Join us on November 19 at 6 pm for the Commonwealth Club’s Virtual Gala. Raise your glass to Good Health, as we celebrate the leadership of women in science and medicine. Visit

Join us on November 19 at 6 pm for the Commonwealth Club’s Virtual Gala. Raise your glass to Good Health, as we celebrate the leadership of women in science and medicine. Visit commonwealthclub.org/2021gala to learn more or Text Club2021 to 41444 to register and donate today! Many nations have a national poet, whose poetry helps carve out their own unique cultural niche in human civilization. Italy has enjoyed many literary geniuses for over two millennia, but still looks to one man the most: Dante. Like major poets in other cultures, Dante’s influence on the Italian language can hardly be overstated. The Divine Comedy was the first major work of literature to leave Latin behind in favor of Italian, and it remains the world standard of poetic excellence. Dante’s fertile imagination also inspired artists, writers and theologians, making him almost as influential about the afterlife as he is linguistically. Join Humanities West in person at The Commonwealth Club, or via livestream, to celebrate the 700th Anniversary of Dante’s death—which ironically occurred not that many months after he completed his speculations about post-death possibilities—with a two-hour, three-lecture Dante feast: • Timothy Hampton on "Dante After Dante: the Forms of Memory." Though there were many "in the know" about the achievement of Dante's great poem during his lifetime, his vast influence on Italian poetry and world literature was uneven in the centuries following his death. In some areas of artistic creation—for example, in the painting of Botticelli—Dante was powerfully present. In other areas (poetry, philosophy, literary criticism) his influence was definite, but diffuse and oblique. This lecture will speak about the ways in which Dante's work did and didn't shape Italian and European culture in the early modern period. • Kip Cranna on "Dante at the Opera: From the Divine Comedy to a Comic Puccini Delight." In "The Inferno," part one of The Divine Comedy, Dante introduces the condemned sinner Gianni Schicchi, consigned to the Eighth Circle of Hell along with others guilty of fraud. His crime: impersonating the deceased Buoso Donati to falsify Buoso's will for his own benefit. Dante personally knew the Donatis (he was married to one), and therein lies an intriguing tale of medieval Florentine society. The story of this fraudulent will and the legend surrounding it became the inspiration for the famed composer Giacomo Puccini's only comic opera. After outlining the Dante-Puccini connection, San Francisco Opera's Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will present brief video highlights from the opera Gianni Schicchi, including the ever-popular aria "O mio babbino caro." • Marisa Galvez on "Dante Before Dante Become Dante." In retrospect it almost seems like Dante invented Italian literary culture, but he arrived on the Italian literary scene as a love poet—an admirer of courtly love and the troubadour traditions which had begun a century earlier in Occitania, and had spread to Italy, Spain and then most of Europe. Dante defined the troubadour lyrics as rhetorical, musical and poetical fiction — which is also a good description of The Divine Comedy. OCTOBER 22, 2021 SPEAKERS Kip Cranna Dramaturg Emeritus, San Francisco Opera Marisa Galvez Professor of French and Italian, and by Courtesy, of German Studies and Comparative Literature; Faculty Director, Structured Liberal Education, Stanford University Timothy Hampton Aldo Scaglione and Marie M. Burns Distinguished Professor of French and Comparative Literature; Director, Doreen B. Townsend Center for the Humanities, University of California, Berkeley George Hammond —Moderator 💯SUBSCRIBE for more VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/commonwealthclub 📆 UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events 🎉 BECOME a MEMBER: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/membership 💰 DONATE NOW: https://support.commonwealthclub.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=298 📺➕📻 Watch & Listen https://www.commonwealthclub.org/watch-listen CWC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub/ CWC Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cwclub/ CWC Twitter https://twitter.com/cwclub The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum 📣, bringing together its 20,000 members for more than 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. Founded in 1903 in San Francisco California 🌉, The Commonwealth Club has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt in 1911 to Hillary Clinton in 2010. Along the way, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have all given landmark speeches at the Club.

