known vineyard estates.

Location: Testarossa Winery and Tasting

Room, 300 College Ave, Los Gatos

Time: 12:45 p.m. check-in, 1-2:30 p.m. tour and tasting Cost: $35 non-members, $30 members Also know: Advance reservations are re-

quired as space is limited. All attendees must

be 21 or older.

Ambassador Thomas Pickering: Treatment and Torture of Suspected Terrorists

Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations

!e treatment of suspected terrorists has often been shrouded in secrecy. A recent report from !e Constitution Project’s Task Force on Detainee Treatment shines a light on the federal government’s poli-cies. Ambassador Pickering will highlight Task Force findings about past reactions to global terrorist threats as well as its recommendations for coping with the next crisis.


Time: 5:30 check-in, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7


Fine Art at the State Capitol?

Lois Wolk, California State SenatorKoren Benoit, Curator of the Capitol Collection

Located throughout the historic State Capitol’s West Wing and the East An-nex, the Capitol Art Program maintains hundreds of prized paintings, murals, statues and antique furniture chosen to portray the various phases of California’s history and depicting significant eras of the Capitol. Rotating exhibits feature art-ists from each of the state’s districts. State Senator Lois Wolk and Koren Benoit, curator of the Capitol Collection, will discuss the scope, depth and history of the fine art shown at our state Capitol.

MLF: ARTS


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7


Program Organizer: Marianne Ryan

Opening Reception for “Ten Decades: California Society of Printmakers’ Centennial Exhibition”

Please join us for the opening of this cen-tennial exhibit. Mingle with contemporary printmakers of CSP and preview their newly published book, California Society of Printmakers: 100 Years, 1913-2013. !e event continues from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Book Club of California with refreshments and a panel discussion by three of the book’s authors, Maryly Snow, Art Hazelwood and Daniel Lienau.

MLF: ARTS

Locations: SF Club Office, 2-4:30 p.m., The Book

Club of California, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco,

5-7 p.m.

Time: Reception #1 2-4:30 p.m., Reception #2 5-7 p.m. Cost: FREE at both venues

Program Organizer: Lynn Curtis

Also know: In association with The Book Club

of California


M O N 2 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 2 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 2 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

S U N 2 0 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y O C T O B E R 2 1 J A N U A R Y 1 0

Ten Decades: The California Society of Printmakers Centennial Exhibition 1913 - 2013

Arranged decade by decade, this ret-rospective provides a visual journey through the history of printmaking in California since 1913. Historical works from the California Society of Printmak-ers archives will be featured, focusing on the vision of each decade and its relationship to the visual art trends and concepts of the time period. CSP is the oldest continuously operating associa-tion of printmakers in the United States.

MLF: ARTS


Time: Regular Club business hoursCost: FREEProgram Organizer: Lynn Curtis

October 18 – 21


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Human Trafficking: Ending the Myths, Confronting Facts

Martina Vandenberg, President and Founder, The Human Traf-ficking Pro Bono Legal Center, Washington Mehroz Baig, Butler Koshland Fellow, The Commonwealth Club – Moderator

!e International Labour Organization estimates that 20.9 million people around the world are held in forced labor and ser-vitude. Human tra$cking is constantly in the headlines, but it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. Vandenberg will debunk the myths and examine case studies compiled in her two decades combating tra$cking in the United States and abroad.


Location: SF Club/Office



Program Organizers: Linda Calhoun and

Mehroz Baig

Kenneth Feinberg

Attorney

Prominent alternative-dis-pute mediator and attorney Feinberg has negotiated settlements in some of the most challenging and emotional crises of our times. Dubbed “!e Pay Czar” for his hands-on administrative work in the federal bailout assistance program TARP, Feinberg has taken on similar tasks for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund and the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster victim compensation fund. He most recently worked out settlements for the Boston Marathon victims.

Location: Recital Hall, Santa Clara University,

500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Time: 6:30 p.m. doors open, 7 p.m. program,

8 p.m. book signing

Cost: FREEAlso know: In association with the Markkula

Center for Applied Ethics

Turkey at 90

Bonnie Joy Kaslan, Honorary Consul General, Republic of TurkeyJeffrey Collins, Former White House National Security Staff Director for Turk-ish Affairs; Senior Counsel, ChevronJoel Brinkley, Professor of Journalism at Stanford University - Moderator

Panelists will discuss Turkey’s economic progress and political influence at a geographical and cultural crossroads and how Turkey is faring amidst the upheavals in the Middle East, including its response to the crisis in Syria, jailed journalists and its justice system.

MLF: MIDDLE EAST


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7


Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

Do We Understand the Origins of Life?

Dr. Lynn Rothschild, Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research CenterDr. Richard Zare, Professor of Chemis-try, Stanford University

Earth was once a molten ball, totally un-inhabitable. In a geological instant, it was filled with life. What do we know about this transformation? And could there be more than one recipe for the transition from non-life to life? Join two scientific experts as they ponder these questions and more about the origins of life.

Location: NASA Ames Conference Center-

NACC, Building 152, Room 171, 200 Dailey

Road, Mountain View

Time: 7 p.m. programCost: FREEAlso know: In association with Wonderfest

Chinatown Walking Tour

Enjoy a Commonwealth Club Neighbor-hood Adventure. Join Rick Evans for a memorable midday walk and discover the history and mysteries of Chinatown. Explore colorful alleys and side streets. Visit a Taoist temple, an herbal store, the site of the first public school in the state, and the famous Fortune Cookie Factory. !ere is a short break for a tea sample during the tour.

Location: Meet at corner of Grant and Bush, in

front of Starbucks, near Chinatown Gate

Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–5 p.m. tourCost: $45 non-members, $35 membersAlso know: Temple visit requires walking up

three flights of stairs. Limited to 12 people.

Participants must pre-register. Tour operates

rain or shine.


T H U 2 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T H U 2 4 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y F R I 2 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T U E 2 2 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y W E D 2 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

The Golden Shore

David Helvarg, Founder, Blue Frontier; Author, The Golden ShoreMichael Sutton, President, California Fish and Game Commission; Executive Director, Audubon California - Moderator

Helvarg will discuss how Californians have related to the Pacific Ocean over time through commerce, national defense, energy and exploration. He will trace California’s progress from a frontier where people exploited and polluted the ocean to a world leader in coastal protection, marine science and wildlife restoration, and will discuss how – or if – the modern California model can be exported around the world.



Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. Helvarg book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students



Environment Series

October 22 – 25


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Simon Winchester

Journalist; Author, Krakatoa and The Men Who United the States

What unified a growing number of dis-parate states into our modern country? Winchester follows in the footsteps of America’s most essential explorers, thinkers and innovators, including Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery expedition, the builders of the first transcontinental telegraphy, and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland; Rochester to San Francisco; Truckee to Laramie; Seattle to Anchorage, introducing these fascinating men and others – some familiar, some hardly known – who played a pivotal role in creating today’s United States.


Time: 11:15 a.m. check-in/light hors d’oeuvres,

noon program, 1 p.m. book signing

Cost: $32 non-members, $22 members

Middle East Discussion Group

Make your voice heard in an enriching, provocative and fun discussion with fel-low Club members as you weigh in on events shaping the face of the Middle East. Each month, the Middle East Member-Led Forum hosts an informal roundtable discussion on a topic fre-quently suggested by recent headlines. After a brief introduction, the floor will be open for discussion. All interested members are encouraged to attend. !ere will also be a brief planning session.

MLF: MIDDLE EAST


Time: 5:30 p.m. programCost: FREEProgram Organizer: Celia Menczel

Micro- and Nanotechnologies for Therapeutic Delivery

Tejal Desai, Ph.D., Professor of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, UCSF

Medicine is moving far beyond just popping a pill. A bioengineer explores fascinating new means of medication delivery and shares new cellular discoveries. Desai pioneered the concept of thin-film nanoporous devices that provide zero order release over months. She is working on therapeutic applications for age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY/

HEALTH & MEDICINE


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members,


Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

Also know: In association with the Bay Area

Science Festival

Deep Blue

Jason Scorse, Director, Center for the Blue Economy, MIISMary Hagedorn, Research Scientist, National Zoological ParkAdditional panelists TBA

Join us for a special o"-site program in Monterey!Nearly half of the carbon dioxide produced by humans in the last 200 years has been soaked up by Earth’s oceans, and it’s already beginning to a"ect the planet’s vast marine life, from polar to tropical ecosystems. Ocean

acidification has major negative impacts on biodiversity, especially for shell-producing marine organisms and coral reefs, which provide essential protection to coastal areas that are vulnerable to storms and tidal surges.In the face of changing habitats, some researchers are exploring ecological restoration, a process of renewing and restoring habitats that are degraded or destroyed by human interference. Meanwhile, people will need to prepare for global warming’s e"ect on the economy and food supply, with increased risks of disaster. How will changing marine biodiversity impact our livelihood? How can coastal economies prepare for climate disruption?Join us for a discussion with two leading experts working to protect the world’s oceans and coastal communities.

Location: Monterey Institute of International Studies, 460 Pierce St., Monterey

Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception

Cost: $5 non-members, $5 members, students free


M O N 2 8 | M o n t e r e y T U E 2 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M O N 2 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 2 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

India Grows at Night While the Government Sleeps

Gurcharan Das, Columnist, The Times of India; Contributor, The New York Times; Author, India Grows at NightIn conversation with Lata Krishnan, Chair, American India Foundation

How could a nation become the world’s second fastest growing economy despite a weak, flailing state? Its recent economic slowdown is a sign that India may have begun to experience the limits of growing at “night” – private growth outside the scope of government involvement. What India needs, Das says, is a strong liberal state. But achieving this will not be easy.



