The Commonwealth August/September 2014

RICK PERRY page 10

RON PAUL page 14

ED LU page 38

RUTH REICHL page 42

GLORIA DUFFY page 50

Commonwealth The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

$5.00; free for members | commonwealthclub.org

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014

AUGUST 2014 The LGBT Journey Seldom does social change happen so quickly. From the Mattachine Society to Harvey Milk to federal marriage equality and beyond, the LGBT journey has built upon the lessons of previous civil rights efforts, moving with particular speed in the past couple years. But the journey isn’t quite over. This August, the Commonwealth Club shows how this happened, what it means today, and where it’s headed — all in a month of special programming exploring the new social and political reality for LGBT citizens. For more information on programs in this series, visit: commonwealthclub.org “LGBT Art – Our Common Wealth” Ongoing Art Exhibition from July 21 – Sep 18

The Quest for an HIV/AIDS Vaccine Thu, Aug 7 • 6 p.m.

Gay Conversion Therapy Mon, July 28 • 5:15 p.m.

What Is the Arts Mainstream?

Fri, Aug 8 • 12 p.m.

“LGBT Art – Our Common Wealth” Exhibition Reception and Walk-Through Tue, July 29 • 5 –7:30 p.m.

The Men’s Story Project Mon, Aug 11 • 6 p.m.

Ambassador Hormel: From Ignorance to Acceptance How the LGBTQ Movement Has Evolved in a Lifetime Mon, Aug 4 • 6 p.m.

The NBA’s Jason Collins: Pro Sports’ First Out Athlete Mon, Aug 11 • 6:30 p.m.

The San Francisco LGBT Struggle for Freedom Revisited: Catholic Power and the Right to the City Mon, Aug 25 • 6 p.m.

Marriage, the Movement and More – A Political & Legal Understanding of What LGBT Families are Facing Mon, Aug 25 • 6 p.m.

How Did Marriage Equality Go Mainstream: Evolution or Revolution?

Tue, Aug 26 • 6 p.m.

Long Journey to Stonewall: An Illustrated History Tue, Aug 12 • 6 p.m.

Up Close With Comedian Marga Gomez Wed, Aug 27 • 12 p.m.

Closing the Gap: Crucial Transgender Issues Today Wed, Aug 13 • 6 p.m.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: Deviance, Justice & Art Wed, Aug 27 • 6 p.m.

When Gay Isn’t Global: How Organizations Remain LBGT-friendly Where a Nation Isn’t?

Tue, Aug 5 • 6 p.m.

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants: Authentic LGBT Marketing Success Fri, Aug 15 • 12 p.m.

Harnessing the Power of the LGBT Marketplace & Social Capital to Drive Positive Social Change Thur, Aug 28 • 6 p.m.

LGBT Retirement Living: A Panel Discussion about Exclusive vs.

Inclusive Communities Wed, Aug 6 • 5:15 p.m.

Gregory M. Herek: Beyond “Homophobia” – Thinking More Clearly About Sexual Stigma and Prejudice Mon, Aug 18 • 6 p.m.

Trans in the Tenderloin: A Story of Community Resilience Tue, Aug 5 • 5:15 p.m.

Hollywood and the LGBT Journey Fri, Aug 29 • 12 p.m.

The Big Book of In-Your-Face Gay Etiquette Thur, Aug 21 • 6 p.m.

Generously sponsored by:

INSIDE The Commonwealth VO LU M E 108, N O . 05 | AU G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2014

8 Photo by Russell Edwards

FEATURES 8 DAVID BOIES &

14 Photo by Rikki Ward

38 Photo by Ed Ritger

DEPARTMENTS 5 EDITOR’S DESK Remembering Bill Adams

6 THE COMMONS Club travelers take a trip down the Rhine, the Club celebrates its groundbreaking

7 LETTERS 50 INSIGHT

14 RON PAUL

THEODORE OLSON THE CASE FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

LIBERTY DEFINED

Democrat Boies and Republican Olson battled in court on opposite sides of the Bush v. Gore case that propelled George W. Bush into the White House. Later, they joined forces in a successful attempt to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn California’s Prop 8

10 RICK PERRY

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN AMERICA

Texas Governor Perry argues that California’s economy would be stronger if it was more like Texas, especially when it comes to energy policy. He also discusses controversial social issues

The former presidential candidate makes the case for more freedom, less government and more freedom from government

38 ED LU

PROTECTING EARTH FROM ASTEROIDS

The former astronaut now devotes his time on Earth to identifying threats hurtling toward us from outer space

42 RUTH REICHL

FROM NONFICTION TO FICTION

Famed food writer Reichl takes a turn at penning a novel, and she recalls the question she dreads the most Photo by Russell Edwards

10

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy, President and CEO

EVENTS 16 PROGRAM INFORMATION 17 TWO MONTH CALENDAR 19 PROGRAM LISTINGS Events from July 24 to October 3

24 LANGUAGE CLASSES About Our Cover: Exactly one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark rulings on DOMA and Prop 8, the bipartisan legal team that argued the marriage equality case before the court explains their case. Design and photo by Tyler Swofford.

“I wish the president of the United States would stop blocking the Keystone Pipeline so that we could create the 40,000 jobs that that would entail. See, the president says that he is for the development of our energy resources on this continent; he just opposes drilling it, permitting it and transporting it.” – Rick Perry J U N E/J U LY 2013

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

3

PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL & COSTA RICA FEBRUARY 26 – MARCH 6, 2015

Cruise for seven nights from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, to Colón, Panama, aboard the exclusively chartered, Five-Star m.v. Tere Moana, featuring 45 deluxe staterooms all with ocean-view.

• Spend one night in a deluxe hotel in San José, Costa Rica.

• Explore the terrestrial wonders of Costa Rica’s National Parks and Osa Peninsula.

• Discover Panama City and its Casco Antiguo (old quarter), a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Experience Isla Coiba, home to UNESCO World Heritage-designated Coiba National Park, and snorkel at Granito de Oro.

•

Transit the awe-inspiring Panama Canal, where mighty locks raise and lower ships 85 feet using no other power than the force of gravity.

• Visit the San Blas Islands, where the indigenous Guna people have maintained their traditional lifestyle for centuries.

• Enjoy lectures by expert on board study leaders.

• Extend your stay with the Costa Rica’s Cloud Forests and Volcanoes Pre-Program Option and Panama Post-Program Option.

From $4,195 per person, based on double occupancy, depending on cabin category.

Includes all shipboard gratuities, educational lectures and tours, complimentary alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

Commonwealth Club Travel CST: 2096889-40

Detailed brochure available at: commonwealthclub.org/travel Contact: (415) 597-6720 • travel@commonwealthclub.org provided

by MIR Corporation Photos: Geoff Gallice/flickr; Roger Wollstadt/flickr; Photos: Gohagan; Yves Picq/wikicommons

EDITOR’S DESK

J O H N Z I P PE R E R V P, M E D I A & E D I TO R I A L

Neil deGrasse Tyson: SO LONG, PLUTO pg 10

ABE LINCOLN’S ENDURING ORATORY

COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER & YOU

pg 16

pg 20

Dr. Gloria Duffy on BAD NEWS BEARS pg 50

T. Boone Pickens: MAN WITH A PLAN pg 10

BAD IDEAS THAT DON’T DISAPPEAR pg 15

THE WORLD’S VIEW OF OBAMA’S AMERICA pg 22

Dr. Gloria Duffy on LIFE WITH BERT pg 50

Arianna Huffington: MIDDLE-CLASS WOE pg 10

Arthur Brooks: AMERICA’S CHOICE pg 17

Reza Aslan: MUSLIM CULTURE pg 20

Dr. Gloria Duffy on WIKILEAKING pg 62

Commonwealth Commonwealth Commonwealth The

The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

APRIL 2009

Thomas Frank & Frank Luntz

commonwealthclub.org

Nancy Pelosi on Power – Personal and Public

commonwealthclub.blogspot.com

Firoozeh Dumas: THE HUMAN SIDE pg 19

SUPER COOL OR SUPERFREAKS? pg 54

Dr. Gloria Duffy: Yes You Can pg 58

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

Repairing the Economy

SPEAKING OF THE HOUSE

Rick Steves’ Iranian Journey

pgs 8 & 9

JUNE 2009

Timothy Geithner

Seeing Through the Slogans commonwealthclub.org commonwealthclub.blogspot.com

The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

Israel’s 60th • Unhealth • Zero Nukes • Republic Virtues • Event Listings • Dr. Gloria Duffy: The Economy

$2.50; free for members commonwealthclub.org

INSIDE: GM CEO Rick Wagoner, Alfred Regnery, Firoozeh Dumas, Daniel Libeskind & More

Commonwealth Commonwealth Commonwealth The

The

The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

AUGUST 2008

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2010

HELP FOR THE ECONOMY

Captain Sully The Hudson Hero Speaks commonwealthclub.org

MARCH 2009

Capitalism in Crisis Robert Reich Reports

commonwealthclub.org

Fareed Zakaria Thriving in the Post-American World

commonwealthclub.org

Photos by (left) Drew Altizer; (past covers) Bill Adams

Laughing with Bill Adams

I

don’t remember the first time I met Bill Adams, but Club President and CEO Gloria Duffy does. As The Commonwealth Club was heading toward its centennial season of 2003, Bill contacted her, said “I think one of my ancestors had something to do with the founding of The Commonwealth Club,” and offered to become involved.

One of his ancestors did indeed have something to do with founding the Club; in 1903, San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer Edward F. Adams and a few other local notables created an organization that would seek to bring together people of different backgrounds and different views but a shared commitment to finding solutions to our common issues. A century later, his descendant Bill Adams made many of his own contributions. A successful attorney, Bill joined our Board of Governors, provided his legal guidance, and – this is how I got to know him best – indulged his love of photography at Club events.

You can see many of his photos online at pbase.com/bill_adams.

You’ll find nature photos, pictures of trips to Russia, Club speakers and much more. Above are just a handful of this magazine’s covers featuring his work. The last speaker he photographed for us was a musical hero of his; he traveled to San Jose for our event with singer Linda Ronstadt in January 2014.

Today, most of our photographers send us their photos via Dropbox or Google Drive. Bill didn’t do that. Instead, he delivered his photos on a CD the next time he visited our office, and that invariably FOLLOW US ONLINE

facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub

resulted in a long conversation about the event he’d photographed; the conversation would quickly expand to include politics, history (he had great stories about writing a major technology policy speech for Richard Nixon just days before the president resigned), and more.

I hope my boss, that same Gloria Duffy, doesn’t read this, because I have to share one of the treats of being around Bill Adams. I often sat next to or near him in Board and committee meetings, and he was a source of nearly nonstop humorous comments; it was a little like sitting in the back of church or the classroom with a good-natured, wisecracking kid.

There was a kid’s enthusiasm evident in him. I never saw him mean-spirited. I never even saw him frown. As you can see from the photo of him above right (dressed as Edward F. Adams at our centennial celebration to read his grandfather’s article announcing the Club’s founding) and above left from our recent annual dinner, he liked to smile and help the people around him have a good time.

For someone to leave behind such a long legacy of friends and family is rare, but in May that is what happened when our friend Bill Adams passed away suddenly, at the very too-early age of 63. It was particularly shocking because we had all watched and rooted for him in his successful battle with stage III melanoma, only to lose him to a heart attack.

Bill, you left behind many people who are grateful for having known you. Rest in peace.

twitter.com/cwclub

commonwealthclub.org/blog

commonwealthclub.org

BUSINESS OFFICES The Commonwealth, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 | feedback@commonwealthclub.org VP, MEDIA & EDITORIAL John Zipperer | SENIOR EDITOR Sonya Abrams | DESIGNER Tyler R. Swofford STAFF EDITORS Amelia Cass, Ellen Cohan | INTERNS Zoë Byrne, Laura Nguyen | PHOTOGRAPHERS Russell Edwards, Ed Ritger, Rikki Ward ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Tara Crain, Development Manager, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships, (415) 869-5919, tcrain@commonwealthclub.org The Commonwealth ISSN 00103349 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 © 2014 The Commonwealth Club of California. Tel: (415) 597-6700 Fax: (415) 597-6729 E-mail: feedback@commonwealthclub.org | 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/media, podcasts on Apple iTunes, or contact Club offices to buy a compact disc.

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

5

COMMONS THE

Talk of the Club

Breaking Ground on 110 The Embarcadero

THE TICKER

After 111 years, the Club gets started building our new home

Updates and check-ins

O

Photos by Rikki Ward

S

an Francisco’s bayfront Embarcadero has come a long way in the past couple decades. What was once hidden under an unloved two-level highway has blossomed into a prime location for housing, restaurants, shops, parks, and soon The Commonwealth Club.

On June 11, 2014, Club volunteers, supporters, and dignitaries gathered at 110 The Embarcadero for the groundbreaking ceremony for what will become the Club’s first-

ever owned home.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee greeted the crowd and stressed the importance of the Club to the city’s civic life and education. (The mayor’s office also posted a video of the ceremony, which can be viewed at commonwealthclub.org/ newhome.) Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz (shown speaking with Mayor Lee in the photo above) assured the attendees that ”this is an important moment in

Mountain Top Rhine River tour

M

aybe it was the thin air in the Alps, but the Commonwealth Club travelers pictured here seemed to be having trouble locating Switzerland’s famed Matterhorn peak, one of the largest in the Alps.

Eventually they found it in the scenery behind them. Check out all of the upcoming trips in the travel catalog in the center of this issue.

6

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

the history of democracy, because it provides for The Commonwealth Club a new home. It’s going to be a wonderful place.”

Instead of the traditional shovelling of dirt, the Club’s groundbreaking drew on the famous gavel used at the beginning and end of its programs. Led by Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy (above, left), Club leaders used a giant gavel to ring in this new stage of the storied life of The Commonwealth Club.

ne-track minds: The next time you fly Virgin America, you will have the opportunity to relax with a Club program in the comfort of your seat.

The Club has partnered with the airline to include several Club podcasts on flights over the course of this year; they are accessed through each seat’s entertainment screen (see photo above). The first program to appear on Virgin America was our recent program with Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Sandberg.

Book Club: The Commonwealth Club was joined by book retailer Barnes & Noble this year to highlight winners of the 83rd Annual California Book Awards. The retailer included in-store displays of the winning books and offered discounts for their purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Club.

Most popular podcasts: Carrie SchwabPomerantz (4/23); Dan Richard (4/15); Week to Week (5/19); and Biz Stone (4/7).

Letters

Email: feedback@commonwealthclub.org

Speaker Views

T

hanks for inviting Ron Paul to The Commonwealth Club! I don’t agree with most of his political views, but it was very refreshing to hear a conservative/libertarian voice, especially because KQED programming is so biased to the left. I’m a life-long liberal Democrat, but strongly believe that there should be an open forum for differing opinions. That doesn’t happen often enough in the Bay Area.

Robert Gable Berkeley, CA

Y

our speakers usually interest me. Unfortunately, the recent speaker, Governor Rick Perry, did not. He did not make it as a presidential contender and that for good reason.

The Commonwealth Club is supposedly “nonpartisan,” yet you present someone who is as partisan as it gets. Gov. Perry has more than enough of an audience in his gun-slinging Texas. I hope others contacted you as well about this poor choice. The topics he raved about were all anti-Obama, i.e, Keystone Pipeline and more he does not understand.

A Radio Listener Spokene, WA The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonpartisan organization that does not endorse the views of its speakers. As a public forum, it is our role to present the views of speakers from a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints.

A Promise Kept

I

so appreciate Dr. Gloria Duffy’s words [InSight, “A Promise Kept, The Commonwealth, April/May 2014]. To lay out the facts so precisely was very insightful indeed.

Cheryl Kunkel via email

Meanwhile on Twitter Matt Bochneak: Last week learned about thinking outside the hotdog box, and this about drinking nerdery with @Amy_ Stewart on @cwclub... what a cool show.

Kammy Caruss: Completely fascinating.

We talked about Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Russia economy, Ukraine, climate change, UK pulling out of EU, drones @cwclub.

Farhad Manjoo: I’m going to the Commonwealth Club now. I hope they let me use the gavel.

Meet Us Online!

The Commonwealth Club has many ways for you to engage with Club programs, other members and more:

Facebook facebook.com/thecommon wealthclub

Twitter twitter.com/cwclub

YouTube youtube.com/common wealthclub

Commonwealth Club TV commonwealthclub.org/tv

Digital Commonwealth magazine issuu.com/thecommon wealth

Fora.tv fora.tv/commonwealth club

Our online base

commonwealthclub.org

Free iPhone app

commonwealthclub.org/ app2014

LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB CLUB OFFICERS Board Chair Anna W.M. Mok Vice Chair John R. Farmer Secretary William F. Adams deceased (1950–2014) Treasurer Lee J. Dutra President & CEO Dr. Gloria C. Duffy BOARD OF GOVERNORS Dan Ashley Massey J. Bambara Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman** John L. Boland Michael R. Bracco Thomas H. Burkhart Helen A. Burt Maryles Casto** Mary B. Cranston** Susie Cranston Dr. Kerry P. Curtis Dr. Jaleh Daie Alecia DeCoudreaux Dorian Daley Evelyn S. Dilsaver Joseph I. Epstein* Jeffrey A. Farber Carol A. Fleming, Ph.D. Leslie Saul Garvin Dr. Charles Geschke Paul M. Ginsburg Edie G. Heilman Hon. James C. Hormel Mary Huss John Leckrone Dr. Mary Marcy Frank C. Meerkamp Kevin P. O’Brien Rev. Stephen A. Privett, S.J. Dr. Mohammad H. Qayoumi Frederick W. Reid Skip Rhodes* Brian D. Riley Richard A. Rubin George M. Scalise Lata Krishnan Shah Dr. Ruth Shapiro Charlotte Mailliard Shultz George D. Smith, Jr. James Strother Hon. Tad Taube Charles Travers Dr. Colleen B. Wilcox Russell M. Yarrow Jed York * Past President ** Past Chair

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

ADVISORY BOARD Karin Helene Bauer Hon. William Bradley Dennise M. Carter Rolando Esteverena Steven Falk Amy Gershoni Jacquelyn Hadley Heather Kitchen Amy McCombs Don J. McGrath Hon. William J. Perry Hon. Barbara Pivnicka Hon. Richard Pivnicka Ray Taliaferro Nancy Thompson PAST BOARD CHAIRS & PRESIDENTS Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman (Past Chair) Hon. Shirley Temple Black (Past President) deceased (1928-2014) J. Dennis Bonney (Past President) John Busterud (Past President) Maryles Casto (Past Chair) Hon. Ming Chin (Past President) Mary B. Cranston (Past Chair) Joseph I. Epstein (Past President) Dr. Joseph R. Fink (Past President) William German (Past President) Rose Guilbault (Past Chair) Claude B. Hutchison Jr. (Past President) Dr. Julius Krevans (Past President) Richard Otter (Past President) Joseph Perrelli (Past President) Toni Rembe (Past President) Victor J. Revenko (Past President) Skip Rhodes (Past President) Renée Rubin (Past President) Robert Saldich (Past Chair) Connie Shapiro (Past President) Nelson Weller (Past President) Judith Wilbur (Past President) Dennis Wu (Past President)

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

7

The bipartisan legal team that convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down Prop 8 explains how and why they did it. Excerpted from “The Case for Marriage Equality,” June 26, 2014.

