The Commonwealth, October/November 2010

Stephen Kinzer: IRAN AND THE U.S. pg 10

GLOBALIZING THE CULTURE WARS pg 14

Sebastian Junger: THE AFGHAN WAR pg 51

Dr. Gloria Duffy’s Déjà Vu Again pg 58

Commonwealth The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA October/November 2010

ALBRIGHT and SHULTZ on War and Peace $2.00; free for members commonwealthclub.org

Condoleezza Rice: Former U.S. Secretary of State Professor of Business and Political Science, Stanford University; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family In her first public appearance since the publication of her new family memoir, Secretary Rice provides a rare glimpse at the experiences that have shaped her world outlook and discusses her views on current issues. Rice details her remarkable childhood, which began in the late 1950s, when Birmingham blacks lived in segregation, and continued through the ’60s, when Rice saw her girlhood friends lose their lives to the bloodshed of the era.

Rice was the 66th U.S. secretary of state and the first black woman to hold that office. She will talk about the people and experiences that have guided her on her path to occupying one of the nation’s highest offices. Prior to serving as secretary of state, she was the first woman ever to serve as national security advisor, was provost of Stanford from 1993 to 1999, and served as the Soviet and East European Affairs advisor during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Monday, October 18 Noon program Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco For more information or to order tickets, go to commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705 Underwritten by the Koret Foundation as part of the Principles of a Free Society Series.

Attendees may be subject to search.

Contents

Vo lu m e 104, N O . 06

O c tober / N ov e m ber 2010

10 Lifting the Veil “Even the people that are in favor of sanctions are not telling you that they’re going to have the effect that we want. This leads me to think that actually [sanctions] are a subset of the war option, they’re not part of the peaceful option.” – Stephen Kinzer Photo by Beth Byrne

Features

Departments

Events

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29 Program Information 30 Eight Weeks Calendar

Foggy Bottom, West Coast Style

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Bill Lane’s great legacy; plus jazz singers, the Golden Gate Bridge and more

14 Globalizing

the Culture Wars Kapya Kaoma on the American Religious Right in Africa

18 Family First Writer Anna Quindlen

24 California’s

Economic Future An expert panel looks at the state’s prospects for recovery

51 With the Troops in Afghanistan

Sebastian Junger reports from the front lines

Events from October 1 to December 13, 2010

The Commons

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32 33 50 32

Golden Gavel Members Loyalty has its privileges

58 InSight

Programs by Region Program Listings Late-breaking Events Language Classes

About Our Cover: Madeleine Albright and George P. Shultz gave a peek inside the “club” of former secretaries of state. Albright photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Shultz courtesy of George Shultz.

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy The vulnerable elderly

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54 Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Nicholas Carr thinks so

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Photo by Steven Bowles

Madeleine Albright and George P. Shultz

Editor’s Note

Photo by Steven Bowles

Forging a Bipartisan Foreign Policy

Commonwealth The

Editor’s Note

VP, MEDIA & EDITORIAL

Foggy Bottom, West Coast Style

John Zipperer jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org

SENIOR Editor Sonya Abrams sabrams@commonwealthclub.org

John Zipperer

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR

Vice President, Media & Editorial

Steven Fromtling sfromtling@commonwealthclub.org

Editorial Interns Abigail Sessions

Sally Schilling

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS William F. Adams Beth Byrne

Steven Bowles Camille Koué

follow us online commonwealthclub.org/facebook twitter.com/cwclub commonwealthclub.blogspot.com commonwealthclub.org

Photo by Beth Byrne

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 © 2010 The Commonwealth Club of California.

Tel: (415) 597-6700 Fax: (415) 597-6729 E-mail: feedback@commonwealthclub.org EDITORIAL POLICY FOR PROGRAM TRANSCRIPTS: The Commonwealth magazine seeks to cover 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 of events online at commonwealthclub.org/archive or contact Club offices to order a compact disc.

ADVERtising information Mary Beth Cerjan Development Manager (415) 869-5919 mbcerjan@commonwealthclub.org

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n July, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and George P. Shultz took the stage together. One Democrat, one Republican, talking about how to deal with the challenges facing our country.

Just because Shultz and Albright get along with each other, it doesn’t mean they agree on everything, as you can read in the transcript from the event (see page 8). But it does mean that they can have fascinating and civil discussions about their areas of agreement and disagreement. yes, it does appear that secretaries of state are something of a Commonwealth Club speciality. That makes sense; we’re kind of tailor-made for these people who believe that out of talk and exchange can come better relations, better policy, better times.

Both Albright and Shultz have spoken at The Club numerous times. But just last issue in The Commonwealth, we published former Secretary of State James Baker’s March 16, 2010, speech to The Club. And as you can see on the inside front cover of this issue, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is speaking at The Club on October 18.

Thinking about this led me to research other top diplomats’ visits here. In 2001, for example, Warren Christopher visited The Club (audio at commonwealthclub.org/ archive/01/01-02christopher-intro.html). Henry Kissinger spoke a number of times; in this link to audio of some of his speeches (commonwealthclub.org/archive/01/01-07kissingeraudio.html), there is also his reaction to Christopher Hitchens’ accusations of war crimes (as well as Hitchens’ own response). The list goes further back, of course. John Foster Dulles, who would go on to be President Eisenhower’s controversial secretary of state, spoke at The Club three times, all before he took office.

I’m sure the list will continue to grow, with current and future secretaries coming to address our members.

The State Department HQ in Washington, D.C., is called Foggy Bottom, so what better city for a diplomat’s home away from home than right here in Fog City?

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The

Commons A Bridge too Far?

The Jazz Singer

Club’s GG Bridge opposition

Club traveler takes to the stage in Baltic trip

M

embers who go on trips with The Commonwealth Club usually request specific meal requirements or room assignments. But when travelers joined study leader Kim Kavrell Savit for our July 17-19 trip to the Baltic states, Lynne Billig had a new type of request: She is a jazz singer, and is there a jazz club somewhere along the way where she could sing?

It was an unusual request, but with The Club’s Travel department, all things are possible. So Travel Director Kristina Nemeth got in touch with Dmitry, her Russian counterpart, who lined up a gig for Billig at Kurpiai Jazz Club in Klaipeda, Lithuania, where Billig entertained the locals and her fellow travelers.

Maybe it’s time to open a Kristina & Dmitry talent agency?

Where the Real Power Is

former Assembly speaker) Robert Hertzberg. In a recent panel discussion at The Sacramento secrets Commonwealth Club, Hertzberg said that the elected officials in Sacramento he distribution of power is a have no power; “It’s in three people in central challenge of any govern- Sacramento – by the way, none of whom ment, but at least people in de- are elected” (see page 23). He then coyly mocracies know refused to say who Robert Hertzberg who holds the those three people power, right? are. coyly refused to say In California, After the event, who those three Sacramento is people persisted in people were. home to an everasking the identities changing cast of of the three powercharacters who make, break and holders. Who? Who? amend laws for the state. So who’s in All they got was a vow from Hertzcharge? Is it Governor Schwarzeneg- berg that he would never tell as long as ger? Assembly Speaker John Pérez? he was living. Well, he said, maybe right The state supreme court? before he dies, he will write it on a piece None of the above, if you ask of paper and people can find out then.

Twitter would be faster.

California Forward co-chair (and

T

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Photo by Mark Savit

W

e were bemused to be reminded that caution can sometimes be unpopular.

Kevin Starr, California’s state librarian emeritus, writes in his book Golden Gate: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest Bridge that The Commonwealth Club was one of the groups expressing opposition to the Golden Gate Bridge before it was built. As The Wall Street Journal, in its review of Starr’s book, noted, “Even the generally progress-oriented Commonwealth Club of California objected to the bridge.”

Well, sort of. In the October 15, 1930, issue of The Commonwealth (next to a separate article on “The Spirit and Face of Bolshevism”), there is a report from The Club’s Section on Harbor Development and State Highways, which recommends against passing bonds to support the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The members did not endorse the recommendation. So we’re relieved to be able to report that The Club didn’t officially oppose this now universally loved bridge. We now await evidence that The Club once opposed baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

Photo by Joe Dsilva / Flickr

Talk of the Club

Club Leadership

In Memoriam Remembering a Giant of the West Bill Lane and building a better California

Photo by Amanda Leung

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he Hon. L.W. Lane Jr., the former publisher who built Sunset magazine into one of the country’s leading regional publications and a pioneering voice of conservation, passed away July 31, 2010, at the age of 90.

The San Jose Mercury News noted that Lane was a Republican “in the Teddy Roosevelt model of conservation,” and he gave generously of his time and money to regional conservation efforts. But he was also a generous philanthropist for many organizations, including his alma mater, Stanford, where he donated $5 million in 2005 to endow the Bill Lane Center for the American West.

Lane was also a longtime member of The Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors – in fact, he was the longest-serving member of the board, where he provided invaluable help and expertise. For example, when The Club decided The Commonwealth magazine would begin to accept paid thirdparty advertising, Lane sat down with The Club’s publishing staff to discuss pitfalls and potential, which included many of the lessons he and his family had learned through their long stewardship of Sunset.

But that was only one of his contributions to The Club. Lane noted that his involvement with The Commonwealth Club went back all the way to the 1940s, when his naval commanding officer assigned him to attend Club lunch meetings to keep track of what Club speakers were saying about the war and world events.

It must have proved an irresistible match for him, because more than 65 years later, he was still active in The Club. From Commonwealth magazine redesigns to increasing the visibility of The Club’s California Book Awards to underwriting radio broadcasts, Bill Lane left a great legacy – and a lot of friends – at The Commonwealth Club. Ω

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OFFICERS of The Commonwealth Club of California Board Chair Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman Vice Chair Maryles Casto Secretary William F. Adams Treasurer Anna W. M. Mok President and CEO Dr. Gloria C. Duffy BOARD OF GOVERNORS Massey J. Bambara Ralph Baxter Hon. Shirley Temple Black* John L. Boland J. Dennis Bonney* Helen A. Burt John Busterud* Michael Carr Hon. Ming Chin* Jack Cortis Mary B. Cranston** Dr. Kerry P. Curtis Dr. Jaleh Daie Evelyn S. Dilsaver Timothy C. Draper Lee J. Dutra Joseph I. Epstein* Rolando Esteverena Jeffrey A. Farber Dr. Joseph R. Fink* Dr. Carol A. Fleming, Ph.D. Karen C. Francis Lisa Frazier William German* Dr. Charles Geschke Rose Guilbault** Jacquelyn Hadley Edie G. Heilman Eugene Herson* Hon. James C. Hormel Mary Huss Claude B. Hutchison Jr.* Dr. Julius Krevans*

Lata Krishnan Hon. L. W. Lane, Jr. Don J. McGrath Jill Nash Richard Otter* Joseph Perrelli* Hon. Barbara Pivnicka Hon. Richard Pivnicka Fr. Stephen A. Privett, S.J. Dan C. Quigley Toni Rembe* Victor A. Revenko* Skip Rhodes* Dr. Condoleezza Rice Fred A. Rodriguez Renée Rubin* Robert Saldich** Joseph W. Saunders Connie Shapiro* Charlotte Mailliard Shultz Valari D. Staab James Strother Hon. Tad Taube L. Jay Tenenbaum Charles Travers Thomas Vertin Robert Walker Nelson Weller* Judith Wilbur* Dr. Colleen B. Wilcox Dennis Wu* Russell M. Yarrow * Past President ** Past Chair

ADVISORY BOARD Karin Helene Bauer Hon. William Bradley Dennise M. Carter Steven Falk Amy Gershoni Richard N. Goldman

Heather M. Kitchen Amy McCombs Hon. William J. Perry Ray Taliaferro Nancy Thompson

Honoring Golden Gavelers The Commonwealth Club celebrates our Golden Gavel members – those who have been members for 30 or more years. Thank you for decades of loyalty to The Club and to our mission of letting loose truth in the world.

Member for over 70 years

Virginia H. Friedman* Dr. George H. Knoles

60 to 69 years

Thomas C. Adams Frederick K. Duhring Stanley H. Eastman A. B. Ferguson Neil T. Ferguson Richard L. Frank Thomas P. Gilsenan William F. Keller Robert L. Knox Theodore A. Kolb Donald W. Mitchell Holbrook T. Mitchell Grant A. Morse Marden Plant Leslie C. Scherling Robert S. Symons Rosalie V. Weaver* William J. Zellerbach

50 to 59 years

Arthur R. Albrecht Lawrence C. Ames Norbert C. Babin June Baggiani* Arthur S. Becker Allan F. Brown Robert H. Brunker Richard L. Burns J. P. Cahill Sam Camhi Fred W. Canning Leonard H. Chaban Haworth A. Clover Asa Collins John L. Darby Gerald J. De Ryan Demetrios Dimitriou Hugh W. Ditzler Noel J. Dyer Mortimer Fleishhacker George T. Galbreath John A. Galen Milo S. Gates A. Richard Gilchrist Edward H. Halton John A. Hanuska Vernon C. Harp Martha S. Hurley* Thomas M. Jenkins Noel W. Kirshenbaum Donald S. Macrae Donald B. McCaw W. L. Meikle JoAnn W. Nelson* Claude M. Owens Thomas G. Paulson Robert E. Phelan Russ Saunders Richard H. Sciaroni Mervyn Silberberg J. A. Wade Edward D. White

John T. Wilson Alfred Williams Jeanne L. Wong*

40 to 49 years

George Anderson Lee J. Atwater Allan Autentico Joseph J. Azzolino Gerson Bakar Clifford Barbanell Daniel D. Barry Edward J. Beatson Norman Blacher Nordin F. Blacker Igor R. Blake Jordan L. Bloom Parke L. Boneysteele Robert H. Borkenhagen John H. Bottomley James D. Boyd Charles W. Bradley Richard Brann Alan R. Brudos Herbert Bundesen Donald R. Call Donald Campbell J. G. Chamberlain Benjamin Chan Jane K. Childress William S. Clark Robert E. Crum Rick J. Curotto Keith G. Dahl Dean Daskarolis William D. Devlin Eric Dohrmann Earl J. Dolcini Robert L. Dossee F. G. Dunn Charles J. Epstein Bruce Euler Dwight M. Ewing Thomas J. Ferrari Joseph H. Field Frederick N. Firestone James Forbes Maurice Fredericks Angie Fredrick* Archer H. Futch Diane Gagos* Gilbert H. Gates Marvin H. Geistlinger Robert S. Gerth Ivan J. Girgich Lawrence Goldberg Bernon W. Gottlieb Harrison G. Gough Floyd Grigory Verne D. Griscom* Kurt Gronowski James M. Gullett Arnold B. Haims James M. Hall Neil R. Hamilton W. C. Harpst James M. Harris

Robert L. Haynes Warren B. Heid Scott R. Heldfond H. F. Heuser Katsumi Hikido Lawrence D. Hildebrand R. S. Hill Vernon T. Hitchcock R. E. Hopper Osborn Howes Dirk L. Hudson Claude B. Hutchison Donald D. Jackson Howard A. Jacobs Bruce R. James Peter W. Johansen Benjamin F. Johnson Walter Jones Fred L. Karren William F. Kartozian Robert L. Katz Franz R. Kegel John C. Kerby-Miller Gretchen B. Kimball* John A. Kirtland Roger N. Kleinecke Frederick J. Klemeyer Roger T. Kosel Phillip Lamoreaux Edward V. Lane Jerry L. Lane William H. Lawler Edward L. Leech Robert W. Lemmon Alberto S. Lemos Daniel G. Libarle Malcolm London E.J. Almo Lorenzi James J. Ludwig Michael Marston Donald C. Martin Edward E. Martins Peter H. Mattson Arthur W. Mayo John N. McCombs Charles R. McFadden John D. McGilvray Vernon J. McKale Glen McLaughlin John L. McNulty Duncan R. McPherson Robert W. Medearis James R. Meier Michael L. Mellor John G. Mengshol Donald Mitchell Milton E. Morgan Eddie Moriguchi Walter H. Morris J. D. Myers Cressey Nakagawa Nels B. Nelson Ann Nilsson David* Barbara K. Nourse* Ronald Nunn Paul Ortega

Douglas G. Paul Willys I. Peck John A. Pedroncelli John E. Pehrson Robert A. Perry Newton D. Poggetto James N. Porter Wesley D. Price Charles W. Raibley Helen H. Raiser* Robert A. Ramsay David S. Ramsey Donald N. Ravitch Eugene Ravizza Wendell G. Reed Skip Rhodes Ronald N. Richards Ben Richards Louis V. Riggs Eugene A. Ringel Richard E. Rominger John S. Root Zeph D. Rose Donald Rosenberg Dan Y. Rosenberg Angelo Sangiacomo Allan J. Savitz Peter J. Scalia William A. Seavey Donald H. Seiler Theodore W. Seybold Ted L. Shrader, D.C. Kenneth G. Sletten Marshall L. Small Bernard J. Smith David E. Smith William D. Smullin James Soper Nancy K. Soper* Michael Spiegel Roger C. Steele Donald J. Stewart James A. Stonehouse Robert S. Stroman Barry Stubbs John B. Stuppin Robert B. Suhr Donaldson S. Taylor Dieter Tede Jack E. Teeters Eliot F. Terborgh Walter C. Tim Keith E. Trotman Robert R. Tufts Richard A. Van Konynenburg Lorene Van Sickle Clark D. Vilas Lawrence H. Wanetick Paul W. Ward Melvin B. Wasserman Laurence C. Wegienka Nelson S. Weller Gaylord P. Whitlock Gregory F. Wilbur Thomas B. Williamson Paul M. Wythes Marko B. Zaninovich

30 to 39 years

Barry A. Abbott Jeanne F. Adams Shirley D. Albright Matthew A. Allen Joan M. Anderson Anthony F. Angelicola Laurence M. Baer Robert C. Barrett Kyle M. Barriger Wayne A. Bartholomew John J. Bartko Dimitri M. Barton Barbara Benjamin Gail W. Berkley Dawne Bernhardt Jurg H. Bieri Daniel Bikle Don Binder David S. Blatteis Serge F. Bled Charles Born Peter I. Bosco Carl M. Braito Mary E. Brant Michael J. Brassington T. P. Broderick Timothy N. Brown Milton Bruzzone Mavis Buchholz Carol F. Buck Joan Buckingham Ron W. Burks Mary A. Campbell Ronald E. Cape Robert L. Caracristi Adelbert Carpenter John C. Carriger William Carsillo Nancy G. Case Grant F. Chappell Cheryl A. Chiene Ralph N. Cole Donald A. Collins Wayne M. Collins William J. Commerford Michael S. Conner James L. Coplan Paul J. Cortese Paul B. Cossaboon Robert J. Couly Douglas F. Crane Philip J. Craner Kerry M. Crosson Thomas C. Danhakl William E. de Recat George Devine James P. DiGrazia Judith Dobbs Victoria Donald Frank N. Doodha Cecily A. Drucker Frederick H. Duhring Yetive Edmonds Lucia Edwards Donna Ellis Mats Engstrom Joseph I. Epstein

Frances M. Etchepare Dean A. Eyre Konnilyn G. Feig Robert B. Fenwick Emily H. Fine Stuart Fink Peter D. Fischel Timothy T. Flynn T. K. Fowler Charles L. Frankel David Frey Thomas W. Fryer James W. Fuller Nicoll F. Galbraith Thomas A. Gallagher Marvin A. Gans G. D. Genochio Madeline Giachetto Allan M. Goddard Ronald G. Goerss Ann M. Goode H. R. Granger Isabella H. Grant John A. Grasham Robert C. Greeley Eleanor Greenlee Richard M. Griffith Allen C. Haile Kathleen M. Hansen Julie Harris Cynthia S. Harris Marilyn M. Harvey Winchell T. Hayward Holly Herr James Hicks James A. Hildebrand R. J. Hinds Mary A. Hoisington T. R. Huening Thomas F. Humiston Arthur T. Hurley Jack Hussey William Hutchinson Henry Jacquemet George B. James Cynthia Jamplis Martin A. Javinsky Rodger B. Jensen Richard W. Jensen Finn C. Jenssen Allan D. Jergesen Dorothy G. Johnson Penelope A. Johnson Thomas L. Jones John B. Jones Lee Karney Grace Kase Robert V. Kavanaugh Joseph M. Keebler C. B. Keim S. L. Kelly John J. King Martha H. Kohler Janice E. Kosel Richard S. Krohn Douglas R. Krotz George S. Krusi Watson M. Laetsch

William H. Langenberg Roy E. Lave Nancy Leavens Donald C. Leddy Naomi R. Lee Rozelle Lee P. J. Lindfors William T. Lockard Mark Lomele Richard W. Lyman Harold N. Lynge Stephen Lyon Francis J. Mahoney David H. Malcolm George Marcus Helen Marcus H. D. Marshak Richard G. Martens Fred J. Martin Sandra Mathews Duncan L. Matteson John L. McBride Carlin W. McCarthy Gwendolyn D. McDaniel Georgia W. McDaniel Arthur W. McLaughlin Morland G. McManigal Samuel E. Meredith Frank Meyer Steven Mihara Deborah Miller Wayne Miller Mark M. Mitchell John W. Monroe Catherine L. Montgomery Fred L. Moore Philip J. Moscone Milton J. Mosk Peter H. Moulthrop Christopher G. Mumford Catherine H. Munson William J. Nicholson John F. Nohr Victoria Oakley Oleg N. Obuhoff Loretta O’Connell William L. Olds Leslie L. Palmer Kerby L. Parnell George W. Pasha Susan Passovoy James H. Perkins Raymond P. Petersen Diane K. Plank John L. Potter Genevieve Power Vladimir Prikupets Richard W. Procunier Jane Purnell James H. Quakenbush Alpha Quincy Ann M. Ramsay Joy M. Rendahl Cedric Riano

Eugene Roberts Wolfgang H. Rosenberg Bernard Ross Eileen J. Rossi John W. Rosston Renee Rubin Brigitte Saiya Guido Saveri Herbert A. Schick Steven Schnier Stanley Schonberger Albert L. Schultz Robert H. Scribner Edward Sebree Douglas W. Shorenstein Peter J. Siggins L. E. Simmonds P. M. Simpson Ginny Sjoberg Peggy P. Smith Paul C. Soltow Jack F. Spears Sandra Stanton Reginald D. Steer Ronald L. Stefani Mary Stephens DeWall Robert L. Swanson Norman F. Sweeney Helene A. SzarzecCarlsson Beverly Tanner Nicholas G. Thacher Penny Tomlinson M. C. Torrington Charles H. Townes Helen Troxel Douglas R. Van Wyck Uta Wagner Roy T. Wallace Peter K. Wanger Tanya Wapensky R. D. Wayman Robert L. Webster Julian Weidler Matthew Weinberg Robert L. Wenzel Ozro E. West Raymond D. Williamson Mason Willrich Charles E. Wilson Jeffrey H. Winters John K. Withers Christopher A. Wolter Roy L. Wonder Russell D. Woo Robert R. Wood Diana C. WoodwardHagle Rosemary Wright George Zaine *Membership initially held by spouse

We value all of our members and want to make sure that our records are accurate. If you note any errors or if your name has been omitted from this list, please contact Penny Eardley via e-mail at peardley@commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6709. octo b e r/no v em b e r 2010

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Illustration by Steven Fromtling

Forging a Bipartisan

Foreign Policy A bipartisan duo of master diplomats discusses the best ways to protect American assets, defend her friends and reduce tensions around the globe. Excerpt from “Madeleine Albright and George Shultz: A Conversation about War and Peacebuilding,” July 14, 2010.

