|
Activists & Community Leaders --
Tom Allman
The Sheriff and Marijuana
Marijuana, some say, is on the lips of many people here in Mendocino County, California, and likely many other places throughout the world, to some with pleasure and to others with distaste. Nonetheless it doesn’t seem that marijuana will go away. Not withstanding federal laws prohibiting use and possession of marijuana, the people of the state of California adopted the Compassionate Use Act in 1996 and in November 2000, the voters of Mendocino County approved a resolution by a vote of 58% to 42% to decriminalize the personal use of marijuana. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Tom Allman the Sheriff of Mendocino County to discuss the enforcement of the many conflicting marijuana laws. Estimates of the value of the crop produced in Mendocino County vary from five to ten billion dollars. We began when I asked the Sheriff to comment on this estimate.
Tom Allman recommends "The Hunt For Red Octobor," by Tom Clancy.
Originally Broadcast: June 19, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Anderson
The Reporter Interviewed
The Anderson Valley Advertiser is an iconoclastic newspaper originating weekly from Boonville, Mendocino County, California, edited and published by Bruce Anderson, whose name is merely coincidental with the name of the Anderson Valley. The masthead of the AVA, as it is sometimes called, says, “Newspapers should have no friends,” and “Fan the Flames of Discontent.” After a three-year hiatus, beginning when Anderson sold the AVA and attempted to establish a newspaper elsewhere, he repurchased the AVA and returned to Boonville on July 1, 2007 to write again. We met in the studios of Radio Curious on July 13, 2007 and talked about why he left Mendocino County, what he did while he was gone, how he reckons with the aggravated relationships he created with some people in years past, and what the readers can expect now that he again buys ink by the barrel.
Bruce Anderson recommends books by Rebecca Solnit.
Originally Broadcast: July 17, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Steven Antler and Keith Faulder
A Lawsuit To Be District Attorney
After District Attorney Norm Vroman died in September 2006 after his name could not removed from the ballot, Keith Faulder, the interim DA appointed by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, sued Mendocino County seeking to void the November 8, 2006 general election for DA and to require that a special election be held. Former Deputy District Attorney Meredith Lintott received the most votes in the June primary election and was also on the November 2006 ballot along with Vroman. The California Court of Appeals upheld Faulder's claim which Lintott and the County appealed to the California Supreme Court. This edition of Radio Curious discusses the history and status of this unique case in interviews with Faulder and Steve Antler, Lintott's attorney.
Keith Faulder recommends "Theodore Rex," by Edmund Morris.
Steven Antler recommends "October 1964," by David Halberstram.
Originally Broadcast: November 29, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Judi Bari
Conversation with an Earth First! Leader
Until the mid-1990s, the Redwood Industry dominated much of North Coast economy. In the mid-1990s, due to a number of circumstances particularly involving Pacific Lumber Company and Charles Hurwitz, industry advocates collided with environmentalists in a final hurrah. Few figures among the environmentalists carry as much name-recognition and power as did Judi Bari. In this program, recorded in March of 1995 at the height of the conflict, Judi Bari and I discussed the position of Earth First!
Judi Bari recommends "J. Edgar Hoover," by Kurt Gentry.
Originally Broadcast: March 27, 1995
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Judi Bari
Conversation with Judi Bari
Judi Bari, our guest in this archive edition of Radio Curious, was one of the leading environmental activists on the North Coast in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, notwithstanding that she was a victim of a car bombing in 1990 and severely injured. Presumably, the bomb was intended to stop her activities as a leader and organizer for Earth First!. The bomb that injured her exploded in May 1990 while she was driving in Oakland, California, took a tremendous toll on her physically and resulted in a lawsuit she brought against the FBI and the Oakland, California Police Department. In the weeks before this interview which was originally broadcast in November 1993, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas, Judi Bari obtained approximately 5,000 pages of FBI documents which she gathered as part of her lawsuit. We spoke about this information and about Judi’s background.
Judi Bari recommends “A Taste of Power: A Black Women’s Story,” by Elaine Brown.
