The Conversation Podcast

Saturday Seattle Center will hold its Big Birthday Bash, celebrating 50 years, with five performing stages, a giant birthday cake–cutting, and a screening of "It Happened At the World's Fair," starring Elvis Presley. Seattle Center director Robert Nellams joins us to talk about the past and future of the Seattle landmark.

What's the weirdest thing you ever saw on a bus or subway? What's the most wonderful thing you ever saw on mass transit? Each year Metro bus riders clock over a 100 million rides, and that is more than 100 million chances to see something weird, strange and possibly unbelievable on the bus. Ross takes listener calls and shares Facebook and email comments about the public transit experience.

Complaint Filed Against Tim Eyman: A complaint has been filed with election officials against conservative political activist Tim Eyman. The accusation alleges he's using money raised for one initiative to pay for another initiative. That's not allowed. We find out what happened. Wash. Supreme Court Ruling Clears Way For Lawsuit Over Tribal Gas Stations: Gas station owners in Washington have won the right to proceed with a lawsuit against the state. They're challenging the policy of gas tax refunds to Native American tribes who operate their own gas stations. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins has more on the implications. Has Labor Day Lost Its Significance? For most of us, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer, or the last "hoorah" before going back to school. The national holiday is often spent barbecuing or camping. But John Burbank of the Economic Opportunity Institute says it's important to remember what Labor Day commemorates.

Washington state has a brand new 10th Congressional District. Democrat Denny Heck and Republican Dick Muri want to represent it. They'll tell us why.

We are joined by actor and teacher Tom Skerritt to discuss his more than 40 years on screen and his current project working with war veterans. Skerritt's notable film appearances include "M*A*S*H," "Harold and Maude," "Big Bad Mama," "Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke," "Alien," "Contact," and "Top Gun."

Candidates For Governor Debate: The candidates for Washington governor sparred over taxes and personal tax returns in their second official debate Wednesday night. The face–off took place on the Vancouver campus of Washington State University. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has highlights. Students Improve On Statewide Math And Science Tests: Washington public school students did better this year on the state's standardized math and science tests. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced the test results Wednesday. KUOW's Ann Dornfeld tells us why students improved. New School Lunch Program: The United States Department of Agriculture has set new nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program, which brings the first major changes in school meals in over 30 years. All school districts in King County will be rolling out new menus next Wednesday as students return to the classroom. We find out what students will be eating. Seattle's Intiman Theater Will Be Back: Following a four play summer season the cash strapped Intiman Theatre's managing director says they will return next year. KUOW's Marcie Sillman reports. Be Super Safe: Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has unveiled a new plan to improve road safety with the slogan (and matching road signs): Be Super Safe. The campaign's goal is to achieve zero fatalities and injuries on the roads. KUOW's Ruby de Luna brings us the story.

Seattle's end of summer arts festival takes place this weekend. We talk to John Waters, one of the speakers, and preview some musical highlights.

A recent article in the Atlantic contends that young people are responding to a shaky economy by buying fewer cars and homes. Millennials are instead spending on education and technology. The shift in buying habits may shape tomorrow's economy. We talk to the article's author, and ask you what you're buying.

Where Is That Gubernatorial Candidate Getting Their Cash? What do rock stars, wealthy Texans and Taco Bell have in common? They're among the financial backers of the candidates vying to become Washington's next governor. KUOW's Austin Jenkins reports on the money behind the race to fill Chris Gregoire's seat. Will More Wolves Be Killed In North East Washington? The gray wolf is trying to make a comeback in the Pacific Northwest, but one pack is making it difficult on themselves by preying on cattle in northeast Washington. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has already killed one female wolf and they have issued an order to kill up to four more wolves in the Wedge pack. Ross Reynolds talks to both sides of the issue to see what needs to be done with the wolves.

A Breakthrough In Biofuel: A small biotech company in Seattle announced today that they've secured enough funding to expand their research on how to cultivate blue–green algae to make fuel. KUOW's Ashley Ahearn has more. The History Of Political Conventions: This week Republicans are gathered in Florida for the Republican National Convention. Before the convention even kicked off, we knew that Mitt Romney would be the nominee and it seems unlikely that there will be any surprises at either convention this year. In a world of scripted politics, do conventions still matter? Ross Reynolds talks with Julian Zelizer, a professor of history at Princeton who thinks they really, really do. Fear Of A Black President: Ta–Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic, says he noticed something about one of this year's major news stories — When Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, was killed by a white man in Florida, there was widespread dismay. And then President Obama spoke on the issue. Coates spoke to NPR's Morning Edition earlier today about his recent article, "Fear of a Black President," which analyzes the pervasiveness of race in Obama's first term.

David Randall never gave sleep much thought about sleeping — until he began sleepwalking. One midnight crash into a hallway wall sent him on an investigation into the strange science of sleep. Ross Reynolds talks to the author about his new book, "Dreamland: Adventures In The Strange Science Of Sleep."

Soldiers Allegedly Plotted To Blow Up Washington Dam: Prosecutors in Georgia say a group of current and former US soldiers plotted to blow up a dam in Washington and poison the state's apple crop. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins has the story. Legislative Candidate Sues State Over Ballot Language: Lawyers for the state of Washington are scheduled to appear in King County Superior Court on Thursday. State elections officials are being sued by a candidate for the state House of Representatives. Kshama Sawant says her constitutional rights are being violated because she can't list her party affiliation on the November ballot. KUOW's Deborah Wang has that story. Port Of Seattle CEO Called Into Question: Recently, 13 state legislators called Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani's new side gig into question. Yoshitani has accepted a position to serve as the director of Expeditors International. The organization is a Seattle–based company that helps customers organize cargo shipments worldwide. We talk to one of the lawmakers questioning the CEO.

For the fourth time, Washington voters consider an initiative to allow charter schools. They're privately run and publicly funded. Advocates say charter schools can innovate outside the constraints of public schools. Opponents believe charter schools will just detract from public education. We debate the pros and cons of charter schools.

Social critic James Howard Kunstler feels the US is at a moment where it's unable to think straight, much less address its most pressing problems. He says the problem is wishful thinking and the belief we can get something for nothing. We talk to Kunstler about why he thinks the US is on the brink of collapse, and what the country should do about it.

Do The Benefits Of Circumcision Outweigh The Risks? The American Academy of Pediatrics says there are significant medical benefits to circumcision, but the recommendation remains controversial. Ruby de Luna explains why. A 30–Year Plan To Study America's Ecology: A group of American ecologists are in the process of creating a huge information gathering network called the National Ecological Observation Network, known as NEON. The project hopes to answer big ecological questions and provide data on the impacts of climate change, land use, and invasive species.