DAVID BOIES

In conversation with

Chairman, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP; Co-author, Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality

Lt. Governor, California – Moderator

THEODORE B. OLSON

GEORGE TAKEI

GAVIN NEWSOM

Introduction by

Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Co-author, Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality

Actor; Activist

GEORGE TAKEI: California, Hawaii, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Jersey: these and 12 other states now have marriage equality. Sixteen countries have laws that allow same-sex marriage or domestic partnerships.

In this country, a number of states are now awaiting appellate court judgments yet to come. There is indeed change afoot in the political and social climate of this country.

Tonight, I’m so proud to introduce the two attorneys who joined forces to win a Supreme Court decision that has indeed altered the American landscape forever. They have also written the new book, Redeeming the Dream, about that landmark decision and the future of marriage equality in the United States. David Boies and Ted Olson have been called America’s legal odd couple.

David Boies • Theodore B. Olson

The Case for

8

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GIS T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Their pairing is certainly the most unlikely in civil rights history. David Boies, a Democrat, Ted Olson, a Republican, vigorously faced each other in the Bush v. Gore case in 2000, and later came together because they decided that human rights were more important than partisanship. Both gentlemen have made Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people. Both are highly regarded litigators.

Tonight they will be in conversation with another individual who doesn’t sample the political climate before taking a principled stand. Gavin Newsom is California’s 49th lieutenant governor and the former twiceelected mayor of San Francisco. In 2004, after only 36 days as mayor, Mr. Newsom gained worldwide attention by granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Those

marriages were later annulled by the California Supreme Court, paving the way for Proposition 8’s adoption by voters in 2008, and its defeat before the highest court in the land exactly one year ago today. Welcome to 2014! Now please welcome David Boies, Ted Olson and Gavin Newsom.

GAVIN NEWSOM: Everyone talks quite lovingly about this relationship, this notion of an odd couple. But, seriously, after Bush v. Gore, there was no way you guys were just hanging out at the golf course a year or two later. How did it come about that you started to repair [the relationship], if not between the two of you, then between your friends and allies and supporters that, I imagine, had some deep-seated animus and had developed a lot of resentment around that case on both sides? How did you begin to repair

that relationship and create the conditions where you were in a position, Ted, to make that phone call to David to include him in that process?

THEODORE OLSON: We were opponents, but not enemies. I watched David work in his representation of Vice President Al Gore and the team that he led. I have great admiration for what they did, how they did it and who they were representing. We engaged with one another because we often had to make speeches and appear on television and explain our clients’ points of view. These were contentious times. Of course it was a very, very intense five-week period, and it extended beyond that because it tore the country up a little bit. I figure it was among the three most contentious presidential elections in history.

Continued on page 45

Left to right: Gavin Newsom, Theodore B. Olson, David Boies, former Club Board Chair Mary Cranston, and George Takei; photo by Russell Edwards

with

Gavin Newsom • George Takei

Marriage Equality

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

9

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN AMERICA

The Texas governor discusses his state’s approach to energy abundance and economic growth. Excerpted from “Energy Independence in America,” June 11, 2014.

RICK PERRY Governor, Texas In conversation with

GREG DALTON

Founder and Host, Climate One, The Commonwealth Club – Moderator 10

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Y

RICK PERRY

ou all have some beautiful weather. A Texan should come here in August often. I love your climate and I love the creative culture of the city, this area for that matter – Silicon Valley and the innovative technology that we see coming out of that part of our country. Texas actively competes with California for technology jobs, but we also compete in practically every sector of the economy, and I happen to think that that competition is really healthy. I think it is. When you get down to it, America needs both California and Texas to be incredibly competitive, incredibly successful.

We need that to pull us out of this economy. As a matter of fact, this is the slowest [recovery] we have had in 75 years, and we

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Photo by Russell Edwards

need California and we need Texas to both be leading the charge. We together, these two states, represent some 20 percent of the nation’s population and over 70 percent of our nation’s border with Mexico. What happens in Texas and what happens in California matters to the rest of this county. I root for this; I know sometimes I get a bit of a rap that I only come to California to recruit businesses to come back to Texas, but the fact is – well, I have done that. But I root for this state, I root for California to succeed just like I was rooting for America’s pony, California Chrome, to win the Triple Crown. I was rooting for that pony, but I also know there’s a difference in political culture here that I’m not necessarily used to and, therefore, there are very different fiscal and regulatory policies that we

deal with, and I don’t come here to criticize the California model. What I want to do this evening is just to speak to the experience of my home state, and then I will let you come to your conclusion about which economic model works best.

And, as Mr. [Greg] Dalton shared with you, one of the most important policy discussions that we face, one of the most important issues that we face in this state, and at the national level, is energy policy. I think if you ask any Republican – as a matter of fact, I think if you ask any Democrat – they would agree that it is a good idea for America to be less dependent on foreign oil.

It is not in our national or our economic interest to place our fate in the hands of unstable governments in the Middle East – or in Venezuela, for that matter – who could blockade energy resources and cripple the world’s economy at any given time. Personally, I’m not opposed to all foreign oil.

I’m only opposed to that that comes from these unstable countries. I wholeheartedly support the import of oil from Canada, for instance, and the fact is I wish the president of the United States would stop blocking the Keystone Pipeline so that we could create the 40,000 jobs that that would entail.

See, the president says that he is for the development of our energy resources on this continent; he just opposes drilling it, permitting it and transporting it. In Texas, we’re known for the development of carbon-based fuels, and that makes some sense. We’re the state that’s known for Spindletop [oil field], [since] the beginning of the 20th century as it was developed; but our approach is not slanted only to the development of traditional fuel sources. We have an all-of-the-above approach to energy development. For instance, when we deregulated the electricity market, we started a boom in Texas in the renewable energy sector. Today, the nation’s leading developer of wind energy is not one of those progressive states on the East Coast or the West Coast; the number one wind energy producing state in the nation is along the Gulf Coast. It’s Texas. Texas has more than 12,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, more than all but five countries. We built a new network of transmission lines to bring that energy from the areas of the state where it is best produced, which is up in the panhandle of Texas, to the population centers over in the eastern side of our state.

And our state is friendly to the development of all forms of energy from wind and solar, to clean coal, to natural gas and to nuclear.

At the turn of this century, in the year 2000, our state produced about 20 percent of the nation’s oil. Today that figure is 36 percent. We produced 23 percent of the natural gas then; today it’s 29 percent. We also lead the nation in the production of electricity, and I might add we have our own electric grid that serves over 85 percent of [the] state, which allows us to keep out of the FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] jurisdiction. These statistics are probably not shocking to anybody in here, because Texas

“Safe drilling techniques are and have been developed....

Given the time, given the technology, given money, the private sec tor always rises to the challenge.” has a reputation as a leader in the energy industry, but what is especially [important] to me and to our companies is that they’re transforming energy exploration with new technology. When Greg and I have the opportunity to sit here and take questions and discuss this in a little more free-flowing manner, I think you’ll be able to see the fascinating things that are going on in the energy sector, and the revolution that’s going on with technology and innovation. And in no place is it more apparent than the shale revolution that has absolutely changed the energy industry.

Shale drilling techniques have doubled oil production in the last three years. Natural gas production is up 52 percent in the last 14 years. There are towns in South Texas that have had [an] incredible renaissance – well, there was nothing to revive in some of these South Texas towns.

They’re doing swimmingly well, as I referred to it, because they’re swimming in revenues that are coming in. Their families are reinvesting royalties. Our state budget is in a fairly substantial surplus position, and this shale production is a great example of what the private sector faces, as well as a challenge.

It’s really fascinating to see the changes that have been going on in our state. I’m here to say that one day that same thing can happen in this state with the Monterey Shale, but it’s up to you. When a recent study determined the oil reserves in the Monterey Shale would be harder to reach because of some geology and then an estimation by one of the federal agencies [reduced the estimates of oil in the Monterey Shale], some of the activists pounced on that as a validation that carbonbased fuel exploration just was not the way to go. As I tell people, I said, “Listen, I’ve seen this movie before. That’s the same thing that they said decades ago about the Barnett Shale up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”

Safe drilling techniques are and have been developed. Natural gas in those fields is now being accessed. And the same thing can and, I think, will happen in that harder to reach oil reserves in the Monterey Shale. Given the time, given the technology, given money, the private sector always rises to the challenge.

I also don’t believe you have to choose between economic prosperity and protection of our environment. Those are not mutually exclusive. Since the start of the 21st century, nitrogen oxide emissions have been cut by 62 percent in Texas. Ozone emissions are down by 23 percent, which is substantially better than the national average, and we’ve done that despite the fastest-growing economy and the fastest-growing population in the country. In fact, in the last 14 years, 37 percent of all the private-sector new jobs created in America were created in Texas.

I want you to think about that for just a second. One out of 12 individuals in this country lives in Texas. Over that 14-year period of time, three out of every eight jobs were created in that state. We were also the first state to pass a law requiring the disclosure of all the chemicals used in hydraulic fracture, but the fact is we’re not going to shut down this safe procedure over some unsupported claims of environmental risk.

There is no study that has shown that fracking contaminates the water supply. I happen to think that these decisions need to be left to best science practices and none of which makes the case against fracking. We happen to care about our environment a great deal in the state of Texas.

Ninety-five percent of [the land in] that state is privately held. Those individuals have every incentive to take care of the air that we

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

11

breathe and the water that [we] drink and the land that we farm or we work. I happen to know that people in this state care about their natural resources as well, and you should.

You have some of the most beautiful natural resources in the world. You have amazing beauty along the coastal region. You have extraordinary forest lands. You have wonderful parks and, I might add, you have the finest wine in the world. [Applause.]

So it’s [up] to you to determine the course of this state. To decide whether you live in a regulatory state or one that emphasizes freedom and growth, whether you tap into your energy potential or develop only certain forms of clean energy. Those decisions should be yours. But I do know this: The fastest way to rev up the economy is for America to produce all forms of energy. Hundreds of thousands [of ] jobs can be created if we unleash energy exploration across this country. Energy innovation is the quickest way to make our anemic economy very powerful.

To me, the central issue in this country today is, How are we going to get Americans back to work? How do we create an environment so that men and women can take care of their families? The unemployment rate that’s been provided by the Department of Labor doesn’t include the number of discouraged workers who stopped looking for work. You know, when you include those individuals, those – I refer to them as the uncounted – uncounted Americans, the grim picture of our economy becomes a bit clearer. Too many Americans are not just unemployed but underemployed, working part-time jobs

when they need full-time employment. Over the last five years all of the economic metrics are headed in the wrong direction. More Americans are out of work, more Americans [are] in poverty, more Americans [are] on food stamps.

Family incomes are actually down. Our credit’s been downgraded because our national debt has skyrocketed. Small businesses are overregulated. Corporations are overtaxed, and too many of them have moved overseas. Banks are spending more time on compliance with these Dodd-Frank regulations than they are spending time lending money. Pension plans are overleveraged.

Cities from Stockton to Detroit are going bankrupt. And because of all of these [factors], the American dream is in jeopardy.

Families can’t get ahead. Parents spend more time working and less time with their children, and our children are under assault. Our culture too often preaches, it’s all about me; and America can’t continue on this course, because the bills always come due and that bill is now $50,000 for every child born into the United States. That’s their part of the federal debt. They’re the ones who are gonna inherit our legacy. They’re going to inherit this country. Whether they inherit a legacy of debt or whether they inherit a legacy of hope and promise, their future is more important than any political party or for that matter anyone’s personal agenda. They are the hope for the future of this country, and I hope and I pray that our goal would be to give them a country that is worthy of their potential.

Question and answer session with Greg Dalton, founder and host of The Commonwealth Club’s Climate One initiative GREG DALTON: You talked about energy. Is there a role for government in energy or is that something that should be left entirely to the private sector?

RICK PERRY: Sometimes people get me confused with being an anti-government person. I’m not an anti-government person; I’m just a small-government person. I think government has a role, and it’s fairly well delineated in our Constitution where that should be. I’m not sure why we need a Department of Energy that is as broad and as big and as cumbersome as the one that we have. I’m not sure why we need a Department of Education. There’s a third one that will come to me, but I’ll get to it in a minute. [Laughter.]

DALTON: One question from the audience: How can the Republican Party ever hope to appeal to intelligent people when accepted science such as evolution and climate change are rejected by the leaders of the party?

PERRY: Here’s what I think is a more important issue when it comes to climate change and it’s one that I hope that we’ll really focus on rather than trying to make this thing be black and white – either you believe this all the way or you’re a Neanderthal; you either believe over here or you live in la-la land. I don’t think that’s particularly productive for this country.

Photo by Russell Edwards

12

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

There are really two questions out there. One is, Is the climate changing? If the climate’s changing, why is it changing?

And if man’s engagement is the reason it’s occurring, then we need to have the solutions to that. If it’s not, then everything’s gonna be fine. But if it is, we need to be able to have the answers to that. My great concern is that policies that are put in place in Washington, D.C., that can strangle the economy of this country, jeopardize our ability to innovate. America has always been about creating innovations to address challenges that we have and then we sell those innovations around the world.

If we were to put in place some policies that strangle the economy of the United States to address the climate change issue [while doing] nothing to give solutions to this [problem] to countries like India or countries like China, then we haven’t done what we’ve historically been involved with.

I think that’s the bigger question, not fighting amongst ourselves or trying to push people off into corners, but to recognize that America and America’s innovation, both the private sector working with the public sector, and coming up with the answers to these great challenges that we have relative to the environment. That’s our role, and we cannot do it if we strangle our economy, if we put our economy at jeopardy. So for me that’s a substantially bigger place for us to spend our time and effort [on] rather than [on] trying to divide this country [by saying,] “You’re wrong and you’re right” or vice versa.

DALTON: Can you envision Texas being an energy exporter to other states? Right now it’s in an island, but if you develop more electrical resources – PERRY: Actually we have a couple of connections already in Mexico that are off of our grid. And where I think you really see Texas become a major exporter is in LNG, liquefied natural gas. From a standpoint of – I look at this as not only an economic driver but also a very important diplomatic tool. If there’s one way to get Mr. Putin’s attention, it is to lay liquefied natural gas into either Croatia or the Baltic, into some ports there. And I think it is in Europe’s and the world’s best interest that the United States both develop as quickly as we can the export terminals and deliver that gas into the European Union as quickly as we

Photo by Russell Edwards

can. [Applause.]

DALTON: Do you believe homosexuals can be cured by prayer or counseling?

PERRY: I don’t know. You know, I don’t – I’m not a psychiatrist. I’m not a doctor, so...

DALTON: Is it a disorder?

PERRY: I wrote a book called On My Honor. And I talked about that people make choices in life and whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not. You have the ability to decide not to do that. And I made the point of talking about alcoholism. I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that. And I look at the homosexuality issue as the same way.

DALTON: Another [question] about personal liberty [and] government intervention: Do you foresee marijuana being legalized in Texas within the near future?

PERRY: No. DALTON: Shouldn’t people be free to get high and the government not tell them [they can’t]?

PERRY: You asked me if I thought it was going to be legal – DALTON: Okay.

PERRY: And I answered you straight up. I think that should be decided by the states, actually. So if you want to smoke weed and get high, go to Colorado. [Laughter.]

DALTON: A number of questions: Are you willing to put the Texas National Guard on the southern border of Texas to stop illegal immigrants? [A question] about whether children of illegal immigrants should be admitted to public institutions of higher learning on the same basis as natural-born citizens?

PERRY: We’re addressing this issue. This is a very serious situation that we have with

the border between Mexico and Texas.

We’ve got a 1,200-mile border. In 2012, we saw this issue with these children – unaccompanied alien children, as they were referred to – coming in on top of railcars from Central America. We’ve known this has been going on since 2012. I wrote the press, I wrote the head of Homeland Security; we clearly brought this to their attention, and I’m still waiting for a response. I have not gotten so much as a response from the president of the United States or this administration about this issue. We have expended over approximately $500 million since 2009 on border security in Texas with Texas taxpayer dollars. Putting Texas rangers on the border, and augmenting local police departments doing substantial search operations; we actually know how to secure the border. I shared that with the federal government on multiple occasions. We’ve taken both the news media there and congressmen there. And there seems to be a clear decision by the current administration that they are not going to secure the border.

DALTON: Before we wrap up, I’d like to thank Governor Perry for coming to San Francisco and having this conversation.

Not a lot of national Republican leaders venture into San Francisco with our San Francisco values and all that so – PERRY: It’s a great city.

DALTON: Really quick, I’m just going to mention a couple of names, you give me your first impression, reaction. Jeb Bush?

RICK PERRY: Very capable, good governor, good guy.

DALTON: Hillary Clinton?

PERRY: Very, very capable public servant.

Great secretary of state, first lady, and she’s very capable.

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

13

The former congressman says that liberty doesn’t posit a particular social and economic outcome; it trusts in the decisions of free people. Excerpted f rom“ Lib er t y D ef ine d,” April 10, 2014.

RON PAUL Former U.S. Congressman; Author, Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues that Affect Our Freedom In conversation with

JOSH RICHMAN

Political Reporter, Bay Area News Group JOSH RICHMAN: An audience member asks, What is the effect of unlimited money in political campaigns? Do you favor public financing of campaigns?

RON PAUL: Well, the second half is real easy. I’m absolutely opposed to public financing. Public means government. Government means they have to steal the money. They steal it from one group and give it to another. Do you think the libertarians are going to get a fair shake on that? No. Libertarians can’t even get on ballots because the others are in charge.

You can’t get your signatures, and you don’t get on the debates and all that. So public financing means that you’re using stolen money to get involved in the process and I’m positively opposed to it.

But I’m also opposed to these strict rules that say that if you’re a wealthy person and you have a lot of money and you want to help me in the campaign because you believe in liberty, [these rules say you can’t]. It’s your money. It’s a free society. You ought to be able to. And you say, “This is terrible.” I’ve already complained about big money in Washington: the big corporations, the military-industrial complex, the drug companies, insurance companies. That’s an evil and it’s wrong, but that’s the symptom. The symptom is there’s so much to be auctioned off and the government can auction off everything. They control all wealth and they control the special interest.

14

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

RON PAUL LIBERTY DEFINED

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Photo by Rikki Ward

RICHMAN: In Congress, you championed the cause of those who want to legalize the sale and distribution of raw milk. You called the applicable food safety laws “pasteurization without representation.” Yet the Center for Disease Control has reported some outbreaks of disease associated with this. A member of the audience asks another food safety question: Should GMO foods be banned? Are they a health risk? Does government have a role to play in ensuring public health through things like food safety?

PAUL: Yeah, they have an obligation [which is] for the government not to be involved in deciding good drugs versus bad drugs – because they’ve done so much more harm by putting bad drugs on the market, and [those drugs] had the FDA seal of approval. Thank goodness I was reluctant to use new drugs, and it did me well in my medical practice.

Every night you hear an ad on TV, “Well, if you’ve ever used this drug, call me. I’m going to sue somebody and I’m going to make you a billionaire.” Guess what? It was an FDAapproved drug. They [also] keep good drugs off the market. There’s good evidence for that.

