Arts & Life

This Week In Olympia
The state legislature begins its special session today. Everett Herald reporter Jerry Cornfield joins us with a  look at what to expect.

What Makes A Good Death?
Retired pulmonary and critical care doctor, Jim deMaine, has seen his fair share of good and bad deaths.  He shares his views on making a good and peaceful exit.  

The Music Of The Onlies
Samantha Braman, Riley Calcagno and Leo Shannon have been playing fiddle since they were 6, 4 and 5, respectively. Now 10 years later they’ve released their first full-length CD, "Setting Out To Sea." As freshmen at Garfield High School, The Onlies play their folk string music at concerts, festivals, weddings, dances; busking from Port Townsend to Portland, Ore. They’ve been a band for five years, creating original fiddle-driven music as well as traditional Celtic, old-time, American and Canadian inspired tunes.

Every year, the average American eats 70 pounds of sugar. The amounts of salt and fat are equally staggering. The processed-food industry thrives, raking in $1 trillion a year. Meanwhile, the costs to our health include obesity and diabetes.

Michael Moss talks about how companies use salt, sugar and fat to get us addicted to their products, and what we can do to fight back. He spoke at Seattle’s Town Hall on March 15, 2013. The talk was moderated by Chip Giller, president and founder of Grist.

Seattle Parks Plan
Seattle officials want to hear from you about the future of the city’s parks. They're holding meetings this month to get public input on a parks plan that will guide where the city directs its resources in the years to come. We hear more from City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

Art Of Our City
A new live music and film project explores the line between ambition and bad luck as it applied to the Donner Party. "We Are All Failing Them" is a new commission by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum (teaser below). It’s a song cycle performed live to film. We talk with composer Robin Holcomb about the latest venture in her wide-ranging career.

Neal Thompson On Robert “Believe It Or Not!” Ripley
A 1936 newspaper poll declared Robert Ripley the most popular man in America. How did a young, awkward newspaper cartoonist become a worldwide adventurer synonymous with the strange and unusual? Official Ripley biographer  Neal Thompson joins us.

The Woodstock generation may be aging, but don't try to tell them they're not still cool. Poet Marjorie Manwaring's "Letter to Mick Jagger from the St. Paul Chapter of the Daughters of Norway" captures the dissonance between how we feel inside, and how we may appear to others.

One day when she was in eighth grade, Alyssa Cruz noticed something strange. She was in the middle of a basketball game. Here's how she's describes it:

I was putting my hair up and I noticed that there was this windy bald patch on the top right of my head. It was completely smooth, and I wondered what had happened, because it didn’t look like someone just cut it off while I was sleeping.

Seattle has seen record temperatures this week and more warm weather is forecasted this week. All the heat is making getting in the water very tempting, but The National Weather Service warns, low water temperatures and swift currents could make it difficult and dangerous to swim. In this segment Ross Reynolds interviews Brent Bower, senior service hydrologist at the National Weather Service,  about how to stay safe in the water.

Stephen Apkon says we live in a world of images but do not have the visual literacy to understand them.  His new book is "The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens." KUOW's Ross Reynolds chats with Stephen Apkon. 

 The Interfaith Amigos On The Role Of Doubt In Faith
Doubt is often part of religion. People often question the who, what, why and how of faith. The Interfaith Amigos share their thoughts and the personal doubts they’ve experienced.  

Greendays Gardening Panel
Our gardening panel includes a flower expert, native plant expert, and vegetable gardening expert.  They answer your gardening questions every Tuesday.   

 Paying Internet Sales Tax
The Senate voted on Monday on a bill that would end tax-free Internet shopping. Slate’s Matthew Yglesias joins us with a look at the Marketplace Fairness Act and who’s behind the push to collect taxes on your online purchases.

A Conversation With Early Television Actor Jan Merlin
Jan Merlin starred in early television shows like Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and The Rough Riders. He went on to be an Emmy-winning script writer.  He grew to love the escape that theater and film could provide after a profound World War II experience.

New Music Recommendation
Are you stuck in a music listening rut?  We are surrounded by new music and innovative artists. Music blogger Liz Riley Tollefson recommends Drai Zich by The Heligoats, Rotting On The Vine by The Purrs, Inside An Aquarium by BOAT and Buzz, Buzz, Buzz by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers.

The Weather And Hike Of The Week
It has been hot outside. Michael Fagin suggests a hike that matches this week’s weather forecast.