http://www.radiocurious.org Fri, 08 May 2026 04:47:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1 Welcome to the 20th year of Radio Curious, half hour interviews on a curiously wide variety of topics about life and ideas. All of the almost 400 half-hour archive editions on our website are free for you to enjoy, download, copy, share or rebroadcast as you wish. Please give credit to Radio Curious and let us know what you like about the program. www.radiocurious.org Radio Curious clean Radio Curious curious@radiocurious.org curious@radiocurious.org (Radio Curious) Creative Commons-Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Radio Curious Radio Curious, Interviews, Environment, Education, Chautauquan, Psychology/Psychaitry, Sex, Mendocino, Law, Religion, Feminism http://www.radiocurious.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/radio-curious-rss-logo.jpg http://www.radiocurious.org/category/world-history/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/11/15/janet-mendel-fine-spanish-cooking/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/11/15/janet-mendel-fine-spanish-cooking/#comments Fri, 15 Nov 2024 07:17:47 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5380 http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/11/15/janet-mendel-fine-spanish-cooking/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - In the story of Don Quixote, the author Miguel Cervantes tells, among other things, what Don Quixote ate for dinner every day of the week. This, in part became the inspiration for a book entitled, Click here to begin listening.  In the story of Don Quixote, the author Miguel Cervantes tells, among other things, what Don Quixote ate for dinner every day of the week. This, in part became the inspiration for a book entitled, “Cooking from the Heart of Spain: Food of La Mancha,” written by Janet Mendel, an American woman who has lived in Spain for approximately 40 years. This book and the name of the author ignited my spontaneous curiosity, so when Janet Mendel and I visited by phone from her home on the southern coast of Spain in June 2007, I asked about her focus and inspiration to write a cookbook centered around Don Quixote de La Mancha. The book she recommends, not surprisingly, is “Don Quixote,” by Miguel Cervantes, in the English translation by Edith Grossman.     Ignacio Ayala clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/06/27/michael-adair-william-ray-shakespeare-was-really-edward-de-vere/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/06/27/michael-adair-william-ray-shakespeare-was-really-edward-de-vere/#comments Fri, 28 Jun 2024 04:26:58 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5315 http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/06/27/michael-adair-william-ray-shakespeare-was-really-edward-de-vere/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - Of two people, William Shakespeare and Edward De Vere, whose lives overlapped, De Vere had many of the experiences described in the literary works attributed to William Shakespeare. Click here to begin listening.  (https://www.radio4all.net/files/vogel@sonic.net/ADAIR_and_RAY_6.27.24%20IA.mp3) Of two people, William Shakespeare and Edward De Vere, whose lives overlapped, De Vere had many of the experiences described in the literary works attributed to William Shakespeare. This conversation with Michael A’Dair and William Ray, two gentlemen intellectuals from Willits, California explores some of the reasons they believe De Vere wrote what is generally attributed to Shakespeare. This program was originally broadcast March 27, 2008. Ignacio Ayala clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/03/21/charles-ferguson-will-this-war-ever-end-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/03/21/charles-ferguson-will-this-war-ever-end-2/#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:20:56 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5263 http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/03/21/charles-ferguson-will-this-war-ever-end-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - “The Endless War,” a movie released in late July 2007, written, directed and produced by Charles Ferguson, depicts the blunders and ill-prepared manner in which the United States initiated and carried out the war agai... Click here to begin listening.  (https://www.radio4all.net/files/vogel@sonic.net/FERGUSON_INTERVIEW_3.21.24%20IA.mp3) “The Endless War,” a movie released in late July 2007, written, directed and produced by Charles Ferguson, depicts the blunders and ill-prepared manner in which the United States initiated and carried out the war against Iraq. This full-length feature film juxtaposes the statements and actions of the Washington leadership of the war, which at the outset failed to include President Bush – the Commander-in-Chief, with the leadership’s actions and grievous consequences that followed.  Charles Ferguson holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has extensive experience in foreign policy analysis, and lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area. When I spoke with him on July 20, 2007 we began with his explanation how the war and the occupation of Iraq were shaped by an extremely small group of people In Washington D.C., with limited foreign policy and post war occupation experience. The film he recommends is “The Lives of Others,” a story about East Germany under the community regime.   Ignacio Ayala clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/01/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/01/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france-2/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 04:37:21 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5237 http://www.radiocurious.org/2024/01/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening. - Originally Broadcast: March 28, 2007 - French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust. - In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, Click here to begin listening. Originally Broadcast: March 28, 2007 French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust. In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, sex and art collide with hatred, withering French xenophobia and death, Eunice Lipton, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, describes her book, “French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.” Lipton, who lives in Paris and New York received her Ph.D. in art history at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. I spoke with her from her home in New York City the last week of March 2007.  Because she describes painting as her favorite companions, we began when I asked her to tell us about her friends who she calls art. Eunice Lipton recommends “The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion,” by Ford Madox Ford..   Ignacio Ayala clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/19/dr-clotaire-rapaille-understanding-our-collective-unconscious-part-two/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/19/dr-clotaire-rapaille-understanding-our-collective-unconscious-part-two/#comments Fri, 20 Oct 2023 03:04:50 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5186 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/19/dr-clotaire-rapaille-understanding-our-collective-unconscious-part-two/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - Originally Broadcast: June 28, 2006 and July 5, 2006 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, Click here to begin listening.  (https://www.radio4all.net/files/vogel@sonic.net/Dr._Clotaire_Rapaille_Part_2_10.19.23%20IA.mp3) Originally Broadcast: June 28, 2006 and July 5, 2006 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.   Ignacio Ayala clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/05/dr-steven-miles-a-blind-eye-to-torture-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/05/dr-steven-miles-a-blind-eye-to-torture-2/#comments Fri, 06 Oct 2023 03:01:33 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5178 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/10/05/dr-steven-miles-a-blind-eye-to-torture-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening. - This interview with Dr. Steven H. Miles was recorded in mid July 2006. - The silence of doctors, nurses and medics in cases of torture and physical abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan is the topic of this edit... Click here to begin listening. This interview with Dr. Steven H. Miles was recorded in mid July 2006. The silence of doctors, nurses and medics in cases of torture and physical abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Dr. Steven Miles, the 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. His work explores the information provided by physicians and psychologists to determine how much and what kind of mistreatment could be delivered to prisoners during interrogation. 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. The book Dr. Steven Miles recommend is “Bury The Chains: Profits and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves,” by Adam Hochchild. This interview with Dr. Steven H. Miles was recorded in mid July 2006. Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/08/16/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/08/16/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle-2/#comments Thu, 17 Aug 2023 01:06:56 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5156 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/08/16/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - Originally Broadcast: December 5, 2005. - Concepts of “reality” have many levels, some of which are gained by fasting, and/or the use of certain plants that allow a person to view the past, present or  and future. Click here to begin listening.  Originally Broadcast: December 5, 2005. Concepts of “reality” have many levels, some of which are gained by fasting, and/or the use of certain plants that allow a person to view the past, present or  and future.  This is especially true for cultures which cherish and practice the oral tradition and thrive among an abundance of flora and fauna, like those located in the Amazon basin of South America.  In Ecuador the knowledge of the effects of the various plants in the Amazon basin is held by Shamans. Dr. Juan Martinez, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, is a Professor of History and Anthropology at the University of Cuenca, in Cuenca, Ecuador.  He’s studied, written and lectured about Shamanic practices in the Ecuadorian jungle and the medicinal and spiritual effects of the plants native to the eastern portion of the Amazon basin. Professor Juan Martinez and I visited in his office in Cuenca, Ecuador on November 17, 2005.  He began by describing the relationship of the people of Ecuadorian jungle to their worlds, the spiritual world, and the world in which they live on a daily basis. The book Juan Martinez recommends is “Amazon Worlds,” a collected work published by Sinchi Sancha, an indigenous foundation based in Ecuador. Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/05/11/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/05/11/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars-2/#comments Fri, 12 May 2023 04:39:03 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5101 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/05/11/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - The war that the United States has invoked in what is often called the “War On Terror” is unusual in many ways. One of those ways is that this war is being fought against a network that is spread out in many unsuspect... Click here to begin listening.  The war that the United States has invoked in what is often called the “War On Terror” is unusual in many ways. One of those ways is that this war is being fought against a network that is spread out in many unsuspecting and obscure places. It is not being fought as many wars have been in the past, directly against another county. Dr. John Arquilla, is a professor of defense analysis and co-director of the justify on Terrorism at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California. In this program we talk with Professor Arquilla about the fighting tactics employed by networks as opposed to countries, the threats they pose, and some of the war tactics used against these networks. John Arquilla recommends “Kim,” by Rudyard Kipling. Originally Broadcast: June 21, 2005 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/04/13/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/04/13/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest-2/#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 05:00:51 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5086 http://www.radiocurious.org/2023/04/13/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  On the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, about an hour’s drive east of San Jose, Costa Rica, is the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a tramway that travels through, above and below the rain forest canopy. Click here to begin listening.  On the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, about an hour’s drive east of San Jose, Costa Rica, is the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a tramway that travels through, above and below the rain forest canopy. The rain forest canopy is home to more diverse forms of flora and fauna than anywhere else in the known universe. Rodolfo Gomez, trained as an architect, has found his calling as a tour guide in Central America and specifically Costa Rica. My daughter Molly and I met with Rodolfo in the rain forest, near the aerial tram and recorded this program in April of 1995. Originally Broadcast: June 20, 1995 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/11/18/dr-david-ray-griffin-was-this-a-cause-of-the-911-attacks-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/11/18/dr-david-ray-griffin-was-this-a-cause-of-the-911-attacks-2/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2022 06:22:11 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=5016 http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/11/18/dr-david-ray-griffin-was-this-a-cause-of-the-911-attacks-2/feed/ 0 The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 - The forces behind the disasters of September 11, 2001 are said to be unclear and undefined, notwithstanding the Official Report of the 9/11 Commission. The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 The forces behind the disasters of September 11, 2001 are said to be unclear and undefined, notwithstanding the Official Report of the 9/11 Commission. David Ray Griffin, a Professor Emeritus from the Claremont School of Theology, and the author of “The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11,” casts doubt on the official version, as well as the role of the Bush Administration. In a two-part interview, we discussed these issues. Dr. David Ray Griffin recommends “Cover Up,” by Paul Lance & “The Terror Timeline, Year by Year, Day by Day, Minute by Minute: A Comprehensive Chronicle of the Road to 9/11 and America’s Response,” by Paul Thompson. Click here to listen to Part 1.  Click here to listen to Part 2.  Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/07/07/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/07/07/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world-2/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2022 05:20:02 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4963 http://www.radiocurious.org/2022/07/07/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - The Journey of Man, A Genetic Odyssey - Around 60,000 years ago, a man – identical to us in all important genetic respects – lived in Africa. Every person alive today is descended from him. Click here to begin listening.  (http://www.radio4all.net/files/vogel@sonic.net/WELLS_SPENCER_7.6.22%20IA.mp3://) The Journey of Man, A Genetic Odyssey Around 60,000 years ago, a man – identical to us in all important genetic respects – lived in Africa. Every person alive today is descended from him. This is known because the secrets of human evolution are hidden in our genetic code. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with geneticist Spencer Wells, author of the book and movie, “Journey of Man, A Genetic Odyssey.” Spencer Wells recommends “No Logo,” by Naomi Klein. Originally Broadcast: February 10, 2004 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/09/22/douglas-starr-blood-a-history-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/09/22/douglas-starr-blood-a-history-2/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:42:39 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4763 http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/09/22/douglas-starr-blood-a-history-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - Blood, an Epic History of Medicine and Commerce - Human blood has been compared historically and sociologically to a river that defines human society over the millennia. That river has been charted in a recent book a... Click here to begin listening.  (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-STARR_DOUGLAS_9.22.21IA.mp3) Blood, an Epic History of Medicine and Commerce Human blood has been compared historically and sociologically to a river that defines human society over the millennia. That river has been charted in a recent book and television series entitled, “Blood, an Epic History of Medicine and Commerce,” by Douglas Starr. This work traces the history of blood in medical, political and economic terms, from the earliest days of bloodletting to the era of AIDS. Douglas Starr recommends “Instance of the Finger Post,” by Ian Beers. Originally Broadcast: September 14, 2002 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/02/03/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/02/03/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas-2/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2021 02:04:51 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4605 http://www.radiocurious.org/2021/02/03/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - The Altar of My Soul - Religious beliefs normally follow people as they migrate, including people who are forced to migrate. The people forced to migrate to the western Hemisphere during the slave-trading period carr... Click here to begin listening.  