But if I make up my mind and say, “You know, I think I’ll drink raw milk,” and I’m not careful and don’t realize I need refrigeration and a few other things and I get sick, I took a risk and I suffered the consequence. But when government does [that kind of thing], they make all of us sick. They come and tell us, “you will take these immunizations and you will do this.” Today there’s an article out that says the flu pill isn’t worth much after all. But it’s better to make up your own mind. You don’t want a law to get rid of the GMOs. But the market is so far ahead of the government. My wife and I looked at the labels [during] the last year or two. It’s miraculous what has happened. Whole Foods has come out and they provide food and knowledge and you can read labels – “gluten-free.” The market is telling these producers what to do. That is a healthy way of doing it. The best thing to do when we are concerned is [not] accept the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval when it comes from the U.S. government, because they’re a bunch of bureaucrats. They usually work for drug companies and they promote things, [for instance] some of this mental health testing – I used to fight that all the time, being the only one to vote against this – mental health testing of every kid in grade school so that they could put them on drugs. And a lot

of them are on drugs [now]. Then you hear about the shootings. Even our veterans, when they come home, they’re on drugs. They’re on these psychotropic drugs; and [people] make billions of dollars off this. So I would say that they don’t have a very good record, and private choices will not be perfect.

Let me just tell a very brief story. I was raised in a dairy, and the farmers would send their milk to us and we would pasteurize it. It probably would have my dad turning over in his grave if he thought that I was championing raw milk. I don’t drink raw milk, but I [do] champion the cause of freedom of choice.

I’ve never even seen anybody smoke a

“L ook at all the decisions [politicians] make for us, sending our kids off to fight these stupid wars – undeclared, unwinnable wars.

That is just so avoidable. ” marijuana cigarette and yet, along with Barney Frank, I led the charge on freedom of choice.

True freedom of choice: you make up your own mind about doing risky behavior. It is freedom that we want. We don’t want dictates; we don’t want authoritarians who are the do-gooders who think they know what’s best. Yes, you know what’s best for your personal life; you know how best to spend your money. And you may mess up. Just don’t try to blame somebody else for it if you mess up.

Your family might help you. But if you turn it all over to the government, you end up where we are today: a totally bankrupt government, undermining our liberties, at perpetual war and a pretense that when things get messed up, we can always go to the government; the government will take care of us. It doesn’t work; the most enlightening thing today is more and more people are announcing, “You know what? We have to question what the government is doing.” I think that’s very, very good.

RICHMAN: Given the situations in Colorado and Washington and the debate that is almost constant here in California, are you for or against the mass commercialization or

recreational use of drugs, such as marijuana or crack or heroin?

PAUL: I’d legalize everything. People should make their own choices. The only thing that’s illegal is using aggression against somebody else. And if that is the case, all substances should be legal. They asked me the same question in a very liberal South Carolina audience, and they asked me, “What do you mean you’d legalize heroin?” I asked the crowd, “All right.

If I legalize heroin tomorrow, how many of you are going to use heroin?” Didn’t see that many hands go up. It’s the whole idea of who’s responsible and what people would do.

The do-gooders get in there and say, “We’re going to regulate alcohol.” That didn’t work out so well. “Now we’re going to regulate marijuana. But if we regulate marijuana, you know, hemp looks a little bit like marijuana, so we have to regulate hemp too.” Hemp has nothing to do with psychotropic drugs or anything. So what do we do? We destroy an industry. It’s just not this fantasy of government protection against ourselves. When we assume government can protect us against ourselves, whether it’s fanatical thoughts – political or religious – or against what we eat or put in our mouths and our body, I tell you what, it won’t work except for one thing: it will destroy your liberty.

Freedom of choice is a great idea, just [as long as] you understand that it’s not perfection. But like I said before, if you believe that the government has to do that because you might do something wrong, why is it that you want to take a few people and put them up in Washington and have them make the decisions for us? What if they do something wrong? That’s constantly what is happening. Look at all the decisions they make for us, sending our kids off to fight these stupid wars – undeclared, unwinnable wars. It has been a great burden to us, and they’re endless. Even if we quit the wars right now, it [will take] decades to take care of the problems that we have created for this generation.

That is just so avoidable. Some things in life, you can’t avoid. But much of what we have – economically and as far as the slaughter of a generation of young people – that’s avoidable, just with some common sense. And common sense also would lead us to some guidance with our Constitution; if we had followed the Constitution, we would be fighting a lot less wars.

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

15

Programs For up-to-date information on programs, and to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, go to commonwealthclub.org

OVERVIEW

TICKETS

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.

Prepayment is required. Unless otherwise indicated, all Club programs – including “Members Free” events – require tickets.

Programs often sell out, so we strongly encourage you to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are available at will call. Due to heavy call volume, we urge you to purchase tickets online at commonwealthclub.org; or call (415) 597-6705. Please note: All ticket sales are final. Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to any program. If a program is sold out and your tickets are not claimed at our box office by the program start time, they will be released to our stand-by list. Select events include premium seating; premium refers to the first several rows of seating.

STANDARD PROGRAMS Typically 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.

PROGRAM SERIES CLIMATE ONE programs are a conversation about America’s energy, economy and environment. To understand any of them, it helps to understand them all.

GOOD LIT features both established literary luminaries and upand-coming writers in conversation. Includes Food Lit. INFORUM is for and by people in their 20s to mid-30s, though events are open to people of all ages.

MEMBER–LED FORUMS (MLF) Volunteer-driven programs focus on particular fields. Most evening programs include a wine networking reception.

MEMBERLED FORUMS CHAIR Dr. Carol Fleming carol.fleming@speechtraining.com

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

FORUM CHAIRS ARTS Anne W. Smith asmith@ggu.edu Lynn Curtis lynnwcurtis@comcast.net ASIAPACIFIC AFFAIRS Cynthia Miyashita cmiyashita@hotmail.com BAY GOURMET Cathy Curtis ccurtis873@gmail SF BOOK DISCUSSION Barbara Massey b4massey@yahoo.com BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP Kevin O’Malley kevin@techtalkstudio.com ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES Ann Clark cbofcb@sbcglobal.net GROWNUPS John Milford Johnwmilford@gmail.com

16

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

HEALTH & MEDICINE William B. Grant wbgrant@infionline.net Patty James patty@pattyjames.com HUMANITIES George C. Hammond george@pythpress.com INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Norma Walden norwalden@aol.com LGBT James Westly McGaughey jwes.mcgaughey@me.com MIDDLE EAST Celia Menczel celiamenczel@sbcglobal.net PERSONAL GROWTH: Stephanie Kriebel stephanie@sunspiritwellness.com PSYCHOLOGY Patrick O’Reilly oreillyphd@hotmail.com SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Chisako Ress chisakoress@gmail.com AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

RADIO, VIDEO AND PODCASTS Hear Club programs on about 200 public and commercial radio stations throughout the United States. For the latest schedule, visit commonwealthclub.org/broadcast.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, tune in to: KQED (88.5 FM) Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 a.m.

KRCB Radio (91.1 FM in Rohnert Park) Thursdays at 7 p.m.

KALW (91.7 FM) Inforum programs on select Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

KOIT (96.5 FM and 1260 AM) Sundays at 6 a.m.

KLIV (1590 AM) Thursdays at 7 p.m.

KSAN (107.7 FM) Sundays at 5 a.m.

KNBR (680 and 1050 AM) Sundays at 5 a.m.

KFOG (104.5 and 97.7 FM) Sundays at 5 a.m.

Watch Club programs on the California Channel Thursdays at 9 p.m. and on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast & DirecTV the last Sunday of each month at 11 a.m. Select Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley programs air on CreaTV in San Jose (Channel 30). View hundreds of streaming videos of Club programs at fora.tv and youtube.com/commonwealthclub

Subscribe to our free podcasting service to automatically download a new program recording to your personal computer each week: commonwealthclub.org/podcast.

HARD OF HEARING? To request an assistive listening device, please e-mail Andre Heard at aheard@commonwealthclub.org seven working days before the event.

AUGUST

Two Month Calendar SAT/SUN

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

29

FRIDAY

1

July 29 5:00 p.m.

Opening Reception and Walk-Through for “LGBT Art – Our Common Wealth” FE

2/3

4 5:30 p.m. Discussion of Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley FM 6:00 p.m. From Ignorance to Acceptance: How the LGBTQ Movement Has Evolved in a Lifetime FM

9/10

11

16/17

18 6:00 p.m. Gregory M. Herek: Beyond “Homophobia” FM 7:00 p.m. Traveling to the World’s Darker Countries

23/24

25 5:30 p.m. Middle East Discussion Group FE

30/31

6:00 p.m. The San Francisco LGBT Struggle for Freedom Revisited FM

5:15 p.m. Trans in the Tenderloin: A Story of Community Resilience 6:00 p.m. When Gay Isn’t Global

12 6:00 p.m. Long Journey to Stonewall: An Illustrated History 6:00 p.m. John Dean: The Nixon Defense

6 5:15 p.m. LGBT Retirement Living: A Panel Discussion about Exclusive vs.

Inclusive Communities 6:30 p.m. Michael Malone: The Story Behind Intel

7

8

1:45 p.m. North Beach Walking Tour

12:00 p.m. What is the Arts Mainstream? FM

6:00 p.m. The Quest for an HIV/AIDS Vaccine 6:00 p.m. Nina Teicholz: The Big Fat Surprise

13

14

15

6:00 p.m. Water Underfoot

12:00 p.m. Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants: Authentic LGBT Marketing Success FM

6:00 p.m. Closing the Gap: Crucial Transgender Issues Today 7:00 p.m. Mind Puzzles

19 12:00 p.m. It Was 50 Years Ago Today 6:00 p.m. Augustus is Dead! Latin is Not!

26 6:00 p.m. How Did Marriage Equality Go Mainstream: Evolution or Revolution?

20 6:00 p.m. Steve Forbes: Fighting Threats to Our Money

21

22

6:00 p.m. The Big Book of In-Your-Face Gay Etiquette 6:00 p.m. Keystone & Beyond

27 12:00 p.m. Up Close With Marga Gomez 6:00 p.m. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: Deviance, Justice & Art

28

29

6:00 p.m. Harnessing the Power of LGBT Marketplace and Social Capital to Drive Positive Social Change

12:00 p.m. Hollywood and the LGBT Journey FM

6:00 p.m. Marriage, the Movement and More FM

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

17

www.commonwealthclub.org/events www.commonwealthclub.org/events

6:00 p.m. The Men’s Story Project FM 6:30 p.m. Week to Week Political Roundtable and Member Social 6:30 p.m. The NBA’s Jason Collins: First Out Athlete in Major American Pro Sports

5

SEPTEMBER

Legend

San Francisco

FM

Free program for members

East Bay/North Bay

FE

Free program for everyone

Silicon Valley

MO

Members–only program

MONDAY

TUESDAY

1

2

5:30 p.m. Book Discussion: The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman FM

WEDNESDAY

3

6:00 p.m. Journalism: The Agriculture Beat Resurgence 6:00 p.m. Vietnam the United States and China Today: Insights from the Consul General

8

9

12:00 p.m. Driven: Saudi Arabian Women Leaders FM

6:00 p.m. The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and The Rise of Reagan

6:00 p.m. What Is It To Redeem Your Past?: Some Lessons from Nietzsche and Kundera FM

6:30 p.m. Marianne Cooper & Sheryl Sandberg Talk Modern Families Cut Adrift

15

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

9:00 a.m. Deepak Chopra and Rinaldo Brutoco 5:15 p.m. Still Got It, Still Doing It: Sexuality and Intimacy in Older Adults FM 6:15 p.m. Science & Technology Planning Meeting FE

16 6:00 p.m. Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan: Genetic Rescue for Extinct and Endangered Wildlife 7:00 p.m. Week to Week Political Roundtable and Member Social

22 6:00 p.m. San Francisco Neighborhood Newspapers FM 6:30 p.m. Joe Zee: Yahoo’s Fashion Editor-in-Chief

23 1:45 p.m. Nob Hill Walking Tour

18

6:00 p.m. James Ellroy

SAT/SUN

4

5

6/7

12

13/14

1:45 p.m. Russian Hill Walking Tour 6:00 p.m. The West Without Water 7:00 p.m. Sal Khan: INFORUM’s 21st Century Visionary Award

11 6:00 p.m. Politics, Environment and National Security

12:00 p.m. What Makes a Perfect Loaf? FM

Sat 13 12:00 p.m.

Kirsten Gillibrand

12:00 p.m. Climate on the Brain FM

7:30 p.m. Khaled Hosseini

17 6:00 p.m. The Cutting Edge of Science and Homeopathy and Nanomedicine 6:30 p.m. Humans According to Data

24 12:00 p.m. Tavis Smiley

30 6:00 p.m. Timothy Garton Ash 7:00 p.m. Peter Thiel

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

FRIDAY

7:00 p.m. Effecting Social Change with Documentary Filmmaking

6:00 p.m. Roberto Trotta: The Edge of the Sky – All You Need to Know About the AllThere-Is

29 5:30 p.m. Middle East Discussion Group FE 6:00 p.m. Human Trafficking of Foreign-Born Individuals into the Bay Area FM 6:00 p.m. Necessary Wisdom FM

10

THURSDAY

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

18

19

6:30 p.m. General Anthony Zinni: Before the First Shots Are Fired 6:30 p.m. Ruth S. DeFries: The Big Ratchet 7:00 p.m. Benedict Carey: How We Learn

25 6:00 p.m. Heather Burnett Gold: Empowering Communities with Gigabits to the Home

20/21 Sat 20 3:00 p.m. Art Murmur Gallery Walk in Uptown Oakland

26 12:00 p.m. The Sea & Civilization: A Maritime History of the World FM

7:00 p.m. Paul Williams

27/28

July 24th - Sept. 18th

M O N 04 | San Francisco

July 28

Art Exhibition: LGBT Art – Our Common Wealth

Discussion of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The Queer Cultural Center looks at the art that comes from LGBT artists as a foundation to build our community on – our common wealth and direction. It is often ahead of the political or social movements in sensing what things are important or significant for us; sometimes it’s just fun.

This exhibit looks at diversity in our queer community, from the artists themselves to their chosen disciplines. We are showcasing woven and embroidered fabric, photography, painting, drawing and even a small installation.

We’ve all probably read this one, but it is well worth revisiting. Everybody is happy in the Year of Ford 632. Of course, if you are a slightly deformed Alpha who thinks too much, or a young man wrenched from the Savage Reservation of New Mexico you may have problems. Huxley was an unforgiving critic of popular culture and in a sex-drenched, drug-fueled world, where college youth casually “hook up” (everyone belongs to everyone else) and demand “trigger warnings” to shield them from the traumas that works of literature might hold in store, Brave New World is surprisingly up-to-date.

Gay Conversion Therapy Helms describes the history of attempts to define homosexuality as an illness and to make gays go straight.

Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program July 29

Opening Reception and Walk-Through for “LGBT Art – Our Common Wealth” Artists Rudy Lemcke, Lenore Chinn, Bren Ahearn, Indira Allegra and Preston Gannaway join curator Pamela Peniston in an examination of their work and a discussion of LGBT art.

Time: 5–7:30 p.m. reception

See website for details

MLF: THE ARTS Location: SF Club Office Time: Regular Club business hours Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Jason Whitney Also know: In assn. with the Queer Cultural Center of SF. Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

MLF: SF BOOK DISCUSSION Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREE Program Organizer: Barbara Massey

T U E 05 | San Francisco

T U E 05 | San Francisco

From Ignorance to Acceptance: How the LGBTQ Movement Has Evolved in a Lifetime

Trans in the Tenderloin: A Story of Community Resilience

When Gay Isn’t Global

Robyn L. Stukalin, MS, LCSW

DJ Peterson, President, Longview Capital Advisors Additional panelists TBA

Hormel realized that he was gay at a time when homosexuality was not discussed or accepted. He will review the social history of the United States since 1945 to see how LGBTQ Americans progressed from exclusion to inclusion. Looking toward the future, he will discuss the key to the advancement of equality.

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Norma Walden Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

What is the experience of trauma like for those with fewer resources, like the people who live in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district? Gender specialist and psychotherapist Stukalin looks at the effect that trauma and discrimination have on the lives of trans and gender non-conforming people and at the resilience shown by members of the transgender community.

MLF: PSYCHOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Patrick O’Reilly, Ph.D. Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

National anti-LGBT laws create deep challenges for companies operating across international borders. Join corporate leaders in an exploration of the challenges and benefits of maintaining an authentic commitment to corporate values on a global scale. How are executives “looking beyond” and thinking bigger than their businesses?

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Wes McGaughey Also know: Co-Organized with Ernst & Young.

This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

19

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

M O N 04 | San Francisco

James C. Hormel, Fmr. U.S. Ambassador, Luxembourg; Author; Activist

July 24 – August 5

J U LY P L AT F O R U M e v e n t s

August 6 – 8

W E D 06 | San Francisco

W E D 0 6 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

T H U 07 | San Francisco

LGBT Retirement Living

The Story Behind Intel

North Beach Walking Tour

Marcy Adelman, Ph.D.; Activist; Fdr, Open House

Michael Malone, Author, The Intel Trinity Angie Coiro, Host, “In Deep” – Moderator

Join another Commonwealth Club Neighborhood Adventure!

Explore vibrant North Beach with Rick Evans during a two-hour walk through this neighborhood with a colorful past, where food, culture, history and unexpected views all intersect in an Italian “urban village.” In addition to learning about Beat Generation hangouts, you’ll discover authentic Italian cathedrals and coffee shops.

Adelman will highlight some of the remarkable societal changes that have brought the LGBT community to the point of having its own retirement living options. A lively discussion follows by panelists from The Sequoias in San Francisco and Fountaingrove Lodge in Santa Rosa. They’ll talk about their choices to live in their respective communities.

Intel’s success is largely credited to the visionaries who helped change the landscape of the tech industry: Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore and Andy Grove.

From his unprecedented access through the corporate archives, Malone has chronicled the company’s history and will offer his thoughts on some of the formidable challenges Intel now faces.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

MLF: GROWNUPS Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. reception, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: John Milford Assisting Organizations: Open House, The Sequoias and Fountaingrove Lodge Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

Location: The Tech Museum of Innovation, 201 S. Market Street, San Jose Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: $10 non-members, $5 members, $5 students (with valid ID) Also know: In association with The Tech Museum of Innovation

Location: Meeting Spot is Washington Square Park at Saints Peter and Paul Church on the steps of the church. The official address is 666 Filbert, between Columbus and Stockton.

Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2-4 p.m. tour Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Also know: Limited to 20 people.

Must pre-register. Tours operate rain or shine.

Photo by Flickr user Clemson.

T H U 07 | San Francisco

T H U 07 | San Francisco

F R I 08 | San Francisco

The Quest for an HIV/AIDS Vaccine

Nina Teicholz: The Big Fat Surprise

What is the Arts Mainstream?

Donald P. Francis, M.D.,DsC; Exec. Dir., Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases

Nina Teicholz, Author, The Big Fat Surprise

HIV was identified in 1983. By that time, Francis was already researching the virus in a Centers for Disease Control lab. Years later, with Francis’ help, the Bay Area company Genentech initiated efforts to develop a vaccine. Francis has been a fierce advocate for the creation of an HIV vaccine for many decades.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Bill Grant Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

20

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Investigative journalist Teicholz spent nine years researching the effect that fats have on our bodies. What if those exact foods we’ve been denying ourselves are themselves the key to reversing the epidemics of obesity, diabetes and heart disease? Teicholz will discuss how the misinformation about saturated fats took hold in the scientific community as well as the public imagination, and how recent findings dispute those beliefs. Come ask your questions about this startling new report.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

Brad Erickson, Playwright; Executive Director, Theatre Bay Area Ed Decker Founding Artistic Director, New Conservatory Jewelle Gomez, Author; Poet; Activist

Playwright and arts advocate Erickson leads a panel of arts leaders in identifying memorable landmarks in the mainstreaming of LGBT themes and artists since the 1980s. The panel will also frame the questions about what needs to be done further and the challenges of today.