Madeleine Albright Former Secretary of State George Shultz Former Secretary of State Marvin Kalb Former CBS/NBC News Correspondent; Edward R. Murrow Professor Emeritus, Kennedy School of

Government, Harvard University – Moderator Kalb: Rarely in American history have we been confronted with so many daunting challenges, not only the economic challenges – which are daunting enough – but in addition, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the threats of global terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change. There are flickerings of good news: the communications revolution inspiring political hope around the world. We will all remember, I think, what happened in Iran last summer [2009]. And there are organiza-

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tions such as the United States Institute of Peace, which is actually trying to turn these hopes into reality. What’s realistic? What’s possible? What should our priorities be at this crucial moment in our history? Who better to ask than Secretaries of State George Shultz and Madeleine Albright?

I’m going to start by assuming that you’re both back in government, and therefore back in power, though that does not necessarily follow. [Laughter] What would be your

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absolute, overriding priority? What would you get up in the morning thinking, This is a problem that I simply must solve today? And how would you go about doing it?

Shultz: The first thing I would do is say, To be effective around the world, we must be strong at home. We must get our house in order. For decades we have been spending more than we earn, and it’s gotten totally out of control. We’re losing respect. So we have

to get control of ourselves; that’s number one. Number two, we have to do better on the energy problem and learn how to use alternatives to oil and coal, deal with the carbon problem, and get control of ourselves on that basis. And I would like to see, as you probably realize, hard work in trying to get ourselves to a world free of nuclear weapons.

President Obama is doing a very important and strong job in that regard, and I’m very impressed with what he’s doing.

Kalb: You’ve mentioned a couple of very important issues, no doubt, but how would you go about doing it? For example on the economic front, many people have talked about the need to do this, but very few people have done it. How would you do it?

Shultz: It’s been done before. I hate to say it, but we inherited an economic mess when Reagan took office, and it got straightened out. It can get straightened out. The key is economic growth. Adopt policies that give you economic growth, that will generate revenue, and combine it with spending control.

We have to get our Social Security system back on track. Conceptually it’s easy, it’s clear what the problem is and how to deal with it, and we need to get the political gumption to do it. The biggest problem in spending out of control, however, is health, and there it’s a harder problem but I think very doable.

Kalb: Secretary Albright, your burning issue of the day and how would you go about handling it?

Albright: What I find interesting is that my good friend, Secretary Shultz, as one would presume that we would return as secretaries of state, has in fact addressed issues that are the combination of domestic and foreign policy.

That is one of the major aspects of what we’re dealing with, that it’s very hard to separate the foreign from domestic policy, which means that, if I were there, I would think that we would have to do a better job of explaining to the American people the combination of these problems.

The other part is the plethora of [problems]. The biggest problem is that we don’t anymore have the international institutional structure to deal with it, that in fact there is not confidence in any of the institutions that are out there, including domestic institutions

and then the foreign institutions. I’m a great advocate of the UN. Does it really work at this point? There’s a real question on that. I was just asked to head a group of experts looking at a new strategic concept for NATO. I believe in NATO. Is it really the alliance that is going to take us into the future? What happens in Afghanistan? Do the international financial institutions work? For me, one of the biggest problems in problem solving is who does it.

What are the institutional structures?

I can discuss the individual issues. If there were a lottery every day about what’s the

“We haven’t devoted the resources

needed to support the State Department and the building

up of

resources there.” – Shultz biggest problem in the world, I would say Pakistan. It has everything that gives you an international migraine. I would spend a lot of time on that and on a regional solution to what’s going on in Afghanistan. But [also requiring attention are] any one of the issues that you or George mentioned, and the worst issue is looking at how the worst weapons, nuclear weapons, don’t get into the hands of the worst people, the terrorists.

Kalb: I think most of us listening to both of you would agree with everything that you’ve said, but it seems to me that nothing is really going to happen unless there is presidential leadership married to congressional cooperation. At the moment in Washington, there is political paralysis, political warfare. How are we going to make any progress in this kind of climate? What has to be done?

Shultz: Well, come on out to California, the government’s great out here! [Laughter] I don’t know the answer to your question.

But I have a sense that sometimes divided government works better than when one party or the other has it all its way. I thought the second Clinton term was very good, and the reason why it may work better is that

everybody knows that you can’t get anywhere unless you find solutions that are broadly agreeable. It tends to push consensus and tells people that that’s the way they have to work. Maybe we’ll get something like that if the Congress is a little more balanced after the next election.

Albright: Well, I definitely can’t go along with that. I think that we have a divided government at the moment. That is part of the problem. I’ve been in the opposition, so I know what it’s like. It’s actually more fun when you’re not. The bottom line, though, is that there is not a sense of trying to find the bipartisan solution. George [has] mentioned that we have this small club [of former secretaries of state]. The truth is, most of the former secretaries of state at the moment are Republicans. But we have spent a great deal of time together looking at joint solutions, because in fact we have faced similar problems together. That is the kind of thing that needs to be seen. It does not matter if you are a Democrat or Republican – [it doesn’t mean] that you don’t have the best interests of the country really in mind and at heart.

But it’s not happening. It goes to the point that I made: I don’t think there’s confidence in institutions at the moment. If you look at the polling numbers, Congress’ numbers are very far down, and there is this antiincumbent feeling, which is unfortunate.

Kalb: There’s this question that I’ve just been given. Do you ever want to give up because it’s so hard? And it’s offered by Alyssa, who is aged nine, and she’s already got the message.

Albright: No. Shultz: No, I think you’re overstating it. This will get righted. The fact of the matter is that – never mind the people in Washington – out around the country, regardless of party, there is a general perception that it’s not working and that we’re going to have to do better.

We’ll get that point through to the people who are in charge.

Kalb: But Mr. Secretary, we’ve known that now for the last two, at least, presidential elections, and it hasn’t gotten through yet.

What has to happen? There are a lot of people who genuinely feel that some utter (Continued on page 20)

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Lifting the Veil: what Iran is, w ha t Ira n is n’ t Illustration by Steven Fromtling

Can Iran and the United States cooperate? Can they be friends, or are they natural enemies?

Excerpt from “Iran Behind the Veil: Could It Become America’s Partner?” June 21, 2010.

Stephen Kinzer Former Correspondent, The New York Times; Author, Reset: Iran, Turkey and America’s Future

W

henever I get to any country, particularly a country that I haven’t visited before, I often wonder, How did this country get this way?

Why is this country rich and powerful?

Why is this country poor and miserable?

What happened? When I first got to Iran, I immediately noticed this disconnect. Here’s this society that is very old, a culture with 25 centuries of history; that was the first real empire in world history; that has produced these great leaders like Cyrus and Xerxes and Darius. Yet Iran today is isolated and frustrated and unable to take its place in the world. Its people are unable to fulfill themselves and their lives.

Why did this disconnect develop? I started asking people in Iran this question when I first went there more than 10 years ago. I started reading about Iran, and the more I talked to people and the more I read,

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the more I realized there was a moment when things started going wrong for Iran.

Iran developed a thriving democracy in the middle of the 20th century. Many of you remember the name of Mohammed Mossadegh, who was the prime minister of Iran in the early ’50s. At that time, it seemed like Iran was on the way to consolidating itself as a thriving democracy.

Because Iran was a democracy, its leaders had to reflect the great desires of its people.

The people of Iran wanted two things after World War II: Number one was democracy.

That meant that the Shah should just be a figurehead like the Queen of England and elected leaders should run the country. The second thing Iranians wanted was nationalism, which to them meant, We’ve got to take back our oil. Under a corrupt deal that had been struck at the beginning of the 20th century, Britain owned all the oil in Iran. No one else had any right to drill for

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it, refine it, extract it or sell it. It was this democratic regime that came to power in the period after World War II that promoted these two great goals.

The Anglo-American Oil Company, which held the monopoly on Iranian oil, was at that time the most lucrative British property anywhere in the world. The entire British standard of living during the 1920s and ’30s and ’40s was based on oil from Iran. All the jeeps and trucks and buses in Britain were running on Iranian oil; the factories in Britain were running on oil from Iran, and the Royal Navy, which projected British power all over the world, was run 100 percent on oil from Iran.

When the Iranians announced their decision, endorsed by a unanimous vote by both houses of parliament, to nationalize the British oil company, this set off shockwaves of course in Britain. The British thought of this as perhaps some kind of an absurd

joke. At the beginning, they couldn’t even grasp it; they couldn’t take it seriously. Never had a poor country that controlled such a valuable resource insisted so forcefully on controlling that resource and not allowing foreign companies to exploit it.

The British went through a whole series of steps to try to change Iran’s mind; they were unsuccessful. Finally the British turned to their friends in Washington, and they persuaded, without much difficulty, President Eisenhower and especially his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles to organize a coup and overthrow Mossadegh. In a period of just three weeks in the summer of 1953, that overthrow was accomplished.

That not only ended the Mossadegh regime, but it ended democracy in Iran. Had it not been for that coup, Iran might have spent these last 50 years as a thriving democracy in the heart of the Muslim Middle East, and I can hardly wrap my mind around how different the Middle East might be today if there had been this example of one of the big Muslim countries right in the center of that region embracing the principles of democracy. But unfortunately, the titans of democracy in the world, Britain and the United States, could not accept that because in Iran, democracy meant challenging not just the ownership of oil by Britain but the whole system by which the world had been run for so long – that rich countries decided what resources they needed, how much they needed, and how much they were willing to pay for it, and impose those conditions on other countries. So Iran was really in the vanguard of this movement of trying to take back control of resources.

Turkey and Iran are interesting potential partners for the United States over the 21st century. When I look at Turkey and Iran, there are some very intriguing similarities.

One of the most important is that they have very democratic societies. Iran has not managed to have a government as democratic as its society. If somehow you could peel back the layer of that religious regime, you’d find a country that’s maybe even more democratic than Turkey, which we now describe as the most democratic country in the Muslim world.

Why was Turkey able to consolidate its democracy, which it started developing 100 years ago, and Iran, which also started developing its democracy 100 years ago,

has had so much more trouble? There are a variety of reasons, but one of the big ones is oil. Sometimes you hear that a country is blessed with resources. I always worry when I hear that phrase, because sometimes resources can be a curse. Turkey had nothing that the world wanted to steal; Iran had a lot the world wanted to steal.

Rethink the Middle East

O

ur policy toward the Middle East is stuck in the past. We’re very short-term oriented, which is why we thought it would be a great idea to overthrow Mossadegh.

We got what we wanted in the short run; it seemed like a great success. We got rid of a guy that we didn’t like, and we put in a guy, the Shah, who would do everything

“Had it not been for that

coup, Iran might have spent these last 50 years as a thriving democracy.” we wanted; so it seemed like the perfect solution. In the long run it hasn’t worked out that way. The Shah, who we placed back in power, ruled with increasing repression for 25 years, and his repression produced the explosion of the late 1970s, the Islamic Revolution that brought us this fiercely anti-American regime in Tehran.

That revolution also terrified the Soviets; it’s what led them, in part, to invade Afghanistan, to prevent revolutions like that on their southern flank. That brought the U.S. into Afghanistan and helped create the situation we now face there. That revolution in Iran in 1979 also led Saddam Hussein in next-door Iraq to decide this would be a great time to invade Iran. We Americans were so angry at Iran at that time that we became the military allies of Saddam. That began our death embrace with him that spiraled us down into the situation we now face in Iraq. So it’s fair to say that a lot of unintended history came out of those few weeks in Tehran in the summer of 1953.

The crisis in the Middle East is not like

one of those frozen crises like Cyprus or Nagorno-Karabakh, where we’d like to solve it but if we don’t, nothing terrible is going to happen next year any worse than what happened last year. This crisis in the Middle East is intensifying. The hatreds and passions that are growing in that part of the world are deeply threatening. Not only has the strategic environment in that part of the world changed in ways that produce new threats to us and the outside world, but it also produces new, very intriguing opportunities for us – but we’re not able to take advantage of them, because our policy is still stuck in the old days.

So what’s a better idea?

I start from the principle that America needs partners in that part of the world. We have this idea that we get the Middle East, that other countries don’t get it, that other countries have very confused and mistaken ideas, including countries that live over there. They don’t understand what’s happening there as clearly as we do.

I’d like to see us transition out of this view to a view where we want to take some advice. Actually, the country that has been most eagerly offering us advice in that part of the world is our long-time military ally, Turkey. Turkey’s a member of NATO. Turkey has been our partner for decades.

Turkey is the most democratic country in the Middle East; it has a democratic society, a democratic government, a thriving economy, which is predicted this year to grow at a higher rate than any economy in Europe. And the Turks do have a little advice for us. Their advice essentially could be boiled down to this, Look: we’re on your side. We agree with you. We want to help you achieve your goals in the Middle East because they’re our goals, too. But, we’d like you to think about whether you want to adjust your tactics here. Maybe you’d like to be a little less confrontational, and try to deal with some of the problems in this region through diplomacy and negotiation, and we can help you do that.

Unfortunately, the United States is not good at taking advice. We’re really good at giving advice. We’ve often gotten into this feeling that since we know all the answers, it’s really a waste of everybody’s time for us to sit down and listen to what everybody else has to say. This lies behind some of the friction you’ve been reading about between Turkey and the U.S. in recent weeks. Part

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11

Photo by Beth Byrne

of it had to do with the effort by Turkey and Brazil to strike a deal with Iran over the nuclear program; part of it had to do with the Gaza flotilla which was planned in Turkey.

But there’s something that’s bigger behind those episodes, and that is a new strategic or psychological disconnect between the Turks and their American friends.

The Turks are saying, The 21st century is going to be the century of the middle powers.

Turkey is going to be important along with Mexico and Brazil and Russia and India and South Africa. We are the future of the 21st century. The Americans are still trying to hold on to the old paradigm before any new

“Leave your emotions outside. ... Emotion is going to drive us to do

things

that in the long run are

bad for us.” powers began to rise.

So here’s the disconnect. The Turks are trying to push the curve of history a little fast, and the Americans are desperately trying to hold on to the old paradigm. I would like to see the U.S. begin to take advice from Turkey on how to approach that part of the world. Turkey is a great model for us.

Turkey has an open society and a booming economy. We should do everything we can to try to promote its example and hope that other Muslim countries follow it.

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Dealing with Iran

I

’m not against sanctions as a matter of general, moral principle, but I have to ask myself, What is the end game here? What are we expecting to achieve? If people really believe sanctions are going to make Iran get down on its knees and say, “We surrender, we give up our nuclear program,” that would be a good reason to impose them, but nobody believes that’s going to happen.

Even the people that are in favor of sanctions are not telling you that they’re going to have the effect that we want. This leads me to think that actually they’re a subset of the war option, they’re not part of the peaceful option.

I fear that what’s going to happen is that since everyone knows they’re going to fail, when they do fail, we will say, We tried all peaceful means, including sanctions, they didn’t work, so we have no choice but to go to the war option and bomb Iran.

The Iranians are definitely prickly negotiating partners for us. Nonetheless, the crisis there is growing, and it’s worthwhile to listen to other options. It’s not realistic to approach Iran with the demand we’re making now, and that is, You’ve got to negotiate with us on your nuclear program and accept restrictions on that program.

It’s possible that Iran might agree to make changes and to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for other concessions, but you cannot expect Iran to give up what is essentially the highest card in its diplomatic hand only in exchange for then being promised the chance to come into a room and talk to us about other things.

If we approach Iran with a deal, and say to Iran, “Look, we have a lot of complaints

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about you and what you do in the world, but we know you also have complaints about us. So let’s make a list of all of these, and then we’ll negotiate on all of them.” That’s the way we began our breakthrough with China. But of course, you only do that if you want a breakthrough. For a long time I was asking myself, Why is it that American policymakers don’t grasp the fact that if we could somehow make a deal with Iran, Iran could emerge as a calm, peaceful, selfconfident, prosperous democratic nation in the heart of the Muslim Middle East?

Maybe the problem is that they do see it, and the idea that Iran would be a powerful and prosperous self-confident nation in the Middle East is not appealing to the American foreign policy establishment.

Nonetheless, we are certainly not progressing toward that goal. In an odd way, I see Israel and Iran in one sense in a somewhat comparable position right now. These are two countries a lot of whose neighbors don’t like or trust them, and a lot of countries in the world don’t like or trust Iran and/ or Israel. There’s a lot of anti-Israel emotion and anti-Iran emotion coursing around the world right now. People want to punish one or both of those countries. But emotion is always the enemy of wise policy making.

Leave your emotions outside the room and realize that Iran and Israel are powerful forces in the Middle East. No new security architecture in the Middle East can possibly succeed over their opposition. Therefore, it’s not a good idea to punish them and sanction them and denounce them and force them into corners, making them feel alone and friendless. The world should be eager to try to coax them out of their isolation, and I think this applies to Iran, just as it applies to Israel. Emotion is going to drive us to do things that in the long run are bad for us, and there’s nowhere where this is more true than in the Middle East.

Now, if we could work with Iran, and work with Turkey, what would be the benefits of that? Why are these logical partners for the U.S. in the future? When you’re looking for partners, you’re looking for countries that have two qualifications.

First of all, they should be countries whose societies are something like yours. This is why, for example, Saudi Arabia makes a very puzzling ally for the U.S. There’s nothing in common between that society and our so-

ciety. Turkey and Iran are the two countries in the Muslim Middle East whose societies are very much like ours. The other thing we need is partners whose long-term strategic goals are comparable to ours.

To try to sell the idea that Turkey and the U.S. have similar long-term goals is not so difficult: after all, we’ve been military partners for many years. Trying to sell Iran as a potential partner of the U.S. is a little bit harder, because it seems counter-instinctual after everything we’ve been reading in the press. But again, when you leave your emotions outside the room and forget about how angry we’re supposed to be with Iran because of things they’ve done in the past, you can see that Iran and the U.S. have many important strategic interests in common, and these are interests that transcend regimes. They’re

interests of the state. Iran has a great ability to stabilize Iraq. Iran was the place where many of those Iraqi leaders lived for many years. Iran is the Shiite motherland; Iraq is of course a big Shiite country. If Iran wants to, Iran can even be our ticket out of Iraq, because our big fear in leaving Iraq is that it will explode in another round of horrible violence as soon as we leave. Iran, working with Turkey, can make pretty sure that won’t happen, and getting out of Iraq soon and peacefully should be one of our key strategic goals. Iran can play a big role in helping us do that.

Iran has a great ability to help stabilize Afghanistan. A lot of Afghanistan was in Iran for many years up until Iran lost a few wars in the 19th century. Iran is very deeply rooted in what’s now Afghanistan. Iran is eager to see the free flow of oil from the

Persian Gulf to the West. Iran is the bitter enemy of radical Sunni movements like Taliban and al-Qaida, whose leaders want to kill every Shiite. So in the long run, Iran actually has the ability to be a partner power for the United States.

Not only are these two countries not destined to be enemies forever, but they actually have a great deal in common. So my view is that we need to start anew and look at that part of the world fresh. Let’s break out of that trap. Let’s step out of the quicksand into which our Middle East policy has fallen. We look at that part of the world and see a host of terrors – and there are many terrors for us there – but there are many opportunities for us. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of Deloitte & Touche.

Photos by Melissa Harris

Finding Friends in the “Axis of Evil”

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hen travel host Rick Steves spoke at The Club in October 2009, he dealt head-on with an accusation from his critics: his contention that travel is a political act. He argued that it is indeed political, because one’s perceptions change when one has met people in foreign lands, seen the way they behave and live their lives, and broken bread with them.

It is fitting that one of Steves’ examples was his recent trip to Iran, where he got beyond the political reporting and saw Iran for himself, its wonderful surprises and its drawbacks. When The Commonwealth Club sent its own band of travellers to Iran this past spring, they came back with a deeper view of a country often seen in the West only in newscasts about its ultra-religious leaders.

Traveller Elizabeth Nakahara says she “didn’t know Iranians are fond of Americans.” Her thoughts were echoed by Burga Santiago, who noted “how pro-American the people were we had contact with. Their friendliness was heartwarming.”

“The Iranian people were unbelievably friendly,” agreed Ellen Huppul. “Those who spoke English explained that they loved Americans but disliked our government’s actions.”

Joining The Club’s travelers was study leader Stephen Kinzer, a journalist and Iran expert (see main article, above). He provided background and explanations of Iranian culture and history, which interested Wendy Willrich, but she “also enjoyed speaking with a variety of Iranian” citizens.

“The U.S. media portrayal of Iran is in sound bites, and Iran is not a sound bite,” adds Melissa Harris.

“I suspected we are being fed a lot of propaganda,” said Santiago. “That is why I wanted to see for myself.”

Going to Iran with an Club travelers to Iran got to open mind doesn’t mean ignorgo see for themselves what ing the less attractive aspects life is like there, meeting the of life there, and the travelers people and making up their noted everything from the own minds. ultra-conservative government theocracy to the restricted fashion options for women.

Stephen Craig had talked to Iranian expatriates before the trip, so he went to Iran armed with more information than whatever is served up by the U.S. media. What he found when he got there were friendly and polite people, as well as cities that “were extremely clean” – albeit dilapidated.

Iran is still an undiscovered tourist destination for most Americans, noted Frances Taylor. “I have already recommended to a number of people that they go before it’s swamped by tourists.”

Written by John Zipperer.

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THE

Globalizing

Culture Wars

An evangelical looks at the anti-homosexual fervor in Africa and the American fundamentalist preachers who have stoked it. Excerpt from “Globalizing the Culture Wars,” July 6, 2010.

Kapya Kaoma Project Director, Political Research Associates;

Anglican Priest 14

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Illustration by Steven Fromtling

I

’m originally from Zambia. I came to Boston to study at Boston University, and ended up working at Political Research Associates, which is a progressive think tank. As a matter of self-disclosure, I always tell people I’m an evangelical myself, having been trained in excellent evangelical schools both in Zambia and the U.K. So in terms of my understanding of the evangelical faith, I am one of them. But I also disagree with what I came to learn in America about what evangelicalism is all about. I discovered that our values as African evangelicals and [American evangelicals’] values are totally different. I could not understand why an African evangelical [would say], Don’t help the poor. Why an African evangelical would be opposed to addressing global warming. And advocating for guns.

An African wouldn’t understand that.

Our concern was to find out the relationship between American conservatives and African churches. And how the Africans were being used to come back to America and make statements that no American was willing to make, to call human beings all sorts of names. But they were being given the audience by American conservatives to say those words. When you tell them, “Why did you allow somebody to call a human being an animal?” They say, “Oh, it was an African saying those words.” But why did you allow it?

So those kinds of things are what we were interested in finding out.

It’s not just the Africans coming to America and influencing American religious politics, but Americans also going back to Africa and doing the same. Unfortunately we discovered that, though in America we have the police and the law to protect the LGBTI community, in Africa those protections are not there. When you incite violence against a person, people are attacked and no one is there to protect them.

You have an American who is looked at as representing the truth to Africans, going to Africans and saying things about a group of people and then coming back [to America], but Africans will take that as the truth and use it to persecute other people. That led me to attend [an] infamous anti-gay seminar in Uganda, where we had American speakers. The famous [fundamentalist preacher] Scott Lively – people in California know

about him – was there. We [also] had Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge.

American Christian Right

T

he American culture wars are not necessarily understood in Africa. I didn’t know about the differences between Democrats and Republicans. The moment I came here, I thought I belonged to the Republicans because I am a Christian. To us, we see [the parties] as one being secular.

Liberal, for us, we understand.

I also didn’t understand the difference between the Christian Right and evangelicals, or so-called – and what it means to be a Christian in an African term. But when I started studying these groups, I discovered a lot of differences and how these differences are not necessarily pronounced to us when people come to Africa.

For instance, if you go to Africa today and ask an African to tell you about an American liberal, they will tell you. But if you ask them to tell you what they know about the Christian Right, they’ll be quiet.

They don’t know anything. The reason is that most of the missionaries that have gone to Africa, who have taught Africans, are people who have conservative ideologies.

