Juan Martinez

Shamanism in the Ecuadorian Jungle

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 and/or the future. This is especially true for cultures that cherish and practice oral traditions and which thrive in parts of the world which have an abundance of flora and fauna, like those located in the Amazon basin of South America. The knowledge of the use and effects of these various plants in the Ecuadorian portion of the Amazon basin is held by persons known as 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 has studied, written and lectured about the Shamanistic practices in the Ecuadorian jungle and the medicinal and spiritual effects of the plants native to the western portion of the Amazon basin. I spoke with Professor Juan Martinez in his office in Cuenca, Ecuador on November 17, 2005. He began our conversation by describing relationship of the people of Ecuadorian jungle to their worlds, the spiritual world, and the world in which they live on a daily basis.

Juan Martinez recommends "Amazon Worlds," published by Sinchi Sancha.

Originally Broadcast: December 5,2005

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John Darnton

Who is Charles Darwin?

The Darwin Conspiracy

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 Island 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.  And the world has not been the same since.  Now, at a time when concepts of evolution and natural selection are attacked certain from theological and political perspectives, a novel called  “The Darwin Conspiracy,” has been written by John Darnton, a writer and editor for the New York Times.  “The Darwin Conspiracy,” although fiction, is said by John Darton to be 90% accurate, and covers Darwin’s life and thinking before and after the publication of “The Origin of the Species.”  I spoke with John Darton 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. 

  John Darnton recommends "Snow," by Orhan Pamuk.

Originally Broadcast: November 29, 2005

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Independence, Where Does It Come From?

Don't Know Much About History, Everything you Need to Know About American History But Never Learned

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

These words may sound radical today, but in fact they come from the Declaration of Independence drafted in 1776. In this edition of Radio Curious, broadcast during Independence Week 2005 we talk with Kenneth C. Davis, author of "Don't Know Much about History," and review some of the issues of 1776 from our perspective now. This interview was recorded on July 2, 2005 with Kenneth C. Davis from his home in southern Vermont. He began by commenting on the role religion played at the time Declaration of the Independence was written.

Kenneth C. Davis recommends “Diane Arbus, A Biography” by Patricia Bosworth, and "Lucky Child, A Daughter of Cambodia Reunities with the Sister She Left Behind," by Luong Ung.

Originally Broadcast: July 5, 2005

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Paul M. Lisnik

Juries: Fair or Corruptible

The Hidden Jury, and Other Tactics Lawyers Use to Win

What happens when a guilty person is acquitted of crime?  Or worse, when an innocent person is convicted of a crime?  This injustice can sometimes be prevented with the help of jury consultants, people who assist lawyers in picking juries in all types of trials, not just criminal trials. Paul M. Lisnik, the author of “The Hidden Jury and Other Tactics Lawyers Use to Win” is an attorney, jury consultant and journalist, who advised and assisted in the O.J. Simpson other trials.  He debunks the myth that juries are fair and impartial; that if someone commits a crime, they get convicted; that only guilty people are ultimately put to death; and that only the wealthy or famous can afford a trial consultant.  In this interview recorded in March 2005, Paul M. Lisnik begins with his interpretation of the jury system.

  Paul M. Lisnik recommends “Bush World, Enter At Your Own Risk”by Marueen Doud.

Originally Broadcast: June 28, 2005

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Fiduciary Responsibility

Though some people dislike the idea, money has become an important and complex aspect of life.  Many choose to invest in stocks and mutual funds, hoping for financial growth with and without guidance from a knowledgeable advisor.  With five million people responsible for the financial interests of others, there is very little regulation or control of what they do, or how they do it.  Donald B. Trone is President of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies, a nonprofit organization established to develop and promote the practices that define a prudent process for investment fiduciaries, a person who is responsible for the money or assets of others.  Donald B. Trone will discuss the practical and regulatory environment that defines the roles and responsibilities of investment fiduciaries, and how one should be chosen to work for you.  The program begins with Trone explaining what a fiduciary is.  You may visit the website of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies at www.fi360.com.  The edition of Radio Curious was produced with the support of the National Press Foundation, www.nationalpress.org.

Donald Trone recommends "A Survey of the New Testament," by Robert H. Gundry.

Originally Broadcast: June 14, 2005

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Sam Totten

Genocide in Darfur

Genocide is the intent to exterminate in whole or in part a specific group of people often based on nationality, ethnicity, race or religion.  For the past two years, in the Darfur region of the nation of Sudan, located in north central Africa and populated primarily by black Africans, the Sudanese government has been committing racial genocide.  Reports are that as many as 400,000 black African civilians have been murdered by the Sudanese government together with Arab rebel groups in Darfur.  Professor Sam Totten, a scholar in Genocide Studies at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, visited the Darfur area in the fall of 2004 and has been examining this present day massacre that most of the world has chosen to ignore. I spoke with Professor Totten from his home in Arkansas and asked him to explain the reasons behind the genocide.

You may learn more about the situation in Darfur at www.savedarfur.org.

