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KUOW Presents

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KUOW Presents connects listeners to a diversity of stories and perspectives from around the Pacific Northwest and around the world on topics that matter to our daily lives. This program is no longer on air.

Episodes

  • caption: Seattle mohel David Bolnick holds a baby following a bris ceremony.

    Ancient Ritual Kept Alive Through Northwest Trees

    There are about 1,000 trees in the Northwest that share something in common. You’d never guess what it is just by looking at them. Some are tiny fruit trees. Others are towering cedars. But, under the soil, they’re connected to the same ancient ritual.

  • Ex Baltimore Top Cop's Unconventional Approach To Gun Violence

    When Fredrick Bealfield became a cop, he went after the drug dealers. After all, his city seemed overrun with them. It took him years to decide drugs weren’t the real problem. The problem, he says, was people using guns to commit crimes.

  • Richard Davidson On "The Emotional Life Of Your Brain"

    Neuroscientist Richard Davidson is a leading expert on the science of mindfulness. He's teamed up with the Dalai Lama to put Buddhist monks in brain scanners to help him develop a new scientific model for studying emotion. He tells us how his scientific work ended up changing his own life.

  • An Astrobiologist's Advice For The Apocalypse

    According to the Mayan calendar the world could end later this month — on December 21, 2012. If you’re worried about this alleged apocalypse and you don’t know what to do next, who do you turn to for counsel? Many people have been asking David Morrison for advice. He writes NASA's "Ask An Astrobiologist" column. Morrison tells APM’s Dick Gordon about some of the apocalypse questions he’s answered, and divulges his own plans for the 21st.

  • caption: Lisa McShane and Mark Lowry are long-time Bellingham residents and friends. They disagree on the issue of exporting coal but they're still talking about it

    Where Coal Divides, Community Remains

    Exporting coal via the Northwest has become an issue so divisive that old friendships and alliances strain under the pressure. No matter how you feel about climate change or construction jobs or any number of issues bound to the five coal export terminals under consideration around the Northwest, chances are you know someone who feels differently about the issue than you do.

  • Nutmeg: No Innocent Spice

    Whether it’s sprinkled on a latte or baked into spice cookies, nutmeg is a pretty omnipresent seasoning during the holidays. But the history of this warming spice is centuries long. It’s also surprisingly sad and gruesome. Grab some eggnog and settle in as NPR’s Allison Aubrey explores the dramatic story of nutmeg.

  • Our Cyborg Future

    Soon — sooner than most of us think — we’ll have tiny computers embedded in our brains. And this step is an advancement, a sign of a new era in evolution. That’s according to inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil. He talks with Wisconsin Public Radio about the fusion of biology and machine technology he sees in our future.

  • How A Few Indistinct Words Burped Up By A Drunk Tennessee Williams Changed One Man's Life

    The writer Allan Gurganus admired Tennessee Williams. One day, Gurganus heard the famous playwright had read one of his stories and enjoyed it. Full of confidence, Gurganus traveled to New Orleans where some friends had arranged for him to meet Williams. But the drunken, Tabasco-stained man he met taught him a lesson he didn’t expect.

  • South Korean Elections Happen Without Super PACs

    South Korea is electing a new president next month. In their elections, corporate money is banned and the campaign season is limited. Ross Reynolds talks with University of Washington Professor Yong-Chool Ha about the ins and outs of election season in South Korea.

  • James FitzGerald On "What Disturbs Our Blood"

    James FitzGerald was born into one of Canada's most important families. His grandfather John is a titan of public health in Toronto's history, credited with saving many lives with vaccines he developed. James' father, Jack, was a pioneer in the field of allergies. But both of their names were swept under the rug of Canadian history.

  • Sci-Fi Movies About Today's Human Struggles

    Human beings struggle regularly with cultural differences. We encounter sensitive situations when people look differently than we do, communicate in a different way or eat different foods. Leilani Nishime is a University of Washington assistant communications professor. She says that a lot of wisdom and insight around communication across cultures comes from science fiction movies. LeiLani Nishime speaks with KUOW’s Jamala Henderson about three films she recommends watching.