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KC Currents Sundays at 5 p.m. (with a repeat broadcast Mondays at 8 p.m.). KC Currents Audio Archives The Walt Bodine Show Weekdays at 10 a.m. Walt Bodine Audio Archives Up to Date with Steve Kraske Weekdays at 11 a.m. Up to Date Audio Archives Culinary Expeditions Series Talk of the Nation Weekdays from 1 - 3 p.m. Fresh Air with Terry Gross Weekdays at 3 p.m. New Letters on the Air Sundays at 6 a.m. New Letters Audio Archives |
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 Proponents said that a new development north of KCI would have added much-needed revenue to Kansas City's tax base. Opponents of the plan, including the city's planning office, said that the city, already stretched at the edges, couldn't afford to expand further. In an 8-5 vote on Thursday, the Kansas City Missouri Council voted down the annexation. This vote comes around the same time that Mayor Mark Funkhouser submitted his proposed budget to the Council. And it's not going to be pretty, folks. Today Steve Kraske sits down with council members Sharon Sanders Brooks (3rd District), Cindy Circo (5th District), Ed Ford (2nd District), and Cathy Jolly (6th District) for a roundtable discussion about these and many other topics. We discuss Mayor Funkhouser's "schools first" proposal, get their reaction to Kansas City Missouri School Superintendent John Covington's school "right-sizing" plans, receive an update on the sewer/stormwater project and talk about what's being done to combat crime on Kansas City's east side and in the city's Waldo district. We'll take your questions and comments for the council members, too.
Tuesday March 2, 2010
 The United States is growing at a rapid rate. According to census forecasts, the U.S. will be home to four hundred million Americans by 2050 - making us more diverse and more competitive. We will become a nonwhite nation, as the majority of America's population growth will be in its racial minorities, particularly Asians and Hispanics and a growing mixed race population.Today Steve Kraske sits down with author Joel Kotkin to discuss his new book The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050. We discuss Kotkin's theory that the projected rise in population is the strongest indicator of our long-term economic authority, and how this unprecedented growth will take physical shape and change the face of America. We'll also discuss how this change will affect energy efficiency, immigration, and the evolution of neighborhoods and industries.  Author Joel Kotkin discusses his book The Next 100 Million: America in 2050 at today at 12 p.m. at the UMKC Bloch School of Business. More information about that event can be found here.
 Although Joel Kotkin says the U.S. will continue to be the economic driver for the world...and that suburbs will be a main force, Jeb Brugmann says that the city is where it's at...for now and the foreseeable future.3.4 billion people now live in cities - and that's a majority of humankind. The world is on a path toward "blind urbanization." Brugmann is author of Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities Are Changing The World. He founded and for 10 years led the group once known as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.
Wednesday March 3, 2010
 We've all been in contact with them. Those on the far-right or far-left wing of the political gamut - from the career partisans and the one-sided activists - to suspicious conspiracy theorists. According to author John Avlon, these are the people who want to divide us instead of unite us.Today Steve Kraske talks with Avlon about his latest book Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America. We discuss extremism in the beginning of the Obama administration, compare the current business of political paranoia with past doomsayers, look at why the internet is fueling paranoids, hysterics and hyper-partisans to commandeer our politics, and how we can avoid it.
Thursday March 4, 2010
 Al Capone and Elliot Ness. Frank Abagnale, Jr. and Carl Hanratty. John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis. We are fascinated by outlaws and the men who've captured them.Today Steve Kraske talks with Mark Lee Gardener about To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West. We examine the dual biography documenting Sheriff Pat Garrett's hunt for the iconic outlaw Billy the Kid. Gardener discusses the Kid's roguish past, and his acquaintance whose job was to bring justice - figures who would not have become famous without the other. We also look at how Gardner gives a new look at these two men, their relationship, and their epic ride to immortality. Author Mark Lee Gardner discusses his book To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library's Plaza Branch, sponsored by Rainy Day Books. More information about that event can be found here.
