Radio Curious



In this edition of Radio Curious we visit again with Spencer Wells and discuss his new book, “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization,” published n 2010.  Our interview is a follow-up to a 2004 conversation about his book, “The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey,” in which Wells traces our routes as small bands of hunter-gatherers when our ancestors walked out of Africa approximately 60,000 years ago and began populating the world.  Our 2004 interview may be found here.

“Pandora’s Seed” tells the story of what we humans, with our hunter-gatherer biological construct have created in the past 10,000 years. These multiple live style changes have produced what we call “civilization,” with systems and mechanisms that will not allow us to continue the life-styles to are emulated by many people world-wide, and exploited by those who have access to them. In other words we can’t last much longer doing what we are doing without radically reducing the way we all live, if not outright killing our species.

Spencer Well is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., where he leads the Genographic Project, which is collecting and analyzing hundreds of thousands of DNA samples from people around the wold in order to decipher how our ancestors populated the world.   He is also a professor a Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In this interview with Spencer Wells, recorded on July 19, 2010, we began by describing the changes necessary for our species survival.

The book Spencer Wells recommends is “The Histories,” by Herodotus, the 5th century B.C. Greek historian.

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If you don’t care about keeping your teeth, your general health or bad breath, skip these two editions of Radio Curious.  Our guest is Dr. John Knapp, a retired professor from the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry.

The importance of preserving and protecting our teeth is often ignored, shunned, feared and to some unknown.  In this two part series we look at the importance of dental hygiene and heath care in the first conversation with Dr. Knapp.  In part two we discuss the effect of negligent dental care on the rest of the human body and the long term benefits of dental care in a national health care system.

And while you listen remember “the only teeth you need to floss are the ones you want to keep.” The interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious on July 16^th, 2010.

The books Dr. John Knapp recommends are “Mystics and Zen Masters,” by Thomas Merton, and “Turning Point,” by Fritjof Capra.

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We often hear terms in the vernacular to describe a man when he is easily frustrated or angered.  Seemingly insignificant things can easily explode into arguments that can affect if not seriously damage couples’ relationships when some men develop what has been called the “irritable male syndrome.”  Identifying and understanding these troubled waters is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Jed Diamond, Ph.D., author of the book “Mr. Mean: Saving Your Relationship from the Irritable Male Syndrome.” In this visit we explore the causes of the “irritable male syndrome,” how it affects relationships and how a better understanding of its causal factors and influences can help diffuse anger and frustration that draw joy from couples’ partnerships.  Jed Diamond, Ph.D., is an internationally respected leader in the men’s health movement.  I spoke with Jed Diamond on May, 28, 2010 in the Radio Curious studios in Ukiah, California and began by asking him to define the “irritable male syndrome.”

The book Jed Diamond recommends is “Chaos Point 2012 and Beyond: Appointment with Destiny,” by Ervin Laszlo.

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Part One

How do we make the big decisions in our lives?  Who to vote for—or who to choose as a life mate or form an opinion about politics or war?  Most of us are certain we consciously evaluate these decisions.  But, we may be fooling ourselves, if not being fooled by others.  Shankar Vedantam, author of “The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives,” encourages us to be aware of how our unconscious mind is capable of controlling our decision making capabilities.  In this, the first of two conversations with Shankar Vedantam, we explore the unconscious mind, how we rely upon it and how it is can be manipulated by advertising  and our anecdotal experiences.  These interviews with Shankar Vedantam were recorded on May 17, 2010 by phone from his home in Massachusetts.  We began with his description of the “hidden brain.”  Shankar Vedantam is a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post and 2009-10 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

The book Shankar Vedantam recommends is “A House For Mr. Biswas” by V.S.Naipaul.

