Weekday

Victoria Times-Colonist columnist Les Leyne brings us the latest news from Canada. Film critic Robert Horton considers Woody Allen's classic comedies of the 1970s. Then, Seattle Times economics columnist Jon Talton reviews the aftermath of the "fiscal cliff" deal.

What makes a good self-help book? Book commentator and author Nancy Pearl joins us to think about it. Her favorite is “The Dance of Anger” by Harriet Lerner. What's yours? Call us at 206.543.5869 or email weekday@kuow.org.

Naturalist, illustrator and sculptor Tony Angell shares his home and his imagination with birds. He joins us to talk about the ecological role birds play in our lives and how the natural world inspires his creativity.

The next cliff looms in Washington, DC, as the US Treasury runs out of borrowing authority at the end of February. There may be a decision about across-the-board spending cuts known as "sequestration," as well as a debate over the social safety net.

Will Democrats agree to cuts to Social Security and Medicare? We talk with economics writer James Kwak about the political support for smaller government and less revenue.

When you look at a person, do you "see race?" Sharon Leslie Morgan and Tom DeWolf have been asking that question as they sat down at dinner tables around America. They found the lingering pain of slavery, and some paths to healing. They join us for a conversation about the journey toward racial equality.

It’s Friday — time to review the week’s news with Eli Sanders, Knute Berger, David Horsey and Bruce Ramsey. The House of Representatives voted 257-167 late Tuesday night to avoid the "fiscal cliff." The deal keeps the Bush tax cuts in place for individuals making less than $400,000 a year, extends federal emergency unemployment benefits and Washington state's sales tax deduction, and sets up Fiscal Cliff 2 in just a few weeks. We'll look at how the deal went down and what lies ahead.

Seattle has grown since KING 5's sketch comedy show Almost Live! left the air in 1999. Now some of the team that brought "The Lame List" and "COPS in Wallingford" to TV is back with a new show of modern-day Seattle-centric funny. The 206, starring Pat Cashman, John Keister and Chris Cashman, premieres tomorrow night. They join us in studio with a preview.

Shopping malls have come to Russia. Investors as diverse as IKEA and Wall Street banks are funneling money into new Russian shopping centers. They are big, and very popular. Russian malls are anchored by grocery stores, where aisles full of fresh food dazzle older shoppers who still carry memories of shortages and food lines. We talk with The New York Times' Moscow correspondent Andrew Kramer about the malls of Russia.

Last session, Washington state legislators introduced some "title only" bills into committee — essentially blank legislation with the details to be filled in later. They also held hearings on some bills with only two hours public notice, violating the intent of their own rules. Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center tells us why he wants to see more accountability in Olympia through greater legislative transparency.

Victoria Times-Colonist columnist Les Leyne brings us the latest news from Canada. Film critic Robert Horton shares some of the movie offerings at Seattle's newly reopened Museum of History and Industry. Then, Michael Parks looks at Amazon's big 2012, Microsoft's make-or-break 2013 and what Boeing's backlog means for the region's employment.