 Looking for something fun and unique to do this weekend? Later on today's program Brian McTavish of KC Confidential offers five events, concerts, gatherings, or other interesting things to do in Kansas City this weekend. It's what we call Up to Date's weekend to do list.
Friday March 5, 2009
 We're only two days away from the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. This year's nominations include a number of independent and foreign films discussed on this program.Today our film critics Cynthia Haines and Steve Walker discuss their predictions for this year's big winners - and who was looked over for nominations. Cynthia and Steve talk with the creators behind the book-turned-movie "What's the Matter With Kansas?" as we discuss the latest in art, independent, foreign, and documentary films playing in area theaters.
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Ed Ford is the at-large Councilman for the 2nd District of Kansas City. He previously served two consecutive terms as the 1st District at-large councilman from 1995-2003 under Mayor Cleaver and Mayor Barnes. Councilman Ford serves on the Housing Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commitee. A St. Louis native, Ed Ford and his wife Sheryl now call Kansas City home. They have four children and one grandchild. Learn more about the Councilman 
Cindy Circo was elected to the City Council in 2007. She has been a resident and small business owner in Kansas City for the past 25 years. Circo was raised in Independence, Mo., and also has lived in Kansas City's Old Northeast area. She is a member of the Planning and Zoning Committee and the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee. Cindy is married to Dan Circo. They have two sons, Dominic and Mario. For more information or to contact Councilwoman Cicro click 
Sharon Sanders Brooks represents the 3rd District on the City of Kansas City, Mo., City Council. She serves on the committees for Finance and Audit, Legislative Affairs, and is the chairwoman for the Housing Committee. Sanders Brooks lives in Kansas City, Mo., but is originally from Washington, D.C. During her spare time, she enjoys collecting African-American memorabilia, reading, traveling and volunteering at the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. She is a member of the St. James United Methodist Church. Learn more abut the Councilwoman 
Cathy Jolly was elected to the Kansas City Council in 2007. She is an attorney and former assistant Jackson County prosecutor. She served three terms in the Missouri General Assembly, from 2001 to 2006. Ms. Jolly received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. For more information or to contact Councilwoman Jolly click 
An internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends, Joel Kotkin is the author of a new book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050. The book explores how the nation will evolve in the next four decades.
Jeb Brugmann is a leading practitioner and thinker on strategy and the process of innovation. For 25 years he has been devising solutions to help local communities access the benefits of globalization, and to help global organizations engage in local communities and markets. His work focuses particularly on the critical contribution of innovation at the micro-level of the locality, business model, or consumer cluster to achieve macro-level strategy objectives.
John Avlon is senior political columnist for The Daily Beast and the author of Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America as well as Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics. Previously, he was a columnist and associate editor for the New York Sun. He is the creator of the "Wingnuts of the Week" segment on CNN and is on sabbatical as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
A professional historian, author, musician and consultant, Mark Lee Gardner has worked with the National Park Service, PBS Television, National Geographic Magazine, the Colorado Endowment for the Humanities, the New Mexico Humanities Council, and numerous state and local historic sites and museums. He writes for both popular and scholarly audiences, having published with several university presses and periodicals such as New Mexico Magazine, Journal of the West, and Living History Magazine. He has written a number of interpretive booklets for National Park Service sites, including Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, and Santa Fe Trail National Historic Trail.
Brian McTavish
follows popular culture in the belief that the search for significance
can lead anywhere. Brian explains, "I've written articles and
reviews..., reviewed hundreds of concerts, films and plays. And the
thing is, these high arts all sprang from the pop culture of their day.
