Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Nuclear Arms Treaty Gives Boost to Nuclear Reduction Efforts

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The news last week of the agreement on a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia might have been overshadowed by continuing heat from the health-care reform effort, but it deserves to have its moment in the sun.


There continue to be bipartisan efforts in the United States to push for further -- and even total -- nuclear disarmament.

By way of background, in the video above of a Commonwealth Club event a couple years ago, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and former Secretary of Defense William Perry make the case for working toward a nuclear-free world.

Here are some reports on the new treaty and its possible impact on the world stage:

Politics Daily: U.S.-Russian Nuclear Treaty not on Public's Radar
The Korea Times: U.S.-Russia Nuclear Deal Could Curb Proliferation by North Korea, Iran
Reuters: Q&A: Why is a U.S.-Russia Nuclear Deal Important?
Washington Post (might require free registration): U.S. Hopes Nuclear Arms Pact to Be Ratified This Year
The Guardian: The Case for Western Missile Defense

Below is a Commonwealth Club video, in which Rep. Ellen Tauscher Talks Nuclear Non-Proliferation:

Monday, March 29, 2010

Nancy Pelosi to Speak at Commonwealth Club April 6

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Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-California) returns to her home town and to The Commonwealth Club audiences to discuss the recent passage of the controversial and historic health-care reform bill.

San Francisco's Pelosi is in her second term as speaker of the House. President Obama has lauded her as "an extraordinary leader for the American people"; and following the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, England's Guardian observed that "Pelosi is being heralded as the most powerful woman in American history and the most powerful speaker of the House of Representatives in a century."

Don't miss this chance to come and ask your questions of one of Washington's most powerful insiders.

Fore details and to order tickets, visit our web site.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Is China the Next Bubble?

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The financial press is taking its eyes off the Google-vs.-China story long enough to pay attention to a growing worry in some quarters that the economy of the People's Republic of China could be the next bubble to burst.

Economist and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich expressed such a concern in his January speech to The Commonwealth Club of California. In his Bank of America-Walter E. Hoadley Economic Forecast, Reich suggested that commodities and China's economy were two possible bubbles, despite the relatively good management of the Chinese economy in these turbulent times.  Watch the video excerpt below for more from Reich.



Now, two months after Reich's speech, the possibility of a burst China bubble are all over the news. We've collected some news links here for you:

ChinaStakes.com: "'Short the China Bubble' Trend Is Spreading"
National Post (Canada): "China's Financial Bubble Ready to Pop"
Business Week: "China Stocks Fall Most in Two Weeks on Rising Trade Tensions"
Business Insider: "Citi: If You Thought China Was in a Bubble, You Haven't Seen Anything Yet"
Financial Times: "Is China Blowing Bubbles?"
HargreavesLansdown (UK financial advisors): "A Bubble in China?"

Or watch our video of recent Commonwealth Club program "China: Great Power Interrupted."

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Our 400th Video on Fora.TV! Amartya Sen

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Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen, who spoke at The Commonwealth Club in late February 2010, was the subject of the 400th video of Commonwealth Club events to be posted to the popular Fora.tv online video site.

There have been about 5 million views of Club programs on Fora in the past couple years.

Also, check out our YouTube channel, which is in the top 100 nonprofit channels on YouTube!

The Spirit of California -- Our Video Announcement!

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Learn more about the annual dinner.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

California's Education Money Market

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On March 4, thousands of people across the state marched and gathered in protest as part of the Day of Action to Defend Education, a culmination of determined rallying against budget cuts, fee hikes and various other impediments to education that have taken place consistently since 2002.

Here in the Bay Area, the throng of protesters were in full force: upwards of some 20,000 camped out loudly in front of San Francisco City Hall, the entrances to UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz were blocked in the morning, and a group of activists even took "taking it to the streets" to a whole new level by marching right on to Interstate 880, blocking traffic for more than an hour while waving signs and shouting.