The Altar of My Soul Religious beliefs normally follow people as they migrate, including people who are forced to migrate. The people forced to migrate to the western Hemisphere during the slave-trading period carried their beliefs and belief systems to the diaspora of their new world. The Santeria religion, also know as Lucumí, is a belief system that originated in Africa later brought to the Americas and is still practiced in widely separated communities of the western hemisphere. Marta Moreno Vega, a Santeria Priestess, and university professor in New York City is the author of “The Alter of My Soul.” Her book is a story of the Santeria or Lucumí religion, its traditions, how they were brought from Africa and are practiced now. I spoke with Marta Moreno Vega by phone in November of 2000, and we began when I asked her to tell us about the Santeria religion and how it differs from other religions. Marta Morena Vega recommends “Face of The Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African Americans,” by Robert F. Thompson. Originally Broadcast: November 7, 2000 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/12/02/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-1/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/12/02/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-1/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2020 04:23:09 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4563 http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/12/02/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-1/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening.  - Bio-Hazard: The Chilling Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World — Told From Inside by the Man Who Ran it - Biological warfare is the use of weapons that cause death by disease. Click here to begin listening.  Bio-Hazard: The Chilling Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World — Told From Inside by the Man Who Ran it Biological warfare is the use of weapons that cause death by disease. The largest and most sophisticated biological weapons program in the world, which cultivated and stockpiled anthrax virus, brucellosis, the plague and genetically altered strains of small pox, employed more than 6000 people at over 100 facilities in the former Soviet Union. For 15 years, ending in 1992, Dr. Ken Alibek, a doctor of medicine and a Ph.D. in microbiology, was the scientific leader of Bio-Preparat, the civilian branch of that secret biological weapons program, masquerading as a pharmaceutical company. In 1992, Dr. Alibek defected to the United States. Several years later, he wrote “Bio-Hazard,” a book detailing the development of biological weapons, the horrors of his former life and why he chose to defect. This is a two-part program with Dr. Ken Alibek, recorded in 1999. Dr. Ken Alibek recommends “Prevent,” by Richard Preston & “Vector,” by Robin Cook. Originally Broadcast: May 11, 1999 Ignacio Ayala clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/08/26/frost-mike-you-cant-hide-part-one/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/08/26/frost-mike-you-cant-hide-part-one/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:46:10 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4549 http://www.radiocurious.org/2020/08/26/frost-mike-you-cant-hide-part-one/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Spy World: Inside the Canadian and American Intelligence Establishments - The fact that governments spy on each other is no secret. The fact that they also collect data about lives of millions of innocent citizens worl... Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-FROST_MIKE_8.26.20_IA.mp3) Spy World: Inside the Canadian and American Intelligence Establishments The fact that governments spy on each other is no secret. The fact that they also collect data about lives of millions of innocent citizens worldwide may be unknown to many people. Mike Frost, the author of “Spy World: Inside the Canadian and American Intelligence Establishments,” worked as a spy for over 30 years. Mike traveled worldwide, setting up devices to intercept what were thought to be secret international communications. Mike Frost has since retired as a spy and has many thoughts and considerations about his former job. Our discussion led to a two-part program, originally broadcast in April of 1999. Mike Frost recommends the movie, October Sky. Originally Broadcast: April 6, 1999 & April 13, 1999 LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/15/potok-chaim-escaping-communism/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/15/potok-chaim-escaping-communism/#comments Tue, 15 Oct 2019 19:15:17 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4471 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/15/potok-chaim-escaping-communism/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Chaim Potok, the author of “The Chosen,” “The Gift of Asher Lev,”Davida’s Heart,” and many other novels, chronicled the life of a Russian Jewish family in the non-fictions story, “The Gates of November. Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Potok_Chaim_10-15-919_IA.mp3) Chaim Potok, the author of “The Chosen,” “The Gift of Asher Lev,”Davida’s Heart,” and many other novels, chronicled the life of a Russian Jewish family in the non-fictions story, “The Gates of November.” This true story of the Slapeck family, Solomon Slapek, his son Valodya, and daughter-in-law Masha, spans 100 years. Beginning with Solomon’s childhood at turn of the 20th century, his escape to America and return to Russia, it eventually describes Valodya and Masha’s life after they apply for an exit visa to leave Russia in 1968, in order to emigrate to Israel. Chaim Potok died July 23, 2002, at his suburban Philadelphia home of brain cancer at the age of 73. The book Chaim Potok recommends is “The English Patient,” by Michael Ondaatje. This program was Originally Broadcast: January 8, 1997 LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/09/hilario-manenima-born-into-the-stone-age/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/09/hilario-manenima-born-into-the-stone-age/#comments Wed, 09 Oct 2019 19:13:33 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4469 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/10/09/hilario-manenima-born-into-the-stone-age/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - A generally accepted theory about human migration tells us that people crossed the landmass that once connected Siberia to Alaska. Some of those people continued walking south and many generations later settled on the w... Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Hilario_10.9.19_IA.mp3) A generally accepted theory about human migration tells us that people crossed the landmass that once connected Siberia to Alaska. Some of those people continued walking south and many generations later settled on the western edge of the Amazon Basin in South America in what is now eastern Peru. One of those groups is called Shapibo. Manenima Hilario, who is now 26 yeas old, was born Shapibo, into his tribe which lived in the Stone Age traditional fashion. At age 11, he went to secondary school in the Hispanic Amazon jungle town of Pucallpa. Later, from Lima, Peru he found his way to Taylor, Texas, and on to Sonoma State University, in Northern CA, where he graduated in June of 1997. Since that time he was enrolled at Stanford University to work on his Ph.D. Manenima Hilario recommends the biography of General Colin Powell. Originally Broadcast: January 22, 1997 LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/09/03/dick-johnson-as-alexis-de-tocqueville-a-visit-with-alexis-de-tocqueville/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/09/03/dick-johnson-as-alexis-de-tocqueville-a-visit-with-alexis-de-tocqueville/#comments Tue, 03 Sep 2019 18:57:15 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4459 http://www.radiocurious.org/2019/09/03/dick-johnson-as-alexis-de-tocqueville-a-visit-with-alexis-de-tocqueville/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Democracy in America - In 1831, a 25 year-old Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, trained as a lawyer, and preoccupied with democracy, came to the US to study this new political scheme. Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-1197-1-[176]_Tocqueville_Alexis_de_7-17-96_(9.4.19).mp3) Democracy in America In 1831, a 25 year-old Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, trained as a lawyer, and preoccupied with democracy, came to the US to study this new political scheme. Alexis de Tocqueville and his traveling companion, Gustave de Beaumont, arrived at Newport, RI, in an America comprised, then, of 23 states and 13 million people. They stayed for nine months, and then returned to France at which time de Tocqueville began his epic poem entitled “Democracy in America.” At a time then when slavery was an economic base in the South, and abolitionism was beginning to thrive in the North, America had three frontiers: geography, industry, and democracy. In this program of Radio Curious, we’ll be talking with Alexis De Tocqueville, through the person of Chautauqua scholar, Dick Johnson. Alexis de Tocqueville recommends “Democracy in America,” by Alexis de Tocqueville. Originally Broadcast: July 17, 1996 LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/12/11/darnton-john-the-galapagos-islands-and-charles-darwin/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/12/11/darnton-john-the-galapagos-islands-and-charles-darwin/#comments Wed, 12 Dec 2018 02:12:06 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4387 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/12/11/darnton-john-the-galapagos-islands-and-charles-darwin/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Who was Charles Darwin and what led him to describe what we now call the theory of evolution? These curious questions are ones that I have been following since I was about ten years old. Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-1197-1-BROADCAST_JOHN_DARTON_12-11-18_IA.mp3) Who was Charles Darwin and what led him to describe what we now call the theory of evolution? These curious questions are ones that I have been following since I was about ten years old. In 1978 I had the good fortune of visiting the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands in 1831 for month as part of a five-year voyage around the world. There he saw birds and animals that helped him formulate some of his ideas about evolution he published The Origin of the Species, 22 years later in 1853. Since then the world, science and religion has not been the same. Now, at a time when concepts of evolution and natural selection are attacked from certain theological and political perspectives, “The Darwin Conspiracy,” a novel has been written by John Darnton, a writer and editor for the New York Times. “The Darwin Conspiracy,” although fiction, is said by John Darnton to be 90% accurate. It covers Darwin’s life and thinking before and after his publication of “The Origin of the Species.” I spoke with John Darnton from his home in New York City at the end of October 2005. He began by describing who Charles Darwin was, in his time and place. The book John Darnton recommends is “Snow,” by Orhan Pamuk. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/07/17/totten-dr-samuel-genocide-in-south-sudan/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/07/17/totten-dr-samuel-genocide-in-south-sudan/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2018 01:24:58 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4345 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/07/17/totten-dr-samuel-genocide-in-south-sudan/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Once again we focus on the continuing genocide in the northeast African countries of Sudan and South Sudan. When the nation of South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-TOTTEN_SAM_7-17-18_CA.mp3) Once again we focus on the continuing genocide in the northeast African countries of Sudan and South Sudan. When the nation of South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, the hopes for peace and safety of its citizens were high. That reality however has not come to be. The people of this area, especially those from the Nuba Mountains, continue to flee for their lives amidst an ongoing deadly famine. Professor Emeritus, Samuel Totten, Ph.D., a genocide scholar, now retired from the University of Arkansas, is our guest for the fifth time on Radio Curious. Professor Totten, who has visited Sudan and South Sudan multiple times in the past decade, hopes to visit there again the end of July, 2018. In this program, he describes recent conditions in this remote part of Africa; the heroic efforts of others who have devoted their lives to the betterment of the people of South Sudan—told in the book he edited in 2017, “Sudan's Nuba Mountains People: Accounts by Humanitarians in the Battle Zone”—and the plans for his pending trip there. He also explains what motivates him to risk his life by doing this work. When Dr. Sam Totten and I visited by phone from his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on July 9, 2018, we began when I asked him to describe the location of Sudan and South Sudan on the African continent. The book Sam Totten recommends is “The Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency,” by Barton Gellman. LeGov clean 28:56 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/06/12/ron-gross-as-socrates-socrates-in-athens-in-conversation/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/06/12/ron-gross-as-socrates-socrates-in-athens-in-conversation/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2018 01:07:20 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4333 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/06/12/ron-gross-as-socrates-socrates-in-athens-in-conversation/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Socrates of Athens, who lived before the Common Era, is respected as one of the greatest independent thinkers of all time. Socrates himself refused to be recognized as a teacher. Instead, Plato, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-1197-1-SOCRATES-9-28-CA.MP3) Socrates of Athens, who lived before the Common Era, is respected as one of the greatest independent thinkers of all time. Socrates himself refused to be recognized as a teacher. Instead, Plato, his well-known student and reporter of Socrates’ dialogues, tells us he asked to be seen as a “midwife of ideas.” Socrates’ passion to achieve self-understanding, and the proper ways to live, continues to be studied and emulated to this day. Chataquan scholar Ron Gross portrays Socrates in this archived interview, recorded in January 2003. We began our conversation when I asked him to describe the process of self understanding. The book Socrates recommends is “The Trojan Women,” by Euripides. Ron Gross recommends “The Clouds,” by Aristophanes. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/04/04/appelbaum-ralph-holocaust-remembrance-and-the-responsibility-of-bystanders/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/04/04/appelbaum-ralph-holocaust-remembrance-and-the-responsibility-of-bystanders/#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:44:36 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4313 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/04/04/appelbaum-ralph-holocaust-remembrance-and-the-responsibility-of-bystanders/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - To create thought around Yom Hashoah, known in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day I offer you an archive interview with Ralph Appelbaum, the designer the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington D.C., Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-APPELBAUM_RALPH_2018_CA.mp3) To create thought around Yom Hashoah, known in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day I offer you an archive interview with Ralph Appelbaum, the designer the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington D.C., which opened in April 1993, when this interview was recorded. When Ralph Appelbaum and I were Peace Corp Volunteers in the mid 1960s, living in nearby towns in southern Peru, we often shared our future plans.  This interview shares the story of one of Ralph’s plans which he manifested on a material plane, about 30 years later. Appelbaum says that a museum’s architecture should focus on the experience by creating time and space events. In the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Appelbuam’s design depicts the suffering, torture and death of millions of people during World War II in Europe, on land controlled by fascist Nazis.  He also directs attention to the responsibility of bystanders. Please keep in mind that this interview was recorded in April 1993.  That was when Ralph Appelbaum and I visited by phone from his loft in New York City.  We began when I asked him to describe his vision of a museum designer. The audio of this program was enhanced by Gregg McVicer of UnderCurrentsradio.net, who was our guest in 2013. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/01/31/komar-stefan-concentration-death-camps/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/01/31/komar-stefan-concentration-death-camps/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2018 00:18:35 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4290 http://www.radiocurious.org/2018/01/31/komar-stefan-concentration-death-camps/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - You may remember the Radio Curious interview with Bernard Offen, recorded in May 2005, and re-boradcast the end of May 2017.  In telling the story of his youth in Poland during World War II, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-KOMAR_STEFFAN_1-28-18__CA.mp3) You may remember the Radio Curious interview with Bernard Offen, recorded in May 2005, and re-boradcast the end of May 2017.  In telling the story of his youth in Poland during World War II, being forced into four different concentration camps established and controlled by the Nazis, Bernard Offen characterized those camps as “Polish concentration camps.” Soon after the 2017 re-broadcast, I received an email from Stefan Komar, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious.  Komar pointed out that calling any German concentration camp in German occupied Poland “Polish,” or referring to a German concentration camp in occupied Poland as “in Poland”, “of Poland,” or “Poland’s,” is insensitive to the families of the millions of ethnic Poles who were killed, forced into slave labor, tortured, maimed, terrorized and starved during the brutal and inhuman German occupation of Poland in the name of "Deuthschland, Deutschland Uber Alles." Komar, who was born in Queens, New York, lived in Warsaw, Poland, for about 10 years beginning when he was 12 years old. Currently he’s a Captain in the New York Police Department, after serving with the NYPD for 37 years. A few days before Stefan Komar, and I visited by phone from his home in Queens, New York, on January  28, 2018, many newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-israel-poland-nazis-20180128-story.html) reported a “bill passed by the lower house of Poland's parliament”  would make it illegal to utter the phrase “Polish concentration camp” or to assign Poland culpability for Nazi crimes committed on its soil.  The Israeli government was Infuriated, as reported in Reuters, (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-poland/israel-and-poland-clash-over-proposed-holocaust-law-idUSKBN1FH0S3), among other news outlets, and called the Polish law revisionary history. This is clearly a curious issue to follow.  