Don't forget, Shakespeare was once Spielberg." Brian is a contributor
to the online magazine
 When Edmund White left the Midwest after college he had an opportunity to pursue a PhD at Harvard; instead, he followed a lover to New York City.White's new memoir City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and '70s is at once a memoir of the social and sexual lives of New York's cultural and intellectual in-crowd and White's own story of his twenties and thirties and his formation as an author. White arrived in New York broke and unknown, struggling to express himself as a gay man. New York wasn't faring much better; it was a grungy, dangerous, bankrupt city where garbage piled up during the long strikes of the sanitation workers and when a major blackout led to days and days of looting. White and his friends wore whistles around their necks so they could summon help from other gay men when they were attacked by the gangs when they left Greenwich Village on their way to the West Side leather bars. Today Steve Kraske talks with Edmund White about this time of enormous intrigue and artistic tumult, White's encounters with famous names and cultural icons from James Merrill to Elizabeth Bishop to William Burroughs; Harold Brodkey to Susan Sontag to Jasper Johns. White's autobiographical novel A Boy's Own Story, made him one of America's most celebrated gay writers. Novelist Whitney Terrell interviews Edmund White about his new book City Boy this evening at 6:30 at the Kansas City Library Central branch, 14 W. 10th St, Kansas City, MO.; Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th & Baltimore.
Tuesday February 23, 2010
 In December, Nelson Hopkins Sr. buried his son and namesake, a teenager whose bright future was destroyed when, on the way home from the library with college application in pocket, was shot as he walked near the Rockhurst University campus. A month later, Hopkins' 21-year-old nephew was shot to death while riding in a car.The two tragic events prompted Hopkins to start a movement that he calls "Operation Promise Land", designed to combat the tide of murders sweeping Kansas City's east side. He's been going door to door talking with residents, trying to convince them to help his efforts to decrease shootings and encouraging them to dismiss the "don't snitch" attitude that permeates many of these neighborhoods. Today Steve Kraske talks with Hopkins about his son and his nephew and his efforts to make the city a better place to live. We'll also examine the struggles that former convicts and parolees face when they're released from prison. Employment opportunities are slim for most area residents; for former inmates, they're even worse. Wednesday February 24, 2010
 Today, bioethics is focused on helping people make difficult choices in an informed way, choices that often involve how we or others will die. Bioethicists encourage people to make rational decisions based on their own personal beliefs and those of their loved ones.But what happens when science offers an opportunity for individuals to evade the grave entirely, or at least for another 25, 50 or 100 years? Is it ethical for individuals, or for society generally, to take advantage of technologies that will change our entire notion of what it means to age? Is it okay to want to live forever? Today Steve Kraske talks with Dr. Glenn McGee, holder of the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Center for Practical Bioethics about the ethical choices created by the incredible new technologies that are changing how long we can live, and challenge your thinking about the ethics of living and dying. Glenn McGee speaks this evening at 6 on the topic of Is it Ethical...to Want to Live Forever? at the Kauffman Foundation, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO. A 5 p.m. reception preceeds the lecture. The event is free. Click here for more information.
