KUOW Presents connects listeners to a diversity of stories and perspectives from around the Pacific Northwest and around the world on topics that matter to our daily lives.
The acoustics of a building are a big concern for architects. But for designers at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, it’s the absence of sound that defines the approach to architecture. Gallaudet is a university dedicated to educating the deaf and hard of hearing, and since 2005, university officials have rethought principles of architecture with one question at the forefront: how do deaf people communicate in space? Producer Roman Mars examines that question.
Human beings struggle regularly with cultural differences. We encounter sensitive situations when people look differently than we do, communicate in a different way or eat different foods. Leilani Nishime is a University of Washington assistant communications professor. She says that a lot of wisdom and insight around communication across cultures comes from science fiction movies. LeiLani Nishime speaks with KUOW’s Jamala Henderson about three films she recommends watching.
Pacific Northwest residents often speak of those places in our region that they hope to visit one day. But in the Northwest we often avoid those destinations - in part, because of all the touristy crowds. Seattle travel writer Crai Bower says fall is a great time to visit those iconic locations. That’s because all the tourists are gone now. And as residents, this is our time to visit. This fall, Crai recommends taking a trip to Mount St. Helens. He speaks with KUOW’s Dave Beck.
Seattle travel writer Crai Bower first came across Mount St. Helens when he was doing a census of the spotted owl population for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in 1990. Crai was stunned by the vision of Mount St. Helens, which so famously and destructively erupted in 1980. Crai remembers seeing the mountain as he walked down a forest service road:
"The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" debuted on television screens in 1959. The cartoon featured an all-American squirrel and his pal the moose hotly pursued by Boris and Natasha — the Russian-accented spies with a knack for falling on their own grenades. "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" parodied the space race, the arms race between the US and the Soviets, and also took its share of digs at the American government and military. In an era when Yogi Bear was stealing pies off window sills — never before had an animated cartoon carried such political currency. And as Studio 360’s Julia Wetherell reports in Rocky and Bullwinkle and the Cuban Missile Crisis, it just might have predicted the fall of communism.
In 2003, Noel worked at an ad agency. Like everyone else at the agency, Noel wanted to work with high-profile, flashy clients like Apple. Then an insurance company hired the ad agency, and everyone, including Noel, hoped to avoid what looked like a boring job for a boring client. Of course, Noel got stuck working with the insurance company, trying to help them explain how simple it was to sign up for their insurance online. That insurance company was GEICO. And Noel’s work led to GEICO’s well-known caveman ads. In an interview titled "What Gave You That Idea?" with producer Starlee Kine, we're guided back through Noel's surprising, culturally rich path of inspiration.
To the world, Richard was Washington state’s Most Wanted, a thief and a murderer. But Richard’s chaplain Chris didn’t see him that way. To Chris, Richard was a sweet, well-meaning man who just wanted to be seen. Chris tells his story today.
Lara Hamilton was about to turn 40 when she realized she wanted to quit her job. She worried about losing a steady paycheck, but she really wanted to find work she loved. She found the courage to act from a surprising source: Julia Child. Lara tells KUOW's Jeannie Yandel how Julia helped her then, and now.
Local record producer and writer Pat Thomas recently compiled a collection of music written by and for the Black Power movement, "Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965–1975." One of the musicians he discovered in putting the album together is a woman named Elaine Brown. She was the head of the Black Panther party during the mid '70s. Today, she's most well known for her activism for prisoners, but Pat thinks her music from the late '60s and early '70s has a message that still applies today. He recommends listening to "Seize The Time," "The End of Silence" and "Until We're Free."
