Radio Curious

If you have been sexually abused as a child, or know someone who was, listen to this edition of Radio Curious with host Barry Vogel and Susan A. Clancy, Ph.D, author of “The Trauma Myth:  The Truth About the Sexual Abuse of Children – and Its Aftermath.”  This conversation discuss’s the myth of when trauma of child sexual abuse takes place, how and the abuse is perceived by the victim, and the effects of denial, minimization and blame, and how this issue within the Catholic Church is not being resolved.  Susan A. Clancy, Ph.D. is currently the Research Director of the Center for Women’s Advancement, Development and Leadership at the Central American Institute for Business Administration in Nicaragua.  This interview was recorded on April 12, 2010, with Susan A. Clancy Ph.D. from her home in Managua, Nicaragua.

The books she recommends are “Happiness: A History” by Darrin M. McMahon, and “In The Woods,” by Tana French.

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For millennia when couples were not able to conceive and bear their own children their options were somewhat limited, and not at all available if the complication was on the females parts.  And, these matters still are not much discussed even among the couples themselves.  However in the past decades medical science has developed in vitro fertilization which can accommodate the egg for the intended mother, or from another woman, and the sperm from the intended father, or from another man, depending on what is needed. The fertilized egg can then be placed into a ‘surrogate’ mother who can take the pregnancy to term and deliver the baby for the parents. The many issues surrounding surrogacy form the conversation in this edition of Radio Curious.  We visit with Dr. Katie Dow, who has studied issues of surrogate parenthood in preparation of her doctorial dissertation in anthropology at the London School of Economics. Katie Dow joined us in the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, California on March 8th, 2010, and began by explaining what constitutes surrogacy.

The book Katie Dow recommends is “A Meaningful Life,” by L.J. Davis.

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Insects and the world we humans share with them is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.  Our guest is anthropologist Hugh Raffles, the author of “Insectopedia,” an exploration of some of the most beautiful creatures in the world, or depending on one’s personal and cultural perspective, some of the most scary. I spoke with Hugh Raffles by phone from his home in New York City, on March 22, 2010, and began by asking him, “What is an insect.”

The books Hugh Raffles recommends are both by Roberto Bolano: “The Savage Detectives,” and “2666.”

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Learning to read is often a confusing and frustrating experience.  Parents and teachers sometimes create stress flowing from their personal angst to the frustration of the learner.  Reading to a non-judgemental creature, who never comments and always appears to pay attention helps to create reading fluency.  In the second of a series inspired by Jane Goodall’s movie “When Animals Talk,” we visit with Becky Bishop, founder of Reading With Rover, (www.readingwithrover.org), a program to help children learn to read, and Puppy Manners, (www.puppymanners.com) a dog training school located in Woodenville, Washington, about thirty miles from Seattle.  Becky Bishop relies on the close bond between children and dogs creating calm moments and encouraging a learning environment. “Reading With Rover” couples children who have difficulty reading with a dog who listens.  Becky Bishop joined us by phone from her home in Washington on February 22, 2010, began by explaining why dogs are better listeners than a teacher or parent and what methods Becky uses to train these pets.

The books Becky Bishop recommends are “Living Life As A Thank You: The Transformative Power Of Daily Gratitude,” by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammon, and “Walter the Farting Dog,” by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, Elizabeth Gundy, and Audrey Coleman.

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Susan Cone Bell, born July 5, 1946, created a legacy of leadership that will long out live her life which sadly ended in Honduran waters on December 17, 2009.  In a few short words she might be described as a woman who had a talent to spark imagination and encourage creativity in many people.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Neill Bell who spent 44 plus years with Susan, and hear from Sally Miller Gearhart and Jade Power who share their insights about the remarkable woman Susan Cone Bell was, and still is.  Neill Bell visited the studios of Radio Curious on March 1, 2010 and we began our conversation with his story about how he and Susan met.

The book Neill Bell recommends is “Wet Grave,” by Barbara Hambly

You can visit the website created by Neill Bell in memory of Susan at www.susanbell.org

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Howard Zinn’s productive insights into history came to an end with his death in January 2010.  This edition of Radio Curious shares a previously not broadcast interview with Howard Zinn, recorded on July 7, 2006, where he discusses the important role of civil disobedience in creating new social and legal policies which he states are impossible to foment using established legislative or judicial practices.  Radio Curious host, Barry Vogel, Esq. begins this memorial program with the last few paragraphs of the first chapter of “A People’s History of the United States, 1492 to Present,” written by Zinn and published in 1988.  Vogel also shares his recollection of Zinn when they met in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1963.  The song “Ain’t Gonna Let Segregation Turn Us Around,” sung by the Freedom Singers is found on Broadside Records #301, recorded in 1962.

The books Howard Zinn recommends are “Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal,” by Anthony Arnov, and “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq,” by Stephen Kinzer.

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Several weeks ago I had the good fortune of seeing “If Animals Could Talk,” a movie made by Jane Goodall.  A segment was about The MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon. The boys incarcerated there have committed serious criminal offenses, some of them are given an opportunity to train dogs, develop relationships with the dogs and in doing so learn  responsibility, patience and respect for other living creatures. There is a zero recidivism rate among the juvenile inmates who spend time training dogs at MacLaren.  Joan Dalton is the founder and executive director of Project Pooch, a non-profit corporation linked with MacLaren.  Joan Dalton and I visited by phone from her home near Portland, Oregon on February 15, 2010. We began our conversation when I asked her to tell us how Project Pooch came about and then about Project Pooch itself.

The books that Joan Dalton recommends are “Children And Animals: Exploring The Roots Of Kindness And Cruelty,” by Frank R. Ascione and “Rescue Ink: How Ten Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats, Twelve Horses, Five Pigs, One Duck,and a Few Turtles,” by Rescue Ink and Denise Flaim.  You may visit the Project Pooch website at www.pooch.org.

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In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Helen Menasian, director of the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project, located north of Ukiah, California. Ukiah is a small town in a long narrow valley that has been occupied by the Pomo People for about 11,000 years. About 150 years ago when Europeans and other foreign settlers arrived  the wilderness of the Ukiah valley was interrupted by pavement, waterworks and mechanical noise.

The book “The Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv describes some of the central ethos behind outdoor education for children. The book reminds us that parents have the power to ensure that their son or daughter will not be “the last child in the woods,” and discusses the importance of the nature-child reunion. During this conversation we hear how the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project seeks to regain that connection. We began by asking Helen Menasian to explain just what the project does. This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious, Ukiah, California on February 8th 2010.

The book Helen Menasian recommends is “The Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv.

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The fundamental human drive to procreate and reproduce our own kind is also a ticking clock. The female biological clock, though varying woman to woman, as we know, more often than not unwittingly controls root emotions and family life. As many women’s choices in life have widened and changed in the past half century their clocks still tick. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Jody Gehrman, writer of “The Ticking Clock,” and actress/researcher Deborah Edelman. Their play is based upon material collected in interviews and surveys with over 150 women; mothers, non-mothers, adoptive mothers, surrogates, pregnant teenage women and more, and queries how their clocks have shaped their lives.

This interview was recorded on January 29th 2010 in the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, California. I began by asking Jody Gehrman to explain the play and how the interviews were collected.

The book that Jody Gehrman recommends is “Nocturne,” by Diane Armstrong.

The book that Deborah Edelman recommends is “The Omnivore’s Dilema,” by Michael Pollan.

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