Thursday February 25, 2010
 On February 13th, Kansas City Missouri School District Superintendent Dr. John Covington presented his team's preliminary "right-sizing" plan to the district's board. It called for closing half of the school district's schools, consolidating a number of programs in underutilized buildings.Over the past week the district has held four forums for the community. Parents, students, teachers, staff, and others have voiced their opinions on the superintendent's plans. And on Wednesday evening February 24th, Covington presents his final and modified plan to the board. In the first portion of today's show Steve Kraske talks with Covington about the final plan, what role the community forums played in modifying the original right-sizing proposal, and the proposed time line for closings. Photo: Superintendent John Covington and Public Relations Director Eileen Houston-Stewart hear from a middle school student. Sylvia Maria Gross / KCUR.  Gary Jenkins is a Kansas City lawyer whose ancestor owned slaves in 19th century Clinton County, Missouri. His friend, Jimmy Johnson, is a Kansas City teacher whose great-grandfather was a Platte County slave.A new documentary by Jenkins titled "Negroes to Hire" takes its name from an advertisement he found while researching the film. He sought out area experts who detailed how slavery in Missouri often operated on a much smaller scale than that on plantations in the South. Today Steve Kraske talks with Jenkins and Johnson about slavery in Missouri, its legacy, and why the two are touring around Missouri telling their story. A screening of Negroes to Hire will be held this evening. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a potluck followed by a 30-minute version of movie at Community Christian Church on the Plaza, 4601 Main Street, Kansas City, MO. Click here for more information.Friday February 26, 2010
 Obesity has more than a monetary price tag attached to it: it also shortens lives. But obesity's price tag is high: if you take into account what's spent on health care related to obesity, its resulting medical conditions like diabetes and lost productivity, obesity costs American $130 billion each year. But can we change the eating habits of individuals? And why has obesity become such a problem in many minority communities? A local program funded in large part by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is figuring out how to bring better food to neighborhoods across the Kansas City area - and perhaps eventually - across the country. Today Steve Kraske talks with Otavio Silva, Sustainability Director for Good Natured Family Farms and project director for the Kellogg Foundation's Good Food + Good Business = Good Futures Project. In partnership with area farmers, food distributors, and others, the project has partnered with non-profit organizations to bring healthy food to communities that need it the most: economically struggling areas whose populations are often victims of poor food choices. Alan Hunt, principal of Local Food Strategies discusses obesity as a nationwide epidemic, the challenges to changing eating habits, and the struggles that families face to find better foods. A mother from Kansas City, Kansas describes her difficulty in finding the right foods to feed her three children. Alexis Delaney, director of the Guadaloupe Center's Plaza de Niños Preschool talks about taking part in the Good Food + Good Business = Good Futures pilot program, how her school's staff and children reacted to the new foods the program introduced, and how it impacted their families, while Margaret May, executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council talks about the program's "Food to Faith" element: an effort create a working partnership between 25 churches in the neighborhood to act as distribution points for healthy food.
Looking for something fun and unique to do this weekend? Later on today's program Brian McTavish of KC Confidential offers five fun and unique things to do in Kansas City this weekend. It's what we call Up to Date's weekend to do list.
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An esteemed novelist and cultural critic, Edmund White is the author of many books, including the autobiographical novel A Boy's Own Story; a previous memoir, My Lives; and most recently a biography of poet Arthur Rimbaud. White lives in New York City and teaches writing at Princeton University.
The portfolio of work in bioethics by Glenn E. McGee, PhD spans the globe and covers a broad spectrum of ethical issues in health and healthcare.
Otavio Silva is the project director for the WKKF's Good Food + Good Business = Good Futures project working with vulnerable communities and children at risk on farm to school and faith-based communities and corporate wellness community support agriculture. He is the executive director of the Food Conservancy - the newest Kansas City nonprofit organization assisting to improve the local food system towards good food - healthy, green, fair and affordable.
 While oil remains the money maker commodity of today, the success of civilizations and the quality of ordinary daily lives has been - in large part - due to the control of water.Today Steve Kraske talks with author Steven Solomon about his book Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization. We discuss the rise and fall of great powers throughout history due to their control of water and examine the power struggles that have shaped humanity- from the Roman Empire, to Islam's golden age and the steam-powered Industrial Revolution. We also talk with Water.org Chief Operating Officer Keith Stamm about efforts being made to bring cleaner water to countries in need including the challenge of the freshwater scarcity and how it is affecting political, economic, and environmental issues across the globe. We also look specifically at the efforts being made in Haiti after last month's earthquake.