Sam Totten recommends "Shake Hands With the Devil: the Failure of Humanity in Rwanda," by Romeo Dallaire.

Originally Broadcast: June 7, 2005

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Peggy Bulger

The Story Corps

The American Folklife Preservation Act of 1976 directed the Library of Congress to gather stories and art of everyday people to reflect the identity of America, which is recognized as the core of family and community life.  The thought is that by linking us to the past we are better able to develop our understanding of the present.   The Story Corps is a current project of the American Folklife justify of the Library of Congress.  Two air stream trailers, retrofitted with state of the art recording equipment, will visit towns and cities throughout the United States for about a year beginning in June 2005, to collect recordings of every day people interviewing each other about their lives.  Anyone will be welcome to visit the Story Corps trailer that may be near where you live, by signing up on line at www.storycorps.net.  Each participant receives a copy of the interview, and may donate a copy to the Library of Congress.  This interview with Dr. Peggy Bulger, the Director of the American Folklife justify at the Library of Congress was recorded in her office at the Library of Congress on May 20, 2005.  She began by reviewing the history of the American Folklife justify and the purpose of Story Corps project.  You can locate the Story Corps on the internet at www.storycorps.net, and the Library of Congress at www.loc.gov.

Peggy Bulger recommends "Ireland, A Novel" by Frank Delaney.

Originally Broadcast: May 31, 2005

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Bernard Offen

Surviving the Holocaust

My Hometown Concentration Camp

Bernard Offen, age 72, survived five Nazi concentration camps in Poland during World War Two, when he was a young teenager. He now leads tours of these concentration camps and tells his story in this interview.

Bernard Offen recommends "My Hometown Concentration Camp," by Bernard Offen.

Originally Broadcast: May 3, 2005

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David Osborn

The Papal Conclave

The Last Pope

It is no secret that the papal conclave met April 18, 2005 to elect the head of one of the world’s few remaining imperial monarchies.  However, those participating in the conclave and those assisting the Cardinal’s who will elect the next pope are sworn to secrecy regarding all the events within this historic gathering.  In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with papal scholar David Osborn, the author of “the Last Pope” who we interviewed in June 2004.  “The Last Pope” is a novel about the lives and the papal competition of two Cardinals of the Catholic Church, after the death of a conservative and long tenured Pope.  In this interview David Osborn discusses the process and some of the politics of electing the successor to Pope John Paul II.  When I spoke with David Osborn from his home in Connecticut, I asked him about what he believed would occur just prior to the opening of the conclave on April 18, 2005.

David Osborn recommends "Remembrance of Things Past,"  by Marcel Proust.

Originally Broadcast: April 19, 2005

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Abha Dawesar

Babyji, A Story of Physics, Sex and Caste Politics in India

Babyji

Anamika Sharma, the lead character in the novel Babyji, by Abha Dewasar grows up in Delhi, India, studying quantum physics at school and sex out of school.  The story follows the life of a girl who sets her own rules in a culture that historically demands the opposite.  Our conversation begins with the author Abha Dewasar describing India, the place where she grew up, and where the life of Anamika takes place.

Abha Dawesar recommends "Purple Hibiscus," by Chimamanda Ngozi Ardiche.

Originally Broadcast: February 24, 2005

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Mark Feeney

Nixon at the Movies

Nixon at the Movies, A Book About Belief

Richard Nixon, and the movies he watched while he was president...  On his third night in office, January 22, 1969 Nixon saw The Shoes of the Fisherman in the White House movie theater.  From then until August 1973, when he resigned the presidency Nixon watched over 500 movies in the White House, at Camp David, and other places he frequented.  This is an average of 2½ movies per week during his presidency.  The book, Nixon at the Movies, A Book About Belief, by Boston Globe journalist Mark Feeney examines the role movies played in forming Nixon’s character and career, and the role Nixon played in the development of American film.  Ronald Reagan may have been the first movie star president, but Feeney argues that Nixon was the first true cinematic president.   In this program, recorded in January 2005, Mark Feeney begins by commenting on the effect that the 500 plus movies that Nixon watched had on him and his presidency.

Mark Feeney recommends "The Whole Equation," by David Thompson.

Originally Broadcast: February 22, 2005

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Mike Thompson

Interview with Congressman Mike Thompson

Each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives in the United States Congress represents approximately 680,000 people, and is elected every two years.  Mike Thompson is in his 4th term representing California’s 1st Congressional District that includes the northwest coast of California.  Congressman Thompson visited the studios of Radio Curious on February 22, 2005 and we discuss many topics beginning with a question posed to me earlier that day: “When will the Democrats get their act together…”

Mike Thompson recommends “Don’t Think of an Elephant, Know your Values and Frame the Debate—An Essential Guide for Progressives,: by George Lakoff; “What’s the Matter With Kansas, How Conservatives Won the Heart of America,” by Thomas Hart; and “Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History,” by George Crile..

