Conversation

Ross Reynolds talks with The Nation's sports editor, Dave Zirin, about how Gonzaga University's basketball team has worked their way into the frenzy that is March Madness.

According to the Center for Disease Control, adults in the United States consumed on average 11.3 percent of their total daily calories from fast food during the years 2007-2010.

Do you find yourself at the drive through more often than you'd like? Ross Reynolds sits down with nutritionist Judy Simon to talk healthy eating.

When we think of crowd sourcing, we often think about Wikipedia or Youtube, but  Amazon's Mechanical Turk is a different type of crowd sourcing.

Mechanical Turk is an online marketplace where employers can hire thousands of workers to complete tiny tasks such as identifying objects in a photo or editing a description.  Workers are offered no benefits and are not protected by minimum wage laws. They are paid per task, often as little as 20 cents, occasionally as much as $5. But sometimes, they aren’t paid at all.

In Washington state people convicted of crimes are required to surrender their firearms to law enforcement officials.  But people with restraining orders against them – even in cases where there are serious threats of domestic violence – almost never have to give up their guns.  Ross Reynolds talks with Kirkland Democrat Roger Goodman about his proposal to change that.

Puget Sound Sage's latest report finds that Sea-Tac Airport has fallen behind when it comes to minimum worker pay when compared to some other West Coast airports.

How do Sea-Tac's wages compare to the national average, and if workers at the airport were to get raises who would bear the brunt of that cost? Ross Reynolds talks with Puget Sound Sage researcher and policy analyst Nicole Keenan.

Who are the undocumented workers? Ross Reynolds sits down with KUOW's Liz Jones to discuss immigration policy and hear stories from undocumented workers in the region.

Yesterday the Seattle City Council unanimously passed legislation to require city departments to obtain council approval before acquiring and installing certain surveillance equipment. How do you feel about cameras in public spaces? Ross Reynolds talks with listeners about the pros and cons of having big brother watch us.

Ten years ago today President George W. Bush announced the war on Iraq had begun. On that day Ross Reynolds asked listeners if they were in the military or part of a military family, and what they thought about the then-fresh announcement of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today on The Conversation we play for you our listener reactions to the announcement of the war in Iraq. 

It’s not officially spring, but we are only 24 hours away! Sure for some spring means blooming flowers, chirping birds and if we are lucky, warmer weather. But there is another thing that many people associate with spring — cleaning. But where do you start? How do you tackle that pile of mail that has been multiplying like rabbits and is now taking over your desk? Is less, more? What is "bus-stop clutter"?

You've heard the phrase, "It's not personal, it's business." But as people start to share everything from their bedroom to their dog it can, and often is both. So what is the sharing economy? A personal exchange of goods and services, sometimes for free, sometimes for money.

Think couch surfing, where homeowners allow people to sleep on their couch or in their spare bedroom for free. Or AirBnB where you can rent out your house or apartment. Or the Phinney Neighborhood Association's tool library that allows you to borrow tools without a fee. Or new services that allow you to rent out your car. There is even a co-op to share dogs. Ross Reynolds talks to listeners about their experiences, both good and bad, in this new sharing economy.