Up to Date
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The Weekend To-Do List: May 24-27, 2013
Looking for ways to take advantage of Memorial Day Weekend, May 24-27, 2013? Brian McTavish has some ideas for you on the Weekend To-Do List.
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The Ethics Professors: Political Scandals, Clothing...
Would you pay more for an article of clothing if it meant the person who made it worked in safe factory conditions and earned a fair wage?
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Avoiding A Summer Of Sizzling Sunburns
If you just grab the highest SPF sunscreen when you head out to the lake, you might not be making the best choice.
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The Gaffes Of Parenthood
Comedian Jim Gaffigan knows that a four-year-old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor is pretty much the same thing, and he can teach you a thing or two about co-opting your kid’s Halloween candy.
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WWII: The Last Year Of Europe's Battles
Omaha, Juno, Utah, Gold and Sword. The names of the Normandy beaches echo in the annals of World War II history, but the iconic invasion wasn’t the last step of the European campaign.
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Michael Shannon A Family Man, Hit Man And 'The Iceman'
As intense as actor Michael Shannon has been on screens large and small, his chilling performance in Ariel Vroman'sThe Iceman ups the ante.
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The Weekend To-Do List: May 17-19, 2013
Looking for ways to enjoy the weekend of May 17-19, 2013? Brian McTavish has some options for you on the Weekend To-Do List.
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Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To...
Looking for agreat filmto see the weekend of May 17-19, 2013?
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Legislative Wrap-up: Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly wraps up today. Will your income taxes be cut? Will sales taxes jump to pay for highways?
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Writing Teacher Finds A Prodigy With Problems In 'In The...
Fans of both independent and foreign films can trust that, if they feature Kristin Scott Thomas, they're worth an investment of time, thought, and money.The bilingual actress has impeccable taste and can lift even mundane films to a place of esteemed elegance.
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The Art Fantastic
When you watch a film like Star Wars or Harry Potter, the fantastical worlds they present seem to come alive on the screen with colorful planets and moving portraits.
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90-Mile View: Dr. Gary Yarbrough
Dr. Gary Yarbrough has practiced family medicine in small towns for 30 years. In that time he's met some memorable people.
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Allergies: Indoor, Outdoor & Everywhere
With the temperatures soaring this week, spring has burst onto the scene… and that means lots of pollen.
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Parents, Teens & Socializing
If your child’s not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve or she often stays quiet in a crowd, he or she might be an introvert.
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KCMO Police Chief Discusses Violent Crime
With 61 people indicted last week on weapons and drug charges, Kansas City is making a statement.
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Baby Care: The First Few Months
When you're a parent—especially a first-time parent—you worry about all kinds of things you see in your baby's development.
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WyCo Effort Aims To Curb Infant Mortality
With one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, Wyandotte County is taking steps to fix that problem.
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The Weekend To-Do List: May 10-12, 2013
Looking for ways to enjoy the weekend of May 10-12, 2013? Brian McTavish has some choices for you on the Weekend To-Do List.
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Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To...
Looking for agreat filmto see the weekend of May 10-12, 2013?
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‘Renoir’ A Portrait Of An Artist In Decline
To look at the collected paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoiris to see all possible colors and textures made more rich and tactile by the light. Gilles Bourdos’ evocative Renoir is less a comprehensive biography than a portrait of the man in his golden years (played with astonishing physical accuracy by Michel Bouquet ) when his output is hardly dented at all by his physical impairments.
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William Whitener: Taking A Final KC Bow
William Whitener became Artistic Director of the Kansas City Ballet in 1996. After having staged, taught, acquired, commissioned or created 85 works for the organization and seeing it move into its new rehearsal and performance spaces, Whitener now prepares to leave the Ballet and embark on yet another chapter in his remarkable career.
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After 7 Nominations, Local Chef Wins Award
After seven nominations, Bluestem's Chef Colby Garrelts took home the prize this week as Best Chef of the Midwest at the James Beard awards in New York City.
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Writers' Roundtable: KC Edition
Writing can be a solitary pursuit, and that can mean thetricks of the trade remain quiet.
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90 Mile View: Saundra Hayes
When Saundra Hayes returned to her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, it wasn’t to become a neighborhood advocate.
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Truman's Integration Of The Armed Forces
Looking back, desegregating the military seems like the obvious thing to do, but in the 1940s and 50s, it wasn't so clear for Harry Truman.
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Listen To Your Mother
With Mother's Day on the horizon, one group wants you to listen to your mother.
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Walking Across Kansas For Stroke Awareness
Would you walk 500 miles to raise awareness for a cause? Would you walk 70 more?
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Pulling Up The Roots Of Words
Ever wonder where the word hornswoggle comes from? How about doubloon?
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Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To...
Looking for agreat filmto see the weekend of May 3-5, 2013?
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What's Showing In Independent, Foreign & Documentary Film
A rebound romance, a look at the omnipresence of the digital world and a German girl’s confused journey at the end of World War II are all competing for moviegoers’ attention this weekend.
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Writers' Roundtable: Children's Book Authors
It’s a special blend of characters, engaging stories and occasionally, a bit of magic that goes into a great children’s book.On Thursday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske hosts a roundtable of children's book authors, including Brian Selznick, Richard Peck, Sarah Weeks and Avito discuss their methods for putting together award-winning tomes with that extra spark of fun.
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The Weekend To-Do List: May 3-5, 2013
Looking for ways to keep from shivering theweekend of May 3-5, 2013?Brian McTavishhas some choices for you on theWeekend To-Do List.
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Writers' Roundtable: Children's Book Authors
It’s a special blend of characters, engaging stories and occasionally, a bit of magic that goes into a great children’s book.
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A Window Into The World Of Tourette's
People with Tourette's syndrome are often portrayed as spouting curse words uncontrollably, but there's more to the condition than that.
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Managing An Online Business Reputation
Do all those reviews on sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor really matter for small businesses?
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America's Shifting Foreign Policy
Over the past few years, the United States has started to withdraw its aid and influence from regions like the Middle East, and that is creating space for other countries to assume more powerful positions.
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Cooking With Fire, Water, Wind & Earth
Want to learn the secrets of a barbecue master or how the “fermentos” do their thing with cheese, beer and pickles?
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Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To...
Looking for agreat filmto see the weekend of April 26-28, 2013?Up to Date's indie, documentary and foreign film critics share theirthree favoritesshowing on area screens.
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The Weekend To-Do List: April 26-28, 2013
Looking for ways to embrace the sunshine for theweekend of April 26-28, 2013? Brian McTavishhas some choices for you on theWeekend To-Do List.
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College Decisions Close To Home
National Decision Day is edging closer for high school seniors who have yet to choose a college.
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Pushing For Advance Voting In Missouri
The League of Women Voters has a few goals it's pursuing--more advance voting and online voter registration.