7 p.m. book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE,


Also know: In association with the American

India Foundation

October 28 – 29


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Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation

Mollie Katzen, Author, The Heart of the Plate and The Moosewood CookbookIn conversation with John Birdsall, Senior Editor, Chow.com

From the woman who brought you the Moosewood Cookbook comes a new book for a new generation. !e Heart of the Plate serves up 250 recipes for hungry vegetar-ians. Katzen is credited with having brought vegetarian cuisine into the mainstream. She waxes epicurean on culinary delights from green matzoh ball soup to mushroom popover pie.

Location: Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo

Blvd., Lafayette

Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program,

7:30 p.m. book signing




Osher Foundation

IDEO’s Kelley Brothers: Unleash Your Potential

David Kelley, Founder, IDEO; Co-author, Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us AllTom Kelley, Partner, IDEO; Co-author, Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

Creativity pioneers David and Tom Kelley have defined the very landscape of design-thinking with their founding of IDEO and the Stanford d.school, and with their iconic innovations in product, company culture and design

education. Under the Kelley brothers’ leadership, IDEO churned out several illustrious products of the digital generation – from the first mouse for Apple to the thumbs up/thumbs down Tivo button. !ey championed the avant garde approach of using design to tackle sticky problems and translated those techniques to academia. Now they’ve chronicled their design-thinking backgrounds into a compelling narrative, Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All, outlining principles and strategies to unlock the design-fertile right brain in each of us. Hear from the best in the business to unleash your innovation in your personal and professional endeavors.


Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 reception and book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID); Premium (includes reserved

seating and premium reception with speakers): $35 non-members, $25 members

Janet Napolitano

President, University of California; Former Secre-tary of Homeland Security

As of September 30th, Napolitano is the 20th president of the University of Cali-fornia. She will lead a university system with 10 campuses, 3 a$liated national laboratories, and a statewide agriculture program. In one of her first public ap-pearances in this new position, President Napolitano will outline her vision for the UC system.


Time: 5:15 check-in, 6 p.m. programCost: $25 non-members, $15 members.

Premium seating (in first rows): $45 non-

members, $30 members.Also know: Attendees subject to search. Part

of The Club’s Series on Ethics and Account-

ability, underwritten by the Charles Travers

Family

Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation

Estelle Freedman, Edgar E. Robinson Pro-fessor in U.S. History, Stanford University

Generations of women’s rights and racial-justice advocates have rejected those who have tried to define rape as a brutal attack on a chaste, unmarried, white woman by a stranger, and have argued that white men’s freedom to be sexually coercive lays at the heart of political power. !e modern civil rights and feminist movements grapple with the insights and the dilemmas of these first campaigns to redefine rape.

MLF: HUMANITIES





Also know: In association with San Francisco

Women Against Rape

T U E 2 9 | E a s t B a y

W E D 3 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 3 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o


October 29 – 30

ONLINE ELECTIONCommonwealth Club Board of GovernorsThe election of members of The Commonwealth Club Board of Governors for the 2014 term will be conducted online. The ballot will be available on commonwealthclub.org from Monday, October 21, 2013, through Sunday, October 27, 2013, during which time Club members may submit their votes.

Following the voting period, the votes will be tabulated, and a meeting of the membership will be held at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday November 13, 2013, preceding that evening’s program, at which the election results will be ratified by the members present.

Members, please visit the Club’s web site commonwealthclub.org/boardvote from October 21– 27 and submit your vote for the 2014 term of the Board of Governors.


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The Art and Soul of Combat Veterans

Drew Mendelson, Artillery Forward Officer, Vietnam War; Author, Song Ba To and A Shepherd to FoolsAri Sonnenberg, Iraq War Veteran (multiple tours); ArtistJackie Speier, Member of Congress (D-CA); Member, House Armed Services Commit-tee – ModeratorAdditional panelists TBA

As Veterans Day approaches, come hear a candid discussion with combat veterans who turned to art after coming home from war. Together, their paintings, photographs and a newly published novel form a vital conversation on the real cost of war, including battles with PTSD, military sexual trauma and the quest for a “normal” life.


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)

Challenges of International Justice

Richard Goldstone, Former Justice, Constitu-tional Court of South Africa; Former Chief Prosecutor, UN Int’l Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and RwandaIn conversation with Jacob Foster, Attorney, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP

Justice Goldstone will discuss his vast ex-periences as chief prosecutor of the inter-national criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, recent setbacks at the International Criminal Court, and the state of international justice in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.



Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members,


Program Organizer: Linda Calhoun

Future Ethics: Reproduction Rights Versus Social Policy

Matt Cantor, Columnist, Berkeley Daily Planet

Monday Night Philosophy welcomes Cantor back, this time to tackle one of the thorniest political issues of the near future: whether humans will find an ethi-cal way to reconcile our personal desires and our social needs as our population continues to rise, dominating the planet and perhaps even risking all our recent gains by overwhelming its resources.

MLF: HUMANITIES


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE,



Edmund Phelps: Mass Innovation

Director, Center on Capitalism and Soci-ety, Columbia University; Author, Mass Flourishing: How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge, and Change

Why did prosperity explode in some na-tions between the 1820s and 1960s? Phelps makes the case that the wellspring of this flourishing was modern values such as the desire to create, explore and meet challenges. Yet indigenous innovation and flourishing weakened decades ago. Will Western nations recommit themselves to modernity, grass-roots dynamism, indigenous innovation and widespread personal fulfillment, or will we go on with a narrowed innovation that limits flourishing to a few?


Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7

p.m. book signing

Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7



M O N 0 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 0 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 0 6 | S a n F r a n c i c o


A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

In his first and still most widely read novel, James Joyce makes a strange peace with the traditional narrative of a young man’s self-discovery by respecting its substance while exploring its form, thereby inaugu-rating a literary revolution. Joyce gives us an exuberantly inventive masterpiece of subjectivity, portraying his alter ego, Ste-phen Dedalus, growing up in Dublin and struggling through religious and sexual guilt toward an aesthetic awakening. In part a vivid picture of Joyce’s own youthful evolution into one of the twentieth cen-tury’s greatest writers, it is also a moment in the intellectual history of an age.

MLF: SF BOOK DISCUSSION


Time: 5:30 p.m. programCost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: Barbara Massey

Novem

ber 01 – 06


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What Would You Do? An Interview with Howard G. Buffett and Howard W. Buffett

Howard G. Buffett, Philanthropist; Co-author, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry WorldHoward W. Buffett, Executive Director, Howard G. Buffett Foundation; Co-author, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World

In 2006, legendary investor Warren Bu"et posed a question to his son and grandson Howard G. Bu"ett and Howard W. Bu"ett: If you had the resources to accomplish something great in this world, what would you do? Howard G.

Bu"et set out to help the one billion individuals around the world who lack basic food security, and has given himself 40 years to put more than $3 billion toward reaching this goal. !e Bu"etts say they learned early on that all of us have 40 chances to accomplish our goals in life, and more specifically 40 productive years to do the best job we can realizing our passions and striving for greatness. Join us as we sit down with the Bu"etts to discuss their endeavors thus far, the book detailing their journey, and how we too can perceptively use our 40 chances to achieve our goals and accomplish “something great in this world.”


Time: 6 p.m. check-in and premium reception and book-signing, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m.

reception and general book signing, 8:30 dinner at One Market (for dinner ticket holders)

Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members, $7 students (with valid ID). Premium (includes book

40 Chances, reserved seating and premium reception with speakers. Limited to 45 guests): $50

non-members, $35 members. Dinner (includes book 40 Chances, reserved seating and premium

reception with speakers and a 3-course prix fixe dinner at One Market. Limited to 25 guests): $200

non-members, $150 members.

Self-Publishing 101

Grant Faulkner, Executive Director, Of-fice of Letters and Light, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)Guy Kawasaki, Venture Capitalist; Blog-ger, How to Change the World; Author, APE - Moderator

In 1999, the first NaNoWriMo took place in the Bay Area with 21 participants. In 2011, there were nearly 350,000. NaNoWriMo encourages those who have always wanted to write a novel to actually start writing. Faulkner and Kawasaki will reveal not only how to write, but how to overcome writer’s block, reach writing goals and become an artisanal publisher. All attendees will receive a copy of APE.

Location: Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo

Blvd., Lafayette

Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. programCost: $22 non-members, $12 members, $7

students ((includes copy of APE)

Responsible Leadership: CEO Perspectives

Panelists TBA

!ere has been a lot of talk of respon-sible leadership lately among business, nonprofit organizations and government officials. But what does responsible leadership mean? How do we build and maintain an organizational culture to encourage responsible leadership and practices? Join a high-level panel for important insight.


Time: 5:30 check-in, 6 p.m. program, 8 p.m.

networking reception



Also know: In association with Saint Mary’s

College of California’s School of Economics &

Business Administration

Is Biological Evolution Compatible with a Moral Conscience?

Francisco Ayala, Ph.D, Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Ecol-ogy & Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, UC Irvine

Can we retain a notion of moral con-science in the face of evolutionary biol-ogy findings? Dr. Ayala, an outspoken critic of U.S. restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, will share his thoughts on the important balance between science and morality.

Location: St. Clare Room, Learning Com-

mons and Library, Santa Clara University, 500

El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Time: 7 p.m. programCost: FREEAlso know: In association with the Markkula

Center for Applied Ethics


T H U 0 7 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y T H U 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T H U 0 7 | E a s t B a y


Explore the World from The Commonwealth Club Planning Meeting

All interested Club members are wel-come to attend bimonthly one-hour planning meetings of the International Relations Member-Led Forum. We focus on Europe, Latin America, Africa and worldwide topics. Join us to discuss current international issues and plan programs for 2014.



