Radio Curious

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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The sound of the cello may, if you listen, be heard in the heart invoking a kaleidoscope of emotions on a “magic carpet ride” of sound. Joel Cohen, cellist extraordinaire has performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and currently lives in Mendocino County.  When Joel Cohen visited the Radio Curious studios on April 26, 2010 he described his friend the cello, bowed it to life, and it sung and spoke to us.  Our conversation began with Joel Cohen describing his relationship with the cello. This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious on April 26, 2010.

The book Joel Cohen recommends is “Skinny Legs And All” by Tom Robbins.

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Susan Cone Bell, born July 5, 1946, created a legacy of leadership that will long out live her life which sadly ended in Honduran waters on December 17, 2009.  In a few short words she might be described as a woman who had a talent to spark imagination and encourage creativity in many people.  In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Neill Bell who spent 44 plus years with Susan, and hear from Sally Miller Gearhart and Jade Power who share their insights about the remarkable woman Susan Cone Bell was, and still is.  Neill Bell visited the studios of Radio Curious on March 1, 2010 and we began our conversation with his story about how he and Susan met.

The book Neill Bell recommends is “Wet Grave,” by Barbara Hambly

You can visit the website created by Neill Bell in memory of Susan at www.susanbell.org

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In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Helen Menasian, director of the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project, located north of Ukiah, California. Ukiah is a small town in a long narrow valley that has been occupied by the Pomo People for about 11,000 years. About 150 years ago when Europeans and other foreign settlers arrived  the wilderness of the Ukiah valley was interrupted by pavement, waterworks and mechanical noise.

The book “The Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv describes some of the central ethos behind outdoor education for children. The book reminds us that parents have the power to ensure that their son or daughter will not be “the last child in the woods,” and discusses the importance of the nature-child reunion. During this conversation we hear how the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project seeks to regain that connection. We began by asking Helen Menasian to explain just what the project does. This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious, Ukiah, California on February 8th 2010.

The book Helen Menasian recommends is “The Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder,” by Richard Louv.

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The fundamental human drive to procreate and reproduce our own kind is also a ticking clock. The female biological clock, though varying woman to woman, as we know, more often than not unwittingly controls root emotions and family life. As many women’s choices in life have widened and changed in the past half century their clocks still tick. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Jody Gehrman, writer of “The Ticking Clock,” and actress/researcher Deborah Edelman. Their play is based upon material collected in interviews and surveys with over 150 women; mothers, non-mothers, adoptive mothers, surrogates, pregnant teenage women and more, and queries how their clocks have shaped their lives.

This interview was recorded on January 29th 2010 in the studios of Radio Curious in Ukiah, California. I began by asking Jody Gehrman to explain the play and how the interviews were collected.

The book that Jody Gehrman recommends is “Nocturne,” by Diane Armstrong.

The book that Deborah Edelman recommends is “The Omnivore’s Dilema,” by Michael Pollan.

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25 years before the Battle Of The Little Bighorn, 40 years before the Battle Of Wounded Knee, there was the Bloody Island Massacre in the spring of 1850 in Lake County, California, near a community which is now called Kelseyville. The massacre of the Lake County Pomo people, which was an immediate prelude to the massacre of the Mendocino County Pomo people in the Yokayo valley (where the community of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino County is now situated), was in retaliation for the Pomo’s murder of Charles Stone and Andrew Kelsey, brought about by the way Stone and Kelsey and other European settlers of that time treated the Pomo people. Ukiah resident Bill Walls has written a play about the events that led up to the massacres – “A Time Before Dogs: A True Tale of Two Executions That Led To The Bloody Island Massacre”. This massacre occurred in 1850, the play however ends in December 1849. Our guests in this edition of Radio Curious are Bill Walls and Denise Kawkeka, they read portions of the play and talk about the issues that led up to the massacre. I visited with Bill Walls and Denise Kawkeka in the studios of Ukiah Valley Community Television and began by asking Bill Walls what drew his attention to the background of this play.

This interview was recorded in the studios of Ukiah Valley Community Television on January 18th 2010.

The book that Denise Kawkeka recommends is “The Mutant Message Down Under,” by Marlo Morgan. Bill Walls recommends “Homer and Langley,” by E.L. Doctorow.

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From interrogating Japanese prisoners of war to working as an anti-war activist, Ukiah, California resident Charles Fogg has led a varied and fascinating life. At 91 years of age he talks through his life’s journey. After studying Oriental studies at the University of California, Berkeley and traveling through Japan and China during those studies, he was drafted into the military and attended the Monterey Language School, where his proficiency in Asian languages grew. During World War Two he interrogated Japanese prisoners of war and Chinese prisoners of war in the Korean conflict. After retiring from the U.S. army in 1966 as a Lieutenant Colonel he became active in George McGovern’s presidential campaign and the anti Vietnam war movement. I spoke with Charles Fogg in the studios of Ukiah TV on December 11th 2009 and began by asking him about his early travels in Japan and China.

The book recommended by Charles Fogg is “The Raj Quartet,” by Paul Scott.

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In the 35 years that I have been practicing law in Mendocino County, California, I have been involved in several election issues and closely followed many different political events.  In my opinion, Measure A, which is on our county wide ballot this fall is the most significant issue that that has been put to the voters in my years here.   In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with my long time friend Ron Arkin and discuss what I see could be the consequences to Mendocino County if Measure A receives the majority of the votes in the current election.

The book that I recommend is “Jacobson’s Organ and the Remarkable Nature of Smell,” by Lyall Watson.

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