Originally Broadcast: February 22, 2005

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Swanee Hunt

Women Waging Peace

This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace

Women Waging Peace is a global policy-oriented initiative working to integrate women into the peace process.  Swanee Hunt, a former United States Ambassador to the Austria, founded it.  Swanee Hunt is also the author of “This Was Not Our War; Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace.”  She interviewed twenty-six Bosnian women who are reconstructing their society in the years following the devastating war in their country.  These women describe what it was like living in a vibrant multicultural community that suddenly imploded in an onslaught of violence.  They relate the chaos; the atrocities, the rapes of neighbors and friends, their efforts to care for children and elderly parents and to find food and clean drinking water.  This interview with Ambassador Swanee Hunt was recorded from her home near Boston, Massachusetts in February 2005.

Swanee Hunt recommends "The Courage To Be," by Paul Tillich.

Originally Broadcast: February 15, 2005

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Eric Liu

The Benefits of Mentoring

Guiding Lights:  The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life

Every one of us, in every social role that we play, is a teacher and a mentor.  Who has influenced us, and how we pass that influence along is a question that goes to the heart of both learning and mentoring.  The concepts of mentoring are set out in the book “Guiding Lights:  The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life,” by Eric Liu.  In this interview, recorded n February 2005, Eric Liu discusses his experiences a mentor, a mentee, and an observer of both.   For more information see www.ericliu.com.

Eric Liu recommends "All the King's Men," by Robert Penn Warren.

Originally Broadcast: February 15, 2005

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Peter C. Whybrow

The Conflict Between Our Biological Heritage and the Speed of Our Lives

American Mania, Whem More is Not Enough

Not so long ago before the common use of devices operated by electricity our lives were generally much more calm.  And as humans we have a biological a heritage of being are curiosity driver, reward seeking and harm avoiding creatures.  The conflict that has evolved between our biological heritage and the demand driven economy in the United States is the essence of a book entitled “American Mania, When More is Not Enough.”  Dr. Peter C. Whybrow, author of “American Mania” is our guest on this edition of Radio Curious.  He is a professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral science, and director of the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California at Los Angeles. In this interview, recorded mid-February 2005, Dr. Whybrow discusses this conflict, and its consequences. 

  Peter C. Whybrow recommends “In Praise of Slowness” by Carl Honore.

Originally Broadcast: February 12, 2005

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Dr. Francis Adams

Are We Still Racists?

Alienable Rights: The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man's Land, 1619 to 2000

"Alienable Rights:  The Exclusion of African Americans in a White Man's Land, 1619 to 2000" is a book in part written by Francis Adams, an independent scholar living in Los Angeles, California.  The book posits that the drive for equal rights for black people in the United States has never had the support of the majority of America.  Rather, racial progress has been made in brief historic bursts, lead by the committed militant minorities of abolitionists, radical republicans, and civil rights activists.  In this program, we visit with Dr. Francis D. Adams.  I asked him to explain the importance of the trial of James Somerset that took place in England in 1772.

Dr. Francis Adams recommends "Collapse," by Jared Diamond.

Originally Broadcast: January 29, 2005

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Kristen Gardiner

Report on Lori Berenson

Lori Berenson is a 35-year-old woman from New York who has been in prison in Peru since 1996 for allegedly conspiring with Peruvian revolutionaries, known as MRTA, (Movimiento Revoluncionario Tupac Amaru).  Lori Berenson was twice convicted in Peru, first by judges who shrouded themselves in hoods, and then again in a slightly more open proceeding.  Her second trial still lacked adequate due process rights, as unanimously determined by the Costa Rica based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.  However, in a subsequent decision on appeal, handed down in December 2004, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, also based in Costa Rica, affirmed Lori’s 20-year prison sentence.  In this program, Kristen Gardner, a friend and supporter of Lori Berenson since they first met at students in Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983, discusses Lori, the person she is, and her case.

Kristen Gardiner recommends "Hope in the Dark," by Rebecca Solnit.

Originally Broadcast: January 25, 2005

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Steve Hellman

The Spontaneous Spoken Word

Are poets philosophers?  Doesn’t the creative moment reveal a personal truth to share?  Must a poem be recited the same way every time?  The spontaneous spoken word is a form of poetry that sometimes leaves the listener wondering if what is said really is spontaneous.  Steve Hellman is a poet who lives and speaks in Mendocino County and, in this program, shared some spontaneous spoken words.

Steve Hellman recommends "Crazy Wisdom," by Scoop Nesber.

Originally Broadcast: January 15, 2005

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Glenn McGourty

The Slow Food Movement

How can we assure ourselves that the food we eat is safe, nutritious and energy-efficient?  If we are what we eat, we ought to know what we will become.  That may be the concept underlying what is coming to be known as the slow food movement.  Glenn McGourty is the wine growing and plant science advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension for Lake and Mendocino Counties in Northern California.

Glenn McGourty recommends "The Origins and Ancient History of Wine," by Patrick McGovern.

Originally Broadcast: January 4, 2005

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