Weekday

Daffodils are pushing through the soil, though temperatures are still soggy and cold.  Time to start getting those winter gardens ready for spring.  Our gardening panel returns (on a new day – Monday!) to answer your questions. Call us at 206.543.5869 or toll free 800.289.5869. You can also email weekday@kuow.org.

What is “normal” in a romantic relationship? More importantly, what’s “normal” for couples who say they're really happy? UW Sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz teamed up with Harvard sociologist James White and wellness entrepreneur Chrisanna Northrup to answer that question. Together they conducted and analyzed the largest human relationship study ever done. We’ll talk with Dr. Schwartz about the “perfect couple.”

It’s Friday — time to review the week’s news with Joni Balter, Knute Berger and C.R. Douglas. The public debate on the Seattle Police Department's use of drones heats up. Superintendent Jose Banda ordered Seattle teachers to administer the MAP test. There is an effort in Congress to change U.S. pot laws. Is Washington State blazing the way? What’s your take? Call us at 206.543.5869 or write to weekday@kuow.org.

A recent study from the Centers For Disease Control has found that nearly one-third of mentally ill adults are smokers. In fact, they’re 70 percent more likely to smoke than adults without mental illness. The relationship between cigarettes and mental hospitals is a complicated one. Historically, smoking was common in mental hospitals. It was even used as an incentive for patients at times. Now, more and more treatment facilities are becoming smoke-free. What does this mean for patients who rely on the habit for comfort? Pam Belluck has been writing about these issues. She covers health and science for The New York Times.

People don’t write letters much anymore. They don’t even mail in bills! As a result, the postal service is cutting Saturday mail service to save money. So, let us pause for a moment to reflect on the letter. What is lost if handwritten letters are no longer written? If you still write letters, why do you? Author Nick Bantock ponders those questions with us. Tell us what you think at weekday@kuow.org or call 206.543.5869.

President Obama has nominated REI executive Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior.  What should she focus on if she is confirmed?  How should she manage the vast public lands that would be in her portfolio? We talk with local experts and conservationists. Join the discussion by emailing weekday@kuow.org.

Vancouver Sun political correspondent Vaughn Palmer brings us the latest news from Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweets about his cat and pet chinchilla. Film critic Robert Horton discusses the renowned French comedian Pierre Etaix. The Northwest Film Forum is showing his five films this week as a tribute to his comedic impact on cinema. Then, Todd Bishop talks tech business news and latest on Microsoft’s new tablet.

Organic and “all natural” products are on the rise.  Grocery stores have expanded their free-range, non-toxic options. We’re paying more trying to make healthier choices for our bodies and our world. More women are choosing “natural childbirth” and tossing old plastic Tupperware to avoid toxic leaching.  Are all these efforts really working?  Is there a right way and a wrong way to live “naturally?” Journalist Nathanael Johnson has answers.

Initiative 502, which took effect in December 2012, decriminalizes the production of hemp in Washington state, though it remains illegal under federal law.

Hemp production has deep roots in the early colonial United States. In fact, the Virginia colony required that hemp be grown by farmers to produce rope. Benjamin Franklin started a hemp paper mill to avoid importing paper from Great Britain. One particularly important document did not utilize paper at all, but hemp instead: the Declaration of Independence.

Despite a state Supreme Court ruling that Washington is underfunding public education to the tune of $1 billion, state legislators so far seem to be talking more about policy changes than new dollars. Highline School District Superintendent Susan Enfield sat on the state's Joint Task Force on Education Funding. Their report is in. What now? Susan Enfield joins us with her thoughts about how the state should move forward.