Alternative Radio host David Barsamian recently lectured at the Center for Contemporary Arts on “The War Expands: Obama, Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
 
WEBEXTRA: Full Barsamian transcript: Obama, Afghanistan and Pakistan, plus privileged Americans, the state of the media and remembering the lessons of Civil Rights.

Bruce Bernstein has been executive director of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) since December 2007, but has been associated with the Santa Fe Indian Market as a board member, judge and volunteer for 30 years.

Barbara Gudwin, a New Jersey-born retiree and nonprofit board maven, unseated Martin Lujan from his District 3 post on the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education in February. Now she faces $4.5 million in budget cuts, possible school closures and a nearly 50 percent dropout rate.

Frances Levine is the director of the New Mexico History Museum, which opens in Santa Fe on May 24. She also is a contributing editor to this month’s Museum of New Mexico Press book, Telling New Mexico, A New History. This is an extended version of an interview that appears in this week’s print edition, coupled with a review of Telling New Mexico.

Matthew Ellis supports a program called MARIA—Minds and Resources in Action, energy philosopher Miro Kovacevich’s plan to bring $21 billion in government funds to New Mexico’s labs to kick-start the renewable energy economy. Ellis and Kovacevich make up Vivilux Institution and host the new radio show, Venus Transit Authority.

Violanda Nuñez founded Ayudantes in 1979 with two fellow social workers. Ayudantes (Spanish for “helpers”) provides low-cost mental health and addiction rehabilitation services in Santa Fe, Española and Las Vegas.

James Duncan, 84, helped developed the modern credit card. He served in the infantry in World War II, then began work as an overdue loan collector, working his way up to CEO and chairman of the First National Bank & Trust Co. of Michigan. After retiring in 1985, he moved to Santa Fe with his late wife, who raised their seven children

Over the next few days, TV viewers in certain, perhaps more conservative parts of the state, will see an uptick in political ads from "Repeal the Repeal," a political action committee backed by Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White to undo the legislature's repeal of the death penalty.

Merritt Rieland, aka DJ Automatic, spins old- and new-school hip-hop and radio favorites Fridays and hosts “Twisted Audio Saturdays,” a mix of everything from rock to reggae, at Fusion. For the last six years, he has also DJd on KISS 97.3 FM.

Linda Durham, owner of Linda Durham Contemporary Art, traveled to the Gaza Strip in March to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8, 2009) with Code Pink, an international organization of women for peace.