In doing so Komar provided a link to “A Platform for Polish Jewish Dialogue,” (http://www.dialog.org/) which may be found at Dialog.org, and a youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SztV961KKhA&t=58s, on Polish history including a discussion on how the Nazi occupation of Poland may be characterized.  These links may be found on radiocurious.org. Stefan Komar and I unfortunately did not directly discuss this new law or the Israeli reaction.  We did however put the topic in context from his point of view.  We began our visit when I asked him to discuss the characterization of these concentration camps. The books Stefan Komar recommends are “Hollywood’s War with Poland, 1939-1945” by M.B.B. Biskupski; and “Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century,” by Paul Kengor. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-3/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-3/#comments Wed, 27 Dec 2017 00:05:21 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4280 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-3/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Not such a long time ago, time was an arbitrary measure decided by each community without consideration of other localities. - In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Clark Blaise, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-BLAISE_CLARK_2013_CA.mp3) Not such a long time ago, time was an arbitrary measure decided by each community without consideration of other localities. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time.” In the mid 19th century, with the advent of continent-spanning railroads and transatlantic steamers, the myriad of local times became a mind-boggling obstacle and the rational ordering of time to some became an urgent priority for transportation and commerce. Standard Time was established in 1884, leading to an international uniformity for telling time. Arguably, the uniformity of time was a “crowning achievement” of Victorian progressiveness, one of the few innovations of that time to have survived unchanged into the 21st century. Under the leadership of Sir Sandford Fleming, amid political rancor of delegates from industrializing nations, an agreement was reached to establish the Greenwich Prime Meridian passing through Greenwich, England and the International Date Line that wanders it way through the Pacific Ocean. The 1884 agreement resulted in a uniform system of world-wide time zones that exists today. I had a good time visiting with Clark Blaise in the spring of 2001 as we discussed how our current notion of time was established. We began when I asked him to explain what standard time is. This interview with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time,” was recorded in the spring of 2001 and first broadcast in the last week of 2011. The book Clark Blaise recommends is “Time of Our Singing,” by Richard Powers. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/30/lung-robin-program-informationedit-program-add-version-delete-program-finding-kukan-a-hidden-glimpse-into-wartime-china/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/30/lung-robin-program-informationedit-program-add-version-delete-program-finding-kukan-a-hidden-glimpse-into-wartime-china/#comments Tue, 30 May 2017 19:46:48 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4214 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/30/lung-robin-program-informationedit-program-add-version-delete-program-finding-kukan-a-hidden-glimpse-into-wartime-china/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - An artifact of Chinese-American heritage in the form of a long-lost film and the Asian American woman responsible for this film’s creation is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. - Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Radio_Curious_-_LUNG_-_20170530.mp3) An artifact of Chinese-American heritage in the form of a long-lost film and the Asian American woman responsible for this film’s creation is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is documentary filmmaker Robin Lung, who made the film Finding Kukan. Finding Kukan tells the story of Li Ling-Ai, a Chinese-American woman who hired Rey Scott, an American photojournalist, to travel to China and capture the life of people in that war-torn country, including the massive bombing of the wartime capital. Their landmark film, Kukan, received one of the first Academy Awards for a feature documentary in 1942. Lung’s film, Finding Kukan, asks why we haven’t heard of Li Ling-Ai, and why all copies of her film Kukan seem to have disappeared. This program was recorded on May 6, 2017, when she was in Southern California, right after Finding Kukan received the Audience Award at the 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The book that Robin Lung recommends is also a movie: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, by Margot Lee Shetterly. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/09/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/09/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-2/#comments Tue, 09 May 2017 19:37:09 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4208 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/09/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-2/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - In this, part two of our series on near term human extinction, we continue our conversation with Dr. Guy R. McPherson, Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizo... Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Radio_Curious_-_20170509_-_McPherson_Pt_2.mp3) In this, part two of our series on near term human extinction, we continue our conversation with Dr. Guy R. McPherson, Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Dr. McPherson is co-author with Carolyn Baker of Extinction Dialogs: How to Live with Death in Mind. McPherson presents what appears to be overwhelming scientific evidence that our environment is headed for a swift apocalyptic collapse. This interview was recorded on September 14th, 2015, but has become hauntingly prescient as Dr. McPherson’s warnings and predictions about the devastating effects of climate change come to pass. As you listen, consider the following: Is what McPherson predicted occurring? Has climate change affected your life? What have you done, or what are doing differently, as a consequence? What are your future plans regarding climate change? In part one, Dr. Guy McPherson discussed the rise of global temperature by more than 1 degree centigrade, the likelihood of a continued global warming trend in the future and some of its effects on our planet. In this, our second visit with Dr. McPherson, he explains how this small rise in global temperature is leading to a large-scale mass extinction on earth. The book Dr. Guy McPherson recommends is Ms. Lady Bug and Mr. Honeybee: A Love Story at the End of Time, by Pauline Panagiotou-Schneider and Guy McPherson. He also recommends the books by Edward Abbey. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/03/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-1/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/03/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-1/#comments Wed, 03 May 2017 19:35:25 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4206 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/05/03/mcpherson-dr-guy-r-near-term-extinction-of-the-human-species-part-1/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - In September of 2015, Barry visited with Dr. Guy R. McPherson (http://www.guymcpherson.net/), co-author with Carolyn Baker of “Extinction Dialogs: How to Live With Death in Mind. Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Radio_Curious_-_20170503_-_MCPHERSON_PT_1.mp3) In September of 2015, Barry visited with Dr. Guy R. McPherson (http://www.guymcpherson.net/), co-author with Carolyn Baker of “Extinction Dialogs: How to Live With Death in Mind.” McPherson is Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. This archive program is the first of a series on near-term extinction of the human species. Dr. McPherson’s words about the possible effects of climate change are hauntingly prescient, heard a year and a half year later. As you listen, consider the following: Is what McPherson predicted occurring? Has climate change affected your life? What have you done, or what are doing differently, as a consequence? What are your future plans regarding climate change? The point from which average global temperature rise (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201507) is measured dates back to 1750, the beginning of the industrial revolution, and the time at which the ever increasing use of fossil fuels began. Since 1750, the planet has warmed by more than 1 degree centigrade. McPherson's book “Extinction Dialogs: How to Live with Death in Mind,” explains how this small global rise in temperature is leading to a large scale mass extinction on the planet. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/04/25/offen-bernard-surviving-the-holocaust/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/04/25/offen-bernard-surviving-the-holocaust/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2017 19:32:38 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4204 http://www.radiocurious.org/2017/04/25/offen-bernard-surviving-the-holocaust/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - The internationally recognized date of Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, a calendar based on the phases of the moon. That day also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw... Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-Radio_Curious_-_20170425_-_OFFEN.mp3) The internationally recognized date of Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, a calendar based on the phases of the moon. That day also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah.  In year 2017 of the Gregorian Calendar Yom Hashoah falls on April 24. From the Radio Curious archives, in honor of Yom Hashoah this year, we re-visit our 2005 interview with Bernard Offen.  He survived five Nazi concentration camps in Poland, during his youth in World War II. Bernard Offen has led tours of these concentration camps and in doing says, “You don't have to be a survivor or Jewish. It's for all the wounded who want to understand the power of good and evil and want to create goodness in the world.” When Bernard Offen visited the studios of Radio Curious in April 2005, we began our conversation when he described some of his early childhood experiences in Krakow, Poland in the years just prior to World War II. The book Bernard Offen recommends "My Hometown Concentration Camp: A Survivor’s Account to Life in the Krakow Ghetto and Plaszow Concentration Camp," which he wrote. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/12/07/darnton-john-galapagos-islands-charles-darwin/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/12/07/darnton-john-galapagos-islands-charles-darwin/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2016 02:00:32 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4161 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/12/07/darnton-john-galapagos-islands-charles-darwin/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - Who was Charles Darwin and what led him to describe what we now call the theory of evolution? These curious questions are ones that I have been following since I was about ten years old. Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-BROADCAST_JOHN_DARTON_12-5-16.mp3) Who was Charles Darwin and what led him to describe what we now call the theory of evolution? These curious questions are ones that I have been following since I was about ten years old. In 1978 I had the good fortune of visiting the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands in 1831 for month as part of a five-year voyage around the world. There he saw birds and animals that helped him formulate some of his ideas about evolution he published The Origin of the Species," 22 years later in 1853. Since then the world, science and religion has not been the same. Now, at a time when concepts of evolution and natural selection are attacked from certain theological and political perspectives, "The Darwin Conspiracy," a novel has been written by John Darnton, a writer and editor for the New York Times. "The Darwin Conspiracy," although fiction, is said by John Darnton to be 90% accurate. It covers Darwin's life and thinking before and after his publication of "The Origin of the Species." I spoke with John Darnton from his home in New York City at the end of October 2005. He began by describing who Charles Darwin was, in his time and place. The book John Darnton recommends is "Snow," by Orhan Pamuk.   LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/11/23/werdinger-roberta-barbed-wire-and-flowers/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/11/23/werdinger-roberta-barbed-wire-and-flowers/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2016 01:58:08 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4159 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/11/23/werdinger-roberta-barbed-wire-and-flowers/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - "Barbed Wire and Flowers": A daughter’s story of her perception and relationship with her father. He, a survivor of the holocaust, and she, his adult child describes the strength of his life incumbent on her youth, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-WERDINGER_INTERVIEW_BROADCAST_11-23-16.mp3) "Barbed Wire and Flowers": A daughter’s story of her perception and relationship with her father. He, a survivor of the holocaust, and she, his adult child describes the strength of his life incumbent on her youth, and their visit to one of the two concentration camps where he was interned by the Nazis in World War Two. Roberta Werdinger, a storyteller, writer, publicist, editor, is our guest in this edition of Radio Curious. Raised as a non-secular Jew and ordained as a Buddhist Monk, plans to include "Barbed Wire and Flowers" in the memoir she is currently writing. I heard her public reading of "Barbed Wire and Flowers" here in Ukiah in June, 2016 I invited her to visit Radio Curious. She did on November 21, 2016. Our visit begins with her reading "Barbed Wire and Flowers," and I invite you listen for the next 17 minutes. Our conversation follows. This program was recorded on November 21, 2016. LeGov clean 28:14 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/07/19/miles-dr-steven-a-blind-eye-to-torture/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/07/19/miles-dr-steven-a-blind-eye-to-torture/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2016 01:01:16 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4121 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/07/19/miles-dr-steven-a-blind-eye-to-torture/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - The silence of doctors, nurses and medics in cases of torture and physical abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Dr. Steven Miles, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-MILES_STEVEN_RC_2016_CA.mp3) The silence of doctors, nurses and medics in cases of torture and physical abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Dr. Steven Miles, the 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. His work explores the information provided by physicians and psychologists to determine how much and what kind of mistreatment could be delivered to prisoners during interrogation. 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. The book Dr. Steven Miles recommend is “Bury The Chains: Profits and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves,” by Adam Hochchild. This interview with Dr. Steven H. Miles was recorded in mid July 2006. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/04/26/steifel-frank-ingelore-speaking-without-hearing/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/04/26/steifel-frank-ingelore-speaking-without-hearing/#comments Wed, 27 Apr 2016 00:13:40 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4094 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/04/26/steifel-frank-ingelore-speaking-without-hearing/feed/ 0 Click here to begin listening - 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, Click here to begin listening (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-STEIFEL_FRANK_4-26-16_CA.mp3) 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 1934, 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. In this edition of Radio Curious, we begin with Ingelore in her own words from the documentary “Ingelore.” As you hear 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. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/01/19/tom-weidlinger-the-restless-hungarian/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/01/19/tom-weidlinger-the-restless-hungarian/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2016 22:11:41 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=4016 http://www.radiocurious.org/2016/01/19/tom-weidlinger-the-restless-hungarian/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/09/peru-ancient-history-and-today/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/09/peru-ancient-history-and-today/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2015 17:45:54 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3924 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/09/peru-ancient-history-and-today/feed/ 0 christianity,history,Inca,Peru,religion,South America Peru is a county about which I’ve been curious for over 60 years, beginning when I first learned of the Inca Empire.  Ten years later the Peace Corps sent me to Peru as volunteer for two years in 1964. - Peru’s current societies are windows into a wor... Peru is a county about which I’ve been curious for over 60 years, beginning when I first learned of the Inca Empire.  Ten years later the Peace Corps sent me to Peru as volunteer for two years in 1964. Peru’s current societies are windows into a world in which many Andean people live in the three adjoining countries of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.   The complex societies which flourished in this region, centuries before the Inca Empire was destroyed by the Spanish invaders in the 16th century are still very much a part of the lives of people whose homes and communities are located high in the Andes between 10,000 and 14,000 feet above sea level.  Many still enjoy and celebrate the traditions rooted in the ancient cultures of their land. When Radio Curious visited Peru and Bolivia in the fall of 2015 we engaged in several conversations about ancient and current times in Peru. Edith Zapata, an independent licensed Peruvian tour guide, based in Cusco, Peru, is our guest in this edition of Radio Curious. Edith Zapata and I visited in the court yard of a somewhat noisy guest hostal in Cusco, Peru, on November 10, 2015.  