Weekend America

A Look at Daily Life in New Orleans

On Saturday, voters in Louisiana will choose among a dozen contenders for governor. The incumbent, Kathleen Blanco, announced last March that she wouldn't be seeking re-election. Many say the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina sealed Blanco's political fate, but New Orleanians are not hearing the words "hurricane" or "Katrina" much in the current campaign. We ask independent producer Eve Troeh, who's producing a documentary about daily life in New Orleans and coastal Louisiana, how she thinks it's all playing out.

The Interpreter of Enlightenment

This week, the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush for his 50 years of work leading the struggle for autonomy and religious freedom in Tibet. Although the Dalai Lama has a good command of English, he sometimes prefers to use his native tongue. When he does, Thupten Jinpa is there to interpret. Jinpa tells us what it's like to speak for the man some consider the living embodiment of Buddha.

Friendship, Memory Loss and Planning for the Future

Richard Bozanich and Jay Smith both suffer from early-stage Alzheimer's disease. They met 15 months ago at a support group, and ever since, they've been meeting weekly to plan a conference in Los Angeles called "Living Our Lives, Planning Our Futures: Early Memory Loss Forum." During these 15 months, a unique friendship has developed between the two. We talk with Bozanich and Smith about their memory and their friendship.

Weekend Soundtrack

Weekend Soundtrack: Supertramp

For Andy Maynard of Hazelwood, Mo., it's not the weekend without Supertramp. The music that fills his Saturdays and Sundays often includes "The Logical Song," and we find out why.

Finding Love in a Corn Maze

Ten years ago, Aaron and Nicola were both in high school when Aaron's family opened up an autumn corn maze on their farm in Eden Prairie, Minn. Nicola, a suburbanite, came to work at the maze. Last month, the two were married, and they both still work at the corn maze. We hear their story of love, fall and, naturally, corn.

Sustainability

Not Crazy Over Ethanol

This year, America grew the most corn it has since the end of World War II. This bumper crop is thanks to demand for ethanol, an alternative to gasoline that's made by fermenting sugars. Weekend America host Bill Radke talks with two corn farmers, Larry Meints of Seamboat Rock, Iowa, and Barney Lavin of Dover, Wis., about why they're not crazy about the ethanol craze.

Damon and Naomi and Frank Sinatra

One day, the music duo Damon and Naomi were driving from their hometown of Boston to visit friend in New York City when they turned on the radio and heard Frank Sinatra singing "Here's That Rainy Day." For the next year, that one sad song played a role in their creative process.

Life in a Violent City

This Sunday in Philadelphia, men will be gathering at Temple University in response to a call from the city's police chief: he wants them out on the streets to stem Philly's rising tide of homicide. We ask one recruit why he's doing it. Then we talk with Chris Evans of Kansas City, whose shop, T-Shirt King, has become a place where young people memorialize their friends lost to violence.

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. This week, we hear from writer Sherman Alexie, author of the novel "Flight"; David Rakoff, author of "Don't Get too Comfortable"; and actress and actress and comedian Julia Sweeney, whose newest one-woman show is "Letting Go of God."

The Gatekeeper to the Dogs

Talk-show host Ellen Degeneres adopted a dog, which she ended up giving to family that she trusted. Turns out she had violated the rules of her adoption contract. A lot of people were pretty surprised to hear about such stringent rules for adopting a pet. Weekend America host Desiree Cooper speaks with Sally Adams, who visits would-be dog adopters to decide if they would make a good homes for a pet.

Life-Changing House

Seven years ago, Karen Tips of Winston-Salem, N.C., bought a house for herself and her daughter Katie Rose. Prior to that, they'd been living in a worn-down shack, a life made all the more difficult by the fact that Katie Rose has cerebral palsy. It turned out that the new house changed their life completely. We'll hear their story.

Swimming until November

Saturday a little sun may be peeping out in Minnesota. But Sunday it's back to the usual for these days: cold and rainy. Rain, shine or snow, Nanci Olesen will be going for a swim in Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Last year, she swam every day until November as a dare to herself. This year, the ritual has become much more important. We find out why.

The Jean Leccia Interpolation, aka the Time Machine Album

Thirty-five years ago this month, an album called "The Jean Leccia Interpolation" was released. Later the name was changed to just "Lexia.""The Jean Leccia Interpolation" wasn't exactly catchy. Either way, you probably haven't heard of it. But for reporter Jamala Henderson, it has a lot of meaning. Her mother recorded the album, and its failure clouded Jamala's childhood for years.