They are able to define a liberal, but they can’t define themselves. Because the other group is over-defined and always defined in negative terms – for instance, an African will tell you that a liberal is a person who denies God, a liberal is a person who is out there to promote evil. That’s how we understand what it means to be liberal.

I have to share something that happened to me in South Africa this year. I was invited to the University of Pretoria to teach a class on sexual minorities. I started by giving the students a list of 10 questions. I just used dividing points between the progressives and the conservatives.

Among the questions I raised were questions about gun laws – does an African Christian support this; about helping the poor; is capitalism the best ideology for the world?

Then I used two questions, about abortion and homosexuality. Do you agree with homosexuality or not? The African Christians [who took the questionnaire] only agreed with the conservatives on two questions, on abortion and homosexuality.

On the eight other questions, they were

opposed to [the conservatives’ views]. Then I told them, If you answered this way, then you are a liberal in terms of American politics. They said, What are you talking about?

The reason is that Africans don’t understand the differences that much, and when people go to Africa, they only use two questions – abortion and homosexuality – to define all that the liberal is.

They don’t tell Africans that during the liberation struggle the very people who are now claiming to be the brothers of Africans were the ones who were supporting the racist governments of those countries. They’re not telling people that the people who are now calling Africans their brothers are the ones who called Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu terrorists and who justified whatever happened to them. They don’t talk about those, in which the progressive voice in America was highly, highly involved.

That’s one part of it. The second part is that when we have religious leaders going to Africa, they are not just going to Africa to present the Gospel. They are bringing their cultural assumptions, and the language they used in America and then exporting it to Africa and using it in another environment.

As you know, language can mean one thing here and something else somewhere else. So you can use a word in America and think [you] can go and use the same word in Africa, but the meaning will be different.

With the American Christian Right, one of the things they have done very well is to redefine themselves to Africans. They don’t talk about their differences, but they talk about what they see as destroying family values for Africans. These family values are understood in terms of the American cultural assumptions about what a family is. I was trained in a theological school to define a family as mother, father and children. But I tell you, there’s no African who would agree to that definition of a family. To me, a family means I have to value my cousin, my mother, my father, brother, sisters. If I buy a car, we buy it as a community. That’s the kind of family value I’m advocating for.

So if you go to Africa and say, I’m advocating for family values, Africans will be excited, because they think you are saying that the kind of individualism that has come to Africa – that has made us start thinking about ourselves as father, mother, children – is destroying African culture. So somebody

who is advocating for family values is in fact encouraging us to honor our extended obligations. But what this [American conservative] is talking about has nothing to do with African family values.

The second part is when you go to

“The people who are now calling Africans their

brothers are the ones who called Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu

terrorists.”

Africa and tell them about the perceived international gay agenda to take over the world. Here is American Scott Lively going to Africa and saying to Africans that, you know what, [gays and lesbians] have taken over America. They have taken over the U.N. They have taken over Europe.

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Following the voting period, the votes will be tabulated, and a meeting of the membership will be held at 5:45 PM on November 3, 2010, preceding that evening’s program, at which the election results will be ratified by the members present.

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And now they are out to take over Africa.

Why do they want to do this? It’s because they want to destroy the family. And if they destroy the family, they are going to force your children to become homosexuals and if you disagree with them, they’ll push you out of Uganda.

Those are the kinds of lies that are told by people. They present them as evil people.

It sounds crazy, but this is something I have on video.

If Ugandans don’t stop them, then what is happening to America, what happened in Brazil – according to Scott Lively, 10 years ago, homosexuality was never heard of in that country; now it has the capital city of homosexuality and Christians are being pushed out of Brazil – is going to happen to Ugandans. Those lies are told to a group that looks to America as the center of knowledge. When they see something from America they think it is true, because an American said it.

On top of that, any African who has lived in Africa knows that when an American evangelist says he wants to see the president of the country, they definitely have access because they carry the American flag. So you have a crazy person like Scott Lively going to meet with the parliamentarians of Uganda and given four hours of their time – suspending every activity – to this crazy guy to address people about this international gay agenda.

I was in Uganda. After that meeting, we got information that there would be a bill coming out of Uganda. One parliamentarian, in fact, is on my video recording saying to us, The government now feels that we need a new law in Uganda which will take into consideration the international gay agenda as said by Dr. Lively. That was on March 15. On April 20, the so-called antihomosexual bill in Uganda is born. The first part of that bill is Scott Lively’s talking points – which has been edited down, but I have a copy of that.

People say, No, Americans were not involved in what is happening in Uganda.

And I say, Were you there?

Pastor Rick Warren said he was not.

Well, he could have condemned the bill.

But he did not condemn the words he used in that country in 2008 when he said homosexuality is not a human rights issue.

And he supported the church of Uganda

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to boycott the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion [over the ordination of homosexual clergy by American Episcopalian churches]. It is one thing to say, I have condemned the bill. But you preached hatred when you were there.

I’ve received critiques from people, [who] say my report … is an insult to Africans simply because Africans are capable of thinking for themselves.Well, I’ll take that seriously if it came from an African. So far no African has disputed my report. You know who has

“If the progressives in America are trying

to

recruit gays in Africa,

then they are bad recruiters.

They are doing a pretty

bad job.”

disputed my report? Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. [So did] another American conservative. Where are the Africans? If they feel insulted, wouldn’t they have responded?

It took only two days for [Ugandan pastor] Martin Ssempa to respond to Pastor Warren’s condemnation of the bill. I sent a copy of this report to Martin Ssempa personally. He hasn’t said anything, even on his blog, against this report. But Americans keep telling me my report is an insult to Africans. What is an insult?

Tracking the agenda

T

he [American fundamentalists] have this agenda of transforming the world. They have been working in America, holding conferences, they have been to Argentina and to other parts of the world. Now it was time for them to be in Uganda. But when they got to Uganda, the topic they were talking about was not the Bible, it’s about a group of people. Very vulnerable persons. As I’ve said, the problem I have with the question of LGBTI campaigns is not political. To me it’s about the humanity of somebody being reduced. Whether it’s the Koran or the Bible that’s being used to reduce someone’s

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humanity, to me that is a point of concern.

That’s why I stand up for the rights of LGBTI persons. Because they are human beings. [Conservatives] describe them as being recruited by American progressives, which is what the Africans believe today. There is a myth that American and European gays are going to Africa and recruiting young people into homosexuality.

Now, you say, When did that [happen]?

Remember in 1998, The New Republic magazine published something about American gays trying to recruit in schools.

They took that and said, We have evidence they are trying to recruit people and now in Africa it’s clear they are doing that. That’s how Africans understand it now. You can laugh about it, but the president of Uganda keeps saying, I have evidence that Americans are recruiting young people in Uganda.

The vice president of Zambia believes it; the president of Malawi believes it; the president of Zimbabwe and even Namibia – they believe that nonsense. Because the myth has been taught over and over again

by Christians, and people now accept it as the gospel truth.

In the end, you have these poor souls – I have been to Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya and worked with LGBTI persons. If the progressives in America are trying to recruit gays in Africa, then they are bad recruiters. They are doing a pretty bad job. because gays I’ve met in Africa are poor people, unemployed, they have no homes, they don’t know where their meal is going to come from. How can such a person transform society?

So they are using the lies in America where gays and lesbians have gained a bit of legal representation, and transporting that to Africa where they don’t have any power.

At the end of the day, what happens when the community comes together is we see a lot of attacks on LGBTI persons.

I was in Uganda and I was having a meeting with a lesbian. She wanted to talk to someone outside the hotel where we were meeting. When she went out, she was attacked and beaten. The police came, and rather than arrest the people who were abusing her, they arrested her because she was trying to destroy the culture of Uganda.

That is the kind of life they are leading.

And that’s because Christians have gone there to mislead people about gays, that gays

are out to destroy African families, which is not true. That gays are being funded and recruited in the schools by American progressives is not true. That gays are very powerful and have taken over the world.

Those lies to Africans are being used to persecute people.

Whatever people say today about the bill in Uganda, … my concern is that in Africa, the biggest instrument is the church. If you control the church, then you control the political life of the nation. American conservatives have control over those churches.

Even though the government has pulled out, the people advocating for this bill in Uganda are still church leaders. Until we understand the influence of the church in Uganda and in Africa as a whole, we’ll miss the point of the Uganda bill.

What we need is people who believe in

the humanity of others, who believe that human dignity cannot be reduced because of sexual orientation or the way someone is born, whether they are blind or not. We should hold Americans who are preaching hate in other countries accountable. To pray, as Scott Lively has continuously said, for a nuclear bomb against the LGBTI persons in Uganda – where we know there are no instruments of protections against the LGBTI persons – is preaching hate. To go to Uganda and speak, as [fundamentalist preacher] Lou Engle did, inciting violence against a group of people because of their sexual orientation, is hate speech. Americans have a moral responsibility to hold accountable all of their citizens who are exporting hate across the globe.

They say, We didn’t mean it. That is just misleading. It’s hypocrisy. They know what

Q&A

Sandip Roy, editor and host, New America Media, moderator: You mentioned that the church is the biggest instrument in Africa. At one time, the government might have been more despotic, the faith community could be the voice of conscience. What happens when both the faith community and the government join hands on an issue like LGBT rights?

Kaoma: In the 1960s, when most African countries became independent, one thing you saw was the marriage between church and state. That in fact led to the kind of dictatorial leadership we have in Africa. The church lost its power to critique the new government they brought into being. Pastors were part of the liberation struggle. For them to stand up and critique the very instrument they put into place is very hard for them. That has continued to today.

When they join together on an issue, they don’t see what the minorities are advocating for. This happened in Rwanda, where the church and state came together and saw nothing wrong with persecuting the other group of people. This is happening in Zambia, where the president was seen as god-sent and people could not criticize him. It happened in Zimbabwe for some time; when Mugabe came into power, the new government in Zimbabwe had some church leadership in its wings, and what happened was that we could not use the church to critique the dictatorship of Mugabe for so long until we saw the country was going berzerk.

Roy: We heard a lot about Uganda when the anti-homosexuality bill was being debated, and the talk of the death penalty. What is the status of all that right now?

Kaoma: The bill in Uganda was expected to pass in the shortest

they are doing. They keep on singing this song about the international gay agenda.

We have seen genocides, where people have been misled and have killed others because they have been misled. In Rwanda, some egregious figures have been prosecuted for having preached hate. They are going through the international courts because of that. I believe that American conservatives who have preached hate in Africa, who have misled the politicians in Africa, it is time for us to hold them accountable.

As gays and lesbians in Africa have continuously said, if anything happens to them, those people who have continuously gone to Africa should be held accountable. That is your task. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of Levi Strauss.

period of time. That was the dream of the people who introduced it. What they were not ready for was the international uproar, and the progressive media played an important role here. [MSNBC television host] Rachel Maddow, when she used the video I took and called [anti-gay activist] Richard Cohen to respond to it, Richard Cohen said, When I write the new book, I’m going to change that. She proved that he had lied in that book – which the Ugandan parliament was using as a handbook. That helped many Africans and Ugandan parliamentarians – to see that whatever was said to them in that four-hour meeting with Scott Lively was not true.

The international community also made a lot of noise about the bill. We have seen this slow-down of the bill. I’ve just been talking to the chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda today, that the bill won’t be voted on in the current year. The Uganda parliament is supposed to go on recess in October, and they have got so many issues they have to deal with, and I don’t think they are ready for that. If it is not voted on, according to the constitution of Uganda, a private member’s bill, as produced by [the bill’s sponsor] David Bahati, cannot be reintroduced in the new session of parliament. It has to be introduced afresh.

So that’s what we are hoping to this bill.

Because currently even people like Martin Ssempa, who has been so vocal and who was a close friend of Pastor Warren of Saddleback Baptist Church, is not as vocal as he used to be. We are seeing a lot of silencing of the bill, and we are praying that it won’t go through. Now, even if it was to go through, it might be a reduced version of what we have seen. This is because most of the media houses kept talking about the death penalty. They might remove the death penalty. If you are asking for my opinion, I’ve said we don’t need to have the death penalty; what Africa needs is the decriminalization of homosexuality. Ω

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17

Family First The veteran New York Times columnist talks parenting, the changing news media landscape, and why she owns the same books in print versions and on her iPad. Excerpt from “Anna Quindlen,” May 9, 2010.

Anna Quindlen Columnist, Newsweek; Author, Every Last One: A Novel in conversation with Ellen Sussman Writer; Editor; Teacher

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Sussman: What made you decide to start your novel Every Last One with a chapter that presents ordinary life?

live ordinary life, day to day. Yet I wanted to suggest in very, very small ways throughout the chapter that ordinary life teeters always on the edge of great difficulty.

Quindlen: I’m only interested in ordinary life. When I was a newspaper reporter, people would ask me all the time, Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever interviewed?

Inevitably, they were waiting for someone like Barbra Streisand or Hillary Rodham Clinton, and those people were very interesting. But the most interesting interviews I did were with the women who started the community garden at the corner of 120th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, or the older woman who was a Holocaust survivor who lived in a high-rise in Brooklyn.

The texture of ordinary life seems to me [to be] the key to ordinary existence. The texture of ordinary life is the stuff of almost every great novel ever written, so I self-consciously wanted to put out there that this is a novel about the way real people

Sussman: It is very much a book about being a mother and that question of how much control do we have.

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Sussman: How close do you get, especially in this novel about raising three kids, to touching upon the kids in your real life?

Do you have rules about writing about your children? I remember you used to in your nonfiction. How do they feel about being written about, and do you use them

Photo courtesy of Anna Quindlen

Quindlen: I think this is an issue you’re always calibrating: your children’s independence, their autonomy and your responsibilities as a parent. The truth of the matter is nobody really knows whether they got it right, because you cannot hold constant for everything else. You might have exercised the right degree of oversight and given the right degree of autonomy, and everything goes awry because you didn’t understand the depth of a peer relationship or your kid was hiding something important from you or something just comes completely out of left field in your kid’s life. Other parents, we don’t feel like they are exercising enough oversight, or we feel like they are crazed helicopter parents, and somehow, because of other issues, the kid turns out fine. The problem is that in this petri dish of being a mother, there are no control subjects.

in your fiction?

Quindlen: I don’t use them in my fiction.

Both my sons are writers, so I rarely do anything about my children anymore in large part because my sons have custody of their own material at this point.

They are really good about not taking it personally, and you know what? You have to return the favor. In fact, the way I got past the obligatory teenage boy who feels he has to separate from his mother to move on, which for me was unacceptable, was to turn it into a teenage writer and a grownup writer in both cases. It worked like a charm.

Sussman: I am not surprised to hear that.

Do you critique each other’s work?

Quindlen: No. I can’t think of anybody who I would less like to be an early reader of my work. Their opinion just matters to me too much and it doesn’t give me the wiggle room to say, You know what, I don’t agree with you about this. This is what I do with my editor.

Sussman: In one of your recent columns, you discussed the difficulties of parenting: “A little parenting training would go a long way.”

What kind of training would you suggest?

Quindlen: I do think that we ought to talk more in schools and in colleges about some of the challenges of parenting. For a long time, there were a lot of things we pretended were intuitive. We always used to pretend marriage was kind of intuitive and then, after awhile, we realized that there were some people who needed couples’ therapy, and that there were retreats that were useful to people, and there were many self-help books that they could read and that kind of thing.

The other thing is I don’t think we are sufficiently out front about the fact that this is incredibly wonderful, incredibly joyful – it was the making of me as a person – and incredibly difficult. We all do this kind of mom thing that sort of makes it sound like we float easily above the common horde. It’s the way we are with writing, in an odd kind of way, because when people find writing hard, they assume they’re not good at it, because we’ve absorbed this whole notion that when you are good at something, it’s effortless.

Sussman: The business of newspapers and magazines is pretty grim right now. Will newspapers and magazines survive? What would you say to that young high school senior who interviewed you about choosing a career as a journalist?

Quindlen: Newspapers and magazines will survive. The question is how to have them survive in two different forms: the literal thing – the paper that you can hold, the magazine that you can flip the pages of – and what clearly will be a digital version of that same product or a modified version of that same product.

The second part of the question doesn’t go to how we will do it, because we have done it. If you look at The New York Times online, it is, as The New York Times always

“Nobody really knows whether they got

it

right. The problem is that in this petri dish of being a mother, there are no

control subjects.” is, absolutely splendid. Newsweek online has all the same things that Newsweek the magazine has. In fact, it has some additions that the actual physical magazine doesn’t have. The question for those of us in the business is how to make it pay, because online content has habitually online been free, and efforts to erect pay walls, given the number of aggregate sites out there that pull stuff from all kinds of venues, have felt kind of vainglorious.

When I was growing up, all you could get was our local paper. You couldn’t get the BBC, you couldn’t get The New York Times in Des Moines, Iowa. You couldn’t get the AP directly, you couldn’t turn on CSPAN and watch the speech itself instead of listening to somebody summarize the speech. You have access to all of this [now].

What it requires the consumer to do is a little bit of work – pull together sources, to understand what Fox News stands for,

to understand what the BBC stands for, what The New York Times stands for – to cobble together in a way that didn’t used to be seen as necessary, although it probably was, because if you only read your one local paper every morning you weren’t getting a complete view of the world.

Sussman: What do you think of the future of books now that books have entered the digital age?

Quindlen: I think that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. I think that physical books and digital books can coexist.

I have five books on the iPad. I also own all five of those books in hardcover because I was planning on reading them in hardcover at home and then I was hitting the road for a week and I wanted to read at least some of them and not add more weight to my carry-on bag, so I downloaded them. I would dare say that I will probably only read digital books when I am traveling, but I can see the two forms coexisting. One of the important lessons for us to learn about all this goes back to the audio book. When audio books first began to pick up steam, publishers of hardcover books were very nervous about them. I think we are capable of handling both, and will.

Sussman: What is your next project?

Quindlen: I am going to write a memoir about aging, pegged to my 60th birthday.

I am intrigued by the fact that between the time that I was born and today, we’ve gained, on average, about 15 years of life expectancy. I almost wonder whether there is such a thing as old people, just as I wonder whether there is such a thing as retirement, given all the things that people are doing even when they have stopped working for pay or are doing a different kind of work for pay. Those are some of the issues that I wanted to explore. I can’t recall that there has ever before been a generation in which so many women have been in danger of dressing like their daughters. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of The Bernard Osher Foundation.

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Photos by Beth Byrne

Albright/Shultz (Continued from page 9)

catastrophe must first happen to galvanize the American people and to recognize how serious the problem is and therefore do something about it.

Shultz: There is an utter catastrophe hitting us right now. It’s the runaway spending. Not only at the federal level, but at the state and local level. People are perceiving it and saying we have to get control of ourselves. That’s why I said at the beginning that getting control of ourselves is a key. You have to do that so you have a strong base on which to work on all the problems that you talked about.

Albright: Alyssa, I hope, would never give up, because part of what the American spirit is about is not giving up. The chances of us returning to office are like zero, but the bottom line is that there is something magical about public service and the possibility of trying to make a difference in these issues.

The assumption that I make is that the people in various offices are actually trying to do something about it, but it is very, very difficult. I think we should turn the problem to where it really belongs: to the media.

What I think is very important to solve the issues is to have an educated and informed citizenship, citizenry. That is what democracy is about. [Until] we figure out some way for people to use this bountiful amount of information in some way to understand things rather than to be riled up by it, that [remains] one of the major problems. I usually get [to this topic] at the end of a discussion.

It’s a genuine issue. What is so interesting is [that] we have more information than we’ve ever had, and this may surprise you, but I actually listen to right-wing radio when I drive, and it’s amazing that I haven’t run over

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somebody. But it basically just elicits anger from a certain group, whether you’re Right or Left. So I do think that there is a genuine responsibility that the media is not fulfilling, and since this [discussion] is co-sponsored by the Shorenstein Center, it’s a very important point that we need to deal with.

That is necessary.

Kalb: It may surprise you, but I agree with everything you’ve said.

Moving on. It would seem that a key thing is, How do we strengthen our diplomacy? I am mindful of the fact that a year ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the one who said he would give some of the Pentagon budget to the State Department to strengthen its role in problem solving around the world.

Now, we’ve heard about diplomacy being a kind of soft art, a smart way of accomplishing your aim. Why does diplomacy now, at least the appearance of it, seem so inadequate to the tasks before us?

Shultz: To a certain extent. It’s something that has grown over time. It isn’t a unique thing at present. It’s also true of ambassadorial posts. It’s important that some of these posts be open to foreign service officers so that you have the chance for the professional people to move up into important roles.

Shultz: First of all, because we haven’t devoted the resources that are needed to support the State Department and the building up of resources there. Second, we should do a better job of seeing to it that the senior people stay.

We have experienced foreign service officers retiring at the age of 50. That’s when they’re at the top of their game. We’ve got to keep them there and keep working, because we have to conduct a global diplomacy, and you need first-class people and many of them to do it.

Kalb: Then why doesn’t the Congress do that? That should be an easy thing.

Shultz: Well, I think it’s getting easier, and I think Secretary Clinton – as did Secretary Rice, as did Secretary Powell – have gradually moved the budget up [Albright points to herself, too], but the fact that the secretary of defense has to be carrying our water tells you that there’s a long way to go.

There’s something else. There’s a tendency, whenever there is a big and important problem, to have a special envoy go do it or when you have an important post, the very well qualified foreign service officer doesn’t necessarily get to do that job. So in a sense, you’re taking the people who have made a profession out of dealing with these issues somewhat out of the action, and we need to keep them in the action, not just analyze and report but do the work of diplomacy.

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

Kalb: Am I listening to criticism of President Obama’s decision to place special envoys in key trouble spots around the world, like Holbrooke in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mitchell in the Middle East?

Kalb: We’re old enough to remember that there was this great phrase about politics stopping at the water’s edge, and that we always lived with an assumption that when it came to foreign policy, we’re all in it together. But now it seems that there is a Republican foreign policy and a Democratic foreign policy.

There’s even a joke in Washington that it will be very good for President Obama’s policy in Afghanistan if the Democrats lose a great deal in November and the Republicans win, because they’ll be more supportive of the war.

What is this business about two foreign policies, and isn’t it dangerous for the country?

Albright: I do believe that we need to have a bipartisan foreign policy, and I worked on that. A lot of people might’ve been surprised that I actually was very good friends and worked with Jesse Helms. He was chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, there were a series of issues that we had to do, and I believe in that.

But it goes to the point that we’ve made a couple of times, which is kind of a lack of a sense of what we can do to help the country instead of just helping ourselves. I believe that President Obama has done more to reach out to the other party to try to develop this kind of policy. I’m trying not to be overly partisan and just stating this, but [Minority Leader] Senator McConnell basically is “Mr. No,” and so that doesn’t help in terms of this. Through a number of organizations, whether it’s the U.S. Institute or I’m on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations, we’ve been trying to figure out how to get to a bipartisan foreign policy. It is very confusing to our friends and enemies what exactly is going on.

But can I go back to something that Secretary Shultz said? Foreign policy is just trying to get some country to do what you want. That’s all it is. I teach a course called the National Security Toolbox. As we are still the most powerful country in the world, you look in the toolbox, and there’s not a lot in there. You have diplomacy, bilateral and multilateral. You have the economic tools, the sanctions, negative sanctions and embargos, and positive, trade and aid. And you have the threat of the use of force, the [actual] use of force, intelligence and law enforcement.

That’s it. There’s not a lot. As you look at problems, you have to kind of pick out the tools and mix and match.

One of the most interesting things that I teach about is the relationship that Secretary Shultz had with Secretary Weinberger over the questions of use of force and who does what when. It is something that has been going on a very long time. We are at war. We have two wars, so at the moment it seems that it is easy enough to say that the Pentagon, especially since some of my successors turned over a lot of power to the Pentagon, that it is hard to get some of it back for the State Department. Look at the budgets: the Pentagon has something like $580 billion and the State Department has $58 billion. So it is that kind of a problem that is being dealt with, and there has to be that recalibration. I fully agree with Secretary Shultz in terms of having the diplomats have more power. I’m not sure I fully agree about eliminating totally political diplomats. Well, not the special envoys. We were political appointees.