MLF: THE ARTS Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Anne W. Smith Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

M O N 11 | San Francisco

M O N 11 | San Francisco

The Men’s Story Project

Week to Week

The NBA’s Jason Collins: First Out Athlete in Major American Pro Sports

Josie Lehrer, ScD, Founder/Director, Men’s Story Project

For this summer’s August Platforum series, Monday Night Philosophy highlights the Men’s Story Project, a replicable storytelling and dialogue project in which men publicly share life stories that explore social ideas about masculinity through the lens of their own experience.

MLF: HUMANITIES Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: George Hammond Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

Bill Whalen, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Additional panelists TBA

Explore the biggest, most controversial, and sometimes the oddest, political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events and our news quiz! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals over snacks and wine at our member social (open to all attendees).

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. wine-and-snacks social, 6:30 program Cost: $15 non-members, $5 members, students free (with valid ID)

The pro’s pro. The ultimate teammate. The consummate professional. These are terms that have defined 35-year-old NBA player Jason Collins throughout his 14year career. In April 2013, Collins came out as gay, becoming the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major American pro sports leagues. Join us at the Castro Theatre to hear the unique and courageous story of the man who made it okay to be gay in sports.

Location: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., SF Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in and premium reception, 6:30 p.m. program Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

See website for pricing

T U E 12 | San Francisco

WED 13 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Long Journey to Stonewall: An Illustrated History

John Dean

Water Underfoot

Author, The Nixon Defense

Nancy C. Unger, Ph.D., Professor of History, Santa Clara U

This month marks 40 years since the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Dean, one of the last major surviving figures of Watergate, connects the dots between what we’ve come to believe about Watergate and what actually happened. Watergate forever changed American politics, and in light of the revelations about the NSA’s widespread surveillance program, the scandal has taken on new significance. Dean draws on his own transcripts of almost a thousand conversations, a wealth of Nixon’s secretly recorded information and documents in the National Archives and Nixon Library.

Debbie Davis, Community & Rural Affairs Ad. Planning and Research, CA Felicia Marcus, Chair, State Water Resources Control Board Barton Thompson, Jr., Prof. of Natural Resources Law, Stanford Law School

MLF: LGBT 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 stu.

Program Organizer: Wes McGaughey Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.

The historic drought is driving farmers and communities to suck more water out of the ground. That can lead to salt water leaking into aquifers and the creation of sinkholes.

Will the drought finally drive California to improve the way it uses the water under our feet? Join us for an update on keeping the water flowing in dry times.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception and book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.

Also know: The speakers and audience will be videotaped for future broadcast.

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

21

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

T U E 12 | San Francisco

Though tremendous gains are being made in revealing the long, rich, inspiring history of LGBT people in the United States, often that history is reduced to the Stonewall Riots. This presentation highlights the documented presence of people acting on same-sex desires as early as the 1600s, actions surprisingly well-tolerated within their communities.

August 11 – 13

M O N 11 | San Francisco

August 13 – 19

WED 13 | San Francisco

W E D 1 3 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

F R I 15 | San Francisco

Closing the Gap: Crucial Transgender Issues Today

Mind Puzzles

Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants: Authentic LGBT Marketing Success

Cecilia Chung, Health Commissioner, City and County of SF

Despite incredible recent strides by the LGBT community in federal law, marriage equality and increased positive visibility in the media, the transgender community experiences a gap separating it from the rest of the LGBT community.

Join internationally renowned expert Cecilia Chung in exploring the challenges and solutions that will bring us all forward toward full equality.

Robert Burton, M.D.; Former Chief of Neurology, Mt. Zion, UCSF; Author, A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind Tucker Hiatt, Founding Director, Wonderfest – Moderator

What if our soundest, most reasonable judgments are beyond our control? Are the feelings of being rational and having free will generated by conscious decisions or involuntary brain mechanisms?

Is there a way to resolve the conflict between our innate biology and our traditional beliefs? Join Burton on a journey into the mysteries of the brain.

Steve Pinetti, Sr. VP, Inspiration & Creativity, Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group

One progressive boutique hotel chain changed the face of modern marketing by addressing an authentic and open outreach campaign to the LGBT community. Kimpton Hotel Group transformed a social vision into solid financial results.

Pinetti, one of the key minds behind this initiative, will discuss how to apply these lessons to today’s evolving marketplace.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Julian Chang Also know: In assn. with the Transgender Law Ctr. Part of the 2014 Platforum srs. The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, The Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $15 non-members, $10 members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: In Association with Wonderfest

MLF: BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, students free (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

M O N 18 | San Francisco

M O N 1 8 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

TUE 19 | San Francisco

Gregory M. Herek: Beyond “Homophobia”

Traveling to the World’s Darker Countries

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D.; Professor of Psychology, University of California, Davis

Tony Wheeler, Co-founder, Lonely Planet; Author, Tony Wheeler’s Dark Lands

The word homophobia conveys a variety of assumptions that can limit our thinking. Drawing from social science research findings, including his own studies over the past 30 years, Herek will explain the value of looking beyond the usual conceptions of homophobia to develop a better understanding of stigma, discrimination and prejudice against sexual minorities, and to formulate effective strategies for changing attitudes.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizers: Chisako Ress, Rick Karnesky Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

22

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Wheeler shares his experiences traveling through some of the world’s “darkest” regions, including North Korea, Iran and Cuba. With many of these countries in conflict and strife, Wheeler offers sensible tips and warnings for visitors curious to explore these areas. Hear more about his misadventures from the “dark” side. Wheeler and his wife co-founded Lonely Planet, an award-winning travel book company.

Location: Historic Hoover Theatre, 1635 Park Ave, San Jose Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.

Also know: In association with the Northern California Peace Corps Association

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

Dulais Rhys, Professional Musician

The Beatles, their songs and their musical revolution arrived in the Bay Area 50 years ago today for a concert at the Cow Palace.

The Beatles’ final public performance was at Candlestick Park two years and 10 days later. Paul McCartney commemorates that show at the last-ever event scheduled at Candlestick Park a few days before this lecture. Come hear Rhys, a Welsh musician, outline the Beatles’ history, songs, influences, form, stylistic development and legacy with musical examples, pictures and audience interaction. Singing along will not be discouraged!

MLF: HUMANITIES Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: George Hammond

W E D 20 | San Francisco

T H U 21 | San Francisco

Augustus is Dead!

Latin is Not!

Steve Forbes: Fighting Threats to Our Money

The Big Book of In-Your-Face Gay Etiquette

Matt Davis, Latin Teacher, Miramonte High School

Steve Forbes, Chair & Editor in Chief, Forbes Media; Author, Money

Daniel Curzon, Author

Here’s a chance to hear Forbes identify the current threats to the dollar and discuss how we can all increase our financial stability. He predicts that devaluation of world currencies could lead to a fiscal catastrophe as bad as the Great Depression or worse.

Join in Curzon’s tales from Halfway to the Stars in which the cable car driver says what you secretly agree with but are afraid to say out loud. Add in a mix of hilarious and informative guidelines for “proper gay behavior” in The Big Book of In-Your-Face Gay Etiquette. Toss together local fun, etiquette and taboo for an unforgettable evening!

On this bimillennial anniversary of the death of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, we peer into the perennial popularity of a seemingly long-dead language.

Davis heads the very popular (over 150 students) Latin program at Miramonte High School in Orinda, and he will share with us his passion for the classics that keeps his 21st-century students tapping out declensions of ancient verbs on their iPads. Who was Augustus? Was August named after him? Or vice versa? And why Latin? Why, indeed! Carpe diem and come hear why.

MLF: HUMANITIES Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: George Hammond

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:15 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members, $7 students (with valid ID); Premium (includes seating in first few rows and a copy of the book): $55 non-members, $45 members Also know: Part of The Commonwealth Club’s series on Ethics and Accountability, underwritten by the Charles Travers Family.

MLF: ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURC ES/BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP 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 stu.

Program Organizer: Ann Clark and Kevin O’Malley Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

M O N 25 | San Francisco

M O N 25 | San Francisco

Keystone & Beyond

Middle East Discussion Group

David Baker, Energy Reporter, SF Chronicle John Cushman, Author, Keystone & Beyond Additional panelist TBA

Make your voice heard in an enriching, provocative and fun discussion with fellow 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 frequently suggested by recent headlines.

After a brief introduction, the floor will be open for discussion. All interested members are encouraged to attend. There will also be a brief planning session.

The San Francisco LGBT Struggle for Freedom Revisited

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception and book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.

Also know: The speakers and audience will be videotaped for future broadcast.

MLF: MIDDLE EAST Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

Bill Issel, Professor of History Emeritus, SFSU

In San Francisco, the church and laypeople worked to make it a Catholic city.

By the 1940s, Catholic power reached its zenith just as LGBT newcomers began demanding equal rights to the city.

This story helps explain the city’s robust opposition to LGBT activists’ call for broader American freedoms in the 1950s and beyond.

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, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: George Hammond Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

23

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

T H U 21 | San Francisco

With American oil production increasing and domestic demand in decline, does it make sense to build the Keystone XL pipeline? Cushman will tell the story of the country’s most discussed piece of pipe. He’ll be joined by two other reporters for a discussion of how the U.S. can maintain its economy while getting off fossil fuels before frying the planet. Join a conversation with leading energy journalists on powering this country’s future.

August 19 – 25

TUE 19 | San Francisco

August 25 – 27

M O N 25 | San Francisco

T U E 26 | San Francisco

Marriage, the Movement and More: A Political and Legal Understanding of What LGBT Families Are Facing

How Did Marriage Equality Go Mainstream : Evolution or Revolution?

Deb Kinney, Partner, Johnston, Kinney & Zulaica LLP Juan Barajas, Development Director, Freedom to Marry Deb Wald, Founder & Senior Partner, The Wald Law Group

Barajas, from the Freedom to Marry campaign to win marriage equality nationwide, will present the strategies being employed throughout the country to get marriage rights, an up-to-date analysis of how the movement is advancing and what can be expected in the future. Wald will explain the challenges and progression of parenting and adoption rights, including the new three-parent law in California. Kinney will talk about the legal and tax implications and complexities facing LGBT families, married or not. Whether you are LGBT, an ally or an advisor, this session promises to be informative and current.

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Cathy Curtis Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

W E D 27 | San Francisco

W E D 27 | San Francisco

Up Close with Marga Gomez

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: Deviance, Justice & Art

Comedian; Playwright; Humorist

Join The Commonwealth Club for a lunchtime discussion with GLAAD awardwinning comedian, writer, performer Marga Gomez as she prepares to bring her latest solo play, “Lovebirds,” to The Marsh Berkeley. She got her comedy start in San Francisco at the historic gay comedy clubs, Valencia Rose and Josie’s. She teaches solo performance as a 2014 artist in residence at San Francisco’s Brava Theater. Ms. Gomez is also a triple winner of the SF Bay Guardian’s “Best Comedian” award.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a global charitable order. It seeks to vanquish stigma about LGBT life and address what it sees as internalized homophobia within LGBT communities through art and social deviance. The sisters dress as nuns in drag and participate in communities in a similar fashion to traditional Catholic nuns. The discussion will cover their goals and successes.

There also will be a retrospective of their costumes, donned by current members, followed by a discussion.

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program organizer: Wes McGaughey Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Wes McGaughey Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

24

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

Stuart Gaffney, Communications Dir., Marriage Equality USA John Lewis, Legal and Policy Director, Marriage Equality USA

One of the plaintiff couples in the landmark California marriage equality cases, our speakers will describe how the freedom to marry stands on the shoulders of over a half century of LGBT activism, how the movement for marriage equality is creating momentum for full LGBT equality in every aspect of our lives, and their work with activists in Japan.

MLF: ASIA PACIFIC AFFAIRS Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Carol High Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE GROUPS

language groups

Free for members Location: SF Club Office FRENCH, Intermediate Class Thursdays, noon Pierrette Spetz, Graziella Danieli, danieli@sfsu.edu 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, lsalvago@comcast.net

2015

Commonwealth Club Travel

World-Class Destinations Renowned Speakers Important Issues Exceptional Insight Superb Sta Outstanding Company

commonwealthclub.org/travel (415) 597-6720 travel@commonwealthclub.org CST# 2096889-40

Explore the world with us in 2015...

Expedition to Antarctica Aboard the m.s. Le Boréal January 26–February 8, 2015 Explore Earth’s last frontier aboard the exclusively chartered m.s. Le Boréal, one of the finest vessels in Antarctic waters. Experience the White Continent in its unspoiled state—fantastically shaped icebergs, turquoise glaciers, bustling penguin rookeries and breaching whales—during the lingering light of the austral summer. Accompanied by a team of expert naturalists, board sturdy Zodiac craft for excursions ashore and observe the antics of Antarctica’s abundant wildlife. Enjoy two nights exploring the vibrant capital of Buenos Aires. Optional extension to Iguazú Falls available. On waitlist status.

Cost: from $8,195 per person, double occupancy

Journey to Cuba Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos & the Viñales Valley: February 2–11, 2015 (9 nights) Havana & the Viñales Valley : April 10–17, 2015 or December 7–14, 2015 (7 nights) Explore old Havana’s history and architecture. Meet with tobacco farmers and enjoy a private flamenco performance by some of Cuba’s best dancers. Discuss U.S. foreign policy during a visit to the U.S. Interests Section. In the Viñales Valley take in views of the dramatic limestone mogotes. Through a series of discussions and guest speakers, learn about art, history, education, religion and the economy. February departure includes two nights to visit the site of the Bay of Pigs, the colonial city of Trinidad and Cienfuegos.

Cost: $5,045 (9-night trip) or $4,699 (7-night trip) per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Miami to Havana

Passage through the Panama Canal & Costa Rica Aboard the m.v. Tere Moana February 26–March 6, 2015 Explore the wonders of the Costa Rican rainforest and the mighty locks of the Panama Canal, an engineering marvel. Search for wildlife and over 200 bird species in Costa Rica’s Curu Wildlife Refuge and Manuel Antonio National Park. Visit Panama City’s old quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and tour one of architect Frank Gehry’s newest designs. Experience remote island paradise on Isla Coiba and snorkel at Granito de Oro. Explore the San Blas Islands, where the Guna people maintain their traditional lifestyle. Extensions to Costa Rica’s Cloud Forests and Volcanoes and Panama are available.

Cost: from $4,195, per person, double occupancy

Moroccan Discovery From Imperial Cities to the Sahara March 7–20, 2015 Experience the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fez, and Marrakech to the High Atlas and vast Sahara.

View the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis; wander the alleys of Fez; visit a Berber village; take a sunset camel ride at the edge of the Sahara; meet with an imam; and view the spectacular scenery of the High Atlas including the 984-foot Todra Gorge. Explore Ait Ben-Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of southern Morocco’s most scenic villages. Visit Marrakech’s medina and Djemaa el Fna Square.

Conclude in Casablanca, and visit the magnificent Hassan II Mosque.

Cost: approximately $5,729 per person, double occupancy, including air from SFO

Insider’s Japan From Tokyo to Kyoto April 18–30, 2015 Japan is a land of delicate art and bustling commerce, of rich traditions and dizzying modernity. Explore Tokyo and visit the Shinto Meiji Shrine and historic Imperial Palace. Experience Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and spend the night in Suwa at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. Discover Takayama’s ancient streets and houses and in culturally rich Kanazawa, tour the famed Kenrokuen Garden and Kutani Ceramics Museum. In Kyoto, Japan’s cultural capital, attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and embark on a cycling tour through the grounds of the Imperial Palace and the Gion district. Optional post-trip extension to Hiroshima available.

Cost: approximately $5,545 per person, double occupancy, including air from SFO

Perspectives of Iran Minarets & Mosaics May 7–21, 2015 Join renowned author and journalist Stephen Kinzer in Iran. Explore Tehran, including the vault of the Bank Melli Iran to view the spectacular Crown Jewels. In Tabriz discover the Blue Mosque, Shah Goli Gardens, and the town’s colorful bazaar. Visit Shiraz and the magnificent ruins of Persepolis. Experience Yazd, the country’s center of Zoroastrianism, where the most traditional Persian architecture is found.

Visit Isfahan, a town of unsurpassed beauty where brilliant blue-tiled buildings and majestic bridges are often recognized as the perfection of Islamic architecture.

Cost: approximately $5,995, per person, double occupancy

Celtic Lands: France, Ireland, Wales & Scotland Aboard the m.s. Le Boréal May 20–29, 2015 Join Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and a team of guest speakers during this 8-night cruise. Experience the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Caernarfon Castle near Holyhead, Wales. Lose yourself in the austere beauty of the Inner Hebrides isles of Iona, Mull and Skye and their historical treasures of Iona Abbey, Duart Castle and Dunvegan Castle. Experience the seaside town of Ayr, birthplace of Robert Burns, and the Celtic heritage of Dublin. Paris/Giverny and Glasgow/Edinburgh extensions available.

Cost: from $5,695, per person, based on double occupancy

Provincial French Countryside May 25–June 8, 2015 Explore Toulouse, medieval Carcassonne, and the market town of Albi, with its Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Stay in charming Sarlat to experience the Dordogne, including the famous caves at Lascaux II, and take a cruise on the Dordogne River. Visit the cliffside village of Rocamadour, and the Loire Valley’s impressive Chateau de Chenonceaux. Discover dramatic Mont St. Michel, the Tapestry Museum in Bayeux, and Caen’s Memorial Museum. Tour Normandy’s D-Day Landing Beaches including Pointe du Hoc, Utah Beach, Ste-Mére-Église, and the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. Walk amid the gardens of Claude Monet in Giverny, and conclude in Paris. Optional Paris extension.

Cost: approximately $6,450, per person, double occupancy, including air from SFO

Sailing the Mediterranean in the Age of Odysseus Istanbul to Athens aboard Sea Cloud June 27–July 5, 2015 View the exquisite mosaics in Istanbul’s Byzantine Church of the Holy Savior in Chora before boarding the legendary four-masted yacht, Sea Cloud for a once in a lifetime voyage along the coast of Turkey and through the Greek Isles. Discover Sardis, capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, and sail to Samos, with its celebrated Temple of Hera. Explore the spectacular bay of Santorini and the newly reopened Akrotiri.

Sail south to Crete to the extraordinary sites of Minoan Knossos and Greek Eleutherna. Optional Istanbul pre-trip and Athens post-trip extensions available.

Cost: from $8,995, per person, double occupancy

Coastal Maine & New Brunswick Bar Harbor, Campobello Island & St. Andrews-by-the-Sea July 22–29, 2015 Discover the rustic charm of Bar Harbor, Campobello Island and St. Andrews-by-the-Sea. In Bar Harbor visit the Abbe Museum and learn about the history of the Wabanaki nations. Go on board a traditional lobster boat, and visit Quoddy Head State Park, the easternmost point in the United States. Visit Campobello Island, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “beloved island,” and see his 34-room cottage. Enjoy a whale watching cruise on the Bay of Fundy. Learn about the French influences of St. Croix Island, and the history of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea. Cost: approximately $3,895, per person, double occupancy

Kenya Safari Serengeti, Masai Mara & the Great Migration August 4–15, 2015 Join study leader team Jessica Jackley, social entrepreneur and cofounder of Kiva and Profounder, and author and religious scholar Reza Aslan in Kenya. From Nairobi set off to the striking peaks of Mt. Kenya. Journey to Sweetwaters, home of the endangered northern white rhino. Discover the Great Rift Valley Lakes – from the sapphire-blue Elementeita, to Nakuru burgeoning with flamingoes, and Naivasha’s hippos and water lilies. Experience the Masai Mara, the site of the yearly Great Migration of herds, and where the proud Masai preserve their traditional way of life. Optional extension to Amboseli National Park.