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Tip A Tumbler Of Fine Scotch To 'The Angels' Share'
It takes great skill to make a movie that balances potentially incongruous tones of brutality, comedy and hope. With the marvelous new movie The Angels’ Share, director Ken Loach demonstrates that he is gifted enough to do that.
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From A Mucked Up Life, 'Mud' Barrels Through
A 14-year-old Arkansas kid gets mixed up with a murderer while pondering romantic notions about the meaning of love in Jeff Nichols’ assured and beautifully written Southern melodrama Mud.
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The Ethics Professors: College Sports, Parental...
How much power is too much when it comes to the hallowed fields of college sports?
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90-Mile View: Nicole Wright
Recent events in the Boston area put the spotlight on law enforcement as the nation followed the investigation and manhunt following the explosions at the city's marathon.
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History & Tourism Around The State Line
Go to enough Kansas and Missouri historical spots, and you'll find many of them are steeped in the history of the Civil War.
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The Kansas Sales Tax: To Extend Or Not To Extend
Three years ago the Kansas legislature passed a one-cent sales tax with the intention of removing it at a later date.
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Found In The 'Wild'
If your life was falling apart, would you think the world was telling you to take a hike—a 1,000-mile hike?
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A Mayoral Summit
It’s the end of an era for one city leader, while events march on for another.
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Steve Kraske from the Democratic National Convention /...
If there's news to be had at this week's 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Steve Kraske is there to report it. Thursday on Up to Date, guest host Stephen Steigman talks with Kraske about last night's nomination of President Obama to the party's ticket and some of the big speakers on Wednesday's program, including Missouri U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver and former President Bill Clinton. Also today - when was the last time there was a major power outage...
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The Techsperts: Carhacking, Passwords, and Cheap Gadgets
Do you love having a "connected" car; one with GPS, Bluetooth, even a vehicle-immobilization system? Would you love it as much if you knew hackers could access your automobile through any one of those or other electronic features? That's just one of the topics Up to Date guest host Brian Ellison talks about on Monday with the Techsperts. They also look at what it takes for a mobile technology device to win the government's stamp of approval, explain why passwords are weaker than ever,...
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KCPS Superintendent Stephen Green / Fallout Over Rep....
Missouri's annual report for school districts came out last week and for the first time in a long time the news for Kansas City wasn't all bad. In fact, there's been some improvement. On today's program, Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Green joins Steve Kraske to detail what the report reveals about the district: where progress has been made and where work remains to be done. They also look at the start of the new school year, current enrollment, and the recent court ruling...
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Politicians Passing as One of Us / U. S. Rep. Kevin Yoder
With the upcoming political conventions, candidates are banking not only on their platforms to win over voters, but on their personalities. They look to identify with various groups of voters and they do it by "passing", stressing an aspect of themselves to connect with their audience. Having a beer at a state fair or bringing your 78-year old mother along to at a retirement community are ways politicians look to pass as one of us. Monday we look at passing with Dr. Marcia Dawkins, a leading...
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Kansas 11th District Senate Republican Candidates Debate...
Word came Tuesday that the Kansas Chamber of Commerce spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on statehouse races this year supporting conservative Republicans running for state office. Wednesday in the first half of Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with one of the recipients of that money – Kansas state Senate 11th District candidate Jeff Melcher, CEO of NetStandard, a technology company, and his moderate Republican challenger, Pat Colloton, an attorney and four-term member of the...
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Lilly Ledbetter on Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal...
In 1979, Lilly Ledbetter, a woman born in a house with no running water or electricity, applied for a job at the Goodyear tire factory. Even though the only women she’d seen there were secretaries in the front offices where she’d submitted her application, she got the job—one of the first women hired at the management level. Though she faced daily discrimination and sexual harassment, Lilly pressed onward, believing that eventually things would change. Nineteen years later, Lilly learned...
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Primary Challenge: Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder v....
It's a primary race that doesn't receive as much attention as its candidates would like: Missouri Lieutenant Governor. But it's an interesting one: the incumbent, Peter Kinder, is being challenged by no fewer than three fellow Republicans. In the first half of Monday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with two of the leading candidates for the post: two-term incumbent Peter Kinder from Cape Girardeau and two-term State Sen. Brad Lager from northwest Missouri. Kinder, a former president...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews
A corporate headhunter steals to maintain his lavish life style. Sound like a news headline? Could be, but it’s actually the plot of a Norwegian thriller Up to Date's independent, foreign, and documentary film critics talk about on Friday's program. We also review a movie that tells the story of a six-year old girl living with her ailing father and searching for her mother. Plus, some suggestions for great art, indie, foreign and documentary films now available on DVD. Also: what does...
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Abraham Lincoln: Playing Fast and Loose With Civil...
The Civil War tested the U.S. Constitution in ways unseen before or since. Civil liberties were challenged and presidential powers stretched in President Abraham Lincoln’s efforts to save the nation. Thursday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Pennsylvania State University Civil War history professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mark Neely, Jr. whose new book, Lincoln and the Triumph of a Nation, argues that Lincoln’s interpretation of the Constitution was well-suited to the...
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Ending The Myth Of Amateurism In College Sports / Wind...
College athletes are considered amateurs in their sports because they are not allowed to be paid for their efforts. Many spend more than 40 hours per week practicing and playing while pursuing a degree, and generate income streams for their institutions, and one college professor says it's time to disprove the myth about amateurism in college sports and restore the balance between athletics and academics. Wednesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Dr. Angela Lumpkin, Professor of...
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KCMO Mayor Sly James on All-Star Game, Google Fiber,...
One down and one go to: baseball’s 2012 All-Star Game brought national attention to Kansas City, and this Thursday, Google Fiber will tell us how much it will cost to speed up our reputation. While residents have been riding the feel-good wave, Kansas City Missouri Mayor Sly James has been wrestling with the future of a downtown hotel and what should happen to Kemper Arena. Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske asks Mayor James if the All-Star Game was the boon to the community it was hyped...
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Drought: Farms, Lawns, Gardens & You
Your neighbors' lawn is green. And yours? A pale shade of brown, with grass that crunches underfoot. Area golf courses remain emerald and pristine, yet corn fields in Missouri, Arkansas, and elsewhere wither, their kernels destined for silage. The drought affects each of us a bit differently: will you spike your water bill just to keep your lawn green, your plants flowering, and your vegetables growing? Can area farmers salvage what little remains of their crops? Monday on Up to Date, KCUR...
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Best Music of 2012 (So Far)
Pretend #lastfm asked you to tweet your top three songs so far in 2012, what would you select? Something straight from Billboard, or maybe a tune playing under the radar? Well, Up to Date has assembled a panel of music lovers and asked for their selections of the best music so far in 2012. Joining Steve Kraske for the discussion is Laura Lorson of Kansas Public Radio, KCUR morning host Michael Byars who produces and cohosts the weekly podcast, "The Mailbox," and Chris Haghirian, organizer...