Originally Broadcast: November 29, 1993
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Israeli Human Rights Attorney
Yael Berda is a young Israeli lawyer, born in New York and raised in Jerusalem. At the age of 14, she became involved in a struggle to free her parents from debtors’ prison and the experience changed her life. She has since become a leader of a non-violent movement for reconciliation and understanding among the Israel and Palestinian populations.
Yael Berda recommends "Fields of Protest," by Roca Ray.
Originally Broadcast: November 30, 2004
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bob Blincoe
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.
--------------------------------------------------------
Roger Brandt
The Oregon Caves
The Oregon Caves, located about 70 miles northeast of Crescent City, California in the Oregon Caves National Monument, are a place full of interest, mystery, and history. The caves were located in 1874 when Elijah Davidson chased his dog into the what appeared to be a hole in the earth. The Oregon Caves are very unique possibly due to the fact that it is one of the few cave systems located on tectonically active ground, known as a subduction zone. Their uniqueness may also be due to the fact an old growth Douglas Fir forest grows directly above the caves, or the fact that they were created from what used to be a tropical reef that was pushed about 12 miles below the surface of the earth and then brought back up to its current location, and is still rising. I visited the Oregon Caves in 2006 and knew at once it would be a unique experience. I spoke with Roger Brandt, the manager of visitor services and education of the Oregon Caves in the summer of 2006 about the caves. We began when I asked him about the Oregon Caves and what they represent.
Roger Brandt recommends “Golden Days and Pioneer Ways” by Ruth Phefferle.
Originally Broadcast: February 21, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Roger Brandt
The Oregon Caves
The Oregon Caves, located about 70 miles northeast of Crescent City, California in the Oregon Caves National Monument, are a place full of interest, mystery, and history. The caves were located in 1874 when Elijah Davidson chased his dog into the what appeared to be a hole in the earth. The Oregon Caves are very unique possibly due to the fact that it is one of the few cave systems located on tectonically active ground, known as a subduction zone. Their uniqueness may also be due to the fact an old growth Douglas Fir forest grows directly above the caves, or the fact that they were created from what used to be a tropical reef that was pushed about 12 miles below the surface of the earth and then brought back up to its current location, and is still rising. I visited the Oregon Caves in 2006 and knew at once it would be a unique experience. I spoke with Roger Brandt, the manager of visitor services and education of the Oregon Caves in the summer of 2006 about the caves. We began when I asked him about the Oregon Caves and what they represent.
Roger Brandt recommends “Golden Days and Pioneer Ways” by Ruth Phefferle.
Originally Broadcast: February 21, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dennis del Castillo
Mercedes Lu
Peruvian Environmental Issues, 1998
In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit Dennis del Castillo and Mercedes Lu, two environmental activists from Peru. I met with them in Lima, Peru on February 5th, 1998. Dennis del Castillo, who holds a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in soil science and in this interview describes contemporary environmental problems in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. In the second half of this program we visit with Mercedes Lu, a scientific technician, who described some of the problems resulting from copper mining that occurs along the coast of southern Peru. We began our conversation when I asked Dennis del Castillo to describe the potential of the Peruvian Amazon Basin.
Dennis del Castillo recommends “The Losing Ground,” by Erik P. Eckholm.
Originally Broadcast: April 3, 1998
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Laura Cheek
At Home in Glacier Bay
Some of the most studied glaciers in the world are found in Glacier Bay National Park located in southeastern Alaska. These expansive ice sheets cover approximately ten percent of the earth’s surface and hold eighty percent of the world’s fresh water, ninety-nine percent of which can be found in Greenland and Antarctica. Due to gravity’s pull, glaciers shape and scour the landscape moving land and vegetation great distances as they slowly slide downward toward the sea. This glacial movement has created rich farmland, vast deposits of gravel and sand, and concentrated valuable metals, depending on where they glaciers have traveled. Glaciers also create deep valleys and fjords, like the kind seen in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Laura Cheek was a national park ranger at Glacier Bay National Park in 1996 when this program was recorded. As part of her job, she boarded tour ships in Glacier Bay to discuss glaciers, what they’re like and how they’re formed.
