October 2010

Condoleezza Rice Remembers German Reunification

Oct 6, 2010 @ 2:34 PM by Anonymous with [0] comments
This month, Germany is celebrating 20 years since the reunification of East and West Germany.
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The Commonwealth Magazine

The Commonwealth is the award-winning magazine of The Commonwealth Club of California.

For more than 80 years, The Commonwealth has included important speeches and debates held at the Club, provided valuable background for the topics discussed in Club proceedings, and previewed the Club's extensive list of upcoming events. The words of speakers like F.D.R., Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Nikita Khrushchev, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and David Brooks have appeared in its pages, along with related articles and interviews. Read more »

Free Speech for Organizations, or Purchasing Congress? Big Money in Big Campaigns

Oct 6, 2010 @ 12:27 PM by Anonymous with [0] comments
By Camille Koué

Yesterday, the first Monday in October, the Supreme Court started a new session. The court will be hearing an array of fascinating and controversial cases, and everyone will be interested to see how the most female Supreme Court of all time will vote on such heavy matters at lethal injection and lifetime prison sentences for juveniles.
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Do cell phones cause brain cancer?

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Wed, Oct 6 2010 - 12:00pm

Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?
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. Radio frequency radiation from phones is especially threatening to children, whose brains are still growing. Read more »

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

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Wed, Oct 6 2010 - 5:30pm

Humanities West Book Discussion: The City: A Global History, by Joel Kotkin
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 in history, and showcases Venice's achievements. The discussion will be moderated by Lynn Harris.
MLF: HumanitiesLocation: SF Club OfficeTime: 5:30 p.m. Read more »

Swiss Federal Chancellor Corina Casanova

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Wed, Oct 6 2010 - 6:00pm

The Swiss System of Direct Democracy and How It Compares to the U.S.
Corina Casanova, Federal Chancellor, Switzerland
Switzerland has one of the most extensive systems of democratic rights in the world. Chancellor 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. Casanova was a delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Africa, Angola, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Read more »

Storms of My Grandchildren

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Thu, Oct 14 2010 - 7:00pm

Storms of My Grandchildren
James Hansen, Climate Scientist; Author
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. Read more »

Dean Ornish: Change Your Lifestyle, Change Your Genes!

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Tue, Oct 5 2010 - 6:00pm

Change Your Lifestyle, Change Your Genes!
Dean Ornish, M.D., Preventive Medicine Research InstituteKim Mulvihill, M.D.; CBS 5 Healthwatch Doctor - Moderator
Recognized by Life magazine as one of the 50 most influential members of his generation, Ornish undertook pioneering research that 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 t Read more »

Keeping the Net Healthy: A Conversation with Vinton Cerf, Paul Mockapetris, and Esther Dyson

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Mon, Oct 4 2010 - 7:00pm

Keeping the Net Healthy: How Can We Develop an Immune System for the Internet?
Vinton Cerf, VP and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google; one of the “fathers of the Internet”Paul Mockapetris, Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Board, Nominum; Creator, Domain Name System (DNS)Esther Dyson, Chairman, EDventure Holdings & Angel Investor - Moderator
Viruses, spyware, spam, phishing, zombie machines. Read more »

"The Secret Agent" by Joseph Conrad

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Mon, Oct 4 2010 - 5:30pm

The Secret Agent
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.
MLF: SF Book DiscussionLocation: SF Club OfficeTime: 5:30 p.m. programCost: FREEProgram Organizer: Howard Crane