Tuesday, February 21, 2012 @ 4:59am

They "knew the risks" ...

This morning on the air, we're talking about how three skiers and a snowboarder died going off the resort this weekend.

Friends of the thrill-seekers say they were experienced and knew the risks of the back country. But two of them had children. One girl was 11; not sure about the other two daughters.

Obviously, it's their business. I have no idea how they talked as a family about life's risks and rewards. Completely personal choice. But if you knew the danger of back country avalanches and you had kids, would you ski anyway?

We all take risks. You take risks driving a car ... but at least you can be a careful driver. This avalanche seemd totally out of their control. I don't know, I jumped out of a plane BEFORE I had kids.

If you look at risk differently, tell me your story. I might tell listeners this morning.

Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 8:06am

Kevin Costner's speech at Whitney Houston's funeral worth hearing

Whitney Houston's funeral was Saturday at her childhood church in Newark, New Jersey, and if you didn't see Kevin Costner's speech, it's worth hearing.

Costner co-starred with Houston in The Bodyguard, where she sang "I Will Always Love You."

Costner told the story of how Houston -- in order to get that movie part -- had to do a screen test.

She was so afraid she didn't look good enough, she went and got the heavy makeup she wore in music videos and slathered that on, and under the hot movie lights it melted.

"She seemed so small and sad at that moment and I asked her why she did it. She said, 'I just wanted to look my best,'" said Costner.

He said he reassured her and she went back in to her screen test and the studio fell in love with her. But he said it still wasn't enough.

"The Whitney I knew despite her success and worldwide fame still wondered - Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me? It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end," Costner said.

Finally Costner talked about our young people, our young Whitney Houston wannabe's, and he mentioned her daughter Bobbi Kristina, and this hit me hard because my 5-year-old is a budding diva -- she sings pop songs and movie tunes with all her heart and she tries to make her voice do a Whitney-like vibrato and she might want to be a star like so much of our American Idol generation.

And this is what the Bodyguard says about what we really need to guard.

"To you Bobbi Kristina and all those young girls that are dreaming that dream that may be thinking they aren't good enough. I think Whitney would tell you - Guard your bodies, and guard the precious miracle of your own life, and then sing your hearts out knowing that there's a lady in heaven who is making God himself wonder how he created something so perfect. So off you go Whitney, off you go, escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father. And when you sing before him, don't you worry - you'll be good enough," Costner said.

Costner received a standing ovation from Jesse Jackson and everyone else up behind the pulpit.

By BILL RADKE

Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 3:29am

Field of Schemes?

I'm a Sonics fan from way back -- I want to cheer. But I've been burned. Is this "self-sustaining" stadium too good to be true? On 97.3 KIRO FM Seattle's Morning News we spoke with Neil deMause, a New York journalist who wrote the book "Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit."

Listen to New York journalist Neil DeMause on the likelihood of getting an arena

You can read more from him at his blog. It's full of smart chat about this deal.

Overall, he seems positive but he also warns of ways that "self-sustaining" can be self-deceiving.

And for fantastic, ongoing local coverage of this story -- the building, the politicians, the investors, the fandom -- follow the whole shebang at 710 ESPN Seattle's "Brock and Salk blog." (Latest: Why are we a LIKELY spot for an NHL team?)

Thursday, February 16, 2012 @ 12:11pm

You live in paradise

A food paradise. You are either a walk or a short drive from a restaurant where food is an art, an act of devotion. Will you accept it? Or are you too busy? Food is just fuel ... it comes wrapped or frozen ... you don't sit and eat with your family ... fast food is fine.

I'm busy, too. But I know we're missing something. This weekend on the Bill Radke Treatment, what's exciting about local restaurants right now? What are the ingredients and techniques that we're passionate about? How do you get the most out of a menu and a meal?

My guests are legendary chefs Tom Douglas and Ethan Stowell, and Seattle Weekly food critic Hanna Raskin.

Fall in love again. Saturday at 6 am and noon, Sunday at 2 pm. Podcast here

"The Bill Radke Treatment. You have something in your teeth."

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 @ 6:07am

New car smell: Why you shouldn't love it

Don't breathe that new car smell too deeply. (AP)

You know that wonderful new car smell?

Don’t inhale too deeply.

An environmental group is out with its annual review of the stuff your car interior is made of, and it's kind of gross.