Kalb: No, but I’m thinking about people like Holbrooke and Mitchell.

Albright: The special envoys, let me just say, this is also a very practical issue. It has to do with the divided government, which is that I can tell you that it’s hard to get confirmation for a variety of people in the posts of ambassadors, so the special envoys don’t need that. And Secretary Clinton and President Obama needed to get started on what was going on in the Middle East and Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Kalb: Secretary Shultz, the appearance of the United States in Afghanistan, for example, is very much khaki in color. The top man is now General Petreaus – very admired,

experienced. He’s the boss, he’s the viceroy.

Even the American ambassador is a former general.

The question that comes up is [that] the generals themselves tell us that in Afghanistan – even in Iraq they were saying – that the ultimate compromise is a political one, and that you can put tons of additional troops into Afghanistan and you’re not going to win the war. So what is holding this up? Why [do] we appear to be so linked to a military appearance and therefore a military outcome?

Shultz: In Afghanistan we have to get the concept right, and I don’t think we’re there yet. I’ve felt myself that we went into Afghanistan in 2001, and we had a brilliant success.

Why? We had a small footprint; we made common cause with local, tribal groups; and they wanted the same things we did. We were able to use our comparative advantage effectively, and we got what we wanted. We got control. Then our mission morphed into trying to create an Afghanistan that had never been there before. That is, a country with a central government, democratically elected, that has an army that can keep stability. That’s not Afghanistan. We’ve got to get back to the notion that it’s a bottom-up country. General Petreaus understands that, and I have the feeling that as the policies in Afghanistan work themselves through, it’s going to look something like that.

Now, we have a huge problem that we haven’t thought through strategically; we’re working at it tactically. It comes because the nature of the warfare we were experiencing is different. Our adversaries don’t wear uniforms. Our adversaries use inexpensive weapons to create chaos. Our adversaries implant themselves in civilian places like hospitals and schools and mosques and so on, and they fire from there and if you fire back, you cause a lot of so-called collateral damage that you have a hard time with. So you meet that with rules of engagement that in effect take our comparative advantage away from us. It’s hard to use our drones to fire back at something [like that].

when things were very rough.

Shultz: I was there two weeks ago. [Laughter] Kalb: Looking back over the last 30 years or so, what can we do to make peace more achievable between the Israelis and the Arabs?

Shultz: We want to build on the good things that are taking place, and there are two of them that are important. Whatever you may think about the Iraq war, we are where we are, and where we are is: Saddam Hussein is not there, and there at least is a reasonable chance that there can emerge in Iraq a government that’s reasonably representative, where Shiite and Kurds somehow manage to get along somewhat. They are, essentially, a wealthy country, and if they can get their act together, all of a sudden you’ll have something in the Middle East, in the Arab world, that’s never been there before. That will be important. It will drive Iran crazy, because right next door there will be a country that respected the will of the people, and it’s obvious that their own regime doesn’t. That’s one thing.

When I was in Israel recently, I had the opportunity to meet with the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, a man named Fayad. He is doing very interesting work on the West Bank. There is economic growth on the West Bank, economic institutions, financial institutions, political institutions are forming. With the help of a really brilliant three-star general, there are security institutions developing. So I would try to nourish these two things, and particularly try to connect what’s happening in the West Bank with the negotiations that people are trying to get underway. It’s interesting to me that the developments in the West Bank are being supported by Jordan and to the

Kalb: We have not talked at all as yet about Israel and the Arab states, and there’s a question from the audience: Is it possible to achieve peace in the Middle East during the current realm of the Obama administration?

Secretary Shultz, you were there in the ’80s octo b e r/no v em b e r 2010

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extent you can keep Jordan involved, then you have a state to deal with that can help the Palestinians.

Kalb: We have another question from the audience concerning U.S.-Russian relations. There’s been this exchange of “spies” a few weeks ago; what did this spy-exchange

“Iran has ... little boats

going around our capital ships in the Gulf.

We should take

them

out.” – Shultz

signify regarding U.S.-Russian relations? Is it perhaps a return to the Cold War? Shultz: No, I think it signifies practically nothing. These characters didn’t have the intelligence to know that they could get whatever they wanted off the Internet, and it was a layover. I thought it was handled quickly without a lot of kerfuffle. It was positive.

Albright: Tom Friedman has a great column today about, What are they looking for? What is this all about? I think our relationship with Russia is fascinating, and many of us have spent our whole lives looking at it. There are those in Russia who would like to see us as an enemy, but a lot of the leaders, a lot of the people within various aspects of Russian society, realize that that is not the wave of the future. It behooves us to push on the reset – it’s a very good idea – to see what relationships we can develop.

One of our colleagues, Zbig Brzezinski, has a great line: There are two camps in Russia – there’s the Putin camp and the Medvedev camp – but the question is, Which camp is Medvedev in? We haven’t quite sorted out how the relationships are evolving and what it is that the Russians feel will bring them into a responsible role in terms of managing the global system.

Kalb: Secretary Shultz, we’ve been reading for years now that the Iranian regime is developing the capacity to have nuclear weapons. Do

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you agree with that judgment?

Shultz: I don’t think there’s the slightest doubt that they want to get nuclear weapons and are getting fairly close to getting them.

Kalb: That being the case, and the president of the United States and the secretary of state having said repeatedly that this is something we cannot allow to happen – Shultz: I agree with that.

Kalb: The United States and I think many members of the world community are trying to do something through the UN by virtue of sanctions that is not outright military force.

Do you think that sanction regime can succeed in heading off a war?

Shultz: It can be effective, but I noticed when the director of the CIA was asked about that, he was skeptical that the sanctions would mean much. It’s a very hard problem.

I don’t know that some all-out assault is what’s needed. Let me give an example of something going back to the Reagan period.

We had a period where the Iranians were playing games with Kuwaiti shipping, trying to prevent it from getting out of the Gulf, so we re-flagged the ships so they’re [flying] our flags. When the president of Iran was in the UN making a speech saying the last thing Iran would do would be to put a mine in the Persian Gulf, our Navy was taking pictures of them doing it. Then, we boarded the ship, took some mines off, took the sailors off, sank the ship, took the sailors to Dubai, and said to Iran, Come and get your sailors and cut it out. It turned out to be reasonably effective communication.

Iran has done all kinds of outrageous things and nobody calls their bluff. For instance, I read that they have little boats going around our capital ships in the Gulf.

We should take them out.

Kalb: Take them out meaning destroy them?

Shultz: Destroy them, because you have a right under self-defense. Look what happened with the U.S.S. Cole, these little boats can ram you and cause a lot of damage.

We just say, We’re not going to permit any more, and we don’t permit it. There’s got to be some pushback.

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Kalb: After the United States moved into Afghanistan in 2001 and after the United States moved into Iraq in 2003, do you believe that the United States is in a position in that part of the world to take military action against another Muslim state?

Shultz: I think going back to the dates that you mentioned, it was interesting. Those were times when we seemed to be riding high, we were winning everything. All of a sudden the Iranians got very reasonable.

Maybe we should have moved in very hard then to try to construct something; that might’ve been a missed opportunity.

Albright: I agree.

I think that we missed a time when we could’ve worked with them on dealing with some of the issues on the Taliban and a variety of ways of working, but nevertheless that is what happened. I happen to think that the idea about the ships is a very good one. There’ve been discussions about what a military option might be.

We can’t bomb our way out of the nuclear installations that they have. This is not like the Iraq nuclear reactor that the Israelis took out. Because in fact we don’t really know where everything is; some of it is underground, some of it is among civilian populations, but to go back to my toolbox, I think we really do need to keep all the tools in play, and the sanctions need to be really pushed and worked because their economic situation is bad.

What’s interesting [is] there’s a story, which says that some of the merchants in the bazaars are striking because they don’t like the idea that there is a new tax coming on. It is actually – this sounds like a weird thing to say – quite a democratic society in terms of what is going on there. I agree that we need to be supportive of those that are disquieted by what the regime is doing. The problem is that even the most liberal people – if one can say this about those in Iran – are for Iran having the right to have a nuclear program – a peaceful one, but they like the idea that the Persians are going to be treated in a way of respect.

Kalb: Then you appear to envisage a world, if Secretary Shultz is right and they’re going to go ahead and build a bomb, where we’re going to have a nuclear-armed Iran.

Shultz: I don’t envisage that world. That world would be a catastrophe. There would be a proliferation.

Kalb: You mean throughout the entire region.

Schultz: And elsewhere. You’re going in the wrong direction with that. Sooner or later, as more countries have these weapons, as countries who are clearly affiliated as Iran is – it’s a big sponsor of terrorism – and a lot of fissile material lying around, you’re going to wind up with a nuclear weapon going off somewhere, maybe more than one. Once that happens, people are going to say, My God, why don’t we do something about this?

Those of us who’ve been working [on this] say, Why don’t we do it before that happens rather than wait for it to happen?

Kalb: Do it means what, taking military action against Iran?

Shultz: Really push to get nuclear weapons under control, phase down, and ultimately out, and that means that you don’t start by having yet another country like Iran get nuclear weapons. You stop them from doing it.

Kalb: Stop them by taking military action to stop them?

Shultz: I don’t claim to know all the ins and outs, but I wouldn’t be so confident as Madeleine seems to be that a military strike wouldn’t have much of an impact. I think it could have a major impact, but I don’t know that you have to say it’s that or nothing.

For example, in working on this nuclear issue, what are the steps you need to take to get there? One of them very clearly is to get control of the nuclear fuel cycle. People are building nuclear power plants around the world. You use enriched uranium or plutonium. If you can enrich the uranium for a power plant, you can enrich it for a weapon. That’s the Iranian situation. You can reprocess your spent fuel and get plutonium. Remember the Nagasaki bomb was a plutonium bomb. So on a world scale, if we’re going to have more nuclear power plants, we better get control of this fuel cycle. There has been considerable headway in that regard.

Sam Nunn’s Nuclear Threat Initiative group

has worked on it very hard. Warren Buffett put up $50 million, and that drew a lot of governments to give money to set up a fuel bank and to try to work toward a situation where there is international control of all enrichment facilities. Now, if you had something like that in place, you could say to the Iranians, OK, it’s for peaceful purposes, put it in the international set up; that means not just that you’re going to have inspectors there, you’re going to have people in the operations, the plan, so we know there’s not enrichment going on to weapons grade.

Kalb: Secretary Albright, there are obviously many different ways of handling this problem of the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear bomb. Secretary Shultz appears to be saying that one of those has to be recognized as the U.S. using military force to stop that from happening. Do you buy into that view of a settlement of the problem?

Albright: First of all, I would not take the option off the table, because having it on the table has a psychological impact. But I am not privy to intelligence material that would indicate that a strike would actually accomplish what it’s supposed to.

What is terrifying is that the Iranians have possibilities of funding more Hezbollah and Hamas and terrorist organizations as a result of that. If one could set them back and it would not create this unintended consequence … we are in a difficult position, because I fully agree with George that if we could get control of the nuclear fuel cycle, that would be the solution. In the meantime, there are more countries that are working on nuclear programs.

Kalb: Secretary Shultz, looking back on your time as secretary of state, was there a big moment that passed that you wish you had grabbed, because once it was passed it ended up being a blunder for the U.S.?

Shultz: No, we did everything just right and we don’t have to look back. You’re not going to trap me that way.

Kalb: No blunders at all.

Shultz: No blunders.

Kalb: Secretary Albright.

Albright: Obviously, no blunders.

Shultz: Put ‘er there, Madeleine! We know better than to fall for him.

Kalb: Was there a time perhaps when it was less of a success than you hoped?

Shultz: Our worst moment in the Reagan administration, and for me it was an awful moment because I’m a Marine, was when the Marine barracks in Beirut were blown up by a suicide bomber. That’s one that I look back on and say, What could’ve been done? The military people look at it and say, Well, the Marines didn’t do a decent job protecting themselves in a neighborhood like that. They should’ve done better. On the other hand, maybe there’s the diplomacy there. I don’t know that we could have…

Kalb: Mr. Secretary, you know at that time we could have because we knew exactly who did it, we knew exactly where they were, President Reagan in fact was thinking about a retaliatory strike; it never happened.

Shultz: Well, the secretary of defense wouldn’t do it.

“We haven’t sorted out ... what the

Russians

feel will bring them into a

responsible role in terms of managing the global system.” – Albright Kalb: Weinberger would stop the president?

Shultz: He did. However, here’s what I would’ve done, second-guessing myself. We had the PLO – This is going to take a moment. Well, I have the solution, but we don’t have time for it. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of Bank of America.

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The

Future of CA’s Economy Laura Tyson Economist; Member, President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board; Chair, Council of Economic Advisors for President Clinton; Professor and Former Dean, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Paul Saffo Futurist; Columnist, ABCNews.com; Visiting Scholar, Stanford Media X Research Network NancY Pfund Managing Partner, DBL Investors Robert Klein J.D., Chairman, Governing Board of California Institute for

Regenerative Medicine

Robert Hertzberg Former Speaker, California State Assembly; Partner, Mayer Brown LLP; Environmental Entrepreneur Sydnie kohara News Anchor, CBS 5 Television – Moderator Kohara: The nation lost a total of 125,000 jobs in June. The national unemployment rate is 9.5 percent; California’s unemployment rate: 12.4 percent. The most recent data on housing, manufacturing and car sales all show weakening activity. So against that background, how can California and the nation keep a competitive edge? Where will we find the answer? Is it innovation, education, government or a combination?

Tyson: If you think about the three things

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you said – government, innovation and education – and said, Should it be one or the other or a combination? Government is, in all advanced industrial countries and in most emerging market countries, as well, the major provider of funding for education, and it is the major provider of funding for research and development. It is the major provider of funding for research universities.

So when you have a government that is ill or sick, it actually does endanger the competitiveness of the private economy.

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At the end of the day, the private economy will take the innovation and take the educated workforce and create businesses and profits and jobs, but the foundations have to be in place. I would argue that California does have, and has had for a long time, some of the basics of being a very competitive place, but we knew even when the economy was very strong that California would have an extremely difficult time weathering a very severe downturn, because it didn’t have a budgetary system that even functioned well in a strong economy.

We shouldn’t forget that we are living through the worst economic and financial crisis in any of our lifetimes. This is an order of magnitude different as a crisis, and the challenge for all of us is, as we handle the crisis, not to undermine investments in things that determine our long-run competitiveness, like investments in education, research and infrastructure.

Hertzberg: Let me just add a little dimension from California’s point of view.

I don’t think that California government is sick or ill. It’s just different. We have a society that just – Kohara: Is that a good thing?

Hertzberg: It is! Look, 100 years ago we made horseshoes; now we’ve got to make silicon chips and silicon solar cells. The

Illustration by Steven Fromtling

An expert panel investigates the challenges and possibilities for California’s renewal. Excerpt from “California’s Economic Future: Staying Competitive in a Flat World,” July 13, 2010. Part of the Chevron Innovation in California Series.

world has changed. Globalization has changed the dynamic. The founders of this country were worried about tyranny, so they created a government that works slowly, that had checks and balances, that separated power. And speed was determined by how fast Thomas Jefferson’s pen worked.

It was different those days, and now speed-to-market is everything. Trillions of dollars is moved at the push of a button. So the rules have changed. California’s been pretty successful by orders of magnitude.

We look at the aerospace industry, we look at high tech– in a number of ways, biotech we’ve done brilliantly well. The question is, How do we reinvent it now?

I would argue that the rules have changed. We have to be as innovative in government as we have been in biotech and high-tech and other areas in figuring out what that new world order looks like and how we can still be a vibrant democracy that’s inclusive of all folks and still be competitive globally. At the cornerstone following from all of it is innovation. Government helping innovation, education, fostering innovation – because that creates the high-value jobs.

I’ll just share this one final point: When I was doing business in Xingjian, China, people were saying, Why are you doing business here? You go to Vietnam; you’re paying $200 an employee where you can get them in Vietnam for $100 an employee. We’re not going to avoid that, but what we can do is to create the innovative, high-value jobs that pay for health insurance; all the things that we want for a vibrant democracy.

Klein: From the innovation perspective, California’s 7 million visionary voters who voted in 2004 for $3 billion for stem-cell research placed California at the hub of a global network for stem-cell research. We now have bilateral funding agreements with seven nations, and being a first mover at the hub, we advance medical research therapies for chronic disease for patients.

So both for the world and for California, we are innovating in a form of government with an independent public corporation of the state that has an independent expert board – not a political board, but an expert board – determined with very specific criteria that has made a paradigm shift in how you fund science. [That] is a long-term

financial commitment that’s independent of the state budget process as approved directly by the voters, to have 10 to 15 years of funding so you can attract the best of a generation in this country, and on matching funds from other countries from around the world to partner with us to move from chronic disease treatments with chronic therapies to interventionist therapies that cure diseases, that grossly mitigate disease.

Because if we don’t address that subject, if we don’t intervene in health care, we will bankrupt the state and the nation with health-care costs. We have a paradigm shift that California has innovated with, it’s attracted with a billion dollars of commitments we’ve made, a billion dollars in institutional matching funds. That’s a pretty good endorsement from outside parties writing checks. But what’s key here is California has the spirit of innovation.

“We are living through the

worst economic and financial crisis in any of our lifetimes.”

–Laura Tyson We’re innovating in government; we’re showing that there’s a better way to move research forward where researchers know if they’ve got a brilliant idea not dependent on a political appropriation in the next year, not dependent on the economy’s status the next year, they’ll know there is enough money set aside to move that brilliant idea down to pre-clinical work, to phase-one human trials, for phase-two efficacy trials, where then the private sector will pick it up and take it to patients.

Kohara: Nancy Pfund, you’re a venture capitalist specializing in clean tech. Are we going to find the answers as well in innovation in your area? How are we going to stay competitive?

Pfund: It’s a combination. Innovation is allowing us to transition from the traditional fossil-fuel-based economy to one that is lower carbon, and achieve some of the cli-

mate change goals that we all know are so important. But it is important to recognize that policy has played a role in making that happen. The good news is that while governments are broke or struggling in many places across the country, the investments and the decisions that have been made over several decades in California are really the basis of the opportunity for clean tech.

Decades ago, California enacted energy efficiency standards that the nation then adopted. The renewable portfolio standards that require utilities to sell energy from renewable sources at certain percentages; AB32, the climate-change initiative; deep coupling of generation and delivery of electricity – these are all policies that California has played a lead in developing and have created the economic incentives for a viable and thriving clean-tech industry.

The good news is that many of these policies are now adopted in other states and even at the federal government level. The stimulus program has carried on some of the renewables and solar and wind.

What we’re seeing now that is so encouraging in the venture capital industry is that we’re able to tap into some of the federal and state programs that help us get through this economy, and create loans and loan guarantees to allow these companies to thrive, but we’re also able to attract talent and take the people that have been in technology and even life sciences and get them into clean tech.

So we’re very bullish on the ability to create thousands and thousands of jobs in this state. Tesla will employ 3,000 people over the next few years. BrightSource Energy is going to build large-scale solar plants in the desert – 1,000 people needed to build those kinds of plants.

Kohara: To finish up our first question here, I leave it to our economic futurist, Paul Saffo. Where are the answers, and did you like any of these answers?

Saffo: The panel did a fine job, and we can retire and have a glass of wine now. As I look at it, we have a great economy, I don’t mean an economy in great shape, but great in the sense that it is large, it is diverse, it is integrated. It’s in danger of being destroyed by governmental gridlock that shows no signs of easing. I love what Robert’s doing,

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Photo by Sonya Abrams

Our expert panelists largely agreed that innovation and improved education are foundational requirements to California’s economic resurgence.

Above (left to right): Paul Saffo, Nancy Pfund, Bob Klein, Laura Tyson, Robert Hertzberg, Sydnie Kohara, and Club Board of Governors member Russell Yarrow.

but I am fundamentally pessimistic about what’s happening in Sacramento, and I’m a pessimist because that governmental gridlock we have is exactly what the California public wanted. They spent decades building it, they’re very attached to it, they have no intention of changing it.

California is a place built on myth. The name of this state comes from a cheesy novel published in the early 1500s, Las Sergas de Esplandián, and it was followed by one wave of mythmakers after another.

After the Spanish period, we had the myth of the gold rush; like Silicon Valley, most people lost their money, a few made it.

Then we had the myth in the early 1900s of Hiram Johnson, the progressives, and that myth which carried us through the ’20s and ’30s. In the 1960s we had two strangely intertwined myths: Pat Brown’s era and building the great infrastructure of California, with this vast cultural revolution, the counter-culture. In the ’80s we had the myth of the technology revolution and the modern phase of innovation.

The problem is we need new myths, because the old myths we’ve come to rely on, that once united us, are now dividing us, and if we don’t come up with some new myths, we are sunk.

Kohara: So Paul, give us a myth.

Saffo: I’ve been accused of spreading mythinformation in the past, but I actually do think where the myth will come out of is regional identifications that are positive ones. For example, a negative one used to be that those of us in the [state’s] north

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made fun of the south and it was a northsouth divide; the north was liberal and the south was conservative. That’s rotated 90 degrees. If you live in sight of the ocean, you are probably liberal and you probably pay more taxes than you receive in services.

If you live out of sight of the ocean, you are conservative and you get more from the state than you pay in taxes and you’re generally crabbier about the whole thing. We need to break up those two myths and find some common ground.

“That governmental

gridlock we have is exactly what the California

public wanted. They spend decades building it.”

– Paul Saffo Hertzberg: Paul, I just saw that you’d written in the [San Francisco] Chronicle the story of taking the Bay Area and making it a city-state. Certainly, as Dr. Tyson will tell you, there’s a great host of challenges with respect to that, but I think you’re on to something.

California Forward [has] talked about the notion of devolving power, and here’s the problem with this Sacramento thing: 75 percent of the services that are provided to folks are actually provided at the local level, but they’re paid for out of the state.

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

When it’s far off, it’s waste, fraud and abuse, whatever it is. That’s kind of how the people see it, and that’s the reason why people won’t support any level of tax increase.

But even in Orange County, all you’ve got to do is go look at their roads. The folks in that county – a generally Republican county – are raising their taxes all day long to pay for roads and other services. There’s a huge issue of equity and fairness and what that looks like, for three purposes. One, how you’re really going to fund government and its interrelationship in providing services and what that looks like. Two, really making democracy legitimate. You now have this wonderfully diverse place where everybody thinks they have power because they have titles at local government but have no power because it’s in three people in Sacramento – by the way, none of whom are elected, just so you know. I’ll tell you secretly who that is one of these days, but it’s not the electeds who have the power. So it really creates a gridlock. The third thing is in globalization, speed to market. You’ve got to create competition between Fresno and San Francisco and San Diego and Alta California and all other parts of the state where companies like BYD or Tesla or others can come in and really create and compete globally.

Tyson: I’m sympathetic to it, but I have two reactions. One, the U.S. has the greatest degree of polarization or income diversity among the advanced industrial countries.

It’s really important to point out that the unemployment problem in the United States is significantly a problem of high school and less-than-high-school educated workers.

The unemployment rate of people with a college education [is] around 6 percent; it’s not around 10 percent. If you look at the structure of jobs in the United States over a very long period of time, you see jobs in the middle disappearing, people falling to the bottom or moving to the top, and the moving to the top is education-driven and sector-driven. The sectors we’re talking about here, which will use a fair amount of technical talent, are probably ones where the education drive is going to create jobs.