Laura Cheek recommends "The Island Within," by Richard Nelson.
Originally Broadcast: August 14, 1996
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Gary Coy
The Man Driving the Dog Team
There is strong historical and anthropological evidence that dogs came across the Bering land bridge with people migrating from Siberia to Alaska. These dogs worked hard to maintain their keep; they weren’t pets. Instead, they chased and ran down polar bears and located seals hiding beneath the Bering ice. One of the early dog professionals in Alaska was Harry Karstens, who later became the first superintendent of Mount McKinley National Park. As a young man, he pioneered a dog sled route from Fairbanks to Valdez, and hauled mail to the Katishna mining district. Now, at Denali National Park in central Alaska, there’s a breeding and training and leadership program for these sled dogs. I spoke with Gary Coy, the director of this remarkable kennel. In his office there is a large sign quoting Harry Karstens. It says: “A man driving a dog team is the biggest dog himself.” Amid the noise and the chatter of the dog kennels in Denali Park, I asked Gary to explain what that sign means and to tell us a little about this wonderful project.
Gary Coy recommends "A Dog-Puncher on the Yukon," by Arthur Walden.
Originally Broadcast: August 28, 1996
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Blood on a Nuclear Submarine
Civil disobedience often precedes most social or political change. The American political tradition has deep roots in civil disobedience. The Boston Tea Party, the Underground Railroad of the Civil War period, the Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and the Vietnam War protests are well known examples. Symbolic destruction of the tools of war is an act of civil disobedience currently carried out by religious and faith based war protesters. Susan Crane, once a Peace Corps volunteer and a former Ukiah teacher, hammered on a nuclear submarine in Maine and then poured blood on it. As a result, she was sentenced to two years in federal prison. I met with her in the studios of Radio Curious at the end of February 1999, the day after she was released from prison.
Susan Crane recommends The Bible.
Originally Broadcast: March 9, 1999
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dewey Crockett
Living Language Fossil
Tangier Island is a remote community in North America in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located twelve miles across the water from Crissfield, Maryland, the closest larger community, Tangier Island for a long time was isolated and insular. Some have called it a language fossil because many people speak with an accent close to that of Elizabethan England. Dewey Crockett was born and grew up on the island. In 1995, when this program was recorded, he was a social studies teacher, a Methodist minister, the Mayor, and the undertaker for Tangier Island. I spoke with Dewey Crockett about Tangier Island, its history, and some of the issues of the time.
Dewey Crockett recommends "The Parson of the Island," by Adam Wallace.
Originally Broadcast: August 7, 1995
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Keith Faulder and Steven Antler
A Lawsuit To Be District Attorney
After District Attorney Norm Vroman died in September 2006 after his name could not removed from the ballot, Keith Faulder, the interim DA appointed by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, sued Mendocino County seeking to void the November 8, 2006 general election for DA and to require that a special election be held. Former Deputy District Attorney Meredith Lintott received the most votes in the June primary election and was also on the November 2006 ballot along with Vroman. The California Court of Appeals upheld Faulder's claim which Lintott and the County appealed to the California Supreme Court. This edition of Radio Curious discusses the history and status of this unique case in interviews with Faulder and Steve Antler, Lintott's attorney.
Keith Faulder recommends Theodore Rex.
Originally Broadcast: November 29, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
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
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Richard Gardiner
The Mix of Psychiatry and the Psyche
This program is a two-part series with Dr. Richard Gardner, a practicing psychiatrist in Ukiah, California. We discuss what do psychiatrist do, and what don’t psychiatrist do? What is the psyche? What is crazy? What are the causes of mental dysfunction? What medicines were available to assist people with mental health problems, and other resources that were available in 1997 when this program was recorded.
Richard Gardiner recommends “How Good People Make Tough Choices,” by Rushworth M. Kidder and “The Cider House Rules,” by John Irving.
Originally Broadcast: September 30, 1997 October 3, 1997
Click here to begin listening to part one.
Click here to begin listening to part two.