The message was clear and strong: many people in California are fed up with the everlasting education crisis and demand action from the legislators. What is unclear is how it will be attained. After months of picketing, striking and walkouts, many are upping efforts to collaborate with all the major players, starting with local officials.

“I join the thousands of students, parents and teachers across California and here in San Francisco today calling for adequate, equitable education funding for our public schools and universities,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced on his web site.

Newsom, a candidate for California lieutenant governor, went on to explain that the city has forged new partnerships with public schools and community colleges to guarantee universal pre-school and after-school programs for every child in the community, as well as a place in community colleges. If elected lieutenant governor, Newsom will serve as an ex-officio member on the UC Board of Regents and the CSU Board of Trustees.

While the protests were successful in garnering local attention on the streets and making headlines across the country, the action ironically took place the same day President Obama announced that California did not qualify for the $700 million share in federal Race to the Top funds, the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history.

The program, which stressed collaboration between government, union leaders, teachers and parents, has been a dividing point for many. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was a strong proponent for the program and urged all parties to join in the application process, but some critics argued that a federal fix was not the answer for a state with a uniquely complicated system and referenced the widely perceived failure of the No Child Left Behind Act. Many argued that the reason the Golden State missed out on the funds was because of its complicated standards adoption procedures, the resistance to federal reform from union leaders and the decision of several districts not to participate in the application in the program.

For California, the difficulty in securing funds for education is systemic. The state ranks 49th in per-capita spending per student and already faces a $20 billion deficit. The inability to raise revenue without raising taxes has worn down the system considerably, so missing out on package deals like the Race to the Top program are a big blow.

To make matters worse, 188 California schools – 12 of which are in San Francisco – got the news March 8 that they were lowest of the low-performing schools, meaning that they will be required to undergo major changes: they will either be closed, converted to a charter school or undergo a complete overhaul of instruction.

In spite of the recent designation, Newsom referenced high points of city education, but emphasized the need for statewide collaboration. “Despite these difficult economic times, over the last two years and this year, we will have invested $49 million of our city’s rainy day reserve funds in our public schools to stave off teacher layoffs,” Newsom said. “But it’s still not enough. Cities and public school districts can’t do it alone.”

It won’t be revealed until April exactly why we didn’t get a piece of the pie in California, but many people are quick to suggest that one reason is that constant fights over the best fix for education seems to take precedence over adhering to federal standards.

--By Heather Mack

Friday, March 12, 2010

How Has NATO Changed? How Must It Change?

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Commonwealth Club President/CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy recently moderated a panel discussion of three ambassadors to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to discuss the challenges and future of this organization. NATO, founded originally to contain the Soviet Union and protect Western Europe, has grown in membership in the past two decades since the end of the USSR and is currently engaged in its first out-of-Europe activity with its mission in Afghanistan.

Joining Dr. Duffy were ambassadors Ivo Daalder, Stefano Stefanini, and Per Poulsen-Hansen for the February 25, 2010, program, which was held at The Commonwealth Club's headquarters in downtown San Francisco. Watch the video above of their discussion, and check out photos from the event below (click on the link beneath the photo).

From NATO Ambassadors 2/25/10

Put Commonwealth Club Podcasts Right on Your Blog or Web Site!

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Podtrac Player


Want to show the world you're in the know about the latest thinking and discussions in the worlds of politics, science, literature, international relations, economics, and more?

You can add the button (above) to your web site or blog, giving instant access to your site's visitors to hundreds of The Commonwealth Club's famous speakers.

Here's the code to embed in your HTML:


<a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="window.open('http://www.podtrac.com/PodtracPlayer/podtracplayer.aspx?podcast=http://audio.commonwealthclub.org/audio/podcast/weekly.xml', 'linkname', 'height=235, width=450, scrollbars=no')"> <img alt="Podtrac Player" border="0" src="http://www.podtrac.com/PodtracPlayer/playerbutton1.jpg" /></a>

Spread the word(s)!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Is Geo-Engineering a Viable Alternative to Our Current Climate Change Initiatives?

