New Mexico People Places and Ideas

Fri. 4/5 8a:  Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union are American icons, and the UFW is a prime example of a union that fought for higher wages and better working conditions against impossible odds.

Fri. 3/1 8a: Can anything really be done to improve  K – 12 Education in New Mexico? Improve education is the answer you usually get to New Mexico’s seemingly intractable problems. But, how do you do that? 

This month’s guest is New York Times writer and Pulitzer Prize winner author Timothy Egan whose latest work is a biography, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher. Shadow catcher was the name given to acclaimed photographer Edward Curtis by American Indians as he traveled the country taking their photos and documenting their tradions, language and culture in the early 20th Century.

Fri. 10/5  8 am: Ruben Martinez is a journalist, author, musician, and professor of literature and writing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In Desert America he writes of his time in Northern New Mexico - a world of "outrageous wealth and devastating poverty, sublime beauty and ecological ruin".  His wife to be, a medical anthropologist was preparing her dissertation on the social and historical dimensions of heroin addiction, suggested the move.

Fri. 3/09 8a: Our guest is Dr. Rex Jung, MD and Ph.D. Dr. Jung is a Professor of Neurosurgery at UNMH, a Research Scientist at Albuquerque’s Mind Research Network, and a practicing clinical neuropsychologist. 

Fri. 9/8 8a: When people ask author Jim Kristofic, who is blue-eyed and brown haired, where he is from, and learn that he grew up on an Indian Reservation, they usually ask, “So are you an Indian?”  In his memoir,Navajos Wear Nikes, Kristofic writes that he tries to answer this question the way his Navajo friends would, not with a simple yes or no, but with stories.

Fri. 11/11 8a: Republicans, along with many on the Left, continue to question the benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed under President Obama.

Fri. 8/12 at 8am: Stephen Spitz talks with Dr. M. Rebecca Kilburn, Director of Child Policy for the Rand Corporation about early childhood programs in New Mexico.

Fri. 6/10 at 8am: Both President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan say that the biggest and best change we can make to education is to provide all children with access to universal pre-kindergarten (UPK). One of the most intensive, comprehensive UPK programs in the country is being carried out right here in New Mexico by St. Joseph Community Health.

Fri. 5/13 at 8am: Although known as the vacation home for many a movie and media star, New Mexico's climate has also pulled in many other amazing transplants such as our guest this month, Dr. Laurence H. Lattman. Dr. Lattman, who, among other things, is the Past President and Professor Emeritus of Geology of New Mexico Tech, will sketch for us the development of Western science.

Fri. 4/8 at 8am: Many continue to question the benefits of the Health Reform Act passed under President Obama. To address these questions, Stephen Spitz is joined by Dr. Paul Cochran, the former Medical Director and head of Cardiology for Presbyterian Healthcare Services.

Fri. 3/11 at 8am: For the last 60 years, UNM law graduates and faculty have shaped the practice of law and legal education in New Mexico. "60 for 60" is the just-released book highlighting the colorful stories of people who led the way. Dean Kevin Washburn and two colleagues join host Stephen Spitz to talk about how these accomplishments have impacted New Mexico and its unique cultures.

The November, 2010 election is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in years and will be the subject of this month's program. Critical to the success of both parties in New Mexico will be the Hispanic vote.

Join host Stephen Spitz for what promises to be a very entertaining half-hour with one of New Mexico's premier writers.

New Mexico author Max Evans is best known for The Rounders, which along with a later book, Hi Lo Country, were turned into popular Hollywood movies. Evans is also the recipient of numerous writing awards, including the 1990 Levi Strauss Saddleman Award for lifetime achievement in Western literature.

Fri. 9/10 - Navajo (Dine') spiritual healer Larry Tyler discusses the leadership role of medicine men, and their role in bringing health, balance and harmony to the community.

Not many of us know much about Dine' spiritual practices or have ever spoken with a real medicine man.

Fri. 8/13: From Albuquerque Tribune to White House photographer, Rio Rancho's Eric Draper has taken photos that are ingrained in the public eye. Find out how he got there, and how he managed to capture these moments.

Picture in your mind President George W. Bush, bullhorn in hand, with a group of firemen crowed around him at Ground Zero or picture the former President, wearing a cowboy hat, and driving his truck, at his Crawford, Texas ranch. These mental images come from actual photographs taken by today's guest, White House photographer Eric Draper.

Dr. Glenn Kuswa, who has worked on nuclear power issues for more than 30 years, joins host Stephen Spitz as we explore whether the increased use of nuclear power should be part of our response to climate change.

Fri. 6/11: Inventor and entrepreneur Ned Godshall joins us to talk about the costs and considerable benefits of green energy innovation in New Mexico.

The Gulf oil spill has once again reminded us that the full environmental cost of drilling for oil and gas is not in the competitive mix. So, how competitive is green energy right now and by how much do we have to increase taxes or regulations on carbon based fuels to make green energy competitive?

Fri. 5/14: NM People, Places & Ideas looks at recent violence along the US-Mexico border, and the roles of corruption and drug trafficking.

Horrific daily murders are again on the increase in near-by Juarez, Mexico with the recent public assassination of three American counselor employees in broad daylight making national headlines.

Fri. 4/9: It's all in the family. Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser tells harrowing tales of his rookie days, and the Unser name in racing.

This month's guest is Bobby Unser, three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the older brother of four-time Indy winner, Al Unser, Sr., who founded the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque.