Upcoming Events
Tue 2/12
Al Gore
Date: Tue, February 12, 2013Time: 12:00 PM
Al Gore
Former U.S. Vice President; Author, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change
Dr. Gloria C. Duffy, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club - Moderator
Former Vice President Gore provides an in-depth assessment of the six critical drivers of global change. Bringing together his extensive global policy and environmental knowledge, Gore identifies these emerging forces that are reshaping our world. From digital communications to advancements in energy systems, agriculture and transportation, hear more about these revolutionary changes. Gore is the chairman and co-founder of Generation Investment Management and Current TV. He current sits on the board of directors of Apple Inc. and is a senior partner at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, & Byers. He is also the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Location: Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd.
Time: 11:15 a.m. check-in, noon program
Cost: $50 standard, $35 members, $10 students (with valid ID). Premium (priority seating in front) $70 standard, $60 members. All tickets (except for students) include a copy of Gore's book
Trade in Your Rights: Russia's Circuitous March to Democracy
Date: Tue, February 12, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Trade in Your Rights: Russia’s Circuitous March to Democracy
Pavel Khodorkovsky, President, Institute of Modern Russia
Khodorkovsky asserts that supporting civil society is critical in Russia’s current human rights and political environment. The son of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, well-known political prisoner, businessman and author, Pavel can’t return to Russia for fear of endangering his father. Pavel Khodorkovsky maintains close relationships with many Russian opposition leaders and will relay his thoughts on the current political situation and how Americans can support the democratic process.
MLF:INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 standard, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Norma Walden
Also know: Photo: Marshall Troy Photography
Individual Matter
Date: Tue, February 12, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Individual Matter
Gernot Wagner, Ph.D., Author, But Will the Planet Notice?; Economist, Environmental Defense Fund
Christopher Jones, Researcher, CoolClimate Network
Environmental advocates urge individuals to start reducing their carbon footprint by taking one simple action such as changing light bulbs or going meatless one day a week. If everyone did that the carbon savings would be substantial, the thinking goes. Are such starter steps the beginning of a lifelong journey or actually deceptive, even counterproductive? Wagner argues that individual action is trivial and policy is what ultimately matters. Others contend technology (including nuclear power and genetically engineered crops) are vital to crafting a secure future. If the answer is individual and collective action – “all of the above” – what area should receive most public attention and resources? Proponents argue that it is not a question of "or" but of emphasis and priority. Come join in a conversation about markets, individuals, technology and how to bend the carbon curves in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m networking reception
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Wed 2/13
Becky Worley: Good Morning America's Tech Guru
Date: Wed, February 13, 2013Time: 6:30 PM
Becky Worley: Good Morning America’s Tech Guru
Reporter; Television Host
The lively and playful Worley comes to us for a discussion about how to make technology more accessible to the masses by eliminating the stresses associated with complicated new gadgets. A contributing reporter on "Good Morning America" and ABC and host of “Upgrade Your Life,” “The Next Frontier” and the Travel Channel’s “Cash and Treasures,” Worley aims to enlighten even the novice digital immigrant.
Location: Lafayette Library, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing
Cost: $22 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Craft to Table: A Two Part Event with Restaurants State Bird Provisions and Bar Tartine
Date: Wed, February 13, 2013Time: 6:30 PM
Craft to Table: A Two-Part Event with Restaurants State Bird Provisions and Bar Tartine
Stuart Brioza, Chef and Owner, State Bird Provisions
Nicole Krazinski, Pastry Chef and Owner, State Bird Provisions
Nicolaus Balla, Executive Chef, Bar Tartine
Cortney Burns, Production Manager, Bar Tartine
Sara Deseran, Deputy Editor, San Francisco Magazine; Co-founder, Chefs Feed – Moderator
From dried spices to salumi, from kimchi to pickles, the most precious ingredients in today’s kitchens are made in-house. Some chefs are even busting out pottery wheels to make their own plates. It’s not really a surprise that San Francisco's progressive cooks have taken the sustainable and local ethos to the next level, but can and should chefs do it all? Do creativity and craftsmanship outweigh the high costs of an all-DIY operation? We’re on a mission to find out with this two-part event.
Part 1 Panel - February 13th: On Wednesday, February 13th, join us for a panel discussion with the dynamic duos behind two of San Francisco's top restaurants, State Bird Provisions and Bar Tartine. They’ll spill on the pros and cons of building your dishes (and your business) entirely from scratch.