--------------------------------------------------------
Leonard Garment
Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz, and Wall Street to Nixon’s White House, Watergate, and Beyond…,
Some people’s memories of President Richard Nixon are negative due to his role in escalating the Vietnam War, the student demonstrations at Kent State University, and Nixon’s ultimate downfall in Watergate. But who was the man? And how could another individual get close to him? “Crazy Rhythm: My Journey from Brooklyn, Jazz, and Wall Street to Nixon’s White House, Watergate, and Beyond…,” is a story written by a complex person very close to Richard Nixon. Attorney Leonard Garment was born to immigrant Jewish parents in New York in 1924. Playing music, especially saxophone jazz, he grew up in Brooklyn. As a good student and, with what he describes, “an ambition to run things,” Garment finished law school in his early twenties and began working for a major Wall Street law firm. Even though at times he characterized himself as a liberal Democrat, Garment became a close friend and law partner with Richard Nixon and later became the attorney for, and the counsel to, President Richard Nixon, during the time Nixon was embroiled in the throws of Watergate. This interview was originally broadcast in May of 1997.
Leonard Garment recommends “American Pastoral,” by Philip Roth.
Originally Broadcast: May 16, 1997
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is a time for reflection and renewal, a time to look inward to oneself and outward to one’s community. At the time this program was recorded, in September 1995, Rabbi Shefa Gold was a rabbinical student in her last year of a six-year study program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, where she is studying to become a rabbi. As part of her life, she travels to many communities in the US and other parts of the world to help Jewish communities celebrate the holidays.
Shefa Gold recommends Translation of the Psalms, by Steven Mitchell.
Originally Broadcast: September 25, 1995
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Z. Golden
Lawsuit to Ban Genetically Modified Alfalfa
The consequences of growing genetically modified alfalfa were deteremined by the United States District Court in San Francisco, California to be so uncertain and so potentially dangerous that they were outlawed nation-wide in litigation brought by the Center for Food Safety based in San Francisco. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Attorney Kevin Zelig Golden, who, along with others from the Center for Food Safety, litigated this landmark case which banned the planting of genetically modified alfalfa as of May 3, 2007.
Kevin Z. Golden recommends "Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," by Michael Pollan.
Originally Broadcast: May 7, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Corporate Responsibility
In this program, we discussed the influence that the 1,000 largest corporations in the world have on the American society and culture as well as worldwide society and culture. Richard Grossman is the Director of the Program on Corporations, Law, and Democracy, based in Cambridge, MA. When I spoke with Richard Grossman by phone from his home in Provincetown, MA, I began by asking what, in his opinion, these corporations are doing that they should not do.
Richard Grossman recommends books by Alexander Mikeljohn.
Originally Broadcast: March 27, 1996
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Dan Gottlieb
A Struggle to Live
Letters to Sam: A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss
and the Gifts of Life
For many of us, the desire to be known exceeds our desire to be loved. Who we are as individuals, how we reckon with our personal abilities and disabilities the topic of this edition of Radio Curious: a conversation with my friend Dr. Dan Gottlieb. Dan Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist who lives and works near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been paralyzed from the neck down as a result of an automobile accident in 1979. He's the host of “Voices in the Family,” a weekly public radio program originating from WHYY in Philadelphia and the author of two articles a month in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Because of his physical condition, Dan thought he may not live to see his young grandson Sam grow to be man. When Sam was diagnosed with a severe form of autism several years ago, Dan decided to write a series of letters to his grandson. The book, “Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss and the Gifts of Life,” is a collection of intimate and compassionate letters sharing Dan thoughts, observations and experiences gained from his 27 years with quadriplegia and his professional life as a clinical psychologist. You may learn more about Dan and his work at www.drdangottlieb.com. Dr. Dan Gottlieb and I visited by phone from his home in near Philadelphia in mid April 2006.
www.drdangottlieb.com
Dr. Dan Gottlieb recommends “Eat, Pray and Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything, Across Italy, India and Indonesia,” by Elizabeth Gilbert and "Life of Pi,” by Yann Martel.
