Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

It's our second annual year-end program and party, celebrating the completion of another year of Michelle Meow and LGBTQ programming at the Club. We'll have food and drink, a short program, and lots of good cheer. Joining us as our special guest is Robyn Crawford. In her New York Times bestselling book, A Song for You, Crawford opens up for the first time about her close friendship with superstar Whitney Houston. Whitney Houston was a super-big superstar since she burst on the music scene in the mid-1980s. For two decades she topped the charts and drew millions of fans, and one person was there by her side through it all—her best friend, assistant, and confidante, Robyn Crawford. Join us for an in-depth discussion about that friendship, an exploration of Robyn's own life and family, and the legacy of Whitney Houston. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig is a celebrated academic and activist for constitutional theory and reform. A longtime advocate for campaign finance reform, Lessig founded political funding tracker MapLight, Creative Commons and the anti-corruption nonprofit Rootstrikers. With partisan gridlock in Congress, the Supreme Court has emerged in recent times as a new power center in Washington, D.C. But what are the consequences of this change? In his newest book, Fidelity & Constraint: How the Supreme Court Has Read the American Constitution, Lessig explains how our understanding of the U.S. Constitution has changed with each era of judicial interpretation. Lessig argues that with each era of Constitutional translation, the role of our judges has evolved. Join us for an enlightening conversation with Lessig as he teaches us about an often missed but critically important issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is often said that "reentry begins on the first day of incarceration," but how can we ensure that people leave prison prepared to succeed in the free world? This conversation between Marc Morjé Howard and Stephanie McGencey will highlight recommendations from the Reentry Ready Project, which focuses on the tremendous benefits of education and positive programming for incarcerated people so that they can develop self-worth and critical reasoning skills; the program also focuses on making carceral facilities safer for both residents and staff. Howard will share examples from the innovative and groundbreaking Georgetown programs in Washington, D.C. McGencey will describe efforts planned to improve reentry outcomes nationwide. MLF Organizer: George Hammond MLF: Humanities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our distinguished panelists will discuss Afghanistan and the longest war in U.S. history. They will present their personal views about prewar Afghanistan, the present tragedy and what policies and reforms might be pursued to find peace and prevent further tragedy. Sandra Miller Ross traveled to Afghanistan in 1970 and will show stunning images of that visit. Atta Arghandiwal is a humanitarian and cultural adviser who was born in Afghanistan to a military family. Lt. Col. Anthony Alfidi of the U.S. Reserve has served throughout the Middle East and Afghanistan. MLF ORGANIZER Celia Menczel NOTES MLF: Middle East Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than seven decades after the founding of Israel, the momentum to establish a Jewish state has led to remarkable achievements: stable structures in government, the military and the economy. At the same time, as the country faces a range of issues in how it deals with coexistence, it also faces significant challenges to its democratic processes. Particularly, Israel lacks a constitution to bind its democracy and a bill of rights to safeguard the freedoms of its citizens. No one knows these issues better than Arye Carmon, the founder of the Israel Democracy Institute. In his new book, Building Democracy on Sand: Israel without a Constitution, Carmon diagnoses the critical vulnerabilities at the heart of Israeli democracy and the obstacles to forming a sustainable national consciousness. In the book, the author merges touching narratives about his own life in Israel with insightful ruminations on the Jewish diaspora and the arc of Israel’s history, illuminating the conflicts between Jewish identities, democratic values and the collective body of Jewish religious laws. This struggle between a secular and a religious Jewish identity is especially critical now amid voices promoting ethnocentric nationalism, threatening to sever the ties that strengthen the country's democracy. Carmon’s book and his important views on the state of the country's democracy come at a critical time as Israel emerges from its second national election within a year and the two major parties negotiate how to govern the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Eric Dyson is known for his many talents. He is an outspoken academic and sociologist, social critic, best-selling author, a popular figure in political news media, an ordained Baptist minister and, in his own words, one of the country’s leading “hip-hop intellectuals.” Often in Dyson’s work, these concepts all intersect to reflect a well-rounded picture of black life in America. Now Dyson has set his analytical sights on someone who, he argues, is one of the greatest American poets of all time: Jay-Z. Join INFORUM and Dyson for an evening of all things Hova—from