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Geo-engineering -- the idea that mankind can intentionally alter the earth's atmosphere to undo some of the effects of manmade climate change -- recently emerged from the worlds of academic papers and science fiction stories into public discourse, thanks to the broaching of the subject in the recent book SuperFreakonomics.

The Commonwealth Club's Climate One program investigated this topic in a recent program, which included Ken Caldeira, the atmospheric scientist at the heart of the SuperFreakonomics climate controversy.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Gay Weddings Begin in Washington, D.C.; What's the National and State Outlook?

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Same-sex weddings began taking place this week in Washington, D.C., the latest jurisdiction to legalize gay marriages. The District of Columbia has an unusual governance, being a city with no state government, but with oversight from Congress.

What is happening in the states, and how do they interact with federal policy (and federal politics) on this controversial topic?

In the video above, The Commonwealth Club of California hosted a February 17, 2010, panel discussion with people on different sides of the gay marriage debate. Panelists included Molly McKay, media director, Marriage Equality USA; Jennifer Morse, president and founder, Ruth Institute at the National Organization for Marriage; Therese Stewart, chief deputy city attorney, San Francisco, and attorney for the plaintiffs in current court case challenging Prop. 8; Kevin Snider, chief counsel, Pacific Justice Institute; and Doug Sovern, broadcast journalist, "Sovern Nation" on KCBS, who served as moderator for the event.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Are California's Media in Crisis?

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The evolution of news media has been a long-standing object of The Commonwealth Club's attention. The Club most recently delved into the effects of the decline of traditional news media -- primarily print newspapers, but also some television and radio news -- and its effect on California governance. After all, if one of the roles of journalists is to shine a light of public knowledge onto the workings of public institutions, then what will happen with fewer reporters digging into government lobbying relationships, contract negotiations, and legislation writing?

An expert panel explored this topic February 19 at The Club's San Francisco headquarters. Watch the video above.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Synergenics' Dr. Bill Rutter to Receive Lifetime Achivement Award from Commonwealth Club

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The Commonwealth Club of California will present its William K. Bowes Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Bill Rutter, chairman and CEO of Synergenics.

He will receive award at the Club’s 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner, which will take place April 29, 2010, at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

As founder, chairman, and CEO of Synergenics, Dr. Rutter sits at the helm of a groundbreaking consortium of 10 independent biotechnology firms. Operating in shared laboratory facilities, the firms of Synergenics all benefit from a collaborative environment and managerial guidance from Dr. Rutter. Previously, Dr. Rutter co-founded the biotechnology firm Chiron Corporation in 1981 and served as chairman of both the board and the executive committee until 1999. During that time, Dr. Rutter took a hands-on approach to management, involving himself in operations -- from developing vaccines to leading financial planning.

Before his career in biotechnology, Dr. Rutter was recruited to UCSF to establish and chair a new department of biotechnology and biophysics. After serving as department chair from 1979 to 1982, he then directed the Hormone Research Institute at UCSF from 1983 to 1989. During this time Rutter’s lab made key contributions to the knowledge base upon which the multibillion dollar biotechnology industry now sits, including developing the first Hepatitis B vaccine. An accomplished and extensively published scientist, Dr. Rutter is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences..

Also being honored at the annual celebration are the Honorable George P. Shultz, former U.S. secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, and his wife, California and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz; Pixar Animation Studios' writer and director Brad Bird; and O'Neill Wetsuits founder and Chairman Jack O'Neill. As leaders and innovators, these distinguished citizens embody “The Spirit of California” in creative, technological, civic, entrepreneurial, environmental, and, increasingly, global contexts.

Visit our web site for more information on The Commonwealth Club's 107th Anniversary and 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner.