Time: 5:30 p.m. planning meetingCost: FREEProgram Organizer: Norma Walden

Novem

ber 06 – 07


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21st Century: Dangerous Changes to Wealth Distribution, the Economy and the Environment

Enrico Moretti, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, UC Berkeley; Author, The New Geography of JobsAsieh Mansour, Ph.D., Retired Real Estate Economist; Former Head of Research, Ameri-cas, CBREClaude Gruen, Ph.D., Principal Economist, Gruen Gruen + Associates; Author, New Urban Developments: Looking Back to See Forward – Moderator

Join a turning-point discussion of what our economic prospects and trajectory of income distribution could be in the 21st century. Will job creation and the economy shape our future? Will climate change really matter if we lose the middle class and push people into a downward spiral of poverty, poor living conditions, little hope and a pathway that leads to more wars and conflicts? What will be the impact of the current pace of globalization? Dr. Moretti will describe the results of his analysis of the changes taking place in American cities and their economies. Dr. Mansour grew up in Iran and was educated in Switzerland and in the United States. She will focus on income distribution in the U.S. and abroad, as well as increased barriers to mobility among lower-income Americans. Dr. Gruen will share his studies about communities, mobility, transportation, growth and change.



Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. Gruen and Moretti book signing




Comet ISON

Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy, UC Berkeley

If it lives up to expectations, Comet ISON (more formally, C/2012 S1) may become the most spectacular comet to be seen from Northern Hemisphere skies since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. An award-winning astronomer and well-known popular lecturer, Professor Filippenko will describe comets and their importance, as well as when and how to observe this particular comet and what we might expect to see.

MLF: HUMANITIES/SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7



Top Brain, Bottom Brain

Stephen Kosslyn, Director, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford; Co-author, Top Brain, Bottom Brain

Are you a left brain or right brain person? !e answer might not be so simple. Koss-lyn debunks some of the myths behind artistic and analytical personality types and o"ers new insights into how we think and behave. He shares his research into how the human brain uses patterns of thought and identifies four cognitive styles. Find out if you are a Mover, Adap-tor, Stimulator or Perceiver and how that a"ects your relationships.

Location: Silicon Valley Bank, 3005 Tasman

Dr., Santa Clara


8 p.m. book signing


Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet

Todd Wilkinson, Author, Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet

!ink you know everything about Ted Turner? !ink again. Wilkinson reveals the media mogel’s lesser known and heretofore largely undocumented personal history, from his private land “arks” to save specific threatened species to his quest to eradicate nuclear weapons. Join Todd in a discussion that delves into deeply personal aspects of Turner’s enigmatic life.







Environment Series.


T U E 1 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T U E 1 2 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y W E D 1 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o



Larry Gerston, Ph.D., Professor, San Jose State University; Political Analyst, NBC 11; Author, Not So Golden After All Debra J. Saunders, Columnist, SF Chronicle; “Token Conservative” Blogger, SFGate.com John Zipperer, VP of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club – Host Additional panelists TBA

Join informative and engaging commen-tary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! Stay after the program to meet other smart and engaged indi-viduals, and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our member social.


Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1

p.m. social with wine & snacks


Novem

ber 08 – 13


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Game Change 2012

Mark Halperin, Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst, Time; Co-author, Double Down: Game Change 2012John Heilemann, National Political Correspondent and Columnist, New York Magazine; Co-author, Double Down

Heilemann and Halperin set the national conversation on fire with their best-selling account of the 2008 presidential election, Game Change. Now, they apply their unparalleled access and storytelling savvy to the 2012 election, rendering an equally compelling narrative about the circus-like Republican nomination fight, the rise and fall of Mitt Romney, and the trials, tribulations and Election Day triumph of Barack Obama.



7 p.m. book signing


$7 students. Premium (priority seating and

book) $50 non-members, $42 members.

San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour

Explore San Francisco’s Financial District with historian Rick Evans and learn the history and stories behind some of our city’s remarkable structures, streets, and public squares. Hear about the famous architects that influenced the building of San Francisco after the 1906 Earthquake. Discover hard-to-find rooftop gardens, Art Deco lobbies, unique open spaces, and historic landmarks. !is is a tour for locals, with hidden gems you can only find on foot!

Location: Lobby of Galleria Park Hotel, 191

Sutter St.

Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4:30 p.m. tourCost: $45 non-members, $35 membersAlso know: Tour operates rain or shine.

Limited to 20 people. Participants must pre-

register. The tour covers less than one mile

of walking in the Financial District. Note: This

tour involves walking up and down stairs.

Dull, Duller, Dulles: Cold War Roots of Today’s World Crises

Steven Kinzer, Former Correspondent, The New York Times; Author, The Brothers

At the Cold War’s peak in the 1950s, two immensely powerful brothers shaped U.S. foreign policy: Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and CIA director Al-len Dulles. Decisions they made shaped history, arguably not always to America’s benefit. Kinzer will share lessons for the modern age left by these brothers.



1 p.m. book signing



Sustainability & the Living Roof at the Academy of Sciences

Frank Almeda, Ph.D., Senior Curator and McAllister Chair of Botany, California Academy of Sciences

!e Academy of Sciences transformed its old building into a fascinating artis-tic, scientific, botanical, environmental and educational complex with a natural landscape and a five-acre living roof. Learn about environmental activities, research and how the construction of the new California Academy of Sciences was informed by the Academy’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.



Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, stu-

dents free (with valid ID)



Environment Series

Rorke Denver: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior

Rorke Denver, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy SEALs; Co-author, Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior

Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces

missions in international hot spots. He starred in the 2012 film Act of Valor, based on real-life SEAL missions. Don’t miss this chance to go inside the personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program from a veteran of the front lines.

Location: Schultz Hall, Oshman Family JCC,

3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto


8 p.m. book signing




Osher Foundation


T H U 1 4 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y F R I 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o F R I 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T H U 1 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T H U 1 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Covered California: Affordable, High-Quality Health Care Is on Its Way

Peter V. Lee, Executive Director, Cov-ered California

!e Lundberg Institute’s !ird Annual Lecture features Peter Lee of Covered California, which aims to provide af-fordable health insurance to 5.3 million Californians. !e A"ordable Care Act will be a historic change in American health care. Come find out how Covered California intends to lead the charge.

MLF: HUMANITIES


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7



Also know: In association with The Lundberg

Institute

Novem

ber 13 – 15


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How to Keep Your Brain in Shape: Brain Science and Lifelong Learning

Susan Hoffman, Director, Lifelong Learning Institute, UC BerkeleySandra Halladey, Executive Director, the OLLI (Osher Life Long Learning Insti-tute) program, SFSU

Susan Ho"man will translate how recent scientific discoveries can lead to a clear action plan, including an understanding of what really matters about learning for cognitive health and longevity. Halladey will speak about the OLLI program at San Francisco State University’s upcom-ing 2014 programming.

MLF: GROWNUPS


Time: 4:45 p.m. networking, 5:15 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students

Program Organizer: John Milford

Also know: In assn. with San Francisco Village

and Osher Liflong Learning Institute

Inside the Investigation Into the Assassination of John F. Kennedy

Howard Willens, Former Staff Member, Warren Commission; Author, History Will Prove Us Right

Willens is the only living member of the three-person supervisory sta" of the War-ren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole assassin of JFK and that no credible evidence of a conspiracy existed. Willens sheds new light on the investigation, documenting the failures of the FBI, CIA and Secret Service to cooperate fully with the com-mission.


Time: 5:15 p.m. check-in and member social

(with light appetizers), 6 p.m. program, 7

p.m. book signing


students

Robert Reich: Inequality for All

Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley; Former Secretary of Labor

Time magazine named Reich one of the 10 most e"ective Cabinet secretaries of the 20th century. He is a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause. Come hear his provocative thoughts on the future of the U.S. economy.

Location: Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St., San

Francisco


7 p.m. book signing


students; Premium seating (in first rows): $45

non-members, $30 members

A Photographer’s Journey Through Modern-Day Slavery

Lisa Kristine, Humanitarian Photographer

Tens of millions of people are currently enslaved across the globe. With the goal of awareness in mind, photographer Kristine will share images from her travels docu-menting aspects of some of those people’s daily lives. Kristine has photographed in over 100 countries on six continents. If you missed her TED Talk, now is the time to hear about and view poignant photographs from around the world.

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/ARTS/

HUMANITIES





Program Organizer: Karen Keefer

Also know: In association with the NorCal

Peace Corps Association

Humanities West Book Discussion: Verdi – His Music, Life and Times, by George Martin

Join us to discuss the composer Giuseppe Verdi, from his birth in 1813 to his death in 1901. !ough Verdi’s life was steeped in music, his work was also fundamental to the political reunification of Italy known as the Risorgimento. George Martin’s biog-raphy covers both the music Verdi created and the culture of the times he influenced. !e discussion will be led by Lynn Harris.

MLF: HUMANITIES


Time: 5:30 p.m. programCost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREEProgram Organizer: George Hammond

Also know: In association with Humanities

West


W E D 2 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 2 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o W E D 2 0 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M O N 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T U E 1 9 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y

Jon Bonné: The New California Wine

Wine Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Author, The New California Wine

Learn more about the producers who are rewriting the rules of contemporary winemaking; their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir; and the battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of its recent past. From the front lines of the California wine revolution, Bonné shares the fascinating stories, philoso-phies and techniques of the iconoclastic young winemakers who are changing the face of California viniculture.

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Fam-

ily JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto

Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in and wine reception,

7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing

Cost: $32 non-members, $25 members

Also know: Must be 21 years or older. Bonné

will also speak in San Francisco December 5.

Novem

ber 18 – 20


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Thom Hartmann: The Crash of 2016

Thom Hartmann, Talk Show Host; Author, The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America – and What We Can Do to Stop It

Hartmann starts with the premise that the pillars of democracy that once supported a booming middle class have been corrupted, and without them, America teeters on the verge of the next great crash. Explaining that corporate and billionaire power and greed have replaced democratic infrastruc-ture and governance, Hartmann urges action and presents a road map to redemp-tion and a critical wakeup call. Only if the right reforms are enacted and the moral choices are made, he says, can we avert disaster and make our nation whole again.