Originally Broadcast: April 12, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Holly Hollenbeck
Sex Lives of Wives
Sex Lives of Wives: Reigniting the Passion, True Confessions and Provocative Advise from Real Women
How to ignite sexual passion from a woman’s perspective is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious as we talk with Holly Hollenbeck, a former attorney from Omaha, Nebraska. Holly Hollenbeck is the author of “Sex Lives of Wives, Reigniting the Passion, True Confessions and Provocative Advice from Real Women.” She says her book is not so much directed at how to please your mate, but how to please yourself by pleasing your mate. Take a look at www.passionseekers.com, her website devoted to helping women find passion and inspiration in their long-term relationships. I spoke with Holly Hollenbeck from her home in Nebraska in mid September 2006, and asked her to describe what motivated to write “Sex Lives of Wives.”
Holly Hollenbeck recommends "Adults Only Travel: The Ultimate Guide to Romantic and Erotic Destination," by David West and Louis James.
Originally Broadcast: September 20, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Corporate Greed
Pigs at the Trough, How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America
Arianna Huffington, a political columnist and commentator with a conservative background, is the author of “Pigs at the Trough, How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption Are Undermining America.” Her book discusses alliances between corporate executive officers, politicians, lobbyists and bankers in disregard for office and factory workers.
Arianna Huffington recommends "Wealth and Commonwealth, Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes," by Chuck Collins.
Originally Broadcast: February 18, 2003
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Prof. Alberto Kattan
Argentinan Environmental Issues in 1993
The late Professor Alberto Kattan, a Professor of Law at Buenos Aires University and one of the foremost litigators of environmental issues in Argentina, is my guest on this archive edition of Radio Curious. In our conversation originally broadcast in March 1993, we discussed the future of the penguins that he was and endeavoring to protect, dolphins, the use of 245T, and problems with the tobacco industry in Argentina.
Originally Broadcast: March 7, 1993
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Errant Priests
Taught to Believe the Unbelievable: A New Vision of Hope for Church and Society
Sister Jane Kelly has been a nun for over 55 years and for several years has tried to have a priest in her parish taken out of the ministry for child molestation and thievery. She is also the author of a book entitled, “Taught to Believe the Unbelievable: A New Vision of Hope for Church and Society,” which discusses the current crisis of sexual and fiscal abuse as an incredible opportunity for the Church.
Originally Broadcast: June 10, 2002
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Niilo Koponen, Ph.D.
North To Alaska
People who crave space, freedom, adventure, and opportunities have long been attracted to Alaska. In June of 1996 I spoke with Niilo Kopanan, the son of Finnish immigrants who grew up in New York City and moved to a mountain ridge near Fairbanks, Alaska in 1952. At that time, land there was still open for homesteading. He located his 160 acres and filed a homestead on the ridge where he still lives. After several years there, in the mid 1950s, he returned to the lower 48 states to earn a Ph.D. Yet the magnet of Alaska pulled him back where he became a university professor and a member of the Alaska legislature, and he’s been there ever since.
Niilo Koponen, Ph.D. recommends “The life story of Elizabeth Morgan” by Ernest Morgan.
Originally Broadcast: June 18, 1996
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Linda Kremer
The Legal Defense of Jailed Cambodians
Attorney Linda Kremer, a Public Defender in Marin County, California, worked for thirteen months in Phnom Phen, Cambodia, in 1996 and 1997 as Director of the Cambodian Defenders’ Project. The Cambodian Defenders’ Project recruits and trains Khmer men and women to serve as Public Defenders in the criminal courts of Cambodia. Cambodian law requires that no person be detained in excess of 48 hours without being charged with a crime or be held without trial from longer than six months. In practice, these rights are rarely honored. Without legal defense, those is prison are powerless to request compliance. Other programs you may enjoy are with Daniel Ellsberg discussing the Pentagon Papers and Vietman, and with Wayne Knight, a Mendocino County artist who was also associated with the Cambodian Defenders Project. They both may be found on this website.
Linda Kremer recommends “Spontaneous Healing” & “Natural Healing,” both by Andrew While.
