Soundside

Fifteen years ago, actor Pam Nolte received a phone call from a friend who worked at  the Greenwood Senior Center in Seattle. Her friend asked if she’d be willing to create an improv class specifically for people with early stage memory loss. Pam was intrigued. She had zero experience with improv. But had personal experience dealing with her mother’s experience with Alzheimer's disease. Pam eventually created a gentle and slower-paced improv class. Participants play improv games that tap into their long term memories and their senses, and instructors ask them questions like “what are some sounds you hear in the springtime?” or “what was an activity you loved to do as a kid?” The class then builds off these prompts, to create longer form improv games. Students and instructors say the class is a unique experience for people with early stage memory loss, who in the real world are often told “no.” For example, when their doctor tells them they can no longer drive. But in improv class, students are met with a resounding “yes!” to whatever ideas they come up with. And they’re given space and time if they forget what they’re saying mid-sentence. Experts say improv class offers real benefits for anyone who wants to keep their mind and memory in good shape. GUESTS:  Pam Nolte, actor and co-founder of Taproot Theatre Company Dr. Danny Fisher, Memory and Brain Wellness Center at Harborview Students and instructors from the “improv for memory loss” class RELATED LINKS: Taproot Theatre Company’s “Re-ignite the Mind” Class The Upfront Theatre’s “Minds Alive!” class in Bellingham Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you buy a fruit, a vegetable, a carton of almond milk - you might assume it’s an animal free product. But all of those foods, and many more, rely on one small but mighty member of the animal kingdom: the bee.  Bees – especially honeybees – are an important part of any working farm. They pollinate everything from papayas to cucumbers to coffee beans.  Like cows, pigs, or chickens, these little buzzy workers are considered livestock: cared for and managed by farmers and beekeepers so that you can have food on your plate. But, unlike other livestock, there is one thing farmers haven’t been able to do for their bees: provide nutritious, human-made feed when flowers aren’t blooming. Until now. Last month scientists unveiled a new food source designed for livestock bee colonies. They say it could help bee survival rates across the world. Guest: Brandon Hopkins is the P.F. Thurber Endowed Distinguished Professor of Pollinator Ecology at Washington State University, and ran the trials for this new food. He also co-authored a study on the food source Related stories: New pollen-replacing food for honey bees brings new hope for survival - WSU Insider A nutritionally complete pollen-replacing diet protects honeybee colonies during stressful commercial pollination—requirement for isofucosterol - The Royal Society Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GAMERS REJOICE - The day that Mario, Pokémon, & Zelda fans have been looking forward to is right around the corner: The Switch 2 from Nintendo is out on THURSDAY, June 5th!! The second generation of Nintendo’s flagship console has been highly anticipated for years, but the launch announcement was NOT without controversy. Nintendo announced the new console back in January, but it wasn’t until last month that details came out about games, pricing, and licensing. It was revealed that instead of buying the GAMES THEMSELVES at your friendly local game store, the cartridge you buy is merely a KEY to download the game from Nintendo’s digital storefront, which caused quite the stir among the Nintendo faithful…  We reached out to Nintendo of America last week to get their response to the question about “right to repair” in WA State, and we’ll update this story as soon as they respond.  GUEST: Ryan DiVittorio - Writer at CBR.com RELATED LINK: It's the End of an Era for Game Ownership and Physical Media Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The day 65-year-old Julie Leon died was the hottest day ever recorded in Washington State history. Her death was officially ruled as hyperthermia, or overheating.  Officially, more than 100 people died in the state due to that extreme 2021 heat wave, but many experts believe the number of deaths exceeds 400. Last week, Julie’s daughter, Misti Leon, filed a lawsuit, pointing the finger at who she thinks is responsible: big oil.  The lawsuit claims that oil and gas companies have been knowingly misleading the public for more than 50 years about the effects of fossil fuels on the climate. It says this deception has made them trillions of dollars, while leading to the deaths of people like Julie Leon.  