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The Nickelsville 22
Last year more than 50 homeless people died in King County either outside shelters or through violent means. Since the beginning of this year more than 10 people have perished. Given how dangerous the streets are for the homeless, last September, 22 people tried to establish a homeless camp named Nickelsville after Seattle’s mayor Greg Nickels. For their efforts, the Seattle Police arrested those twenty-two people for criminal trespassing. One World Report’s David Griffith has this update on the homeless in King County and what has happened to the group some have dubbed, the “Nickelsville 22.”
Reporter: David Griffith
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Mexican Migration to the Northwest, the NAFTA Connection
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the implementation of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. The trade agreement had a profound effect on the North American region, and not just on the travel of raw materials and goods, but also on the travel of people. More specifically, it profoundly affected the migration of farmers from the southern region of Mexico all the way up to the Pacific Northwest.
Reporter: Philip Lee
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Yoni Ki Baat. What Does Your ‘Yoni’ Say To You?
Seattle-based community organization Tasveer is dedicated to promoting independent South Asian films. One of the ways they fulfill their mission is through their annual Aaina Film Festival. Now in its 4th year, Aaina celebrates the artistic work of South Asian women and focuses on the issues central to this often overlooked community. During the festival’s second year, Tasveer started a new program, called Yoni Ki Baat, inspired by Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues. Now both are regular institutions of Tasveer as this is the third year of the Yoni Ki Baat showcase. With more on what Yoni Ki Baat really means, both literally and performance-wise, is our own Matrayi Joneja.
Reporter: Matrayi Joneja
*Correction: We incorrectly identified the Director of Yoni Ki Baat. Her name is Sabina Ansari. Not Sabina Ahmed.*
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The Puget Sound’s Oil Spill Preparedness Under Scrutiny
We are now at that time of the program where producer Martha Baskin brings us the latest on environmental, conservation and green issues in the Pacific Northwest. Green Acre Radio begins a series on the health of Puget Sound waters. First up is the subject of oil spills. A watch dog agency’s recent report finds the state’s ability to respond to spills seriously lacking. For instance, if a spill leaked 2.1 million gallons into the sound, only between 20 and 40% that spill could be recovered within two days. And that’s under ideal conditions. But wait, there’s more. Even before the report’s release, the Governor planned to eliminate the agency from the state budget.
Reporter: Martha Baskin
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They’re Cute. They’re Furry. They’re Dwindling in Numbers. Pikas!
If you are an outdoor rock climber, you may be familiar with high-pitched squeaks of the mountain-dwelling pika. Here is a little sample of what the North American Pika sounds like, care of the BBC Natural History Sound Library. These small cousins of rabbits look a bit like chinchillas, with short limbs and rounded ears. Intolerant of warm temperatures, pikas hang out at higher elevation habitats. Because of this heat intolerance, certain western North American pika populations are in a perilous state, this according to University of Washington archaeologist Donald Grayson.

In 2005 Grayson published an article in the Journal of Biogeography documenting the migration of pika populations in the American Great Basin region. This region consists mostly of Nevada with a little bit from Oregon, Idaho and California. He concluded that over the past ten thousand years climate change has forced pikas to move farther and farther up mountains for cooler temperatures. This February the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife committed to assess the inclusion of pikas in the Federal Endangered Species Act. This announcement came following a legal battle with The Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based environmental nonprofit petitioning for the protection of pikas. One World Report’s Audrey Quinn spoke with Donald Grayson this week at his University of Washington office. They discussed Grayson’s research on pikas, and the possibility for protecting pika populations in the future.
Interviewer: Audrey Quinn
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WA State Prescription Privacy Legislation
What if a company bought your prescription drug information and used the collected data for marketing specific to you? Believe it or not, it's already happening. However, Representative Jamie Pedersen has tried to restrict these practices in this legislative session with Substitute House Bill 1493. Representative Pederson is a Democrat from Seattle's 43rd District which includes neighborhoods from the University District to Capitol Hill. Our own technology and privacy reporter Peter Marshall talked with the representative over the phone about House Bill 1493 and this practice of “medical data-mining.”
Interviewer: Peter Marshall
Engineer: Havens Tipps
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Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices. Sevda Lomanova
April is National Poetry Month. To commemorate this month of free form verse and iambic pentameter, Community Radio KBCS and One World Report are airing the Stories of Arrival series. Seattle poet Merna Anne Hecht worked with Foster High School Students born in various parts of the world to produce poems about their diverse experiences of arriving to the U.S. This first piece is by Sevda Lomanova who identifies as Turkish Russian. Her poem is titled, “I Am.”
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Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices. Buntu Redempter
Our next poem in the Stories of Arrival series comes to us from Foster High School student Buntu Redempter. He is originally from the Eastern African country of Burundi. Bordered by the strife torn countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Burundi has also suffered from on and off civil war since the 1950s. Redempter’s poem is titled, “I Am From.”
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Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices. Carlos Bautista
Carlos Bautista is originally from Mexico. Here he reads from his poem titled, “I Am.”
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Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices. Jamila Aga
The fourth poem in this week’s Stories of Arrival series is by Ethiopian American Foster High School student Jamila Aga. Her poem is titled, “Self Portrait.”
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Stories of Arrival: Youth Voices. Ben Pinzari
Our fifth and final poem from this week’ s Stories of Arrival series is by Ben Pinzari. Foster High School student Pinzari is Romanian American and his piece is titled, “Where I am From.”
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Credits
Today’s show was produced by the combined might of Havens Tipps and Joaquin Uy. Special thanks to our reporting squad of Nii Attram, Martha Baskin, David Griffith, Matrayi Joneja, Philip Lee, Peter Marshall and Audrey Quinn. Thanks also to our writers Robbin Block, Antonio Dileo and Michael Lissandrello. Jill Bolduc is the engineer. Special thanks to Real Change News, seattlepi.com, The Seattle Times and Washington News Service.