The second point: We tend to think about the U.S. economy a lot in terms of small business, and small business is very important, but so are very large, multinational companies, and they can be wherever they want to be. Increasingly they are making choices not to be in a location. When they choose where to be, the national policy environment matters a lot. You can’t get around what the federal tax structure is in terms of how U.S. multinational decides how much they’re going to locate in California versus China or India, or Vietnam, for that matter.

The same thing with broad national regulatory issues. There’s a nice new study of U.S. multinationals that McKinsey Global Institute did. What they’re saying is that the national policy environment is leading them

to move more of their activities abroad.

They’re not even mentioning in most cases the local environment. So we have to be very careful, if we’re going to work on the local environment in California, not to lose sight of the fact that there’s this bigger national environment that matters a lot.

Pfund: When Tesla was deciding where to build its plant, it had offers from all over the world. People obviously wanted that, and it chose California for a lot of reasons, one of them because when you innovate and you’re developing a manufacturing profile, you want to be close to your headquarters, you want to have that interaction between your engineers and the manufacturing personnel, and so even though California has all these problems, California won.

YouTube, Google, Apple – we have a lot of resources here that aren’t going to leave the state. What we need to do is work on the cross-fertilization and the education infrastructure to keep that innovation engine going. I think that one of the things that offers hope is that in the alternative energy sector, you’re drawing on not only the environment disciplines, but you’re getting people that want to bring their expertise from Google, from the tech sector and from the energy sector. You’ve got utilities, oil companies like

Chevron, you’ve got Bechtel, big environmental contractors, that are embracing the opportunity for renewables or for electric vehicles. You don’t get that mix in Peoria; you don’t get it everywhere.

Klein: Picking up on Dr. Tyson’s point, I think it’s critical that California strategically identify its advantages in the international market, and certainly one of those is in the biomedical field. California has 50 percent of all the biomedical research capacity in the United States; considered as a nation that has more capacity than any other nation in the world.

In 1977, there were only 17,000 biomedical jobs in California, and there was another controversial new medical area of potential breakthrough called recombinant DNA, which the opposition said would never lead to any human benefit. Fortunately, the federal government didn’t stop this area of research, because in 1978 they created artificial human insulin that keeps my youngest son alive every day. In the next decade, it led to a hundred critical heart and cancer drugs and then led us into the knowledge to help us decode the human genome. This led to 2005, with 277,000 jobs in biomedical research.

We’re building off of a massive concen-

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tration of human resources here. With the long-term financing that Proposition 71 brought, we are pulling stem cell research companies and biotech research companies generally into California because they understand there’s a policy supporting what is an area of strategic advantage.

We have the Bridges Program that connects 38 junior colleges, city colleges and state colleges with the top universities and research centers in the state – like the Salk Institute [or] the Burnham Institute in Scripps – where students from city colleges can pair up with the best research labs in the world, learn the technical skills and perhaps be inspired to go on to a masters degree or higher so that we have a vertical penetration of educational opportunity in this state and build the opportunity in the strategic sector at all levels. So I think that we have strategic opportunities, we can identify our strengths and build vertically with good models and [be] innovative where we can locally, and statewide build examples of where the future is for California and this country.

Saffo: When the Berlin Wall fell and the Evil Empire turned into a trading neighbor, the arms race [was] replaced by the brain race.

California started unilaterally disarming in 1978 with the passage of Proposition 13. We crippled our schools and, not satisfied with that, we proceeded as a state to now cripple our great universities. UC is sliding in the international listings, and my favorite fact is; Since 1982, we’ve built 23 prisons; we have built three university campuses in this state.

And we, of course, pay more per year to take care of our prisoners – about $52,000 a year – than my university, Stanford, charges students coming in. It’s a problem that’s been decades in the making, and we need to get to the fundamental root cause of that and change the dynamic.

Kohara: What would be your call to action?

To the public? To the government?

Tyson: All of us need to talk with our colleagues and our [fellow] citizens about the difference between spending a dollar for something now and investing in our future.

I do think that we run a risk right now, because everyone is looking for a way.

I will just end here: If you go back in

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history to where the U.S. is really great in technology, whether it’s biotechnology or the Internet (broadly defined, information technology), you will see dramatic amounts of government support. For health, there’s an obvious mission: We all share a desire to achieve good health for ourselves and our families, and so in that sense, there’s a challenge. We used to fund so much of our

“It’s critical that California identify its

advantages in the international market.”

– Robert Klein technology budget on security, and we had some things that fell into the private sector and became the source of the Internet and everything it spawned.

We need to make sure that we have that – and actually it’s very disturbing to hear about the water bond in the sense that there’s an example where the government can create the market for something by saying, We need a water strategy. We need clean energy. Why do we have to wait to get people to move toward efficiency slowly?

We can encourage them by an incentive structure which gets them to move quickly, but that requires government funding and government policy.

Klein: Mobilize these city-states in California. We have a billion dollars that’s flowed from donor and institutional funding that’s really been mobilized by these city-states each competing with each other. Join government and philanthropists behind the stem-cell revolution. I mean, there is a phenomenal opportunity through these powerful local governments joining with philanthropists to drive centers in innovation, whether they be in Sacramento with alternative energy at UC Davis, whether they be at UC San Francisco and Stanford and a consortium for stem-cell research – a billion dollars of donor money in the last three years. That’s a tough time to put money off. Mobilize those city-states and those

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

partnerships between philanthropists and ordinary citizens and government locally to drive these initiatives that will determine the future of your city and the state, and create models for the nation.

Pfund: We can’t mess up what we’ve just started over the past few years in terms of policy directed to sustainability, to a lowercarbon economy. Things like AB32, the world is watching. If we don’t enforce that, if we don’t continue with that, that sends a very negative signal, and it’s not just the sustainability goals, the climate change goals, that are at risk. It’s job creation. The companies that we’ve been talking about that are getting venture funding, that are getting stimulus funds, that are created out of policies like renewable portfolio standards, that’s where the jobs of the future will be. If we cut back now when we’re just beginning to see the fruits of the policy effort and the investment translate into job creation and wealth creation, then that’s going to be a tremendous setback.

Hertzberg: Each generation in a democracy has the responsibility to reinvent itself, so they can be the greatest or the next greatest generation. There is an issue about whether civics is cool. California Forward is engaging in the biggest civic outreach program in the history of California, spending millions of dollars to try to really engage folks in the most creative ways to tap into that dynamic that President Obama was able to tap into when he ran for president of the United States.

Will we be successful? We don’t know.

We’re trying to experiment to find out what those touchstones are that figures it out. I suspect most of the folks in this room are OK and they’re going to retire and have enough money to live or go someplace else to do what they want. It’s the next generation we don’t want to screw it up for and to offer them some hope. And to use whatever wisdom and judgment that we have to pass on, I think part of that is to use those tools and figure out how to get them engaged.

That’s the biggest challenge, because it’s going to be their responsibility. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of the Chevron Innovation in California Series.

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The Commonwealth Club organizes more than 450 events every year – on politics, the arts, media, literature, business and sports.

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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.

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Eight Weeks Calendar October 04 – November 28 M on

Tue

Wed

October 04

05

06

5:30 p.m. The Secret Agent FE 6:00 p.m. Plato’s Theaetetus FM

Noon Lunch with Fatima Bhutto 6:00 p.m. Dean Ornish

5:30 p.m. Humanities West Book Discussion: The City FE 6:00 p.m. Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?

6:00 p.m. Corina Casanova

11

12

13

6:00 p.m. Money or Merit? FM 6:00 p.m. How Place Affects the Taste of Your Food FM

6:00 p.m. Club Volunteer Orientation FE 6:00 p.m. In the Balance: Energy, Economy and Environment

6:00 p.m. Why We Get Fat 6:00 p.m. Ben Sherwood 6:30 p.m. Jeff Sharlet

18

19

20

Noon Condoleezza Rice 5:15 p.m. What Is a Psychopath? FM 6:00 p.m. James Zogby FM 6:15 p.m. Science & Tech Planning FE

6:00 p.m. Ecologies and Oceans

6:00 p.m. Michael Krasny 7:00 p.m. Prost! A Taste of Oktoberfest

25

26

27

5:30 p.m. Middle East Discussion Group FE 6:00 p.m. Arthur Brooks FM 6:00 p.m. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Food Photographers FM

6:00 p.m. Share Economy 6:00 p.m. Bill Drayton 7:00 p.m. John Robbins

5:30 p.m. LGBT Planning Meeting FE 6:00 p.m. A Force for Nature 6:30 p.m. Marijuana Economics 7:00 p.m. Vikram Akula

November 01

02

03

5:30 p.m. A Crack in the Edge of the World FE TBA Proposition 23: Yes or No? 6:00 p.m. Orwell, Twain and Churchill on Tomorrow’s Election FM 7:00 p.m. Harold McGee

6:00 p.m. iPad Revolution and the Future of Digital Magazines

6:00 p.m. What Technology Wants 6:00 p.m. Robert Pearl 6:00 p.m. Science as a Contact Sport

08

09

10

6:00 p.m. Park 51: NY Islamic Center Project FM 6:00 p.m. Timothy Sandefur FM

5:15 p.m. How to Cope When the Adult Child is Caring for the Parent 6:00 p.m. Laurie David

15

16

17

5:15 p.m. How to Talk to Your Doctor FM

6:00 p.m. The Business of Film and Television Writing 6:30 p.m. Wendy Northcutt

6:00 p.m. The Master Switch 6:00 p.m. William Foote

23

24

22

5:15 p.m. The Viagra Diaries 6:00 p.m. Continuity of Government

30

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O cto be r/No v embe r 2010

Legend

San Francisco

FM

Free program for members

East Bay

FE

Free program for everyone

Silicon Valley

MO

Members–only program

Thu

Fri

S at

Sun

07

08

09

10

14

15

16

17

Noon Brazil on the Rise Noon Jim Leach 6:00 p.m. Can Design Thinking Save Business?

7:00 p.m. James Hansen

Noon The Climate Fix? FM

21

22

23

24

30

31

Noon Michele Norris 6:00 p.m. A Bedouin Shepherd’s Journey 6:00 p.m. Mary Houghton 7:00 p.m. Michele Norris

6:00 p.m. The Farallon Islands 6:30 p.m. Calories and Carbon

28

29

Noon Lunch and Lecture: U.S.-Japan Relationship 5:30 p.m. Venice Salon FE 6:00 p.m. The Corporate Lattice

04

6:15 a.m. One-Day Farallon Islands Adventure

05

6:30 p.m. Alice Walker 6:00 p.m. Environmental Success Stories

11

07

06 Noon Tony Kushner

12

13

14 3:00 p.m. Simon Winchester

18

19

20

Noon Health Effects of EMF 6:00 p.m. How Business Can Thrive in the Digital Media Revolution

25

21 2:00 p.m. Nora Ephron

26

27

octo b e r/no v em b e r 2010

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Index By Region

FM FE MO

October – November thu 21 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

The Farallon Islands Calories and Carbon

MON 04 6:00 p.m. FM Plato’s Theaetetus

mon 25 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

FM Arthur Brooks FM Food Photographers

Tue 05 Noon 6:00 p.m.

Lunch with Fatima Bhutto Dean Ornish

tue 26 6:00 p.m. Share Economy 6:00 p.m. Bill Drayton

Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?

Corina Casanova

wed 27 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

A Force for Nature Marijuana Economics

Michele Norris A Bedouin Shepherd’s Journey Mary Houghton

thu 28 Noon 5:30 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

U.S.-Japan Relationship FE Venice Salon The Corporate Lattice

San Francisco October

WEd 06 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

THU 07 Noon 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

MON 11 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

FM Money or Merit?

FM How Place Affects the Taste of Your Food

Tue 12 6:00 p.m.

In the Balance: Energy, Economy and Environment

WEd 13 6:00 p.m. Why We Get Fat 6:00 p.m. Ben Sherwood THU 14 Noon Brazil on the Rise Noon Jim Leach 6:00 p.m. Design Thinking 7:00 p.m. James Hansen fri 15 Noon

FM The Climate Fix?

mon 18 Noon 5:15 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Condoleezza Rice FM What is a Psychopath?

FM James Zogby

tue 19 6:00 p.m.

Ecologies and Oceans

wed 20 6:00 p.m.

Michael Krasny

November mon 01 TBA 6:00 p.m.

Proposition 23: Yes or No? FM Orwell, Twain and Churchill on Tomorrow’s Election

tue 02 6:00 p.m.

iPad Revolution

MON 15 5:15 p.m.

FM How to Talk to Your Doctor

tue 16 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Film and Television Writing Wendy Northcutt

wed 17 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

The Master Switch William Foote

THU 18 Noon 6:00 p.m.

Health Effects of EMF The Digital Media Revolution

tue 23 5:15 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

The Viagra Diaries Continuity of Government

mon 29 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

FM Alternative Medicine Movement FM Reza Aslan

tue 30 Noon

Mark Twain’s 175th Birthday Party

Silicon Valley

wed 03 6:00 p.m. What Techonology Wants 6:00 p.m. Robert Pearl 6:00 p.m. Science as a Contact Sport

October FRI 01 Noon

FE Frank Spinelli

thu 04 6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Environmental Success Stories Alice Walker

Thu 07 7:00 p.m.

Michele Norris

sat 06 Noon

wed 20 7:00 p.m.

Prost! A Taste of Oktoberfest

Tony Kushner

mon 08 6:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Tue 26 6:00 p.m.

John Robbins

FM NY Islamic Center Project FM Timothy Sandefur

tue 09 5:15 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Adult Children Caring for Parents Laurie David

Foreign Language Groups Free for members. Location: San Francisco 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./Advanced Conversation Wednesdays, noon Uta Wagner, (650) 697-3004

wed 27 7:00 p.m. Vikram Akula

November mon 01 7:00 p.m.

Harold McGee

sun 21 2:00 p.m.

Nora Ephron

East Bay October wed 13 6:30 p.m.

Jeff Sharlet

RUSSIAN, Int./Advanced Conversation Mondays, 2 p.m. Rita Sobolev, (925) 376-7889

sat 30 6:15 a.m. ture

SPANISH, Intermediate Conversation Tuesdays, noon Isabel Heredia, isabelth@comcast.net

November

SPANISH, Advanced (fluent only) Thursdays, noon Luis Salvago-Toledo (925) 376-7830

sun 14 3:00 p.m.

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

32

Free program for members Free program for everyone Members–only program

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O cto be r/nov embe r 2010

One-Day Farallon Islands Adven-

Simon Winchester

October 01–06 f R I 0 1 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

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

M O N 04 | San Francisco

Frank Spinelli

The Secret Agent

Plato’s Theaetetus

Associate Clinical Professor, New York Medical College; Health Care Columnist, The Advocate

Join fellow Club members and lit enthusiasts as we discuss The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad’s classic and prophetic espionage thriller about terrorists in turn-of-the-20th-century London.

James Mink, Litigation Attorney; Classics Aficionado

Internist and medical professor Spinelli is a leading expert on gay men’s health and wellness. He will discuss principles of gay men’s health, new paradigms for wellness and health promotion, and important insights for health-care providers.

MLF: SF Book Discussion Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Howard Crane

Location: Sobrato Cancer Center Conference Room, Valley Specialty Center, 751 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in and boxed lunch, noon program Cost: FREE Also know: In association with The Health Trust & Valley Medical Foundation. Seating limited; advance reservations required

Write Us Pleased at what you see in these pages? Outraged?

Send a letter to the editor!

We welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Letters The Commonwealth Club 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 feedback@commonwealthclub.org

Monday Night Philosophy delves deep into Plato’s dialogue on knowledge.

Mink will focus on the Platonic ideas that underlie the search for truth in a jury trial, which led to the development of the common law on hearsay. Mink’s analysis will be followed by a Socratic dialogue with Hammond and an open discussion with the audience.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: George Hammond

tue 0 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

W E D 06 | San Francisco

Change Your Lifestyle, Change Your Genes!

Humanities West Book Discussion: The City: A Global History by Joel Kotkin

Dean Ornish, M.D., Preventive Medicine Research Institute Kim Mulvihill, M.D.; CBS 5 Healthwatch Doctor - Moderator

Ornish’s research was the first to prove that lifestyle changes may stop or even reverse the progression of heart disease, early-stage prostate cancer and even change gene expression by “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer, heart disease and premature aging.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizers: Bill Grant & Adrea Brier Also know: In association with the Health & Medicine Member-Led Forum

Join us as we focus on the historical triumphs of “city-states,” with a special focus on Venice. Joel Kotkin’s book, The City: A Global History, highlights the effectiveness of powerful cities throughout history, particularly showcasing Venice’s achievements. The discussion will be moderated by Lynn Harris. Please note that this is a discussion only; the author will not be present.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: George Hammond

octo b e r/no v em b e r 2010

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October 06–11 wed 0 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

wed 0 6 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T H U 07 | San Francisco

Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?

The Swiss System of Direct Democracy and How It Compares to the U.S.

A Bedouin Shepherd’s Journey

Devra Davis, Author, Disconnect; School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Oncology expert Davis blows the lid off what she asserts is the cell phone industry’s abuse of science. It isn’t just about brain cancer, says Davis: Cell phones damage DNA, break down the brain’s defenses, reduce sperm count, and increase memory loss. But the U.S., helped along by the powerful mobile phone industry, has done little to examine these risks or set standards that significantly improve our safety, Davis and others contend.

Corina Casanova, Federal Chancellor, Switzerland

Switzerland has one of the most extensive systems of democratic rights in the world. Casanova will compare the Swiss and U.S. constitutions, elaborating on commonalities and differences, particularly with regard to state institutions, direct democracy, people’s rights and federalism. She has held the office of federal chancellor since January 2008.

Ishmael Khaldi, Diplomat; Author

Distinguished diplomat Khaldi grew from humble roots. Born poor into a traditional village, he was the first Bedouin to become deputy consul of the state of Israel and the nation’s first high-ranking Muslim in the Israeli foreign service. Recently the deputy consul general for Israel in San Francisco, Khaldi will explore his remarkable journey from shepherd to diplomat.

MLF: Middle East Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Celia Menzel

MLF: Health & Medicine Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Bill Grant

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:15 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $12 Club/World Affairs Council members, $20 non-members, $7 students Also know: In association with the World Affairs Council of Northern CA

T H U 0 7 | S i l i co n Va l l e y

T H U 07 | San Francisco

T hu 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Michele Norris

Michele Norris

Mary Houghton

Co-host, “All Things Considered,” NPR; Author, The Grace of Silence: A Memoir

Co-host, “All Things Considered,” NPR; Author, The Grace of Silence: A Memoir

Do we truly live in a post-racial world?

Last year, NPR’s Norris set off to explore the “hidden conversation on race.” What started as a report on our country’s evolving attitudes toward race turned into an intense personal journey through her own family history and racial identity. Norris offers her thoughts and observations and shares what it was like to explore the “things left unsaid” by her own family.

Belva Davis, Host, KQED TV’s “This Week in Northern California” - Moderator

Location: Student Union, San Jose State University, One Washington Sq., San Jose Time: 6:30 p.m. doors open, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: FREE Also know: Part of SJSU Don Edwards Lectures

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Do we truly live in a post-racial world?

Last year, NPR’s Norris set off to explore the “hidden conversation on race.” What started as a report on our country’s evolving attitudes toward race turned into an intense personal journey through her own family history and racial identity. Norris offers her thoughts and observations and shares what it was like to explore the “things left unsaid” by her own family.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

President and Co-founder, ShoreBank Corporation

Started on the South Side of Chicago in 1973, ShoreBank was the first community development bank in the United States and has expanded to localities around the country and in emerging markets. Houghton was a pioneer in utilizing private sector mechanisms to bring about social change before the term “social entrepreneur” was coined. Come hear from this inspirational leader.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID). Social Entrepreneurship in America Series subscription: $135 members, $265 non-members.

F R I 08 | San Francisco

F ri 0 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Foreign Lands Bring Excitement to Your Life and Diversity to Your Portfolio: Pros and Cons of International Investing

Solar Surge?

Cathy Curtis, CFP, Investment Advisor, Curtis Financial Planning

After decades of fits and starts, is solar power finally hitting the big time? BrightSource Energy is about to break ground on one of the largest solar power plants in the world.

The 392 megawatt plant will generate almost as much electricity as all the solar capacity installed across the entire United States last year, serving more than 140,000 homes.

That will juice construction jobs (for a while) and has unions thrilled. But locating and building such industrial scale plants can take eons. Should California build more mega facilities? Where? As we add more renewables to the mix, how can we assure a reliable grid? How does natural gas ally with solar to satisfy energy demand for a state expected to add millions of people in coming decades? Join us for a discussion of the future of energy and jobs in California with leading players from government, business and labor.

More than half the world’s investable assets are in countries outside the U.S., and some of these economies are growing much faster than ours. A portfolio’s risk and return trade-off can be improved by adding the right mix of international investments. But home-country bias is strong and many investors fear venturing beyond U.S. borders.

Discover how investors can build a diversified global portfolio and still sleep well.

MLF: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Norma Walden

John Woolard, CEO, BrightSource Energy Additional solar speakers TBA

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

mon 1 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

mon 1 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Money or Merit: What’s Electing Our Political Leaders?

Savoring the Flavors: How Place Affects the Taste of Your Food

Bob Edgar, President and CEO, Common Cause Jesse Choper, Earl Warren Professor of Public Law, UC Berkeley Lawrence McQuillan, Director of Business and Economic Studies, Pacific Research Institute

Do our political leaders achieve their positions on merit, or are they buying them? After the Supreme Court ruled in January to permit corporations and unions to promote and finance the campaigns of electoral candidates, many people, including the president, said that big business would now own and control politics. The issue appears to be polarized along party lines. Conservatives contend that prohibiting corporations from financing political campaigns is a violation of the First Amendment, and liberal politicians and policy groups have adamantly protested the ruling for giving equal representative rights to corporations and individuals. Dialogue is critical to fully understanding this thorny issue. Join The Club for a spirited debate on the ramifications, constitutionality and precedent of this landmark ruling.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: Part of the U.S. Constitution in the 21st Century Series, underwritten by the Charles Geschke Family

Rowan Jacobsen, Author, American Terroir and A Geography of Oysters

How does location affect the taste of your food? Jacobsen explores the connection, extending the French wine-growing concept of terroir out to a variety of foods.

Learn where the best-tasting honey comes from; why Alaska’s Yukon River produces the richest salmon; and how one underground cave in Greensboro, Vermont, produces many of the country’s most intense cheeses. Learn how to bring your meals to a whole new flavor level.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: In assn. with the Bay Gourmet MLF

octo b e r/no v em b e r 2010

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35

October 12–15 tue 1 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T U E 12 | San Francisco

Club Volunteer Orientation

In the Balance: Energy, Economy and Environment

The Club can’t function without the dedication of its great volunteers. Help us keep public discussion alive. Event volunteers assist with greeting, ticketing, receptions, ushering, question cards and timing programs for radio broadcast. To reserve a space at this volunteer orientation, please e-mail volunteers@common wealthclub.org. Volunteering is reserved for Club members only. Please include your name, phone number and membership ID number in your e-mail.

Part of The Chevron California Innovation Series

Location: SF Club Office Time: 6 p.m. orientation Cost: FREE

Raj Atluru, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Ralph Cavanagh, Energy Co-director, Natural Resources Defense Council Cathy Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association Jack Stewart, President, California Manufacturers and Technology Association Virgil Welch, Special Assistant to the Chairman, California Air Resources Board

With California projected to add another 15 million people in the next few decades, how can the state meet growing energy demand while protecting its natural environment? And how can it do all that while protecting an innovative business environment that creates jobs and drives economic growth? Will a transition to renewable electricity and transportation fuels hurt the economy, or spur startups and new industries? Can conservation be sexy? Join us for a conversation about California’s energy future with leaders who hold diverse points of view.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. networking reception Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, students free (with valid ID) Also know: Part of the Chevron California Innovation Series. Exclusive print media sponsor: San Francisco Business Times.