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Code For America / Hospital Food / Weekend To-Do List
When asked for ways to improve local government, most people wouldn't say that better computer programming and smart phone applications should be the first item on the agenda. But Jennifer Pahlka, executive director of Code for America, thinks that making better government is a matter of better computer programming and smartphone apps. Thursday on Up to Date, Pahlka joins Steve Kraske to talk about how Code for America is working to use the web in service of local government. Hospital food...
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Business, Buildings, & More: Update On KC Metro...
Maybe you've been keeping tabs on the AMC Headquarters in Leawood, or wondering if the Hyatt will get a coveted place in the Plaza. Perhaps you've caught a film at the new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema now open for business at the Mainstreet Theatre in Kansas City's Power and Light District. Find out more Wednesday on Up to Date, when Kansas City Star reporter Kevin Collison shares the latest on area developments.
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Operation Blockbuster Busts Drug Ring in Kansas City Area
As head of one of the most successful drug operations, Alejandro Corredor moved hundreds of pounds of cocaine, meth, and marijuana from Mexico through Kansas City. Using part-time rappers as part of his crew, Corredor managed to move millions of dollars worth of Mexican drugs. Of course, the massive size of the operation meant that it couldn't last for long, and the DEA orchestrated a plan, called "Operation Blockbuster," to stop Corredor's drug distribution scheme. Corredor's arrest in...
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John Robert Greene: "The Presidency of George Bush" /...
As a one-term president, George H. W. Bush stands as an anomaly. He easily won the war against Iraq, Operation Desert Storm, but the victory failed to secure his re-election. After promising the American public, "read my lips, no new taxes," he signed a bill that did, in fact, raise taxes. Even other successes, such as improved relations with Russia and a strengthened economy, didn't do him any favors in the 1992 election. Professor John Robert Greene joins Steve Kraske to talk about his...
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The MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City
The throngs gather at Kauffman Stadium for the biggest summer sporting event, but for many, it's more than just a game. On Up to Date, we look at how the game and the Royals have changed since 1973. Hear "A Fan's Notes" with Victor Wishna. Then join the conversation as host Steve Kraske and KCUR sports reporter Greg Echlin draw a comparison between 1973 prospects—like George Brett and Frank White--and young Royals playing today. Plus, what's on the menu at Kauffman stadium, and what does it...
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Anthony Swofford - Hotels, Hospitals & Jails
With the success of his memoir Jarhead, author Anthony Swofford found fame and fortune. In the ensuing years he went through a lot of cash, women and drugs all the while striving to reconcile his relationship with his father. Swofford emerged from that time with a new memoir. Today on Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison talks with Swofford about that time in his life: how he went from owning a Manhattan apartment to renting a cabin in the Catskills; from traveling around the world at will...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews
If you’re not the least interested in baseball and this so-called “All-Star Game”, perhaps a great film might be more to your liking? What better place to wait out the never-ending heat advisory than in a cool, dark theater? Or curled up on the couch in front of a blasting air conditioner? With summer heat bearing down on KC, everyone could use a few good recommendations to away -- at least mentally -- for a little while. Friday on Up to Date, critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker, and Bob...
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Parents, Teen & Sex
Unless one possesses a vast reservoir of undaunted cool, undertaking the sex talk with teens can be a challenge. Full of cringe-worthy questions and hot-button issues, many parents and mentors wonder what's appropriate for teens, how to approach sensitive topics, and what's the best way to keep teens safe from pregnancy and disease. On Thursday's edition of Up to Date, psychologist Wes Crenshaw joins us to try and ease the awkward encounter between parents and teens. Discussing sex with your...
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David Maraniss on "Barack Obama: The Story"
As 44th president, Barack Obama's journey to the White House is anything but conventional. Born to a Kenyan father and Kansan mother, Obama's upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia hardly sounds like the makings of a future president. But as he ascended the political ladder as a state senator and later as senator, Obama's rough beginning turned into the start of a journey to the White House. Tuesday on Up to Date, author and associate editor at The Washington Post David Maraniss, joins us to...
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Encore: National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths...
National Geographic staff photographer Annie Griffiths says she's "learned that even without a shared language, it’s easy to let people know that their children are beautiful, their homes are lovely…and that their stories are worth sharing with the world.” As one of National Geographic’s first female staff photographers, Annie Griffiths has worked on every continent except Antarctica, while also raising two children. Perhaps the only professional photographer ever to pack her camera gear in...
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Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act
On Thursday morning the Supreme Court largely upheld the Affordable Care Act. While the Court allowed the so-called individual mandate to stand ruling that it is constitutional as a tax, and while they ruled that the Medicaid expansion is legal, the federal government can't take away Medicaid funding from individual states. (you can read the entire decision here.) This hotly contested and deeply politicized case represents a monumental impact on the health care system, insurance, and the...
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The Man Who Planted Trees
Once upon a time, among the iconic scenes of the West were mountains covered with green, fragrant pine trees. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see entire forests of brown. That’s because since 1997 more than 41.7 million acres have suffered partial or total death of conifer trees. Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with journalist and author Jim Robbins about what is causing this massive destruction of our forests. We’ll also meet David Milarch, the man whose near-death experience set...
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The Art of the Automobile / Art Takes on Balloons
Each year the Kansas City Art Institute hosts the Art of the Cars Concours, a gathering of exotic vehicles whose purposes extend far beyond transportation. This year's event takes place on Sunday and includes Ginger Rogers’ 1929 Duesenberg convertible; a 1907 Mason Touring car that’s been in the same Kansas family for 105 years; and a Bugatti Friday in the first half of Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with event organizer and walking-car-encyclopedia Marshall Miller and Kansas City Art...
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Ellen & Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies / A...
Flamboyant, confident, and controversial, Edith Bolling Wilson was not your traditional First Lady. After her husband, Woodrow Wilson, suffered a debilitating stroke in 1919, she took the reins of government and acted on behalf of her ailing spouse. Thursday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with historian Kristie Miller about President Wilson’s two wives, and their very different roles as First Lady, and asks: Was Edith Wilson, in effect, our first woman president? Kansas City will not...
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Building A Brand Like Trader Joe's
Running low on Two Buck Chuck? If so, it may be time for a Trader Joe’s run. Almost a year has passed since the popular grocery entered the Kansas City market. It may have low-cost wine, dozens of nut combinations, and a cult following, but how much do you really know about TJ's? Tuesday on Up to Date Steve Kraske talks with Mark Gardiner, a former ad executive who took a $12/hour job at Trader Joe’s and lived to write about it. Gardnier's new (online only) book is titled Build a Brand...
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Jazz Musician David Basse / Hammocks Take Stage on...
