Upcoming Events
Thu 6/20
North Beach Walking Tour #12
Date: Thu, June 20, 2013Time: 2:00 PM
Join another Commonwealth Club Neighborhood Adventure! Explore vibrant North Beach with Rick Evans during a two-hour walk through this neighborhood with a colorful past, where food, culture, history and unexpected views all intersect in an Italian “urban village.” In addition to learning about Beat generation hangouts, you’ll discover authentic Italian cathedrals and coffee shops.
Location: Meeting Spot is Washington Square Park at Saints Peter and Paul Church (Filbert & Powell). Transportation to Washington Square Park is either the 30 bus or the 41/45 - all of which stop right in front of the park. Our guide will be on the steps of the church. The official address is 666 Filbert, between Columbus and Stockton. Please meet at 1:45, depart by 2. Parking Lot option: North Beach Garage, 735 Vallejo Street (between Powell and Stockton)
Time: 2-4 p.m. tour
Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members
Also know: Limited to 20 people. Must pre-register. Tours operate rain or shine.. Photo by Flickr user Clemson.
Fri 6/21
Transportation Finance: Catching up with the Rest of the World
Date: Fri, June 21, 2013Time: 9:00 AM
Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D., Director, Mineta Transportation Institute National Transportation Finance Center
Flora Castillo, Chair, American Public Transportation Association
Malcolm Dougherty, Director, Caltrans
Mortimer Downey, Former US Deputy Secretary of Transportation
Norman Y. Mineta, Retired U.S. Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Congressman - Moderator
Additional panelists TBA
Time: 8:15 a.m. check-in and continental breakfast, 9-11 a.m. program
Cost: FREE
Also know: Underwritten by the Mineta Transportation Institute
Mon 6/24
Middle East Discussion Group
Date: Mon, June 24, 2013Time: 5:30 PM
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
Anita Raghavan: The Billionaire's Apprentice
Date: Mon, June 24, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Anita Raghavan, Former Reporter, Wall Street Journal; Winner, Overseas Press Club Award and the New York Press Club Award; Former London Bureau Chief, Forbes; Contributor, New York Times Dealbook and Forbes
Raghavan crisscrosses the globe to uncover the story of Rajat Gupta¹s meteoric rise from Delhi¹s hyper-competitive Indian Institute of Technology to the inner sanctum of corporate America as head of McKinsey & Co., and his tragic fall in 2012, when he was convicted on insider trading charges connected with an investigation of one of the world¹s largest hedge funds, The Galleon Group. Raghavan peels back the curtain on the recent rise of Indian emigres (and children of emigres) up through the ranks of the United States' most influential companies.
MLF: Asia Pacific Affairs
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: D. Lai
Also know: Photo by Glen Davis
Brian Michael Jenkins: How Safe Is America Today?
Date: Mon, June 24, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Brian Michael Jenkins: How Safe is America Today?
Director, Mineta Transportation Institute’s Transportation Safety and Security Center; Author, When Armies Divide: The Security of Nuclear Arsenals During Revolts, Coups, and Civil Wars
One of the world’s foremost authorities on terrorism offers his take on current domestic challenges and on the latest developments in international terrorism, in Syria and other parts of the Middle East. What could and should the U.S. do to prevent further tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombing? How active are terrorist groups within the United States? What can both the government and citizens do to keep our country safe?
Location: Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)
Tue 6/25
How to Self-Insure for Long-Term Care
Date: Tue, June 25, 2013Time: 5:15 PM
Denise Michaud, Certified, Corporation for Long-Term Care; Independent Insurance Broker
Gene Pastula, Certified Financial Planner; President, Westland Financial Services, Inc.
With estimates indicating that two out of three older Americans eventually require convalescent care, paying for long-term care is a huge financial concern, with costs running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. With the cost of care in the Bay Area among the highest in the country and rapidly increasing, planning ahead is critical to managing out-of-pocket costs. How can people reject long-term care insurance and choose to self-insure? Learn how trends in legislation have resulted in creative options to leverage assets three to six times when they are needed most.