Part 2 Party - February 17th: The following Sunday come see the super chefs in action at a cocktail party at State Bird Provisions. Brioza, Krazinski, Balla and Burns will be there to chat and demo all things pickling, smoking and pulverizing, while we snack on 10 of their best in-house creations. Tickets to the party (Part 2) are limited and include admission to the Part 1 (February 13th) panel and the party, filled with food, wine and entertainment.
Part 1 Panel Location: SF Club Office
Part 1 Panel Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception
Part 1 Panel Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Part 2 Party Location: State Bird Provisions, 1529 Fillmore St.
Part 2 PartyTime: 6 p.m. check-in, 6-8 p.m. party and demos
Part 2 Party Cost: $95 standard, $80 members (includes admission to the Part 1 panel on February 13th)
Fri 2/15
President Truman and Israel
Date: Fri, February 15, 2013Time: 12:00 PM
President Truman and Israel
Riva Gambert, Director, The Partnership for Israel of the Jewish Federation of the East Bay
Joe Epstein, President, Sierra Steel Trading LLP; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors - Moderator
Gambert will tell the fascinating story of how President Truman came to support the creation of the state of Israel on the heels of World War II despite the long-standing objection by the U.S. State Department.
MLF: Middle East
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, students free (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Celia Menczel
Jeffrey Frank, Senior Editor of The New Yorker and Author of "Ike and Dick"
Date: Fri, February 15, 2013Time: 12:00 PM
Jeffrey Frank
Senior Editor, The New Yorker; Deputy Editor, Outlook section, The Washington Post; Author, Ike and Dick: Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage
Joe Tuman, Professor of Legal and Political Communications, San Francisco State University; Political Analyst, CBS 5 Television, San Francisco - Moderator
Veteran journalist Frank presents groundbreaking narrative of the relationship between Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon – from the politics that divided them to the marriage that united their families. Frank’s book Ike and Dick relates much that occurred out of public view, such as the sensitive discussions among senior staffers concerned about Nixon’s proper role when Eisenhower suffered illnesses that might have incapacitated him. Based on deep archival research and interviews with dozens of men and women who knew and worked with both men, including family members, it offers fresh views of Nixon, the striving tactician, and Eisenhower, the legendary general, a distant man with a warm smile, who could, and did, make Nixon’s life miserable.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE
Also know: Part of the Good Lit Series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation. Photo: Jon Reis .
Tue 2/19
John Taylor: Rules for America's Road to Recovery
Date: Tue, February 19, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
John Taylor: Rules for America’s Road to Recovery
Professor of Economics, Stanford University; George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institution; Author, First Principles: Five Keys to Restoring America's Prosperity
Leading economist Taylor will detail his plan to rebuild the country's economic future by returning to founding principles of economic and political freedom – limited government, rule of law, strong incentives, reliance on markets, a predictable policy framework – and reconstruct its economic foundation from these elements. Channeling his high-level experience as both a policymaker and researcher, Taylor will focus on current policy issues – the budget, monetary policy, government regulation, tax reform – and lay out bold strategies designed to place the country on sound footing in each of these areas.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
How to Keep All the Important Balls in the Air
Date: Tue, February 19, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
How to Keep All the Important Balls in the Air
Linda Hawes Clever, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF; Associate Dean of Alumni Affairs, Stanford University School of Medicine; Member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences; Author, The Fatigue Prescription: Four Steps to Renewing Your Energy, Health and Life
Juggling can be exhilarating and exhausting – and dangerous. Many of us have become adept at keeping several balls in the air at once. What can you do, however, to adjust when new balls get tossed into the picture, or when life throws you a curve or when you just want to rest a bit? How can you set priorities, assemble help and helpers, or, frankly, let go? This program's give-and-take could add spice, skills and wisdom to your lives. We will explore practical and powerful ways to refresh, build effectiveness and enthusiasm, and work toward finding or re-finding your sense of purpose. We’ll discuss values, how best to say “No” and “Yes” at the right times in your career and life, and the pluses and minuses of being “driven.”
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 standard, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: William Grant
Science & Technology Planning Meeting
Date: Tue, February 19, 2013Time: 6:15 PM
Science & Technology Planning Meeting
Join fellow Club members with similar interests and brainstorm upcoming Science & Technology programs. All Commonwealth Club members are welcome. We explore visions for the future through science and technology. Discuss current issues and share your insights with fellow Club members to shape and plan programs for the months ahead.