Cost: approximately $6,895, per person, double occupancy

Switzerland Walk Nature & Culture of Appenzell & Engelberg August 26–September 6, 2015 Explore Switzerland, the world’s oldest living democracy and a matchless center for walking. From Zurich travel to Appenzell and luxuriate in the magnificent views of the Alpstein, Rhine Valley and the Austrian Alps. Each day provides a variety of walk options and cultural experiences. Visit St. Gallen and the Abbey Library with manuscripts dating from the 8th century. Take in Alpine panoramas during an e-bike tour.

Explore Engelberg’s Benedictine Monastery. Sample regional specialties and enjoy local beer and cheese tastings. Discover Lake Walensee; hike to the castle of Werdenberg; and take a boat ride on Lake Lucerne.

Cost: approximately $4,695, per person, double occupancy

Classic China From the Great Wall to the Yangtze September 8–21, 2015 Discover 2000-year-old Beijing, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. Enjoy a traditional Peking Duck dinner and take a rickshaw ride through ancient alleyways or hutongs. In Xian see the excavated terra-cotta army of nearly 8,000 life-size warriors. Visit the Chongqing zoo housing the beloved pandas. Take a three-night cruise on the Yangtze River. See the spectacular Three Gorges, Smaller Gorges, and the much-heralded new dam. In Shanghai, discover the European-influenced Bund, the Shanghai Museum, and the 16th-century Yu Yuan Gardens. Optional Shanghai extension.

Cost: approximately $4,595, per person, double occupancy, including air fare from SFO

Trade Routes of Coastal Iberia Aboard the m.v. Tere Moana Barcelona, Balearic Islands, Granada, Gibraltar, Andalusia & Lisbon September 11–19, 2015 This eight-day itinerary showcases the coastal jewels of the Iberian Peninsula between Barcelona, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. Cruise up Spain’s legendary Guadalquivir River, into the heart of beautiful Seville.

Visit Portugal’s Algarve region and the regal city of Granada. See the scenic Straight of Gibraltar and call on two of the enchanting Balearic Islands—Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza. Visit four UNESCO World Heritage sites while cruising the ancient trade routes aboard the exclusively chartered, five-star, 45 stateroom m.v. Tere Moana. Barcelona pre-trip and Lisbon post-trip extensions available.

Cost: from approximately $5,295, per person, double occupancy

Legendary Turkey From Istanbul to the Turquoise Coast October 15–29, 2015 Experience Istanbul’s legendary Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. Cruise the Bosphorus, the waterway that separates Europe from Asia. Tour the World War I battlefield of Gallipoli and the Greco-Roman ruins at ancient Pergamum. Discover the classical city, Ephesus, before you board a privately chartered gulet for four days. Discover secluded coves and hidden sights of the Turquoise Coast.

Explore the acclaimed archaeological museum in Antalya and the ruins at Perge. Experience the bizarre rock formations of Cappadocia, and tour Ankara on an optional 5-day/4-night extension.

Cost: approximately $5,145, per person, double occupancy, including air from SFO

Exploring Tunisia Ancient Sites, Rich History & a Modern Democracy Movement October 22–November 1, 2015 Experience Tunisia’s Roman sites, rich culture and history. Meet political leaders, media and young citizens who participated in the revolution. Explore Tunis’ medina, Carthage’s Roman ruins, Andalusian architecture in Sidi Bou Said, and world-class mosaics at the Bardo Museum. Tour ancient Dougga and El Jem, with an amphitheater similar to Rome’s Coliseum. See Kairouan’s Great Mosque and Matmata’s crater-like topography. Relax in the seaside resort of Jerba. Journalist Hatem Bourial, a well-known figure in Tunisia’s media, leads the trip. Malta post-trip extension available.

Cost: approximately $4,695 per person, double occupancy

Treasures of Southern Africa From Cape Town to Victoria Falls November 4–18, 2015 Experience southern Africa, a diverse region poised along a beautiful coastline, breathtaking mountains and expansive plains. Take in views from Table Mountain in cosmopolitan Cape Town. Walk in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps on Robben Island. Ascend Cape Point, and see African penguins at Boulders Beach. Next, board the Rovos Rail for a two-night deluxe train journey, then search for the Big Five on game drives during your three-night luxury safari at Thornybush Game Reserve. In Johannesburg, tour Soweto, then finally witness the power and majesty of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World at Victoria Falls.

Cost: from approximately $6,995 per person, double occupancy

Argentina Buenos Aires & Mendoza November 6–15, 2015 Experience the vibrant capital city of Buenos Aires and the vineyards of Mendoza. In Buenos Aires attend a tango performance and take an optional lesson. Explore the neighborhoods of Recoleta, La Boca and San Telmo, and tour the Colón Opera House. Venture out into the pampas to an historic estancia to savor a typical Argentinean barbecue and witness a demonstration of gaucho horsemanship. Then fly to the wine region of Mendoza at the foot of the Andes and enjoy wine tastings and regional cuisine. Take a cooking class and visit a local artist. Optional pre-trip extension to Iguazú Falls and post-trip extension to Bariloche available.

Cost: approximately $6,679 per person, double occupancy

Harnessing the Power of LGBT Marketplace and Social Capital to Drive Positive Social Change

Hollywood and the LGBT Journey

Kevin Jones, Founder, Good Capital; Co-founder and Convener, SOCAP Danielle Kinzaire-Sutton, M.D.; Community Organizer; Principal Consultant, Notus-S.G. Marc J. Lane, JD; Author, Social Enterprise: Empowering Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs; Chairman, Illinois Task Force on Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Charles Sutton, CEO, Bronzeville Urban Development Marc Loveless, Executive Director, Coalition for Justice and Respect Kevin O’Malley, President, TechTalk | Studio – Moderator

Donna Sachet, Media Personality; Actor; Community Activist Jan Wahl, Film Critic, KRON 4

Social capital, alternative funding and concern for the triple bottom line are now moving beyond generalities and into specific targeted areas and communities. A new movement is harnessing the power and resources of Chicago’s African American LGBT community. They are aiming to create change through cutting-edge social enterprise initiatives – including sustainable city farms and medical marijuana – and relying on innovative legal and financial structures, including for-profit and non-profit stakeholders, investors and governments.

MLF: THE ARTS Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Anne W. Smith Also know: Part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young

MLF: BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP 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, students free (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley Also know: This program is part of the 2014 Platforum series The LGBT Journey, sponsored by Ernst & Young

W E D 03 | San Francisco

Book Discussion: The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

Vietnam, the United States and China Today: Insights from the Consul General

MLF: SF BOOK DISCUSSION Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: $5 non-members, MEMBERS FREE Program Organizer: Barbara Massey

Nguyen Ba Hung, Consul General of Vietnam in San Francisco

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with a population of almost 90 million people, is on a course of economic growth as it moves toward a market-oriented economy. Foreign direct investment in 2013 is said to have increased 36 percent over 2012. How are relations between Vietnam and the United States? How will its conflict with China over territory in the South China Sea affect Vietnam? Hear the views of the consul general of Vietnam in San Francisco and bring your questions.

MLF: ASIA PACIFIC AFFAIRS Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Lillian Nakagawa

W E D 03 | San Francisco

Journalism: The Agriculture Beat Resurgence Tara Duggan, Staff Writer, SF Chronicle Naomi Starkman, Founder and Editor in Chief, Civil Eats Andy Wright, Sr. Editor, Modern Farmer Sasha Khokha, Central Valley Bureau Chief, KQED – Moderator

The agriculture beat has taken a hit lately, but consumers want news about where their food is coming from. This panel will explore the intersection between the changing state of journalism and its impact on the future of food and agriculture reporting. Post-program, enjoy local and organic bites provided by Bi-Rite Catering.

MLF: BAY GOURMET Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Cathy Curtis Also know: In assn. with Civil Eats and CUESA.

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

29

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

T U E 02 | San Francisco

Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is a compelling book to discuss during this 100th anniversary of the inception of World War I. The First World War was the signal event of the modern era: without it, no Hitler, no Holocaust, no World War II, no Bolshevik Revolution, no Cold War (including the Korean and Vietnam Wars) and no nuclear weapons. The book discussion will focus on the first 158 pages.

Anyone not interested in the minutiae of military history after hostilities opened can stop at page 158, which completes Tuchman’s discussion of how and why the four years of horrendous hostilities began in August of 1914.

Donna Sachet has been a San Francisco performer and icon for decades, from being elected Empress of San Francisco to serving as Grand Marshal for the SF Pride parade. In 2009, Sachet became the first drag performer to sing the national anthem at a Major League Baseball game.

Donna Sachet and film critic Jan Wahl “dish-cuss” the LGBT journey in Hollywood, past and present.

August 28 – September 3

F R I 29 | San Francisco

THU 28 | San Francisco

September 4 – 9

T H U 04 | San Francisco

THU 04 | San Francisco

T H U 04 | San Francisco

Russian Hill Walking Tour

The West Without Water

Sal Khan: INFORUM’s 21st Century Visionary Award

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

B. Lynn Ingram, Prof., Earth & Planetary Science and Geography, UC Berkeley; Co-author, The West Without Water Frances Malamud-Roam, Sr. Environmental Planner and Biologist, Caltrans; Co-author, The West Without Water

Location: Meet in front of Swensen’s Ice Cream Store located at 1999 Hyde Street at Union.

Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4 p.m. tour Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Also know: Steep hills and staircases, recommended for good walkers. Parking difficult.

Limited to 20. Must pre-register. Tour operates rain or shine.

The authors explore the tumultuous climate of the American West over 20 millennia, with tales of past droughts and deluges and predictions about the impacts of future climate change on water resources. What is “normal” for the West?

Will the relatively benign climate of the past century continue into the future?

Sal Khan, Founder, Khan Academy; Author, The One World School-House: Education Reimagined

Khan has over 4,000 video lessons in his online library, ranging from chemistry to history to finance. He is truly an educational pioneer, reaching millions of students, teachers and individuals. He aims to give a free, worldclass education to anyone, anywhere.

INFORUM will award this educational innovator with our 21st Century Visionary Award. Don’t miss your chance to learn from one of the best teachers you’ll ever have.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

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 stu.

Program Organizer: George Hammond

Location: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, SF Time: 6 p.m. check-in and premium reception, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Also know: Reception sponsored by Oracle.

See website for pricing

M O N 08 | San Francisco

M O N 08 | San Francisco

T U E 09 | San Francisco

Driven: Saudi Arabian Women Leaders

What Is It To Redeem Your Past?: Lessons from Nietzsche and Kundera

The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon & The Rise of Reagan

Philippa Kelly, Ph.D., Educator, UC Berkeley; Author; Dramaturg Dina Ibrahim, Asso. Prof. of Broadcast and Electronic Comm. Arts, SFSU – Moderator

Kelly has published widely, including books on Shakespeare and papers on dramaturgy and cultural engagement.

She will discuss her work in teaching and leadership at many different Saudi universities. Her next book will record the experiences of Saudi Arabia’s female leaders in a society that is still rigidly masculinist.

MLF: MIDDLE EAST Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, students free (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

30

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Rick Perlstein, Author, The Invisible Bridge Lanier Anderson, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Stanford

Monday Night Philosophy focuses on the ancient issues raised by the human ability to remember our pasts. Should it exert a heavy burden upon the present or light the way to a better future? Straight from Stanford’s The Art of Living course, hear Professor Anderson’s views on Friedrich Nietzsche’s and Milan Kundera’s insights into one version of redemption.

MLF: HUMANITIES Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: George Hammond

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

In the wake of Watergate, Nixon’s resignation, congressional investigations of CIA assassinations and the chaotic end to the Vietnam War, Americans began thinking about their nation in a new way, as just one nation among many, no more providential than any other. Perlstein recalls that in America’s bicentennial year, that temporary vision of patriotism rooted in a sense of American limits was quickly derailed by the rise of the smiling politician from Hollywood.

MLF: HUMANITIES Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: George Hammond

W E D 10 | San Francisco

W E D 1 0 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

Marianne Cooper and Sheryl Sandberg

James Ellroy

Khaled Hosseini

Author, L.A. Confidential, The Black Dahlia and Perfidia

Author, The Kite Runner In Conversation with Pat Thurston, Talk Show Host, KGO Radio

Marianne Cooper, Stanford Sociologist & Author, Cut Adrift Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook; Author, Lean In

In an increasingly insecure economy, it’s easy to get bogged down with statistics and lose sight of the human costs of the recession.

Stanford sociologist and lead researcher for the book Lean In, Marianne Cooper wants to change that. Hear Cooper in conversation with LeanIn.org founder Sheryl Sandberg, as they unpack the worries all American families face and brainstorm what can be done about it.

Location: The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in and premium reception, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing See website for pricing

In Perfidia, his latest work, Ellroy delves more deeply than ever before into his characters’ intellectual and emotional lives. But it has the full-strength, unbridled storytelling audacity that has marked all the acclaimed work of the “Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction.” As their lives intertwine, we are given a story of war and of consuming romance, a searing exposé of the Japanese internment and an astonishingly detailed homicide investigation.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: Good Lit event. In association with the Bernard Osher Foundation

WED 10 | North Bay

As a young Afghan immigrant, Hosseini had a profound life-changing experience when his English teacher introduced him to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Join us as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Steinbeck classic with Hosseini, who will be honored with the John Steinbeck Award for his literary contributions and humanitarian efforts.

Hear more about Hosseini’s extraordinary journey as an author, philanthropist and citizen of the world.

September 9 – 11

T U E 09 | San Francisco

Location: Student Union, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose Time: 6:45 p.m. check-in, 7:30 p.m. program Also know: Co-presented by Stu. Un. of SJSU See website for pricing

T H U 11 | San Francisco

Effecting Social Change with Documentary Filmmaking

Documentary films are powerful tools for understanding social issues and encouraging activism. The topics of Redford’s films have ranged from dyslexia to organ donation and have provided meaningful insight into these tough subjects. At the Sundance Institute, Jackson is at the forefront of promoting documentary films.

Join these two gifted artists and social change champions as they discuss the power of film in catalyzing a better world. Redford co-founded and chairs The Redford Center, a non-profit production company committed to documenting stories of environmental and social issues. Jackson serves as the director of the Documentary Film Program at the Sundance Institute. The program supports filmmakers in producing cinematic documentaries that address contemporary social issues and engage in compelling storytelling.

MLF: THE ARTS Location: The Outdoor Art Club, One West Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley Time: 7 p.m. networking reception, 7:45 p.m. program Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Also know: Presented by The Commonwealth Club and Marin Community Foundation, Marin Conversations is a monthly dialogue between Marin personalities and subject matter experts on important social issues.

Louis Schubert, Ph.D., Prof. of Political Science, Social Sciences Dept., CCSF

Politics, the environment and national security may seem like an odd combination of opposing narratives, theories and topics.

Yet all three are closely related. Join us in an exploration of these three seemingly opposite narratives: politics, the environment and national security and how an understanding of these narratives interacting as a whole will give us a more inclusive picture of the impacts of environmental health and security on local peoples, communities, nations and the world.

MLF: BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP/ENVIRON MENT & NATURAL RESOURCES Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, students free (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Ann Clark

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

31

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

James Redford, Screenwriter; Producer; Director; Co-founder and Chairman, The Redford Center Tabitha Jackson, Director, Documentary Film Program, Sundance Institute

Politics, Environment and National Security

September 12 – 15

F R I 12 | San Francisco

F R I 12 | San Francisco

Climate on the Brain

What Makes a Perfect Loaf?

George Marshall, Author, Don’t Even Think About It Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley

Samuel Fromartz, Author, In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker’s Odyssey; Blogger, ChewsWise In conversation with Chad Robertson, owner, Tartine and Bar Tartine; Author, Tartine Book No. 3: Modern, Ancient, Classic, Whole

Abundant scientific evidence demonstrates that many Americans are directly experiencing the impact of climate disruption. Yet many people are failing to reduce carbon pollution and build a resilient future. Are we mad? Or just human? While fossil fuels are challenges on many systemic levels, one of the daunting obstacles is human cognition. Join us for a conversation about how extreme weather events could make us less concerned, not more. What can people do to become informed and empowered?

In this discussion, journalist Fromartz and renowned baker Robertson will delve deep into bread, attempting to define a great loaf and what it takes to make it. Fromartz, a home baker for more than 17 years, traveled through the United States and to Europe to meet bakers, millers and sourdough microbiologists and translate their lessons to his kitchen. Robertson, the owner of Tartine Bakery, travelled to countries, including Denmark, bringing a new understanding of whole grain loaves into his repertoire. The two will riff off themes in Fromartz’s book, touching on everything from the art of fermentation to the craft of the baker.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. networking reception and book signing Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

MLF: BAY GOURMET Location: SF Club Office 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) Program Organizer: Cathy Curtis Also know: Part of the Food Lit series. Underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

S AT 1 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M O N 15 | San Francisco

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Deepak Chopra and Rinaldo Brutoco: Changing Energy, Changing Consciousness

Author, Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

The senator recounts her personal journey in public service. She aims to galvanize women to reach beyond their busy lives and make a difference in the world around them. If women were fully represented in politics, Gillibrand says, national priorities would shift to issues that directly impact them: affordable daycare, paid family medical leave and equal pay. She speaks candidly about her legislative successes and disappointments.

She also shares stories of growing up the daughter and granddaughter of trailblazing feminists.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $25 non-members $15 members, $7 stu.; Premium (priority seating and copy of book): $60 non-members, $45 members

32

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Deepak Chopra, M.D., Mind-Body Physician; Author, The Soul of Leadership Rinaldo Brutoco, President, Chopra Foundation; Founding President, World Business Academy; Author, Freedom from Mid-East Oil Greg Dalton, Host and Founder, Climate One – Moderator

Our guests say that changing our choices about energy changes consciousness. Where should our energy come from – fossil fuels and nuclear plants?

Or 100 percent safe, clean and renewable sources? Chopra and Brutoco say that because energy is the fundamental macro-system of human society, once we change our consciousness about energy, we are capable of changing our consciousness about everything. Chopra and Brutoco will discuss the Moonshot Project, aimed at eliminating global warming and fossil fuels to lead the planetary shift toward safe energy.

As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra’s goal is to transform the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellness. Core areas of Brutoco’s work include clean energy, climate change analysis and mitigation as well as sustainable business strategy.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 8 a.m. continental breakfast, 9 a.m. program, 10 a.m. book signing Cost: $35 non-members, $25 members, $10 students; Premium seating: $50 non-members, $40 members Also know: Program co-organized by Climate One

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

M O N 15 | San Francisco

T U E 1 6 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

Still Got It, Still Doing It: Sexuality and Intimacy in Older Adults

Science & Technology Planning Meeting

Week to Week

Rick Nizzardini, LCSW; Clinical Counselor & Faculty, SFSU; Lecturer, UC Berkeley and CSUEB

This presentation will focus on the oftenoverlooked issue of sexuality and older adults. With the cultural lens focused on sexuality and youth, where does that leave older adults in our society? With a large portion of the baby boomer generation now over 65, this is a growing issue. Join a discussion and watch video clips that present an affirmative view of sexuality in older adults.

