Producer
Stories
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Welcome To Amazon Dot Everything
From a movie production arm to plumbing supplies, Amazon.com has been strategically spreading way beyond its original retail base. And yet Amazon's latest earnings report quoted a loss of profit to the tune of $274 million last quarter. The reason? The company says it's spending big on existing and new businesses. We'll get that story from American Public Media's Ashley Gross.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:What Happened To Britain's Stiff Upper Lip?Rita: Israeli-Iranian Pop StarIn Search Of A CryptAttack Of The NudiesLost Cause: Jerome Writer's AlmanacBrazilian Choro MusicPhotographing Native American Tribes"The Big Screen"
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Meet Me At Unity Playlot: The Fight For A Tiny Concrete Basketball Court In Chicago's 35th Ward
Once upon a time, the people of Chicago's 35th Ward just wanted a small safe place in the neighborhood where their children could play basketball. They thought that a little concrete plot just west of Logan Square would be the perfect place. But the city of Chicago had other plans for that lot. So the neighbors banded together to fight for their little playground. But to do that they had to take on Chicago's intimidating political machine with demonstrations and protests. Ultimately, they had to work to unseat the leader of their ward.In "Meet Me at Unity Playlot," independent producers Elizabeth Meister and Dan Collison of Long Haul Productions bring us the story of the battle for Unity Park.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:Poachers Decimate Tanzania's Elephant HerdsVijay Iyer On Music And Science Poet Dorothy Trogdon On Life “Under The Graphite Sky”Master Of DisguiseLost Cause: Willow YamauchiWriter's AlmanacFilm Critic Robert HortonMarijuana Initiative
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Digging Into The Mysterious Mind Of The Octopus With Sy Montgomery
Science writer Sy Montgomery has been described by The Boston Globe as part Indiana Jones and part Emily Dickinson. While researching the books, films and articles she produces, Montgomery has been chased by an angry silverback gorilla in Zaire and bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica. She has also worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba and handled a wild tarantula in French Guiana.For Montgomery, there is nothing more mysterious than trying to get into the mind of an animal, particularly the mind of an octopus. She talked with Wisconsin Public Radio's Jim Fleming, and told him why.Other Stories On KUOW Presents: In A Tanzanian Village, Elephant Poachers ThriveCreating The Next Silicon Valley In ChicagoThe Whale That Speaks HumanBoosting Your Kid's BrainpowerThe Theory Of OzI-Spy
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Mary Miller's Aha Moment
Mary Miller fell in love with a man who flipped houses for a living. But he broke her heart, so she decided to beat him at his own house-flipping game. She was on her way to do just that when a song came on the radio. Its lyrics forced Mary to reconsider everything she was about to do.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:"Memory Projects" To Honor The Victims Of Violence In Colombia And MexicoPricey Prostate Cancer Therapy Raises Questions About Safety, CostEmily Talen On City RulesDecode DC: Mind ControlThe Love Song Of The Japanese CranesThe Allure Of Sci-FiOffice Of Professional Accountability
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Inspecting The Theater Of Politics
During election season, how much of campaign stops or debates are actually spontaneous? And how much is pre-planned? Who actually designs the political theater we see on the campaign trail? Producers Roman Mars and Andrea Seabrook examine what goes into the theater of politics, and what happens when all that planning and showmanship goes wrong. Other Stories On KUOW Presents:For Unemployed, A Shave And A Haircut... No ChargeThe "Love Bridge" For Immigrants Between Sweden And DenmarkRaymond Moody On "Paranormal: My Life In Pursuit Of The Afterlife"For Love Or Country
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The Decision Liao Dan Made To Save His Wife
Liao Dan in China had a decision to make. He could either let his wife die from kidney disease or find a way to save her life.So he went to the black market and had a fake health insurance card made. After four years, he finally got caught.Liao and his wife told their story to Radio Netherlands' Jonathan Groubert.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:Arab Businesswomen Thrive During Economic CrisisThe Costs And Benefits Of One Teen's TattooThe Afterlife Of A TV Episode: It's ComplicatedEugene Thacker On Horror And PhilosophyHappy With NothingDaikonWriter's AlmanacUnsent PostcardThe Scariest Voices In RadioVoters Panel