Who’s the king of KC Jazz? The question may be up for debate, but David Basse stands as a strong contender. With a long list of recordings and performances to his name, the exuberant, soulful musician has both the critical praise and the chops to claim the KC crown. On Friday's episode of Up to Date, David Basse joins us in studio to share his exploration of Kansas City jazz, as well as his new recording, “Uptown,” due for release this August. n Friday's final segment of Up to Date, Steve...
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Jeff Shaara on "A Blaze of Glory" / Weekend To-Do List
Shiloh stands as one of the bloodiest clashes in American history, one sealed the fate of the Civil War and cemented the long, drawn out conflict that followed the 1862 battle. Thursday on Up to Date, author Jeff Shaara talks his own encounter with the Battle of Shiloh as he wrote his new novel, A Blaze of Glory. The battle claimed nearly 24,000 lives and featured the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant of the North. Jeff Shaara is in town for a book signing, and today Steve Kraske talks with...
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The Book Doctors
It’s summertime, and with high gas prices, a vacation may be out of reach for your budget. But no matter what your finances look like, you can definitely afford a trip to your local library. Wednesday on Up to Date, the Book Doctors return with all the latest reads for the summer. Whether you’re a serial book worm, causal reader, or haven’t cracked a book in a while, there’s something for everyone. So, grab a lawn chair, get some sun, as book doctors Jeff Anne Goudie, Gina Kaufmann, Mark...
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Kansas Myths & Mysteries / Kansas Redistricting Causes...
A family of serial killers who were never caught...a fortune left buried along the banks of a creek by the Dalton gang...and orphans shipped from New York for a “good” life on the prairie. These are some of the mysteries and myths of Kansas. Tuesday on Up to Date Steve Kraske welcomes author Diana Lambdin Meyer to pull back the curtain on some of the Sunflower State’s most fascinating stories. Also, a panel of three federal judges last week issued new political maps for Kansas. New...
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DVD Gurus: Wedding Movies
If you’ve ever been in a wedding, then you know there’s a lot more to one than meets the eye. That may be why it’s a theme often visited by filmmakers. Friday on Up to Date, the DVD Gurus look through the camera’s lens to give us their picks of the most notable nuptials on film. From the dramatic to the comedic here comes the bride! Jason's Picks: Four Weddings And A Funeral Wedding Crashers Father of the Bride (1950) Mitch's Picks: Bridesmaids A Wedding I Was a Male War Bride
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The Son Of A Bandit: Jesse James, Jr. / Body of Art: The...
Jesse James’s son may have been a lawyer, but he was no stranger to the long arm of the law. The younger James was accused of robbing a Missouri Pacific Train near Kansas City's Leeds neighborhood (just west of today’s Truman Sports Complex), and stood trial for the offense in February 1899 at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City. The charges and the ultimate trial was a media frenzy. Thursday on Up to Date, attorney and author Ralph Monaco talks about the famous outlaw's son,...
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Walter Cronkite: The Most Trusted Man In America?
Many knew him as the “most trusted man in America,” but how well do you really know Walter Cronkite? Tuesday on Up to Date, Rice University History professor Douglas Brinkley talks about his new biography of Cronkite. Using material from the “Cronkite Archive” and over 200 interviews, including Andy Rooney, Leslie Stahl, Barbara Walters, Dan Rather, Brian Williams, Les Moonves, Christiane Amanpour, Katie Couric, Bob Schieffer, Ted Turner, Jimmy Buffett, and Morley Safer, Brinkley reveals a...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews / A...
Chinese company Wanda Group's recent purchase of Kansas City-based AMC Entertainment could have an effect on the way the company runs its business here and abroad, but will AMC's forthcoming divorce from the Power & Light District's Mainstreet Theater change the way movie-goers see film in KC? Friday on Up to Date, film critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker and Bob Butler discuss these topics as well as review the latest independent, foreign and documentary films showing on area screens....
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Sportswriter and NPR commentator Frank Deford / Weekend...
If you have ever listened to NPR on a Wednesday morning, then you've heard Frank Deford offer his commentary--cantankerous as it may be--on everything happening in the world of sports. On Thursday, Deford joins Steve Kraske on Up to Date to discuss his new memoir, Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter. Covering over fifty years of life on the sidelines, as well as his personal triumphs and tragedies, Deford's reminisces are a remarkable account of a life lived court side. Later in the hour,...
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Parents, Teens & Graduation
The class of 2012 may be excited to move on, but to what exactly? Recent high school graduates are facing some big challenges. Tuesday on Up to Date, guest host Stephen Steigman welcomes psychologist Wes Crenshaw to share his advice for new high school graduates and their parents and college graduates moving back home after being away for years. We’ll talk about how high school grads can make the transition to college, options for grads who may not want to go straight into school, and what...
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"Twisted Sister" Dee Snider: Faithful & Committed Rocker
Dee Snider’s career has defied the stereotypical rock’n’roll life. Front man for Twisted Sister, radio personality, contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice," and married to one woman since 1981. No alcohol, drugs, or women for this rocker. Friday on Up to Date, Dee Snider shares with us the thrill of life at the top...and the burn of a fast downfall. We’ll also get a sneak peek at his new genre-bending album that gives familiar Broadway tunes a heavy metal twist. Don't miss this in-depth...
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U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver & Kevin Yoder
Congressional representatives are back in their districts for a work session, which gives Up to Date the perfect opportunity to catch up with U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D, MO-5) and Kevin Yoder (R, KS-3). Wednesday on the program Steve Kraske talks with the congressmen about how redistricting has affected their respective constituencies, their thoughts on President Obama’s support of gay marriage, how funding for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan is...
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The Techsperts: Free WiFi (Everwhere!), Laptop Lookout &...
Now that Disney and Nintendo have decided to offer free WiFi, can we expect to find it throughout the land? There are two people who can only be happy with that prospect, Up to Date's Techsperts, Dustin Jacobsen and Justin Parlette, who join Steve Kraske on Tuesday's program to give us their predictions. And, if you’re looking to buy a laptop but are overwhelmed by all the models available, they have some suggestions to help narrow the field. Plus, Google has joined the cloud with its...
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The Ethics Professors: Exercising Moral Conscience in...
Pharmacists who cannot reconcile dispensing legally available abortion drugs with their moral beliefs. A justice of the peace refusing to marry an interracial couple on grounds of conscience. These are examples of personal principles conflicting with professional duties. Monday on Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison welcomes the Ethics Professors, UMKC Philosophy professor Clancy Martin and UMKC School of Arts and Sciences Dean Wayne Vaught to discuss if limits should exist when it comes...