We began our conversation with her description of the geological history of the Cusco valley, and moved forward in time to how some of the current leaders of the Catholic Church and some of the people of the greater Cusco area related to each other. Edith Zapata, a licensed independent Peruvian tour guide, based in Cusco, Peru.  You may contact her by email at ezv27@hotmail.com (mailto:ezv27@hotmail.com).  The movie she recommends is “In Search of Happyness,” starring Will Smith. Click here to listen, or download this program on the link below.     LeGov clean 28:52 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/01/jespers-jean-jacques-effects-of-paris-attacks-in-belgium/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/01/jespers-jean-jacques-effects-of-paris-attacks-in-belgium/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2015 05:31:42 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3916 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/12/01/jespers-jean-jacques-effects-of-paris-attacks-in-belgium/feed/ 0 ISIS,Islamic State,Paris Radio Curious discusses the terrorist attacks in Paris, France with Jean-Jacques Jespers, a retired television news anchor and journalism instructor in Brussels, Belgium and the affects of the attacks on his country, where one of the suspects is from. In this program we visit Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the effects of the November 13, 2015, Islamic extremist terrorist attacks in Paris, France.  Our guest is Jean-Jacques Jespers, who recently retired as the anchor for the television news broadcast aired nightly in French on the Belgium National Television Network.  While the terrorist attacks occurred in Paris, France, investigations led authorities to neighboring Belgium in search for the suspects-causing a state of emergency in the country's capital city, Brussels. Currently Jean-Jacques Jespers is a journalism professor and a member of the Belgian Journalist’s Committee on Human Rights.  Jean-Jacques Jespers and I first met here in Mendocino County, California, in 1977, when he was the leader of a television news magazine team reporting on California.  When Jean-Jacques Jespers and I visited by phone from his home in Brussels on November 28, 2015, we began when I asked him to describe what occurred and what the Belgian people’s reactions were to the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris and the lock-down in Brussels. The books Jean-Jacques Jespers recommends are the three volume “Century Trilogy” by Ken Follette. Click here to listen or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/11/24/blincoe-bob-kurdish-people-their-struggle-to-keep-their-homeland/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/11/24/blincoe-bob-kurdish-people-their-struggle-to-keep-their-homeland/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2015 17:22:39 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3909 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/11/24/blincoe-bob-kurdish-people-their-struggle-to-keep-their-homeland/feed/ 0 Kurdistan,Kurds,Zagros Mountains Radio Curious revisits an archived conversation with Bob Blincoe, a Presbyterian minister who worked as a missionary in the Zagros Mountains from 1990-1996, where the Kurdish people live. He talks about the Kurdish people and their history. In this 1997 edition of Radio Curious, we visited with Bob Blincoe, a Presbyterian minister, who lived and worked among the Kurds in the Zagros Mountains from 1990 to 1996.   The Kurdish people have long been aptly referred to as a “millet.”  This is a Turkish term that originated in the Ottoman Empire when it ruled parts of central Europe to the near east from 1430 to 1921.  It means “any ethnic group.” Until the 20th century millets, were able to control their way of life and effectively rule themselves.  Now approximately 25 million Kurdish people live in the Zagros Mountains, where the borders of eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northwestern Iran converge.  These Kurdish people live stateless and many homeless in their ancestral homeland.  Currently they have been able to successfully defend themselves from brutal ISIS attacks.  When Bob Blincoe lived among the Kurds and worked as a community organizer in their ancestral homeland he first spoke Arabic, so he wouldn’t stand out.  He quickly learned Kurdish which he spoke only with great discretion. His stories of the Kurdish people are important to consider now in light of terrorism and other dangers inflicted against them. When Bob Blincoe and I visited in the studios of Radio Curious in the spring of 1997, we began our conversation when I asked him to describe the Zagros Mountains where so many Kurdish people live. The book Bob Blincoe recommends is “A Peace to End All Peace,” by David Fromkin. This program was originally broadcast in May 1997. Click here to listen or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/09/15/mcpherson-guy-ph-d-near-term-human-extinction-part-one/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/09/15/mcpherson-guy-ph-d-near-term-human-extinction-part-one/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2015 03:55:00 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3829 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/09/15/mcpherson-guy-ph-d-near-term-human-extinction-part-one/feed/ 0 climate change,global warming Radio Curious discusses human extinction with Dr. Guy McPherson, co-author of “Extinction Dialogs:  How to Live With Death in Mind” and Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Imagine the human habitat in which we all live changing so rapidly that life as we know it is extinguished. Temperatures that are getting hotter than ever, decades long droughts, catastrophic fires, melting polar ice, rising sea levels, and unprecedented winter storms are expected to radically limit food production and availability of potable water.  In this, the first of a series on near term extinction of the human species, we visit with Dr. Guy R. McPherson, Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Professor McPherson is co-author with Carolyn Baker of “Extinction Dialogs:  How to Live With Death in Mind.”  Together they present what appears to be overwhelming scientific evidence that our environment is headed for swift apocalyptic collapse.  Not only is this extinction likely, it is occurring every day. “How to live with death in mind” is the goal; living with urgency is the practice.  The point from which average global temperature rise is measured dates back to 1750, the beginning of the industrial revolution--the time at which the ever increasing use of fossil fuels began. Since 1750, the planet has warmed by more than 1 degree centigrade.  McPherson's book “Extinction Dialogs:  How to Live With Death in Mind,” explains how this small global rise in temperature is leading to a large scale mass extinction on the planet. When Guy McPherson and I visited by phone on September 14, 2015, while he was traveling near New York, we began our conversation when I asked him to describe the indicators that reveal we're in an era of unstoppable climate change. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here to listen to part two and here to listen to part three--a conversation with "Extinction Dialogues" coauthor Carolyn Baker. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/08/04/weiss-andrew-ellis-island-ellis-island-those-who-arrived-there-why-and-what-was-it-like/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/08/04/weiss-andrew-ellis-island-ellis-island-those-who-arrived-there-why-and-what-was-it-like/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2015 05:42:45 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3785 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/08/04/weiss-andrew-ellis-island-ellis-island-those-who-arrived-there-why-and-what-was-it-like/feed/ 0 Ellis Island,immigration Radio Curious revisits a conversation about Ellis Island, it's history and the people who arrived there with Andrew Weiss, a historian and then tour guide at Ellis Island in 1992. Our story this week is about Ellis Island and the people who arrived there when they first came to America. Between 1892 and 1956 about 12 million immigrants came to the United States and entered the country through Ellis Island, in the harbor of New York City. Who were these people? Where were they from?  What was their experience of getting to Ellis Island and what was it like for them once they arrived there? In this archive edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Andrew Weiss, who I met in 1992 when he was the guide of a tour I took at Ellis Island.  At that time he also was a doctoral student at Columbia University and a teacher at Barnard College in New York City.  When Andrew Weiss and I visited in November of 1992 by phone from his home in New York City we began our conversation with a bit of the history of Ellis Island. When this program was recorded in November 1992, the guests were not asked for a recommendation of a book. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/28/pico-pio-garza-robert-meet-the-last-mexican-governor-of-california/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/28/pico-pio-garza-robert-meet-the-last-mexican-governor-of-california/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2015 05:48:53 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3780 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/28/pico-pio-garza-robert-meet-the-last-mexican-governor-of-california/feed/ 0 Mexico Radio Curious visits with the last Mexican Governor of California, Pio Pico, as portrayed by historian Roberto Garza. Pico fled California during the American takeover, but returned and later served on the Los Angeles City Council. Radio Curious goes back into California history about 165 years, and visits with the last Mexican governor of California, Pio Pico. Born at the San Gabriel Mission in 1801, Pico was of Spanish, Italian, Indian and African ancestry. Both as a politician and as an entrepreneur, he espoused the views of many native-born “Californarios” over distant seats of government. As the last Mexican Governor of California, he presided over the secularization of the missions, and turned over their vast land holdings to private hands. Although he fled California during the American takeover, Pio Pico returned to build the first major hotel in Los Angeles. Later, he served on the Los Angeles City Council. I met with Pio Pico, portrayed by Roberto Garza, in February of 1998.  When Pio Pico and I met in the person of Roberto Garza we began when I asked him to tell us about his life. The book Pio Pico recommends is “Pio Pico, A Historical Narrative,” by Pio Pico. Roberto Graza recommends “Pio Pico Miscellany,” by Martin Cole and “The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846-1890,” by Leonard Pitt. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/07/patterson-dr-victoria-native-american-life-before-and-after-europeans-part-two/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/07/patterson-dr-victoria-native-american-life-before-and-after-europeans-part-two/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2015 21:23:12 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3764 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/07/07/patterson-dr-victoria-native-american-life-before-and-after-europeans-part-two/feed/ 0 Radio Curious revisits the second part of a conversation with Dr. Victoria Patterson, an anthropologist based in Ukiah, California, who has worked with Native Americans for over 30 years. She shares their stories and her insights. Cultures that have no written language pass on their histories through oral traditions. The stories are the way that social values and traditions are taught by one generation to the next. Animals often play a significant character role in these stories. In the Native American traditions of the northwest part of California, the coyote is a popular character. Dr. Victoria Patterson, an anthropologist based in Ukiah, California, has worked with native peoples for over 30 years. She knows these stories, and she sees them as windows, allowing us to imagine how original native peoples of northern California thought and lived. I met with Dr. Victoria Patterson and asked her about the significance of the story where the coyote jumped off into the sky. Our discussion lead to a two-part program, originally broadcast in February of 1999.  In part one we discuss the indigenous stories and in part two we discuss how the northern California indigenous communities changed after European colonization. The books Dr. Victoria Patterson recommends are “Deep Valley,” by Bernard W. Aginsky and “Under the Tuscan Sun,” by Frances Mayes. Originally Broadcast: February 16, 1999 and February 26, 1999. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/26/lowe-felicia-chinese-immigration-the-veil-of-secrecy-and-silence/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/26/lowe-felicia-chinese-immigration-the-veil-of-secrecy-and-silence/#comments Wed, 27 May 2015 02:50:41 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3682 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/26/lowe-felicia-chinese-immigration-the-veil-of-secrecy-and-silence/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with Felicia Lowe the producer of “Chinese Couplets” a documentary about Lowe's quest to learn about her ancestral history by tracing her mothers immigration to the United States from rural China. Secrecy of and revelation about the trip to America to secure a new life during the Chinese Exclusion era is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious.  Our guest is Felicia Lowe, whose film “Chinese Couplets” tells her mother’s story.  Felicia Lowe was met with refusals and silence when as a child she asked her mother about her childhood. This shroud of silence was lifted when Felicia Lowe’s daughter found an old family photograph taken in China and asked her grandmother to tell the story related to the photograph.  The film “Chinese Couplets” shows and tells the story of a childhood in rural China, the new identity to secure passage to America, the fear of deportation if the truth were known, and a prosperous and successful life of an immigrant Chinese woman in Oakland, California.   The film “Chinese Couplets” will be shown at the Mendocino Film Festival on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 10 am in the Village of Mendocino, California. When Felicia Lowe and I visited by phone from her home in San Francisco, California, May 17, 2015, I asked her to tell us about her mother. The book Felicia Lowe recommends is “The Blues Eye,” by Toni Morrison. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/19/wallach-amei-art-outwitting-oppression-the-kabakov-story/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/19/wallach-amei-art-outwitting-oppression-the-kabakov-story/#comments Tue, 19 May 2015 20:31:40 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3677 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/05/19/wallach-amei-art-outwitting-oppression-the-kabakov-story/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with Amei Wallach, producer/director of the documentary “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov: Enter Here,” about the lives of a world renown artist, Ilya Kabakov and his wife Emilia, who fled communist Russia and returned after the fall of the... Amei Wallach, producer and director of the documentary film “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov: Enter Here,” about the lives of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov is our guest in this edition of Radio Curious. Amei Wallach met Ilya Kabakov in 1987, when she was in the Soviet Union investigating the effect of perestroika on the arts.  Unavoidably intrigued, eight years later she published the first biography of Ilya Kabakov, “The Man Who Never Threw Anything Away.”  "Enter Here" documents not only the lives and work of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Russia’s most celebrated international artists, who are now United States citizens, but also the lives of the average Russian from the Stalin era to the fall of the Soviet Union.  The film will be shown at the Mendocino Film Festival May 31, 2015, at 12:30 pm, in the Village of Mendocino, California. Amei Wallach says her film documents how “art can outwit oppression.” When we visited by phone on May 10, 2015, she began with an explanation of how art outwits oppression.    The book Amei Wallach recommends is “Vermeer in Bosnia: Selected Writings,” by Lawrence Weschler.  Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/21/ellsberg-daniel-the-pentagon-papers/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/21/ellsberg-daniel-the-pentagon-papers/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:57:22 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3637 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/21/ellsberg-daniel-the-pentagon-papers/feed/ 0 Pentagon Papers,Vietnam War Radio Curious revisits a conversation with whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked top-secret, military documents about the Vietnam war in 1971. The move brought national attention to United States foreign policy and first amendment rights. Few moments in American history have held the tension of the Vietnam war, especially in the early 1970's. The nation was fundamentally divided between young people and their parents, who saw no reason for the United States to be in Vietnam, and President Richard Nixon’s “silent majority,” causing a rupture particularly connected to the still-escalating Vietnam War. The “Pentagon Papers,” which were released by Daniel Ellsberg, our guest in this archive edition Radio Curious, were published on the front page of the New York Times in June 1971. They focused national attention on United States foreign policy and on our rights as individual citizens to freedom of the press.  Criminal charges were brought against Ellsberg in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, California; they were later dismissed by the Judge. When Daniel Ellsberg and I visited by phone in March 1997 I asked him to begin by placing the "Pentagon Papers" in the context of the time. The book Daniel Ellsberg recommends is “Our War,” by David Harris. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-ELLSBERG_DANIEL_4-21-15_CA.mp3) to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/14/offen-bernard-the-power-of-good-and-evil/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/14/offen-bernard-the-power-of-good-and-evil/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2015 03:26:28 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3633 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/14/offen-bernard-the-power-of-good-and-evil/feed/ 0 Radio Curious honors Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day, in an archived conversation with Bernard Offen, a survivor of five concentration camps in Poland, when he was a young teenager during World War II. He now leads tours of these camps. In honor of Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day which falls on April 16, in 2015, we visit with Bernard Offen, a survivor of five concentration camps in Poland, when he was a young teenager during World War II. Bernard Offen leads tours of these concentration camps and says, “You don't have to be a survivor or Jewish. It's for all the wounded who want to understand the power of good & evil and want to create goodness in the world.” When Bernard Offen visited the studios of Radio Curious in April 2005, he began our conversation by describing some of his early childhood experiences in Krakow, Poland in the years just prior to World War II.  