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Eric Nuzum On "Giving Up The Ghost"
Eric Nuzum is vice president of programming for NPR and a writer. He’s also afraid of ghosts. When he was young, Eric became convinced he was being haunted by the ghost of a little girl who lived in his parents’ attic. It started as a weird premonition during his dreams and ended with Eric in a mental ward, having apparently destroyed his life before it truly began. The only thing that kept him from the brink was his friendship with a girl named Laura, a classmate who was equal parts devoted friend and enigmatic crush.Even now as a fully functioning member of society with a great job and family, Eric still can’t stand to have any shut doors in his house for fear of what’s on the other side. So in order to finally face his fears, he enlists some friends on a journey to America’s most haunted places. Eric Nuzum's book is titled "Giving Up the Ghost: A Story About Friendship, 80s Rock, a Lost Scrap of Paper, and What It Means to Be Haunted." Eric Nuzum told Wisconsin Public Radio's Anne Strainchamps about his fears.Other stories on KUOW Presents: Home Health Aides Often As Old As Their Clients Exporting Wyoming Coal To AsiaBabyface BomberSeattle Art Museum Show Highlights Women ArtistsThe Theory Of OzWriter's AlmanacGhosts Of The Market TheaterRobert Horton On Scary MoviesMost Memorable Halloween
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Cathy Davidson On How The Brain Science Of Attention Will Change Our Lives
One of the most famous psychological experiments of all time is called the attention blindness test, also known as the gorilla experiment. Here's how it goes. First, researchers sit their subjects down to watch a video of a basketball game. Then they tell the subjects to count the number of passes made. After a minute or so, a person in a gorilla suit walks right into the middle of the game, in full view of the camera. Now, here’s the fun part. When the researchers ask their subjects who saw the gorilla, more than half say they didn't. That's because the subjects were too focused on counting passes.Duke University Professor Cathy Davidson says we can learn something important from this experiment. Davidson is the author of "Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn." She tells Wisconsin Public Radio's Anne Strainchamps why attention blindness matters.Other stories on KUOW Presents:With An Army Of Vaccinators, India Subdues Polio The Economics Of Ghost HuntingHollywood EndingThis NOT Just In: War Of The Worlds Touches The Pacific NorthwestArt And MedicinePhotographer Edward Curtis"The Wisdom Of Psychopaths"Check out a video of the selective attention test below:http://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo
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"It's Just Dreadful:" The Design Of US Money
When designers look at US money, they usually see a whole host of problems. Aside from being just busy and confusing to look at, US money is so poorly designed that people who are sight-impaired can't even really use it. Yet there's no real movement in this country to change how our money's designed. Producer Roman Mars finds another country's currency that's designed with the user in mind.Other Stories On KUOW Presents:How The Taliban Is Thwarting The War On PolioAsking To Help With Haddayr Copley-WoodsL. Frank BaumSadieWriter's Almanac"The End-of-Life Book Club"The Disillusioned Press Secretary
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Tough As Nails: The Story Of Oklahoma City's First Openly Transgender Police Officer
Paula Sophia Schonauer is a 20-year veteran with the Oklahoma City Police Department. She’s also the agency's first openly transgender officer. When Paula was a man, she was the star cop in her police force. But when she transitioned to female, her past successes and reputation as top cop evaporated. Her colleagues didn’t think she could do the job she had excelled in for so many years as a man. In Tough as Nails, Paula told NPR Producer Stephanie Foo about her journey changing from police man, to police woman.Other stories from KUOW Presents:Coastal Marshes Yield History Of Northwest Quakes, TsunamisPolka Is Out, Even At World Accordion CompetitionSocial Mobilizers Combat Polio In Pakistan's SlumsVoting By Remote'Black Monday' Plunge: From 'High Life' To Street LifeCynthia Woodland On Her Son, Tyler Writer's Almanac