Weekend America

Weekend Carbon Emissions

This weekend millions of families are going about their normal weekend activities: Little League games, shopping and running errands, meeting up with friends. "Weekend America" wanted to know where being green and the weekend intersect. How do normal activities affect one's carbon footprint--or the resources each individual is taking up? Host Desiree Cooper sits down with Lisa Wise, executive director of the Center for a New American Dream, and a couple of listeners to talk weekend carbon emissions.

Immigration: One Thing

From Somalia to Portland

This year, the United States resettled nearly 7,000 refugees from Somalia, the most of any African nation. Like many minority Somali Bantu, Omar Abdirahaman and his family fled to Kenya after being targeted by militia groups in Somalia. Omar, his wife and children spent 15 years in the refugee camp, and finally made it abroad in 2004. Like most Somali Bantus in Portland, Ore., Omar works at a fish factory in town. But on weekends, especially in the morning, he sings and plays traditional guitar and drums. That's the one thing Omar brought with him, his music.

Listener Letters: The Rat Pack

Listeners tell us stories of fated encounters and strong women. Weekend America host Bill Radke talks with Sirkka Howes to clear up a listener question from our Oct. 20 show. The listener wrote in to call attention to the fact that Shirley MacLaine--not Joey Bishop--was the last remaining member of the Rat Pack. Howes is a reigning Rat Pack expert.

America at War

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Coming Home from War

For soldiers, coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan is a relief but also has its own problems. Fitting back into family and civilian life is not always as simple as it seems. In Minnesota, the National Guard started a mandatory program called "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon," to help soldiers and their families adjust to life back home. An orientation is set for family members before guards come back. After guards return, there are meetings after 30, 60 and 90 days. It's a chance for guards to catch up with one another and cope with simple parts of life that may not be so simple anymore.

Election 2008

Hamburg Inn

Everything's a little different in Iowa these days, now that the Iowa caucuses have moved to Jan. 3. As most Americans gather for long, lazy breakfasts in diners this weekend, Iowans gathering for long, lazy breakfasts might be interrupted by sudden appearances from Hillary Clinton or Rudy Giuliani. That's the case at the Hamburg Inn #2 in Iowa City. It's a regular, unassuming diner that just happens to get a lot of famous guests: Barack Obama stopping in for an omelet, John McCain grabbing a vanilla malt. We talk to Dave Panther, the owner of "The Burg," and manager Liz Sanders about how their restaurant became a stop on the road to the White House.

Listening In: Music to Inspire

Creative people of all types use music while they work to get themselves in a creative mood. In this installment of Listening In, Gideon D'Arcangelo speaks with painter Natalie Frank. Natalie Frank, 27, just completed her second one-woman show at the Mitchell-Innes and Nash Gallery in Manhattan. She makes massive paintings, measuring 10 feet by 10 feet, and she's very methodical about it. Gideon finds out how she uses music as part of her creative process.

Truth and Reconciliation

From 1979 until 2003, Liberia witnessed a series of conflicts that left 250,000 people dead. In 2005, the new government of Liberia created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to collect testimony about abuses committed during that time. Now they are giving Liberian refugee communities in the U.S. a chance to participate. It's the first time a country has ever sent a TRC outside its borders, and Liberians in America are still trying to figure out what to make of it. TRC representatives recently made their pitch at the Christ Assembly Lutheran Church in Newark, N.J., where as many as 5,000 Liberians now live. Reporter Michael Kavanagh was there.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Good News, Bad News, No News

Our panel of non-experts reviews the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of a week America had. This week, we hear from author and actor David Rakoff; Yale literature professor Amy Hungerford; and Heather MacDonald, fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

The Tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald

We think of maritime disasters as old lore -- something that happened to the salty dogs of the sea who lived a long, long time ago. So when the Edmund Fitzgerald met its fate on Lake Superior in 1975, it seemed like an anachronism. Ships weren't supposed to sink anymore.

Sustainability

Let Them Drink Coke

Pretty much, someone is trying to market something to everyone, always. But this was not always the case. Not so long ago, African-Americans were largely ignored by marketers. As part of our "Consumed" series, Weekend America reporter Krissy Clark brings us the story of how Madison Avenue discovered minorities.

Sustainability

Life-Changing Purchase: Four Wigs

The Caskettes, a Minnesota singing group, is comprised of four sisters -- Babs, Delna, Mimi, and CindyLee (their stage names). They first got a taste of the spotlight when they performed about ten years ago at their grandmother's funeral (she had a riotous sense of humor and would've gotten a kick out of it, says CindyLee). Now they get together and perform whenever and wherever they can -- birthday parties, piano bars, family talent shows. The Caskettes have always dressed to the nines (think feathers, sequins), but this year, they upped their glamour ante when Delna got sick. In particular they bought wigs, so that the effects of radiation and chemo couldn't be seen. The singing and laughter have been cathartic for all of the women, and besides, you look a lot less ill in a wig and go go boots.

Mad Pride at Virginia Tech

There's black pride, and gay pride. And if 32-year old Sascha Dubrul has his way, "mad pride" will become equally ubiquitous. That's mad, as in mentally ill. Dubrul's Icarus Project believes that part of the problem with mental illness is the words we use to describe it. Diagnosed bipolar when he was 18, Dubrul says he could have dealt better with his diagnosis if it had been framed differently, not in clinical terms but as a "dangerous gift." Now Sascha and others are going across the country giving workshops to change the language around mental illness. Reporter Gregory Warner met the Icarus Project at its first stop-Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.