Bernard Offen recommends his own book that was published in 2010, entitled “My Hometown Concentration Camp.”  Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/07/lawler-andrew-the-chicken-a-mirror-of-humanity/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/07/lawler-andrew-the-chicken-a-mirror-of-humanity/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2015 01:34:49 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3624 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/04/07/lawler-andrew-the-chicken-a-mirror-of-humanity/feed/ 0 chickens Radio Curious discusses the world history of chickens with Andrew Lawler, author of “Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?  The Epic Saga of the Bird That Powers Civilization.” Where chickens thrive humans are nearby.  Portable and good travelers, chickens have been carried by humans around the world.  Currently there are three chickens alive at any one time for each individual person alive on earth.  Descendants of dinosaurs, chickens are primarily cared for by women, they’re a never ending source of slang and continue to be depicted in religious and/or political symbols around the world.  Americans eat, on average, 80 pounds of chicken per year—four times the world average. But, chickens raised for food are not considered animals under U.S. law and are generally not subject to humane treatment regulations.  Our guest is Andrew Lawler, author of “Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?  The Epic Saga of the Bird That Powers Civilization.”  Andrew Lawler and I visited by phone from his home in the North Carolina hills on March 27, 2015, and began our conversation when I asked him how far back the lineage of the chicken goes in world history. The book Andrew Lawler recommends is “Guns, Germs and Steel:  The Fates of Human Societies,” by Jared M. Diamond.   Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/03/24/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/03/24/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords-2/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2015 18:06:45 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3609 http://www.radiocurious.org/2015/03/24/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords-2/feed/ 0 afghanistan,drug trade,opium Opium, child brides, drug lords and their effect on life in Afghanistan is the topic of this week’s Radio Curious in conversation with Afghan-American Journalist Fariba Nawa, author of “Opium Nation: Child Brides, Imagine Darya, a twelve year old girl in a remote village of Afghanistan. Her father forces her to marry a drug lord as part payment for an opium drug trade. Her father is not home and she is about to be taken from her family. Desperately, her hands trembling, she implores you, a complete stranger: “Please don’t let him take me.” In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Fariba Nawa, author of “Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords and One Woman’s Journey Through Afghanistan.” Fariba Nawa was ten years old when her family fled Afghanistan shortly before the Soviet invasion in 1979. Eighteen years later Fariba Nawa met twelve year old Darya when she returned to her native Afghanistan as an Afghan-American investigative journalist. Her book tells Darya’s story, and reveals what the Afghan opium drug trade is doing to her native land in the midst of war. Fariba Nawa and I visited by phone from her home near San Francisco, California on January 23, 2012. We began with her description of coming to the United States and flight from Afghanistan. The book Fariba Nawa recommends is “Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War,” by Annia Ciezaldo. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/23/wells-spencer-the-peopling-of-the-world/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/23/wells-spencer-the-peopling-of-the-world/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2014 18:43:31 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3422 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/23/wells-spencer-the-peopling-of-the-world/feed/ 0 evolution Radio Curious revisits a conversation about human evolution with geneticist Spencer Wells, author of the book and movie, “Journey of Man, A Genetic Odyssey.” Around 60,000 years ago, a man – identical to us in all important genetic respects – lived in Africa. Every person alive today is descended from him. This is known because the secrets of human evolution are hidden in our genetic code. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with geneticist Spencer Wells, author of the book and movie, “Journey of Man, A Genetic Odyssey.” 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. The book Spencer Wells recommends is “No Logo,” by Naomi Klein. Originally Broadcast: February 10, 2004. Click here to listen or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/16/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/16/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization-2/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2014 19:23:16 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3419 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/09/16/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization-2/feed/ 0 Radio Curious revisits a conversation with Spencer Wells, author of “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization,” published in 2010, about the impacts of civilization that could eventually kill our species. In this edition of Radio Curious we revisit a conversation with Spencer Wells about his book, “Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization,” published in 2010. Our interview is a follow-up to a 2003 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. “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 life style changes have produced what we call “civilization,” with systems and mechanisms that will not allow us to continue the life-styles that 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, a 5th century B.C. Greek historian. Click here to listen or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/07/15/brown-seyom-the-international-responsibility-to-protect/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/07/15/brown-seyom-the-international-responsibility-to-protect/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2014 06:32:50 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3364 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/07/15/brown-seyom-the-international-responsibility-to-protect/feed/ 0 right to protect,united nations Radio Curious discusses international relations and governmental duty of “responsibility to protect” with Dr. Seyom Brown, author and adjunct senior fellow at the American Security Project, in Washington, D.C. The “responsibility to protect,” established by the United Nations, is a governmental duty to respect and protect international human rights. This responsibility, its adoption, and how countries, especially the United States exercise it, is the topic of our second, 2014 conversation with Dr. Seyom Brown. Dr. Brown is currently an adjunct senior fellow at the American Security Project, in Washington, D.C. He has previously held senior research and policy analysis positions at the RAND Corporation, the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Kennedy School of Government. He has also served as a Special Assistant in the Office of International Security Affairs at the Department of Defense, and to the Director of Policy Planning in the Department of State. Dr. Brown has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, John Hopkins, Columbia, University of Chicago, and UCLA. He is the author of twelve books on the United States’ foreign policy and international relations. When Dr. Brown visited Radio Curious on July 4, 2014, we began this conversation with his description of “responsibility to protect” and the history of how it was established. The book Dr. Seyom Brown recommends is “Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons,” by Ward Wilson. You also may hear our first 2014 conversation about the contradictions of United States' nuclear policy here and two 1995 Radio Curious interviews with Dr. Seyom Brown discussing then President Bill Clinton's foreign policy here. For full disclosure, Dr. Seyom Brown is the uncle to Radio Curious host and producer, Barry Vogel. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/05/06/rosenwasser-penny-from-fear-to-love-a-judaic-perspective/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/05/06/rosenwasser-penny-from-fear-to-love-a-judaic-perspective/#comments Wed, 07 May 2014 04:38:11 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3285 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/05/06/rosenwasser-penny-from-fear-to-love-a-judaic-perspective/feed/ 2 Holocaust,Judaism Radio Curious visits with Penny Rosenwasser, author of “Hope into Practice: Jewish Women Choosing Hope Despite Our Fears,” a book that explores internalized oppression and describes steps to embrace who we are as a means to create a world based on love, When Penny Rosenwasser, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, was a child in the suburbs of Virginia, people sometimes said, “You don't look Jewish.”  She replied, “Thank you.”  Her book, “Hope into Practice: Jewish Women Choosing Justice Despite Our Fears,” delves into the Jewish experience and its rich yet tragic cultural history. She explores internalized oppression and ways to face fear with a positive outcome, and describes steps to embrace who we are as a means to create a world based on love, tolerance and justice. I spoke with Penny Rosenwasser from her home near San Francisco, California on May 5, 2014.  She began our conversation by describing a major theme of her book. Penny Rosenwasser will be speaking in Redwood Valley, on May 18, at 4pm at Kol-ha-Emek 8591 West Road. Call 707 468 4536 for details. The book she recommends is “The Colors of Jews: Racial Politics and Radical Diasporism,” by Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz. Click here or on the media player below to listen. LeGov clean 29:02 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/15/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-two/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/15/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-two/#comments Tue, 15 Apr 2014 17:18:09 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3266 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/15/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-two/feed/ 0 evolution,human biology Radio Curious revisits part two of a conversation with Gregory Cochran, co-author of the book “The 10,000 Year Explosion – How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution,” which explores how changes in human biology have evolved from civilization. In this, the second of two Radio Curious interviews, we continue our discussion of human evolution with Gregory Cochran an aerospace physicist and professor of anthropology at the University of Utah; his expertise is in genetic anthropology. Gregory Cochran along with Henry Harpending, also a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah, are the co-authors of the 2009 book “The 10,000 Year Explosion – How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution.” This book explores how humans appear to have evolved over the last 10,000 years, largely driven by civilization-the place, culture and lifestyle of the time. In this two part conversation, recorded by phone with Gregory Cochran from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 23rd, 2009, we discuss how humans have genetically evolved. In part one we discussed the changes in human biology such as lactose tolerance and resistance to malaria that represent human evolution accelerated by civilization. We also discussed the intermixing of neanderthals and humans and the genetic benefits in our species that continue to this day. In part two, Cochran discusses how gene mutations have allowed specific human advantages in different locations around the world.   We began with his discussion of the migration of the human species out of Africa, which resulted in some people living in the northern latitudes.  People born in these areas with a random genetic mutation resulting in skin of a lighter color allowed them to absorb more vitamin D from the sun, thus giving them better health and a greater opportunity to have off spring. We also discuss the genetic mutations that contribute to certain types of intelligence. The book Gregory Cochran recommends is"Tthe Princeton Companion to Mathematics,” edited by Timothy Gowers. Click here or on the media player below to listen to part two. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/08/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-one/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/08/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-one/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2014 00:26:19 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3262 http://www.radiocurious.org/2014/04/08/cochran-gregory-the-10000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evolution-part-one/feed/ 1 evolution Radio Curious revisits a two part conversation with Gregory Cochran, physicist, anthropologist, and co-author of the book “The 10,000 Year Explosion – How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution,” which explores how changes in human biology have evolv... Have humans changed in the last 10,000 years?  Are we biologically the same as we have been for the past 60,000 years? Recent evidence suggests that so called civilization has promoted rapid evolutionary change in our species in the last 10,000 years. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Gregory Cochran, a physicist and anthropologist, who is the co-author of the book “The 10,000 Year Explosion – How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution”.  His book asserts that changes in human biology, lactose tolerance and resistance to malaria for example, represent human evolution accelerated by civilization. In this, the first of two Radio Curious conversations with Gregory Cochran we discuss some of these evolutions. In part two we discuss the evolution and genetic mutations of race and physiology. I spoke with Gregory Cochran from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 23, 2009 and began by asking him what biological indications exist to show an increase in human evolution in the past 10,000 years and why they occurred. The book Gregory Cochran recommends is “Twilight of the Mammoths: Ice Age Extinctions and the Re-Wilding of America” by Paul S. Martin Click here or on the media player below to listen to part one. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/12/30/thomas-sam-midwives-and-murder/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/12/30/thomas-sam-midwives-and-murder/#comments Mon, 30 Dec 2013 22:13:44 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3131 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/12/30/thomas-sam-midwives-and-murder/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with historian Sam Thomas, author of “The Midwife's Tale” a mystery series based on the real life of Bridget Hodgson, a lady and midwife in 1640's York, England.   The rather fascinating tale of midwifery and murder in York, England set in the mid 1640s is the topic of our conversation with Sam Thomas, author of “The Midwife’s Tale,” and “The Harlot’s Tale.”  While researching English history for his Ph.D. thesis, Thomas happened on to the Will of Bridget Hodgson, a midwife.  A fictionalized version of her life forms the basis for Thomas’s mystery series set in York, in which Bridget Hodgson is the protagonist. Our conversation with Sam Thomas, recorded by phone on December 27, 2013 from his home near Cleveland, Ohio, where he teaches high-school history, begins with his characterization of York, England, in 1644. The books Sam Thomas recommends are “An Instance of the Finger Post,” by Iain Pears, and “The Lock Artist,” by Steve Hamilton.  Click here to listen or on the media player below. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/11/19/binder-mark-freund-hugo-latkes-turkey-a-holiday-special/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/11/19/binder-mark-freund-hugo-latkes-turkey-a-holiday-special/#comments Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:00:32 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3085 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/11/19/binder-mark-freund-hugo-latkes-turkey-a-holiday-special/feed/ 0 Hanukkah,Thanksgiving Radio Curious discusses Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, two holidays which intersect this year. Our guests are Mark Binder, author of “A Hanukkah Present!” and Professor Hugo Freund who studied the history of Thanksgiving in the United States. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah which means “dedication” in Hebrew, commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. It begins every year on the 25th day of Kislev and usually falls in November or December.  The Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles, and Hanukkah, often called the Festival of LIghts always starts five days prior to the last new moon before the winter solstice. Thanksgiving is a celebration common to cultures and religions world wide, often after harvest.  It is held in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November which.  In this the Hebrew calendar year 5774 and the Gregorian calendar year 2013 these two holidays converge with Thanksgiving falling on the second day of Hannukah.  Thus some people will eat latkas, also known as potato pancakes, with turkey and/or stuffing.  In this edition of Radio Curious we combine two archive editions and tell the story of two very fun holidays.  We start with our 2011 conversation with Mark Binder, author of “A Hanukkah Present!” followed by a 2002 conversation with Professor Hugo Freund about the history of Thanksgiving in the United States. We begin with Mark Binder explaining the purpose of telling stories around Hanukkah. We continue with a 2002 visit about the roots of Thanksgiving with Sociology Professor Hugo Freund recorded in a noise hotel lobby at the American Anthropology Association in New Orleans, Louisiana.   Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=72604&version_id=80321&version=1) to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/29/luke-gregorio-the-day-of-the-dead/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/29/luke-gregorio-the-day-of-the-dead/#comments Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:26:27 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3063 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/29/luke-gregorio-the-day-of-the-dead/feed/ 0 The Day of the Dead, as it's celebrated in Mexico, is the subject of this archive edition of Radio Curious, in conversation with Gregorio Luke, the cultural attache of the Republic of Mexico in 1997. Most countries in the world send ambassadors to talk about and promote what their country is like and to carry on political affairs between and along other nations.  These ambassadors often have assistants known as “cultural attaches.”  They bring and share their nation’s culture, history and the folklore with their host countries.  The cultural event known as Halloween in the United States is celebrated annually on November 1st as the Day of the Dead in Mexico and other Latin American Counties. In 1997 Radio Curious invited Gregorio Luke, the cultural attache from the Republic of Mexico based in Los Angeles, California, to our studios when he was the Consul for Cultural Affairs. His job at that time was to broaden the Mexican cultural presence in the United States. Our conversation began when I asked Gregorio Luke to describe the cultural gaps he sought to bridge in presenting Mexican and to tell us about the Day of The Dead. The book Gregorio Luke recommends is ”The Crystal Frontier,” by Carlos Fuentes. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=72102&version_id=79798&version=1) to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/14/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/14/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-2/#comments Mon, 14 Oct 2013 18:30:03 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3021 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/14/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time-2/feed/ 0 standard time,time Just in time for daylight savings time Radio Curious brings you a discussion about time with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord:  Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time.”  Not such a long time ago, time was an arbitrary measure decided by each community without consideration of other localities. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord:  Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time.”  Although this program was recorded a long time ago, we aired it for the first time in the last week of 2011, and again in October 2013 as we near standard time. In the mid 19th century, with the advent of continent-spanning railroads and transatlantic steamers, the myriad of local times became a mind-boggling obstacle and the rational ordering of time to some became an urgent priority for transportation and commerce.  Standard Time was established in 1884, leading to an international uniformity for telling time.  Arguably, the uniformity of time was a “crowning achievement” of Victorian progressiveness, one of the few innovations of that time to have survived unchanged into the 21st century. Under the leadership of Sir Sandford Fleming, amid political rancor of delegates from industrializing nations, an agreement was reached to establish the Greenwich Prime Meridian passing through Greenwich, England and the International Date Line that wanders it way through the Pacific Ocean.  The 1884 agreement resulted in a uniform system of world-wide time zones that exists today. I had a good time visiting with Clark Blaise in the spring of 2001 as we discussed how our current notion of time was established.  We began when I asked him to explain what standard time is. This interview with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time,” was recorded in the spring of 2001 and first broadcast in the last week of 2011. The book Clark Blaise recommends is “Time of Our Singing,” by Richard Powers. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/07/fuller-alexandra-growing-up-white-in-africa/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/07/fuller-alexandra-growing-up-white-in-africa/#comments Mon, 07 Oct 2013 22:12:59 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=3022 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/10/07/fuller-alexandra-growing-up-white-in-africa/feed/ 0 Radio Curious revisits a 2003 conversation with Alexandra Fuller, author of “Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood,” a memoir about growing up in southeast Africa. In the late summer of 2003 Radio Curious visited with Alexandra Fuller who, as a child lived in Rhodesia, Malawi and Zambia in southeast Africa between 1972 and 1990.  After her father sided with the white government in the Rhodesian civil war, he was often away from home.   Fuller’s resilient and self-sufficient mother immersed herself in their rural and rugged life. She taught her children to have strong wills and opinions, and to whole-heartedly embrace life, despite and because of their difficult circumstances.  Alexandra Fuller, author of “Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood,” known as Bobo to her family, developed a love of reading and story telling early on in her life.   When I spoke with Alexandra Fuller in September 2003 her home was in rural Wyoming.  We visited by phone and began our conversation when I asked her how she choose the title for her book, “Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.” The book Alexandra Fuller recommends is “Echoing Silences,” by Alexander Canigone.   Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/08/07/buron-melissa-french-impressionists/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/08/07/buron-melissa-french-impressionists/#comments Wed, 07 Aug 2013 08:28:01 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2940 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/08/07/buron-melissa-french-impressionists/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with Melissa Buron, art historian and curator of the French Impressionist exhibit, Impressionists on the Water, currently at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California.  The travel facilitated by the industrial revolution in 19th century Europe opened vistas for those who could afford the excursion and vistas for the painters who became known as the Impressionists.   In this edition of Radio Curious, we discuss the work of the French Impressionists, what they saw and what they chose to portray.  Our guest is art historian, Melissa Buron, the curator of Impressionists on the Water, the current exhibit at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California.  Melissa Buron and I visited by phone from her office at the Palace of Legion of Honor Museum, one of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, on August 5, 2013.  We began our conversation with her description of the exhibit, Impressionists on the Water. The book she recommends is “Possession,” by A.S. Byatt. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/07/30/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/07/30/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle/#comments Wed, 31 Jul 2013 00:20:04 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2932 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/07/30/martinez-juan-shamanism-in-the-ecuadorian-jungle/feed/ 0 Radio Curious revisits a conversation about shamanism in the Ecuadorian Amazon with Dr. Juan Martinez, Professor of History and Anthropology at the University of Cuenca, in Cuenca, Ecuador. Concepts of “reality” have many levels, some of which are gained by fasting, and/or the use of certain plants that allow a person to view the past, present or  and future.  This is especially true for cultures which cherish and practice the oral tradition and thrive among an abundance of flora and fauna, like those located in the Amazon basin of South America.  In Ecuador the knowledge of the effects of the various plants in the Amazon basin is held by Shamans. Dr. Juan Martinez, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, is a Professor of History and Anthropology at the University of Cuenca, in Cuenca, Ecuador.  He’s studied, written and lectured about Shamanic practices in the Ecuadorian jungle and the medicinal and spiritual effects of the plants native to the eastern portion of the Amazon basin. Professor Juan Martinez and I visited in his office in Cuenca, Ecuador on November 17, 2005.  He began by describing the relationship of the people of Ecuadorian jungle to their worlds, the spiritual world, and the world in which they live on a daily basis. The book Juan Martinez recommends is “Amazon Worlds,” a collected work published by Sinchi Sancha, an indigenous foundation based in Ecuador. Originally Broadcast: December 5, 2005. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/13/totten-professor-sam-genocide-in-the-nuba-mountains-sudan-africa/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/13/totten-professor-sam-genocide-in-the-nuba-mountains-sudan-africa/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:17:12 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2645 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/13/totten-professor-sam-genocide-in-the-nuba-mountains-sudan-africa/feed/ 0 Nuba Mountains,Sudn Radio Curious discusses the current state of affairs in the Nuba Mountains in Northeast Africa, with Professor Sam Totten, author of “Genocide by Attrition:  Nuba Mountains, Sudan,” and “An Oral and Documentary History of the Darfur Genocide.” The people of the Nuba Mountains, located in northeast Africa, just north of the new nation of South Sudan, are in a crisis that may well threaten their very survival.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with retired Professor Sam Totten, author of “Genocide by Attrition:  Nuba Mountains, Sudan,” and “An Oral and Documentary History of the Darfur Genocide.”  Sam Totten returned from a two week visit to the Nuba Mountains on January 11, 2013. When he and I visited by phone from his home near Fayetteville, Arkansas, on January 13, 2013, we began with his description of the civil war there. The book Professor Sam Totten recommends is “The World of Darfur: International Response to Crimes Against Humanity in Western Sudan,” by Amanda Grzuyb and Romeo Dallaire. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-TOTTEN_SAM_INTERVIEW_1-13-13_CA.mp3) to listen or on the media player below. Click here to listen to our June 2011 interview with Professor Sam Totten. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=65525&version_id=72791&version=1) to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:01 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/08/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-two/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/08/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-two/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:22:10 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2640 http://www.radiocurious.org/2013/01/08/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-two/feed/ 0 sexuality Radio Curious continues our conversation about sexuality with Eric Berkowitz, the author of “Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire.” We continue our conversation about sexuality with Eric Berkowitz, author, journalist and lawyer.  His book, “Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire” is a story of the struggle to regulate the most powerful engine of human behavior. This engine that drives the human species is substantially different in us than in other mammals. In our million years of evolution, physically and socially we have developed the ability to communicate ideas and the expected, if not “required” behaviors of women and men and children regarding sexual thought, expression and procreation. The history of these ever changing definitions and controls of this fundamental aspect of our lives are visited in this two part series of conversations with Eric Berkowitz, recorded in the Radio Curious studios on December 29, 2012. Part One discusses the effect the topic of sex has on other people; the development of laws dealing with adultery and women as property; enjoyment of sex; and the way humans dress compared to other animals. Part Two discusses the issues of young women having sexual relationships with considerably older men; the intention and effect of religion in relationship to sex; prostitution; and same sex intimacy. The books Eric Berkowitz recommends are “Nemisis,” by Philip Roth, “Love and Exile: An Autobiographical Trilogy,” by Issac Bashevis Singer, and "Jerusalem: The Biography," by Simon Sebag-Montefiore. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-BERKOWITZ_ERIC_INTERVIEW_P2_CA_12-29-12.mp3) to listen to part two or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=65397&version_id=72654&version=1) to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/31/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-one/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/31/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-one/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:27:02 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2630 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/31/berkowitz-eric-sex-and-punishment-part-one/feed/ 0 Radio Curious brings you part one of a two-part conversation about the struggle to regulate the most powerful engine of human behavior-sexuality. We visit with Eric Berkowitz, author of “Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire.” “Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire” is a story of the struggle to regulate the most powerful engine of human behavior. This engine that drives the human species is substantially different in us than in other mammals. In our million years of evolution, physically and socially we have developed the ability to communicate ideas and the expected, if not “required” behaviors of women and men and children regarding sexual thought, expression and procreation. The history of these ever changing definitions and controls of this fundamental aspect of our lives are visited in this two part series of conversations with Eric Berkowitz, recorded in the Radio Curious studios on December 29, 2012. Part One discusses the effect the topic of sex has on other people; the development of laws dealing with adultery and women as property; enjoyment of sex; and the way humans dress compared to other animals. Part Two discusses the issues of young women having sexual relationships with considerably older men; the intention and effect of religion in relationship to sex; prostitution; and same sex intimacy. The books Eric Berkowitz recommends are “Nemisis,” by Philip Roth, and “Love and Exile: An Autobiographical Trilogy,” by Issac Bashevis Singer. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/17/the-art-of-political-song-part-one-with-david-rovics/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/17/the-art-of-political-song-part-one-with-david-rovics/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:01:04 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2612 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/12/17/the-art-of-political-song-part-one-with-david-rovics/feed/ 0 The Art of Political Song is the topic of Radio Curious with singer – songwriter, David Rovics who discusses how he creates his songs, some of which he’ll sing, and what he hopes they will achieve.  Songs of a political nature are not surprising given the similarities and parallel community structures of politics and religions with each community promoting the behaviors and concepts it supports as being the most appropriate.  The art of Political Song which has been crafted and heard world wide since time immemorial is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. In this program we visit with singer–songwriter David Rovics, a veritable troubadour and folk musician of our time.  He visited the studios of Radio Curious on December 9, 2012, and began our conversation when he described his work, his songs, and how he creates them. The following is his biography taken from his website (http://www.davidrovics.com):  ”David Rovics grew up in a family of classical musicians in Wilton, Connecticut, and became a fan of populist regimes early on. By the early 90's he was a full-time busker in the Boston subways and by the mid-90's he was traveling the world as a professional flat-picking rabble-rouser. These days David lives in Portland, Oregon and tours regularly on four continents, playing for audiences large and small at cafes, pubs, universities, churches, union halls and protest rallies. He has shared the stage with a veritable who's who of the left in two dozen countries, and has had his music featured on Democracy Now!, BBC, Al-Jazeera and other networks. His essays are published regularly on CounterPunch and elsewhere, and the 200+ songs he makes available for free on the web have been downloaded more than a million times. Most importantly, he's really good. He will make you laugh, he will make you cry, he will make the revolution irresistible.” Based in Portland, Oregon, David Rovics spends most of his time on tour.  The book he recommends is “Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves,” by Naomi Aldort. Click here to listen or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/28/schwawrtz-maya-one-holocaust-survivor%e2%80%99s-wonderful-thrill-of-life/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/28/schwawrtz-maya-one-holocaust-survivor%e2%80%99s-wonderful-thrill-of-life/#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 22:06:51 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2362 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/28/schwawrtz-maya-one-holocaust-survivor%e2%80%99s-wonderful-thrill-of-life/feed/ 0 Radio Curious takes you to France as it was in 1932 where Maya Schwartz was born to an immigrant family. 1939 to 1945 her family was torn apart by the Nazis. California 2012 – We interview Maya Schwartz a holocaust survivor who relies on optimism and s... There are two kinds of Holocaust survivors:  Those who didn’t die yet could no longer experience pleasure and those who yearned to feel alive and were able to create anew. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Maya Finkel Schwartz, born in France in 1932 to Jewish parents from Poland.  After being separated from her father at the beginning of World War Two, her mother had the foresight to introduce then seven year old Maya to as many social workers and nuns as her mother could locate.  It was these people who Maya credits with saving her life as they sheltered her in barns and convents.  She never saw her parents after the war.  As an older teen-ager she arrived in Los Angeles, California where she still lives after a decades long career teaching high-school, and later as a singer, as we shall hear. The story of Maya Finkel Schwartz is one of 52 childhood accounts of the horrors perpetrated by Nazi Germany documented in the book “How We Survived:  52 Personal Stories by Child Survivors of the Holocaust.”  