JANUARY 18 - 24 It’s happened to all of us: our cheeks flush red when we say the wrong thing, or our hearts skip a beat when a certain someone walks by. But few of us realize how much more dramatic and extreme our bodies’ reactions to emotions can be. Many people who see their doctors have medically unexplained symptoms, and in the vast majority of these cases, a psychosomatic cause is suspected. Yet the diagnosis of a psychosomatic disorder can make a patient feel dismissed as a hypochondriac, a faker or just plain crazy. In Is It All in Your Head?, neurologist Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan takes us on a journey through the world of psychosomatic illness. O’Sullivan reveals the hidden stresses behind their mysterious symptoms, approaching a sensitive topic with patience and understanding. She addresses the taboos surrounding psychosomatic disorders, teaching us that “it’s all in your head” doesn’t mean that something isn’t real, as the body is often the stand-in for the mind when the latter doesn’t possess the tools to put words to its sorrow. She encourages us to look with compassion at the ways in which our brains act out, and to question our failure to credit the intimate connection between mind and body.
Janet Yellen January 18
Walter Alvarez January 24
SF • Location: 555 Post St., San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Health & Medicine • Program organizer: Bill Grant
Tech Innovator Jerry Kaplan: Could Artificial Intelligence Eventually Take Us Over? Jerry Kaplan, Entrepreneur; Author, Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to Know In conversation with John Markoff, New York Times Technology Reporter
For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to common wealthclub.org
30
Over the coming decades, artificial intelligence will profoundly impact the way we live, work, wage war, play, seek a mate, educate our young and care for our elderly. It is likely to greatly increase our aggregate wealth, but it will also upend our labor markets, reshuffle our social order, and strain our private and public institutions. Eventually it may alter how we see our place in the universe, as machines pursue goals independent of their creators and outperform us in domains previously believed to be the sole dominion of humans. Jerry Kaplan is widely known as an artificial
THE COMMO N WE AL TH
intelligence expert, serial entrepreneur, technical innovator, educator, bestselling author and futurist. He co-founded four Silicon Valley startups, two of which became publicly traded companies, and teaches at Stanford University. SF • Location: 555 Post St., San Francisco • Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 18 Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen Janet L. Yellen, Ph.D., Chair, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System; Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
Two days before the new U.S. president is sworn in, join us for a rare opportunity to hear an economic assessment from the head of the Fed. Dr. Janet Yellen took office as chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 2014, for a four-year term ending February 3, 2018. Dr. Yellen also serves as chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the country’s principal monetary policymaking body. Prior to her appointment as chair, Dr. Yellen served as vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, while simultaneously beginning a 14-year term as a member of the board that will expire January 31, 2024. Dr. Yellen is professor emeritus of business and economics at UC Berkeley, where she has been a faculty member since 1980. From 2004 through 2010 she served as president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and previously chaired President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers. Dr. Yellen holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University and has written on a wide variety of macroeconomic issues, specializing in the causes, mechanisms and implications of unemployment. SF • Location: Herbst Theatre, War Memorial, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco • Time: 11 a.m. check-in, noon program • Notes: Tickets must be purchased through City Box Office at CityBoxOffice.com or by calling 415392-4400
THURSDAY, JANUARY THURSDAY, JANUARY 19 19 San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour Explore San Francisco’s Financial
District with historian Rick Evans and learn the history and stories behind some of our city’s remarkable structures, streets and public squares. Hear about the famous architects who influenced the building of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Discover hard-to-find rooftop gardens, Art Deco lobbies, unique open spaces and historic landmarks. This is a tour for locals, with hidden gems you can only find on foot! SF • Location: Meet in the lobby of the Galleria Park Hotel, 191 Sutter Street, San Francisco • Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4:30 p.m. walk • Notes: The tour involves walking up and down stairs but covers less than one mile of walking in the Financial District; tour operates rain or shine; limited to 20 participants; tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at check-in.
MONDAY, JANUARY MONDAY, JANUARY 23 23 Socrates Café Socrates Café at The Commonwealth Club is devoted to the discussion of a philosophical topic chosen at that meeting. The group’s facilitator, John Nyquist, invites participants to suggest topics, which are then voted on. The person who proposed the most popular topic is asked to briefly explain why she or he considers that topic interesting and important. An open discussion follows, and the meeting ends with a summary of the various perspectives. Everyone is welcome to attend. SF • Location: 555 Post St., San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m check-in, 6:30 p.m. program • MLF: Humanities • Program Organizer: George Hammond
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24 24 TUESDAY, JANUARY Walter Alvarez: A Most Improbable Journey Walter Alvarez, Professor, Earth and Planetary Science Department, University of California, Berkeley; Author, A Most Improbable Journey: A Big History of Our Planet and Ourselves
One in a million doesn’t even come close. Not when we’re talking about the odds that you would happen to be alive today, on this particular planet, hurtling through space. Almost 14 billion years of cosmic history, more than 4 billion years of Earth history, and a couple million years of human history, has led to you. This panoram-
SF: San Francisco SV: Silicon Valley EB: East Bay NB: North Bay