1 p.m. book signing



An Old Barbershop Becomes a Family Home: The Importance of Sustainability in Bay Area Towns and Neighborhoods

Steve Clark, Owner and General Contractor, RFC Renovation and DesignJames Huling, Director of Operations, RFC Renovation and DesignAxel Stelter, Owner and Designer, Pre-Design, Inc.

In cities throughout the Bay Area, neighbors watch as older homes are torn down and replaced with mini or mega mansions and commercial developments. At the same time, new and a"ordable middle class homes are built in ever-growing and congested commute corridors. Will our a%uent cities become a play center for only the rich? Will the younger and older generations be able to establish their own urban community identity and place? Clark and Huling, veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Stelter, an urban planner and designer, have developed a plan to address city home renovations and renewals, environmental aware-ness, community support and involvement, and a diverse work team that includes military veterans. Learn how they transformed an old barbershop into an a"ordable three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. Hear about a woman in her mid-twenties who was able to a"ord her first home after the RFC team saved an old house in rough shape. Learn how RFC plans to convert a vacant, dilapidated church into a home with disability access and accommodations.



Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)





MLF: MIDDLE EAST



Prisoners of the White House: The Isolation of America’s Presidents

Ken Walsh, Chief White House Corre-spondent, U.S. News and World Report; Author, Prisoners of the White House

President Obama calls it the White House “bubble.” Bill Clinton referred to it as “the crown jewel of the federal peni-tentiary system.” !e nation’s presidents often lose touch with the country when trapped behind that dignified façade. Walsh will discuss how presidents man-age to either break out or remain isolated.



1 p.m. book signing


Ben Rattray: INFORUM’s 21st Century Visionary Award

Founder, Change.org

Victims of a poisoned military base get health coverage; Boy Scouts reinstate a cub scout

leader who was removed for being gay – each of these actions is the result of a suc-cessful Change.org petition. Change.org is a triple threat of social change, technology, and crowdfunding that has allowed this microactivist platform to meet uncharted success. Join us as we award Rattray this year’s 21st Century Visionary Award, and hear more about his mission to leverage technology to change the world.

Location: See website for details

Time: 6 p.m. check-in and premium reception,

6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. general reception

Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu-

dents (with valid ID); Premium (reserved seat-

ing and premium reception with speakers. Only

65 guests) $50 non-members, $35 members


T H U 2 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o F R I 2 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 2 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o


Novem

ber 21 – 25


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July 30 – August 06

Jesse Adams: Nanotechnology, the Wave Nature of the Universe and the World Within

Ph.D, Vice President and CTO, Neva-daNano; Managing Member, Nanolabz; Managing Member, Nanojems; Senior Author, Nanotechnology: The Whole Story

An award-winning speaker, educator, technology developer and parallel entre-preneur (NevadaNano, Nanolabz, Nano-jems), Adams will lead you on a journey from the cosmos to the world within. He will review nanotechnology, including one of his latest technology developments, the Molecular Property Spectrometer, which just won an R&D100 award.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY





Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

Leading an Adventure Philanthropist Life

Erin Michelson, Author, Adventure Philanthropist: Great Adven-tures Volunteering Abroad; Finalist, National Geographic Traveler Traveler of the Year: 2013

Michelson recently wrapped up a two-year global living and giving adventure where she visited all seven continents and more than 60 countries. Along the way, she volunteered with local humanitarian or-ganizations. Have you ever thought about chucking it all and traveling the world? Michelson inspires us to live our dreams.


Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. programCost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE,


Also know: Profits from the books sold will

be shared with a local charity. In association

with the International Relations Forum.

The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel

Ari Shavit, Senior Corre-spondent and Member of the Editorial Board, Haaretz; Author, My Promised Land

Known for challenging the dogmas of both right and left, leading Israeli columnist and writer Shavit discusses the making of modern Israel. He has interviewed Shimon Peres, Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Aha-ron Barak, and other influential figures. Join Shavit as he discusses why and how Israel came to be, and the current internal and external threats the country faces.

Location: Cubberley Community Theatre,

4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto


8 p.m. book signing



The High (?) Road to a True Smart Grid

Timothy Schoechle, Ph.D., Author, “Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid” James S. Turner, Esq., Principal, Swankin & Turner; Board Chair, Citizens for Health; Co-founder, Voice for HOPE (Healers of Planet Earth); Chairman, National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy Karl Maret, M.D., M.Eng., President, Dove Health AllianceDuncan A. Campbell, Esq., Colorado Radio Host, KGNUCamilla Rees, MBA, Founder, Electromagnetic Health.org and Campaign for Radiation Free Schools – Moderator

Smart utility meters are being installed across America that are unable to integrate with, or enable, the smart grid of the future on which U.S. energy sustainability depends, ac-cording to the landmark report “Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid,” published by the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy. !e meter network has been called a colossal waste of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars by critics. Panelists will clarify mis-understandings about smart meters, the entrenched economic models preventing utilities from fully embracing renewable energy, and how the growing smart meter rebellion may herald a transformation in the political economy of energy. !ey will describe their plans for creating a reliable, safe, sustainable electricity grid, with our planetary interests at heart.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE/ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES


Time: 11:30 a.m. lunch, 12-3 p.m. program




T U E 0 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T U E 0 3 | S i l i c o n V a l l e y

M O N 2 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o T U E 2 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Margrit Mondavi’s Sketchbook: Reflections on Wine, Food, Art, Family, Romance and Life

Margrit Mondavi, Vice President of Cultural Affairs, Robert Mondavi Winery

Wife of the late Robert Mondavi, Margrit has created a collection of personal stories and sketches based on diary entries and reflections about her life with her husband at their winery. Margrit’s book is written in the spirit of the Robert Mondavi Winery’s belief that food, wine and the arts should be celebrated in everyday life. Mondavi will share personal and defining stories from her life, providing a deep look inside the rich history of the winery.

MLF: ARTS




Program Organizer: Marianne Ryan


Novem

ber 25 – Decem

ber 03


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North Beach Walking Tour

Join another Commonwealth Club Neighborhood Adventure! Explore vi-brant North Beach with Rick Evans dur-ing a two-hour walk through this neigh-borhood with a colorful past, where food, culture, history and unexpected views all intersect in an Italian “urban village.” In addition to learning about Beat genera-tion hangouts, you’ll discover authentic Italian cathedrals and co"ee shops.

Location: Meeting Spot is Washington

Square Park at Saints Peter and Paul Church

(Filbert & Powell). The official address is 666

Filbert, between Columbus and Stockton.

Parking Lot option: North Beach Garage, 735

Vallejo Street (between Powell and Stockton)

Time: 1:45 p.m. meet, 2-4 p.m. tourCost: $45 non-members, $35 membersAlso know: Limited to 20 people. Must pre-

register. Tours operate rain or shine.

Tasting the New California Wine Scene with Jon Bonné

Wine Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Author, The New California Wine

Bonné introduces us to producers who are rewriting the rules of winemaking. From their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir to the battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of the recent past, Bonné takes us to the front lines of the California wine revolution. He shares the fascinating stories, philosophies and tech-niques of the iconoclastic young winemak-ers who are changing the face of California viticulture, and then sip and swill with the best of them at our wine tasting reception.


Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program,

7:30 p.m. wine tasting and book signing

Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members (includes tasting)

Also know: Must be 21 years or older. Bonné

is also speaking in Silicon Valley on 11/19.



MLF: MIDDLE EAST



Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit

Alison Wright, Visual An-thropologist Documentary Photographer; Author, Face to Face

Journey around the world with Wright as she captures the universal human con-nection through her photographs. She celebrates the tapestry of humanity in all its diversity and splendor.






Program Organizer: Norma Walden


W E D 1 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 1 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T H U 0 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o M O N 0 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o


Panelists TBA

Week to Week has become a must-attend social and political gathering. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our news quiz! And stay after the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals, and dis-cuss the news over snacks and wine at our member social (open to all attendees). !e Club attracts the Bay Area’s bright-est and most connected to its stage and audience. Meet them.


Time: 5:30 p.m. wine and snacks social, 6:30 p.m. programCost: $15 non-members, $5 members,


Decem

ber 05 – 16

T H U O C T 0 3Grazing, Grass and GasLocation: SF Club Office

Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program

S U N O C T 2 7An Evening with James FrancoLocation: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St.

Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in, 5:45-6:30 p.m. pre-

mium reception, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m.

book signing

J U S T A D D E D E V E N T S !


and putting them up on stilts when now you find you didn’t need to?” !ey were all saying, “No. No, we get it. We get it, this might happen.” RITTER: It’s interesting; in the Netherlands, where so much of the land is under sea level, they now have developed floating homes. They’re building floating homes, which people apparently think is a great idea, and I can see it. Di"erent states, di"erent countries, are going to adapt in di"erent ways, but there are a whole lot of innovative things that can happen, whether it’s clear cutting or building up on stilts or building floating homes.