Jack O'Neill a Commonwealth Club Distinguished Citizen

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The Commonwealth Club of California will honor Jack O'Neill, founder and chairman of the board of O’Neill Wetsuits in April, for revolutionizing California’s iconic surfing industry with his invention of the wetsuit in the 1950s.

He will receive The Commonwealth Club's Distinguished Citizen Award at the Club’s 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner, which will take place April 29, 2010, at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

In pursuit of a way to lengthen surfing sessions, O’Neill began experimenting with flexible plastic foam in the 1950s, an endeavor that ultimately led to the innovative idea of fashioning surfing vests from neoprene foam. O’Neill sold his first crude vests and balsa wood surfboards out of San Francisco’s original Surf Shop until relocating his operations in 1959 to Santa Cruz. In the 1960s, O’Neill began coating neoprene with an elastic, nylon fabric, a procedure that would increase wetsuit durability and comfort. In the wake of this breakthrough, O’Neill Wetsuits would expand greatly, emerging in the 1980s as an international presence.

Today O’Neill spends much of his time on philanthropic projects that seek to foster educational achievement and environmental stewardship in California’s schoolchildren. In 1996, O’Neill founded the O’Neill Sea Odyssey, a unique educational program for 4th-6th graders that, utilizing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as a classroom, instills in young minds urgent lessons about our endangered oceans. In 2005, the program received the California Governor’s Award in Economic and Environmental Leadership, as well as U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s Conservation Champion award. O’Neill himself has received numerous accolades from the surfing industry that he helped to establish, including having been named “Waterman of the Year” in 2000 by the Surfing Industry Manufacturers Association.

Also being honored at the annual celebration are the Honorable George P. Shultz, former U.S. secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, and his wife, California and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz; Pixar Animation Studios' writer and director Brad Bird; and Dr. Bill Rutter, chairman and CEO of Synergenics. As leaders and innovators, these distinguished citizens embody “The Spirit of California” in creative, technological, civic, entrepreneurial, environmental, and, increasingly, global contexts.

Visit our web site for more information on The Commonwealth Club's 107th Anniversary and 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner.

George Shultz & Charlotte Mailliard Shultz to Be Honored at Commonwealth Club Annual Dinner

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The Honorable George P. Shultz, former U.S. secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, and his wife, California and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, will receive The Commonwealth Club of California's Distinguished Citizen Award.

They will receive the award at the Club’s 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner, which will take place April 29, 2010, at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The Club is honoring George P. Shultz and Charlotte Mailliard Shultz for their decades of service on the local, regional, national, and international levels.

Leaving the Bay Area where he had served as President of Bechtel Corporation since 1975, George Shultz served as President Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state from 1982 to 1989. Before that appointment, he served as labor secretary and treasury secretary during the Nixon Administration and as a senior staff economist on the Council of Economic Advisers during the Eisenhower administration. Regarded as one of the preeminent political minds of our time, Secretary Shultz played a pivotal role in the most precarious and delicate international issues facing the United States during his day, including the Cold War. In 1989, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Today he offers his insights on global political and economic policy as a distinguished fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. In 1997 The Commonwealth Club of California honored Secretary Shultz with the Distinguished Citizen Award, along with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry; Secretary Shultz is the only person to receive the Club’s Distinguished Citizen Award twice. The author of five books and numerous academic articles, he has taught at a number of prestigious universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Chicago Graduate School of Business, and Stanford. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949. He received his B.A. in economics from Princeton University in 1942, joining the US Marine Corps that same year.