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Life of British Mathemetician Alan Turing / U.S....
new exhibition at the Spencer Museum of Art at KU, entitled Cryptograph, celebrates Alan Turing, a visionary British mathematician whose work formed the conceptual basis for the modern computers that we use today. In 1936, Turing devised a machine that would ultimately change the world. It proved that with a few simple ingredients, the machine could compute any mathematical problem that a human could compute. The exhibition at the Spencer Museum focuses on Turing’s research...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews
An ensemble of some of England’s finest actors, a satire on contemporary American culture, the latest from the unique mind of filmmaker Guy Maddin, the relationship between the newly elected Pope …and his therapist. These are just some of the independent, documentary and foreign films critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker and Bob Butler review on Friday's Up to Date. We'll also talk with Patty Schemel, subject of the documentary Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel....
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The Book Doctors / Weekend To-Do List
Summer's almost here, and if you're anything like Steve Kraske (that may be a good thing...or maybe not) you're searching for some great vacation reads. Thursday on Up to Date Steve Kraske welcomes the Book Doctors for a review of some of their recent favorite reads. We'll check out author Sarah Levine's attempt to redesign her life according to the core values in Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous novel - her own Treasure Island!!!, Christopher Moore's mystery/history/love story Sacre...
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Kansas Legislative Update / Your Mediocre Royals / NFL...
In what could be the final week of the 2012 Kansas legislature, a battle over redistricting has put the brakes on just about everything else including a huge tax-cut package that would affect every taxpayer in the state. In the first ten minutes of today's show, Steve Kraske talks with Kansas Public Radio statehouse correspondent Stephen Koranda about the logjam and the governor-backed tax plan it threatens. Also – KCUR's Greg Echlin looks at your Kansas City Royals. They looked pretty...
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Anna Quindlen: Marriage, Friendships, Faith & Growing...
In her years as a journalist, author and cultural critic, her name has graced some of our most revered publications. Monday on Up to Date, Pulitzer-Prize winner Anna Quindlen joins Steve Kraske for a discussion about her career and her most recent title … Lots of Cake, Plenty of Candles. It's a memoir that peers into the world of marriage, friendships, faith and growing older. Some of her insights …”A safety net of white lies can be the bedrock of a successful marriage” … ”real friends...
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Privacy and Jury Selection / Willie Mays Aikens: A...
Is the American judicial system abusing potential jurors? Yes, according to Melanie Wilson, KU School of Law professor and associate dean. And, she adds, it's so invasive and privacy invading that many jurors are tempted to lie during the selection process. Wilson thinks we need to change the way juries are selected to take pressure off of citizens while maintaining the right to a fair jury and trial. She wants a system that would allow potential jurors to remove themselves, and not go...
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Parents, Teens & Bullying
It's become all too common: kids bullying other kids. Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske welcomes psychologist Wes Crenshaw, Ph.D. to discuss how parents can help their kids avoid bullying, distinguishing "mean kid" behavior from bullying, and how girls and boys differ in terms of bullying behavior. We'll examine how bullying has changed over the years, our understanding of how bullying leads to violence, why schools want to blame parents for these problems and why parents are often upset...
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Kansas City Public Schools: State Takeover or Start Over?
After years of short-term superintendents, attempted re-inventions and restarts, failing state test scores, and the loss of accreditation, opinions are flying every which way on what to do with the KCMO School District. Some say that the State of Missouri should take over management of the schools. Mayor Sly James even made a pitch for overseeing the district. Others feel that realignment of the board of education could help make things better. Others say "it's too late to fix it, just start...
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Longtime KC Lyric Opera General Director Retires /...
Changes are happening at Kansas City’s Lyric Opera. Its general director, Evan Luskin, is retiring next month after 26 years with the company. During Luskin's tenure, the Lyric launched a capital campaign for a new Opera Center, including set and costume production, rehearsal space, and administration; the annual budget nearly quadrupled; and opera is now performed in its original languages. He oversaw the company's transition to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Thursday on Up to...
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Nancy Gibbs on The Presidents Club / Steve Kraske: The...
With only 44 members since the 1700s, it’s arguably the world’s most exclusive fraternity. They are bound forever by a shared experience and yet are rivals for history’s favor. We’re talking, of course, about the U.S. Presidency. Wednesday on Up to Date, the history of the private relationships among our commander-in-chiefs … their backroom deals, secret alliances and enduring rivalries. TIME editor and presidential historian Nancy Gibbs, co-author of the book The Presidents Club, joins us...
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John Grisham on The Innocence Project and Calico Joe
Novelist John Grisham has churned out a novel a year since 1988. But believe it or not, he still has his moments of doubt. Yes, the same John Grisham who has written mega-bestsellers that became smash movies still questions his ability to write. Monday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske visits with John Grisham about his work for the Innocence Project and his continuing outrage over putting innocent people in prison. He's outspoken on how the system can be improved in ways that won't break the...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews
Looking for a great film to see this weekend? How about one that will make you laugh, cry, and yes, think? Then look further than Friday's Up to Date, as independent, foreign and documentary film critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker and Bob Butler return to review the best films showing in area theaters. We’ll take a look at Bully, which, following public pressure, was dropped from an R rating to PG-13. The documentary dives into the crisis of kids hurting other kids in U.S. schools. Several...
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Journalist Lee Woodruff on Bob Woodruff & Help for...
Lee Woodruff's life was profoundly changed starting in 2006 when her husband, reporter Bob Woodruff, took over for Peter Jennings as co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight. But the events of a month later changed her - and Bob's life - forever. On January 29, 2006, Bob Woodruff and his cameraman Doug Vogt were seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. His recovery took countless months, and he and his wife has written about the experience in their book In An Instant. These days, Lee and...
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Spring Gardening: Help Grow Your Green Thumb
There may be no controlling Mother Nature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your garden to cooperate. But keeping your gardening blossoming instead of browning is easier said than done. Don’t worry. Today we help you “green-up” your thumb for springtime gardening. Steve Kraske talks with Alan Branhagen, director of horticulture at Powell Gardens about tips and tricks to keep things alive and sprouting. We also take a look at how Kansas City’s unseasonably warm winter and spring impacted...
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Does Inbibing Make You Politically Conservative? / The...
Could knocking back a few beers influence a person’s political views? A scholarly study conducted in part by University of Kansas psychology professor Chris Crandall finds that as blood alcohol levels rise, people become increasingly intoxicated with conservative policies. In fact, the more alcohol downed by participants in the study, the further to the political right their views leaned. “Alcohol did not make the patrons lose track of their identity as liberals or conservatives, but when it...
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Treasure or Trash: Digging Up History
You may encounter them looking down, listening to their headphones. No, they're not listening to an iPod...they're attuned to their metal detectors, attempting to find buried treasure. More than just scavengers at the beach or the median of your street, metal detector users are looking for artifacts: and sometimes they're valuable. But what happens when something found - by metal detector or other method - is of significant historic value? What rules apply, and is it "finders-keepers?"...