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Dr. Jasmine Marcelin is one of the Healthcare Heroes who are working on the frontline of COVID-19. While the medical workers are really heroic, Dr. Marceline points out they are doing what they do

Dr. Jasmine Marcelin is one of the Healthcare Heroes who are working on the frontline of COVID-19. While the medical workers are really heroic, Dr. Marceline points out they are doing what they do everyday. However, after a year of the pandemic, they are exhausted, decimated by the pandemic, and their emotional and energy bank is running on empty. Her talk highlights the critical role that many other frontline workers are playing and the often-devastating impact COVID has taken on these unsung heroes. While the gift cards and free meals are generous and thoughtful, what is more impactful is everyone stepping up and playing their part to combat COVID-19, reduce the spread, and reduce the punishing emotional and physical toil faced by health care workers and others on the frontline. Now is the time for everyone to be heroic. There is a role that each member of the public can play, to prevent the spread of the virus and really show appreciation of other frontline workers. Dr. Jasmine R. Marcelin is an Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, Co-Director of Digital Innovation & Social Media Strategy for the Division of Infectious Diseases, Associate Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship & Associate Program Director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency. Born in Dominica, she earned her medical degree from American University of Antigua College of Medicine & completed Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases training at Mayo Clinic. A fierce advocate for health equity and justice for patients and the community, and a champion for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare and Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and youngest member ever elected to the IDSA Board of Directors. A founding member of the IDSA Inclusion, Diversity, Access & Equity Taskforce, playing a pivotal role in developing and maintaining principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Access & Equity in IDSA. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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Richard Wolfson discusses his book "Nuclear Choices for the Twenty-First Century: A Citizen's Guide", an authoritative and unbiased guide to nuclear technology and the controversies that surround

Richard Wolfson discusses his book "Nuclear Choices for the Twenty-First Century: A Citizen's Guide", an authoritative and unbiased guide to nuclear technology and the controversies that surround it. Are you for nuclear power or against it? What's the basis of your opinion? Did you know a CT scan gives you some 2 millisieverts of radiation? Do you know how much a millisievert is? Does irradiation make foods safer or less safe? What is the point of a bilateral Russia–US nuclear weapons treaty in a multipolar world? These are nuclear questions that call for nuclear choices, and this book equips citizens to make these choices informed ones. It explains, clearly and accessibly, the basics of nuclear technology and describes the controversies surrounding its use. Richard Wolfson is a Benjamin F. Wissler Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Middlebury College, where he also taught in the Environmental Studies Program and at the Middlebury Institute in Monterey. He did undergraduate work in physics and philosophy at MIT and Swarthmore, holds a Master’s in environmental studies from the University of Michigan and a PhD in physics from Dartmouth. Wolfson’s research involves the Sun, climate change, and solar energy. Other published work encompasses medical physics, plasma physics, electronics, nuclear issues, and astrophysics. His books "Nuclear Choices for the Twenty-first Century: A Citizen’s Guide" and "Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified" exemplify Wolfson’s interest in making science accessible to nonscientists. Wolfson has published in Scientific American and World Book Encyclopedia. His video courses for The Teaching Company’s Great Courses series include Einstein’s Relativity and the Quantum Revolution, Physics in Your Life, Earth’s Changing Climate, Physics and Our Universe, and Understanding Modern Electronics. He has spent sabbaticals at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, St. Andrews University, and Stanford University. He is also a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Get the book here: https://goo.gle/3bDYgZ6. Moderated by Matt Bongiovi. Speaker photo credit: James P. Blair. #nuclearpower #RichardWolfson

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In this talk, join ant researcher Dr. Blaine Cole to learn about the fascinating aspects of the western harvester ant's life cycle. The western harvester ant is one of the most common and widespread

