2:07pm

Tue May 3, 2011
Osama bin Laden

Former 9/11 Commissioner says intelligence changes made a difference

Credit Department of Homeland Security
The 9/11 Commission Report, released in 2004, called for major changes in U.S. intelligence agencies.

Former U.S. Senator from Washington state, Slade Gorton,  says the killing of bin Laden is proof that intelligence agencies in the United States have improved.  Gorton sat on the 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist attacks.

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1:13pm

Tue May 3, 2011
Environment

Barn cats: natural rodent control

Credit Steve Jurvetson / flickr.com
A barn cat doing what barn cats do best

Got a rodent problem? Traps and poisons can endanger people and pets. Live on a farm, ranch or other rural location? Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) offers a natural pest control solution:  colonies of barn cats. Provide them with food, water and shelter...such as a barn...and they'll do the job.

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11:33am

Tue May 3, 2011
Law & Justice

Helping refugee women fight domestic violence

Refugees face a lot of stress.  They’re usually escaping war or poverty.  They land here unable to speak English and without a means of support.  But for some women, there’s the additional burden of domestic violence.

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11:04am

Tue May 3, 2011
Osama bin Laden killed

Tacoma man remembers meeting with bin Laden

Credit AP Photo
It was during the siege of Sarajevo in 1995 that Tim Smith sat in a room with Osama bin Laden, who was one of the international donors helping the Bosnians.

Tim Smith, who lives in south Tacoma,  is glad Osama bin Laden is dead.  He says he feels a certain amount of closure.  He says he's been involved with the bin Laden story since 1995.  That's the year he met bin Laden, sort of.

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10:54am

Tue May 3, 2011
Missing Journalist

Humanosphere: My friend and colleague missing in Syria

Credit Seattlepi.com
Dorthy Parvaz, who holds American, Canadian and Iranian citizenship, arrived in Damascus on Friday and has not been heard from since.

Maybe you've heard about it already, but former Seattle PI reporter and columnist Dorothy Parvaz has gone missing in Syria.

Journalists take risks to make sure people’s stories are told, to shine a light on wrongdoing based on the belief that public awareness is the first step toward positive change. Today happens to be World Press Freedom Day, this year hosted by the U.S.

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10:00am

Tue May 3, 2011
DIY Jazz

Mix it up: KPLU music director invents 'The Choppertone'

Credit Justin Steyer / KPLU
KPLU music director, Nick Francis, poses with "The Choppertone," a self-built MIDI controller which allows him to remix and mashup jazz tunes in real-time.

Imagine inventing something that enhanced a hobby that you were passionate about. That's what happened to KPLU music director Nick Francis.

He invented a musical mixing device called The Choppertone. He built it from a MIDI controller kit. And with it, he's able to mix different bits of audio together, to create a whole new sound or remix an old song.

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5:00am

Tue May 3, 2011
Street Cents

Seattle apartments: small is beautiful

Credit nicolas / Flickr

Is the active street life in places such as Tokyo and Barcelona due, in part, to the fact that many people there live in very small apartments? When your living quarters are about the size of a jail cell (90 to 100 square feet, including the bathroom), then perhaps it's nicer to be outside sitting on a park bench, or spending time in cafes.  Maybe Seattle's street life will perk up with the micro-apartment trend that's happening here.

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5:10pm

Mon May 2, 2011
K-12 Education

Northwest high school in top three in Obama commencement contest

Bridgeport High School is one of just three schools left in a contest to have President Barack Obama speak at graduation. 

Shortly after the announcement came from the White House this morning, principal Tamra Jackson jumped on the intercom to let her students know:

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10:49am

Mon May 2, 2011
Osama Bin Laden Killed

Bin Laden's last stand: A fiery raid in Pakistan

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 8:54 am

Helicopters descended out of darkness on the most important counterterrorism mission in U.S. history. It was an operation so secret, only a select few U.S. officials knew what was about to happen.

The location was a fortified compound in an affluent area north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The target was Osama bin Laden.

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9:33am

Mon May 2, 2011
Global Health

Seattle still wants to save the world

Credit Justin Steyer / KPLU
"Can Seattle Save the World?" panel at Town Hall Seattle, featuring Tom Paulson, of KPLU's Humanosphere, and panelists Bill Foege, Chris Elias, Wendy Johnson, and Joe Whinney

We hope you figured out long ago that the title of KPLU's "Can Seattle Save the World? (Poverty, Health and Chocolate)" event was tongue-firmly-in-cheek, but also meant to raise some important questions. There's a serious debate about the meaning and priority of "health" in "global health."

The event itself, last Tuesday, proved so popular that we moved it to a room three times larger than originally planned -- and nearly packed the room. Not to toot our horn too much, but immediate feedback was enthusiastic. "Do it again," was the most common response.

We'd love to. In the meantime, we are belatedly offering a replay -- video from the event.

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5:59am

Mon May 2, 2011
alcohol

Parents drinking with teens could make matters worse

Credit angelocesare / Flickr
Should parents share a drink with their teenagers?

Maybe you had your first sip of wine or beer at home, with your parents. Or maybe it was with friends, in shadowy circumstances. Either way, did it matter in the long run?   

The latest research suggests parents drinking with their teens leads to problems. Teenagers are more likely to abuse alcohol and hurt themselves if their parents introduce them to alcohol than if parents have a zero-tolerance policy at home. 

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7:55pm

Sun May 1, 2011
Bin Laden killed by U.S.

Osama bin Laden is dead

A small team of Americans killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, in a firefight Sunday at a compound in Pakistan, President Obama said in a dramatic late-night statement at the White House.

A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread. of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

"Justice has been done," Obama said.

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12:34am

Sun May 1, 2011
Artscape

The Agony & Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

Credit Ursa Waz
Mike Daisey—pictured here in front of a famous monument to Deng Xiaopheng, in Shenzhen, China—returns to Berkeley Rep with an audacious new monologue: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.

Modern life can be difficult to live without help from our smart-phones and other gadgets. Apple is at the forefront of this technology and its users are often incredibly loyal. But a new show by monologist Mike Daisey at the Seattle Repertory Theater raises the point that all of this beautiful design and convenience comes at a cost to factory workers in China.

The production is called “The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.”

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2:21pm

Fri April 29, 2011
WILDFIRES

Cold, wet winter likely to push back Northwest fire season

Credit Sadie Babits / Northwest News Network
Ken Salazar gives an overview of what the 2011 fire season could be like for the West. He spoke at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

The southern part of the U.S. – Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California – will likely have significant wildfires this year. Already fire crews are battling more than a dozen fires just in Texas. But here in the Northwest, the fire outlook is much rosier.

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12:27pm

Fri April 29, 2011
ART

Three-block arts center opening this weekend in downtown Everett

A big chunk of downtown Everett has been transformed into a spanking new arts district that should bring new life to this former lumber mill town.

The Daily Herald reports the new Schack Art Center anchors a three block arts district in the city. It's a multipurpose facility with a sleek, urban feel that will have a kiln and flame working studio, professional and student exhibit spaces and multipurpose classroom.

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