More information about this book is available at childsurvivorsla.org. Maya Schwartz visited the studios of Radio Curious on April 20, 2012.  Maya shared her story and a song, accompanied by her son Michael Charnas. Her theme is the “joy of life,” which is where we began our conversation. The story of Maya Finkel Schwartz is found in the book she recommends.  She wrote one of 52 childhood accounts of the horrors perpetrated by Nazi Germany documented in the book “How We Survived:  52 Personal Stories by Child Survivors of the Holocaust.” Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/07/reuther-sasha-the-united-auto-workers-union-its-effect-on-america/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/07/reuther-sasha-the-united-auto-workers-union-its-effect-on-america/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 00:53:15 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2309 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/05/07/reuther-sasha-the-united-auto-workers-union-its-effect-on-america/feed/ 0 Radio Curious discusses “Brothers on the Line” a film about the Reuther brothers who unionized the auto industry and galvanized the middle class. Their descendent Sasha Reuther made the film and is our guest. As we all know every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  The reaction, however is not necessarily equal in time or unity.  It’s often spread over time with serial impacts. In this edition of Radio Curious we focus on the treatment of workers in the automobile industry in the United States beginning in the early years of the 20th century.  The story is portrayed in “Brothers on the Line,” a film about Walter, Ray and Victor Reuther, three brothers from West Virginia who organized the United Auto Workers Union beginning in the 1920s.  With access to the National Archives, the Wayne State University Labor History Library and family records, Sasha Reuther, Victor’s grandson, directed the film.  It chronicles the working conditions and the successful strikes at the big three auto plants in Michigan; the political power of the United Auto Workers Union, and its involvement in the civil rights movement.  It also explains why Detroit, Michigan became the richest city in the United States in the 1950s. “Brothers On The Line” will be shown June 3, 2012 at the Mendocino Film Festival, in Mendocino, California. Sasha Reuther and I visited by phone from his office in New York City on May 7, 2012.  We began when I asked him what happened once the automobile became a useful, if not necessary tool of life. The book that Sasha Reuther recommends is “U.A.W. and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945 -1968,” by Kevin Boyle. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/01/23/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/01/23/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:54:26 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2158 http://www.radiocurious.org/2012/01/23/nawa-fariba-child-brides-drug-lords/feed/ 0 Opium, child brides, drug lords and their effect on current life in Afganistan is the topic of this week’s Radio Curious when we visit with Afgan-American Journalist Fariba Nawa, author of “Opium Nation: Child Brides, Imagine Darya, a twelve year old girl in a remote village of Afghanistan.  Her father forces her to marry a drug lord as part payment for an opium drug trade.  Her father is not home and she is about to be taken from her family.  Desperately, her hands trembling, she implores you, a complete stranger:  “Please don’t let him take me.” In this edition of Radio Curious we visit Fariba Nawa, author of “Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords and One Woman’s Journey Through Afghanistan.”  Fariba Nawa was ten years old when her family fled Afghanistan shortly before the Soviet invasion in 1979.  Eighteen years later Fariba Nawa met twelve year old Darya when she returned to her native Afghanistan as an Afghan-American investigative journalist.  Her book tells Darya’s story, and reveals what the Afghan opium drug trade is doing to her native land in the midst of war. Fariba Nawa and I visited by phone from her home near San Francisco, California on January 23, 2012. We began with her description of coming to the United States and flight from Afghanistan. Fariba Nawa's website is www.faribanawa.com. The book she recommends is “Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love and War,” by Annia Ciezaldo. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:41:39 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=2105 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/12/26/blaise-clark-the-creation-of-standard-time/feed/ 0 Radio Curious discusses time, as we know it, with Clark Blaise, author of "Time Lord: Sire Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time." Not such a long time ago, time was an arbitrary measure decided by each community without consideration of other localities. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord:  Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time.”  Although this program was recorded a long time ago, we are airing it for the first time in the last week of 2011. In the mid 19th century, with the advent of continent-spanning railroads and transatlantic steamers, the myriad of local times became a mind-boggling obstacle and the rational ordering of time to some became an urgent priority for transportation and commerce.  Standard Time was established in 1884, leading to an international uniformity for telling time.  Arguably, the uniformity of time was a “crowning achievement” of Victorian progressiveness, one of the few innovations of that time to have survived unchanged into the 21st century. Under the leadership of Sir Sandford Fleming, amid political rancor of delegates from industrializing nations, an agreement was reached to establish the Greenwich Prime Meridian passing through Greenwich, England and the International Date Line that wanders it way through the Pacific Ocean.  The 1884 agreement resulted in a uniform system of world-wide time zones that exists today. I had a good time visiting with Clark Blaise in the spring of 2001 as we discussed how our current notion of time was established.  We began when I asked him to explain what standard time is. This interview with Clark Blaise, author of “Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time,” was recorded in the spring of 2001 and first broadcast in the last week of 2011. The book Clark Blaise recommends is “Time of Our Singing,” by Richard Powers. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here to download the podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/28/socrates-ron-gross-%e2%80%93-socrates-of-athens-in-conversation/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/28/socrates-ron-gross-%e2%80%93-socrates-of-athens-in-conversation/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:43:09 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=1990 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/28/socrates-ron-gross-%e2%80%93-socrates-of-athens-in-conversation/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with Ron Gross, author of "Socrates’ Way: Seven Masterkeys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost." Gross speaks as if he were Socrates. Socrates’ Way: Seven Masterkeys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost Socrates of Athens, who lived before the Common Era, is respected as one of the greatest independent thinkers of all time. Socrates himself refused to be recognized as a teacher. Instead, Plato, his well-known student and reporter of Socrates’ dialogues, tells us he asked to be seen as a “midwife of ideas.” Socrates’ passion to achieve self-understanding, and the proper ways to live, continues to be studied and emulated to this day. Socrates recommends “The Trojan Women,” by Euripides. Ron Gross recommends “The Clouds,” by Aristophanes. Originally Broadcast: January 13, 2003 Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=54673&version_id=61136&version=1) to download and subscribe to our podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/20/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-2/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/20/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-2/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:28:04 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=1979 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/09/20/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare-part-2/feed/ 0 Radio Curious brings you part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Ken Alibek, author of, "Bio-Hazard: The Chilling Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World — Told From Inside by the Man Who Ran it." Biological warfare is the use of weapons that cause death by disease. The largest and most sophisticated biological weapons program in the world, which cultivated and stockpiled anthrax virus, brucellosis, the plague and genetically altered strains of small pox, employed more than 6000 people at over 100 facilities in the former Soviet Union. For 15 years, ending in 1992, Dr. Ken Alibek, a doctor of medicine and a Ph.D. in microbiology, was the scientific leader of Bio-Preparat, the civilian branch of that secret biological weapons program, masquerading as a pharmaceutical company. In 1992, Dr. Alibek defected to the United States. Several years later, he wrote “Bio-Hazard,” a book detailing the development of biological weapons, the horrors of his former life and why he chose to defect. This is a two-part program with Dr. Ken Alibek, recorded in 1999. In part two, Dr. Ken Alibek discusses the morality of biological warfare. Dr. Ken Alibek recommends “Prevent,” by Richard Preston & “Vector,” by Robin Cook. Originally Broadcast: May 11, 1999 & May 18, 1999 Click here to listen to part 2 of the program or on the media player below. Click here to listen to part 1. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=54502&version_id=60948&version=1) to download and subscribe to our podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/06/13/totten-ph-d-samuel-genocide-in-africa-the-nuba-mountains-of-sudan/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/06/13/totten-ph-d-samuel-genocide-in-africa-the-nuba-mountains-of-sudan/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 22:57:47 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=1853 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/06/13/totten-ph-d-samuel-genocide-in-africa-the-nuba-mountains-of-sudan/feed/ 1 A little publicized war, involving the indiscriminate killing and torture of people in the Nuba Mountains of southern Sudan, in northeast Africa, is our topic in this edition of Radio Curious, with Professor Samuel Totten, Another little publicized war, involving the indiscriminate killing and torture of people in the Nuba Mountains of southern Sudan, in northeast Africa, is our topic in this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is Professor Samuel Totten, a genocide scholar based at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He was last in the Nuba Mountains in January, 2011 conducting research for a new book, “Genocidal Actions Against the Nuba Mountains People: Interviews with Survivors of Mass Starvation and Other Atrocities.”  He served as one of the 24 investigators with the U.S. Atrocities Documentation Project in eastern Chad.  His most recent book is "An Oral and Documentary History of the Darfur Genocide." This interview with Dr. Totten was recorded from his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on June 10, 2011.  We began when I asked him to describe the situation in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. The book he recommends is one that he wrote and was just published entitled “We Cannot Forget:  Interviews with Survivors of Genocide in Rwanda.” Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=52453&version_id=58735&version=1) to download and subscribe to our podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/05/12/frankel-davey-lakew-rasselas-he-twice-ran-and-won-olympic-marathons-barefoot/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/05/12/frankel-davey-lakew-rasselas-he-twice-ran-and-won-olympic-marathons-barefoot/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 19:50:41 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=1778 http://www.radiocurious.org/2011/05/12/frankel-davey-lakew-rasselas-he-twice-ran-and-won-olympic-marathons-barefoot/feed/ 0 Radio Curious speaks with Davey Frankel & Rasselas Lakew, directors and producers of "The Athlete," a film about the life of Abebe Bikila, the first African to win an Olympic Gold Medal in 1960 when he ran barefoot. It is said that in the early part of World War II, it took 500,000 Italian soldiers to occupy Ethiopia, and one Ethiopian soldier to conquer Rome.  19 years later, this one Ethiopian soldier, Abebe Bikila competed barefoot in the 1960 Olympiad marathon foot race in Rome, Italy, leaving all other runners in the dust.  Winning the 42 kms, 195 meter race, Abebe Bikila became the first African to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Abebe Bikila, a shepherd from the plains of Abyssinia in rural Ethiopia, who had never been away from his family, stunned the world with his extraordinary victory.  He became the hero of Rome Olympiad and for years to come a national hero in Ethiopia.  Four years later he won the Marathon at the Tokyo Olympiad becoming the first person to win two Olympic Marathon Gold Medals. Beyond igniting East Africa’s dominance in long distance running, Abebe Bikila became a quiet champion of hope for a continent that was in the midst of its struggle for self-determination.  During his career Bikila won 12 of the 15 marathons he entered. Abebe Bikila died of a brain hemorrhage on October 23rd, 1972, two and a half years after his final race and victory in Norway.  He was 41 years old. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit by phone with the Davey Frankel, from his home in Berlin, Germany and Rasselas Lakew, from his home in New York City.  They are the writers, directors and producers of the movie “The Athlete,” the story of Abebe Bikila.  Rasselas Lakew portrays Abebe Bikila in the lead role of “The Athlete," and was born and grew up in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia.  “The Athlete” which will be shown at the Mendocino Film Festival on Friday evening June 3, tells the powerful and tragic story Abebe Bikila, a quiet man, who in many ways meets the Homer’s description in the Odyssey: “… the distant Ethiopians, the father outposts of mankind, half of whom live where the sun goes down and half where the rises.” This interview with Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew, which was recorded on May 9, 2011, began when I asked them explain what prompted them to write and produce “The Athlete.” The movie that Davey Frankel recommends is “My Life Without Me,” directed by Isabel Coixet.   The movie that Rasselas La Lakew recommends is “Living Russian, Man With A Movie Camera,” directed by Dziga Vertov. Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=51695&version_id=57924&version=1) to download and subscribe to our podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/08/02/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/08/02/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:07:44 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=1239 http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/08/02/wells-spencer-the-unforseen-cost-of-civilization/feed/ 0  - 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,  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 (http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/02/10/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world/). “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. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/44618/50309/65742/?url=http://www.radio4all.net/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-WELLS_SPENCER.2_1_CA_7-19-10.mp3) to begin listening. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=44618&version_id=50309&version=1) to download the podcast. LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/01/20/walls-bill-and-kawkeka-denise-what-led-to-the-bloody-island-massacre/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/01/20/walls-bill-and-kawkeka-denise-what-led-to-the-bloody-island-massacre/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:34:05 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=959 http://www.radiocurious.org/2010/01/20/walls-bill-and-kawkeka-denise-what-led-to-the-bloody-island-massacre/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/12/14/fogg-charles-peace-activist-and-interrogator/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/12/14/fogg-charles-peace-activist-and-interrogator/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:11:20 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=893 http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/12/14/fogg-charles-peace-activist-and-interrogator/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/07/21/dutton-denis-the-evolution-of-the-arts/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/07/21/dutton-denis-the-evolution-of-the-arts/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:11:06 +0000 http://www.radiocurious.org/?p=627 http://www.radiocurious.org/2009/07/21/dutton-denis-the-evolution-of-the-arts/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/10/19/mendel-janet-fine-spanish-cooking/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/10/19/mendel-janet-fine-spanish-cooking/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:03:54 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/10/19/mendel-janet-fine-spanish-cooking/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/10/19/mendel-janet-fine-spanish-cooking/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/03/27/michael-adair-wm-ray-shakespear-was-really-edward-devere/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/03/27/michael-adair-wm-ray-shakespear-was-really-edward-devere/#comments Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:11:01 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/03/27/michael-adair-wm-ray-shakespear-was-really-edward-devere/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2008/03/27/michael-adair-wm-ray-shakespear-was-really-edward-devere/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2007/03/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2007/03/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2007 08:00:12 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/16/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2007/03/28/eunice-lipton-seduced-by-france/feed/ 0 French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust. In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, sex and art collide with hatred, withering French xenophobia and death, Eunice Lipton, French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust. In a passionate blend of autobiography and cultural history, love, sex and art collide with hatred, withering French xenophobia and death, Eunice Lipton, our guest in this edition of Radio Curious, describes her book, “French Seduction: An American’s Encounter with France, Her Father, and the Holocaust.” Lipton, who lives in Paris and New York received her Ph.D. in art history at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. I spoke with her from her home in New York City the last week of March 2007.  