Radio Curious

Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity, and the War on Terror

The silence of doctors, nurses and medics during the physical abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan and the information provided by physicians and psychologists to determine how much and what kind of mistreatment could be delivered to prisoners during interrogation is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Dr. Steven Miles, author of, “Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and the War On Terror,” a book based in-part on eyewitness accounts of actual victims of prison abuse and more than thirty-five thousand pages of documents, autopsy reports and medical records. Dr. Miles is a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and its Center for Bioethics. He is a recognized expert in medical ethics, human rights and international health care. This interview with Dr. Steven Miles was recorded in mid-July 2006, from his office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We begin when I asked him about his motivation to write a book about the treatment of people who are disarmed and imprisoned.

Steven Dr. Miles recommends, “Bury The Chains: Profits and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves,” by Adam Hochchild.

Originally Broadcast: July 20, 2006

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The Culture Code, An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around The World Live and Buy As They Do

The collective unconscious may be defined as a cultural code, a set of imprinted concepts that control how members of different societies live.  Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, a French born psychologist brings together the concepts of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud in his development of the collective unconscious in the book, “The Culture Code, An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around The World Live and Buy As They Do.” Dr. Rapaille thrives on new ideas, which is part of the reason he chose to become American. We visited by phone from his home in New York State, the last week of June 2006, and asked him to describe the development of his ideas.

Dr. Rapaille’s website is:  www.archetypediscoveriesworldwide.com

The books Dr. Clotaire Rapaille recommends are, “The DiVinci Code,” by Dan Brown and “Straight From The Gut,” by Jack Welsh.

Originally Broadcast: June 28, 2006 and July 5, 2006

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With the help of a camera, especially a digital camera, and the internet we may now see portions of what other people see and have sent our way or perhaps have made public. Sometime soon I hope to present some visual images I think are special, in addition to the sound images you can hear, here on the Radio Curious website. In preparation for creating those images, I found my way to an intriguing photography website called www.kenrockwell.com. This website has many references about cameras, how to choose and use them, and it also tells the story of a man who freely shares his knowledge and skills about photography. After reading his website, I invited Ken Rockwell to join us for a conversation about photography, cameras, websites and the use of the internet. Ken Rockwell and I visited by phone in early May, 2006, from his home near San Diego, California. For him, good photography narrows down to seeing better, which he describes to be more of a feeling than an actual momentary vision.

www.kenrockwell.com

Ken Rockwell recommends, “Ten-Thousand Miles of America,” by Richard A. Suleski, Jr.

Originally Broadcast: May 9, 2006

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The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain

Do people over a certain age necessarily loose mental acuity? According to Dr. Gene Cohen, the answer is “no.”  Dr. Cohen, a psychiatrist and gerontologist has determined that certain genes are activated by experience as we age, allowing our personalities to grow and change. The brain has reserves of strength and agility that compensate for the effects of aging on its other parts. Dr. Cohen has found that the information processing in the 60 to 80 year old brain achieves it’s greatest density and reach. He explains these and other developing concepts in brain research in his book, “The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain.” I spoke with Dr. Cohen in March 2006 from his office on Aging, Health & Humanities, in Washington D.C., where he is the Director. We began our conversation with his description of the importance of the role of creativity.

Gene Cohen recommends, “Tuesdays with Morrie: A Young Man, An Old Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson,” by Mitch Albom.

Originally Broadcast: April 18, 2006

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Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story

Story is the heart of language.  Story moves us to love and hate and can motivate us to change the whole course of our lives.  Story can lift us beyond the borders of our individuality to imagine realities of other people, times and places, to empathize with other beings, and to extend our supposing far into the universe. Storytelling, both oral and written is the foundation of being human.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Christina Baldwin, author of,  “Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives though the Power and Practice of Story.”  In Ukiah, California, the idea of capturing, “the story of Ukiah and Mendocino County,” is part of  defining our community’s future and is what will be used in the development of the Ukiah Area Plan, which is now under consideration by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.

Christina Baldwin recommends, “Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Our Hope for the Future,” by Margaret J. Wheatley.

Originally Broadcast: April 17, 2006

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Letters to Sam:A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss and the Gifts of Life

For most people, the desire to be known exceeds the desire to be loved. Who we are as individuals, how we reckon with our personal abilities and disabilities the topic of this edition of Radio Curious, a conversation with my friend Dr. Dan Gottlieb.

Dan Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist who lives and works near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lives with quadriplegia, paralyzed from the neck down as a result of an automobile accident in 1979. He is the host of “Voices in the Family,” a weekly public radio program originating from WHYY in Philadelphia and the author of two articles a month in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Because of his physical condition, Dan thought he may not live to see his young grandson Sam grow to be man. When Sam was diagnosed with a severe form of autism several years ago, Dan decided to write a series of letters to his grandson.

His book “Letter’s to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss and the Gifts of Life,” is a collection of the thirty-two intimate and compassionate letters sharing Dan’s thoughts, observations and experiences gained from his 27 years with quadriplegia, and his professional life as a clinical psychologist.

Dr. Dan Gottlieb and I visited by phone from his in mid April 2006.

The books Dr. Gottlieb recommends are “Eat, Pray and Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything, Across Italy, India and Indonesia,” by Elizabeth Gilbert, and “Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel.

Originally Broadcast: April 12, 2006

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Microbiology, what it is and how it benefits society is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Dr. Sanford Elberg, a retired professor of microbiology and bacteriology and later the Dean of the Graduate School at the University of California at Berkeley. One of his scientific successes was the development of a vaccine for brucellosis, a disease in farm animals causing the female to abort early in pregnancy. This interview with Professor Elberg, who received a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1930, was recorded at his home in Mendocino County, California in March 1998. Dr. Elberg begins with a definition of microbiology and bacteriology.

Sanford Elberg recommends, “The Plague Tales,” by Ann Benson.

Originally Broadcast: March 30, 2006

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Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior

Do animals think? The book, “Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior,” by Professor Temple Grandin, gives us some clues. Temple Grandin is a person with autism who teaches animal science at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Autistic people can often think the way animals think, putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate, “animal talk.” Grandin explores the world of animals – their pain, fear, aggression, relationships and communication. When I spoke with Professor Grandin from her office in Ft. Collins, Colorado, we began with her definition of autism.

Temple Grandin recommends, “Our Inner Ape,” by Frans De Waal.

Recorded March 21, 2006

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Is He Depressed or What? What to Do When the Man You Love is Irritable, Moody, and Withdrawn

Depression often sets off different behaviors, sometimes recognized by others and not by the depressed person.  Depression in men is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious, as we talk with David B. Wexler, Ph.D, author of, “Is He Depressed or What?  What to Do When the Man you Love is Irritable, Moody and Withdrawn.”  Dr. Wexler, a clinical psychologist, discusses how to recognize when you or someone you love is depressed, how to talk about it in respectful and successful ways, while taking care of yourself. When I spoke with Dr. Wexler from his home in San Diego, California, we began by discussing different categories of depression and how the symptoms of depression in men are different from depression in women.

David Wexler, Ph.D. recommends, “Dharma Punx,” by Noah Levine.

Originally Broadcast: March 14, 2006

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