Join fellow Club members with similar interests and brainstorm upcoming Science & Technology Member-Led Forum programs. All Commonwealth Club members are welcome. We explore visions for the future through science and technology. Discuss current issues and share your insights with fellow Club members to shape and plan programs for the months ahead.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 6:15 p.m. meeting Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

MLF: GROWNUPS Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: John Milford

Larry Gerston, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, SJSU; Political Analyst, NBC Bay Area; Author, Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of California Josh Richman, State and National Politics Reporter, Bay Area News Group, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times Carla Marinucci, Senior Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club – Host

Week to Week is heading back to Silicon Valley! 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!

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto Time: 6 p.m. wine & snack soc., 7 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $10 members, $7 stu.

WED 17 | San Francisco

Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan: Genetic Rescue for Extinct and Endangered Wildlife

The Cutting Edge of Science and Homeopathy and Nanomedicine

Stewart Brand, Co-founder, Revive & Restore; Founder, The Long Now Foundation; Founder/Editor, Whole Earth Catalog Ryan Phelan, Co-founder and Executive Director, Revive & Restore

Brand and Phelan seek to restore extinct species to their former homes in the wild.

Their organization Revive & Restore’s flagship project, The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback, is underway to bring the iconic passenger pigeon back from extinction using the genome of the band-tailed pigeon and genomic technology. Not shying away from the gargantuan challenges of de-extinction, the organization is pushing forward an endeavor to recreate the woolly mammoth in order to generate ecosystem changes capable of altering adverse climate change on a global scale. These audacious projects also advance the use of biotechnology for the genetic rescue of existing endangered species.

Revive & Restore coordinates efforts so that genomic conservation can move ahead with the best current science, plenty of public transparency and the overall goal of enhancing biodiversity and ecological health worldwide. Phelan is a serial entrepreneur and was the founder and CEO of two innovative health-care companies, DNA Direct and Direct Medical Knowledge. Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, was trained as a biologist at Stanford and served as an infantry officer in the US Army.

Dana Ullman, MPH, CCN, Author, Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines; Founder, Homeopathic Educational Services

The body of evidence for homeopathy and nanopharmacology is larger than most people realize, says Ullman. This talk will highlight the best studies from respected physicians and scientists who have published in leading peer-review journals. He will discuss the implications of homeopathy as a cutting edge science and medicine in user-friendly language.

MLF: HEALTH & MEDICINE Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Adrea Brier

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

33

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

TUE 16 | San Francisco

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

September 15 – 17

M O N 15 | San Francisco

September 17 – 22

WED 17 | East Bay

THU 18 | East Bay

THU 18 | San Francisco

Humans According to Data

General Anthony Zinni: Before the First Shots Are Fired

Ruth S. DeFries

Christian Rudder, CoFounder, OkCupid; Author, Dataclysm

Our personal data has been used to spy on us, fire us, and sell us stuff we don’t need. OkCupid co-founder Christian Rudder – writer of the popular blog OkTrends and Harvard mathematics graduate – has made a name for himself by mining big data to reveal the surprising truths behind human behavior.

In his new book Dataclysm, Christian strives to harness the infinite potential of data to do more than try to market a product. Instead, he aims to use big data to understand human nature, from our politics to our racism.

USMC (ret.); Special Envoy to the Middle East (ret.); Author, Before the First Shots Are Fired

The question of whether the United States should act as the world’s police force has been disputed for decades. Retired four-star General Tony Zinni examines this question and breaks down the process of how the United States decides to go to war in his latest book. Zinni analyzes America’s history of military action, the role of government in the military process and the necessary shifts in order to make the decision to go to war a more transparent process.

Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development and Chair, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University; Author, The Big Ratchet

The Big Ratchet is the story of how in the 20th century a range of technologies combined to grow our population exponentially and to rapidly increase our food supply. To some, these technologies are a sign of our greatness; to others, our hubris.

DeFries argues that we’re having the wrong debate. Understanding the cycle of crisis and growth will reveal how we reached this point and how we might survive it.

Location: Lafayette Veterans Memorial Hall, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: $22 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 6 p.m. networking reception, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

T H U 1 8 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

S AT 2 0 | E a s t B a y

SEP 22DEC 11

Benedict Carey

Art Murmur Gallery Walk in Uptown Oakland

Coastal Reflections – An Exhibition of Paintings by Laurie Chase

Danielle Fox, PhD; Art Consultant and Gallery Director, SLATE Contemporary; Former Executive Director, Oakland Art Murmur

Laurie Regan Chase paints the coastline communities of her worldwide travels in oil and watercolor. She captures each distinct character in color, light and movement, bringing alive the richness of her journeys. She is an award-winning signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists and has sailed the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, coastal United States, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean paying special attention to “the peaceful serenity which many coastal and harbor scenes afford…”

Location: Impact Hub Oakland, 2323 Broadway, Oakland Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: see website for pricing

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

Science Reporter, The New York Times; Author, How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

What if almost everything we know about learning was wrong? With our brain sensitive to mood, timing, location and environment, how do we absorb and retain information? Find out more about whether repetition is necessary, why sleeping and daydreaming can be important to the learning process, and hear Carey’s tips for the best techniques to remember more. Carey has been with The New York Times for 10 years and writes about neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology and everyday psychology.

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family 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, $12 members, $7 stu.

34

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Heard the buzz about the Oakland art gallery scene? Explore Uptown Oakland with a guided tour of galleries surrounding the heart of Oakland’s Art Murmur. Visit selected exhibits during this two-hour stroll that includes presentations by featured artists. At the end, participants can compare notes while tasting Two Mile Wines.

MLF: THE ARTS Location: Starting point is Johansson Projects gallery 2300Telegraph Avenue at 23rd St., Oakland.Take BART to 19th St. Station, exit at 20th St., Oakland.

Time: 2:45 p.m. check-in, 3 - 5 p.m. tour Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Program Organizer: Moss Kardener

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

MLF: THE ARTS Location: SF Club Office Time: Regular Club business hours Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Conchita Applegate

M O N 22 | San Francisco

San Francisco Neighborhood Newspapers: Creating Healthy and Informed Environments and Neighborhoods

Joe Zee: What’s In, What’s Out, What’s You

Juan Gonzales, Founder and Editor, El Tecolote Paul Kozakiewicz, Publisher, Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon Willie Ratcliff, Publisher, San Francisco Bay View Glenn Gullmes, Publisher, West Portal Monthly – Moderator

Editor in Chief and Executive Creative Officer, Yahoo Fashion; Former Creative Director, Elle Carolyne Zinko, Style Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle – Moderator

San Francisco’s vibrant community newspapers play a critical role in the environment, health and safety of the city’s distinct neighborhoods. Join San Francisco media and news publishers and reporters who have created and maintained a “hometown view” of what is happening in and to San Francisco and its many diverse communities. Find out what it means to report first-hand on the streets of San Francisco and why this reporting is so important for the future development of the city.

MLF: ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES/BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizers: Ann Clark and Kevin O’Malley

Here’s a chance to improve your own sense of style in a world where the clothes you put on each morning send a message. As San Francisco Fashion Week begins, noted fashion expert Joe Zee will provide a rare inside look at the trends that dominate the fashion industry. He’ll also bring behindthe-scenes stories about designers and the celebrities who wear them. Zee will also discuss his latest role at Yahoo.

September 22 – 24

M O N 22 | San Francisco

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:45 p.m. check in and light hors d’oeuvres, 6:30 p.m. program Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members, $10 st.; Premium: $40 non-members, $30 members Also know: Sponsored by Levi Strauss and Co.

T U E 23 | San Francisco

W E D 24 | San Francisco

Nob Hill Walking Tour

Roberto Trotta: The Edge of the Sky

Tavis Smiley

Explore one of San Francisco’s 44 hills and one of its original “Seven Hills.” Because of great views and its central position, Nob Hill became an exclusive enclave of the rich and famous on the west coast. This included prominent tycoons such as Leland Stanford and other members of the Big Four. Highlights include the history of four landmark hotels: The Fairmont, Mark Hopkins, Stanford Court and Huntington Hotel. Visit the city’s largest house of worship, Grace Cathedral, and discover architectural tidbits and anecdotes about the railroad barons. A true San Francisco experience of elegance, scandals and fabulous views.

Theoretical Cosmologist, Imperial College London; Author, The Edge of the Sky

Location: Meet in front of the Fairmont Hotel’s Caffe Centro, 801 Powell St. (at California St.) Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4:30 p.m. tour Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Also know: Limited to 20. Must pre-register.

Tour operates rain or shine.

To discuss the big bang, black holes, the origins of the universe and more, Trotta uses a lexicon limited to the thousand most common words in the English language.

Through the eyes of a fictional scientist (Student-People) hunting for dark matter with one of the biggest telescopes (BigSeers) on Earth (Home-World), Trotta explores the most important ideas about our universe (All-there-is) in language simple enough for anyone to understand.

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 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: Chisako Ress

TV Host, Public Broadcasting Service; Radio Host, PRI; Author, Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Final Year

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations in U.S. history, but little is remembered about the trials and tribulations he faced in his final year.

Award-winning host Smiley chronicles the final 365 days of Dr. King’s life. Despite assaults on his character and ideology, Dr. King remained committed to ending racial inequality and segregation in our country.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 stu.; Premium: $47 non-members, $40 members Also know: Good Lit Event Underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

35

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

T U E 23 | San Francisco

September 25 – 29

T H U 25 | San Francisco

F R I 26 | San Francisco

F R I 2 6 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

Heather Burnett Gold: Empowering Communities with Gigabits to the Home

The Sea and Civilization

Paul Williams and Tracey Jackson: Gratitude and Trust

Lincoln Paine, Author, The Sea & Civilization: A Maritime History of the World

Paul Williams, Songwriter; President, ASCAP; Co-author, Gratitude and Trust Tracey Jackson, Co-author, Gratitude and Trust

President, Fiber to the Home Council North America

Certain communities around the U.S. have recently coalesced around an idea: America needs more communities with exceptional bandwidth so we can foster human capital that knows how to design, build, operate and innovate the best networks in the world. The movement is nascent, but early examples are proving successful. Heather Burnett Gold will discuss the process of becoming a “gigabit city.” She claims it relies on organization rather than engineering.

Lincoln Paine takes us back to the origins of long-distance migration by sea. He looks at world history through the lens of maritime enterprise, revealing how people first came into contact with one another by ocean and river; how goods, languages, religions and entire cultures spread across the world’s waterways, bringing together civilizations; and how civilizations and humans have changed and continue to change worldwide environments and Planet Earth.

Williams and Jackson discuss their insights into the benefits of the recovery process.

Paul Williams is a Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe-winning Hall of Fame songwriter and president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and publishers (ASCAP). Tracey Jackson is a successful screenwriter, author and blogger.

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

MLF: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

MLF: ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURC ES/BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizers: Ann Clark, Kevin O’Malley

Location: Mayer Theatre, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $30 non-members, $20 members, $10 students (with valid ID); Premium (priority seating and signed copy of book): $75 nonmembers, $60 members Also know: Co Presented with: iVivaFest!

M O N 29 | San Francisco

M O N 29 | San Francisco

MON 29 | San Francisco

Middle East Discussion Group

Human Trafficking of Foreign-Born Individuals into the Bay Area

Necessary Wisdom

Make your voice heard in an enriching, provocative and fun discussion with fellow 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 frequently suggested by recent headlines. After a brief introduction, the floor will be open for discussion. All interested members are encouraged to attend. There will also be a brief planning session.

MLF: MIDDLE EAST Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

Jadma Noronha, Human Trafficking Program Manager, SAGE Project Ellyn Bell, Exec. Director, SAGE Project

The mission of the SAGE Project is to improve the lives of persons who have experienced or are at risk of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, violence and other forms of trauma. For 20 years, SAGE has provided healing services to survivors of human trafficking. The discussion will focus on international citizens who have been trafficked into the Bay Area and will highlight trends, patterns and stories of overcoming adversity.

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-mem., MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Norma Walden

36

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BE R 2014

Jacob Needleman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Philosophy, SFSU; Author, Necessary Wisdom Stephanie Kriebel, Board Certified Health Coach; Educator; Chair, Personal Growth Member-Led Forum - Moderator

Philosopher Needleman leads an introspective discussion on spirituality and wisdom.

He has spoken and written about these topics for over 50 years. The discussion will cover a diverse range of subjects, including making sense of mysticism, the secrets of time and love, and the meaning of money.

Join us for an evening that is sure to leave you feeling inspired.

MLF: PERSONAL GROWTH Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizer: Stephanie Kriebel

T U E 3 0 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

THU 02 | San Francisco

Timothy Garton Ash

Peter Thiel

Chinatown Walking Tour

Professor of European Studies, Oxford; Columnist, The Guardian

Peter Thiel, Co-founder, PayPal; Author, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future Quentin Hardy, Deputy Tech Editor, The New York Times – Moderator

Historian. Author. Commentator. Timothy Garton Ash is professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. In his weekly column in The Guardian and his contributions to the New York Review of Books, Ash has earned a reputation for incisive commentary. He was featured in Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people as well as a list of 100 top global public intellectuals chosen by the journals Prospect and Foreign Policy.

Who will create the next big idea? It could be you. Thiel is a Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur who invested in hundreds of startups, including Facebook, Space X and Spotify. Despite what many look for in the next creative genius, hear Thiel discuss what’s behind the Zero to One philosophy and becoming successful and unique in today’s business world.

Enjoy a Commonwealth Club Neighborhood 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.

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. tour Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members Also know: Temple visit requires walking up three flights of stairs. Limited to 12 people.

Participants must pre-register. Tour operates rain or shine. Photo by H. Sanchez/Flickr.

Location: Santa Clara Convention Center Theatre, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $25 non-members, $15 members, $10 students; Premium (includes book and priority seating): $55 non-members, $45 members

T H U 0 2 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

WED 03 | San Francisco

JUST ADDED | September 19

Joshua Wolf Shenk

China Today, China Tomorrow

Curator, The Moth; Author, Lincoln’s Melancholy and Powers of Two: Seeking the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs

Barbara Finamore, Senior Attorney and Asia Director, Natural Resources Defense Council, China Program Director

Van Jones and John Hope Bryant: How the Poor Can Save Capitalism

What drives creative success? According to Shenk, the magic number is two. Even when we’re alone, we are “collaborating” with the voice inside our head. Shenk examines dynamic duos in all fields and unveils the “electrified space” of a partnership. He also identifies the core qualities of creativity and reveals six essential states in which he sees it unfold. Hear more about the genesis of creative innovation and the collaborative process.

Location: PARC Auditorium, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $10 members, $7 stu.

Also know: In association with PARC. Photo credit: Greg Martin

In 1996, following her work with the UN on China’s first sustainability plan, Finamore undertook the challenge of establishing the Natural Resources Defense Council’s first international office in Beijing. Finamore and her colleagues will discuss where China is today and what they see for China tomorrow. There are challenges ahead that must be faced.

China’s decisions will have an effect on international health, safety and survival as we become more globally interconnected and interdependent.

MLF: ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES/ BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $20 non-mem., MEMBERS FREE, $7 stu.

Program Organizers: Ann Clark, Kevin O’Malley

Van Jones, Host, “Crossfire” John Hope Bryant, Author, How the Poor Can Save Capitalism

Van Jones will talk with Bryant about his work as founder of Operation HOPE. Bryant plans to revive the American economy by building financial dignity and empowerment for the “teetering class” to rise out of poverty, while reigniting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Poor People’s Campaign” for economic justice.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7:15 p.m. book signing Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)

AU G U ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

37

www.commonwealthclub.org/events

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 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, students free (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Daniel Trachewsky

September 30 – October 3

T U E 30 | San Francisco

ED LU

PROTECTING THE EAR The dangers of extinction from outer space. Excerpted from “Protecting Earth from A s teroids: Why We May not See Them Coming,” January 14, 2014.

ED LU Ph.D., Former Astronaut; CEO and Co-founder, B612 Foundation In conversation with

BRIAN HACKNEY

Reporter, KPIX5 San Francisco

O

n board the space station, we had a pair of image-stabilizing binoculars, which are big, giant, long things that, if you pressed the button, would stabilize [the view]. I used to love to watch the moon through them.

The reason I really liked it is because I used

38

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

to like to watch the craters on the moon. I particularly like the view. I used to actually set my watch to give me a 30-second headsup when the moon was going to be rising as we were coming over the [edge] of the Earth.

Knowing where it was, you could try to take a picture of it as it came up.

It always got you thinking, because when you’re looking at the moon like this and you’re looking at the Earth, what do you see on the moon? Craters – lots of them, right? What you realize is that those asteroids that created those craters by hitting the moon – those things hit the Earth. In fact, more of them hit the Earth than hit the moon because the Earth is bigger. You just don’t see the evidence of it here because the atmosphere stops the very small ones – not the very big ones – and we have oceans and we have weather and we have erosion and jungles and things like that. It covers most of them up, but the fact of the matter is the Earth is hit more often than the moon.

So one of the things that really shaped my way of thinking [was] one of my experiences at NASA, actually on my very

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

first flight. We were on board the shuttle Atlantis. We were flying it upside down as we always do. It was toward the end of the mission, so we were just one day away from landing; that meant we didn’t have that much to do. We cleaned up; all of the stuff was stowed away and we were just getting ready to land, and we actually had a little bit of down time. [It was just] myself and my crewmate, a guy named Jean-François Clervoy, a French astronaut who had the nickname of Billy Bob – long story. Billy Bob said, “Let’s spend the day sitting up on the ceiling,” which, if the ceiling was pointed toward the Earth, felt like you were in a glass-bottomed boat.

So we were sort of cruising around the Earth with the windows below us looking down at the Earth as we were eating our dehydrated spaghetti, and Jean-François said, “You know, if you really think about it, humans can do some really amazing things if we work together, considering the fact that we’re flying around at 18,000 miles an hour in a human-built spaceship.” And that really never left me. You sense it, but

RTH FROM ASTEROIDS Original Photos by Ed Ritger; keepwalking07/deviantart

somehow that view of the Earth below you really brings that home.

On the other hand, when you really look at how big all of this is, you realize how small we are; you know the Earth is part of something larger. There are things that are bigger than what’s necessarily in front of you; two days from now, we’re going to be down on the ground, paying our water bills and, you know, mowing our lawns, right?

But there are bigger things.

I never felt like I was happier than when I was working on a big project, something bigger than myself. The thing that strikes you again – getting back to looking at the moon – is you know, at some level, somebody somewhere needs to think about the issue of the fact that these asteroids hit the Earth.

I’m going to take a little poll here. Who here thinks asteroid impacts on Earth are rare? Wow, just a few people; OK, well maybe you are far more educated than me. Let me tell you about a network of sensors that we have deployed around the world. There are sensors looking down at

the Earth from above, [scanning] for very high temperatures, and a series of very large listening stations – they’re listening for lowfrequency rumbles, which are called infrared sound – that are spread out around the Earth. Anybody have any guesses what this is for? Nuclear weapons tests. We monitor for rocket launches and nuclear weapons explosions. For obvious reasons.

It turns out that a very large explosion like a nuclear blast going off can actually be heard from thousands of miles away or tens of thousands of miles away. If you have sensors all over the place and you hear it from different spots you can actually tell where [the explosion] was and how big it was. So this full network has been upgraded year by year, and it’s classified data. But over the last 10 years, what has this network seen?