Tuesday February 16, 2010
 A steep drop in enrollment has left school buildings in the Kansas City, Missouri School District half full. In a meeting with school district board members on Saturday, Superintendent John Covington presented his plan to shut down half of the district's schools, including Northeast High School (pictured at left). The proposal would also cut 700 staff members and move the administrative headquarters out of the downtown office. Covington says the proposal would help redeploy resources for better instruction. Today Steve Kraske talks with KC Currents producer and co-host Sylvia Maria Gross and Kansas City, Missouri School District Board member Airick Leonard West about the proposed cuts. Parent Pam Kingsley, American Federation of Teachers Local 691 president Andrea Flinders, and others weigh in on the plan. Kansas City isn't the only district facing cuts: no fewer than a dozen districts in the 11-county area are struggling to pay the bills. In the last portion of our program we talk with Scott Morgan, president of the Lawrence, Kansas public schools board about his district's proposed school closings.
Wednesday February 17, 2010
 Vocalist Megan Birdsall began singing jazz in Kansas City in 2002 as a featured vocalist with Greg Richter and David Basse at The New Point. She soon became favored by many other KC notables including Dan Doran, Rob Whitsitt, and Mark Lowery. Later that year she fronted her own jazz trio called Birdsong, and in 2004 began to sing lead for Kansas City's power house blues band The Nortons.In 2006 as she began preparing for her second record, Little Jazz Bird, featuring national jazz luminaries such as Mike Melvoin, Mike Metheny, and Paul Smith, she was diagnosed with a degenerative arthritic jaw condition that threatened her career and her life. She required maxio-facial reconstructive surgery to move her jaw off of her windpipe. Today Steve Kraske sits down with the 29 year-old to discuss what it's like to work with jazz greats, her upcoming CD, and the facial reconstruction surgery that almost ended her career.
 Also this hour - a tribute to ragtime.Ragtime music, which enjoyed its peak popularity in the early part of the 20th century, began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities before being published as popular street music for piano. Its syncopated - or 'ragged' rhythm was popularized by composers like Scott Joplin (pictured at left), Joseph Lamb, and James Scott. While ragtime fell out of 'style' by the 1920s, its adherents are proud of its rich history. In the last part of today's program Steve Kraske talks with pianist Frederick Hodges, one of the nation's leading ragtime performers. We'll talk about the music's popularity, the Kansas City Ragtime Revelry, and Hodges' concert this weekend. Frederick Hodges performs Saturday evening at 7 at Community Christian Church, 4601 Main, Kansas City. Tickets are $20. Call 913 831 1860 for more information.
Thursday February 18, 2010
 It's not unusual to load your family in the minivan and drive from battleground to battleground... from the Civil War or the American Revolution. But author Jay Wexler wanted to tour a different kind of battleground.Today Steve Kraske talks with Wexler about his book Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church-State Wars. They discuss the six months Wexler spent traveling to the sites where important church-state Supreme Court cases were determined. From an Amish farm to an Orthodox Jewish community in New York and a high school football game in East Texas, we look at the basics of the church versus state laws, and discuss why Wexler decided to tell the stories in an entertaining manner. Jay Wexler talks about his book Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church-State Wars this evening at 7 at Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, MO. The event is free and sponsored by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. For more information, visit Rainy Day Books in Fairway or call 913 384 3126.
Looking for something fun and unique to do this weekend? Later on today's program Brian McTavish of KC Confidential offers five fun and unique things to do in Kansas City this weekend. It's what we call Up to Date's weekend to do list.
Friday February 19, 2009
 Film professor / screenwriter Mitch Brian and critic Jason Heck are getting litigious! They've threatened to sue Steve Kraske if we don't do a lawful show.*This month the DVD gurus are taking us before the bench as we review their favorite films featuring courtroom trials and tribulations. A complete list of films we discussed can be found on our homepage. * note: no real legal action has been threatened yet, but it doesn't rule out the possibility of some down the road. By reading this line, you and your representatives hereby release Up to Date and its sponsors (the listeners) from any legal liability whatsoever. So there.
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Steven Solomon has written for The New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Economist, Forbes, and Esquire. He has been a regular commentator on NPR's Marketplace, and has appeared as a featured guest on the late Tim Russert's CNBC show, NPR's Talk of the Nation, Bloomberg TV, and on many other news shows.