Because she describes painting as her favorite companions, we began when I asked her to tell us about her friends who she calls art. Eunice Lipton recommends “The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion,” by Ford Madox Ford.. Originally Broadcast: March 28, 2007 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-20070414-LIPTON_INTERVIEW_3-26-07.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2006/09/27/dr-eva-etzioni-halevy-israel-the-11th-century-bc-and-now/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2006/09/27/dr-eva-etzioni-halevy-israel-the-11th-century-bc-and-now/#comments Wed, 27 Sep 2006 08:18:16 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/16/dr-eva-etzioni-halevy-israel-the-11th-century-bc-and-now/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2006/09/27/dr-eva-etzioni-halevy-israel-the-11th-century-bc-and-now/feed/ 0 The Song of Hannah, A Biblical Novel of Love, Temptation, and the Making of A Prophet Eva Etzioni-Halevy, a retired professor of sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel, is the author of, “The Song of Hannah, A Biblical Novel of Love, The Song of Hannah, A Biblical Novel of Love, Temptation, and the Making of A Prophet Eva Etzioni-Halevy, a retired professor of sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel, is the author of, “The Song of Hannah, A Biblical Novel of Love, Temptation, and the Making of A Prophet,” and the guest in this edition of Radio Curious. The story takes place in Judea in the eleventh century B.C. when few people were literate. In this interview with Eva Etzioni-Halevy, recorded from her home in Tel Aviv, Israel, in late September 2006, she describes her interpretation of Hannah’s life, loves and leadership, and her impressions of Israel several weeks after the summer 2006 war with Lebanon. We began when I asked her to describe who Hannah was. www.evaetzioni-halevy.com (http://www.evaetzioni-halevy.com/) Dr. Eva Etzioni-Halevy recommends, "Walking the Bible," by Bruce Feiler. Originally Broadcast: September 27, 2006 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/archive2/07.01.07/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-20060928-ETZIONI-HALEVY_INTERVIEW_final.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2005/06/21/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2005/06/21/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2005 21:50:36 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/16/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2005/06/21/john-arquilla-networks-and-netwars/feed/ 0 The war that the United States has invoked in what is often called the "War On Terror" is unusual in many ways. One of those ways is that this war is being fought against a network that is spread out in many unsuspecting and obscure places. The war that the United States has invoked in what is often called the "War On Terror" is unusual in many ways. One of those ways is that this war is being fought against a network that is spread out in many unsuspecting and obscure places. It is not being fought as many wars have been in the past, directly against another county. Dr. John Arquilla, is a professor of defense analysis and co-director of the justify on Terrorism at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California. In this program we talk with Professor Arquilla about the fighting tactics employed by networks as opposed to countries, the threats they pose, and some of the war tactics used against these networks. John Arquilla recommends "Kim," by Rudyard Kipling. Originally Broadcast: June 21, 2005 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/archive/09.01.05/curious@pacific.net/1197-1-20050620-ARQUILLA__JOHN.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/08/15/richard-zimler-the-pogroms-of-portugal-1506/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/08/15/richard-zimler-the-pogroms-of-portugal-1506/#comments Sun, 15 Aug 2004 22:21:46 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/16/richard-zimler-the-pogroms-of-portugal-1506/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/08/15/richard-zimler-the-pogroms-of-portugal-1506/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/02/10/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/02/10/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2004 09:40:05 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/17/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2004/02/10/spencer-wells-the-peopling-of-the-world/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/09/14/douglas-starr-blood-a-history/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/09/14/douglas-starr-blood-a-history/#comments Sat, 14 Sep 2002 07:59:37 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/25/douglas-starr-blood-a-history/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/09/14/douglas-starr-blood-a-history/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/08/01/terrence-cheng-two-chinese-brothers/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/08/01/terrence-cheng-two-chinese-brothers/#comments Thu, 01 Aug 2002 08:01:08 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/25/terrence-cheng-two-chinese-brothers/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/08/01/terrence-cheng-two-chinese-brothers/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/07/23/elana-rozenman-jewish-muslim-christian-understanding/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/07/23/elana-rozenman-jewish-muslim-christian-understanding/#comments Tue, 23 Jul 2002 17:20:10 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/28/elana-rozenman-jewish-muslim-christian-understanding/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2002/07/23/elana-rozenman-jewish-muslim-christian-understanding/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/2001/02/06/shari-holman-not-even-the-clothes-on-her-back/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2001/02/06/shari-holman-not-even-the-clothes-on-her-back/#comments Tue, 06 Feb 2001 18:05:57 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/28/shari-holman-not-even-the-clothes-on-her-back/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2001/02/06/shari-holman-not-even-the-clothes-on-her-back/feed/ 0 The Dress Lodger In England, in the 1830s, at the time of a major cholera epidemic, a young girl, the orphaned daughter of a prostitute, finds that working in a pottery factory does not earn her enough money for herself and her child. The Dress Lodger In England, in the 1830s, at the time of a major cholera epidemic, a young girl, the orphaned daughter of a prostitute, finds that working in a pottery factory does not earn her enough money for herself and her child. She must work at night like her mother, as a prostitute. Having virtually no money, she rents her dress, and is followed while she walks the streets so that she will not run off with her outfit. She is called a dress lodger. Shari Holman, a native of rural Virginia, and later a resident of Brooklyn, New York, has researched the lives of girls who were dress lodgers in England in the 1830s. She is the author of a book of historical fiction about Gustine, a 15-year-old dress lodger who lived and worked in Sunderland, England in 1831, entitled “The Dress Lodger.” Shari Holman recommends "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," by Anne Fadiman. Originally Broadcast: February 6, 2001 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/archive/09.01.05/curious@pacific.net/1197-1-20050829-HOLMAN__SHARI__1-31-01.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/2000/11/07/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2000/11/07/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas/#comments Tue, 07 Nov 2000 18:12:32 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/28/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas/ http://www.radiocurious.org/2000/11/07/marta-morena-vega-one-religion-people-forced-to-migrate-brought-to-the-americas/feed/ 0 The Altar of My Soul Religious beliefs normally follow people as they migrate, including people who are forced to migrate. The people forced to migrate to the western Hemisphere during the slave-trading period carried their beliefs and belief systems... The Altar of My Soul Religious beliefs normally follow people as they migrate, including people who are forced to migrate. The people forced to migrate to the western Hemisphere during the slave-trading period carried their beliefs and belief systems to the diaspora of their new world. The Santeria religion, also know as Lucumí, is a belief system that originated in Africa later brought to the Americas and is still practiced in widely separated communities of the western hemisphere. Marta Moreno Vega, a Santeria Priestess, and university professor in New York City is the author of “The Alter of My Soul.” Her book is a story of the Santeria or Lucumí religion, its traditions, how they were brought from Africa and are practiced now. I spoke with Marta Moreno Vega by phone in November of 2000, and we began when I asked her to tell us about the Santeria religion and how it differs from other religions. Marta Morena Vega recommends “Face of The Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African Americans,” by Robert F. Thompson. Originally Broadcast: November 7, 2000 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/files/curious@radiocurious.org/1197-1-20070422-VEGA__Marta_Moreno_11-7-00.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/1999/05/08/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1999/05/08/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare/#comments Sat, 08 May 1999 18:49:51 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/28/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1999/05/08/dr-ken-alibek-soviet-germ-warfare/feed/ 0 Radio Curious visits with Dr. Ken Alibeck, author of the true story, "Bio-Hazard: The Chilling Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World — Told From Inside by the Man Who Ran it." Bio-Hazard: The Chilling Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World -- Told From Inside by the Man Who Ran it Biological warfare is the use of weapons that cause death by disease. The largest and most sophisticated biological weapons program in the world, which cultivated and stockpiled anthrax virus, brucellosis, the plague and genetically altered strains of small pox, employed more than 6000 people at over 100 facilities in the former Soviet Union. For 15 years, ending in 1992, Dr. Ken Alibek, a doctor of medicine and a Ph.D. in microbiology, was the scientific leader of Bio-Preparat, the civilian branch of that secret biological weapons program, masquerading as a pharmaceutical company. In 1992, Dr. Alibek defected to the United States. Several years later, he wrote “Bio-Hazard,” a book detailing the development of biological weapons, the horrors of his former life and why he chose to defect. This is a two-part program with Dr. Ken Alibek, recorded in 1999. Dr. Ken Alibek recommends "Prevent," by Richard Preston & "Vector," by Robin Cook. Originally Broadcast: May 11, 1999 & May 18, 1999 Click here to listen to Part 1 or on the media player below. Click here (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?program_id=54380&version_id=60810&version=1) to download and subscribe to our podcast. LeGov clean 29:00 http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/05/14/bob-blincoe-the-kurdish-people/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/05/14/bob-blincoe-the-kurdish-people/#comments Wed, 14 May 1997 20:46:15 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/28/bob-blincoe-the-kurdish-people/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/05/14/bob-blincoe-the-kurdish-people/feed/ 0 The word millet is a term from the Ottoman Empire that ruled parts of Europe Central to the Near East from 1430 to 1921 and means “a recognized people or cultural group who have no homeland.” Millet now applies to the Kurdish people, The word millet is a term from the Ottoman Empire that ruled parts of Europe Central to the Near East from 1430 to 1921 and means “a recognized people or cultural group who have no homeland.” Millet now applies to the Kurdish people, who live in the Zagros Mountains, where the borders of eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northwestern Iran converge. Starting with Gulf War of 1991, 25 million Kurdish people live homeless and stateless in the Zagros Mountains. They are subject to frequent attacks from the Turks and the Iraqis. Bob Blincoe, a Presbyterian minister, lived and worked as a community organizer among the Kurds in the Zagros Mountains for five and one-half years until the Fall of 1996. At first he spoke Arabic, so he wouldn’t stand out as someone working with a suspect minority. He quickly learned Kurdish and has many interesting stories to share. Bob Blincoe recommends "A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern World," by David Fromkin. Originally Broadcast: May 14, 1997 Clcik here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/archive/09.01.05/curious@pacific.net/1197-1-20050717-BLINCOE__BOB_5-14-1997.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/01/22/manenima-hilario-born-into-the-stone-age/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/01/22/manenima-hilario-born-into-the-stone-age/#comments Wed, 22 Jan 1997 22:20:33 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/29/manenima-hilario-born-into-the-stone-age/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1997/01/22/manenima-hilario-born-into-the-stone-age/feed/ 0 http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/09/11/dr-seyom-brown-clintons-foreign-policy/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/09/11/dr-seyom-brown-clintons-foreign-policy/#comments Mon, 11 Sep 1995 22:42:53 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/29/dr-seyom-brown-clintons-foreign-policy/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/09/11/dr-seyom-brown-clintons-foreign-policy/feed/ 2 New Forces, Old Forces and the Future of World Politics The relationship of the US to Russia and the other members of the former Soviet Union is a major issue in the world today.The Clinton administration claimed one of its best foreign policy achieve... New Forces, Old Forces and the Future of World Politics The relationship of the US to Russia and the other members of the former Soviet Union is a major issue in the world today.The Clinton administration claimed one of its best foreign policy achievements was the way it handled the Russian situation and the disbanding of the former Soviet Union.Dr. Seyom Brown has, for the past 40 years, studied that relationship, as a foreign policy analyst, advisor and author.He is currently a Professor of International Relations and the former Chairman of the Department of Politics at Brandeis University, near Boston, MA.Our discussion about Clinton’s foreign policy resulted in this two-part program. Originally Broadcast: August 28, 1995 & September 11, 1995 Click here to begin listening to Part One. Click here to begin listening to Part Two. LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/06/20/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/06/20/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest/#comments Tue, 20 Jun 1995 22:45:46 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/29/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1995/06/20/rodolfo-gomez-a-walk-in-the-costa-rican-rain-forest/feed/ 0 On the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, about an hour’s drive east of San Jose, Costa Rica, is the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a tramway that travels through, above and below the rain forest canopy. The rain forest canopy is home to more diverse f... On the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, about an hour’s drive east of San Jose, Costa Rica, is the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a tramway that travels through, above and below the rain forest canopy. The rain forest canopy is home to more diverse forms of flora and fauna than anywhere else in the known universe. Rodolfo Gomez, trained as an architect, has found his calling as a tour guide in Central America and specifically Costa Rica. My daughter Molly and I met with Rodolfo in the rain forest, near the aerial tram and recorded this program in April of 1995. Originally Broadcast: June 20, 1995 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/11192/13320/20248/?url=http://emma2.radio4all.net/pub/archive/04.01.05/curious@pacific.net/1197-1-20050208-_143__Gomez__Rodolfo_6-26-95.mp3) LeGov clean http://www.radiocurious.org/1991/11/18/joseph-brodsky-a-book-of-poems-next-to-every-bible/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1991/11/18/joseph-brodsky-a-book-of-poems-next-to-every-bible/#comments Mon, 18 Nov 1991 23:16:58 +0000 http://radiocurious.org/2008/01/29/joseph-brodsky-a-book-of-poems-next-to-every-bible/ http://www.radiocurious.org/1991/11/18/joseph-brodsky-a-book-of-poems-next-to-every-bible/feed/ 0 A Part of Speech, Less Than One, To Urania, Marbles, & Watermark Joseph Brodsky, a winner of the Noble Prize, was the United States National Poet Laureate in 1991. Born in what was then Leningrad, Soviet Union, he grew up in a communal apartment, A Part of Speech, Less Than One, To Urania, Marbles, & Watermark Joseph Brodsky, a winner of the Noble Prize, was the United States National Poet Laureate in 1991. Born in what was then Leningrad, Soviet Union, he grew up in a communal apartment, and was very active in language and literary pursuits. In 1963, a Leningrad newspaper denounced Brodsky, calling his poetry pornographic and anti-Soviet. He was interrogated and twice put in mental institutions. His papers were seized. He was arrested and indicted on the charge of parasitism. In a secret trial, he was called a “pseudo-poet in velveteen trousers,” who failed to fulfill his “constitutional duty to work honestly for the good of the motherland.” Yet no fault was found in the content of his poetry. One of the more interesting comments Joseph Brodsky made as a guest was that there should be a book of poetry in every hotel room, right next to the Bible. He said that he didn’t think that the telephone book would mind. Joseph Brodsky died on January 28th of 1996, a world-class poet. Originally Broadcast: November 18, 1991 Click here to begin listening. (http://www.radio4all.net/pub/archive/09.01.05/curious@pacific.net/1197-1-20050829-Brodsky__2-14-96.mp3) LeGov clean