Gehrman, Jody & Edelman, Deborah — The Ticking Clock

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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Gallagher, Winifred — What Does It Cost To Pay Attention?

Modern life has become a constant stream of electronic devices demanding our attention. What are the consequences when we choose e-mail, Blackberries or Facebook over real person to person contact? Winifred Gallagher, our guest on this edition of Radio Curious suggests that we take charge of our own priorities, controlling electronic devices and not letting them control us. Winifred Gallagher is the author of “RAPT: Attention And The Focused Life,” a book which explores how we allow the limited and valuable resource that is our attention to be electronically squandered and thus not used to our needs or benefit.

I spoke with Winifred Gallagher by phone from her home in New York City on November 30th 2009 and began by asking her about how our focus shapes our lives.

The book Winifred Gallagher recommends is “Delete: The Virtue Of Forgetting In The Digital Age,” by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger.

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Vogel, Ph.D., Lillian Brown — Secrets Of A Long Life

How can you reach 100 years leading a healthy and fulfilling life? Lillian Brown Vogel, Ph.D., reached 100 in September 2009 and  published her book “What’s My Secret,” a memoir looking across her life and imparting thoughts and ideas to those of us who would wish to lead a long and active life.

Lillian is the mother of Radio Curious host and producer Barry Vogel.  He remembers from his childhood hearing her get to the heart of most any matter with a few simple questions.  A skill which helped put him onto his own curious path in life. This conversation recorded on October 31,  2009, begins by inquiring what makes Lillian curious.

The book recommended by Lillian Brown Vogel, Ph.D., is “The Blue Tattoo: The Life Of Olive Oatman.”

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Grandin, Temple — What Are Our Animals Saying To Us?

What is your cat or dog thinking? Understanding animal behaviour and what makes them respond in different situations can ensure good relationships with animals around us, whether they are farm stock, pets or wild animals. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Temple Grandin, a person with autism and a Ph.D. in animal science. Autism made school and social life difficult for Dr. Grandin, but it made working with and understanding animals easy. In her book “Animals Make Us Human” Grandin lays out the emotional needs that all animals share and how we as human beings can respond to their needs . In this interview she explains how a cat can be trained to go through a dog agility course; successful ways for humans to avoid conflict with wild animals and provides insight on how animals brains and thought processes differ to our own.

We visited with Temple Grandin by phone from her home in Colorado on August 4, 2009 and began by asking about her experience in observing animal behaviour and using her observations in animal training.

The book Dr. Temple Grandin recommends is “Perfect Rigour,” by Masha Gessen.

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Livingston, Gordon M.D. — How To Love?

Everybody thinks about love and many people say “I love you”, but how is love defined? The book “How To Love” written by psychiatrist Dr. Gordon Livingston answers these and many other questions about love and how to find a compatible and pleasurable partnership. In this interview, we discuss how to choose more carefully in matters of love to get what we desire and deserve. The song “Do You Love Me?” from the musical “Fiddler On The Roof,” is our background music. Dr. Gordon Livingston spoke from his home in Columbia, Maryland on July 13th 2009, where he lives and practices psychiatry. The conversation began when I asked Dr. Livingston to define love.

The book Dr. Gordon Livingston recommends is “All He Ever Wanted,” by Anita Shreve.

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Blevis, Marcianne — Are You Jealous? Do You Know Why?

Are you jealous? Have you ever been? Do you know the origin of your jealousy? Jealousy often goes hand in hand with feelings of love, but where does this emotion come from, and how can we manage it? In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Marcianne Blevis, author of “Jealousy: True Stories of Love’s Favorite Decoy.” In this book, Marcianne Blevis, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who lives and works in Paris, France, reveals the different ways jealousy affects people and suggests methods to understand and manage what can be a very destructive yet elusive emotion. She examines the deeper consequences of jealousy and inquires if jealousy is useful to us, and is this extraordinary passion in reality a strategy for survival. In this conversation with Marcianne Blevis from her home in Paris, France recorded on February 2nd, 2009 we began by asking her to explain what jealousy is?

The book she recommends is “Aux Confins De L’Identite” by Michel d’Musan currently only available in french.

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Ebershoff, David — How Many Wives are Enough?

Polygamy used to be a central aspect in Mormon beliefs. However, it has not been for over 100 years now, due partly to considerable effort by Ann Eliza Young, one of Brigham Young’s many wives. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with David Ebershoff, the author of “The 19th Wife”, recorded on August 29, 2008. “The 19th Wife,” is the story of Ann Eliza Young, and her realization and then quest to let the world know that marriage should only pertain to two people, instead of one man and a plethora of wives who were referred to as “sister wives.” We discuss what marriage is, how religion plays a large role in many people’s lives, and how the quest that Ann Eliza had effected her world and the world we live in today. Our conversation began when I asked David Ebershoff why Ann Eliza wanted to apostate (or leave without approval) from the Mormon Church in relationship to the politics then and now.

The book that David Ebershoff recommends is, “American Wife: A Novel” by Curtis Sittenfeld.

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Keller, Irwin — The Kinsey Scale And The Kinsey Sicks

The issue of sexual orientation plagues people in many different ways — political upheaval that sometimes include religious or physical violence. But then politics, religion and violence are integral to human belief systems. In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with Irwin Keller, also known as “Winnie,” a founder and current member of “The Kinsey Sicks,” the Dragapella Beautyshop acapella Quartet.  The name, “The Kinsey Sicks” comes from Alfred Kinsey’s sexual orientation scale of homosexual men, the measure of which Irwin Keller explains in our conversation. Blasphemy, one of the hallmarks of the Kinsey Sicks resounds in their work and in the echoes of this interview recorded in a Northern California synagogue on July 28, 2008. We began when I asked Irwin Keller to describe “Winnie,” the character he portrays and the origin of “The Kinsey Sicks,” but first lets listen to the remainder of “Trixie” the second song on their newest CD, “Sicks, Sicks, Sicks!”  You can learn more about the Kinsey Sicks by visiting their website, www.kinseysicks.com

The book Irwin Keller recommends is, “The Seventh Well,” by Fred Wander and Michael Hoffman

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Gottlieb, Dr. Daniel — Learning from the Heart

Dr. Dan Gottlieb is a practicing psychologist living and working near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has experienced quadriplegia for approximately 30 years when he broke his back and severed his spinal cord as a result of an automobile accident. His 2008 book, “Learning From the Heart: Lessons on Living, Loving and Listening,” shares some of his life experiences. In this conversation he explains how 30 years ago he could not have imagined that he would have become a quadriplegic, lose both his parents and his wife, and be a now happy and contented person. This interview was recorded May 14, 2008.

The book Dr. Dan Gottlieb recommends is, “The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness,” by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

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Sutherland, Amy — Lessons About Ourselves From Animal Trainers

Reinforcement of desired behavior is the key to animal training. As humans, we are subject to the same way of learning. Amy Sutherland, author of, “What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers,” shares many ideas about how to achieve more desirable relationships with friends and loved ones. This Program was recorded on March 19, 2008.

The book Amy Sutherland recommends is, “Demonic Males: Apes and the Origin of Human Violence,” by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson.

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