Weekend America

Peace Movement?

This week, with Democrats taking over Congress, anti-war activists have tried to spark momentum. It's what anti-war leader Cindy Sheehan calls a "peace surge." However, there is no mass movement to draw on. Weekend America's Michael May talks with Sheehan and others about how they hope to overcome the general malaise, and about the likelihood of their success.

Father of the Camera Phone

Whether you're a dove or a hawk, it's hard to deny that things in Iraq are in turmoil. Even the hanging of Saddam Hussein last weekend, which was supposed to help put closure on some of Iraq's sectarian violence, ended up causing more strife. An unofficial video shows Saddam exchanging insults with Shiite loyalists as the noose is hung around his neck. Authorities fear that the footage is fanning the flames of civil war. The footage was captured by a cell phone camera and was sent around the world instantaneously. It seems to be just the latest example of how camera phones have changed the way we see the world. Philippe Kahn developed the first camera phone back in 1997. He shares his feelings about the latest use of his creation.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Good News, Bad News, No News

Our panel of non-experts review the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. Weighing in is Amy Hungerford, a professor of literature at Yale, our weather guy and culture vulture, John Moe, and writer Nancy French.

Woody Marathon

Writer David Rakoff has undertaken the challenge to watch a collection of 28 Woody Allen films in 21 days. The challenge was set up by the Jewish arts and culture website Nextbook.org. Rakoff has been writing about his experience on a blog, and we find out if any of Allen's neurosis has rubbed off.

Along the Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway

Last summer, Weekend America started a trip across the Lincoln Highway, America's first coast-to-coast road. The road opened in 1913 and started the venerable American tradition of the cross-country car trip. So now we are starting the New Year by wrapping up the trip at the highway's end, in California. We sent Weekend America's Pat Loeb to drive the final stretch, which for her, was like a dream come true.

New Orleans Loss

This has been another violent and turbulent week in New Orleans. Six police officers were indicted for a fatal shooting on a bridge a few days after hurricane Katrina. And just after the police chief announced that violent crime was under control, six New Orleanians were killed in less than 24 hours. One of them was 36-year-old Helen Hill. She was shot to death in her home. Hill was a friend and neighbor of radio producer Eve Troeh. In this remembrance, Troeh says her friend's death has people reconsidering their decision to return to new Orleans.

Lobster Man

It's a new year and many folks have been polishing their resolutions. For most that might mean a new diet, a cooking class or spending more time with family. Forty-one year old Brian Murphy isn't trying to lose weight. He's decided on something a bit more dramatic. After a lifetime as a Maine lobsterman, he's pursuing a new life as a practitioner of Capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. He recently set off on a solo trip aboard his twenty-six foot sailboat that he hopes will take him all the way to Brazil. Nancy Rosenbaum and Joshua Gleason bring us his story.

Colorado Avalanche

An avalanche along U.S. 40 in Colorado Saturday morning buried cars and may have pushed others over the edge. The road, called Berthoud Pass, is 11,307 feet high. We get an update with Dan Myers, the host of the show "Colorado Matters," which airs on Colorado Public Radio.

The Forgotten Governor

This week the third black governor in United States history took office in Massachusetts. Can you name the other two? Most people know L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, but the first black governor, P.B.S. Pinchback, is often forgotten. We'll meet the man who helped change the face of American politics and then virtually disappeared from the annals of history.

Moulton & Mohammed

Seth Moulton's old friend, Mohammed Harba, visited with him this past holiday. They got to know one another in Iraq, where they co-hosted the Iraqi television show "Moulton & Mohammed." The show was a smash-hit, but not with U.S. and Iraqi officials. Bill Langworthy explains. This story was produced by Collin Campbell.

Sago Anniversary

This past Tuesday was the year anniversary of the Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia. Twelve miners died after an explosion trapped them underground for two days. One miner survived. When a tragedy like this strikes in coal country, it impacts everyone. And the communities around the mine have pulled together to heal over the past year. Emily Corio of West Virginia Public Radio has this report.

Kind Of Blue

Tonight, for the first time in 37 years, Jim Dougherty will not be doing his midnight jazz show, "Big Bands Then and Now." Dougherty aired his last show on WSUI in Iowa City on New Year's Eve. He's the latest casualty of a trend in public radio. The local midnight jazz host used to be a fixture on public radio stations but, for the last decade, more and more stations have been cutting back or dropping the shows altogether. As Kyle Gassiott reports, Jim Dougherty went quietly off the air.

Get in Shape

On December 31, 2005, Charlie Schroeder stood in front of ten fellow drunken revelers and declared that he would finally join the gym, lose 25 pounds and get into shape. Eleven months later, he hadn't even joined the gym. But on December 1 he renewed his vow to complete his 2006 New Year's resolution. In one month. We listen to an audio diary of his progress, and while he may not lose the whole 25 pounds, he'll sure try.