When I say clear cutting, I don’t mean chopping down the entire forest, but cutting a firewall around your border that takes trees out so that you don’t have pines that are going to burn that are five or ten feet away from the house. We actually put money together, as this governor did, in a variety of things legislatively, even in the downturn, where we were devoting money to going out and looking at houses that were a fire hazard, that were built up against the forest, and saying, “You need to remove this much forest from around your property in order to protect your home and your garage.” DALTON: Part of what you’re talking about is elected o$cials going to citizens and voters and saying, “Your costs are going to go up. You’re going to either pay more for insurance, or somehow the government’s going to have taxes to take care of these things that we’ve created, these risks that we’ve created.” Is that fair to say?WHITMAN: !e public is beginning to understand that. I mean, we all pay for the rebuilding, whether it’s in New Jersey

or Colorado or Oklahoma. It a"ects and impacts all of us, because these costs are so massive that no locality, no state, can do it all themselves. !is is one of the roles of the federal government. When you have a crisis, when people are devastated, that’s one of the roles, to step in and help, but guess whose money that is? !at’s all of our money, so we have a vested interest in trying to be proactive in limiting and reducing those costs. Again, if you want to just skip the whole discussion of whether it’s climate change or not, just say, “We know something is happening, and guess what? We’d better take some steps, do the best we can to be proactive in reducing those costs and the impacts.”RITTER: We pay for it during, and we pay for it after, you know? It’s county government that’s involved at the very first level, and then they call in the state. !e state looks and sees if they have the resources to manage the response, and then the governor calls in the federal government and asks the federal government to become involved. !at’s all taxpayer dollars that are paying for that. !en, if insurance companies aren’t elevating the risk, because someone’s living in a forest or living on the coast – if they don’t elevate the premium for doing that, we wind up pay-ing, because we’re part of the same risk pool. DALTON: At some point, scientists say that Super Storm Sandy is not the new normal; that there will be more, bigger extremes; that there’s more of this to come. At what point will the federal government no longer bail out states? At some point there’s a real financial risk there, where Uncle Sam runs out of money. WHITMAN: Uncle Sam is out of money. [Laughter] We’re printing money. We have

a federal deficit that we’re following out of sight. We are already in that position. We do have to start looking at our priorities again and assessing where it is we want to spend money. What are the things for which the federal government’s responsible, what’s going to fall solely on the states, and what’s going to be up to local government and the individual?

As far as, “When do we run out of money?” – we’re there. In a lot of states – for example, New Jersey, on the East Coast – we had a lot of snow, a lot of wet weather, and many of the municipalities in the state blew through their snow-removal budgets – mostly proactively, because there wasn’t so much snow but you had ice condi-tions. !ey were out early, and they blew through that. !en you have Super Storm Sandy, and they’ve got to respond to that. Who knows what they’re going to have, and they’ve already had in the last week – they had six inches of rain in three days last week. We’re having flooding, serious flooding, occurring – the opposite of what you’re getting in Colorado, but, you know, those budgets are done. !ey’re having to come back to the taxpayer and say, “OK; it’s the only way we get the money to be able to

GOVERNORS continued from page 11

“When you have a crisis, when

people are devastated, that’s

one of the roles to help, but

guess whose money that is?”–Whitman



pay for these things.” DALTON: So we’re putting it on our kids’ credit card.WHITMAN: Yeah.RITTER: !at’s right. Governor Whitman, as you said, the states have more loaded budgets, and so states, by and large, can’t borrow money. We had to balance the budget in Colorado, so when that part of the money ran out we were borrowing from Peter to pay Paul if it was something having to do with emergency management in some situations. For disaster response, you have a limited budget, and you have to rely on the federal government for that, but if your state responsibility goes over and above what you have available, then you might be carving out something from your higher ed budget, or from your K-12 budget, or from your health-care budget. !is is not a good place to be, but that’s the place we find ourselves in. Increasingly, states are finding themselves in the position [of ] not being able to even provide the kind of state money they once did to this.DALTON: Governor Whitman, how did Governor Christie handle Sandy?WHITMAN: It’s been fascinating to me, because this is where Governor Christie has gotten so much criticism from the far Right and the Republican Party, because he acted like a governor. First of all, he was very, very good about the whole storm. He was out ahead of it. He was telling people – using Jersey language – to get the blank o" the beach, and don’t be stupid about it, and when they said to evacuate, to evacuate. He was out proactively, because we knew the storm was coming. He was out proactively telling people what they should do, setting up the emergency response. He was right there when it occurred. !en, of course, where he got all this criticism was when the president came in and he welcomed him. Well, you know, if you’ve just had a major storm that has created tens of billions of dollars worth of damage, and killed some people, and devastated a lot of people in communities – I mean, man, when you see a house that’s been moved entirely into the middle of a highway on a bridge, you know you’ve seen some pretty significant damage. !e president had been on the phone with him right away, o"ered him all the assistance that he could, and he holds the key to the kingdom as far as the checkbook. He has to

fend for the checkbook. You’re not going to walk away from him.

I’ve talked to Governor Christie about this. He said, “Well, you know, I was brought up with the president of the United States – you show deference to that o$ce.” !at’s the way we were brought up. It’s the president. You can not like the politics, whatever, but you respect the o$ce, and that’s what he acted like, and that’s why, I believe, his popularity is so high in New Jersey and nationwide. Except for this group of a few people who control a lot of the rhetoric within my party, he is very well respected for having done exactly that – having acted like a governor and reaching out. DALTON: Let’s talk about your party. !ere are a lot in your party who don’t recognize climate science, or climate reality. Do they say one thing publicly and di"erent things privately?WHITMAN: I’m sure some of them do. I know a lot of them say things publicly that are pretty bad. For instance – and this, to me, epitomizes what I think is wrong with Washington on every subject area, everything has gotten so divisive – after the Oklahoma tornadoes, your senator, Senator Boxer, said that this probably was related to climate change. I don’t know exactly what language she used, or how she qualified it. You can attack her on the science. You can question the conclusion that she drew. But Jim Inhofe, senator from Oklahoma, stood up and he said, “!at was immoral.” He stood up and said that it was immoral to have said that.

!at’s not about morality. !is is about fact. It’s about science. It’s about devasta-tion, not about morality. He made this into a moral issue, and once you do that you can’t find common ground, because if my position is moral and you di"er from me, then you’re immoral. You don’t compromise on morality. You can find consensus on a lot of things, but morality sets the bar up to a point where there’s little you can do about it. While I know there are a number of Republicans – of course they understand climate change, and they know we need to do some things – who allow themselves to be pushed around by the more vocal and extreme who tend to define the party because they’re in Washington and that’s where all the press is, and they get good headlines when they say things like that.

That’s just mindless. They’re putting money in and they’re putting pressure on,

too, so it is outside influence that does a"ect so much of this decision-making, and that’s problematic today. Money really does play a huge, huge role. DALTON: Let’s talk about jobs. Jobs is an area where many people see promise, room for clean technology. Governor Ritter talked about job creation, etcetera – that this is not a bad thing, that there is really a lot of economic opportunity in cleaning up the energy economy.RITTER: !at’s why our center is named Center for the New Energy Economy. We work with the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, out in San Francisco. !ere is this economic development opportunity here that’s global, and if we don’t take advantage of it, it’s going to be to our detriment as a nation.

In Colorado, when I was running, we said, “Listen. We think that we can use domestic energy sources that are clean, and so they respond to environmental challenges, that actually build the economy and where you can protect rate payers.” We called it the Four Es, and this is this great framework for thinking about energy policy. Energy that’s domestic; environmental issues are solved; economic development; and equity – equity for rate payers. We’re not building out an energy system on the back of middle income or lower-middle income or poor people. We saw job creation in Colorado directly result-ing from policy levers around clean energy. I signed 57 bills. We became the number-one state in the nation per capita for solar work-ers. We brought in a major wind turbine manufacturer, the largest in the world at the time, Vestas. It’s not like this is easy stu", but during the worst downturn since the Great Depression, we saw our clean tech and clean energy space grow. So, one of the other answers to how we solve this is [to] make the business case for clean energy. !ere’s a lot of folks out there that are doing it. DALTON: Critics would say that a lot of that happened because of federal stimulus dollars, that President Obama went to Colorado to sign the Stimulus Act, and that there’s a lot of subsidy in those numbers you just cited. RITTER: I think the Stimulus Act had a lot in it, but we were already moving on that agenda, and a lot of our success had everything to do with the things we did apart from the Recovery Act. !e Recovery Act brought in clean energy dollars – I think


while it’s producing power. It is something, I think, to be considered,

and even if we don’t bring on any new nuclear energy in this country, there are four reactors currently being built in China that are using the Westinghouse AP 1000 technology, and those are providing some 19,000 jobs here in the United States. As you say, it can be worldwide, and when I look at some of the manufacturing potential we have to produce the various bits and pieces that go – whether it’s with wind turbines, or solar panels, or nuclear reactors – we can do that here, and we have a great potential to do that. DALTON: But with nuclear waste, how could you call nuclear “clean”?WHITMAN: If you took all of the nuclear waste that we have, from the 104 reactors around the country that have been operat-ing for over 50 years, if you put them in one place, they’d fill up one football field to the height of the goalposts. !ey’re all around the country, unfortunately, and that’s an-other thing that Congress needs to act on. Congress decided that there should be one national repository. !ey said it should be Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