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Part Two

Not too long before the pseudo religious organization known as “The People’s Temple moved to the remote jungles of Guyana in the northeast corner of South America where over 900 people killed themselves at the direction of Jim Jones in 1978, they were based in Redwood Valley, California, about 10 miles from Ukiah, the home of Radio Curious.   In this, the second Radio Curious conversation with Shankar Vedantam author of “The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives,” we explore what compelled these people to kill themselves. We’ll examine what compels suicide bombers of the early 21^st century to take their own lives and those of others? And are we, in fact, all susceptible to these ideas? The conversation with Shankar Vedamtam, recorded from his home in Massachusetts on May 17, 2010, began when I asked him to explain the attraction of cults, who are drawn to them, and why.  Shankar Vedantam is a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post and 2009-10 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. This interview was recorded on May 17th, 2010.

The book Shankar Vedantam recommends is “Heart Of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.

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Why some couples get along and others don’t, sometimes to the extent of terminating their relationship, is a curious question, the answer to which is likely to bring both pleasure and unhappiness to each of us.  Michael Basta has been a licensed clinical social worker based in Sonoma, County California, since 1988.  He is trained and certified as a Gottman Couples’ Therapist.  This training identifies the traits and behaviors of couples that are useful to predict how long their relationship will last.  Michael Basta visited Radio Curious on May 21, 2010, and began by describing the negative traits and behaviors that indicate a dark future for the relationship.

The book Michael Basta recommends is “The Female Brain,”  by Dr. Louann Brizendine.

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A sports icon of the first half of the 20^th century, Jim Thorpe, was a Native American athlete who rose to athletic stardom at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics and continued, despite some controversy, to gain fame in professional baseball and football. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Tom Weidlinger, the director and co-writer and co-producer of the movie “Jim Thorpe, The World’s Greatest Athlete.”  Tom Weidlinger spoke from his home in the San Francisco bay area on Sunday, May 30^th 2010.  I began by asking him “Who is Jim Thorpe?”

The book  Tom Weidlinger recommends is “Cutting For Stone” by Abraham Verghese.

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What would it be like for you if you were deaf? If you could not speak your first word until you were six? If you had three years of education, your first language was German, and you later emigrated to another country where they speak English?  Ingelore is the first name of a woman who was born in Germany in 1924, and came to America in 1940 at the beginning of the Third Reich, right after Kristallnacht. The film “Ingelore” was made by Inglelore’s son Frank Stiefel, and it tells his mother’s story.  This edition of Radio Curious begins with we a piece from the movie “Ingelore” in which she explains who she is and a little of her story. As we hear is her ability to articulate words in English it’s important to remember  she cannot hear.

This interview was recorded on May 29th, 2010 with Frank Stiefel from his home in Santa Monica, California.

The books that Frank Stiefel recommends are “Hand Of My Father,” by Myron Uhlberg, and “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy.

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The sound of the cello may, if you listen, be heard in the heart invoking a kaleidoscope of emotions on a “magic carpet ride” of sound. Joel Cohen, cellist extraordinaire has performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and currently lives in Mendocino County.  When Joel Cohen visited the Radio Curious studios on April 26, 2010 he described his friend the cello, bowed it to life, and it sung and spoke to us.  Our conversation began with Joel Cohen describing his relationship with the cello. This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious on April 26, 2010.

The book Joel Cohen recommends is “Skinny Legs And All” by Tom Robbins.

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Sharing interpretations of the human condition and the love of music with lyrical power and determination is the artistry of Joanne Rand, our guest on this edition of Radio Curious.  Currently based in Arcata, California, after growing up in the Georgia, and studying art, her passion as a singer – songwriter gripped and has shaped her life since.

I met Joanne Rand at a house concert in here in Ukiah soon after she released her tenth CD album “Snake Oil and Hummingbirds.”  We visited in the Radio Curious studios on March 29, 2010 and began our conversation with recollections of her early memories and how they helped shape the woman she is now.

The book Joann Rand recommends is “Universe: A Journey To The Edge of The Cosmos,” by Nicholas Cheetham.

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