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

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

WED 13 | East Bay

Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity

Ben Sherwood: The Secrets and Science of the World’s Most Effective Survivors and Thrivers

Uncovering the Secret Washington Family: Fundamentalism in Politics

Gary Taubes, Science Journalist; Author, Good Calories, Bad Calories

Jeff Sharlet, Author, The Family and C Street

Journalist; Author, The Survivors Club

Prepare to change everything you thought you knew about weight management.

Taubes argues that we get fat not because we consume more calories than we expend – Taubes describes the “overeating” hypothesis of obesity as “nonsensical” – but because the carbohydrates that we eat happen to be uniquely fattening, and that insulin levels are the real culprit behind obesity. Come hear Taubes’ take on diets and staying healthy.

MLF: Health & Medicine Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Bill Grant

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How do we bounce back from extreme adversity? From a scientific perspective, Sherwood explores the differences between those who overcome difficulties and those who do not. Sherwood is the founder and CEO of thesurvivorsclub.org, a resource web site for those struggling with everything from eating disorders to foreclosures. Sherwood is also the author of The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, now a major feature film.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

Sharlet has been at the forefront of uncovering the national and international political influence of Washington, D.C.’s secret Christian fundamentalist group, the Family. Sharlet argues that the group, steeped in influence and corruption, fuels and funds political fundamentalism from within our government, and he warns of what this power might lead to.

Location: Lafayette Library and Learning Center’s Community Hall Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $22 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

T H U 14 | San Francisco

T H U 14 | San Francisco

T H U 14 | San Francisco

Brazil on the Rise

Civility in a Fractured Society

Storms of My Grandchildren

Jim Leach, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

James Hansen, Climate Scientist; Author

Larry Rohter, Culture Reporter, The New York Times; Author, Brazil on the Rise

Rohter gives an account of the culture and politics of the country that’s hosting the 2016 Olympics. Brazil was once one of the world’s poorest countries and ruled by dictatorship. Today, it has become a democracy and a leading industrial and agricultural powerhouse, boasting the world’s eighth largest economy. Rohter will take you along Brazil’s upward journey.

MLF: environment & natural resources/ International Relations Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Alice McKeon Also know: In association with the Northern California Peace Corps Association

A former Republican congressman from Iowa, Leach believes that civilization requires civility. Since being appointed by President Obama as chair of the NEH, Leah has launched a 50-state civility tour to call attention to the disturbing growth of inflammatory political speech and discuss improving the quality of public discourse in America.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

A pioneer in climate science, Hansen testified at Al Gore’s seminal congressional hearings on global warming in the late 1980s. Several years ago, when the federal government tried to muzzle climate scientists and computer models suggested tipping points were near, Hansen came out swinging. He was arrested at a demonstration against coal and has become increasingly outspoken about the urgency of moving to cleaner fuels to run our economy.

Location: Mark Hopkins Hotel, 999 California St. Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members, students free (with valid ID). Premium (first few rows) $35 members, $45 non-members

thu 1 4 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

F ri 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Can Design Thinking Save Business?

The Climate Fix?

Tim Brown, CEO and President, IDEO; Author, Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation Roger Martin, Dean, Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto; Author, The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage Peter Merholz, President and Founding Partner, Adaptive Path; Co-author, Subject to Change: Creating Great Products & Services for an Uncertain World Helen Walters, Editorial Consultant, Doblin / Monitor Group; Former Editor, BusinessWeek Kevin O’Malley, President, TechTalk / Studio - Moderator

Roger Pielke, Professor, University of Colorado

Design thinking is the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people’s needs, not only with what is technically feasible but with a viable business strategy. Organizations from Kraft and Procter & Gamble to Zappos have used this approach, but how much of it is hype, and how much of it can really be used to transform business and create true change? Join us for an engaged discussion from the front lines of innovation.

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

What’s the most efficient way to minimize the impacts of climate change?

Public policy? Massive funding of new technology? Buying off emerging countries that will soon emit most of the world’s carbon pollution? Pielke, who is affiliated with The Breakthrough Institute, is critical of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He’ll explain why and offer his take on the state of climate science.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

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October 18–25 M on 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M on 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M on 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Condoleezza Rice: Former U.S. Secretary Of State

What Is a Psychopath?

James Zogby: What Arab Voices Are Telling Us

Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, Extraordinary, Ordinary People

Rice provides a glimpse at the experiences that have shaped her outlook. Rice details her remarkable childhood, which began in the late 1950s, when Birmingham blacks lived in segregation. She will talk about what has guided her on her path to occupying one of the nation’s highest offices.

Hari Murthy, Psychological Assessment Services Coordinator, San Quentin State Prison

Ponder this chilling fact: Chances are, you’ve already met at least one psychopath. Psychopathy is a diagnostic term used to classify men and women who, due to an ingrained antisocial lifestyle, display prominent interpersonal problems and a marked lack of empathy and conscience, and pose a unique danger to society. They’re not all in prisons, either.

The great majority live in our communities. Murthy will explain how psychopaths can be diagnostically identified.

Founder and President, Arab American Institute; Advisor, Zogby International Polling Firm; Author, Arab Voices

Based on a new Zogby International poll, Zogby reveals what people in the Middle East are really thinking right now and how we can better understand them. The poll results deliver insight on how people in the region view American society, world affairs, their own position in the world, and a host of other issues so that we can truly grasp their perspective beyond assumptions and bias.

Location: Mark Hopkins Hotel, 999 California St. Time: 11 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing Cost: $15 members, $30 non-members, $7 students. Premium (book and priority seating) $60 members, $80 non-members.

Also know: Attendees subject to search. Underwriter: Koret Foundation, part of Principles of a Free Society Series. Register by 10 a.m. 10/18.

MLF: PSYCHOLOGY Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 networking, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Patrick O’Reilly

M on 1 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T ue 1 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

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

Science & Technology Planning Meeting

Ecologies and Oceans: Whales, Humans and Earth Lessons Learned from the Gulf Spill

Questions About God, Spirituality and Life

Doug Abrams, Author, Eye of the Whale Dennis Takahashi-Kelso, Executive Vice President, Ocean Conservancy

Michael Krasny, Host, KQED’s “Forum”; Author, Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic’s Quest

Abrams and Takahashi-Kelso take you inside the most devastating oil spill in history and its ecological impacts on Earth’s systems. Get a new understanding of more than 70 percent of the Earth’s ecology as Abrams and Takahashi-Kelso bring the power of science and narrative to explore our earth-water planet and its seas, underseas, inhabitants, and the future we share.

Unlike many folks who emphatically say “No!” or “Yes!” to the notion of god, Krasny is among the millions who know they don’t know. He has spent decades leading conversations on every imaginable topic. He’s discussed life’s most important questions with the foremost thinkers in virtually every discipline, and yet answers to some questions, the big 3-o’clock-inthe-morning questions, elude him.

Join fellow Club members with similar interests to plan upcoming programs. We explore visions for the future through science and technology. Be part of the planning committee to brainstorm, organize, chair and/or volunteer for programs.

MLF: Science & Technology Location: SF Club Office Time: 6:15 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Chisako Ress

MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program, 7:15 p.m. Eye of the Whale book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Ann Clark

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

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

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

T hu 2 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Prost! A Taste of Oktoberfest

Calories and Carbon

Don’t miss an opportunity to take in a little of Germany’s biggest festival without the airfare. You will enjoy tastings of five of the official beers of Oktoberfest and a delicious sampling of authentic German appetizers including Sauerbraten and Oatzda Bavarian cheese dip. Join us for a frothy, fun and informal evening of beer and food. Prost!

Ken Cook, Founder and President, Environmental Working Group Whendee Silver, Professor of Ecology, UC, Berkeley; Marin Carbon Project Helene York, Director, Bon Appetite Management Company Foundation

Location: Grapevine Wine, Cheese and Tasting Bar, 1389 Lincoln Ave., San Jose Time: 6:45 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. beer tasting and appetizers Cost: $40 members, $45 non-members (includes beer tasting, food, tax and gratuity) Also know: Advance reservations required; space is limited.

Improving our eating habits is one of the best ways to reduce our environmental and carbon footprint, while also trimming our waistlines. How do we get the biggest bang for our dietary bucks? When it comes to climate change, are domestic steak and imported salmon created equal? Why does cheese generate more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions per pound compared to chicken? What about pork? How important is buying local food? What protein alternatives produce the lowest carbon footprints? Join us for a discussion about Environmental Working Group’s latest research, in partnership with CleanMetrics, examining the “cradle to grave” carbon footprint of different kinds of food.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, students free (with valid ID) Also know: Presented in association with the Institute of The Golden Gate. Generously underwritten by The 11th Hour Project.

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The Farallon Islands

Arts Member-Led Forum Planning Meeting

Middle East Discussion Group

Terri Watson, Executive Director, Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association

Though visible on a clear day, few people have been out to the Farallon Islands, just 27 miles off our coast. The Farallon Islands and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are an important and biologically diverse ecosystem, closely connected to the health of our local environment and economy. Learn about the natural history and wildlife of this extraordinary “national underwater park” and the islands within it.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 6 p.m. program Cost: Free to those registered for the October 30 One-day Farallon Islands Adventure; otherwise, $8 members, $20 non-members Also know: Book our One-day Farallon Adventure and you will be signed up for this event!

We welcome you to join us in the planning phase of our Arts Forum Committee. Meet other members with likeminded interests in the visual and performing arts. The discussion will include program topics, speakers, art exhibitions, performances, and connecting to the wider arts community.

MLF: The Arts Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Lynn Curtis

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

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October 25–28 M on 2 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

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Free Enterprise vs.

Big Government: The Battle for America’s Future

Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Food Photographers Dish on the Art and Technique of Food Photography

Arthur Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute; Author, The Battle

Brooks outlines a new culture war – not the old struggle over guns or abortion, but over two competing visions of America.

Brooks argues that free enterprise is not merely an economic system but an expression of American values and culture, and makes the case that free enterprise is the system that delivers the greatest levels of prosperity to the most people.

Shing Wong, Photographer Pim Te’, Food Blogger; Author and Photographer, Chez Pim Megan Gordon, Freelance Food Writer; Food Blogger, A Sweet Spoonful Richard Pelletier, Photographer; Copywriter, Lucid Content – Moderator

In our Bay Area food-centric culture, it isn’t unusual to see people taking pictures of food at restaurants, farmer’s markets and festivals. Some of these shutterbugs have made it an art form. Our panelists will discuss what kind of equipment they use, how they work, and their favorite dishes to photograph. Favorite photos will be on site for viewing.

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

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Also know: Part of Principles of a Free Society Series, Underwritten by The Koret Foundation

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Share Economy: Business and Lifestyle Shift Where Access Trumps Ownership

Bill Drayton

John Robbins

Founder and Chairman, Ashoka Ruth A. Shapiro, Social Entrepreneur Series Director – Moderator

Author, The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World

Lisa Gansky, Co-founder and CEO, GNN; Co-founder, Ofoto; Author, The Mesh

Mesh companies, from ZipCar to Netflix, are creating a “share economy” using social media, wireless networks and data crunched from every available source to provide people with goods and services at the exact moment they need them, without the burden and expense of owning them outright. Gansky reveals how there is real money to be made, and trusted brands and strong communities to be built, in helping your customers buy less but use more.

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

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With the creation in 1981 of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, Drayton put forward the notion that the individual person driving the change is worth supporting, rather than the organization itself. He contends that the most powerful force is a big idea in the right hands: those of an entrepreneur who is not only going to make the idea happen, but spread it across society. Drayton shares his belief that the need for entrepreneurship is just as strong in areas such as education and health as it is in hotels and steel.

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

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Meet the man who said “no” to ice cream.

Heir to the Baskin-Robbins empire, Robbins walked away from the ice cream business to pursue a healthier and ecologically balanced lifestyle. He outlines why eating is not just a culinary act, but one with political, economic and environmental consequences. He offers information on factory farming, genetically modified foods and the economics of food production. Hear his views on why we need to re-evaluate our food choices.

Location: Sobrato Center for Nonprofits, 1400 Parkmoor Ave., San Jose Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $10 members, $15 non-members

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LGBT Planning Meeting

A Force for Nature

The Commonwealth Club is a great place to discuss topics of importance to the LGBT community. Come discuss ideas for programming and meet other people who are engaged in everything from marriage equality to queer spirituality.

We want to hear from you!

John Adams, Co-founder, Natural Resources Defense Council Patricia Adams, Co-author, A Force for Nature: The Story of NRDC and the Fight to Save Our Planet Lucy Blake, Former President, California League of Conservation Voters; Winner, MacArthur Award

MLF: LGBT Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Stephen Seewer

The Natural Resources Defense Council was founded in 1970 by a group of law students and attorneys at the forefront of the environmental movement, including John Adams.

Since then, NRDC lawyers have helped write some of America’s bedrock environmental laws and continue to provide legal services in support of environmental issues of all kinds. The Adams’ new book is an account of the 40-year human and ecological struggle to preserve our planet.

MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kerry Curtis Also know: Co-organized by the Natural Resources Defense Council

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Vikram Akula

Marijuana Economics: Prop. 19

Lunch and Lecture: When East Met West – 150th Anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Relationship

Founder and Chair, SKS Microfinance; Author, A Fistful of Rice

SKS Microfinance is one of India’s largest microfinance organizations. Akula discusses how he combined philanthropy and capitalism to solve global problems in a new way. Most recently, SKS Microfinance won approval to proceed with an IPO which would make it the first microlender to go public in India. Akula outlines the limitations behind traditional microfinance and explains how his for-profit model is the key to reducing poverty in India.

Location:TiE Conference Center, 2903 Bunker Hill Lane, Santa Clara Time: 6:15 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members Also know: In association with TiE

Richard Lee, Author, Proposition 19; Founder, Oaksterdam University Beau Kilmer, Co-director, RAND Drug Policy Research Center

Will California become the first state to legalize the production and sale of marijuana? Ballot measure Proposition 19 would allow local governments to choose whether and how to regulate and tax marijuana. Some are concerned about legalization’s effect on consumption and public health, while others tout the potential boon to city and state coffers.

Get informed before the vote.

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

Uldis Kruze, Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of San Francisco

In 1860, Japan’s first diplomatic contingent to the U.S. stopped first in San Francisco on its way to Washington, D.C. How did Americans react to their Japanese visitors? How did that relationship develop after 1860? And what significance does it have today? Enjoy a Japanese bento lunch from Delica as we review the history of the two countries.

MLF: Asia-Pacific Affairs Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon lunch/program Cost: $12 members, $24 non-members (includes lunch) Program Organizer: Cynthia Miyashita Also know: In assn. with Japan Society of Nor Cal

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October 28–November 03 T hu 2 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

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S at 3 0 | E a s t B a y

Venice Salon

The Corporate Lattice: Achieving High Performance in the Changing World of Work

One-Day Farallon Islands Adventure

Join us to discuss the themes and ideas inspired by the “Venice: Queen of the Adriatic” program, coming to the Herbst Theater in San Francisco on October 22nd and 23rd. Share your thoughts on what made Venice such an influential city-state, and how its trading empire reinvigorated Europeans’ international interests.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: George Hammond

Cathleen Benko, Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte; Author, Mass Career Customization

The old corporate ladder metaphor is dead. What has emerged in its place is the corporate lattice, says top executive Benko, which is flatter, more collaborative and in tune with the changing workplace. Benko defines an emerging model of a customized workplace that provides agility and options for both employees and employers.

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

We sail out to the rarely visited Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary aboard Seaward, an 82’ classic schooner.

The sanctuary encompasses over 1,200 square miles of open ocean and coastal waters and serves as a breeding ground for more seabirds than any other area in the contiguous U.S. Mammal species include minke, blue and humpback whales, and a population of great white sharks. Participants will be registered for the October 21 event, “The Farallon Islands.”

Location: OCSC, #1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley Marina Time: 6:15 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Cost: $249 members, $275 non-members (breakfast, lunch and ticket for the October 21 event “The Farallon Islands”) Also know: For more info, contact (415) 5976720 or travel@commonwealthclub.org

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A Crack in the Edge of the World

Proposition 23: Yes or No?

We will discuss A Crack in the Edge of the World, a story of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake by Simon Winchester, an award-winning historian and Oxfordtrained geologist who discusses not just the physical impact of the quake, but its broader impact on the cultural and economic development of Northern California. As a reminder, this is a book discussion group. The author will NOT be present. However, Simon Winchester will speak to The Club in Lafayette on November 14. Find out more information in the following pages.

Nancy Floyd, Managing Director, Nth Power Fran Pavley, State Senator, Co-author, AB 32 Jack Stewart, President, California Manufacturers Tom Tanton, President, T2 & Associates

MLF: SF Book Discussion Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Howard Crane

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Is AB 32, California’s law limiting carbon pollution, a job killer or job creator? When Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 32 in 2006, the state’s unemployment was around 5 percent. Now it is around 12 percent. Cause or coincidence? Proposition 23 would suspend AB 32 until the state achieves four consecutive quarters of unemployment below 5.5 percent, which has happened only three times in the last 30 years. How would this proposition impact California’s clean tech sector and overall economy?

Come find out.

Location: SF Club Office Time: TBA Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

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Orwell, Twain and Churchill on Tomorrow’s Election Michael Shelden, Author, Orwell and Mark Twain: Man in White

Monday Night Philosophy delves into political philosophy on the eve of the mid-term election. Shelden, the acclaimed biographer of both George Orwell and Mark Twain, who is currently working on a biography of Winston Churchill, will shed light on the current version of politics-as-usual using the insights of these three brilliant political analysts. Ask questions of an author who knows each of them very well, before the election results pour in the next day.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: George Hammond

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Join The Club

Harold McGee “The Curious Cook” Columnist, NY Times; Author, Keys to Good Cooking

Membership is open to all. Support for The Club’s work is derived principally from membership dues.

For more information, visit commonwealthclub.org/join

The country’s foremost expert on the science of cooking and an inspiration to kitchen warriors across the world, including Alton Brown and Jeffrey Steingarten, McGee takes us from the market to the kitchen debunking culinary myths and erroneous information. From learning how to choose better ingredients to the basics behind food preparation and safety, McGee will cover everything you need to know to create the perfect holiday meal.

Location: Sobrato Center for Non-Profits, 1400 Parkmoor Ave., San Jose Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing Cost: $10 members, $15 non-members

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iPad Revolution and the Future of Digital Magazines

What Technology Wants

Matthew Carlson, Principal of Experience Strategy and Design, Hot Studio Matthew Davis, Director of User Experience and Creative, Zinio Kevin O’Malley, President, TechTalk / Studio – Moderator

Kevin Kelly, Author, What Technology Wants; Senior Maverick, Wired Magazine

The launch of the iPad signaled the start of a new era for magazine publishing. Editorial teams suddenly needed to consider multi-touch gestures, multiple orientations, dynamic layout and the integration of rich media into the design of their magazine issues. Hear the inside story of how this is unfolding from experts involved in designing some of the first digital magazines that launched on the iPad. MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

Most of us have a love/hate relationship with new inventions, such as the “crackberry,” for example. Kelly declares this conflict as inherent to all technology. But he also argues that technology is not antinature, but rather the “seventh kingdom” of life; it now shares with life certain biases, urges, needs and tendencies. By adopting the principles of pro-action and engagement, we can steer technologies into their best roles.

MLF: Science & Technology Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Chisako Ress/Maher Kalaji

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November 03–14 W ed 0 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

W E D 03 | San Francisco

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Robert Pearl: Solving America’s HealthCare Challenges Through 21stCentury Solutions

Science as a Contact Sport

Alice Walker

Ben Santer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Additional Scientist TBA

CEO, Permanente Medical Group

Following passage of health insurance reform, a fundamental challenge – and opportunity – facing our nation today is how to advance the medical delivery system into the 21st century. As CEO of the largest medical group in the nation, Pearl is responsible for the health care of over 3 million Kaiser Permanente members.

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

How are the venomous personal attacks on climate scientists impacting their work? Is the scrutiny causing them to be even more cautious than they are by nature? A chilling effect? What needs to be done to make scientists better public communicators? Is Bjorn Lomborg’s partial revision of his skeptical views on global warming an aberration or an indication of a broader shift? Join us for a discussion of politics and science in the age of “global weirding.”

Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Author, The Color Purple and Hard Times Require Furious Dancing

The masterful Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple, Walker is also a prominent political activist, feminist and a voice of cultural progressivism.

With a quiet and enlightened sense, Walker speaks about the world as she sees it. Come and hear the legendary storyteller as she explores gut-wrenching and sorrowful topics in her new collection of poems, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing.

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

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Environmental Success Stories: Monterey Bay, California and Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico

“Imaginary Countries”: Photos by Alexis Papahadjopoulos

Stephen Palumbi, Director, Hopkins Marine Station; Senior Fellow, the Woods Institute for the Environment; Author, The Death and Life of Monterey Bay Joel Reynolds, Director of Legal Affairs, Natural Resources Defense Council; Contributor, Conservation in the Internet Age Jacob Scherr, Director of International Programs, Natural Resources Defense Council; Contributor, Conservation in the Internet Age

Come be inspired through the success stories of two environmental rescue efforts.

Learn about a bay restored to health and a lagoon saved for birthing whales and local villages. Palumbi will reveal how a community mobilized and fought to rescue their once-beautiful Monterey Bay from ecological ruin. From Scherr and Reynolds, learn about one of the first uses of the Internet and electronic media to build global environmental support systems and help local villagers protect their lagoon from international corporate exploitation and destruction. Scherr and Reynolds were able to mobilize a global response to save Laguna San Ignacio.

MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Ann Clark

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His goal was to travel to the ends of the earth, then bring back a distillation of his experiences. Whether in a landscape or in a person’s face, Papahadjopoulos created a world as he wanted it to be, perfect in color, form and emotion. Come view his work on display at The Commonwealth Club.

MLF: The Arts Location: SF Club Office Time: Regular Club business hours Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Lynn Curtis

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The 20th Anniversary of “Angels in America”

Park 51: NY Islamic Center Project

How Government Harms Economic Growth

Tony Kushner, Playwright, “Angels in America”

Kushner returns to celebrate the opening day of the new exhibition: “More Life!

Angels in America at 20” at the Museum of Performance & Design. Exhibition curator Brad Rosenstein will talk with Kushner about this play’s dramatic evolution, its powerful ongoing legacy, and the much-anticipated New York revival.

Munir Jiwa, Founding Director and Professor, Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union Ameena Jandali, Educator; Co-founder, the Islamic Network Group – Moderator

Timothy Sandefur, Adjunct Scholar, CATO Institute; Author, The Right to Earn a Living

The controversial Park 51 project to build a mosque and Muslim community center near Ground Zero has thrust us into a national conversation about religious freedom, patriotism and Islamophobia.

Jiwa posits that the general public still equates 9/11 with Islam rather than al-Qaida. He says we must work toward mutual respect and understanding.

Want to open a pest-control company or become a florist? First you must spend two years and thousands of dollars to pass a licensing exam. This is only one of the ways in which government today violates the fundamental human right to earn a living, says Sandefur. He details the Constitution’s protections for economic freedom and describes some of the remarkable cases in which he has defended entrepreneurs against intrusive government.

MLF: Middle East Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Celia Menczel Also know: In assn. with SF Interfaith Council

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: Part of the American Values Series, Underwritten by the Taube Family Foundation

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Why Family Dinners Matter: How Every Concern Crosses Your Dinner Plate

Trading Places: How to Cope When the Adult Child Is Caring for the Parent

Simon Winchester: Atlantic – The Biography of an Ocean

Location: Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave. Time: 11 a.m. box opens, noon program Cost: $15 Club/MPD members, $30 non-members, $7 students. Premium (priority seating) $45 members, $65 non-members. Must register through City Box Office at cityboxoffice.com or (415) 392-4400. Members use code angels2010 Also know: Co-organized by the Museum of Performance and Design

Diane M. Wilson, MFT Laurie David, Producer, An Inconvenient Truth; Author, The Family Dinner

Author, Krakatoa and Atlantic

Research has shown that children who have regular dinners together with their parents do better in almost all areas of life, from higher grades in school to maintaining loving relationships, to avoiding bad behaviors like drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. David presents practical and inspirational ways to keep your family at the table.