Together, the Shultzes constitute a dynamic and accomplished team of devoted San Franciscans. Serving in the volunteer position of chief of protocol for the State of California, it has been Mrs. Shultz’ job since 2004 to promote California on the global stage. To accomplish such a task, she has planned a multitude of events to highlight the many facets of the state’s economic and cultural life, from its technological capabilities and cosmopolitan business hubs, to its environmental diversity and scenic attractions. In her additional role as chief of protocol and director of special events for the City and County of San Francisco, Mrs. Shultz has served seven different mayors of San Francisco in a similar function, organizing, among other events, the visits of numerous foreign dignitaries to the Bay Area. Mrs. Shultz is no stranger to either civic involvement or civic honors. She is widely acknowledged as responsible for having revived the San Francisco Symphony’s Black and White Ball, for which she served as chair in 1982, ’83, ’85 and ’87. Currently she serves on the boards of the San Francisco Ballet, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the War Memorial Performing Arts Center, the World Affairs Council of Northern California, and The Commonwealth Club of California. She has been named the State of California Woman of the Year and received the United Nations Association of San Francisco’s Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Also being honored at the annual celebration are Jack O'Neill, founder and chairman of the board of O’Neill Wetsuits; Pixar Animation Studios' writer and director Brad Bird; and Dr. Bill Rutter, chairman and CEO of Synergenics. As leaders and innovators, these distinguished citizens embody “The Spirit of California” in creative, technological, civic, entrepreneurial, environmental, and, increasingly, global contexts.

Visit our web site for more information on The Commonwealth Club's 107th Anniversary and 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner.

Pixar's Brad Bird to Receive Distinguished Citizen Award at Commonwealth Club Gala

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The Commonwealth Club of California will present its prestigious 2010 Distinguished Citizen Award to Oscar-winning director and writer Brad Bird of Emeryville-based Pixar Animation Studios.

The award will be given to Bird for his invaluable contributions to California at the Club’s 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner, which will take place April 29, 2010, at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Bird is perhaps best known for his work as director of the animated films Ratatouille and The Incredibles, for which he also holds the sole writing credit. His films have consistently utilized the most cutting-edge animation technologies. They have additionally benefited from Bird’s proven ability to foster creativity among his production team by tapping into the potential of what he calls the studio’s “black sheep” animators.

Even before joining Pixar, Bird’s work in movies and television had garnered attention for its stunning originality and its emphasis on technological innovation. Bird also holds directorial and writing credits for the 1999 animated feature, The Iron Giant, which won the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Feature. Along with Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, Bird once directed an episode of Steven Spielberg’s 1980’s television show Amazing Stories. Bird’s contribution, however, was unique in featuring the first digitally recorded soundtrack on network television. Bird completed his first animated short at the age of 14. This feat would help him land a job at Walt Disney Studios in Southern California, where he would receive mentoring from famed animators Milt Kahl and Eric Larson.

Also being honored at the annual celebration are Jack O'Neill, founder and chairman of the board of O’Neill Wetsuits; the Honorable George P. Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State, and his wife, California and San Francisco Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz; and Dr. Bill Rutter, chairman and CEO of Synergenics. As leaders and innovators, these distinguished citizens embody “The Spirit of California” in creative, technological, civic, entrepreneurial, environmental, and, increasingly, global contexts.

Visit our web site for more information on The Commonwealth Club's 107th Anniversary and 22nd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

San Francisco Student Truancy: The Value of Showing Up

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Skipping school may have once been viewed as a relatively small transgression committed by all capricious youth at least some point in their lives, but some San Francisco students today have taken it to a new level that is anything but innocuous. The days of Ferris Bueller-like escapades have lost their novelty, and for the repeat offenders of San Francisco’s beleaguered public school system, truancy is considered a crime.

Which is exactly why the system is getting money to make sure students stay in school. San Francisco has the worst truancy record in the state, but recent citywide efforts, including parental prosecution, have appeared to be working, prompting more federal dollars to be funneled to the cause, spurring the launch of more programs to combat truancy. The anti-truancy program at Bayview Hunters Point YMCA – which has served 124 formerly truant teens since its inception two years ago – will receive $238,000 over two years, enabling it to help more students at a time trying to re-enter school.
And if more kids are staying in school, the district gets more federal dollars – over $370,000 was tied to increased enrollment in San Francisco public schools last year.