Because now the last 10 years of data is declassified – it’s not released publicly yet, but it is declassified, at least. It was designed to look for nuclear weapons tests; how many above-ground weapons tests has it seen in the last 10 years? None. It has never seen what it is designed for. What does it see in-

stead? Asteroid impacts, it turns out, because they’re actually quite common.

[I’ve got] a list of 26 asteroid impacts in the last decade or so. These are asteroid impacts that are larger than one kiloton of TNT – a thousand tons of TNT, which would basically take out the Financial District. For scale, the bomb dropped over Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. So I grouped these asteroid impacts in the last decade into three groups: less than 10 [kilotons]; between 10 and 20, which is roughly a Hiroshima-sized bomb; and much larger than 20, which, in other words, is much larger than the bomb dropped over Hiroshima.

It turns out that there are eight impacts in just the last decade or so that are roughly as large or larger than the bomb dropped over Hiroshima. Interesting. So why haven’t we had a city destroyed? The answer is because most of the Earth is ocean and if you look at this list, you’ll see that most of these locations are out in the ocean. So why have bad things not happened in the last decade?

Luck. So our current strategy for dealing with asteroid impacts is luck. I think that’s

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

39

unacceptable.

One of my favorite cartoons is a cartoon from Gary Larson which said, “The real reason dinosaurs became extinct” and shows them all smoking. But I think the big picture here is that right now things have changed. The old saying is that dinosaurs went extinct because they didn’t have a space program. What I’m going to tell you about today is that we may go extinct in spite of the fact that we have a space program.

Though our space program is actually fully capable of defending this planet, it’s not being done. What I’m going to tell you about is why we felt compelled, that we had no choice but to take this task on ourselves, and I’ll show you how that played out.

The very first thing that you should know, if you remember nothing else from the first half of the talk is this: We can stop asteroids from hitting Earth. We know how to do this.

What does it take to stop an asteroid from hitting the Earth? Who here has seen Armageddon? Deep Impact? Forget all that.

The reason is because – it doesn’t make a great movie necessarily – you have a lot of warning before something hits the Earth.

Not like a day or so, but decades. It’s actually reasonably easy to keep something from hitting the Earth. Why? You know we’re traveling around the sun. At this very moment we’re moving 65,000 miles around the sun. We’re a moving target. Let’s say there’s an asteroid out there that’s going to hit us in 10 years. We’re not going to be where we are right now. We’re going to be someplace [else] – we’ve moved. So what that actually means is that asteroid has a date 10 years from now to be in the same place as the Earth is at that same time.

So how do you keep an asteroid from hitting the Earth there? It’s a matter of timing. It’s like the old demolition derbies that you may have seen at the old state fair: cars driving around two tracks. It’s fine if they go through the intersections at different times – some of the intersections out here on Market Street are kind of like that. But if you go through the intersection and another car goes through and the timing’s different, it’s actually not a problem unless you get a ticket. That’s the key to getting an asteroid to miss the Earth.

You only need to upset the timing by a little bit, and what that actually means is you

40

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

need to change the speed of an asteroid by a tiny amount. If you have a decade or so of notice, the amount of speed that you need to change an asteroid’s speed by – again we’re moving around the sun at about 65,000 miles an hour too – is about one millimeter per second. That’s about the speed that an ant walks.

Really this whole problem boils down to: How do I change the speed of an asteroid that’s out there in deep space tens of millions of miles from Earth by about the speed an ant walks? Now, if you took any freshman year physics, you know that if you run into something with something else, you change

“We may go extinct in spite of the fact that we have a space program. Though our space program is actually fully capable of defending this planet, it’s not being done.” its speed, right? So we actually did this.

In 2005, we flew a mission called Deep Impact, and what we did was we actually crashed a spacecraft into [an asteroid]. Deep Impact [was sent] toward something called Comet Tempel 1. And whoa, whoa, whoa here it goes! It just runs into it. It doesn’t slow down. It’s actually a rather amazing feat, if you think about it. The spacecraft actually splits in two; there’s the explosion. What this thing did is it actually flew toward this comet, which is basically like a large asteroid, at a speed of about 20,000 miles an hour, and it hit it. One minute from impact, [the space craft] is about 350 miles from hitting [the asteroid], so [that’s about the distance from] here to LA so the technology involved here [needs] pretty good aim to hit something from the side of the building. You’re [about 350 miles] away, and you’ve got one minute until impact. We can do that.

You should be aware that modern space technology can do some rather amazing things, including this. And it turns out that that’s entirely sufficient, if you were to hit an asteroid, to keep it from hitting the Earth.

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

This was done in 2005. So we actually know how; it turns out that’s actually the easier part of the equation. The harder part of the equation is: Where are you aiming this thing? If you don’t know if an asteroid is on its way toward hitting us, what can you do?

The answer is nothing because if you have your eyes closed, the next one that’s going to hit us is going to hit us.

You have to know in advance where these things are. Remember I said that you need a decade or so of notice in order to do this.

It turns out that actually the big problem right now from a technical level is that we need to go find these things first. You can only deflect asteroids that you can find, and here is the sort of disturbing thing: We know roughly how many asteroids are out there because we know how many hit the Earth.

Remember, by counting asteroids that hit the Earth over the last decade, you have a good idea of the number of them as well as their size. By counting craters on the moon, you can get an independent means of doing that.

It turns out there’s about a million asteroids that are circling our sun, in orbits that could hit Earth, that are large enough to destroy a major city. So the last one of these that hit was in 1908. We had a slightly smaller one on February 15th of last year, which exploded near the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. Very luckily, it came in at a grazing angle and exploded outside the city, but the shockwaves still broke 100,000 windows in the city. So the people of Chelyabinsk were actually quite lucky that that wasn’t closer.

Of the million asteroids that are out there, we know less than 10,000 of them.

We’ve only found the locations of 10,000 of them.

It’s not just their locations; you need to know where they’re going to be. So you actually need to measure their velocity really, really accurately. Remember, I said that if you change the speed of something by one millimeter per second, that’s the difference between a hit and a miss? So reverse that in your brain and say: How accurately do I need to measure its speed to know if it’s going to hit or not? I need to measure it accurately to a millimeter per second. We can actually do that.

Think about that for a second: These are objects smaller than this building. In fact, the asteroid in 1908 that destroyed an area roughly the size of the Bay Area was way

Photo by Ed Ritger

smaller than this building, almost charcoal black. How do you spot it 10 million miles from here and measure its speed accurate to that amount? It turns out we can actually do that.

Now, let’s go back again to the disconcerting part. Roughly less than one percent of these asteroids are actually tracked today.

So the other 99 percent, what can we do about it? If one of them is on an impact course, there’s nothing we can do. We don’t even know it, right? So the likeliest warning time we are to get right now of the next major asteroid impact is zero. [In the case of ] the asteroid that arrived on February 15th, the first warning to NASA was on Twitter.

It’s actually true.

So how many asteroids is NASA, which is doing more than all other space programs combined on this problem, finding per year?

About a thousand, about one-tenth of one percent of the asteroids that threaten Earth.

At that rate, it would take us a thousand years to find and track all these asteroids, by which time all these orbits have changed. In other words, you can never get there from here doing what we’re doing right now.

When I said before that we may go extinct in spite of the fact that we have a space program, that’s what I mean. You can argue all you like about the reasons NASA’s funding priorities are as they are. I was part of NASA for many years. It’s complicated to say why anything is in Washington D.C. these days.

But the fact of the matter is, and it’s incontrovertible, we’re not finding these things

at a rate that is meaningful, and that’s the situation that we’re left with.

Question and Answer Session with Brian Hackney, Reporter, KPIX 5 San Francisco BRIAN HACKNEY: California was not the middle of no place in April 2012 when, I noticed on your list, you said that one actually “hit” – do you mean that it exploded in the upper atmosphere or did it actually hit?

ED LU: Yeah, it actually exploded in the upper atmosphere. The small ones tend to explode in the upper atmosphere, which, again doesn’t make them not dangerous, because it’s shockwaves that cause destruction. Now I actually heard that one. Do you remember the one that fell over Marin? Big flash in the sky, sonic boom actually. I remember hearing it. We thought our kids had gotten up and were doing something upstairs. So we went upstairs to tell them to go to bed. But they were fast asleep and it turns out that that was the sonic boom we had heard from that very tiny one – and it was very small. It basically just caused a light show.

HACKNEY: Let’s talk about the bigger ones then. Sixty-three million years ago, give or take a few years, the dinosaurs got wiped out by the Yucatan impact. That’s 63 million years ago. How big an asteroid and how often does such an asteroid hit Earth that would really have significant impacts on our climate and on our society? How often do those hit?

LU: Those happen about once every 500,000 to a million years. It doesn’t have

to be big enough to wipe out all species like that, but it’s generally accepted that something about half a mile across would be the end of human civilization. The reason for that is because something that size is large enough to end growing seasons worldwide for a couple of years. The Earth has only about a two- to three-month supply of food at any given time. So if you cut off all growing seasons worldwide for two to three years, it’s pretty hard to see how civilization exists in its current form. Not that you wouldn’t have some stragglers living after that.

So let’s put this into perspective; let’s call it once in a million years. In your lifetime, that means there’s about a .01 percent chance that that’s going to happen, OK? A .01 percent. It’s not that small. Do you wear a seatbelt in your car? Because that’s about the chance that you’re going to die in a car accident in your lifetime.

HACKNEY: You’re doing this privately.

Are you kind of glad the government is not involved?

LU: No, I don’t want to say it that way.

Again, I’m not a government basher. I was a proud civil servant at NASA for many years, and the government does great things.

But truthfully, in this matter, we’re taking the lead and you know what? If NASA was doing this, I wouldn’t be doing this. There’s plenty of other things I could be doing with my life. If somebody else was doing this job, then, Lord knows, I could work a lot less for a lot more money, as my wife reminds me. But I didn’t feel I had a choice in this matter, because it’s so important.

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

41

RUTH REICHL

from nonfiction to fiction

The celebrated food critic discusses her new career as a novelist and reveals the most annoying question she gets asked every time.

Excerpted from“Ruth Reichl,” May 20, 2014.

RUTH REICHL Food Critic; Former Editor, Gourmet; Author, Delicious!

In conversation with

ANGIE COIRO

Journalist and Host, “In Deep” – Moderator

42

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

ANGIE COIRO: How is the process different for you as a writer? I mean, when you’re writing a memoir, you may have to refer to your old notes that you kept at the time, but there’s not a matter of reading up and seeing how things were. Was there any learning or any surprise for you in the process of writing a fiction that you had to educate yourself about?

RUTH REICHL: My editor said to me, “Your memoirs read like novels. You can write a novel easy.” She also said, “You know, actually when you wore disguises when you were at The New York Times and you literally made yourself into someone else to go out and be anonymous? You were living fictions.

So you know what it is to inhabit another person’s body. So this is going to be a piece of cake for you.”

Well, guess what? It was not. Writing as a daily journalist you pretty much know what the story is and once you figure out your angle – for me it’s usually getting in

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

the shower and figuring out what my first line is – and then you just write it.

I didn’t know that [to write fiction] I needed to know so much that my readers didn’t know. I essentially wrote an entire book that was just backstory. I mean, I didn’t know that I was going to throw this out.

But when I was done with it, I realized that I had written all the things that I needed to know, but not necessarily what my readers needed to know.

But now that I knew the characters, I could write the novel. It was a real revelation that I needed to know everything that when I started with [writing] memoirs, I knew.

And I really needed to write down where everybody came from. It doesn’t matter how minor a character it is in a book. You really need to know who they are, where they came from – you know, what they’re going home to.

There was about a year when I literally was just writing [and] learning the characters. Then once I knew them, the surprise for me was, I thought I could manipulate them, but they manipulated me. They surprised me over and over again. I mean, I thought that I knew what they were going to do.

COIRO:You mentioned wearing costumes, disguises, so that you could go undercover and get an honest view of a restaurant.

When people talk about you, that’s one of the first things that comes up. What is it about that that seizes people’s imagination?

REICHL: Until that point there was this notion that the critics were on the side of the restaurants and that somehow they were aligned against the ordinary eaters. There’s something about that effort to go out and really tell readers what is going to happen to them as opposed to going out and having the red carpet rolled out.

There’s something very appealing about the democratization of the restaurant experience and about understanding that it’s not just about the cooking. Going to restaurants is about having an experience, and part of that involves the food, but it’s much more than that. If you’re really accurately going to describe what that experience is, you have to be anonymous as a critic.

[Also] we all kind of love the notion of being given permission to become actors for a little while – to turn into someone else. I would put on these disguises. Inside you’re still you, so you’d look in the mirror

and think, “Isn’t that funny? Look what I look like.” But when you go out dressed as this other person and people respond to you as if you are this person, you then, in a very real sense, turn into that person, and that’s a fascinating idea to people. The notion that we are in some way in control of how we present ourselves to the world fascinates people.

COIRO: One of our audience members wants to know how you’d characterize the style and approach to food criticism today – food reviews.

REICHL: There are many ways of writing criticism, and the most common one is just to do it as Consumer Reports does. I am going to tell my audience how to spend their money. I’ve always thought those were pretty boring to read.

I think that good criticism, whether it’s of a restaurant or a film or a play or a work of art, is [when] you give your audience a better way to appreciate the experience that they’re going to have. You give them tools to experience this in a richer way. You give them history. You bring something new to it. So when you go to that museum or read that book, you have a richer experience because of what you’ve read. That’s what I was really trying to do.

COIRO: What about the dawn of Yelp and Amazon reviews and all these other areas where people can go and discuss, “I’m not a food critic, but here’s what I experienced.”

REICHL: That’s consumer reporting, and it’s perfectly valid. And I think it’s done two important things. One is it has put the onus on the professional [food critics] to be better than anybody you can read on Yelp, and I think we probably now have the best critics working today that we’ve ever had just because they have to be so much better than the bloggers, the Yelpers, et cetera.

But even more important, it has made a more educated public, because I think today people have to bring their own intelligence to the reviews that they read. I mean, when you read all these online things, you have to read them with a certain amount of skepticism and you have to decide for yourself.

The critic in x-paper says this is good; the critic in the magazine says it’s terrible; I go online and I read all these different opinions.

[This] lets me make up my own mind, and that’s a good thing.

We shouldn’t have one voice. I mean, in

the days of Craig Claiborne at The New York Times, I mean there was one really loud voice who could make or break a restaurant, and that shouldn’t happen.

COIRO: Are cookbooks going to face their demise now that people are getting recipes from the Internet?

REICHL: Absolutely not. People go to cookbooks and to the internet for very different reasons. If you come home with a bushel of peaches and you think, “What do I want to cook tonight? What am I going to do with these peaches?’” you’re very likely to go to the internet and put in peaches and look for ideas. But people read cookbooks

“Going to restaurants is about having an experience.... If you’re accurately going to describe that experience, you have to be anonymous as a critic. ” for inspiration and people take them to bed.

People read cookbooks like literature. They read them for stories.

I think that there are more cookbooks than ever being published, and I think that they continue to sell very well. There’s room for both.

COIRO: What is your favorite family recipe that was passed down from your parents or grandparents?

REICHL: As everyone knows, my mother was a truly terrible cook, but her greatest cooking triumph was corn on the cob. My brother and I never eat an ear of corn when we don’t think of my mother, and she did it right.

She called the farmer down the road and told him to go out and pick the smallest, whitest ears that he had. He always thought it was so strange because she really wanted the small ears, but they are the sweetest and the juiciest. She put a pot of water on to boil; she got in the car; she raced over there; she came back and we shucked them and we put them in the water for a minute, just so they were hot enough to melt the butter.

You will never get a better ear of corn than that. And every time I eat a really fresh ear

of corn, I thank my mother.

COIRO: Who are three people you would like to have a meal with, living or deceased, and why?

REICHL: One would be the first Queen Elizabeth. I’m fascinated with her – probably the most powerful woman that ever lived on Earth.

And I would love to put her at the same table with Cleopatra. I think the conversation between the two of them would be really fascinating: reigning monarchs, very different, but both very powerful in very different ways and both people who knew how to use the fact of being a woman to foster their politics, both very bright. And I would love to have George Saunders at that same table and see what he did with it.

COIRO: What would be on the menu?

REICHL: That is really interesting, because I would probably try to feed these two women from great antiquity, flavors that they had never had before. I would have to study it, but it would be probably very modern food, things that were not available in old Egypt or in Elizabethan England. So probably a lot of New World food, because neither of them probably would have had a tomato, for instance, would have had corn, would have had all of the things that came from [here]. Neither would have tasted a chili or anything really spicy. So I would probably try to give them all of these New World foods. Chocolate would have been totally foreign to them, and it would be fascinating to just lay out this banquet of completely new foods. I think that they would be people who were open enough to new experience, that they would be fascinated by it.

COIRO: There might be a book in there.

What foodie question just irritates the heck out of you and why?

REICHL: I get asked at almost every lecture or whatever I do, “What’s your last meal?”

And the answer seems so obvious to me. Of course, it’s an endless meal. Why wouldn’t it be?

COIRO: Maybe it’s just me, but “please think about dying” is not a very polite question.

REICHL: Well, yeah, but it literally gets asked every time.

COIRO: That’s amazing. Well, I’m glad we spared you that one.

REICHL: Why thank you. I bet it’s in that pile.

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

43

Strictly

Business.

Strictly

Local.

Connecting Bay Area Business Leaders

in Print, Online, & at Events Subscribe to the San Francisco Business Times

sanfranciscobusinesstimes.com/subscribe or call 415 路 288路 4973

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED, WE WILL REFUND ALL OF YOUR MONEY ON ALL NON MAILED ISSUES.

Boies/Olson, continued from page 9 After the election was over, I was nominated by President Bush to be solicitor general of the United States. I wasn’t the most popular person among the Democrats in the United States Senate. The process of the confirmation, which is never pretty anyway, was going to be kind of contentious – a mild word. David volunteered to talk to his former boss, Senator Kennedy, and speak up for me. When I was finally confirmed by an overwhelming 51-47 vote [laughter], David came to my swearing-in at the Justice Department.

We got together on a few occasions the fall of that year. Our wives became friends.

We’ve done things together. We both enjoy the law, we really believe in the law, we believe in the process of the law. We agree that sometimes we’ll disagree about decisions, but we have mutual respect. The law is a blessing for us both. We enjoy fine wine, especially California wine. We just became closer and closer together over the years. We enjoyed working with one another and we always talked about [how] maybe there could be a case where we could be on the same side.

We were on opposite sides of other cases subsequent to this, but we kept looking for an opportunity. We finally had this opportunity on the Prop 8 case.

DAVID BOIES: We’d known each other a little bit before Bush v. Gore. It was during Bush v. Gore that we really became friends.

You admire somebody who is on the other side who is a good lawyer and has personal integrity. I respected the way Ted handled himself; I disagreed with him then and I disagree with him now, on that particular case. I respected his role in the process. He was a fine advocate for Governor Bush, and he was a person who always handled himself with professional integrity. When the time came, afterward, I had no hesitancy at all when telling my Democratic friends that this was a person who would make a fine solicitor general.

We became closer friends. We still haven’t gotten on the golf course together, but we do take bike trips with our wives. It’s a genuine close friendship. There are many issues which we disagree on. There are many issues that we have common views of. What we’ve found is, we can work together on those areas [where] we have common ground. Each of us thinks that the country would be a better and more

Photo by Russell Edwards

productive place if more people could focus on what we have in common and not where we disagree.