Originally Broadcast: March 26, 1997
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Getting Dolphins Out of Tuna Nets
My guest in this program is Sam La Budde, a catalyst, if not the catalyst, in getting dolphins out of tuna nets. He has been an activist with the Earth Island Institute and a number of other organizations. In this conversation, we discussed the history of the dolphins, endangered species in Taiwan, and a potential economic boycott of redwood lumber. This program was originally broadcast in September of 1992, when Radio Curious was called Government, Politics and Ideas.
Originally Broadcast: September 14, 1992
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Lev
A Story of Chanukah
Every year on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which falls four days before the new moon closest to the winter solstice, the eight day holiday of Chanukah, celebrated worldwide, begins. Before the days of radio and television a person called a magid traveled from town to town, visiting Jewish people and Jewish families. Daniel Lev is a modern day magid who sometimes visits Ukiah and Willits to teach and pass along Jewish tradition through stories, songs, and spiritual practice. This program was originally broadcast in December 1996, and joined these archives the day Daniel Lev became a rabbi in 2005.
Daniel Lev recommends the Torah.
Originally Broadcast: December 14, 1996
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Gregorio Luke
Mexican Culture in the United States
The governments of most countries in the world send an ambassador to other countries to talk about and promote what their country is like and carry on political affairs between the two countries. These ambassadors often have assistants that are called “cultural attaches”. They present the culture, the folklore and the history from the country where they’re from and the country where they are. In this program from the archives of Radio Curious, recorded in 1997, we visit with Gregorio Luke, who then was the counsel for cultural affairs for Mexico. He spent 8 ½ years in Washington DC, and at the time this program was recorded he had been working at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles for eighteen months.
Gregorio Luke recommends "The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh," by Vincent Van Gogh.
Originally Broadcast: November 7, 1997
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Rev. MeLinda Morton
Evangelical Proselytization at the United States Air Force Academy
This program with MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran minister who resigned from active duty as a chaplain at the United States Air Force Academy effective July 31, 2005, continues our series on evangelical proselytization within the United States Air Force and at the United States Air Force Academy in Coloradio Springs, Colorado. This interview was recorded on August 19, 2005, and begins with Rev. Morton describing her duties as a pastoral chaplain to the cadets at the Air Force Academy and the issues that led up to her resignation. If you are interested in this topic, please listen to interview with Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force Academy graduate and a former attorney in the Reagan White House.
Rev. MeLinda Morton recommends “No Future, Queer Theory and the Death Drive,” by Lee Edelman..
Originally Broadcast: August 23, 2005
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Frank Pacino
Life in the Marine Corps
When recruiters from the Armed Forces of the United States seek out volunteers, they often portray military life to be a great adventure. They talk of schooling, travel and excitement. Sometimes that is not the case. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit Sgt. Frank Pacino, who spent his early life in Covelo, California and then moved to Ukiah, California. Frank Pacino was recruited into the Marine Corps in early 2001 and is now a Sergeant. He was one of the first troops to go into Iraq in 2002, where he spent approximately six months. He was returned to Iraq in 2004 for a year.
Frank Pacino recommends "Bush At War," by Bob Woodward.
Originally Broadcast: May 17, 2005
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Neil Proto
Law As A Tool For Social Change
To A High Court: The Tumult and Choices that Led to United States v. SCRAP
Law a tool for social change is the subject of this edition of Radio Curious, and it’s also reason why I decided to be an attorney. Neil Proto, now a veteran Washington D.C. attorney, was a law student in the early 1970s in Washington D.C. and one of several law students in a group called SCRAP (Student’s Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures) which sued the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States and the nation’s railroads for what they believed was a violation of the NEPA, the National Environmental Protection Act. The regulations, which they successfully challenged, discouraged the movement of materials that could be recycled and encouraged the movement of raw materials. The Federal court issued an injunction, ordered an environmental impact report be prepared and in the end the regulations were overturned. The story is told in Neil Proto’s book, “To A High Court: The Tumult and Choices that Led to United States v. SCRAP.” For the past 35 years, Neil Proto has been practicing and teaching law in the Nation’s capital. In this conversation, recorded in early February, 2006, we discuss the SCRPA lawsuit, importance of citizen involvement in the use of the law as a tool for social change and how court rulings in recent decades have made this involvement more difficult.