Keith Stamm is the Chief Operating Officer for 
Jay Wexler teaches at the Boston University School of Law. He studied religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School and law at Stanford, and worked as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He has published numerous academic articles, and reviews, as well as nearly three dozen short stories and humor pieces in outlets such as Spy and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Wexler lives in Boston.
Violence is not an unsolvable problem. That's the theme of the CeaseFire violence prevention program in Chicago, and Kansas City officials are adopting similar measures to attempt to stem the tide of murders in Kansas City.Today Steve Kraske talks with Dr. Gary Slutkin, CeaseFire founder and a professor of epidemiology and international health at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health about the program's evidence-based, public health approach to reduce violence... particularly shootings. We'll also talk with Tracie McClendon-Cole, coordinator of Kansas City's Municipal Justice Program, and Major Anthony Ell, commander of the East Patrol Division of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department about the importance of community engagement. We'll examine reducing neighborhood violence by working with community organizations and why focusing on street-level outreach, conflict mediation, and changing community norms is key to making the program work.
 Also this hour - Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser talks about his 'Schools First' initiative.The plan proposes "things that city government can do to make the area, a 50 square-block area around each school, clean and safe" like improve sidewalks, crossings, and security. While the Mayor has no authority to change school curriculum, the way classes are taught, and struggling test scores, the 'Schools First' initiative attempts to bridge the gap between the shrinking district and city government. The Mayor plans to host a telephone town hall meeting to discuss the initiative- from using city funds to help sustain and enhance schools in the city to the possibility of the City Council approve a public safety sales tax extension with respect to the effort. Tuesday February 9, 2010
 Marine biologist Sylvia Earle is a "hero for the planet." The Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic has pioneered research on marine ecosystems since 1998, but her work on oceans goes back decades.Today Steve Kraske sits down with Earle to discuss being the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and her role in establishing globally protected marine areas. Earle's newest book The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One reveals how just 50 years of swift and dangerous oceanic change threatens the very existence of life on Earth. Our planet, according to Earle, is teetering on the brink of irreversible environmental crisis. We'll also discuss Earle's more than 70 expeditions, and her numerous diving records, including the depth record for solo diving at 3,300 feet. National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle presents the Cope Lecture at William Jewel College this evening at 7:30 in the John Gano Memorial Chapel on the William Jewel campus. More information about that event can be found here.
Wednesday February 10, 2010
 Why do conspiracy theories fascinate us? From the assassination of President Kennedy, to 9/11 and the moon landings, human kind is compelled to believe in something that involves broadening the limits of probability.Today Steve Kraske talks with author David Aaronovitch about his book Voodoo Histories: The Role of Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History about revealing conspiracy theories of the last 100 years. We'll discuss why people believe them, and why true skepticism is based on a comprehensive knowledge of history and a strong measure of common sense. We'll examine popular theories surrounding the deaths of Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, and "Pseudo-history" such as the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Thursday February 11, 2010
 Tomorrow marks the first day of the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count in which volunteers count birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.The count provides important information that allows scientists to learn more about environmental change and how it affects our conservation concerns. Steve Kraske talks with Alan Branhagen, expert naturalist and director of horticulture at Powell Gardens, about how to attract more birds to your area. We'll discuss what to feed birds during the severe winter weather that's hit the Kansas City area, and what plants, bushes and trees to think about adding to your yard this spring to encourage birds to visit. We'll also talk with Dr. Miyoko Chu, director of communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about the bird count effort nationwide and what's done with all the count numbers. Photo courtesy of listener Greg Stein
Friday February 12, 2010
 When you think of plants do you think of dangerous killers? That's exactly what author Amy Stewart thought when she penned Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities.Today Stewart talks about the plants that kill, wound, and intoxicate... from exploding shrubs, to the vine that ate the South, and the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln's mother. We'll examine Stewart's passion for gardening, and how she was self-taught. We'll also discuss the book's educational, historical, and entertaining aspects, and how long it took Stewart to pull all the elements together from researching, to drafting, and the botanical illustrations that teach us what sinister malevolence may be skulking in our own backyards. Amy Stewart will appear at the Metropolitan Lawn and Garden Show today and tomorrow at The American Royal Center. More information about that event can be found here.