Mayor Gavin Newsom launched the new Truancy Assessment and Referral Center (TARC) January 15 to address chronic truancy and close the achievement gap in San Francisco schools. TARC will be a citywide, one-stop location at 44 Gough St, allowing police to hand off truant youth to the San Francisco Unified School District and community-based organizations. TARC will assess youth – who are put on a "most wanted" list for truancy – and make the appropriate referrals to reengage them in the academic process. This innovative collaboration is the first-in-the-nation project that leverages existing city resources to specifically target young people who are chronically absent. It is also partnered with SF Juvenile Probation Department (SFJPD), San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF), Huckleberry Youth Services, and Urban Service YMCA.

“The 21st century economy demands an educated, prepared workforce,” Newsom said in a statement. “We must rise to this challenge and close the graduation gap that afflicts underprivileged communities in San Francisco.” (Newsom will speak at The Commonwealth Club on April 7, discussing a range of his citywide programs in a conversation with Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy.)

Though this comprehensive program has thus far been successful, 5,000 kids are still not coming to class on a regular basis, a staggering number that is, remarkably, down from 5,500 – 10 percent of the city's students – in 2007 when District Attorney Kamala Harris started fighting the issue in earnest by implementing the Truancy Reduction Initiative and set up one of the first truancy courts in California. Harris has made combating truancy a main focus of her administration, after learning about four years ago that 94 percent of the city’s homicide victims under the age of 25 were high school dropouts, most of which had problems starting at the elementary level.

“As San Francisco’s District Attorney, I see what happens on the back end of school failures: young lives are being lost to street violence or prison time at an appalling rate,” said Harris in a statement. “Children will either get their education in the streets or in school. Combating truancy is a smart approach to crime prevention.” Harris plans to take her initiative statewide – if she wins the election for the California attorney general.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "students with the highest truancy rates have the lowest academic achievement rates, and because truants are the youth most likely to drop out of school, they have high drop-out rates as well." It is estimated that that high school dropouts cost Californians over $46 billion over the lifetimes of the 120,000 students who fail to graduate from each class, including nearly $10 billion from increased crime alone. By addressing truancy, the city hopes to close the graduation gap. In San Francisco last year, 32% of African American,  and 19% of Caucasian and Latino students didn’t graduate public high school.

The Commonwealth Club will host a special program on keeping California's schools competitive. Learn more about the March 31, 2010, event.

--By Heather Mack

Monday, March 1, 2010

"Mythbusters" Hosts Return to The Club

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The men behind Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters,” Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, will be joining us for a Club talk in Palo Alto on March 13. The famous duo will share the stories behind their daring, often rudimentary and typically inadvisable tests of myths, rumors and complete hogwash with Kevin Kelly, Wired magazine’s founding executive editor.

The “MythBusters” story is near and dear to many hearts in the greater Bay Area, given that the show is produced locally, as well as many of the stunts (we’ve been warned). Since commencing their mildly quixotic and always entertaining mission to confirm or bust our favorite myths back in 2003, the team has reviewed a long list of seemingly plausible questions: Can a human pluck an arrow from midair? Does a tongue stud increase your chances of being struck by lighting? Are two, interlaced phone books impossible to pull apart? Does drafting behind tractor trailers actually save gas? The list, we’re glad to say, goes on.

According to Hyneman from the duo’s last visit to The Club, “We got some kind of education out of the process….  [but] I’m not sure what it is.”

Savage contributed, “The narrative of each show is about us trying to figure out what we want to learn about what we’re doing, and overlapping our various ignorances, and trying to come to some agreement through a process we call ‘arguing.’”

Levity aside, the reaction to “MythBusters” has been strong, positive and widespread, with the co-hosts appearing everywhere from universities to David Letterman's "The Late Show" to "CSI." We can’t wait to hear what the masterminds behind Blendo the Terrible have to say.

More info on this event and tickets online.

--By Andrew Harrison
CWC-Twitter