While you watch your loved one struggle with infirmities, the worries about finances and visits to doctors and therapists can take a heavy emotional toll. Wilson, a licensed California marriage and family therapist, will discuss the joys and tribulations of taking care of a loved one and will offer strategies and practical advice to help you stay sane while coping with the challenging behaviors that occur as you and your parents take on new roles.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: In association with Climate One

MLF: Grownups Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: John Milford

Learn about the sea battles, natural phenomena and colorful personalities that have helped shape and traverse one of the world’s largest bodies of water. A site of trade, exploration and natural resources that brought the discovery of new worlds and new peoples, the Atlantic Ocean has played an undervalued but crucial role in the development of the modern Western world.

Location: Acalanes High School Performing Arts Center, 1200 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette Time: 2:30 p.m. check-in, 3 p.m. program, 4 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $22 non-members Also know: Underwriter: Bernard Osher Fdn.

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November 15–29 M on 1 5 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

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T U E 16 | San Francisco

How to Talk with Your Doctor (and Other Secrets of Medical Practice for Patients)

The Darwin Awards

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Business of Film and Television Writing

Calvin Chou, M.D., Ph.D.

Dreading your next visit to the doctor’s office? Want to become a more comfortable and confident patient? Chou will explain how best to be prepared for an encounter with a physician. A faculty member of the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare, he will describe the various levels of training that physicians undergo, aspects of the physical examination and what physicians are assessing when performing various examination maneuvers.

Wendy Northcutt, Founder, The Darwin Awards; Author, The Darwin Awards Countdown to Extinction

The Darwin Awards are given each year to the people who “remove themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion” – think juggling active hand grenades or checking the inside of an oil barrel for flammable materials, with a lighter. A molecular biology graduate of UC Berkeley, Northcutt launched a cult phenomenon when she started chronicling the true, and morbidly hilarious, stories of deadly, idiotic accidents.

Richard Walter, Screenwriting Chair, UCLA; Author, Essentials of Screenwriting

Walter shares business and film strategies, news, and success stories. His students have written more than 10 projects for Steven Spielberg, plus blockbusters and indie productions, including Milk and Sideways.

A storytelling guru, movie industry expert and chair of UCLA’s graduate program in screenwriting, Walter knows everyone in the business – and all the side businesses.

MLF: Psychology Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Patrick O’Reilly

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

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7:15 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Ann Clark

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W E D 17 | San Francisco

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The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

William Foote

How Business Can Thrive in the Digital Media Revolution

Tim Wu, Author; Policy Advocate; Professor, Columbia University

Wu warns that each new major medium, from the telephone to cable TV, arrived on a wave of idealistic optimism only to ultimately become the object of industrial consolidation. Every free and open technology was in time centralized and closed, a huge corporate power taking control of the “master switch,” says Wu. As a similar struggle looms over the Internet today, the stakes have never been higher.

MLF: Science & Technology Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Chisako Ress/Eric Shih

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Founder and CEO, Root Capital; Ashoka Global Fellow Ruth Shapiro, Social Entrepreneur Series Director – Moderator

Root Capital is best-in-class in the new world of social investment. This nonprofit social investment fund has provided more than $120 million in credit to 235 grassroots enterprises in 30 countries in Latin America and Africa, with an astounding 99 percent repayment rate from our borrowers and a 100 percent repayment rate to investors.

Foote shares the story and successes of this remarkable organization.

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

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

Larry Kramer, Professor, Newhouse School, Syracuse University; Founder, CBS Marketwatch; Author, C-Scape

In an era of enormous technological change and upheaval, superstar digital entrepreneur, venture capitalist and educator Kramer offers valuable wisdom to businesses trying to find their way in the C-Scape: the digital landscape where consumers are in control. Kramer explains which strategies are dying and which will help businesses thrive in a radically changed media environment.

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

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The Health Effects of EMF

Nora Ephron

Camilla Rees, Health Policy Analyst

Film Director, Sleepless in Seattle; Screenwriter; Author, I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing

Scientific experts will discuss the important emerging public health issue relating to widespread proliferation of electromagnetic fields. Radiation emitted by cell phones and cell towers has been linked to DNA damage, cancer, immunological impairment, neurological diseases and impacts on neurological function, including cognition, behavior, performance, mood status, and disruption of sleep. Radiation may also be harming animals and nature, and is as much an environmental as human health issue. Join us for scientific and health policy presentations about the little known consequences of telecommunications technologies, electrification and new utility technologies like Smart Meters, and for a discussion of how governments, businesses, parents and schools should best respond. Speakers include Martin Blank, Ph.D. of Columbia University; Olle Johansson, Ph.D. of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; Joel Moskowitz, Ph.D. of UC Berkeley; physician-epidemiologist Sam Milham, M.D.; and Magda Havas, Ph.D. of Trent University in Canada.

Acclaimed director of Julie & Julia and writer of When Harry Met Sally, Ephron offers her hilarious observations and insights into the past, present and future, sharing everything she hasn’t (yet) forgotten. She reflects on what women really think when they reach a certain age and what she’s learned along the way.

MLF: Health & Medicine Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in/light lunch, noon-4:30 p.m. program Cost: $20 members, $32 non-members Program Organizer: Bill Grant Also know: Co-organized by ElectromagneticHealth.org.

Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto Time: 1:30 p.m. check-in, 2 p.m. program, 3 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members Also know: In association with Oshman Family JCC. Underwriter: Bernard Osher Foundation

T ue 2 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T ue 2 3 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M on 2 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

The Viagra Diaries: Everything Is Possible After 60

Continuity of Government: Is the State of Emergency Superseding Our Constitution?

Middle East Discussion Group

Barbara Rose Brooker, Author, The Viagra Diaries; Founder, Age March

Peter Dale Scott, Ph.D.; Professor of English, UC Berkeley

Well over 60, Brooker is a talented writer, painter and teacher, among other things.

Her most recent project in her quest to empower men and women over 40 to discover their creativity is her novel The Viagra Diaries. Brooker will share selections from The Viagra Diaries, covering everything from romantic love to following your dreams at any age.

MLF: Grownups Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: John Milford

On 9/11, the Bush administration implemented “Continuity of Government” (COG) measures, a set of secret emergency rules which Congress has not been allowed to review. These were reinforced by the proclamation of a state of emergency which has continued to be renewed by President Obama, despite vocal criticism. Do COG measures, as some people warn, indicate that the Constitution has been superseded?

MLF: International Relations Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members Program Organizer: John O. Sutter

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

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November 29 – December 07 M on 2 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

M on 2 9 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

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

Evolution of the “Alternative Medicine” Movement

Reza Aslan

Mark Twain’s 175th Birthday Party

Wallace Sampson, M.D.; Founder/Editor, The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is one of many unconventional medical practices, from herbal medicine to acupuncture. Some scientists see the CAM revolution as a return to more primitive characteristics of thought. But Sampson says the rise of this system is due to a combination of human non-rational traits, several ideological, social and political shifts of the second half of the 20th century, and a “critical mass” of economic power and advocates in influential positions.

MLF: Psychology Location: SF Club Office Time: 4:45 p.m. networking, 5:15 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: Patrick O’Reilly

Author, No God But God and Tablet and Pen; Contributing Editor, The Daily Beast

The mainstream media can create a massive cultural blindspot around the literature, history and stories of the Middle East. Aslan is looking to bridge the gap and share the best of the Middle East’s literary leaders. Join the acclaimed author and contributing editor to The Daily Beast as he brings you the cultural luminaries from Iran, Pakistan, Morocco and Turkey and beyond.

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

Premium seating and copy of Tablet and Pen: $40 members, $50 non-members

Born prematurely on November 30, 1835, in the small town of Florida, Missouri, Samuel Clemens nearly didn’t grow up to become Mark Twain. But 175 years later, his observations still ring true.

Skip lunch to eat birthday cake – and enjoy an hour of this American iconoclast’s witty and wise words.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: George Hammond

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

W ed 0 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

There Is No Authentic Cuisine (But Yours): Integrating Asian Ingredients into Easy Home Cooking

LGBT Planning Meeting

Subscribe to our podcasts! Receive a new program recording each week. It’s free!

For more information, visit commonwealthclub.org/podcast

Eric Gower, Cooking Teacher; Private Chef; Author, The Breakaway Cook

Podcasting

Our shrinking globe means great things for home cooks, but we have to lose our notions of what is authentic. Developing one’s palate through blind tasting leads to revelations on cuisine, identity and modern lifestyles. Gower has spent 17 years in Japan and traveled throughout Asia. He will illustrate his thesis on home cooking with a blind tasting of dishes and wines.

MLF: Asia-Pacific Affairs Location: Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $15 members, $27 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Sylvie Rivera

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The Commonwealth Club is a great place to discuss topics of importance to the LGBT community. Come discuss ideas for programming and meet other people who are engaged in everything from marriage equality to queer spirituality.

We want to hear from you!

MLF: LGBT Location: Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. program Cost: FREE Program Organizer: Stephen Seewer

W ed 0 1 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

T hu 0 2 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Blueprint for a Creative Culture: Building Engagement in Your Organization

New Corporate Form: A Viable Game-Changer for Sustainability

Kate Rutter, Senior Practitioner, Adaptive Path

As leaders, managers and workers, we’re responsible for the innovative thinking needed to explore ideas and envision solutions. It takes a team approach to create a culture that embraces creativity. How can workplace culture support creative thinking? What activities foster curiosity and collective engagement? A design diva shares her success with Fortune 500 clients and introduces elements needed to get there.

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

Carl Bass, CEO, Autodesk Jeff Mendelson, CEO, New Leaf Paper Don Shaffer, President, RSF Social Finance Susan Mac Cormac, Partner, Morrison Foerster

Debates over the causes of the BP oil spill have raged from Washington to London to Louisiana. However, a primary contributor that has not been closely examined is BP’s structure as a corporation. Come hear about the growing movement in the U.S. and overseas to create a new corporate form that would integrate social and environmental factors more deeply into the DNA of corporations. Mac Cormac is principal author of the Flexible Purpose Corporation (SB1463), a bill now in the California Senate. She will be joined by CEOs who will be impacted by the bill for a lively discussion of the impacts of such groundbreaking change.

MLF: Environment & Natural Resources Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Chris Erikson

M O N 06 | San Francisco

M O N 06 | San Francisco

T U E 07 | San Francisco

Improving Communications Between Palestinians and Israelis

The Philosophy of Food

Behind Closed Doors: Inside the Obama White House

Steven West, Ph.D., Near Eastern Cultures and Languages Iftekhar Hai, President, United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance

In light of direct peace talks which began in September, West and Hai discuss the outlook of peace in the Middle East. They believe that acknowledging the humanity behind Israeli and Palestinian stories and finding common values are the first steps to building the trust necessary to end the violence and struggle that plagues the region.

MLF: Middle East Location: SF Club Office Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Celia Menczel

Susan J. Machtinger, Certified Nutrition Consultant

Monday Night Philosophy celebrates the holidays by investigating our intimate and cultural relationship with food. During the holiday season, when we indulge in foods imbued with meaning on many levels, we should reflect upon this relationship as it applies to our underlying values, as well as our interactions with the natural world.

MLF: Humanities Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members Program Organizer: George Hammond

Richard Wolffe, Political Commentator; Author, Renegade and upcoming untitled 2010 release

Journalist and NBC and MSNBC political analyst Wolffe presents an in-depth study of the Obama administration at work, based on exclusive interviews with Obama and his staff. As Newsweek’s former senior White House correspondent, Wolffe covered the entire Obama presidential campaign and has had unprecedented access to the president.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members $7 students (with valid ID). Premium (priority seating) $30 members, $45 non-members.

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December 07–13 T ue 0 7 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

W ed 0 8 | S a n F r a n c i s c o

Manmade Clouds: Global Solution, or Unintended Consequences?

Premal Shah

Mark Z. Jacobson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Atmosphere Energy Program, Stanford University Kerry A. Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric Science, MIT Allan Buckmann, Former Scientist, California Fish and Game; Presenter, UN Conference on Global Warming Christie Dames, CEO, TechTalk / Studio – Moderator

Co-founder and President, Kiva

From commercial airlines to solar radiation management and weather modification, what is happening in our skies may have more to do with our health and the health of the planet than we know. Academia, NGOs, media from Scientific American to NBC, and global citizens have started to investigate the effect of jet contrails and weather modification on weather patterns, plant and wildlife, and the health of people. What’s going on, how do we understand it, and what can we do about it?

MLF: Business & Leadership Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program Cost: $8 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) Program Organizer: Kevin O’Malley

Ruth Shapiro, Social Entrepreneur Series Director – Moderator

Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending web site, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. Combining technology with social issues in a way that allows mass participation in facilitating solutions, it inspires grassroot support for the financing of social alleviation projects.

Kiva has generated extraordinary excitement and more than $100 million in small online loans that are reimbursed if the donor requests such an outcome.

Location: SF Club Office Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members

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

JUST ADDED! Mon Oct 11

JUST ADDED! Sat Nov 13

Middle East Discussion Group

Twitter Founders Biz Stone and Ev Williams

Hamlet on Alcatraz

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

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The Twittersphere is flooded with the real-time updates of everyone from your 80-year-old grandmother to Iranian political protestors and uber-celebs seeking the Twitter crown. How did a social network based on tweets become the preferred voice for so many around the globe? Hear the true Twitter tale from the men behind the hashtag.

Location: Julie Morgan Ballroom at The Merchants Exchange, 465 California St. Time: 6:15 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. VIP reception/party with the speakers Cost: $15 members, $30 non-members.

Premium (priority seating) $40 members, $55 non-members. VIP: $75 Premium seating and post reception with the speakers; Limited to 75 people and members have first priority to register

octo be r/nov embe r 2010

Join a unique Bay Area theater performance on Alcatraz that’s sure to sell out!

In partnership with the National Park Service, We Players has staged a production of “Hamlet.” Scenes are staged throughout the island – utilizing natural features and historic structures. The narrative path extends approximately 1.5 miles across Alcatraz and the performance journey will be a full 4 hours from ferry departure to mainland return. Enjoy unprecedented opportunities to enter parts of the island regularly closed to visitors. In addition, the park’s regular visitors will encounter performance environments throughout the island that will enhance their experience of the space and its history.

Location: Depart from Pier 33, Embarcadero Time: 3:10 p.m. ferry (arrive 20 minutes early) Cost: $65, includes ferry tickets and a talk at the Club by director Ava Roy

Illustration by Steven Fromtling

With the Troops in Afghanistan A journalist’s report on life at the Restrepo outpost, looking behind the politics and the platitudes and finding the reasons young people go to war. Excerpt from “Sebastian Junger,” May 23, 2010.

Sebastian JUnger Journalist; Documentary Filmmaker, Restrepo; Author, War and The Perfect Storm

I

started working as war reporter in the early ’90s. I found myself in all of the tragedies of the ’90s – Kosovo, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Liberia in 2003. And in all of those wars, they were brought to a stop

by Western military action.

I first went to Afghanistan in 1996. Tens of thousands of people [had been] killed in the civil war, [there was] an infant mortality rate of 25 percent, incredible tragedy that was pretty much off the radar of the public.

I went back in 2001. I remember walking around the streets of Kabul literally getting hugged by Afghans who found out that I was American. I had the really bizarre experience of being hugged by strangers in the capital of a Muslim country for something the U.S. military had done. It was really disorienting and incredibly gratifying. We really were seen as liberators. Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize on that as we could have, and the war has gone very badly. It was undermanned, under-resourced. Essentially, we walked away from it into Iraq, and here we are, eight, nine years later, casualties mounting, the patience of the

Afghans wearing thin. It was, for me, a very, very difficult and painful thing to watch this unfold after my experience in 2001. It was that sort of brief, shining moment, and then it all fell apart.

As the years went by, and things went worse, I thought, OK, here’s this country that I’ve been to many times, I really care about, and my own country, the United States, that are now wedded, for better or for worse, for probably the next 20 years, and – having reported from among the civilian population in war after war, in West Africa and the Balkans, Afghanistan – I should find out what it’s like to be with the soldiers themselves. It was the one factor in a war that I had never really reported on.

I wound up with an incredible group of 35 men in eastern Afghanistan. Everyone out there was almost killed, including me.

I had real insight into what happens with soldiers. They defer their emotional reaction to what’s happening until they have a chance to process it. But that chance doesn’t come for a year. So when you see guys that come back, they’re just crashing emotionally with

accumulated years’ worth of feelings.

I was up at an outpost called Restrepo.

It was named after the platoon medic, Juan Restrepo, a beloved guy within the platoon.

He was shot in the throat on a patrol and he bled out during a firefight trying to tell the guys how to save his life, and they named an outpost after him. The main base in the valley was called the Korengal Outpost. It was the company headquarters, tiny little place, and it would take very effective fire from the high ground all around it. The command decided to occupy the high ground, take that away from the enemy.

Two platoons walked up this ridgeline, two hour walk south from the Korengal Outpost, walked up this ridgeline at night with tools, with weapons and started digging.

They worked and fought continuously for 24 hours to build this outpost. They were attacked 13 times that day, sometimes from an arc of 360 degrees, in the 100-plus degree heat, but they survived, they did it.

Only one guy was hit. That was the outpost that I spent much of 2007 and 2008 in with this platoon.

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Photo by Steven Bowles

There was no running water up there, so the guys couldn’t bathe for a month at a time. The rotation up there was about a month, so they just lived in their clothes until their clothes literally fell off them.

There was no cooked food up there, they ate MREs, there was no Internet, there was no phone, there was no way to call their girlfriends or their wives. They were attacked sometimes four or five times in a day. Everything that young men enjoy was not up there. The only compelling thing up there was combat, and combat was extremely compelling. And everything that people don’t like was up there in abundance. In addition to people trying to kill you, there were tarantulas and snakes and scorpions.

“I think we should either get out [of Afghanistan] or do

it right, and I’m

very, very inclined toward

doing it right.”

Restrepo was only a 15-, 20-man outpost, so it was very vulnerable, and everyone went to sleep knowing we might wake up to a catastrophic attack and the last minutes or hours of our life. One of the ways they dealt with the stress and the boredom and the insects and all the unpleasantness up there was humor. If you put a bunch of men on a

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hilltop for a year, they learn how to be very funny. Maybe it’s the only way to stay sane up there. Not because of the combat – you’re never saner than when your survival is in question – but because of the unbelievable screaming boredom. “OK, who’s going to die today?” was a standard one-liner before patrols. Their humor, by the way, was incredibly vulgar and very morbid.

[Brendan] O’Byrne was the character I really focused on in the book [War]. He was the only person that got out of the Army. He’s a civilian now; everyone else stayed in. Half the platoon finished their deployment in August ’08, and December ’09 they went back to Kunar province, within miles of the Korengal, and they’re out there now.

He was at a dinner party with some friends of mine recently and a woman that I know asked him, “Brendan, is there anything you miss about being out of Restrepo?” He said, “Yeah, I miss almost all of it.” And it occurred to me, I realized that my book was an attempt to make sense of his answer. How is it you can take a young man and put him on a hilltop and kill his best friends and almost kill him for a year, subject him to the deprivation and the hardships that are happening up there – how is it you can do that and bring him back, and he misses it? What is it that’s going on up on that hilltop that he can’t find in society, that he now feels is so essential to his identity, his sense of himself, his sense of purpose in life, [for which] he’s willing to risk his life to go back out there to get that feeling again, and he doesn’t think that he can achieve it here in society?

I think adrenaline is a component of this question, but I don’t think it’s the major factor. I think you can really say that group inclusion is a kind of narcotic and probably a more powerful narcotic than adrenaline. Adrenaline’s a very transitory thing. The feeling of being included in a group where you’re absolutely sure about your role and you’re absolutely sure about your relationship to everyone else and their role, and you’re completely necessary to the functioning of that group, and everyone in that group is necessary to you – there’s a security to that. There’s a kind of necessariness that every person has where they don’t have to wonder really about what their worth is, what their value is.

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[War] is a completely non-political book. It’s about the experience of soldiers – that’s it. This book is about the men.

The issue of fear. Levels of fear that people experience are really not that connected to levels of danger. They’re connected to perceived control. And then there’s courage.

There isn’t such a thing as a good soldier or a bad soldier. The thing they fear most is that some mistake, some momentary lapse of courage will get one of their brothers killed. That is the thing they really worry about, because that is the thing you have to live with the rest of your life. When you talk to soldiers, what they fear most is causing the death of a friend. That’s in their minds and it dictates almost all of their actions.

Question & answer session with Robert Rosenthal, executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting Rosenthal: If you had a chance to speak to the president, what advice would you give him about the strategy looking forward in Afghanistan?

Junger: I keep getting asked, Is it winnable?

Is it doable? And my answer is: The Allies managed to push the German army out of Western Europe and defeat them in their homeland, right? The Allies pulled off DDay. There are 10,000 or 20,000 Afghan fighters, lightly armed, half of them barefoot, in the mountains of Afghanistan. It’s not a military problem. Enough men over there, enough resources could do it. The real question is, Is there the political will in the countries that supply these men to actually make that decision and send them over there? I think we should either get out or do it right, and I’m very, very inclined toward doing it right.

The chaos in Afghanistan has reached out and touched every country in Europe, either through a refugee population, through drugs and opium, or through terrorist attacks. The London subway bombings, the Madrid train bombings, attempted attacks in just about every other country in Europe, Algeria and Morocco.

All of those countries have a vested interest in Afghanistan not lapsing back into a rogue state without extradition treaties, where criminals can hide out beyond the

reach of international law.

What I don’t understand is, considering that situation, why the U.S. and England and Canada are the three countries providing something like that 90 percent of the military effort over there. If I were President Obama, I would say, “We’ve been doing this for 10 years, we’re going to do it until next summer, and if we don’t see a real effort by the rest of the world, including Muslim countries” – al-Qaida was attacking Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, those regimes are in trouble, too, and they’re not nice regimes, but they want to survive – “we’re outta here, and we’ll all take our chances.”

Rosenthal: You wrote, “For every technological advantage held by the Americans, the Taliban seemed to have an equivalent or a counter-measure. Apache helicopters have thermal imaging that reveals body heat on the mountainside, so Taliban fighters disappear by covering themselves in a blanket on a warm rock. The Americans use unmanned drones to pinpoint the enemy, but the Taliban can do the same thing by watching the flocks of crows that circle American soldiers looking for scraps of food.”

Junger: In war, each side is adapting to the advantages of the other side. The Americans have incredible optics, so they can spot an AK-47 on a guy at night from 40,000 feet and drop a bomb on him. So what do [the Taliban] do? They don’t carry their weapons at night; they leave them hidden in the hills. Every asset we have, every advantage, they have an answer to, and vice-versa. The Americans are very heavily armored and have massive fire power, but the Taliban are very mobile. It’s a classic army-versusinsurgent tactical argument.

Rosenthal: In the news is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” What do you think would happen in a situation like that if the rules were changed in terms of the relationships of men in combat?

Junger: I never asked them directly, because it didn’t interest me that much out there, but the sense that I got – and I asked one guy later, actually, as that question started to come up on my book tour – is if there was a guy out there who was gay, and he wasn’t making passes at the other guys [that would

not go well] but if he wasn’t doing that, and he was a good soldier, and committed and brave and et cetera, I think they literally would not think about it. I mean, they would joke about it, but they joked about everything. It just would not matter. There really isn’t room for prejudice of any sort in a situation where everyone’s life depends on everyone else. There just isn’t. So the problem with that, I think, is more on the rear bases, where there’s less danger, more leisure time, the margins are huge. And, interestingly, the rationale for the policy is that they don’t want to undermine unit cohesion with that issue, but what they don’t understand is that the units that need that cohesion, it wouldn’t matter anyway. So there is a weird kind of circular logic that they’re using when they discuss that issue.