In this talk, join ant researcher Dr. Blaine Cole to learn about the fascinating aspects of the western harvester ant's life cycle. The western harvester ant is one of the most common and widespread ant species in North America, ranging from Canada to southern Arizona and from Kansas to Nevada. This ant is known for its large nest mounds, which are a prominent feature of desert grassland habitats. For the past 33 years, Blaine Cole has been studying a significant population of this ant species in Western Colorado. This Speaker Series presentation focuses on two key aspects of the ant's life cycle. First, we will explore how the production of a new queen leads to the formation of a new colony. Then, we will examine the factors that determine whether a colony will survive and mature into a reproductive colony that can last for decades. Join us to learn more about these fascinating aspects of the western harvester ant's life cycle and discover what contributes to the long life spans of certain colonies. ✿Website: https://naturalhistoryinstitute.org/ ✿Events: https://naturalhistoryinstitute.org/e... ✿Donate: https://naturalhistoryinstitute.org/d... ✿Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalhistoryinstitute/ ✿Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturalHistoryInstitute/ Blaine Cole is a professor in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston. He received his bachelor’s degree in Systematics and Ecology from the University of Kansas and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, the University of Utah and the University of California-Berkeley. He was previously on the faculty at the University of Virginia and the University of Arizona. He has been on the editorial board of the American Naturalist and is a past president of the North American Section of the IUSSI. He began studying the behavior and ecology of ants during graduate school and his work morphed from the community ecology of ants, to the dynamics of social hierarchies within colonies, to the nonlinear dynamics of ant activity patterns. For the past 33 years, in collaboration with Diane Wiernasz, he has been studying the population biology of the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis.

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NOTE FROM TED: TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here:

NOTE FROM TED: TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf Dr. Bill Weihl shares his perspective on how companies can change the game on climate by advocating for stronger public policy. Through his non-profit initiative, ClimateVoice, Dr. Weihl aims to mobilize the workforce to encourage companies to go "all in" on climate -- especially by using their voice and influence to support public policy, everywhere they operate. Note: References to "John" and "Hal" throughout the talk are to John Doerr and Hal Harvey, whose Countdown talk was featured before this one at the TEDxClimateChangeAI event. The referenced talk can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4Cy16uOdLM Bill Weihl is the Founder and Executive Director of ClimateVoice, a non-profit initiative launched in February 2020 that is mobilizing the workforce to encourage companies to go “all in” on climate - especially in their use of their voice and influence to support public policy, everywhere they operate. Previously, Bill was Director of Sustainability at Facebook, leading work on sustainability across the company; Green Energy Czar at Google, where his team pioneered Google’s work to buy clean energy for its data centers, among other initiatives; a Professor of Computer Science at MIT; a researcher at Digital's Systems Research Center; and CTO of Akamai Technologies. Bill is on the board of directors of the Sierra Club Foundation and of Acterra, and also on the boards of WeSpire and Common Energy. He has received numerous awards, including Time Magazine's Hero of the Environment (2009), the Global Green Award for environmental leadership (2016), and the VERGE Vanguard Award (2018). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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Give yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: http://bit.ly/bigthinkedge Mother Nature and the laws of physics have a death warrant out for humanity, says Michio Kaku. Can we

Give yourself the gift of knowledge — subscribe to Big Think Edge: http://bit.ly/bigthinkedge Mother Nature and the laws of physics have a death warrant out for humanity, says Michio Kaku. Can we escape it? - The great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov put a terrifying question on humanity's radar: Where will we be 50,000 years from now? - Humanity is close to exhausting the known laws of physics; it's the unknown – the unified theory of everything – that could dominate our destiny in the coming millennia. And that destiny is almost certainly tied to space travel. Why? - "Extinction is the norm," says Michio Kaku, 99.99% of all species on Earth eventually go extinct. "Mother Nature and the laws of physics have a death warrant for humanity," says Kaku. "[U]ltimately our destiny will be in outer space." Dr. Michio Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, and is one of the most widely recognized scientists in the world today. He has written 4 New York Times Best Sellers, is the science correspondent for CBS This Morning and has hosted numerous science specials for BBC-TV, the Discovery/Science Channel. His radio show broadcasts to 100 radio stations every week. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, as well as New York University (NYU). His latest book is "The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth" (https://amzn.to/2N8dQ3G) If you're interested in licensing this or any other Big Think clip for commercial or private use, contact our licensing partner Executive Interviews: https://www.executiveinterviews.biz/rightsholders/bigthink/ Read more here: https://bigthink.com/videos/99-99-of-species-go-extinct-what-is-humanitys-future Follow Big Think here: YouTube: http://goo.gl/CPTsV5 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigThinkdotcom Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigthink

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