Neil Proto recommends “The Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T.E. Lawrence,” by John E. Mack..
Originally Broadcast: February 14, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Elana Rozenman
Jewish, Muslim & Christian Understanding
In June, 2002 I overheard an American woman now living in Israel passionately describe her belief that teaching children to be suicide bombers is the worst form of child abuse imaginable. I invited Elana Radley Rosenman, an organizer of the Women’s Interfaith Encounter, a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish women who meet regularly in Jerusalem, to be our guest on this edition of Radio Curious.
Elana Rozenman recommends "Yet a Stranger: Why Black Americans Still Don't Feel at Home," Debra Mathis.
Originally Broadcast: July 23, 2002
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Ruch
How to be a Whistleblower
The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public While Surviving Public Service
“The Art of Anonymous Activism: Serving the Public While Surviving Public Service” is a short book published by three public interest organizations based in Washington DC: POGO, the Project on Government Oversight (www.pogo.org), GAP, the Government Accountability Project (www.whistleblower.org), and PEER, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (www.peer.org). Jeff Ruch is the executive director of PEER and the book’s co-editor.
Originally Broadcast: January 20, 2003
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Pete Seeger
Thoughts from a Troubador: An Interview with Pete Seeger
This archive edition of Radio Curious was originally recorded and broadcast in January of 1992 when Radio Curious was called “Government, Politics and Ideas.” Our guest is Pete Seeger, a folk musician and a very special person in the lives of many people around the world. He brings songs of hope, peace, justice and equality wherever he goes. He was an inspiration to me when I first learned to play the 5-string banjo and when I took lessons from him, in what seems both long and ago and, just yesterday. We began our conversation when I asked him what he meant when he said “the world is in a state of uncertainty.”
Originally Broadcast: January 20, 1992
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Richard Shoemaker
Barry Vogel, Esq.
Citizen Effort to Combat Big Box Takeover of a Small, Rural Community.
Contrary to the five to zero decision of the Ukiah City Council recommending a No Vote, Mendocino County Supervisor Jim Wattenburger, whose district solely comprises the City of Ukiah, voted yes creating a board majority to further investigate the development of a major shopping center adjacent to Ukiah, a small, tranquil, rural community. In this conversation Richard Shoemaker, a former member of the Board of Supervisors from the Ukiah district, and attorney and veteran board watcher Barry Vogel (host and producer of Radio Curious) discuss the unusual anomalies of this event.
Richard Shoemaker recommends "Ripples From the Zambezi," Ernesto Sirolli.
Barry Vogel recommends "Big Box Swindle," Stacy Mitchell.
Originally Broadcast: August 22, 2007
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
An Experiment in Successful Community Mediation
Stockton, CA, has been called the most diverse community in the world. Fourteen distinct and primary languages are spoken in the Stockton area elementary schools. This enormous cultural diversity has, in the past, resulted in automatic rifle fire at a Stockton elementary school. Scott Spears, a young man who grew up in Ukiah, currently works at the Stockton mediation justify as a trainer and program developer in the schools and as a mediator in the Stockton community.
Originally Broadcast: April 16, 1997
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Maggie Watson
Barry Vogel, Esq.
Make It Easier For Your Loved Ones When You Die
A Graceful Farewell: Putting Your Affairs in Order
Putting your affairs in order before you die is the topic of this edition Radio Curious. Our guest is Maggie Watson, a professional organizer who lives on the Mendocino Coast in northern California. She is the author of “A Graceful Farewell: Putting Your Affairs in Order,” a collection of ideas and forms that make it easy to list what you own and where everything is. In the course of our conversation Maggie Watson turned the microphones and began to ask me about estate planning, the documents which are useful for everyone to have and the differences between a will and a trust. In my day job I am an attorney in Ukiah, California and devote a portion of my practice to estate planning. Maggie Watson and I met in the studios of Radio Curious in early December 2006.
www.agracefulfarewell.com
Maggie Watson recommends “Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and the World – The Essential Guide to Women’s Circles,” by Jean Shinoda Bolend. Barry Vogel recommends “Jacobson’s Organ and The Remarkable Nature of Smell,” by Lyall Watson.