Jay-Z’s humble beginnings as a hustler in 1980s New York City to his meteoric rise to fame and his eventual recognition as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Dyson will explore how Jay-Z’s 30-year career has changed not just hip-hop but also the music industry, business, politics and social justice. Join us for an exploration of the life of a great literary figure and learn how he provided the blueprint. This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to leading venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, the crucial question for every organization is: How do you create and sustain the culture you want? To Horowitz, culture is how a company makes decisions. It’s not the values listed on the wall or what’s said in a company-wide meeting. It is who you are and what you do to get you through both good and bad times. Horowitz reflects on some of his own experiences and highlights four models of leadership and purposeful culture building. ** This Podcast Contains Explicit Language ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our annual year-end Week to Week, keeping you up to date with the most recent political events and news. And from 5:30-6:30, we'll have our annual members holiday party (open to all attendees). Come join us for lively conversation and good cheer! We will discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Our panelists will provide informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, and we'll have audience discussion of the week’s events and our live news quiz! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the coming release (December 20) of the ninth installment of the Star Wars movie franchise, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, perhaps the most significant element of the series, the lives and legacy of the Skywalker family come to an end. The end of the Skywalker saga brings closure on a 40+ year cinematic saga that has transformed moviemaking, retailing, mythmaking and global popular culture. It is also brings to an end a storyline that has its very roots in Marin County. Lucasfilm, the company founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas in the early 70s, was originally located in San Rafael, and the original Star Wars film was written in San Rafael and San Anselmo. Skywalker Ranch, of course, is located in western Marin. What better way, then, to bring the nine-film mega odyssey to a close than a lively conversation between two Star Wars experts in the very county where it all began? Please join us as Mashable's Chris Taylor, author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, sits down with Starwars.com contributor, Bryan Young, as they discuss everything Star Wars: What has the film franchise meant to American culture? What can we expect with episode 9 and beyond? Why did the film franchise have such an impact? And what do the films say about our current political system, religion and technology? Symbolically, the program will be held on the grounds of the Marin County Civic Center, a facility that not only has been featured in a George Lucas film (THX 1138) but has also inspired some of the architecture seen on the planet Naboo in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. (The event will be held in the Marin Center's Showcase Theater.) Please join us as Marin Conversations at The Commonwealth Club salutes Star Wars and says goodbye to the Skywalker Saga in the place where it all began. In short, the Force will be strong with this program. Chris Taylor is a journalist from the UK who moved to the Bay Area as soon as he could by becoming Time magazine's San Francisco bureau chief. He introduced Time magazine’s readers to Google, Netflix and the iPod. Currently, Taylor is senior editor at the website Mashable. He has been reporting on Star Wars since 1999 and is the author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, the first complete history of Star Wars as an independent franchise. Published in 2014, it has become an international best seller, now available 11 languages. Bryan Young is an award-winning author, filmmaker, journalist and comics writer. He is a frequent contributor to Starwars.com, Star Wars Insider magazine, Syfy, Slashfilm and many more. He is one of the hosts for “Full of Sith,” one of the highest-rated podcasts covering the world of Star Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americans are generally familiar with the role courts play in protecting the public’s rights and resolving disputes with integrity. In recent years, state judges have been confronted by recalls and other challenges at the ballot box as well as political attacks that some observers believe could create a chilling effect on justice. What is the impact of elections on judicial independence? Do elections threaten justice, or are they a means by which to preserve it? How responsive to the electorate should judges be? What is the impact of judicial elections and retention elections on judicial independence? What is the proper relationship of politics and the judiciary? Join us in an important discussion with high-level panelists who have studied—and experienced—these issues. NOTES In partnership with the California Judges Association, Judicial Fairness Coalition, the Litigation Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco, Bench Bar Committee and the San Francisco Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices