Radio Curious

This program was originally broadcasted: July 1, 2003 & July 8, 2003 Click here to begin listening.  Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist “Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist” is a book by Alston Chase, former Chair of the Philosophy Department at Macalester University in Minnesota. After […]

This program was originally broadcast on July 15, 2003. Click here to begin listening.  Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection In an unknown and dilapidated laboratory on the University of Wisconsin campus in the 1950s and 1960s, a brilliant, alcoholic, work-obsessed psychologist conducted research on love, a pursuit that was […]

This program was originally recorded on February 19, 2016. Click here to begin listening.  Who we are and where we come from is a crucial question that now we are more able to answer than ever before. The examination and analysis of our individual DNA, in addition to answering a myriad of medical and forensic […]

Originally Broadcast: February 13, 2012 Click here to begin listening.  The exodus of approximately six million black people from the American South between 1915 and 1970 had a significant role in setting the stage of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s. Many of the children of those who left the south participated in […]

Originally Broadcast: July 29, 2003 Click here to begin listening.  In this program we visit with David Ebershoff, author “Pasadena,” a book about storytelling. “Pasadena” is the story of Linda Stamp, a young girl born and raised on a rural coastal area near San Diego, California, beginning when she was born in 1903. Linda learned […]

Originally Broadcast: July 22, 2003 Click here to begin listening.  From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel Biodiesel, an alternative to the dwindling supply of fossil fuels, is created from processed vegetable oil and is available anywhere vegetable oil is grown or used. Joshua […]

Click here to begin listening.  Sweet Grass County: Historic Crossroad Montana, the Big Sky state, is a place of significant historical interest in the history of North America and the United States. Sweet Grass County, located in south central Montana, is an area that since pre-historic times has been a justify of trade and historic […]

Originally Broadcast: June 3, 2003 Click here to begin listening.  Nothing to Fear, Lessons in Leadership from FDR Alan Axelrod is a writer who has studied the cultural and business dimensions of America. “Nothing to Fear, Lessons in Leadership from FDR,” by Axelrod, focuses on FDR’s unique leadership style and what an effective leader is able […]

Click here to begin listening.  This interview’s guest was my old law school friend, Congressman Sam Farr, who represents Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. In this interview, we discussed the USA Patriot Act, the Freedom to Read Act of 2003, and the influence that the Democrats, the minority party, have in both houses of Congress. Originally […]

Click here to begin listening.  American Taboo, A Murder in Peace Corps In this edition of Radio Curious, we take a look at murder and getting away with murder. In the small island kingdom of Tonga, an American Peace Corps Volunteer murdered another American Peace Corps volunteer in October 1976. “American Taboo, A Murder in Peace Corps,” […]

Click here to begin listening. Julius Margolin and George Mann, two men separated in age by almost 46 years, are what might be called traveling troubadours. They carry the message of working people in song and spirit, bringing a wealth of union history wherever they go. George Mann recommends “Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee,” by […]

Click here to begin listening.  “Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption,” is a book written by Randall Kennedy, a Harvard University Law School Professor. He takes an in-depth look at the issue of black and white relationships set against the ever-changing social mores and laws of this country. Fears of interracial relationships, influenced over […]

Click here to begin listening.  The Case Against Lawyers The control and influence lawyers have in American society has grown enormously in the past 75 years. The influence was foreseen in the 1830s by Alexis de Tocqueville and described in his book, “Democracy in America.” Catherine Crier discusses and critiques this influence in her book, […]

Click here to begin listening.  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,...

Click here to begin listening.  A Potent Spell: Mother Love and the Power of Fear Is the concept of “mother blame” a method to control women? Is motherhood a really a fearsome job?  Will a mother’s mistake or inattention damage a child?  Is this different from the fear that fathers have about the safety of their […]

Click here to begin listening. Faster than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation Joao Magueijo, a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Imperial College of London, disputes some of Einstein’s most accepted theories. In his book, “Faster than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation,” he argues that […]

Click here to begin listening.  Socrates’ Way: Seven Masterkeys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost Socrates of Athens, who lived before the Common Era, is respected as one of the greatest independent thinkers of all time. Socrates himself refused to be recognized as a teacher. Instead, Plato, his well-known student and reporter of Socrates’ dialogues, tells […]

Click here to begin listening.  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 […]

Click here to begin listening.  I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers: A Cultural History “I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers: A Cultural History” is the title of a new book by Thomas Hine. In this book he discusses why we want objects and how they change us. He looks at early […]

Click here to begin listening.  The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men’s Health Dr. Harvey B. Simon is the author of “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men’s Health” and the founding editor of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter. His book discusses a multitude of health issues that are unique to men and some […]

Click here to begin listening. The Mourning of Angles The life of Lydia Schaefer is a composite fictional story of a 22 year-old woman who served in the Peace Corps in Peru from 1962 to 1964. Patricia Taylor Edmisten, a former Peace Corps Volunteer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tells Lydia’s story in her book, “The Mourning of […]

Click here to begin listening. In this program we visit concepts of evolution and intelligence, some of which were raised after our series on near term human extinction. What is intelligence?  What kind of intelligence do non human creatures have?  What are the different levels of intelligence that can be found in single cells, or invertebrates, […]

Click here to begin listening.  Blood, an Epic History of Medicine and Commerce Human blood has been compared historically and sociologically to a river that defines human society over the millennia. That river has been charted in a recent book and television series entitled, “Blood, an Epic History of Medicine and Commerce,” by Douglas Starr. […]

Click here to begin listening.  The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs “The Other End of the Leash—Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs”, is a recent book by Patricia McConnell, a certified applied animal behaviorist affiliated with the University of Wisconsin. In her book, she discusses […]

Click here to begin listening.  Sons of Heaven In June of 1989, in Tienamin Square, in the justify of Beijing, China, one of the largest student protests ever to occur in that country took place. The “Sons of Heaven,” by Terrence Cheng, is a novel about three major players in this drama, Deng Xiao Ping, […]