MLF: Grownups
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: John Milford
Also know: In association with San Francisco Village and San Francisco Senior Center
The Future of Presidential Debates in the American Electoral Process
Date: Tue, June 25, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Nolan Bushnell: Finding the Next Steve Jobs
Date: Tue, June 25, 2013Time: 7:00 PM
Nolan Bushnell, Founder, Atari, Co-author, Finding the Next Steve Jobs: How to Find, Hire, Keep, and Nurture Creative Talent
What are companies looking for in today’s workforce? From startups to the Fortune 500, Bushnell explains what companies should be looking for in employees. He shares some of his own experiences and highlights how companies can recognize potential, identify talent and nurture creativity.
Location: SV Bank, 3005 Tasman Drive, Santa Clara
Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing
Cost: $15 non-members, $10 members, $5 students (with valid ID)
Wed 6/26
SF Pride Presents: Supervisors David Campos and Scott Wiener
Date: Wed, June 26, 2013Time: 5:15 PM
David Campos, San Francisco Supervisor, District 9
Scott Wiener, San Francisco Supervisor, District 8
Earl Plante, Executive Director, SF Pride
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Julian Chang
Also know: In association with SF Pride
Thu 6/27
Walking the Way
Date: Thu, June 27, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Robert Rosenbaum, Ph.D., Neuropsychologist; Psychotherapist; Zen teacher; Credentialed mountaineer; Dayan QiGong instructor; Author, Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching
Rosenbaum combines his experience in neuropsychology, psychotherapy and Zen teaching with the Tao's ancient guidance to suggest that rather than always "pouring more and more into a vessel," we all need to also stop and cultivate stillness order to recover, revive and endure. Come hear a refreshing new interpretation of the Tao te Ching and glean insights into how to ensure a life well-lived.
MLF: Psychology
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Anne W. Smith
Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change
Date: Thu, June 27, 2013Time: 6:30 PM
Andrew Guzman, Professor, UC Berkeley Law School; Author, Overheated: The Human Cost of Climate Change
Richard Joseph Jackson, Professor, UCLA School of Public Health; Host of the four-part public TV program, Designing Healthy Communities
In conversation with Greg Dalton, Founder and Director, Climate One
With the Earth running a fever, people in the United States and around the world are vulnerable to climate-driven disease, famine, war and migration. Many scientists warn that a temperature rise of two degrees Celsius - which is now highly likely - would result in catastrophe, and four degrees would be incompatible with organized society as we know it. Many costs of carbon pollution are showing up now in the form of extreme weather, water and resource scarcity and other stresses. Most scientists argue that transitioning to a clean energy economy will reduce these risks resulting from fossil fuel combustion.
Join a doctor and a lawyer for a sobering conversation about building healthier and more resilient communities in California and beyond.
Location: Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program
Cost: $22 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Clay Shirky: The Internet. Powered by Love.
Date: Thu, June 27, 2013Time: 6:30 PM
Clay Shirky, Social Media Theorist; Author, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations and Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators; Adjunct Professor, NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program
Contrary to popular opinion, the Internet does not run on magic or a series of complex electronic and wireless signals. According to writer and big-thinker Clay Shirky, the Internet really runs on love – group love, that is. With decentralizing technologies, the Internet is facilitating new kinds of global cooperation via peer-to-peer sharing, wireless capability and open-source development. In his studies of the effects of the Internet on society, Shirky asserts that the actions of a group add up to something more than just the sum of individual actions, giving collaborative efforts online great potential for change. Join us as this leader among the digerati delves into how the production capacity of the Internet, plus the willingness of humans to share with one another, is allowing ordinary citizens to shape our culture in unprecedented ways.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception
Cost: General admission: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID). Premium (includes reserved seating and premium reception with speakers): $35 non-members, $25 members
Mon 7/8
Explore the World from The Commonwealth Club
Date: Mon, July 08, 2013Time: 5:30 PM
Explore the World from The Commonwealth Club
All interested Club members are welcome to attend bimonthly one-hour planning meetings of the International Relations Member-Led Forum. We focus on Europe, Latin America, Africa and worldwide topics. Join us to discuss current international issues and plan programs for the rest of 2013.