Rosenthal: You wrote, “War is supposed to feel bad, because undeniably bad things happen in it. But for a 19-year-old at the working end of a 50-caliber during a firefight that everyone comes out of okay, war is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of. In some ways, 20 minutes of combat is more life than you could scrape together in a lifetime of doing something else. Combat isn’t where you might die, though that does happen. It’s where you find out whether you get to keep on living. Don’t underestimate the power of that revelation.

Don’t underestimate the things that young men will wager in order to play that game one more time.”

When you set out to write this book, what did you set out to do? Is that the kind of insight you thought would come? What was the story you were looking to tell?

Junger: I was pretty open-ended. I wanted to chronicle the experience of one platoon in combat for a year. I also wanted to keep my mind open to a less literal and a more thoughtful understanding of what it meant psychologically, morally, philosophically, to spend a year taking your chances of getting killed and, for the soldiers, of killing other people.

Rosenthal: Your own back-and-forth reentry was complicated. You weren’t a soldier.

How do the actual combatants go back and forth? We didn’t really get into your own potential PTSD, but you knew men who

were killed. What can be done for these guys when they do come back?

Junger: As the citizenry, your political opinions aren’t relevant to the fact that they’re returning home and have to be reincorporated into society. I think one thing that’s very important is that when you deal with

“When you deal with these guys, you can be proud of them regardless

of how you feel about the

war. That goes a long way.” vets, war has to be understood politically and argued about and disagreed about, because it’s such a terrible thing, but you really don’t want to understand their experience through a political lens. They signed up to serve their country; it was a very simple thing. There’s Democrats out there, there’s Republicans, there’s doves, there’s hawks. It was about a very profound belief in serving their country, and you are their country.

When you deal with these guys, you can be proud of them regardless of how you feel about the war, and if you make that clear to them, that goes a long way.

In terms of services, the wives are the ones who are really now fighting a lonely fight. The guys are on the battlefield in a group; the wives are alone in these homes, in these families, fighting a very lonely fight. The way to help a guy who has problems is to help his wife, who is helping him. These women are alone, they’re very courageous, sometimes quite lost and confused. I think of it as the hidden war now. The new front in this hidden war is what’s happening at home. There’s a lot of resources being put into the men, as there should be. I think the next step is to look at the women who are with them. They’re bearing the brunt of it and I think the solution really lies with them. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of The Bernard Osher Foundation.

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The ability – and the desire – for deep, contemplative thought is being lost in the rush for the latest and the ephemeral, Carr argues.

Excerpt from “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” June 23, 2010.

Nicholas Carr Author, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

in conversation with Peter Norvig D irector of Research, Google 54

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Illustration by Steven Fromtling

Carr: The subject of The Shallows, broadly speaking, is the way that the tools we use to think with, what I call our intellectual technologies, influence the way we think, sometimes in very dramatic, even profound ways.

You can trace the course of that influence through the intellectual history of humankind, back to very, very early types of intellectual technologies like the map, which suddenly replaced our purely sensory perception of the world around us with an abstract picture of that perception.

But the main focus of the book is two more recent and very, very important intellectual technologies. On the one hand, the book: about 2,000 years old and only popular really for 550 years – a relatively short span in human history – after Gutenberg invented the printing press. On the other hand, the Internet: broadly defined as basically digital networks that we use to find information, store information, communicate and so forth. I make the argument that these two technologies, in particular, have a very, very different effect on the way we think.

The book did something extraordinary in human history by training us to be very attentive, to focus on one thing, to shield ourselves from distractions, filter out those distractions, and, hence, it gave us a more attentive mind. The Internet, in almost the opposite way, inundates us with distractions, inundates us with stimuli, and, I believe, is giving us a less attentive and ultimately less deep and thoughtful mind.

Norvig: Isn’t it true that every technology is cursed and also hailed as a panacea? James Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, said, “The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times; one sometimes forgets which.” [Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman] Newt Minow said that when television is good, nothing is better, and when television is bad, nothing is worse. He said that in 1961, and of course three years later, he was immortalized as the name of the boat on “Gilligan’s Island.” This has been the case for every new technology. How, really, is the Internet different from other technologies?

Carr: It’s certainly true that people have been skeptical and questioned every new technology that’s come along, and some of

those worries have proven unwarranted. As for others – with TV, for instance – there’s been a lot to say for those doubters.

One good example is the calculator. A lot of people thought if you let kids use calculators in school, they were never going to learn arithmetic. That’s been pretty much proven untrue; at least for talented math students, they actually were able to use that tool to get beyond routine calculations to more abstract thinking. The difference with a tool like the calculator – or even TV, which was segregated to a part of our life, a part of the time we are awake – is that the Internet and the tools of digital communication and digital information discovery are now with us all the time. Many people today, the first thing they do when they get up is grab their iPhone or their Blackberry, check e-mail,

“The Internet is giving us a less

attentive and ultimately less deep and thoughtful mind.” and they’re in a constant state of digital distractedness more or less until the time they go to bed, when the last thing they do is check their e-mail or check other messages.

So unlike almost any other technology or particularly information or communication technology – which had a segregated role in our life – the Internet increasingly is there all the time and is influencing the way we think throughout our waking hours basically.

Norvig: There was an Onion article that said, Scientists have proved that the best movies and music ever were those that were made when you, the reader, were 16 years old. Every generation feels that.

Every generation complains about kids these days. I polled the chairs of the leading computer science departments, because I figured if there’s a pernicious effect of computer science technology, maybe the computer science students are going to be hit the worst. I asked Ed Lazowska [the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Chair in Computer Science & Engineering, and eScience Institute Director] at University

of Washington, to compare students today with students 20 or 30 years ago, and he said that intellectually and in terms of their ability to reason, create and communicate, students are better than ever. Today’s graduate students arrive with research accomplishments that look like the tenure cases of 20 years ago. Kids these days are facile communicators in ways that adults simply don’t understand, and the chairs at CMU and Stanford and Berkeley more or less agreed.

Interestingly, MIT says that their students were always excellent and they still are. So it seems like what I’m saying here is that, Yeah, students are different, but they’re different in a way that is giving them new powers.

Carr: First of all, I don’t see this in generational terms. My argument isn’t, Kids these days, they’re going to hell, which is what my parents said about kids those days when I was a kid. This mode of thinking and this mode of interaction influence all of us, and in fact if you look at statistics, web use goes up after you get out of your teens, in your twenties, your thirties, your forties, when you go to work and the expectation becomes that you’re always online, you’re always looking at screens, when your social sphere expands and you keep in touch through Facebook, through texting, and so forth.

I don’t see this as a generational complaint, and I think a lot of parents who think the problem lies with their kids should look at their own behavior and their own attachment to their devices. As far as the quality of students [studying artificial intelligence] coming into schools, I can’t comment on that. I don’t know. But I think you’ll find, if for instance you went to many other professors and educators even at younger grades, they would paint you a very different picture of kids who come in and aren’t very articulate, can’t form sentences, have trouble paying attention, are constantly distracted, so what you might be describing is a shift toward the ways of thought that are more conducive or support people who go into artificial intelligence, and I’m just speculating here, but maybe hamper other people.

Norvig: One of the studies you cite that struck me looked at well-educated, successful professionals. They all said they’re doing less in-depth reading than they were a decade ago. It struck me that this is

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Photo by Steven Bowles

“It’s not as though the human brain is a binary switch and suddenly we turn

off our contemplative nature.”

not a generational thing, but it’s a career thing, and certainly when I was in graduate school, I was deep-reading focused on just one thing, but now I’ve got 30 different projects I have to look at. It really pains me sometimes to say I’m listening to a report on this project and I don’t really understand it in depth because I’ve got 30 other things to worry about. But doesn’t that happen to everybody as they sort of rise in responsibility?

Carr: The general tendency is for distractions to increase as you get older. You get a career, you get a family, you’re juggling more things. But, if anything, that means the penalties of having this media that are constantly adding additional distractions and additional streams of information, flows of information, actually are all the worse.

The fact that we’ve always been distracted doesn’t mean that therefore we can be a whole lot more distracted and it won’t make any difference.

Norvig: Could you outline exactly what are the distractions? Is it that it’s paper versus a screen? Is it hyperlinks versus not hyperlinks? What are the real culprits?

Carr: It’s the basic characteristics of the Internet as a medium. These are all, by the way, also the great strengths of the Internet as a medium, but I think they also promote

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distractedness. There’s hypertext with large amounts of links that on the one hand [cause us to be] taken away [from what we were reading]. We’ve all had the experience of clicking and clicking and clicking and then not knowing where we began. But there’s also a subtler effect of links that every time we come across one, our frontal cortex – which is our decision-making part of our brain – has to pause for a moment and say, Should I click on this or not? That’s a little distraction.

There’s the multimedia nature of the web; clearly the most intensive mix of media that we’ve ever seen, it not only has audio and video and images, but for the first time it’s a broadcasting medium that can accept a whole lot of text, so there’s a whole lot of stuff typically going on at once. It’s also a great interruption system; it’s feeding us messages, alerts, RSS notices, tweets, Facebook updates all the time, and again that’s one of its powers as a medium, but it’s also very distracting. And finally, it’s encouraging a constant multitasking, constant juggling of visual stimuli, so it’s all of those things combined.

Norvig: You cite Maryanne Wolf, who’s an expert in this area, and she says that the web returns us to the time of scriptura continua, which is the ancient Latin script where there are no spaces in between words and, supposedly, it’s an additional cognitive task

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to have to separate that out into spaces. So deciding not to click on a link is this additional cognitive load. Now, ironically that paragraph had a footnote at the end of it.

Looking up that footnote took me about 20 to 30 times longer than it would’ve taken if I had had that book online.

I also wanted to say that from what I know of the task of word segmentation, it’s not really all that difficult. Chinese and Japanese don’t have spaces between the words, they have no problem doing that. I have a little example from my textbook where I have a 10-line program that does word segmentation with 99 percent accuracy, so that’s not really so bad. Maybe hyperlinks aren’t so bad either, and maybe we have to train ourselves.

Carr: You’re saying having no spaces between words wasn’t bad? Let me correct one thing: it wasn’t Maryanne Wolf who said that, it was actually me, so don’t blame her.

But she did say that she worries that the kind of intensive decision making and problem solving that now goes along with reading in a hypertext multimedia environment could return us more to our decoding method of reading and steal away our ability to make deep interpretation of text.

But no, I think actually that’s incorrect about having no spaces between words.

This is going to get a little bit esoteric, but up until a thousand years ago, there were no spaces in most languages between words. Also, there was no silent reading, because it was really hard to figure out where one word ended and one began, so you had to read it out loud. It was a very cognitively intense process, and it was only after you had spaces that you saw the emergence of silent reading and the kind of personal reading and deep reading that went along with it.

That shows that if you return a lot of cognitive juggling to the act of reading, and – whether it’s just your front cortex flashing for a second to figure out whether to click a link, or whether it’s ads running down the side of a column or all sorts of other things – you are kind of overloading our short-term memory, which has a very small capacity. And you’re making it much harder to comprehend the reading, understand it at a deep level and make all the interpretive leaps and jumps that give deep reading its richness.

Norvig: I don’t see how deep reading is in any way cut out by being online, and if anything it’s easier to get an entrée into it. One way to think about it is that in game theory there’s this notion of a multi-armed bandit.

Now, in Las Vegas, of course, we have the one-arm bandit. You put your money in the slot, and you either get a reward or you don’t. In game theory, multi-arm bandits means there’s lots of slot machines out there, and maybe some of them pay off positive results rather than negative. Your task is to decide, Which slot am I going to put the money in? There are two phases. There’s this exploration phase when we say, You know which slot machine is the good one?

And then the exploitation stage when I say, I found one that’s pretty good, I’m going to stick with this.

The trade-off between those two, which we always have according to the precepts of game theory, is different on the web than it is in a library. You go to a library, you go to the shelf, there are four books on that shelf, it’s pretty easy to say, This is the right shelf, this is the right book, I’m going to exploit that book, and I’m going to read it deeply. On the web, you go to the shelf, there’s 40,000 results, you’ve got to spend more time in the exploration stage, and then after you’ve done more exploration, you say, Now I’m going to start reading deeply.

Carr: First of all, since we know that the vast majority of people just look at the first three Google results, I’m not even sure that there’s all that much more exploration going on. People can look at their own experience, other people’s experience, or can look at general societal trends.

I totally agree with you that we should define thinking as having two parts: the exploration part where scanning and skimming and browsing and surfing can be very, very important, and then there is the time when you stop and you pay attention to what you found, and go deep.

As a society, we’re redefining intelligence as being all about access and finding and filtering and skimming and scanning, and we’re losing sight of the fact that you also have to pull back from the technology disconnect and go deep.

Obviously, there are people who still do that, plenty of people, but I think more and more that’s becoming a rare skill.

Norvig: It seems to me if that’s the case, you’re doing it wrong.

Carr: But I’m more interested in what’s really happening. McDonald’s has salads and fruit plates; people go in and they buy Big Macs.

Norvig: I feel distracted [by the Internet sometimes], and you’ve said you have, and yet you were able to put together this book. It’s deep and contemplative, and you did that while you were researching on the web. I was able to put together my textbook, which, by the way, was six times longer than yours, but I don’t get a book tour out of it. So it is possible to get past those temptations and think deeply and to think much more broadly. I was able in a couple hours to bring in 20 different friends and have them comment, and go back and forth a couple times on what I was thinking, what you were thinking, and get some great ideas. I couldn’t have done that in that short amount of time without the web technology. Isn’t that helping me a great deal?

Carr: I’m sure it is, and I’m not trying to be overly deterministic about the influence of technology on our brains. The human brain is a wonderful thing. It’s not as though it’s a binary switch and suddenly we turn off our contemplative nature. I do think that these trends we’re seeing are very, very important and a lot of people feel it in their own lives, that they’re not having an opportunity to be attentive and to think deeply, and they’re constantly distracted. I think they feel it for a reason: because it’s real.

It’s true that you can still read a book, you can even write a book – though to write mine, I had to pull back from the Internet quite a bit. I made an effort to use Google to find information, but then [to] find relevant books, relevant journal articles, I actually went to a library and got the print material. I found that extremely useful, and I cut back on e-mail and stuff. Unfortunately I’m drifting in the opposite direction now, but I still had to make some changes, and I could really feel it in my attentiveness, my concentration. Nevertheless, we have to look, as a society, at what direction we’re moving and whether we still put any value on

the more attentive, more contemplative modes of thought, or whether we’re giving them up and being pushed in that way by the technology.

Norvig: [Someone mentioned] what a modern idea this idea of concentration is.

Carr: That’s absolutely right, which is why it’s so precious. It’s not our natural way to think. When we were cavemen or whatever we were, if you concentrated on one thing you got eaten pretty fast or clubbed on the head or something. So I think that’s absolutely right; our natural inclination is not to pay attention, it’s to be distracted, it’s to allow the environment and stimuli in the environment to control our attention. So yeah, it was the book and other developments that trained us to pay attention, but the fact that that has been a fairly short part of our history doesn’t mean we should give it up easily. It means we should cherish it all the more and protect it all the more.

Norvig: Maybe the book that’s closest to yours that’s popular now is Clay Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus. He [writes] that for most of history, we had to spend all of our time just sort of surviving. In modern society we got this new notion of leisure time, something that had never existed before, and then television took it away to the tune of 200 billion hours per year in the U.S. alone. Clay points out that if 1 percent of the TV watchers throughout the world stopped watching TV and did something useful, they could produce two Wikipedias a week.

Carr: Just what we need. If in fact we see that change in behavior, that would be a good thing. But what we know from the statistics is that TV viewing hours have gone up throughout the entire era of the web. In fact, last year they hit their highest level ever since the Nielsen company began monitoring TV. And if you add to those TV hours all the time we waste online as opposed to creating Wikipedia and doing other useful things, you see that the time we waste with media today is enormous and far greater even than in the heyday of television. Ω This program was made possible by the generous support of Robert W. Baird.

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InSight The Vulnerable Elderly Dr. Gloria C. Duffy

Photo courtesy of Gloria Duffy

President and C.E.O.

A

few years ago, an attorney sought out my elderly and somewhat wealthy father in the region of California, at some distance from family members, where he had retired. The attorney convinced our father, who suffered from severe mental illness as well as being aged, to make the attorney the executor and successor trustee for his estate, to create a new nonprofit organization, which I will call here the “Good Works Association,” of which the attorney would be chair of the board, and to make this organization the beneficiary of our father’s trust. A modest bequest to my youngest sibling, who had cared for our father in his last years, was to be provided separately.

This process was wrong from start to finish. Our father had asked in writing that my youngest sibling, a business professional, be his successor trustee, but the attorney put himself in this role instead. He apparently convinced my father that this would strengthen the defensibility of the estate plan the attorney was creating from any challenge.

This placed our father’s assets into the control of the same attorney who set up his estate plans. To prevent self-dealing, by law in California attorneys are required to have another attorney supervise when they are designated executor for an estate plan they have created. This attorney did not follow the required process. According to its intended recipients, a five-figure prior donation the attorney solicited from our father had never reached them. The attorney made alterations to our father’s estate documents after his death.

And after my father’s death, the attorney would not execute the bequest to our youngest sister.

Our family took the attorney to court, and after two years of legal maneuvering and the expenditure of considerable funds, our family made a settlement in which our youngest sister’s bequest was finally paid out, and some funds from our father’s trust were provided for other family members. Through this process, the attorney paid himself and hired several of his attorney colleagues in the local region, paying them from our father’s estate, to “defend” our father’s trust. Creating all this legal activity seems to have been part of the attorney’s strategy, especially in refusing to move on our sister’s bequest, thus forcing our legal action to release it. Our lawyer jokingly called the process the “Attorneys Full Employment

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octo be r/nov embe r 2010

Act” for the region where both our father and the attorney who made his estate plan lived.

The majority of the funds in our father’s trust supposedly went to the newly minted “Good Works Association,” but five years later we have been unable to discover any programs or beneficiaries of this charity. The attorney remains chair of its board, and from what we can tell, its sole board member. Because it is classified as a religious nonprofit, it is exempt from filing either a federal 990 form or a California 199 form, the annual returns through which non-religious nonprofits are required to provide information to the public about their operations. Given this lack of visibility into religious charities, it is impossible to know to what extent the attorney has used the estate planning process and the system of charitable organizations to guide our father’s funds to himself, either directly or through legal fees for administering this charitable organization.

The attorney conveyed a faint “I’m sorry” to our family during the settlement process, indicating that he hadn’t understood that our father was mentally ill, but it didn’t change the fact that he ended up with the majority of our father’s estate in the organization he created and heads.

Let me try to draw some conclusions from our family’s experience with financial exploitation of our parent.

First, this type of manipulation of older individuals seems to be extremely common in our society. Older people are subject to “undue influence” because in aging their brains undergo changes diminishing their capacity to understand the details of their finances and to make judgments about who is honest and who may be manipulating them. They become too trusting of those on whom they feel dependent.

Second, some elders have been somewhat impaired in addition to being elderly, and thus especially vulnerable. Our father was mentally ill. Such elderly individuals, especially when they have significant assets, may need special protection against abuse.

Third, the exemption from public scrutiny for religious non-profits is an invitation for abuse, and needs to be changed. They should be subject to the same transparency as non-religious charities.

Finally, our society and our legal system recognize the problem of elder abuse in general, and elder financial abuse specifically.

But effectively preventing it is extremely difficult. Everyone with elderly parents and friends should be extremely vigilant against this danger. Ω Column archive: commonwealthclub.org/gloriaduffy/archive.php

South Africa and Namibia by Sea

Natural Treasures and Human Accomplishments February 14–28, 2011

Sail round the Cape of Good Hope aboard the elegant 114-guest Corinthian II from Mozambique’s attractive capital of Maputo on to South Africa’s Table Mountain, Stellenbosch wine country and wildlife preserves (where many of the “big five” can be seen). Experience Namibia’s serene deserts, and enjoy a private dinner in the dunes.

Trip Itinerary N A MIB IA

AF RI CA

WALVIS BAY ib Namert N.P. Des

Victoria Falls

Lüderitz

Atlantic Ocean

MOZAMBIQUE SOUTH AFRICA

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park

Kariega Game Addo Elephant Reserve National Park Port Elizabeth Cape Town Mossel Bay Botlierskop Private Game Reserve

MAPUTO Richards Bay

Indian Ocean

• Explore five game reserves and national parks to admire South Africa’s • • • • •

unbelievable variety of terrain and wildlife.

Discover vibrant Cape Town and visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

Marvel at tens of thousands of flamingoes and other seabirds flying their way across Walvis Bay. Travel through Namibia’s Art Nouveau-influenced town of Luderitz and visit an abandoned diamond mine.

Hear from guest lecturer Paul A. Volcker, chairman of the President’s Economic Advisory Board, as well as other speakers who enhance your experience via discussions on the politics, history, culture and nature of this incredible region.

Optional post-trip extension to Victoria Falls.

Guest Lecturer – Paul Volcker Paul Volcker served in the United States federal Government for almost 30 years, including two terms as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. After leaving the Fed, he enjoyed a distinguished career in private industry and served as professor of international economic policy at Princeton University.

In November 2008, President Elect Obama chose him to head the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. During our voyage, Mr. Volcker will talk about the state of the international economy, about Africa’s role in it, and about United States leadership in global finance.

CST: 2096889-40 Cape Town photo by slack12 / Flickr, elephant by Kristina Nemeth

From $9,995 per person, based on double occupancy. For a more detailed itinerary or to book your trip, call (415) 597-6720, e-mail travel@commonwealthclub.org or go to www.commonwealthclub.org/travel

To request full travel itineraries, pricing, and terms and conditions,

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

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Commonwealth Club Travel Informed Travel for the Discerning Mind

call (415) 597-6720 or e-mail travel@commonwealthclub.org

Commonwealth Club Travel

Purchase event tickets at commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705 or (800) 847-7730

Commonwealth Club Travel Informed Travel for the Discerning Mind

One-day Farallones Adventure

Commonwealth Club Travel

This trip is limited to 19 people, so book now!

No sailing experience required!

Meet your able OCSC crew at the Berkeley Marina (easy parking) for early morning coffee and a continental breakfast. Following a sailor briefing, we set off at 7:00 a.m. enjoying views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. We continue towards the Farallon Islands, 27 miles off California’s coast. As we explore the islands, our crew helps us spot birds and search for wildlife. After a full day of sailing, we return to the Berkeley Marina at approximately 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $249 Members / $275 Non-members

Includes continental breakfast, lunch and a pre-trip educational presentation

CST# 2096889-40 Ship photo by OCSC SAILING, seals by Drewster / Flickr, Pelican by Nick Chill ./ Flickr

Saturday, October 30

Turn a regular weekend day into a natural history and outdoor expedition! Join The Commonwealth Club as we sail out to the rarely visited Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary aboard Seaward, a beautiful 82’ classic schooner.

The sanctuary encompasses more than 1,200 square miles of ocean and coastal waters as well as bays and estuaries.

The islands serve as breeding grounds for more seabirds than any other area in the contiguous United States and are the spawning grounds for many fish and shellfish. The numerous mammal species include minke, blue and humpback whales, northern fur seals, elephant seals and a population of great white sharks. A presentation by Terri Watson, executive director of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association will be held on October 21 at 6:00 p.m.

To make a reservation or for terms and conditions visit www.commonwealthclub.org call (415) 597-6720 e-mail travel@commonwealthclub.org