Looking for something fun and unique to do this weekend? Later on today's program Brian McTavish of KC Confidential offers five fun and unique things to do in Kansas City this weekend. It's what we call Up to Date's weekend to do list.
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Dr. Gary Slutkin is a physician trained in medicine, infectious disease control and reversing epidemics. He received his M.D. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and did his internship and residency at San Francisco General Hospital , where he was also Chief Resident in medicine. He took a year off to work and study in Africa before returning to San Francisco to complete an infectious disease fellowship. In the early 1980s, Dr. Slutkin ran the Tuberculosis Program for the city of San Francisco when an epidemic of tuberculosis was occurring related to an influx of Vietnamese refugees. This effort increased the cure rate from 50% to 95%, dropped TB cases by over 50% and prevented a large scale epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis seen in several other cities throughout the country.
David Aaronovitch is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in radio, television and newspapers in the United Kingdom since the early 1980s. He lives in Hampstead, north London, with his wife, three daughters and Kerry Blue the terrier. His first book, Paddling to Jerusalem, won the Madoc prize for travel literature in 2001.
Alan Branhagen
is an expert naturalist who specializes in garden design, edible
landscapes, native plants and landscape design for wildlife (especially
birds and butterflies). He has been director of horticulture at Powell
Gardens since 1996. Branhagen's design work at Powell includes the
Island Garden, the Visitor Education Center landscaping, and the
Heartland Harvest Garden planting plan, which he put together after
studying the Oxford Dictionary of World Food Plants for many nights. He
is the author of The Gardener's Butterfly Book.
Miyoko Chu is a Ph.D. ornithologist and director of communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She is editor of the Lab's BirdScope newsletter and assistant editor of Living Bird magazine.
Amy Stewart is the author Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers, and of The Earth Moved, which won the 2005 California Horticultural Society's Writer's Award, and From the Ground Up. Her essays and commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Garden Design, Organic Gardening, and elsewhere. She has been featured on NPR, Good Morning America, and CBS Sunday Morning. She lectures throughout the country and lives in Eureka, California.
 Samuel Clemens was no stranger to stirring up a fuss. In 1906 he attended an event at the Library of Congress in a snow white suit, shocking his contemporaries. As master and commander of literary satire, the man who became Mark Twain is considered one of America's greatest authors, but how well do we really know him?Today Steve Kraske sits down with Indiana State University English professor Michael Shelden to discuss his new book Mark Twain: Man in White: The Grand Adventure of His Final Years. We'll discuss the last decade of Twain's life... from his dysfunctional family, to a bitter feud, and his encounters with Bram Stoker, Bernard Shaw, Helen Keller.
Tuesday February 2, 2010
 President Obama will be remembered as the first African American president in the country's history. Another first for the President... he was the first candidate to be marketed like a high-level consumer brand. Today Steve Kraske talks with designer Sol Sender about his experiences developing the Barack Obama campaign logo and "political brand," the first of its kind in American politics. Designer Sol Sender speaks tonight at 6:30 p.m. the Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch. More information about that event can be found here.