As taxpayers and as ratepayers, we have spent billions of dollars to get Yucca Moun-tain ready, and as long as Harry Reid is [leader] of the Senate it will never happen. !e president appointed another commission to look at it, and they’ve said, “We ought to find a couple of sites, then,” and they’re working on that and there are actually com-

around the weatherization side, the clean energy side, the state energy programs had a lot to spend, but it came and went. We’ve been able to sustain this energy economy, a clean energy economy, even under harsh eco-nomic times. I would say that the Recovery Act helped – there was some stimulus e"ect of that; there was a bit of a lag e"ect, so there were people who were suspicious of it or questioning it – but if you look around the country, states that are doing it apart from the Recovery Act, if they have a serious intent on a clean-energy policy, you can see the impact on the job numbers. !ere’s great economic modeling from land grant universities across this country that demonstrate it.WHITMAN: I absolutely agree that the green energy economy has enormous potential at all di"erent levels, and one of those – and I know it’s not everybody’s idea of green energy – is nuclear. !ere are four new power plants – well, there are five, but one was previously licensed, so four totally new power plants – being built today in this country; two are in Georgia and two are in South Carolina. !ey [have] up to 3,000 workers full time during construction. Once they’re built, there’ll be 500-700 full-time permanent jobs there that pay about 35 per-cent more than a similar job in that area. It’s everything from sanitary engineers to nuclear engineers, mechanics and everybody. !ere are lots of potential jobs in that, and it’s the only form of base power that doesn’t release any regulated pollutants or greenhouse gases

munities that have come forward and have said, “We’ll take it,” but the real thing there is that you have between 95 and 97 percent fissionable material, unused energy, in those rods today. You can reduce that, as they have in France and Japan, through processing to 3 to 5 percent, so you’re dealing with a much smaller amount. Now, that’s highly enriched plutonium at that point, but they have fig-ured out how to – and I’m not a scientist, so I can’t tell you how – ensure that that can never be used for weapons. So we need to look at this, and we shouldn’t just say, “No way, no how;” we need to look at it as we look at the whole issue of climate change and clean air. RITTER: If you remember the president’s State of the Union in 2011, he was talking about reducing our emissions by 80 percent – or maybe having 80 percent of our energy be produced from clean energy, and he included natural gas and nuclear as a part of that – by 2035. Fukushima happened 10 days later. I think there’s a political problem. Southern California, with the San Onofre plant, is an example of where a plant has shut down. But I think you go back to this framework and you say, “Can you do it domestically? Does it create jobs? Can you solve environmental challenges and hold rate payers harmless, or at least protect them?” If in fact it fits within that construct, it could be – it should be – a part of a clean energy framework.DALTON: What grade would you give the Obama administration on clean energy and climate? RITTER: I’m actually doing all I can to help the president in a variety of ways around clean energy. I don’t like to give grades, actually, because I got graded as a governor [laughter] and I always thought it was pretty unfair, because circumstances mean a lot.

I think this president was handed the most serious economic situation since President Roosevelt. I sat with him when I was gov-ernor, and with the rest of the governors in the country. I think all 50 were there; that’s unusual to get that many together. He wasn’t president yet, but people there [were] telling him, “Here are the economic straits my state’s in. You have to do stimulus.” As an executive, you use up a lot of political capital doing something as significant as a stimulus pack-age in your first month in o$ce. He burned up a lot of political capital. He was bound and determined to pass health care; he spent the next year, really spending the rest of his



political capital passing health care. You can question whether or not that was

the right thing, but he’s made a lot of impor-tant strides; agency authority has been used in a pretty aggressive way. !ere have been a variety of things both at DOE and EPA, at the United States Department of Agriculture, where they’ve done important things in try-ing to advance this agenda, but there’s been an impasse in Congress, and that makes it di$cult to say, “!is president’s done really well,” or [“!is president has] done poorly,” because he hasn’t had a Congress that will work with him on it, and because they’ve tried to do a variety of things with execu-tive authority and some of that – in the last part of his term he did that without much political capital. WHITMAN: !ere have been stutter starts. It’s been the problem that he’s had in a lot of these issues overall; he’ll put out an idea of what he wants, but not an administration bill, and not a really specific framework to say, “!is is how I want you to approach this.” !at makes it very hard, particularly with as dysfunctional a Congress as we have, to get a lot done. Again, you will hear him say something and then you don’t hear anything more about it.

!e president’s got to lead. I agree. He’s used a lot of political capital. He did it right at the start with the stimulus but then par-ticularly with health care, and we can [agree] or disagree on whether that capital was worth using in the way that he did, but it’s been starting and stopping. With EPA, you’ll see [that] they’ll be told and pushed, and they’ll put out a reg, and then all of a sudden they’ll back o" it. You always get sued. Any regula-tion that EPA puts out, you get sued. !ere’s no question about that, but sometimes they don’t even wait for that. Now, part of that is, in fairness, a reaction to the Congress that won’t do anything, and they have – RITTER: In 2011, Congress took 191 votes

to erode the authority of the EPA. How many votes did you ever have to erode your authority in –WHITMAN: We had quite a few, but not like that. !ere’s no question about it, and Congress has just become a real roadblock to progress in this area. I wished we had seen more, though I will say they’ve put money – a good amount of money, now – into re-search and development in the Department of Energy on green technologies, on small modular reactors for nuclear. !ey’re taking these initiatives. DALTON: Jim Hansen from NASA has said that if we burn the oil in the Alberta tar sands, it’s game over for the climate. !at may happen, but it sounds like a suicidal mission. RITTER: I have a lot of respect for Jim Hansen, but I also know what it’s like to govern, and to be in a decision-making position where you’re trying to think about how to move this agenda forward, and what are the biggest things that need to be done. I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s game over, from my perspective. !ere are other people out there that say, “Look at all the fossil fuel reserves in the world; 80 percent of them have to stay in the ground for us to reduce global emissions – 80 percent by 2050. I think that may be another way to think about it, right? We can’t look at all of the world’s reserves and believe that over time we can expend those fully and still be able to reduce emissions at the level that we need to by 2050. What we need to do, again, is think about this from an emissions perspective, but I think so

much attention’s been paid to the Keystone pipeline that we’ve lost our focus on these other places that actually are dramatic – in my mind – things we need to do now in order to transform our energy sector. WHITMAN: In the best of all possible worlds, I don’t want to see it. I hate coal and tar. !e extraction is dirty; there’s no good way to do it. It’s bad, but I agree with the governor. It’s going to happen.

So if it’s going to happen, then you say, “All right. What’s the worst carbon footprint, or the least bad carbon footprint?” Probably bringing it to the United States through the Keystone pipeline, as long as that pipeline has been moved – as it has been, several times, to avoid some of the most environmentally sensitive areas – is probably the best we can do. It’s something that I don’t envy the presi-dent having to address at all, because it’s not the way we want to do it. I think we’ve got to start talking more and more about conserva-tion, and empowering people to figure out the ways that they can reduce their input. People tend to think about just themselves, and they say, “If I unplug my iPad after I’ve charged it, what big di"erence is that going to make?” You know what? If you do it, and your neighbor does it, and your son does it, and your uncle does it, all of a sudden you’re having an impact. It’s like water and watersheds. You’ve got to get people thinking about cumulative impact and the actions that we can take, individually, that actually will have some e"ect. !at’s another place where government can have a role.


“We’ve been able to sustain

this energy economy, a clean-

energy economy, even under

h a r s h e c o n o m i c t i m e s . ”–Ritter

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iNVESTIGATING

jESUS

A look at Jesus not as divine but as a historical man. Excerpted from “Zealot,” July 23, 2013.

REZA ASLAN Author, Zealot, No God But God and How to Win a Cosmic War; Editor, Tablet and Pen

ASLAN REZA

Photos by unknown/wikicommons; Vaghinak Petrosyan/flickr; midiman/flickr; Toby Hudson/wikicommons


the teachings that he espoused, the model of behavior that he set forth became the model that I based my life around. Ironically speak-ing I often say that I feel as though I’m a far more devoted follower of Jesus the man than I ever was, as a Christian, of Jesus the Christ.

What I wanted to do with this book was to, in a sense, share the gospel of Jesus of Nazareth, this man, with the same fervor that I used to share the gospel of Jesus the Christ as God. My hope with the book is to, essentially, show people that you can be a follower of Jesus without being a Christian. I do want to say something from the very beginning: !is book is by no means an attack on Christianity. On the contrary, my mother is a Christian, my wife is a Christian, my brother-in-law is an evangelical pastor. I have no interest in attacking anyone’s beliefs or ideas about Jesus.

I understand that there are billions of people in the world who believe that Jesus is God incarnate, God made flesh, and I have no problem with that belief. But the foun-dation of orthodox Christianity is that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Whatever else Jesus was, whether he was God, whether he was the messiah or whatever, he was also a human being. He lived in a specific time. His teachings, therefore, must be placed within the context of the world in which he lived. His words have to be understood as addressing the social ills that he confronted. His actions must be seen as a response to the political and religious leaders and forces that he confronted. Whatever else Jesus was, he was a product of the world in which he lived. Whether you think of Jesus as God or you think of him as a man, if you truly want to know who this individual was, you have to know the world that gave rise to him. !at’s what this book is about.

Question and answer session with Mi-chael G. Maudlin, senior vice president and executive editor, HarperOneMICHAEL MAUDLIN: I was fascinated by your treatment of what Jesus meant by calling himself “the son of man.” Can you explain that a little bit?ASLAN: Wow, you just want to jump right into it. !is is probably the most complex issue for biblical scholars to deal with, the phrase “son of man.” We don’t know exactly what this phrase meant. What we do know is that it was the primary term, the primary

When I was 15 years old I heard the gospel message for the first time. It was at an evangelical youth

camp that I went to one summer before my sophomore year. !is message that 2,000 years ago the God of the heavens and the Earth came down to Earth in the form of a baby and grew up to be this man who sacrificed himself for the sins of humanity and that those who believe in him can share in his eternal life was unlike anything that I had ever heard in my life.

I’d grown up a marginal Muslim from a family of exuberant atheists and lukewarm Muslims, and really when my family left Iran and came to the United States we more or less abandoned the religion of our homeland. I didn’t really grow up with any kind of reli-gious instruction, but I yearned for a spiritual connection. !is was the first time that I had been o"ered a path toward feeling as though I had some sense of communion with a God that I desperately wanted to know.

I spent the next few years traveling around preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ as I had learned it from my evangelical church. When I went to college I began to pursue the academic scholarship of New Testament studies. It was then that I noticed this widen-ing chasm between the Jesus of history, as I was studying him – this man who lived 2,000 years ago in the land that the Romans called Palestine – and the Christ of faith that I had learned about in church.

!at figure was a kind of detached celestial spirit with no interest in the things of this world. !e Jesus of history, however, lived in the most tumultuous era in the holy land, which is saying a lot if you think about it. [He] took on the greatest empire the world had ever known, on behalf of the weak, the poor, the marginalized, the dispossessed, the outcasts, and as a result of the movement that he launched, [he] was seized by Rome as a criminal of the state, tortured and executed, and he ultimately founded the largest religion in the history of the world. In a sense that person, that man beyond the interpretation of him as God made flesh which I had been taught about in church, became so much more real to me, so much more relatable than the Christ.

