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    Growing Up In A Neighborhood Where You Don't Trust The Police

    Radio Rookie Edwin Llanos grew up in New York neighborhoods where officers frequently stopped and frisked kids. Because of that, a lot of those kids didn't trust cops to help them when they needed help.New York civil rights groups want the NYPD to change its stop-and-frisk policy. Edwin thinks such a policy change might help police gain more people's trust. He found one 2009 study by the Southern Economic Journal that suggested kids who don’t trust the police look to gangs for protection.A few years ago when Edwin got into a tough situation, he wasn't sure who to turn to. In his WNYC Radio Rookie piece "Who's Going to Protect Me?" Edwin gives us an unflinching look into his world, and the conflicting messages that surround him when it comes to knowing who to trust for help.Other Stories On KUOW Presents: Bringing The Climate Fight To The TableDon't Like The Government? Make Your Own, On International WatersMind Games: Designing With EEGJohn D'Agata And Jim Fingal On "The Lifespan Of A Fact"Seattle Woman’s Great Aunt Faced Tough Decision On The TitanicWriter’s AlmanacTough Decision On The TitanicBest Movies Of 2012Panhandlers

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    Portrait Of The Bully As A Young Man

    Jeff's reputation as a bully was something of a legend in the coastal town where he grew up.  Eight years later, and with a chance to start over again, Jeff knows why he bullied -- but he also knows why it might still work for him. Can someone grow out of bullying? And what would it take for bullying to seem less useful in the first place? In "Portrait Of The Bully As A Young Man," independent radio producer Jones Franzel takes on these messy life questions to get an honest and unflinching look at what it means to be a bully. This piece is presented by Blunt Youth Radio's Incarcerated Youth Speak Out Project.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:The Holiday Bonus: From Turkeys To Incentive PlansSinging Loud And Proud: Choir For LGBT Mormons Breaks Out Fijian Band Rosiloa Keeps Culture Alive Through Music  Jill Bolte Taylor On Insight Beautiful Donna Summer: I Feel LoveWriter's AlmanacMaking Sense Of MadnessMuffling Gun Safety ResearchGuitarist Laurence Juber

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    Author Katherine Boo Takes Us “Behind The Beautiful Forevers”

    The Book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” takes us on a journey into the heart of a squatter’s settlement in Mumbai India, where the main economy is trash picking. Its author, Katherine Boo, spent three years among the residents of the Annawadi slum. It’s a sprawling settlement of more than 300 tin-roof huts and shacks that exists in the shadow of Mumbai’s International Airport. From within this “sumpy plug of slum” Boo unearths stories of the people who live there, both tragic and poignant. We learn about the residents’ efforts to raise families, how they struggle to earn a living, and survive. Katherine Book talked with American Public Media's Dick Gordon, about why she felt so compelled to tell this story.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:Québécois Couple Sells Christmas Trees In NYCAt A Real-Life Santa's Workshop, Christmas Comes EarlyThe Math Behind Tracking Holiday PackagesForgivenessScorpion StingThe Big Wish

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    The Rise And Fall Of The Purple Hotel

    In suburban Chicago, there’s a landmark building that stands out from all the others. The most obvious reason the building stands out is its color — it’s purple. Really purple. The other, less obvious reason the building stands out? It was once the swankiest hotel in the area, hosting everyone from Michael Jordan to Barry Manilow. Then, it slowly became the most notorious building in the area, for hosting … less swanky people and events. Independent producer Roman Mars brings us the surprising history of the purple hotel.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:"Santa" And "Budget" Can CoexistThe Many Meanings Of "Chips Funga"When "Unfilmable" Books Make Memorable MoviesTom Wolfe On "Back To Blood"Crown The King: Red Takes BlackWriter's AlmanacThe Father BookCelebrating Christmas On The Air (starts 36:00 minutes into the show)Animals And Their Humans

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    A Charlie Brown Christmas, 50 Years Later

    Let's admit it: Most Christmas music stinks.  Subjected to the same cloying songs about sleigh rides and snowmen, otherwise upstanding citizens seek comfort from well-fortified eggnog. But 50 years ago, composer Vince Guaraldi created a different sort of Christmas album. It's called "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It was the soundtrack to a television special of the same name. Many of its songs have become jazz standards. And half a century later, even humbugs seem to enjoy it.Hear from some of the folks who were around when this iconic album was created: Jeane Schulz, the cartoonist's widow; Jerry Granelli, the drummer; and Lee Mendelsohn, the producer.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:Hanford Whistleblowers: Southeast Washington Recorder Band Celebrates The HolidaysA Cross-Country Holiday TraditionAt His Own Risk, Somali Chef Creates Gourmet Haven In War-Weary MogadishuDaniel Levitin On Music and the BrainMath ComposerThe Definition Of CoolNew York Through The Eyes Of A Senegalese Immigrant Tour GuideWriters AlmanacLearning Crucial Life Lessons Through ChessClassic Holiday Movies (starts 15 minutes into show)Should Zoos Have Elephant Exhibits?

  • 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.

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    Forest Gibson On How Video Production Reconnected Him To His Childhood Dream

    When Forest Gibson was a kid he dreamed of exploring space. As an adult, he put aside that dream the same way he put aside the toy rockets he used to launch into the Yakima sky. Then this past August, he made a goofy video spoofing NASA and the Curiosity rover landing on Mars. Forest tells KUOW’s Dave Beck how his viral video connected him to space in a way he never could have imagined.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:After All Those Foreclosures, Not So Many Houses For SaleWhy It's Not Easy To Be Atheist In India'Tis The Season For GIF'ingRichard Davidson - The Emotional Life Of Your BrainGenome Sequencing For Babies Brings Knowledge And ConflictsUW 150: Downtown Real Estate Helps Support UniversityRon Howell: Don't Give Up On The KidsWhat's In The Fridge? (starts 28:00 minutes into show)Have You Changed Your Mind On Gun Control?

  • 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.

  • 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.