MLF: Science & Technology
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 6:15 p.m. planning meeting
Cost: FREE
Program Organizer: Chisako Ress
Also know: Photo: Sapperlott/Flickr
Wed 2/20
Rev. Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani
Date: Wed, February 20, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Rev. Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani
Rev. Cecil Williams, Founder and Minister, Liberation, Glide Memorial United Methodist Church; Co-author, Beyond the Possible: 50 Years of Creating Radical Change in a Community Called Glide
Janice Mirikitani, Founding President, Glide Foundation; Co-author, Beyond the Possible: 50 Years of Creating Radical Change in a Community Called Glide
Belva Davis, Emmy Award-winning TV Journalist and Anchor; Host, "This Week in Northern California," KQED TV - Moderator
Williams and Mirikitani have been working since 1967 to make Glide Memorial United Methodist Church the spiritual soul of San Francisco, fighting for its poor and disenfranchised. Reverend Williams’s preaching calls for congregants to accept all those around them, including groups traditionally left outside the church door. He is determined to bring real life, in all its forms, into Glide by serving almost one million free meals to the homeless every year and through more unorthodox ideas, such as HIV-testing during services. In his book Beyond the Possible: 50 Years of Creating Radical Change in a Community Called Glide, Reverend Williams’s lays out the lessons he’s learned from events, including the civil rights movement, the Harvey Milk assassination and the Patty Hearst kidnapping, and encourages readers to embrace their true selves, accept all those around them, and fully live day to day through social change as worship.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: Part of the Good Lit Series. Underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation
Patricia Schultz: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
Date: Wed, February 20, 2013Time: 7:00 PM
Patricia Schultz
Travel Journalist; Author, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
Before planning your next trip, hear travel expert Schultz’s practical guide and wish list of unique destinations from around the world. Discover and learn about countries such as Ghana, Qatar, Mozambique and Lithuania, highlighted in her updated best-selling travel book. Schultz offers her budget-conscious suggestions on where to stay, restaurants to visit, festivals to check out, and can’t-miss travel experiences for adventurous globetrotters.
Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8:15 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: In association with the Oshman Family JCC
Thu 2/21
Applying the Wisdom of Mr. Rogers to the Workplace
Date: Thu, February 21, 2013Time: 12:00 PM
Applying the Wisdom of Mister Rogers to the Workplace
Donna D. Mitroff , Independent Children's Media Consultant and Critic; Author, Fables and the Art of Leadership: Applying the Wisdom of Mister Rogers to the Workplace
Ian I. Mitroff, Adjunct Professor, UC Berkeley; Author, Swan, Swine and Swindlers
David Newell, Actor, Mr. McFeely on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"
Fred Rogers is one of the great icons of American culture. The values and philosophy for which he is famous have endured for multiple generations. This panel brings those same values and philosophy to the workplace, where they are needed more than ever. Ian and Donna Mitroff have created a work applying carefully curated fables and stories that Mr. Rogers told, and bringing them with a unique application into business and to everyday life.
MLF: Business & Leadership
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 11:30 a.m. check-in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing
Cost: $20 standard, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: Kevin O'Malley
Russian Hill Walking Tour #10
Date: Thu, February 21, 2013Time: 2:00 PM
Russian Hill Walking Tour
Join a more active Commonwealth Club Neighborhood Adventure! Russian Hill is a magical area with secret gardens and amazing views. Join Rick Evans for a two-hour hike up hills and staircases and learn about the history of this neighborhood. See where great artists and architects lived and worked, and walk down residential streets where some of the most historically significant houses in the Bay Area are located.
Location: Meet in front of Swensen's Ice Cream Store located at 1999 Hyde Street at Union. Your best option is to take bus transportation (details below) or come by taxi. There is absolutely no parking on Russian Hill. (No parking lots or street parking). Muni: 45-Union Stockton will drop you off at the corner of Union and Hyde - right in front of Swensen’s. Use www.nextmuni.com to determine bus stops and schedule. The tour ends about six blocks from the Swensen's Ice Cream Shop, at the corner of Vallejo and Jones. It is an easy walk down to North Beach from there.
Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2– 4 p.m. tour
Cost: $45 standard, $35 members
Program Organizer: Kristina Nemeth
Also know: Steep hills and staircases, recommended for good walkers. Parking difficult. Limited to 20. Must pre-register. Tour operates rain or shine.
Aphra Behn: Restoration Spy, Poet, Dramatist, Novelist, Abolitionist
Date: Thu, February 21, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Aphra Behn
Patricia Lundberg, Emerita Professor of English and Women's Studies, Indiana University Northwest; Executive Director, Humanities West
Aphra Behn was the earliest known British woman to have earned her living as a writer. Born in 1640, she traversed the rowdy literary and political landscape of the Restoration era in England and dedicated her life to pleasure and poetry, as well as a bit of intelligence work for the government. She wrote plays, novels and poems in the same bawdy vein as her male peers, using her spy moniker, Astrea. Nearly 300 years later, Virginia Woolf credited Behn with earning women the right to speak their minds. Lundberg will discuss the literary works and personality that made this writer at once famous and infamous.
MLF: Humanities
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program
Cost: $20 standard, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Program Organizer: George Hammond
Also know: In association with Humanities West
Michelle Rhee: Fighting to Put Students First
Date: Thu, February 21, 2013Time: 6:00 PM
Michelle Rhee
Founder and CEO, StudentsFirst; Former Chancellor, D.C. Public School System; Author, Radical
Rhee, a fearless pioneering advocate for education reform, delivers her plan for better American schools. Informing her proposal are her years of teaching in inner-city Baltimore; her turbulent tenure as chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools; and her current role as CEO of the nonprofit StudentsFirst.
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: Regular: $20 standard, $12 members, $7 students (with valid ID); Premium (seating in the front and a copy of the book): $40 standard, $40 members
Also know: Underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation. Photo by Phil Kampel.
Fri 2/22
Madeleine K. Albright in San Francisco
Date: Fri, February 22, 2013Time: 12:00 PM
Madeleine K. Albright
Former U.S. Secretary of State; Author, Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948
When Albright was U.S. secretary of state in the 1990s, she brought to her job as America's top diplomat a deeply felt understanding of the lessons and wounds of history. Come hear Albright share her remarkable personal story of growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation. From the historical accounts of World War II to the onset of the Cold War, she reflects on the complex events, experiences, and moral choices faced by that generation. Albright served as secretary of state under President Bill Clinton and was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Location: Grand Ballroom, Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St.
Time: 11:15 a.m. check in, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing
Cost: Regular: $25 standard, $15 members, $10 students (with valid ID). Premium (includes seating in first few rows and copy of the book): $65 standard, $45 members
Also know: Underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation as part of the Good Lit Series. Albright will also be speaking in Palo Alto on 2/22
Madeleine K. Albright in Palo Alto
Date: Fri, February 22, 2013Time: 7:00 PM
Madeleine K. Albright
Former U.S. Secretary of State; Author, Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948
When Albright was U.S. secretary of state in the 1990s, she brought to her job as America's top diplomat a deeply felt understanding of the lessons and wounds of history. Come hear Albright share her remarkable personal story of growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation. From the historical accounts of World War II to the onset of the Cold War, she reflects on the complex events, experiences, and moral choices faced by that generation. Albright served as secretary of state under President Bill Clinton and was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Location: Schultz Cultural Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Time: 6:15 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing
Cost: $25 standard, $15 members, $10 students (with valid ID). Premium (seating in first few rows and copy of book) $65 standard, $45 members.
Also know: Part of the Good Lit Series, underwritten by The Bernard Osher Foundation. Albright will be speaking at the San Francisco Club office on 2/22 at noon.
Mon 2/25
Middle East Discussion Group
Date: Mon, February 25, 2013Time: 5:30 PM
Join fellow Club members in discussing current events in the Middle East.
Middle East Discussion Group
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
Tue 2/26
Arts Planning Meeting
Date: Tue, February 26, 2013Time: 5:30 PM
Help plan upcoming programs with your fellow Club art lovers
Arts Forum Planning Meeting
Please join other art enthusiasts in discussing future programming at The Commonwealth Club in the fine arts and performing arts. Programs, speakers, topics and artist exhibitions will be covered. Please bring your ideas, and your willingness to help in the production of art events in the coming year.
MLF: The Arts
Location: SF Club Office
Time: 5:30 p.m. planning meeting
Cost: FREE
Program Organizer: Lynn Curtis