In a sense I stopped being a Christian, in that I no longer believed that Jesus was God, and became instead a follower of Jesus of Nazareth; the values that he preached,

Photo by Hilary Jones


figure out how Jesus viewed himself. I think that there’s a clue in the term that he used to describe himself, because he was describing himself in kingly terms. He was ascribing a title to him that was given, at least in his interpretation, to kings. MAUDLIN: I was also fascinated by the fact that him being crucified tells us a lot about what Jesus was intending. Can you go into that a little bit?ASLAN: It actually has to do with the son of man. MAUDLIN: I think it’s hard for us to get back there, because after 2,000 years of tradition we stop seeing it with fresh eyes. It’s through our religious eyes.ASLAN: Which is exactly the purpose of this book, to get past that tradition and to get to the Jesus who lived in this very specific time. What you have to understand about crucifixion is that it was a punishment that Rome reserved exclusively for crimes against the state, crimes like sedition or insurrec-tion or rebellion. In fact, crucifixion wasn’t exactly a capital punishment. It was often the case that Rome would kill you first and then crucify you.

!e purpose of crucifixion was to serve as a deterrent against subject peoples revolting against the state, which is why crucifixions were always done in public, in marketplaces, on hills, at crossroads; somewhere where it would be impossible not to see these crimi-nals hanging on the cross. What I’m arguing is that if you know nothing else about Jesus except that he was crucified, you know enough to understand who this person was because the only reason that you would be crucified under Roman imperium is if you were an insurrectionist, if you were a rebel.

Which means that everything that we know about Jesus, every word that he said, every action that he conducted has to be seen in light of this one incontrovertible fact. Jesus of Nazareth was arrested, tortured and executed as a state criminal for the crime of sedition. MAUDLIN: By the title Zealot you want to emphasize Jesus’ political ambitions as a revolutionary and perhaps kingly ambitions, but it doesn’t come out of the blue. You do a wonderful job in part one of the book of setting the context of why people were open to revolutionary thought. Can you set the scene of where Jesus came out of and why the idea that a political and religious

title that Jesus used to refer to himself. !ere were a number of titles, obviously, that were around in Jesus’ time and were ascribed to him; “messiah” is one of those titles. Some scholars would say that Jesus never declared himself to be the messiah, at least not in the way that we think of.

!e “son of God” is another title that was used with Jesus a lot. I think it’s important to understand that “son of God” in Jesus’ time was not a description, it was a title. Many, many people are called “son of God” in the Bible, none more often than King David, the greatest king. “Son of God” only much later on became understood as some sort of description of Jesus’ filial relationship to God, but it was never intended as such in Jesus’ time. Again, many scholars question whether Jesus would have ever called himself the son of God.

!ere is almost unanimous consensus among scholars that Jesus called himself “son of man,” but no one knows what this phrase actually meant. In the Hebrew Bible “the son of man” is used as synonymous with just man. It’s a term that in Hebrew and in Aramaic can just mean human being. If you say, “I am a son of man,” what you mean is I’m just a human being. I don’t think that’s how Jesus used it. He was using it not as a description or an idiom, he was using it as a distinct title. He was fashioning it in a wholey new way that would have been quite remarkable to his Jewish audience.

What I think most scholars agree upon is that Jesus’ use of the phrase “son of man” comes from its use by the prophet Daniel. Daniel talks about this vision that he has, this grand apocalyptic vision where in the midst of it he sees “one like the son of man” coming with the clouds from heaven. My argument in the book is that while the later rabbis of the first and second and third centuries understood Daniel’s vision of the son of man to describe a messianic figure, what is absolutely clear in Daniel is that he is describing a kingly figure. !e son of man that Daniel talks about is given rule over all the Earth, over all the kingdoms of the Earth. He is literally called king.

I use that argument amongst a lot of other arguments, to try to fashion how Jesus may have thought of himself. !is is the million-dollar question. We know how his followers viewed him; we know how his enemies viewed him. It’s almost impossible to


MAUDLIN: I don’t want to give you the impression that all I have to say is how great the book is, because I do have one –ASLAN: Go ahead. MAUDLIN: I wanted more about Jesus. Part two deals with some aspects of him, but you talk about him being a political figure and what his ambitions were to accomplish, what his punishment meant. As you show, there were a lot of revolutionary movements at the time – messiahs, revolutionary figures – but they all kind of disappear afterwards. Jesus obviously did not and had a number of followers that were motivated for whatever reason, however you’re going to explain it, to continue and turn into the world’s big-gest religion. I wish you would have spent a little more time on the teachings and the

parables and what was compelling about Jesus. Why was he di"erent than all those other figures at the time?ASLAN: First and foremost the problem with talking about the historical Jesus is that outside of the New Testament there is almost no trace of this person. !e New Testament is certainly a helpful document, but it’s not a historical document. The gospels, we have to understand, were not eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ actions. !ey are testimonies of faith written by commu-nities of faith who already believed that Jesus was God incarnate and then based on that belief began to write about him.

It means that there is a kernel of history that can be extracted from the gospels, but the gospels themselves are not very helpful as histories in and of themselves. MAUDLIN: !ere is a question [from the audience]. How do we know that Jesus even existed?ASLAN: Outside of the Bible we do have this one throwaway line written by a Jewish historian by the name Flavius Josephus in a

book called !e Antiquities that he wrote in the year 94 C.E. In this book he is describ-ing what happens after a Roman governor by the name of Festus all of a sudden dies.

!ere is a vacuum of power in Jerusalem while the Jews wait for the new Roman gov-ernor to arrive. In the midst of this vacuum of power Josephus describes this fiendish, young high priest named Aninis who decides that he is going to take advantage of a lack of Roman presence to take revenge on his enemies. He begins to sentence these enemies of his to death. One of those enemies is a man named James. !e way that Josephus refers to James is James, the brother of Jesus, the one they call messiah. !at’s it. By the way, the phrase “the one they call messiah” is obviously meant as a statement of derision. It’s a dismissive way the way that Josephus says it.

!e fact that in 94 C.E., about 60 years after Jesus died, this historian writing to a Roman audience, not talking about Jesus but talking about Jesus’ brother James, believes that Jesus is so well known that he will use Jesus as a way to get people to understand which James he’s talking about is enormously significant. It proves without a doubt that Jesus existed but more important that by the year 94 C.E. the movement that he had founded had become itself so permanent and so significant that Josephus assumes his audience is aware of it. MAUDLIN: You said at the beginning that you could be a follower of Jesus without be-ing a Christian. I don’t think what you mean is that you’re willing to take up arms against the current empire and foment revolution. What do you follow? ASLAN: Christians believe that Jesus went to the cross for the sins of humanity, which again is a perfectly valid viewpoint. What we know about the historical Jesus is that he went to the cross on behalf of the poor and the weak and the dispossessed; that he lived at time in which there was this massive divide between the absurdly rich – those that had managed to connect their fates with the Roman Empire – and the absurdly poor, Jesus’ followers, his friends and neighbors, he himself.

!e fact that this man took on not just the Roman empire, but the priestly aristocracy, who, in his teachings about the Kingdom of God and what his parables about those teach-ings mean, and the world that he envisioned when talking about the Kingdom of God, a

frame of a political movement made sense at that time? ASLAN: First of all, let’s remember that this is an era in which there is no division between religion and politics. They are one and the same. I think a lot of times people think, Oh, you’re thinking of Jesus as a political figure. !ere is no di"erence between a religious and a political figure in first-century Palestine.

But you’re right; this was an era that was awash in apocalyptic expectation. First century Palestine was a time in which there was a brutal military occupation by Rome of the Holy Land. !is concept of zealotry was a widespread biblical principle that many, many Jews adhered to. Most Jews in Jesus’ time would have proudly referred to them-selves as zealous for the Lord.

Zealotry meant walking in the footsteps of the great heroes and prophets and kings of the Hebrew Bible who were all described as zealous for the Lord. Zeal meant some-thing very specific in Jesus’ time. It meant an uncompromising devotion to the Torah, a refusal to serve any human master at all, building your entire life on the principle of the sole sovereignty of God and a devotion to cleansing the land that God set aside for his chosen people of all its heathen and pa-gan influences, in particular of the Roman abomination that controlled this land.

Again, the majority of Jews in Jesus’ time would have proudly called themselves zealots, but there were some Jews that took zealotry to its extremes and used it as a means of taking up arms against the Roman occupation. We have the names of a lot of these Jews. A lot of them referred to themselves as messiahs in their actions against Rome.

!e argument that I’m making in the book is that that conception of zealotry was a sentiment that Jesus himself shared. !ough he himself, insofar as the evidence that we have [shows], never espoused violence against Rome, never had his followers take up arms against Rome as though they were in the midst of a battle, though his views on violence were far more complex than I think a lot of modern Christians think, he was by no means a simple pacifist. Nevertheless, the core ideal of zealotry, a firm commitment to the sole sovereignty of God and a devotion to removing the yoke of occupation from the neck of the Jews, is deeply embedded in Jesus’ teachings and actions.

“[Jesus’] era was awash in

apocalyptic expectation. This

concept of zealotry was a

widespread biblical principle

t h a t m a n y a d h e r e d t o . ”


Jews instead put the guilt upon their heads.With all due respect, this is the most ab-

surd story that you could ever imagine. We know who Pontius Pilate was. He was a cruel, hard, bloodthirsty, brutal governor who on a regular basis sent his troops on the streets of Jerusalem to slaughter the Jews when they disagreed with even the slightest of his deci-sions. !e idea that yet another Jewish rabble rouser would even have an audience with Pilate, let alone have Pilate spend a moment of his time thinking about his fate, is di$cult to reconcile with the history that we know of.