Guest:  Korey Silverman-Roati, a Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School Related Links:  Oil companies face a wrongful death suit tied to climate change Leon v. Exxon Complaint PDF Oil Companies Are Sued Over Death of Woman in 2021 Heat Wave Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It isn't officially summer, but it sure does feel like it in the Pacific Northwest. The sun is out and maybe you're planning on laying out by the water this weekend. But what to listen to as the warm season nears? Well, we have something that might help you. We rounded up a panel of local music experts to give you some fresh recommendations for songs to check out. Michael Reitmulder: Deep Sea Diver, Billboard Heart Sea Lemon, Diving for a Prize Bunnie on the Board: Sailorr, Soft Girl Summer Envi Jordan, "Tonight" Shaboozey, "Horses & Hellcatts" Cameron Lavi Jones OBGMS, "Get Up" Orgone, "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" ft. Cyril Neville Liv Victorino, "Neighborhood" Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Guests: Bunnie on the Board - live and studio audio engineer and Seattle Music Commissioner Michael Reitmulder - Seattle Times music writer Cameron Lavi Jones, lead singer and guitarist of Seattle band King Young Blood and co-creator of the Black and Loud music festival  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know who we haven't discussed on this show in a while? The Boeing company. They're the 2nd biggest private employer in this state. It’s good we haven't talked about ’em because when we do, it's usually bad news.The fatal crashes a few years ago, the door panel blowing out last year, the machinist strike. The US Senate held a whistleblower hearing and the title was “Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts.” - Not a great sign. So how is Boeing doing now? Well, the stock price is up 20% this year, Qatar Airlines is buying 210 new jets, and Boeing might not face criminal charges after all for those fatal crashes - something the victims’ families are angry about. Let’s catch up on Boeing... GUESTS:  Lauren Rosenblatt, Seattle Times business reporter covering Boeing Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory RELATED LINKS:  Federal prosecutors confirm they may drop Boeing criminal charge MAX crash families say DOJ is handing Boeing ‘get out of jail free’ card Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems furloughs workers on 737 program Boeing nears Spirit AeroSystems takeover after move by Airbus Boeing is nearly back on its feet — just in time for Trump trade war hit Boeing sets new values after ‘brutal’ employee feedback Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been a short week for most of us, thanks to Memorial Day.  Here we already approaching another weekend, nd with ALMOST everything you need to know to keep yourself busy, we've got Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!! LINKS: Mariners - Nationals on Thurs, Minnesota Twins on Fri/Sat/Sun Sounders - Minnesota United FC on Sunday Storm - Fri vs Atlanta/Sun vs Las Vegas Salmon Bay FC - FRI vs Tacoma Rat City Roller Derby - Home Team Championships Saturday Two Dykes and a Mic - Fri/Sat Mason County Forest Festival - Fri/Sat/Sun in Shelton, WA HONK! Fest West Bite of Greece Seattle Stamp & Scrapbook EXPO - Puyallup Paws & Pride Dog Walk - Bellevue Downtown Park Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump Administration’s health policies are upending years of advice about COVID vaccines. Since they’ve been available, experts have recommended the shot to almost everyone. The vaccines are safe and they work. But now federal agencies are taking a much narrower approach. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. just announced the vaccines won't be recommended for children or healthy pregnant people. And the FDA plans to approve booster shots only for older adults and people with extra risk factors.  We talk more about all of that with an expert on COVID-19, Dr. Helen Chu. Chu doesn't agree with the recommendations. "I think the reason why we have COVID vaccines for young children and for pregnant persons is because they know we know that they work, that they're safe, they're effective," Chu says. "These are populations that are at high risk for severe disease." Guest Dr. Helen Chu, professor of medicine at the University of Washington. She’s run several landmark studies of how COVID spreads. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal funding for research from the National Science Foundation is being awarded at the slowest rate in 35 years, according to an investigation from the New York Times. Since the start of Trump’s second term, cuts to National Institutes of Health and NSF grants have totaled more than 1.5 billion, according to the research publication Science.  Republicans have justified these cuts by claiming the administration is rooting out wasteful spending, or left-wing ideology run amok.   And these attacks, along with threats of funding freezes for universities, have reportedly created a culture of fear for researchers. It’s left scientists wondering: do I speak up about what’s happening? Or do I stay quiet, in hopes my funding might be restored? One Seattle researcher with a lot of experience in political communication and information systems is saying: speak up. Guest: Kate Starbird is the co-founder of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. She’s also a professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE). Related stories: Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate - Science Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades - NYT To understand right-wing media’s power, study improv and theater of influencers - Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Megatron Burrows is out this week, so Shane NoCoolNickname Mehling rattles through some of the best things to do this Memorial weekend.  Northwest Folk Life Seattle Black Nerd Fest Second Breakfast - Hobbit Feast and Painting Party! Charcuterie Board Workshop Kevin Diers Benefit Show Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.