Johnson, Richard W. — His Philosophy and Optimism

This edition of Radio Curious is again about Richard W. Johnson Jr., publisher of a group of newspapers in Mendocino County, California, called Mendocino Country.  He died March 16th, 2011.  The interview was recorded in June  2008 shortly after voters passed Measure B, a ballot measure that attempted to regulate marijuana growth and production.  The measure repealed an earlier ballot initiative Richard Johnson wrote, Measure G in 2000, that set a limit of 25 plants and 2 pounds of processed marijuana.  Measure B reduced the limits to 6 plants person and 8 ounces of processed marijuana.  Richard Johnson was opposed to Measure B and we began our conversation when I asked him why he took on this issue considering the fact that he did not use marijuana.

Richard W. Johnson said he didn’t have time to read because he was too busy writing.

Originally Broadcast: June 18th, 2008

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Elberg, Sanford Ph.D. – Microbiology and What It Does for Us: Memorial to a Scientist

Microbiology, what it is and how it benefits society is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious. Our guest is the late Dr. Sanford Elberg, a retired professor of microbiology and bacteriology and later the Dean of the Graduate School at the University of California at Berkeley.   He died April 8th, 2011.

One of his scientific successes was the development of a vaccine for brucellosis, a disease in farm animals causing the female to abort early in pregnancy. This interview with Professor Elberg, who received a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1930, was recorded at his home in Mendocino County, California in March 1998. Dr. Elberg begins with a definition of microbiology and bacteriology.

Sanford Elberg recommends, “The Plague Tales,” by Ann Benson.

Originally Broadcast: March 30, 2006

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Saving a Small Town Post Office — Ukiah, California

The United States Postal Service has plans to close post offices in cities, small towns and rural areas across America. This edition of Radio Curious is a case study of how the federal government plans to close the main Post Office in Ukiah, California.  The Postal Service says it operates under a “corporate model” and is not subject to public information requests, even from local government. It is unwilling to share the bases of it cost analyses or even let the City of Ukiah conduct its own evaluations. We visit with three members of the Save the Ukiah Post Office Committee, Ukiah Mayor, Mari Rodin, Alan Nicholson and Mike Sweeney. They discuss the community efforts to save Ukiah’s downtown post office and why.

The interview was recorded April 11th, 2011.

The book Alan Nichols recommends is “House,” by Tracy Kidder.

The book Mari Rodin recommends is “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” by Malcolm Gladwell.

The book Mike Sweeney recommends is, “The Storms of my Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity,” by Dr. James C. Hansen.

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Farr, Sam — Status of the Government — A Conversation with California Congressman Sam Farr

This edition of Radio Curious is a visit with Congressman Sam Farr, who represents Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in the U.S. House of Representatives. We discuss the importance of public radio, the new Tea Party members in congress and some of the differences between the Bush Administration and the Obama Administration.

The interview with Congressman Sam Farr was recorded April 3rd, 2011.

The book he recommends is “When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the Peace Corps and it’s First Fifty Years,” by Stanley Meisler.

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