Claire McInerny

E pluribus unum—out of many is one—that’s was a founding principle for America.

Indeed, American language and culture shows the imprint of many different cultural influences.  But as the United States becomes more diverse, sometimes unity and understanding between different groups can become strained.

Korean Restaurants:

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Korea has been top of mind lately as the threat of conflict has been rising, but on this Central Standard Friday the food critics take a look at another explosive element of this country's culture: its cuisine. From famous dishes like kimchi and Bibimbap, we look at what makes up Korean food, and where you can find it in Kansas City.

Local couple and professional poets Stanley and Janet Banks met while living in Kansas City and trying to get their writing careers off the ground. Now that the two have been married for years, they reflect on how their marriage to each other inspired their work. A common theme between both of their work is the impact that family members have on their lives.

After the passing of the Affordable Care Act, confusion about the future of health insurance in our country has become the norm. But as the legislation comes into play in the next year, everyone from private health insurance companies to employers providing health care to their employees need to be well versed on the upcoming changes.

Gamelan music is the orchestral music of Indonesia which is primarily from the islands of Bali and Java. Over a decade ago, Kansas City became home to a hand crafted Gamelan from Indonesia that was fine tuned and given a blessing from a Balinese Hindu high priests. On this Central Standard the director of Kansas City's Gamelan group Gamelan Genta Kasturi, Patrick Alonzo Conway – he plays in the group and even composes pieces for the group, and is an eclectic composer and member of the People’s Liberation Big Band.

Kansas City's role in the integration of baseball is a popular subject these days. The recent release of 42, the movie about Jackie Robinson's integration into Major League Baseball premiered in Kansas City, home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, this month. UMKC Theatre is also tackling the subject with the debut of its play Kansas City Swing.

Low rider cars aren’t the type of vehicles that drive by unnoticed. The low chrome rims, killer paint jobs, normally accompanied with a bumpin' sound system to go with it, sub woofers and hydraulics all grab attention of those it passes. These cars are often stigmatized as being related to gangsters, but on this Central Standard we learn about research that disputes that common misconception.

Socializing and drinking go hand in hand, and across the United States the hobby of making your own beer and wine has grown in the last few decades. But when it comes to liquor, the law makes it much more difficult to home brew whiskey, vodka or rum as a hobby, and as a result there are very few local distilleries across the nation.  We're joined by three special distilleries: Patrick Garcia the master distiller at Dark Horse Distillery in Lenexa, Kansas; Ralph Hayes the marketing director for Pinckney Bend distillery out of New Haven, Missouri; and Seth Fox president of High Plains in Atchison, Kansas
 

It’s estimated that in the United States, people with disabilities constitute the third-largest, and perhaps the most diverse, minority group. A person may be born with a disability or it may occur during a lifetime. The disability can be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or a combination of all of these. On this Central Standard, we’ll talk about disability issues across the life span and some local efforts to empower those who face the challenge of a disability.

When  most of us think of a debate, presidential debates between two individuals come to mind. But the sport of argument and articulation is as radically different from this scenario as you can imagine. The world of college debate includes lightening fast speech arguments developed on the fly. The best team that encompasses these can be found at Emporia State University. Ryan Wash and Elijah Smith, two members of the ESU debate team recently won both the National Debate Tournament and the Cross Examination Debate Association championship tournament. 

After a drawn out winter where we in Kansas City found ourselves hibernating through the snow and ice of March, spring has finally sprung. The trees are blooming and the landscape is finally peppered with color as plants and wildlife emerge from dormancy. On this Central Standard, we explore the nature around us as we transition into Spring. 

From birth, the care and upbringing of a child is a stressful and demanding process. Tough questions that all parents face include who can I leave my child with when I go to work? Am I doing enough to help my child get on track with learning? And for some families, how can I get my child a good meal today? On this Central Standard we are exploring the challenges of childcare and early education for all parents, including the cost of childcare, how the government affects a child's early education and we highlight some local programs that help families in need.

It seems that nowadays, anytime you hear a hip-hop song the lyrics are full of negative and insulting messages. Whether these comments are racist, misogynistic, or just downright disrespectful it's easy to associate the entire hip-hop culture with these words of hate. On this Central Standard, we look specifically at misogyny in hip-hop music.

As St. Patrick's Day approaches next week, the 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' t-shirts are getting pulled out of the closets and shamrocks will plaster the city. Kansas City has a special relationship with Irish culture that goes hand in hand with the city's narrative.