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Royals Home Opener Live Broadcast from Kauffman Stadium
It’s time for peanuts, cracker jacks and rooting for the home team ... so we’re heading out to the ballgame! Friday is the home-opener for our boys in blue. Up to Date broadcast from the ballpark a few hours before the first pitch goes out to give you a behind-the-scenes perspective into opening day at the Kauffman Stadium. Steve Kraske talks with head groundskeeper Trevor Vance about how his team keeps the field looking so green and with Don Costante, senor director of CrownVision, about...
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From Binge to Blackout / Weekend To-Do List
You may remember the story of Jason Wren, a 19-year-old University of Kansas student who went on a drinking binge and died in a KU frat house in 2009. Since then, KU students have taken part in the Jason Wren Initiative, a week every year at KU to remind students about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. This year Toren Volkman will visit with students to tell his story of being a young alcoholic who, nearly drank himself to death in college. In his book, Binge to Blackout, co-written by...
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Former Secret Service Agent Clint Hill on Mrs. Kennedy &...
When shots rang out in Dallas, Secret Service agent Clint Hill jumped in the back of President John F. Kennedy’s car. In the first half of Wednesday's Up to Date, the Clint Hill joins us to talk about that now-infamous November day and about the four years he served on Jackie Kennedy’s detail. We’ll learn about how the First Lady felt about taking shelter during the Cuban Missile Crisis, about JFK’s last birthday party abroad the U.S.S. Sequoia … and hear details about a conversation he had...
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Animal Behavior, Spring Allergies, and PET Scanners with...
An uncharacteristically mild winter has led to an unusually warm spring. You probably packed up your winter coat early and started wearing sandals sometime last month. But even if you are loving this change in weather, there are some downsides … especially for your furry friends. Insect populations are up, which means Fido’s risk of disease is up, too. Tuesday on Up to Date, veterinarian and animal behavior expert Dr. Wayne Hunthausen is back with us to answer all your pet health questions....
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The Book Doctors / A Fan's Notes
Looking for something to liven up your bookshelf? Friday on Up to Date, the Book Doctors tell us about some worthwhile reads. We’ll hear about the tale of a gifted Rwandan boy who born into a world where it’s impossible to stay apolitical. In an environment increasingly restrictive for his people, the Tutsi, he holds fast to his dream of becoming Rwanda’s first Olympic medal contender in track. And the story of a young Nigerian immigrant and graduate student studying psychiatry in New York...
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The (Quiet) Power Of Introverts / Barbershop Quartets
They are the third of the population who prefer to listen instead of speak, read instead of party, work alone instead of in a group. They’re the quiet ones, and now they have a new spokesperson: author Susan Cain. We live in a culture that is geared toward the more outgoing, says Cain, but on this Up to Date, she talks to us about the value of introverts in a loud and proud society. Cain tells us about famed leaders: Einstein, Van Gogh, Gandhi, Rosa Parks...who relied on reserved...
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U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D, MO-5)
He’s just returned from lengthy deliberations in the U.S. House of Representatives over next year's spending plan. But is Congress getting anywhere? Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske welcomes U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D, MO-5) to talk about the latest happenings on capitol hill, including budget negotiations, gas prices, and the economy. We'll get Congressman Cleaver's take on the Trayvon Martin case and fellow members of Congress wearing hoodie sweatshirts in protest of the...
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Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports...
The final dance of this college basketball season is tonight. Fans everywhere are counting on their team to pull off the big win in New Orleans. But will the best team win? Monday on Up to Date: a conversation about the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football and hockey games are played, won and lost. Steve Kraske talks with University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor Tobias Moskowitz and Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim about the influence of...
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Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews / NCAA...
Looking for a good film to see this weekend or beyond? Perhaps one that makes you think....or *gasp* - spend time with friends after the lights go up talking about the film in-depth? Friday on Up to Date, critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker, and Bob Butler share reviews of the latest independent, foreign, and documentary films showing on area screens. Finally, KCUR sports reporter Greg Echlin joins us from New Orleans, site of this year's NCAA Final Four Tournament, to discuss the KU...
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Parents, Teens & Technology
Your son wants to hang out at a friend’s house: he calls your cell to cell to ask. Your daughter is staying late at school: she sends you a text. With all the technological advances in recent years, communication for parents and children certainly is easier, isn’t it? Maybe not. Parents can actually find themselves competing with Facebook, xBox and cell phones for their kids’ time and attention. This can create tension when one of the issues they need to discuss is the technology itself....
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DVD Gurus: Roger Corman Films
He's made a film in two days. And some people will say that it shows. Others will proudly defend the low-budget work of B-movie director Roger Corman. He even won an Honorary Academy Award in 2009 for his body of work. Friday on Up to Date, the DVD Gurus, film professor Mitch Brian and film critic Jason Heck, guide us through the career of Roger Corman, and share their favorite cult-classic Corman films available on video, including those featuring a woman transformed into a giant insect,...
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The U.S. Capitol & The Coming Of The Civil War / ACA...
The construction of the U.S. Capitol began with a building plan adopted in 1793. Its history of being built, burnt, rebuilt, and extended meant its completion came at the most crucial point in our nation’s development: the Civil War. Thursday in the first portion of Up to Date, journalist Guy Gugliotta discusses the stories behind this magnificent structure. We’ll look at the personalities and conflicts that arose as the Capitol grew to dominate Washington’s skyline against the backdrop of...
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Public Integrity Investigation Rates State Transparency...
No state gets an “A” in a study of government transparency and corruption risk released by Public Radio International. Kansas ranked fairly high for safeguards, at number 9. Missouri finished at number 21. Both received “passing grades,” but with lots of room for improvement. The joint effort by Public Radio International and the Institute for Public Integrity rates every state's transparency laws and their implementation on 350 specific criteria. In the first portion of Wednesday's Up to...
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Mezzo Soprano Joyce DiDonato Returns to Kansas City...
Prairie Village native Joyce DiDonato just won a Grammy for best classical vocal solo and travels the world performing in opera houses far and wide as one of this planet's best-loved mezzo sopranos. In Kansas, (she now lives in Kansas City, Mo.) DiDonato set out to be an inner-city school music teacher. She didn't love opera, but the scholarship dollars at Wichita State began to flow, and she rolled with it. Now, the world is her stage and one of those stages will be at the Kauffman Center...
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KCMO Mayor Sly James Delivers First State of the City...
In office for just about a year, Kansas City Mayor Sly James delivered his first State of the City address on Monday. And Up to Date was there to bring you the speech live beginning at 10:30 from the Kansas City Convention Center, followed by a conversation with the mayor and City Council members Cindy Circo, Jan Marcason, and Scott Wagner. As James enters his second year in office, the mayor stands at a crossroads, with major financial decisions looming on the city budget, his call for $1...
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Celebrity Photographer Greg Gorman / Live In Studio: The...
