Weekend America

Pasadena Divide

Every three years Anglican leaders from around the world meet to discuss important issues facing the church. This year's hot topic? American Episcopal churches that have opened their doors to gays and lesbians. Weekend America's guest host John Moe speaks with Reverend Ed Bacon of All Saints Church in Pasadena to find out how this will affect his church and what his message will be this weekend.

The Other 'S' Word

A children's book is sparking debates on librarian message boards. The reason? One word says it all: scrotum. "The Higher Power of Lucky," by Susan Patron, is this year's Newbery Medal winner, but the opening pages have some people questioning whether it's appropriate for children. Weekend America's Julia Barton talks with some kids to hear their thoughts on the controversy.

Unforgettable Performances

This weekend at the Oscars, Hollywood's glamorous will don their suits and gowns to praise this year's best performances. But at the Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theatre in Austin, Texas, audiences will reminisce about performances best forgotten from some of this year's Oscar nominees. Weekend America's guest host Alex Cohen speaks with Lars Nilsen who has been collecting the best, or rather worst, footage for the movie event.

Blue Devil City

Students at Duke University often camp out to get their chance to sit courtside at the men's basketball games. Those camping out for tickets usually pitch their tents in an area called Krzyzewskiville, named after the Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. But this year there's a new camp city called Goestenkorsopolis, named after the women's coach Gail Goestenkors. WUNC producer Lindsay Thomas speaks with some campers to find out what's going on at the home of the Blue Devils.

Party Planning

On Monday a law passed in New Jersey offering same-sex couples civil unions. There's a 72 hour waiting period between the time you apply for a license and the ceremony. This gives couples a chance to stop, catch their breath and think about the ceremony ahead of them. And by that point friends and relatives should have received their ceremony invitations. But not just any invitations. Weekend America's guest host Alex Cohen speaks with Nancy Bigda Parent, who works for the stationery company Outvite.

A Hallmark Moment

Have you ever wanted to console someone enduring tough times but didn't have the right words? A new line of Hallmark cards may help in this kind of situation. Now there truly are cards for all occasions: for someone leaving an abusive spouse, going through chemotherapy, entering drug rehab, dealing with depression, coping with an eating disorder. Weekend America's John Moe asks Cynthia Musick, an editorial director at Hallmark in Kansas City, how they found the right words for these sensitive occasions.

Island Life

Upstate New Yorkers Liz and Tommy Hyndman and their six-year-old son Henry have been living in a four-square-mile mile patch of earth between the Shetland and Orkney Islands in Scotland, called Fair Isle. It's a windy little island, known for its knitting commune and excellent bird watching. It has one convenient store and one ferry that runs back and forth from the mainland once a week. Independent producer Jessica Bloustein has the tale of an American family that left the familiar convenience of life in an American city to live on Fair Isle, population 70.

Abu Ghraib Artist

While photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib spread all over the world, the victims remained anonymous, their identities concealed under black hoods. Philadelphia artist Daniel Heyman wanted to know more. Last year Heyman joined trips to Amman, Jordan and Istanbul, Turkey at the request of an American law firm that's exploring a possible lawsuit. Heyman and his sketchbook were present at dozens of interviews with Iraqis who say they were tortured at Abu Ghraib. He's created a series of prints based on those interviews, which he hopes will help restore the diginity of their subjects. They go on display in a one-man show at The Print Center in Philadelphia on Thursday, February 22. Weekend America host Alex Cohen speaks with Daniel Heyman about his work.

Terrorism Defined

Last week, the Washington Post called the Justice Department's statistics on terrorism cases "highly inaccurate." The Post said the Justice Department has been taking liberties with the term "terrorist," counting things like drug trafficking and marriage fraud as anti-terrorist arrests. This got us thinking about the definition of the word "terrorist" and how it has evolved over time. Erin McKean, the chief consulting editor for Oxford American Dictionaries, traces the life of the word for us.

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 Larry Miller, author of "Spoiled Rotten America," Amy Hungerford, a Yale literature professor, and Hollywood writer Dana Gould.

California Cruisin'

You've heard of the Tour of France but have you heard of the Tour of California? This is a bike race in its second year but has already gained the respect of professional cyclists around the world. And how could it not? The eight-day event stretches 650 miles down the California coast and will be wrapping up on Sunday in Long Beach, Calif. We head to Solvang to catch up with professional cyclist Tim Johnson of Team Health Net and see how he's holding up in the races.

Banned Monologues

Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues debuted off-Broadway over 10 years ago. Since then, actors, college groups, and organizations have performed the show each year around Valentine's day to stop violence against Women. But some Catholic colleges have banned the performances because they say it is inappropriate. One of those schools is in Providence, Rhode Island. Weekend America's Sean Cole headed down to Providence to talk vaginas with Catholics.

A Collector

It's black history month. And in its honor, we bring you a story about how we see race, and what it does to our understanding of ourselves and the people around us. But first, imagine this. You walk into someone's home, and on the kitchen counter you see, in among the spices and cooking oil, a salt shaker in the shape of a fat, jolly, dark faced Aunt Jemima. You look around, and you see more objects like this. You take it all in, but what goes through your mind? What do you assume about the people who live in this place? Weekend America's Krissy Clark has a few possible answers to that question.

Morricone Fans

Tomorrow night composer Ennio Morricone will be honored at the 79th Annual Academy Awards. Morricone has been known for the music in Spaghetti Westerns like "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" and "A Fist Full of Dollars." Larry White is a music lover who also happens to love those Morricone films. So much so that White and his friends put together an album covering Morricone's music with a surf inspired twist. Weekend America's guest host Alex Cohen speaks with Larry White.