NEWSOM: David, your immediate response [to Ted’s call to join the case] was yes?

BOIES: My immediate response was yes.

I had concluded before that call that this was really the defining civil rights issue of this particular quarter of a century. I can’t be here without thanking you [Newsom].

As I write in the book, my attention to this issue really rose in 2004. Like a lot of straight people, I was vaguely in favor of gay rights. I never really thought about marriage.

When you opened up the court’s office for marriage licenses, I remember the images on television of people coming here from, not only California, but all over the country and, to some extent, all over the world, and standing in line. They were so happy to have the opportunity to get married. I remember talking to my wife, Mary, at the time, and saying, “What in the world are we doing depriving people of the ability to get married when it can make them so happy, it can be so meaningful to them and it doesn’t hurt anybody?” That was a moment for me that really changed my perspective. So when Ted called me, I immediately said yes.

NEWSOM: My father, a progressive judge, an activist judge before they coined the term, was not supportive when we did what we did in 2004. In fact, it took him years, even after Prop 8. He kept saying, “Can’t you call it something else?” Were you really there that early?

OLSON: I was. In fact, someone reminded me when there was some commentary, “What in the world is he doing?” Conservatives were saying, “You are fighting for a new constitutional right.” I didn’t feel it was a new constitutional right.

David Frum, the journalist, said, “Ted, I remember a dinner we had 10 years ago with your then-wife” – my late wife – “arguing about this, and it was three-to-one against you. You were in favor of allowing people to get married and having that right.” My thinking is very much like David’s, although we’ve never talked about it collectively. Loving couples coming together, wanting to form enduring relationships and become part of a community and raise families and pay taxes and become a part of everyone else and make units of themselves, take on responsibilities, because marriage involves a lot of responsibilities – what could be more conservative than that? That’s a conservative value.

NEWSOM: You had a strategy that you attached to this early on. There was a lot of controversy surrounding that strategy. There were some that were asserting that you were interested in moving the case through motions and not necessarily through trial early on. Eventually it went to trial with Judge Walker. What were the machinations of those discussions? Was it overplayed? Was it always a trial that you were after? Were you disappointed, as a consequence, when it was not allowed to be televised?

OLSON: When we filed this case we

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

45

thought, in most of these civil rights cases that have been brought, people file the case and then there are motions. The judge looks at the arguments on either side and can decide the case, and then you’re on a faster track; you’re on to the U.S. Court of Appeals and then maybe on to the Supreme Court.

Initially both sides, even our opponents, thought that this was a case that could be handled in the form of motions.

We were assigned to Chief Judge Walker in this case. It turned out to be very, very fortunate because he has been a trial lawyer – he’s resigned now, but he spent 20-something years in a trial court. He said to us when we came before him early in the case, “I’m a trial court. How we do this is more important than the decision, because the decision is going to be made at a higher level someday.” He said, “I want a trial. I want to hear evidence on marriage, on psychology, on raising children, on the politics of this, on the characteristics, on the impact of discrimination. I want a trial. I’ll give you a trial quickly.” This was the summer – we filed it in July or August. He said, “I’ll give you a trial in January, but I want a trial.”

That wasn’t exactly what we had in mind in the beginning, but we embraced that because that would give us an opportunity to put on trial discrimination and the impact of discrimination and the harm that’s done. We didn’t foresee everything, but we did think this was a great opportunity. We thought we had the resources to find the best experts in the world. Our opponents complained bitterly about the schedule. “We don’t have

time to do this; we don’t have time to get experts to do expert reports, to take depositions and still get to trial.” We kept saying we were going to stay on that schedule and do whatever it took to get there; we were very happy about that. Once the judge had decided, that’s what we wanted to do; we embraced it. The judge decided that this was an important constitutional question involving tens of thousands, ultimately millions, of people in the United States, and that the people who couldn’t get into the courtroom should have been in the courtroom, because there should have been a streaming of the

“O ur

opponents were

complaining bitterly that there was going to be a trial. What could be more American than a trial?”

–Ted Olson trial outside to the public. We thought that was fantastic.

Our opponents hated the idea. That tells you a lot. They were complaining bitterly that there was going to be a trial and the public was going to be coming into the trial.

What could be more American than a trial: A real back-and-forth, evidence goes on, people will testify, we cross-examine them and

things go on. The American people should see this. If you don’t want the American people to see what’s going on in that courtroom, what’s the matter with your ideas?

Is there something wrong with your side of this case if you don’t want people to see it? Ultimately the Supreme Court stopped the idea of televising the court outside the courtroom on the first day of the trial, but the cameras stayed in the courtroom. That tape still exists.

NEWSOM: David, I imagine this had to change you pretty profoundly: the experiences, people coming up to you. So much of your work, and I don’t mean to diminish your other work, but it’s more academic and theoretical than you’re arguing here.

When you got deeper into this I imagine there were layers of this that you never could have seen coming that must have moved you profoundly.

BOIES: There really were. When we started, I think both Ted and I were committed to this as a matter of constitutional principle, as a matter of basic fairness, as a matter of constitutional law. As we got into the case and as we got to know our plaintiffs – as I’ve said many times before, they started out as our clients, became our friends and ended up our family. We shared their pain; we shared the damage that the discrimination did. We moved from an intellectual case, about which we felt passionately even in the beginning, to a highly emotional case where we felt that our future and the future of our families was tied up in what happened in this case. That’s only increased as time has gone on and as Photo by Russell Edwards

46

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Photo by Russell Edwards

we see and we talk to everyday people whose lives have been changed – not just by what we’ve done, but by what all of the people who have devoted so much time and effort to achieving equality over the last several decades, have worked to do. It has been, I think for Ted and myself, the most satisfying case that we’ve ever been involved in.

NEWSOM: And Ted, for you particularly, not without consequences. I mean, Rush Limbaugh – OLSON: Yeah, he doesn’t like me anymore.

NEWSOM: Right away he said, “You were one of us.” A notion of betrayal; he amplified as he often does, verbosely, but others, I imagine, quietly. Folks that you were very close to, people you admire; that animus probably still remains. Have you been able to repair those relationships? Have you been able to convince those people of the merits of your argument? In a broader sense, how has it impacted you, not just personally, which I’d love to hear, but also professionally?

OLSON: I don’t worry about things like that. I really don’t. There have been some people that didn’t understand, that did disagree. I looked upon that, in large part, as an opportunity to explain why I felt – and I wrote the article for Newsweek about the conservative case for gay marriage. I figured that this was an opportunity. I have deep convictions about the rightness of this. It’s only reinforced every time I look at [plaintiffs] Kris and Sandy or Jeff and Paul. I knew that this was right. I knew that if given the opportunity to do something about it and I walked away from it because other people

didn’t think that it was the right thing to do – I would become unpopular – I would not really be able to live with myself.

This is something that is exceedingly important – and yes, you get some emails and this or that, but we’re overwhelmed by the good feeling that comes out of people walking past me or sitting on an airplane.

Last night here at the LGBT Community

“Our plaintiffs started out as our clients, became our friends and ended up our family. We shared their pain [and] the damage that the discrimination did.”

–David Boies Center, just up the road on Market Street, we were with 125 or so people who talked with us about their experiences. It was extraordinarily gratifying. Not a day goes by without us hearing from somebody that we have touched in a small way. That completely eclipses any professional or personal [cost].

NEWSOM: Did you choose the plaintiffs, or did the plaintiffs choose you?

BOIES: It was a combination. One of the things that the plaintiffs had to be satisfied with was the case we were going to bring and how we were going to represent them. One of the things we also had to be sure of was

that we were able to identify plaintiffs that were going to have the strength of character and the staying power and the courage to go through what we knew was going to be an arduous process. We knew that this was a process that was going to take years, not months. We knew that we needed to have people who had a commitment to their relationship so that that relationship could withstand that time and that pressure. We needed to have people whose families would accept and support them with the difficulties that they would have to go through. We needed to have people who had the inner character and the strength to be able to endure what we knew was going to be a lot of harassment, a lot of attacks, a lot of vile kinds of things that they were subjected to. You would not want to play in a family audience some of the messages that were left on their answering machines. We needed to have people who would stick with it through that.

We found, in our four plaintiffs, Kris and Sandy and Jeff and Paul, four extraordinary human beings who were able, with intelligence and humor, to describe our case and describe what they felt, describe why this was an important issue, describe what they were being deprived of by the discrimination and how that had hurt them and damaged them, but also to describe the kind of higher arc that they and others could have if this discrimination were eliminated.

Ted and I have often said that the best argument that we could ever make would be just to play the testimony of Kris and Sandy and Jeff and Paul. We called the four of them

AU GU ST/SE P T E MBE R 2014

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

47

as our first witnesses. Those of you who are lawyers in the audience know that you don’t generally do that. That’s a dangerous thing to do. If they don’t come across perfectly, you may lose a momentum that you never recover in the trial. Some people would say it was a risky strategy to put them on first. We felt it was important to put a human face on this discrimination and have a judge listen to real people describe in real terms what this case was about. There was not a dry eye in the courtroom, and I include the people on the other side, the lawyers on the other side, listening to that testimony.

You’ll get a sense of it listening to the HBO documentary [The Case Against 8]. It doesn’t come across with as much dramatic impact as the trial did, but it comes across with a lot of dramatic impact. I don’t believe that you can watch that documentary, and I don’t believe that you could listen to the plaintiffs in our trial, no matter what your going-in position was, and not end up rooting for them. That was, I think, our most powerful evidence.

NEWSOM: We’re blessed to have Kris [Perry] and Sandy [Stier] here. This is a pretty impressive team you’ve got behind you. It’s as good as it gets. What was it like a year ago today when that decision came down? What did it mean to you personally, your family?

KRIS PERRY: Happy anniversary, Ted and David, number one. [On that] day a year ago, June 26th, 2013, I actually thought about you, Lieutenant Governor Newsom, and what Sandy and I did because of you 10 years earlier. We ran to San Francisco City Hall. We were married and couldn’t have been more overjoyed. Then, a few months later, that was taken away. We were so aggrieved by that, we didn’t take advantage of the six-month window in 2008. We didn’t go get married again. It was too hard. We had four boys. They were put through it once; we didn’t do it again.

So when Ted and David went into this with a new strategy where they were going to seek federal remedies to this problem, we thought, well maybe that was the permanent solution that would let Sandy and me get married. The rest is history; we know what happened. On that day I was really thinking of the 10-year span that you started in San Francisco. We won a trial in San Francisco.

We came back to San Francisco and two

48

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

days later we were married in City Hall by [California Attorney General] Kamala Harris with so many people celebrating along with us.

We could almost predict that that moment was coming and that everyone would be as celebratory and overjoyed with what had been accomplished by, not just the three of you, but this entire city, this state, this court system, so many people. We couldn’t be more proud to be a part of everything that everybody did, including you. I know that Sandy and I couldn’t ask for a better place to be tonight on our first SCOTUS anniversary. It doesn’t sound so great, but now we have that, too.

NEWSOM: What about the religious arguments? An extension of that: What is the best argument, from your perspective, against same-sex marriage?

BOIES: The courts have been consistent [in saying] that tradition is not a justification for discrimination. If tradition were a justification for discrimination, women still wouldn’t vote – they still wouldn’t have any equal rights in marriage; African Americans wouldn’t go to school with whites, you wouldn’t have interracial marriage. Tradition cannot be a justification for continued discrimination.

With respect to the best argument against, there are people who believe, as a sincere article of faith, dogma of their religion, that marriage and sex ought to be limited to people of the opposite sex. There were people who believed, as a matter of religious dogma, that marriage and sex should be limited to people of the same race. People can have a variety of religious views and they can hold those very sincerely.

The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of everyone to have the religious beliefs that they do. But the First Amendment also, in its separation of church and state, guarantees that no religion and no majoritarian religious belief can infringe on the rights of minorities. Can there be a religious argument against marriage equality? Yes there can. Can there be a religious argument for the government limiting marriage to people of the opposite sex? No. There simply is not a policy, there’s not a secular policy, there’s not a constitutional policy, there’s not a constitutional precedent that permits you to take religious views, that you may hold sincerely, that the majority of people may hold sincerely, and impose them on somebody else.

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Photos by Russell Edwards

new & improved!

The Commonwealth Club’s new iPhone app Find upcoming programs Buy tickets Listen, download, share podcasts & more!

Free in the iTunes store or go to commonwealthclub.org/app2014

Developed by

INSIGHT

D R . G LO R I A C . D U F F Y P R E S I D E N T & C E O

The Amazing Dr. Trudeau

W

henever I discuss family tages” where patients were separated from one another and had history, as I did with porches where they could sit, lie or even sleep outside in specially relatives around the designed chairs while breathing the fresh cool mountain air. Those 4th of July, I am mindful that my strong enough were encouraged to walk or hike; organic local and entire branch of our family would healthful food was served; and music, art, crafts and other pursuits not exist without the pioneering were arranged to engage the patients in nurturing activity. A staff of work of a physician and medical doctors mentored by Trudeau participated in his research and treated researcher, Dr. Edward L. Trudeau. the patients at the Sanitarium.

Born in 1848, Trudeau nursed his Many notable people came to the Cottage Sanitarium for the older brother through tuberculosis “fresh air cure,” including entertainer Al Jolson and writers Robert until his brother died. Motivated to Louis Stevenson and Walker Percy. Quite a few of those who came study medicine, Trudeau graduated returned to a productive life. from Columbia University’s College In her twenties, my grandmother, Tennys Redinger, worked as Photo courtesy of Gloria Duffy of Physicians and Surgeons at age an assistant to New York financier James Cox Brady. (If this name is 22 and set up his practice on Long Island. In 1873 Trudeau was familiar, his grandson, Nicholas Brady, was the U.S. Treasury Secretary diagnosed with TB and was literally carried up to the Adirondack during the Reagan and George Bush, Sr. administrations.) My grandMountains to try to recover his health. mother contracted tuberculosis, and around 1912, the generous Mr. Trudeau became interested in early European Brady sent her to the Adirondack Cottage Saniresearch on TB, and in 1885 in Saranac Lake, tarium to recover. My grandmother was cured, New York, he set up the first TB research laboraand went on to move to Los Angeles and Puerto l l o f h e r l i f e [ m y Rico, where she helped her brother manage the tory in the United States. There he cultured the TB bacillus and experimented to find a cure. grandmother] maintained family fruit-growing business, to marry, to have The story of his research is intriguing. For exa daughter and grandchildren, and to travel the ample, the bacterium had to be heated in order the healthy diet and lifestyle world, living another 60 years and passing away to grow, and before electricity it was a challenge at the age of 87. She remembered sleeping outshe learned at Saranac Lake.” side on her cure cottage porch at the Sanitarium, to maintain an even temperature.

Dr. Trudeau’s 1925 autobiography tells and all her life maintained the healthy diet and how he constructed his laboratory, invented a lifestyle she learned at Saranac Lake. thermostat, procured water, maintained heat using a wood fire in a Dr. Edward Trudeau passed away in 1915, finally a victim of the stove, experimented on animals captured in the local woods, stained tuberculosis he had staved off for over 40 years. He had treated over cultures and conducted observations with his microscope. It is an 15,000 patients and saved many lives. He laid the groundwork for amazing portrait of dedicated scientific research with very primitive much that came after in treating the disease. And if his name is familiar, tools. In 1894, after his lab burned down, with support from friends cartoonist and Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau is his great grandson. and donors, a more modern laboratory was built for Dr. Trudeau.

The Sanitarium closed in 1954, after antibiotics became available Trudeau’s discoveries from his own experience with the disease to treat TB. Dr. Trudeau’s laboratory closed in 1964, but it was sucand his scientific observations included that TB was not inherited; ceeded by the Trudeau Institute, which continues to do research on the communicable nature of TB; that it flourished in warm environ- the immune system. The Trudeau tuberculosis laboratory is preserved ments; that it was curable in its early stages; and that cool weather intact as a museum in Saranac Lake, by an organization called Historic and fresh air, isolation from other patients, and a strengthening diet Saranac Lake, and it is worth a visit either in person or virtually at were beneficial to patients. He observed that confining TB patients historicsaranaclake.org. in hospitals with heated wards, bad air, restricted food and other A new biography of Dr. Trudeau, A Rare Romance in Medicine, will patients nearby was exactly the wrong thing to do, leading the bacil- be published next year on the 100th anniversary of his death, with lus to breed and be recommunicated from patient to patient, and a foreword by Garry Trudeau. Quite aside from his breakthroughs patients to become debilitated. in understanding and treating one of the devastating diseases of his To implement his own conclusions, Dr. Trudeau founded the time, there is much to learn from Dr. Trudeau, about how to maintain Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium in Saranac Lake, with “cure cot- health and wellness, that remains important today.

“A

50

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

AU GU S T/S EPTEM BER 2014

Perspectives of Iran May 7 – 21, 2015 •

Join our Study Leader, Stephen Kinzer, Former Correspondent, The New York Times, and Author, Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future, the award-winning book, All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.

•

Explore Tehran, the country’s capital, including a visit to the basement vault of the Bank Melli Iran to view the spectacular Crown Jewels, and learn about the thriving Iranian contemporary art scene.

•

Discover the gardens of Shah Goli, the amazing tile work of the Blue Mosque, and the town’s colorful bazaar in Tabriz.

•

Experience the country’s center of Zoroastrianism in Yazd, where the most traditional Persian architecture is found.

•

Visit the Pars Museum in Shiraz and take an excursion to the magnificent ruins of Persepolis – one of the most remarkable archaeological sites found in the Near East.

2n d

D ep ar

tu re

Ju st A dd ed

Trip is limited to 25 travelers (not including staff).

Commonwealth Club Travel CST: 2096889-40

Detailed brochure available at: commonwealthclub.org/travel Contact: (415) 597-6720 • travel@commonwealthclub.org

The Commonwealth Club of California 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105

Purchase event tickets at commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

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 Wednesday, August 20

Thursday, September 4

Steve Forbes

Sal Khan

Chairman and Editor in Chief, Forbes Media; Publisher, Forbes Magazine

Founder, Khan Academy; Author, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined

Forbes Media publishes Forbes Magazine, with a circulation of nearly 1 million readers domestically and 5 million worldwide.

Steve Forbes was a Republican candidate for president in the 1996 and 2000 primaries. Here’s a chance to hear him identify the current threats to the dollar and discuss how we can all increase our financial stability.

Sal Khan is truly an educational pioneer, reaching millions of students, teachers and individuals. Khan Academy’s mission to give a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere has breached the educational divide between poor and privileged and pioneered a transformation at the intersection of learning and technology.

INFORUM will award this educational innovator with our 21st Century Visionary Award.

for event details, see page 23

for event details, see page 30

Saturday, September 13

Tuesday, September 30

Kirsten Gillibrand

Peter Thiel

U.S. Senator; Author, Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

Co-founder, PayPal; Author, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

The senator recounts her personal journey in public service and aims to galvanize women to reach beyond their busy lives and make a meaningful difference in the world around them. If women were fully represented in politics, Gillibrand says, national priorities would shift to issues that directly impact them: affordable daycare, paid family medical leave and equal pay.

Who will create the next big idea? It could be you. Thiel is a Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur who invested in hundreds of startups, including Facebook, Space X, and Spotify. Hear Thiel discuss what’s behind the Zero to One philosophy and becoming successful and unique in today’s business world.

for event details, see page 32

for event details, see page 37