If you don’t recognize his name, you’ll likely know his work. Photographer Greg Gorman has documented some of the world’s most familiar faces. Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Elton John and Halle Berry have all stood in front of his lens. Friday on Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison talks with Gorman about his journey from the Kansas City area to Hollywood. We discuss his more than four decades of creating personality portraits, magazine layouts and advertising campaigns. He’ll give us his...
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Blood Done Sign My Name / Weekend To-Do List
In 1970, a young black man was senselessly beaten and murdered by a group of white store owners in Oxford, North Carolina. The event threw the town into an eruption of grief, protests and threats. And for one Methodist minister it meant pushing his all-white congregation to confront the long history of hatred and injustice in their town. Years later, the son of the minister returned to his hometown to retrace the events leading up to and following that violent summer day. He seeks out the...
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Cave Diver Kenny Broad / NAIA Tournament Hits Kansas City
There's a line of work where the risks include toxic layers of hydrogen sulfide and maze-like passageways. (No, we're not talking the halls of Congress.) It's the exploration of underwater caves and blue holes. Many consider survival to be is the mark of a successful dive ... so, are the risks worth it? Wednesday on Up to Date, cave diver Kenny Broad, a 2011 National Geographic "explorer of the year," talks about why he why he spends so much time submerged in the deep recesses of the ocean....
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Philosopher Alain de Botton on Religion for Atheists
Philosopher Alain de Botton says it’s time for those who believe in religion and those who don’t to stop denigrating each other and find common ground on art, community and morality. Tuesday on Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison speaks with de Botton about his newest book, Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion in which de Botton, an atheist himself, examines what believers give up when they realize they no longer buy into "miracles, spirits or tales of...
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Art, Independent, Foreign and Documentary Film Reviews
Car companies that destroyed their electric cars in 2006 are now scrambling to be the best producer of the vehicles. A young woman coming of age as an African-American lesbian living in Brooklyn. Two single people who take a different route to parenthood from their married friends. These are just some of the latest topics being addressed by independent, foreign and documentary films. Friday on Up to Date, critics Cynthia Haines, Steve Walker, and Bob Butler tell us how well these films do in...
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Presidential Historian Robert Dallek on Why Some...
We’ve had 45 of them on the job, but only 16 were able to come back. It’s something Thomas Jefferson once deemed a “splendid misery” … the U.S. Presidency. What are the factors that play into the reputation as a strong or weak leader? How does a president hold onto the public’s imagination? Wednesday on Up to Date, historian and presidential biographer Robert Dallek talks about what he’s described as an “impossible job.” In examining why some presidents succeed and others don’t, he’ll...
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The Ethics Professors: Love, Marriage, & Divorce
First comes love, then comes marriage…then for about 50 percent of us … it’s divorce. Navigating these major events can bring out the best and worst in us. Tuesday on Up to Date, the Ethics Professors, UMKC philosophy professor Clancy Martin, Ph.D. and UMKC School of Arts & Sciences Dean Wayne Vaught, Ph.D. examine the behavior boundaries during these times. While some take the stance that all is fair in love and war, we’ll learn what other philosophies apply in coming together and breaking...
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War Correspondent Michael Hastings on The Operators /...
Some pieces of journalism have the ability to disrupt even the most powerful of leaders. In 2010, war correspondent Michael Hastings followed U.S. General Stanley McChrystal on a trip around Europe. The general, who commanded international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was supposed to be garnering support for the fighting abroad, but Hastings found much more. The article he published in the wake of that trip ultimately led to the resignation of the general. In the first half of Monday's Up...
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Run Like a Mother / Convention Business in Kansas CIty
Ask a mother how her day went and you may often hear the word “running” in the answer as in: running errands, running after the kids, running to make an appointment. Thursday in the first half of Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with with two women who are mothers and runners. Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, authors of Run Like a Mother and Train Like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line - and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity give us some advice and practical strategies to...
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When Someone You Love Has A Chronic Illness / Travel...
Every individual will face it at one time or another during their lifetime: a chronic illness affecting them, a family member, or a close friend. What do we say to a loved one who is battling cancer? How do we best support that person and their family? And how do we interact with others when we're the one who is ill? On the first half of Wednesday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with psychologist Tamara McClintock-Greenberg about her book When Someone You Love Has a Chronic Illness: Hope...
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Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
PROGRAM NOTE: This audio file contains the program as aired on 89.3FM. Visit http://www.kcur.org/post/former-defense-secretary-donald-rumsfeld-known-and-unknown if you'd like to hear raw audio from the Truman Library event, including speaker introductions, protests, a medical emergency, and audience Q&A. Donald Rumsfeld has served as both the youngest and oldest Secretary of Defense. While many may not remember much of his first stint at the post, his second go at the job, for better or...
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DVD Gurus: Car Films
High octane thrills. Open roads. Freedom. You may not be able to try the stunts at home, but you can certainly watch them there. Friday on Up to Date, the DVD Gurus, screenwriter and film professor Mitch Brian and film critic Jason Heck are back to talk cinema’s love affair with the car. In Ronin, Robert De Niro plays a freelancing former US intelligence agent who is trying to find a mysterious package wanted by the Irish and the Russians. Ryan Gosling is a mysterious Hollywood stuntman,...
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U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) / Life of Civil...
Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri is no stranger to the rough and tumble world of politics. After all, she’s been at it for three decades in a state that is traditionally tough on Democrats. Now she is facing another campaign, this time to keep her seat in the U.S. Senate. Tuesday on Up to Date, Senator McCaskill joins Steve Kraske to discuss her job approval rating (in the low 40s,) why she thinks President Obama's budget is too tame, and how she plans to answer the...
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US Presidents And Congress: How To Succeed In Partisan...
Barack Obama isn't the first President in conflict with a Congress run by the opposing party. However, being in that position doesn't mean nothing gets accomplished. Take it from Historian of the U.S. Senate Donald Richie. Monday on Up to Date, Richie, editor of Congress and Harry S. Truman: A Conflicted Legacy, discusses with Steve Kraske how the constitutional principle of checks and balances coupled with partisanship is a recipe for heated conflict in Washington. They examine the failures...
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Monkey Economics/Weekend To-Do List
We’re not all economical geniuses, and we’ve all probably made less than sterling financial choices along the way. Is there a reason for these lapses in judgment? Dr. Laurie Santos is here to tell us about her research on the origins of our irrational decisions. The Yale University psychologist draws on an evolutionary cousin’s propensity for theft, hoarding and competitiveness to explain our own fiscal behavior. Yep, today we’re talking monkey economics and why it means we humans might not...
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The Book Doctors: Spring Break Reads
With March creeping up on us, it’s time to start stocking up on those spring break reads. Should you go for a bestseller or a lesser known work? Fiction or non? Mystery or biography? The Book Doctors are here to help you find some titles worthy of your bookshelf. Steve Kraske talks with them about a graphic novel that details a man’s search for love, sanity and perfect architectural proportions. They examine Salman Rushdie’s story of a son who travels to a magic land on a quest to save his...