 The way we work - where we work - has changed dramatically in recent years. Use of the internet and more people working from home has in many cases altered the office space landscape.In the second half of our program we'll examine designing more efficient work spaces. David Lathrop, Director of Research and Strategy for Steelcase, Inc. will discuss the future design trends in the office. David Lathrop is in town as part of Kansas City Design Week. Wednesday February 3, 2010
 On Wednesday Missouri state Senator Matt Bartle testified before a federal grand jury meeting in Kansas City. The subject: the Missouri House's defeat of an anti-porn bill that Bartle sponsored in 2005. The testimony from the Lee's Summit Republican comes as part of an ongoing pay-to-play investigation in the state Capitol that began at least a year ago.In the first portion of today's program Steve Kraske talks with David Lieb, bureau chief for the Associated Press' Jefferson City office and Jason Noble, the Kansas City Star's Jefferson City reporter. We'll discuss the case, the grand jury investigation, and talk about possible indictments the grand jury may return when it completes its investigation.  Also today - a local look at the U.S. military's stance on gays serving openly in the armed forces.On Wednesday U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified to Congress that the Pentagon has taken the first steps toward repealing the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay and lesbian service members. Steve Kraske talks with Dr. Beth Schissel, a pediatrician at Children's Mercy Hospital. Schissel, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, was kicked out of the Air Force when she revealed she was a lesbian. We also talk with Dr. Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center and an adjunct professor at New York University and author of Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America.  Finally today: KCUR's Dan Verbeck reports from the Liberty Memorial, site of a summit gathering of the governors of Missouri and Kansas, where a new survey was released with some devastating findings for the Kansas City area.Among the poll results: voters believe Kansas City is failing to keep up with Denver and St. Louis, and they blame the quality of its leaders for much of that.
Thursday February 4, 2010
 It's okay to wake your 12 year old up in the morning for school, but is it okay to call your 22 year old in college to do the same? These days, the over protection of kids has been taken to extremes.Today Steve Kraske talks with Dr. Edward Christophersen of Children's Mercy Hospital about helicopter parenting- when parents pay particularly close attention to their children's experiences and problems, and most importantly their schooling. We'll examine when this issue first started garnering attention, and why many well-intentioned actions can actually undermine children's development and well being. We'll also talk with Rebecca Bergman with the University of Missouri- Kansas City College of Arts and Sciences advising department about what she sees when parents get involved with planning their college student's courses. We'll discuss the levels of over parenting that are justified, especially when it comes to safety, while other levels - such as insisting on sitting in with your college freshman and their advisers - are not.
 After contributing six decades of musical direction and genius, Randy Weston remains one of the world's foremost pianists and composers of today, a true innovator and visionary.This evening the American Jazz Museum welcomes the NEA Jazz Master and piano icon for a live concert and discussion. Weston will present a solo piano performance and discuss elements of his celebrated Uhuru Africa Suite (Weston's Opus Recording for United Artists now celebrating its 50th Anniversary) and its role as a spiritual healer within the context of his work in Central Africa. In the last portion of our program, Steve Kraske talks with Weston about his career and the role of jazz in medical and spiritual healing. The American Jazz Museum presents Jammin' for Wellness: Jazz as an International Catalyst for Medical and Spiritual Healing this evening from 6:30 - 9:00 pm in the Museum's atrium.Friday February 5, 2009
Valentine's Day is only a week away. Are you looking for a good idea for a date you'll never forget - or do you need an idea for something to do in order to forget that you don't have a date for the big day? We've got just the thing for you.Join our film critics Cynthia Haines and Steve Walker as we review the latest art, independent, and foreign films showing on area screens. You'll find a complete list of the films they review the Up to Date page, below Cynthia and Steve's "Three to See" list. Looking for something fun and unique to do this weekend? Later on today's program Brian McTavish of KC Confidential offers five fun and unique things to do in Kansas City this weekend. It's what we call Up to Date's weekend to do list.
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Michael Shelden is the author of three previous biographies, including Orwell, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He was a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph (London) and a critic for the Baltimore Sun. He is currently a professor of English at Indiana State University.
As founder and principal of Sender LLC, Sol Sender spearheaded the logo development for Barack Obama's historic 2008 campaign. Now an associate partner with 
Dr. Edward R. Christophersen, Ph.D., ABPP is a Professor of Pediatrics and Staff Psychologist at Children's Mercy Hospital, and a Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Medicine.