There are other tricks that we use. If a story exists in all four gospels it’s more likely true. If a story is embarrassing to the Christians – for instance, in all four gospels the primary witnesses to the empty tomb are women, that’s embarrassing for the gospels to say. We think Jesus’ ethno-nationalism, this constant refrain of Jesus that he was sent solely to the lost sheep of Israel, the only people that he cares about, that [would have been] an embarrassing thing for the early church that was trying to promulgate this movement to non-Jews, to have Jesus say; it’s probably historical.

quest for the historical Jesus and all these great scholars that have put forth a sort of historical analysis of the New Testament.

!ere are a number of steps. !e first is the most important step. We may not know a lot about Jesus but we know almost ev-erything about the world in which he lived, thanks to the Romans, who happen to be very good at documentation. We know how much a bushel of wheat cost during Jesus’ time. First-century Palestine is an era that was very well recorded and chronicled. What we do then is take the claims of the gospels and put them in the light of the history that we know about the world in which Jesus lived. If those claims seem wanting then we count them as very likely unhistorical.

I’ll give you an example of that. For instance, the great trial before Pilate. [!is is] a quintessential moment in !e Passion narrative when Jesus stands before Pilate, and the Roman governor tries everything that he can in his power to release this Jew that he is convinced is innocent, but he is just forced, compelled by the Jews to put this man to death. In the end Jesus himself finally absolves Pilate of the guilt and the

world in which the poor and the weak and the dispossessed trade places with the rich and the powerful. !at “trade places” is very important. !e great words of the beatitudes, that the meek shall inherit the earth and the hungry shall be fed, people always forget the rest of the beatitudes which is the woes; that the well-fed shall be hungry, the powerful will be made weak, the rich will be made poor. Jesus is not talking about some utopian fantasy. He is talking about a reversal of the social order where the rich become poor and the poor become rich. !at was a profoundly appealing notion to the Jews of Palestine. At the same time it was an incredibly dangerous threat to the powers that be. MAUDLIN: As you’re looking through the gospel and the New Testament text and figuring out which comes from the histori-cal Jesus and which was added on to, how do you not descend into pick-and-choose-what-you-like?ASLAN: !is is a very important question. It’s one that scholars have tackled for a long time. !e paradigm for a historical analysis of the gospels was set way back in the 19th cen-tury, all the way back with Albert Sweitzer’s

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It’s wonderful to see the Bay Ar-ea’s economy prospering again. Employment is up, the housing

market is competitive. Highway commute routes and public transit are full; restaurants are teeming. !e stock market bulls are pawing and snorting as the Dow breaks 15,000, a thousand points up from its pre-recession high.

People are walking with a spring in their steps again, in contrast to the palpable gloom and the downward-hanging heads one saw

during the depths of the recession. On CalTrain, where I often ride, my fellow passengers’ conversations are once again of schemes and projects – this new technology, that company acquiring a competi-tor, the benefits for workers of hopping from company to company, a new tech incubator in San Jose, ground-breaking neurophysi-ological research at UCSF. In San Francisco, people are launching new businesses and all over the region the shutters are coming o" retail spaces as new enterprises fill them up again. Folks are traveling, taking vacations. It’s a relief to see the economy rise again, and the consequent lift in people’s moods and confidence.

And yet, after living most of my life in the Bay Area and managing an organization through several booms and busts over the past two decades, I am wary. I have seen the dramatic upswings in our economy give way all too quickly to the opposite extreme of recession. Over the past two decades in California, we’ve had a dramatic energy crisis, the dot-com boom and bust, the state budget roller-coaster, employment expansion and shrinkage beyond the national aver-age, the mad increase in housing prices and subsequent depression, and so on.

Now when I get the Zillow.com emails notifying me that the value of my modest property in San Francisco has escalated by tens of thousands of dollars in a month, hundreds of thousands of dollars over a couple of years, I begin to worry. Are we in bubble territory again, in housing, employment and spending? Have we learned the lessons of the most profound economic downturn since the Great Depression? Or are we speeding once again toward an economic cli"?

Part of the answer to this question is structural. How much has changed in the financial and regulatory environment that would

prevent another dramatic downturn such as the one that began in 2008? !e answer to this question is, not that much. And the recession has also led to starving some of the sources of our prosper-ity, such as education and infrastructure investment, which makes long-term growth tricky.

!is means that, as has always been the case, the individual citizen, business owner or worker needs to protect him- or herself against a possible economic downturn. Caveat emptor.

Among the questions a prudent citizen must ask when surveying the current surge of economic growth is, How much of the growth and innovation is real? What is its staying power to continue creat-ing jobs and prosperity in the region? Where are the hidden weak-nesses and downsides in our economy that may lead to trouble, as the housing bust was the tectonic shift that weakened the entire economy during this past recession?

Here are some factors one might look for to help make choices about where to invest, whom to partner with and where to work, to protect against negative personal consequences in a possible economic retrenchment. Look for institutions with solid business models and leadership with a strong history of ability to navigate economic ups and downs. A company that exemplifies both is

Adobe Systems. Adobe was founded on a solid technical base, has managed its product lines and growth prudently, its co-founders are still involved in guiding the company after 30 years – as co-chairs of the Board - and it treats its workers well.

If there is no clear business model, if the business is insu$ciently capitalized, or if leadership seems capricious, unethical or unsteady, be cautious.

Personally, be wary of debt. Keep a large reserve of savings. Limit consumer spend-ing to what you can a"ord. Have a balanced

approached to your personal economy. Two-paycheck families always do better than those with only one source of income. Have something going on the side that contributes to your personal economics – investments, real estate, even growing your own food or crafting something that can be sold. Diversification is the key.

We of the Bay Area have always been people comfortable with risk. Starting with the gold seekers of 1849, right up to the technology pioneers of the 1980s and forward, we exemplify the unique educational, temperamental and financial stew that drives the economy forward through innovation. While that kind of risk-taking is functional for our society over the long term, citizens in general must do more to ensure their ability to survive the inevi-table downturns that will always follow the booms in our terrific regional economy.

Photo courtesy of Gloria Duffy

Bubble Bubble, Toil and Trouble

INSIGHT DR. GLORIA C. DUFFY PRESIDENT & CEO

“Citizens in general must do

more to ensure their ability

to sur vive the inevitable

d o w n t u r n s t h a t w i l l

always follow the booms.”

CST: 2096889-40

Join Tunisian author, journalist and cultural historian Hatem Bourial on

a unique tour of the country’s vast historical sites and Mediterranean

culture, with a particular focus on what has transpired since the country’s

revolution in January 2011. Come see why many political experts believe

that Tunisia will serve as a model for democracy movements in the region.

Detailed brochure available at : commonwealthclub.org/travel

U Meet political activists, media, students and leaders of Tunisia’s vibrant civil society.

U Visit Tunis, the capital city, with its elaborate medina and ville nouvelle

and discover the picturesque Andalusian town of Sidi Bou Said.

U Experience ancient Carthage (including the tophets, the port, Antonine’s

baths and Byrsa Hill) and the Bardo Museum’s world-class collection

of mosaics.

U Tour Dougga, known as the city of temples and dating back to the 4th

century B.C.

U Explore El Jem, with its amphitheater similar to Rome’s coliseum.

U See Kairouan’s Great Mosque, dating from the 7th century and reputed

to be the oldest mosque in Africa.

U Experience the Matmata region, where crater-like topography is dotted

with troglodyte dwellings.

U Relax in the seaside resort of Jerba and learn about an ancient

Jewish community.

U Throughout, stay in charming accommodations and enjoy meals in

private homes and top restaurants.

Exploring TunisiaAncient Sites, Rich History & a Modern Democracy Movement

April 24–May 4, 2014

Photos: isawnyu/flickr; Alex Cardeno; Jerry Sorkin; Cezary p/wikicommons; David Bjorgen/wikicommons

Cost: $4,195 per person, double occupancy; $650 single room supplement

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

The Commonwealth Club of California595 Market Street, 2nd FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105

Robert Reich

Richard DawkinsEvolutionary Biologist; Author, The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion, and An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist

for event details, see page 48



Time magazine named Reich one of the 10 most e"ective Cabinet secretaries of the 20th century. He is a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause. Come hear his provocative thoughts on the future of the U.S. economy.

Photo by Michael Collopy

Dawkins has been central to the debates surrounding creationism, intelligent design and religion. From his early childhood in Africa to his educational awakening at Oxford, Dawkins shares his personal experiences that shaped his remarkable life and intellectual development.

Underwritten by !e Bernard Osher Foundation

Wednesday, November 20

Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley; Former Secretary of Labor

Purchase event tickets at

commonwealthclub.org

or call (415) 597-6705

or (800) 847-7730

To subscribe to our free weekly

events email newsletter, go to

commonwealthclub.org and click on

“MY CLUB ACCOUNT” in the menu at

the bottom of the page.

PROGRAMS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS

Janet Napolitano


As of September 30th, Napolitano is the 20th president of the University of California. She will lead a university system with 10 campuses, three a$liated national laboratories, and a statewide agriculture program. In one of her first public appearances in this new position, President Napolitano will outline her vision for the UC system.

Underwritten by the Charles Travers Family

Photo by Bill Koplitz

President, University of California; Former Secretary of Homeland Security

Howard G. &Howard W. Buffett

Howard G. Philanthropist; Co-author, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry WorldHoward W. Executive Director, Howard G. Buffett Foundation; Co-author, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World

Join us as we sit down with the Bu"etts to discuss their endeavors thus far, the book detailing their journey, and how we too can perceptively use our 40 chances to achieve our goals and accomplish “something great in this world.”

Wednesday, November 6

Wednesday, October 30Wednesday, October 9

the commonwealth october/november 2013

Documents