Radio Curious

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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Few people in Mendocino County, who are not elected officials, have created as much enmity and as many disruptive relationships as has Richard W. Johnson, Jr., who was the owner, editor and publisher of four local news papers under the banner: Mendocino Country.  Johnson died Wednesday March 16th, 2011, in hospice care.  He was 66 years old and will be remembered by his stalwart stance  activist vigor and irascible nature.

He was an original organizer of California Certified Organic Farmers, the recipient of the Mendocino Environmental Center’s ‘Walking Stick Award’ in 1992 for promoting an ocean sanctuary off the Mendocino Coast, and as an original proponent of Measure G on the Mendocino County ballot in 2000, which legalized marijuana in Mendocino County.  When we visited he said he wanted to discuss the misunderstood and seldom appreciated Richard Johnson, his life and times.  And he does.

The interview was recorded at the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, CA on February 19^th , 2008.  Richard Johnson’s papers will continue.  Radio Curious Associate Producer, Christina Aanestad and Annie Esposito are publishing Mendocino Country Independent, Vistas and Confluence.  Augusto “Zezzy” Chirre will publish El Sol.

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Radio Curious hosts a conversation with Susan Crane, founder of plowshares who will be discussing her lifetime commitment to ending nuclear proliferation through non-violent direct action.  She’s awaiting sentencing,scheduled for March 2011, for pouring her blood on trident submarine machine bombs in the state of Washington.  A grandmother, in her 60s Susan Crane faces up to 10 years in federal prison for her actions.  In this edition of Radio Curious, Susan Crane discusses practicing a code of non-violence in every day life as well as using non-violent civil disobedience as a means to creating peace in the world.

The interview with Susan Crane was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, California, on January 29th, 2011.

The articles Susan Crane recommends instead of a book, are by Judge C.J. Weeramantry and  be read on the links below:

http://www.jonahhouse.org/Disarm_Now_Plowshares/judge-weeramantry-trident.pdf

http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com

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In my opinion, when my friend Ed Reinhart comes here to Ukiah, it is well worth the effort to track him down and listen to him play someone else’s piano and sing along.

And that is what happened the last few days of 2010. The sign said Ed would be playing at the Himalaya Café at the south end of town on New Year’s Eve beginning at 6:30 pm. Now it may seem a bit early to start a New Year’s Eve Party, but Ed is always ready to do things his way, and under the guise of liking to get to bed early, he played and sang Old Lange Syne when it was New Year’s in New York, or in the Ukiah vernacular, 9 p.m.

Now Ed, who masquerades as Earl Dixon, a semi-unknown sort as he likes to say, and/or Rico Suave, a moniker he adopted while living in Ecuador, can play boogie-woogie piano better than most anyone. And that to me makes Earl and Rico all the more confusing as to who they may or may not be.

Ed, etc. have been guests on three previous editions Radio Curious, and those visits are available at www.radiocurious.org. Why so much Ed on Radio Curious? I like him and his music and enjoy our visits. We hope you do too. So Happy New Year to each of you and welcome to the first Radio Curious program recorded in our 21st year on the air.

This interview with Ed Reinhart was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious, in Ukiah, California on January 7, 2011.

The book Ed Reinhart recommends is “World Without End,” by Ken Follett.

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The power of any criminal prosecutor and especially a local district attorney, is immense.  The given job of the DA is to serve justice, and the on-going question is what process to employ in order to achieve justice.  Not all prosecutors have experience as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor.  In Mendocino County, California, David Eyster, an attorney with experience on both sides of criminal cases, was elected to the office of District Attorney and will assume the position of chief law enforcement officer of the county on January 3, 2011.  When he visited the studios of Radio Curious on December 27, 2010, we had a conversation about the role of a criminal defense attorney and how that will affect his new role as prosecutor; his attitude toward “overcharging” criminal violations, what he calls “leveraging the defendant;” the use of the grand jury in criminal cases; and his plans to prosecute unfair business practices.  We began when I asked him about the role of the criminal defense attorney.

The book David Eyster recommends in the “Autobiography of Mark Twain.”

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This week Radio Curious is joined by 3rd District candidates for Supervisor in Mendocino County, incumbent John Pinches and challenger Holly Madrigal. Host and attorney Barry Vogel asks them both the same questions, independently of one another so you can compare their answers.  The interviews were recorded October 8th, 2010, at the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, California.

The book John Pinches recommends is, “Genocide and Vendetta,” by Lynwood Carranco and Estle Beard.

The book Holly Madrigal recommends is, “Last Call,” by Daniel Okrent.

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This week Radio Curious is joined by 5th District candidates for Supervisor in Mendocino County, Dan Hamburg and Wendy Roberts. Host and attorney Barry Vogel asks them both the same questions, independently of one another so you can compare their answers.

The book Wendy Roberts recommends is, “Touching Wings, Touching Wild,” by Ronnie James.

The book Dan Hamburg recommends is, “The Shock Doctrine,” by Naomi Klein.

The interviews were recorded in the last week of September at the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, Ca.

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The Mendocino County courthouse is moving.  Join us for conversation with Judge David Nelson, who sits on the site selection committee. We discuss when, where and why the Mendocino Courthouse is moving, and how people can have a say about the courthouse location.

The book David Nelson recommends is, “The Lacuna,” by Barbara Kingsolver.

This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious September 17th, 2010.

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If you don’t care about keeping your teeth, your general health or bad breath, skip these two editions of Radio Curious.  Our guest is Dr. John Knapp, a retired professor from the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry.

The importance of preserving and protecting our teeth is often ignored, shunned, feared and to some unknown.  In this two part series we look at the importance of dental hygiene and heath care in the first conversation with Dr. Knapp.  In part two we discuss the effect of negligent dental care on the rest of the human body and the long term benefits of dental care in a national health care system.

And while you listen remember “the only teeth you need to floss are the ones you want to keep.” The interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious on July 16^th, 2010.

The books Dr. John Knapp recommends are “Mystics and Zen Masters,” by Thomas Merton, and “Turning Point,” by Fritjof Capra.

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