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Pianist Konstantin Lifschitz on J.S. Bach/Warm Winter...
Kansas City is in the middle of a celebration of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The festival is exploring Bach's extraordinary contribution to the world of keyboard and orchestra literature. In the first portion of Up to Date, guest host Brian Ellison talks with pianist Konstantin Lifschitz about his four recitals that will display the majesty of Bach's varied work. We'll learn how Bach's compositions, masterfully designed, came from a man who also had an exploratory, improvisatory angle...
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American Sniper / Women & Self Defense
Chris Kyle is the deadliest American sniper ever, called “the devil” by the enemies he hunted and “the legend” by his Navy SEAL brothers. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109.) Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary...
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Alternative Energy Sources
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama said "nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy." But how close are we to large-scale use of alternative energy sources? Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Stan Bull, Ph.D., director of Energy Science and Technology at Kansas City-based MRIGlobal and Kansas City Star reporter Steve Everly about what’s next for green energy production and renewable replacements for oil and gas. We'll take a look at...
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Courtship & Marriage in Victorian England / Point,...
If you think that personal ads and dating services are only 50 or 60 years old, think again. In a new book titled Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England, University of Missouri Kansas City English Department chair Jennifer Phegley argues that today’s internet dating has predecessors in Victorian personal ads in newspapers, matrimonial agencies, and courtship correspondence groups. In the first half of Monday's Up to Date, Phegley talks with Steve Kraske about how many of our modern...
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Nelson Atkins Museum Selects Design For Pavillion /...
On Wednesday the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art announced results of a design contest for a temporary pavilion to coincide with the museum’s exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs 1851–1939, opening in mid-April. In the first part of Thursday’s Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with exhibit curator Catherine Futter and Tom Proebstle of Generator Studio, a Kansas City architecture firm, which designed Sun Pavilion in conjunction with Los Angeles-based artist...
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Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
resident Obama's State of the Union speech was "animated by the president’s faith in government’s ability to restore the American promise of fairness" says Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. "In the last decades, however," Goodwin says, "the public has become increasingly disillusioned about the role of government. Wednesday on Up to Date, Doris Kearns Goodwin tells us what candidates say about the role of government, and what history tells us about how...
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Tom Roberts on The Emerging Catholic Church
National Catholic Reporter editor-at-large Tom Roberts has witnessed a lot over his career: a Catholic Church still reacting to Vatican II, a dramatic demographic shift, and more recently, a sex abuse scandal that has revealed a growing inadequacy of the hierarchical culture. Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Roberts about the Catholic Community’s search for itself, and many of the issues with which it continues to struggle. Roberts latest book is titled The Emerging Catholic...
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Harriet Lerner on Marriage Rules
So complicated, in fact, that's it's never a bad time to review some good rules for how to manage these very complex beasts. Monday on Up to Date, Lawrence psychologist Harriet Lerner joins Steve Kraske to talk about her new book, Marriage Rules: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up, in which she takes on a host of challenging situations, like setting rules on how to fight, how to be kind when your partner is being, well, a jerk, how to connect with a distant partner and how to...
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DVD Gurus: Favorite Films 50 Years Ago: 1962
What was happening on the cinema scene a half century ago? And how have movies changed and in what ways have they remained the same? Friday on Up to Date the DVD Gurus, Mitch Brian and Jason Heck, jump back 50 years to share their favorite films from 1962. We talk about what effect films had then, and the effect they have now in 2012.
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ADHD and Teens / Weekend To-Do List
Why have we seen so many children, teenagers, and adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? Symptoms of ADHD include lack of attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. And for parents with teens, ADHD can be a troubling diagnosis on top of an already difficult period in a child's life. Many teens have trouble following through on instructions and don't seem to listen when spoken to directly, but it's important to know when a teen is just being a teen...or when...
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Elizabeth The Queen
Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, is a biography of one of the most public—and yet most private—people in the world. Vanity Fair contributor Sally Bedell Smith is the first American author to have special access to Queen Elizabeth's inner circle—from her advisors and ladies-in-waiting to her horse wranglers, corgi trainers, and close friends. Wednesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Sally Bedell Smith about the fascinating life of Queen Elizabeth II, who, from the...
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KCMO City Manager Proposes Big Cuts / Jazz Musician...
Kansas City, Missouri City Manager Troy Schulte’s recently proposed budget recommendations for 2012 include a number of cuts, most notably a reduction of more than 100 positions in the fire department. On Wednesday, Fire Chief Smokey Dyer told the City Council’s public safety committee that the proposed cuts would violate national fire safety standards. In the first portion of Friday's Up to Date, KCMO City Council member Scott Wagner and Kansas City Star editorial board member Yael...
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Kansas City Chiefs: Dysfunction on the Field and at the...
According to a Kansas City Star article by sportswriter Kent Babb, "secrecy, intimidation, fear and a watchful eye have become hallmarks of working for the Chiefs." On the first half of Wednesday's Up to Date, Steve Kraske talked with Babb about the allegations being made by current and former employees, including tapping of phones and bugged offices, and a workplace where secrecy and intimidation are normal activities. Higher education is on the chopping block once again in Jefferson City....
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New Kansas City Chief Focuses On Community Policing
The Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department searched far and wide for a new chief last year. Finally, they chose from within its ranks: Darryl Fort. Tuesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske welcomes Chief Fort to talk about Kansas City's consistently-high homicide rate, community policing, and his background. We discuss changes he's made since he became head of the department, including requiring all commanders who are not assigned to patrol operations in the field to spend time out on the...
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Asperger Syndrome & The Journal of Best Practices / A...
There comes a time in every marriage when many wives begin to wonder “What the heck is wrong with my husband’s brain?!” But in 2008, Kristen Finch took it a step further: she took her husband David by the hand and walked him through a 200-question analysis that, as she predicted, diagnosed him with Asperger Syndrome. Suddenly David’s egocentricity, odd and often repetitive behaviors, and driving focus on particular topics made perfect sense. But that didn’t make him easier to live with....
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The Health Insurance Industry: Empty Promises And...
Wendell Potter, a former vice president of CIGNA, says that health insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and skew political debate with multibillion-dollar PR campaigns to mislead the press and public. Wednesday on Up to Date, Steve Kraske talks with Potter about his book Deadly Spin, which takes readers behind the scenes to show how a huge chunk of health care spending bankrolls a propaganda campaign focused on protecting...
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Nutrition Labeling: What Does It Mean?
If you've been a Hy-Vee grocery store recently, chances are you've seen some numbers right next to the price of an item of food: it's a "NuVal" - a nutritional value placed on each and every food product. Tuesday on Up to Date, Harvest Public Media's Jessica Naudziunas joins guest host Brian Ellison to explain why there's more to grocery shopping these days because of nutritional ratings, on-label claims and even in-store dieticians. We ask: do customers buy healthier food as a result of...
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