The inside of your car is mostly plastic held together with a various adhesives and sealers. Then you got your paint, carpeting, leather and vinyl treatments. All that stuff, when the car is first manufactured, is unstable, and they release organic compounds into the air afterward.

I don't know whether it naturally smells good or whether it smells good because we just paid tens of thousands of dollars and it smells like luxury.

The Ecology Center, says the chemicals contribute to allergies, birth defects, liver toxicity and other problems.

So which cars are most likely to make you sick? The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, the Chrysler 200 SC, and the Kia Soul.

The ones least likely to make you sick? The Honda Civic, the Toyota Prius, and the Honda CR-Z.

How do they know which are the worst?

They find out which materials are in each car and check their databases about the volatility and toxicity of those materials. They do not stick a gadget inside a closed car and then check the toxicity reading, and consult a gauge.

According to the Ecology Center, auto interiors are unregulated. Car makers can put any chemicals they want in there.

The good news is, they say the industry is working on replacing nasty car interiors with safer ones.

So what can we do? Scientists who have studied the chemicals released recommend keeping new cars well ventilated while driving, especially during the summer.

Read more on the details of the study.

Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 11:38am

"Sooooo ... how did you meet?"

If you're in a couple, people will ask. How do you answer if you met online? Is that meeting cute?

I just missed online dating. About the time I would've considered it, I exited and merged onto the freeway of marriage. So what did I miss? And if you haven't clicked on and hooked up … what are you missing?

This weekend, a Bill Radke Treatment valentine. I talked to Kate Bergstrom, who hosts "Dates with Kate," an online dating podcast and blog (at the Seattle PI, http://blog.seattlepi.com/katebergstrom/); Tom Wasell, producer of the Brock and Salk show on 710 ESPN Seattle; and a guy who remains anonymous.

Anonymous? Why?

You gotta listen. To the Bill Radke Treatment, Saturday at 6 am and noon and Sunday at 2 pm.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 10:41am

How "traditional" is American marriage?

Republican Rep. Jay Rodne of North Bend opposes same sex marriage in our state:

"There's been no compelling justification to abandon traditional definition of marriages, as has existed in human civilizations since time immemorial."

So on Seattle's Morning News, we wanted to know: How HAS marriage existed since time immemorial?

Evergreen State College history professor Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage, A History, told us that marriage has changed constantly.

"The single most traditionally preferred form of marriage throughout history, in more cultures than any other, is not 'one man, one woman' but 'one man, MANY women.' That's the type of marriage mentioned most often in the first five books of the Bible."

OK, but how about the Christian era?

"Christianity was the first religion to say that being able to procreate had nothing to do with what makes a marriage valid. When Jesus said you should not be able to divorce, that reversed thousands of years of the idea that you should be able to take another wife or divorce your wife if she could not have a child."

Other recent marriage developments include: Choose your own partner. Love instead of property arrangement. Men not owning all the marital assets. "Mandatory" fidelity. Women working outside the home. Birth control. Artificial insemination. (I also change a lot more diapers than my dad did.)

OK, so marriage has always evolved. But do those changes erode the institution? Coontz told us that in Nordic and European countries, divorce and non-marriage rates have recently leveled off, even though same-sex marriage has been approved there. Not that same-sex marriage gets the CREDIT; just that she doesn't see this most recent marital update causing marital crumbling.

Listen to How traditional is American marriage?

Monday, February 6, 2012 @ 10:03am

"My sons and I have a very close relationship ..."

"... and I am working diligently to get them back in spite of the lies people are saying about me."

That's from a December court filing by Josh Powell, who yesterday killed himself and his two little boys in Pierce County. Powell was suspected -- but never charged -- in the disappearance of his wife Susan in 2009 in Utah. As police there compiled evidence and searched the mountains, Powell was denied custody of his two little boys but not denied his weekly visitation. It was on one of those visits yesterday that he burned his home to the ground, after locking out the social worker.

In that December court filing, Powell wrote: "Everyone who knows me understands that my children have always come first."

This morning, we talked with a detective, a prosecutor and an attorney about the case. They have questions:

* Should Utah police have put Powell behind bars?

* Could visitation rights have been handled differently?

* Did Powell say or write anything that tells us where his wife's remains are?

* Could anything have been done to prevent this?

We can also ask: "How could someone take his innocent children with him?" But who believes we'll get real answers?

Here's the Salt Lake Tribune's take on the story: Josh Powell’s lasting identity: murderer