MLF: International Relations
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. planning meeting
Cost: FREE
Program Organizer: Norma Walden
The Alchemy of Humor
Date: Mon, July 08, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Steve Bhaerman, Author; Performer (as Swami Beyondanda)
Monday Night Philosophy laughs along with the enlightening philosophy of humor elucidated by Bhaerman (the man behind Swami Beyondananda). His hilarious and insightful talk will inspire you to use the magic of humor to gain wisdom, perspective and of course, joy. You'll laugh while you learn and learn while you laugh!
MLF: Humanities
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: George Hammond
Tue 7/9
Chef Hubert Keller
Date: Tue, July 09, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Wed 7/10
Nob Hill Walking Tour #5
Date: Wed, July 10, 2013Time: 2:00 PM
Explore one of San Francisco’s 44 hills, and one of its original “Seven Hills”. Because of great views and its central position, Nob Hill became an exclusive enclave of the rich and famous on the west coast who built large mansions in the neighborhood. This included prominent tycoons such as Leland Stanford, and other members of the Big Four. Highlights include the history of four landmark hotels: The Fairmont, Mark Hopkins, Stanford Court, and Huntington Hotel. Visit the city’s largest house of worship, Grace Cathedral, and discover architectural tidbits and anecdotes about the railroad barons and silver kings. A true San Francisco experience of elegance, urbanity, scandals and fabulous views.
Location: Meet in front of the Fairmont Hotel's Caffe Centro, 801 Powell St. (at California St.)
Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4:30 p.m. tour
Cost: $45 non-members, $35 members
Also know: Limited to 20. Must pre-register. Tour operates rain or shine.
How to Recover Your Childhood Brilliance: Special Genius of Those over 50
Date: Wed, July 10, 2013Time: 5:15 PM
Pat McHenry Sullivan, Founder, Visionary Resources in Oakland, CA; Author, Your Natural Genius: Lost, Found, Ready for Adventure
Many people think, “If I were a genius, I would have to be as smart as Einstein or as creative as JK Rowing of Harry Potter fame.” Why is that a myth? Sullivan will explain that it’s not true that geniuses are limited to brilliant, highly successful people who have done something the world finds amazing. That widespread notion is actually a modern idea that distorts the original meanings and great potential for the word “genius.”
She will discuss the top three things we can do to recover our lost five-year-old genius: First, we explore carefully the true meaning of genius. Next we deal with the elephants in the room: impending death or helplessness as we age – the things we weren't supposed to see or talk about when we were children. Then, we develop a practice of listening to ourselves so we become fluent in the language of our own heart, and know what we are called to do with our lives.
MLF: Grownups
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 4:45 p.m. networking reception, 5:15 p.m. program
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: John Milford
Also know: In association with San Francisco Village. Photo by Mary McHenry.
Thu 7/11
Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior
Date: Thu, July 11, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Lieutenant Commander Rorke Denver, U.S. Navy SEAL
Lieutenant Commander Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other international hot spots. He starred in the 2012 hit film Act of Valor, which is based on true SEAL adventures. Don't miss this chance to go inside the personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program of a veteran of the front lines. Denver will share lessons learned from both the theater of war and his time directing SEAL instruction.
MLF: International Relations
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Norma Walden
Also know: Photo by Rob Greer. Part of the Good Lit Series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation.
Joseph Ellis: The Birth of American Independence
Date: Thu, July 11, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Joseph Ellis, Author, Founding Brothers, American Sphinx and Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence
From a pre-eminent American historian comes a revelatory portrait of a crescendo moment in American history. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellis presents a gripping account of the most important summer in our nation's history, when a myriad of forces came together to create a new country. Ellis weaves the political and military experiences as two sides of a single story and shows how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 non-members, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: Photo by Erik Jacobs
Wed 7/17
Why Austerity Kills
Date: Wed, July 17, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Sanjay Basu, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiologist, Prevention Research Center at Stanford University; Co-author, The Body Economy: Why Austerity Kills
Can public health be upheld during years of financial crisis? Through his international research, Dr. Basu posits that austerity and government policy become a matter of life and death during these historic times. He will discuss his research regarding sugar and diet in relation to the economy and recession.
MLF: Health & Medicine
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Bill Grant