Originally Broadcast: December 6, 2006
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Mikey Weinstein
Evangelical Christianity and the United States Air Force Academy
There are concerns that evangelical Christianity is close to being officially sanctioned at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as within other areas of the United States’ military forces. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit some of these issues with Mikey Weinstein, a graduate of Air Force Academy, a businessman and former attorney in the Reagan White House. He describes how evangelical Christianity appears to have become the standard within the United States Air Force Academy that trains future leaders of the U.S. Air Force. At the beginning of an Air Force career each new cadet, among many other things, takes an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. These cadets are led by Brig. Gen. Johnny A Weida, the current USAF Academy Commandant of Cadets. On the official Air Force website, under character development, Brig. Gen. Weida is quoted as saying, "Our primary emphasis is to ensure every graduate has the character, honor, integrity, sense of service and excellence required of a second lieutenant in the world's greatest Air and Space force." On July 29, 2005, the name of Brig Gen Weida, the number two officer of the Air Force Academy, was deleted from a list of Air Force generals to be promoted, shortly before the Senate voted on those promotions. An April 28, 2005 report by American United for Separation of Church and State accused Brig Gen Weida of proselytizing to the cadets and specifically endorsing evangelical Christianity at the Academy. It is suggested that this may be a reason why he was not promoted. This interview with Mikey Weinstein, who worked as Assistant General Counsel in the Reagan White House Office of Administration, was recorded by telephone from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 3, 2005.
Mikey Weinstein recommends "The Sins of Scripture." by John Shelby Spong.
Originally Broadcast: August 9, 2005
Please click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Mikey Weinstein
Update on Evangelism at the U.S. Air Force Academy
The concerns that evangelical Christianity continues to be proselytized at the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, have not lessened since our August 9, 2005 interview with Air Force Academy graduate Attorney Mikey Weinstein. Mikey Weinstein, of Albuquerque, New Mexico is a former Assistant General Counsel in the Reagan White House and former General Counsel for H. Ross Perot. In October 2005, Weinstein sued the United States Air Force in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, alleging violations of the Establishment clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution because of the evangelical proselytization at the Air Force Academy. Details may be found in the first interview with Attorney Weinstein, and the subsequent interviews with Reverend MeLinda Morton and Professor Kristen Leslie at www.radiocurious.org. In this interview, recorded on December 11, 2005, Attorney Weinstein discusses the current status of the litigation; the “Officers’ Christian Fellowship” located at many of the 702 United States Military bases in 132 different counties around the world; what he believes to be the religious efforts and goals of some evangelical Christians; and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a non-profit corporation he is organizing.
Mikey Weinstein recommends “Constantine’s Sword, The Church and the Jews, A History,” by James Carroll,.
Originally Broadcast: December 13, 2005
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bill Zacha
Developing an Artist Colony in the Village of Mendocino, California
Bill Zacha, the leading force behind the creation of the Mendocino Art justify was a person with vision and moxie and one who made a dream come true. In August 1957, Bill Zacha, was a young married teacher and lived near San Francisco. On a short trip to the village of Mendocino with his wife Jenny and friends, Bill not only saw the beauty of the Mendocino coast, but the opportunity to act swiftly to purchase what is now the Mendocino Art justify and keep that property out of the hands of those who envisioned creating a trailer park there. Since its inception, the Mendocino Arts justify has featured artists, teachers, and students from all over the world. Bill Zacha, who was often called Mr. Mendocino, died on March 18th 1998.
Bill Zacha recommends "Love in the Time of Cholera," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Originally Broadcast: March 27, 1998
Click here to begin listening.
--------------------------------------------------------
An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom
Zoya's Story, An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom
Zoya, a member of the RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan, tells the story of her childhood, her parents and her parents’ disappearance. She describes the wrath that first the Russians, then the Taliban and then the Northern Alliance have brought to her country. Along with the suffering, she describes the hope and spirit carried in the hearts of the Afghan people.
Zoya recommends the collected speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
Originally Broadcast: June 18, 2002
Click here to begin listening.
|
