Weekend America

Getting Race Right

From immigration to Sen. Barack Obama to Middle Eastern prejudices, race is a hot topic in the news. Journalists are meeting this weekend at the Unity convention in Chicago to discuss how race and ethnicity is covered by the media. Weekend America's Desiree Cooper is at the event, and she speaks with two seasoned journalists about the difficulties of accurately reporting on racial diversity.

Tending the Fire

In the Big Sur area, fires that have burned for a month are now mostly contained. The area's National Parks are open again, but voluntary evacuations are still in effect which means people who live there need special passes to get in. And that includes the monks at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.

Remembering the Projects

Most of the old Chicago public housing projects have been demolished, but some former residents are now embracing the friends and memories they made over the years, and the sometimes very trying years, they lived there. A few residents are helping to launch the Public Housing Museum, which is meant to be a national repository of public housing memories and learning.

Letters

Letters: Plumbing Curious, Hunter-Gatherers and Gourmet on a Budget

Time again to open up the Weekend America mailbag and hear your responses to our recent stories. Listeners wanted to know more about shopping and our brains, living in a tiny house without running water, and cooking in hard times.

The Weekend Shift

The Intimate Times of Life

Many people work weekend jobs. Even more people work jobs they carry with them on their days off. Debra Nicholls' weekend job not only stays with her all week, but changes how she experiences her life.

Sustainability

Going Solar Gets Cheaper

About three-dozen friends are hanging out on the roof of Kevin Frank's home in Holderness, New Hampshire. They're there to save the environment, and a few bucks in the process.

To Dare Mighty Things

When the Tour de France wraps up in Paris, the riders will have covered a total of 3,500 kilometers or 2100 miles. That's roughly two-thirds the distance across the United States. Now, that might seem like an awfully long time to be on a bicycle but, not to Candyce Deddens. She's no stranger to long bike rides.

This Weekend in 1968: Iraq

The Ba'ath Party wrested control of Iraq's government 40 years ago in 1968. Although initially bloodless, the so-called "White Revolution" became increasingly ruthless as a young and ambitious Saddam Hussein consolidated his power and silenced his opposition. On the anniversary of the Ba'athist Regime's rise to power, we hear from Iraqis who witnessed the birth of a new government.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Congress Wants to Help

Congress is passing a bill to help homeowners facing foreclosure and to shore up struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President Bush doesn't love it but he won't veto it. Is the bill Good News, Bad News or No News?

Catching the Big One

More than 30 million people in the United States fish each year. What a nice relaxing way to spend the weekend. Kicking back, waiting for a nibble. But sometimes fishing can go wrong. Very wrong.

Scaling Swiftcurrent Pass

Swiftcurrent Pass in Glacier National Park rises sharply from Going to the Sun Road, a winding highway that slithers along the edge of a deep valley in the center of the park. From the car, the mountains look impossibly steep and majestic. From the tree-covered trails, they just look impossibly steep.

New History for an Old Lynching

Growing up in Milwaukee, Lashell Drake spent a lot of time with her grandfather. They were close. He liked to talk. But one thing he never talked about was World War II. Only recently did Lachell learn why - a reason he carried with him to his grave.