More from KUOW

The job market has been slowly recovering in the United States. But for African-Americans, the unemployment rate remains high at 13 percent — nearly double the national average.

Social scientists say racism continues to be one factor. But now researchers have uncovered another important obstacle to employment:  favoritism. Rutgers Business School professor Nancy Ditomaso talks about it with David Hyde.

 Ask King County Executive Dow Constantine
Every month, King County Executive Dow Constantine joins us to chat about issues facing King County. Today he’s here to discuss the possible cuts to King County Metro, Dow’s re-election campaign, and of course Seattle’s unyielding desire for an NBA franchise. If you have a question for the King County Executive, feel free to give us a call at 206-543-5869 or toll-free at 800-289-5869.  
 
Radio Retrospective: When Music and Comedy Merge
Radio had a huge effect on the music industry. Suddenly musicians had regular work composing and performing on radio dramas.  Radio also turned select musicians into actors.  What happens when music and comedy merge?

A Lunch Recommendation
For our Thursday lunch recommendation, food writer Sara Dickerman profiles the Blossom Restaurant in Renton.   If you prefer to cook for yourself, she suggests “The Duke’s Table: The Complete Book of Vegetarian Italian Cooking.”

The Kings Stay In Sacramento
The inevitable was confirmed yesterday in Dallas by NBA commissioner David Stern. In a 22-8 vote, the NBA Board of Governors voted to keep the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. Investor Chris Hansen said the struggle makes the payoff sweeter and that he hopes the Sonics will return to Seattle eventually. We’ll talk with Ben Adler from Capital Public Radio in Sacramento and Art Thiel in Seattle on how the decision came to be.

Art Of Our City: The Massive Monkees
Earlier this year the hip-hop dance troupe Massive Monkees opened their first official dance studio, called the Beacon.  As part of a Seattle program to invigorate empty storefronts in the city, the Monkees applied for and received a three-month residency in a storefront in the Chinatown-International District.  Over the course of that residency, the Beacon offered classes for students as young as three up to their 50s and beyond. Now Massive Monkees' official residency is over, but they have the opportunity to make the Beacon permanent.  The landlord has agreed to a longer lease with one catch:  They need to raise some money for capital repairs.  To that end, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign. We revisit a tour we took to the Beacon in February of this year.

The Book Of Woe
The American Psychiatric Association is currently revising the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a tool used by clinicians to diagnose patients with mental disorders. According to Gary Greenberg it is more like an “anthology of suffering.” Greenberg is a psychotherapist and author of the new book, “The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry.” In his book he explains the history of the DSM and how the current revision of the DSM-5 is, as he argues, the most flawed yet. He says the DSM turns suffering into a commodity, leading to over- and misdiagnosis of mental illness.

In the decades leading up to the civil war, white Americans uncomfortable with the rising numbers of free blacks came up with a plan. Get rid of them. Specifically, convince them to resettle in Liberia. It was America's original "self-deportation" scheme. But things didn't go exactly according to plan.

List of stories from KUOW Presents,  May 15:

Tourism is fast becoming the world’s largest global business, producing $6.5 trillion of the world’s economy. Elizabeth Becker is the author of "Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism." In it she looks at how this business impacts countries, the environment and culture. Ross Reynolds chats with Elizabeth Becker.