Weekend America

Pieces of the Quilt

Today is World AIDS Day, and in many places across the U.S. parts of the AIDS Memorial Quilt are being displayed. In Atlanta, Jada Harris and a group of individuals from the Names Project Foundation has been feverishly sewing new blocks to add to the quilt. Their goal is to create more blocks that represent African-Americans, which make up 42 percent of all diagnosed AIDS cases, but are represented in less than one percent of the quilt panels. Weekend America host Desiree Cooper checks in with Harris about the groups progress.

Let's (Not) Shake Hands

This week at the Middle East conference in Annapolis, Md., the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal refused to shake hands with Israelis, saying that a handshake would only be given when peace is achieved. Brian Burke has been collecting handshake memorabilia since 1975. On his walls he has depictions of handshakes from Roman times all the way to modern day. Currently, he's writing a book about President Abraham Lincoln's handshake. Weekend America host Bill Radke speaks with Burke about some of the handshakes that have helped define our nation's history.

The Alzheimer's Test

Writer Susan Davis's father died of Alzheimer's disease on December 1, 1992. Back then, experts weren't sure if there was a genetic link to the disease. Since then, Davis's life and scientific thinking about genetics and Alzheimer's has changed dramatically. So, on the 15th anniversary of her father's death, Davis is wondering whether or not she should get tested for the gene. She's asking herself how much she really wants to know about the years that may lie ahead.

Listener Letters: Las Vegas, vs. Los Vegas

Listeners sound off about pronunciation, Greek mythology and the environment. Host Bill Radke talks with Stanford Professor Richard Martin to clarify a point a listener brought up from our Nov. 10 show. The listener wrote in to call attention to the fact that Icarus was the son of Daedalus, not Zeus as it said on our website. Professor Martin sets the record straight.

Cold Pictures

Winter officially doesn't arrive until Dec. 22, but temperatures have already started dipping all across the country. Most don't want to venture out in sub-zero weather during the day, or night, but that's how photographer Chris Faust takes some of his landscapes. He sets up a tripod and leaves his lens open for several minutes at a time.And the whole time, he's just waiting there... in the cold.

The Antifreeze Beetles

Although places across the country are feeling the freeze we are, for the most part, experiencing warmer winters and warmer winters, which has led to more bark beetles. Bark beetles are bugs that feast on giant evergreens and other plants and trees. They have a chemical in their body, kinda like antifreeze, that keeps them from freezing to death in bitter cold weather. Barbara Bentz is an entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service has been studying bark beetles for 20 years. Bentz says that the warmer the winter, the more destruction the beetles can do.

A Cold Story

Author John Smolens reads from his novel, "Cold." It's a mystery set in the Michigan's upper peninsula, in the dead of winter. The heroine of the story, Liesl Tiomenen, sees a man walking through her yard. Given her proximity to the local prison she knew that meant trouble.

The Dedham Society

Back in the 19th century, there was a society in Dedham, Mass. for apprehending horse thieves. The entire mission was contained in the name, The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. Horse thievery was a real problem back then and so these sturdy young men were out to do something about it. The society still exists to this day. In fact they're having their annual meeting on Dec. 4. Of course, horse thievery isn't that big a problem in Dedham anymore, there being no horses anymore to steal. So the obvious question is, why is this society still around? What do they do? What do they meet about? Weekend America's Sean Cole finds out.

Living Room Diplomacy

Miriam Zimmerman and Elias Botto are members of the Living Room Dialogue Group, an organization based in San Mateo, Calif. The group's goal is to bring Jews and Palestinians together to talk about Middle East politics and to foster understanding. Weekend America host Bill Radke talks with Miriam and Elias to get their reactions to this week's Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md.

On the Block with No Neighbors

The US Conference of Mayors met in Detroit this week to talk about the mortgage crisis, which has affected one out of every 196 households nationally. "Detroit Free Press" recently published a list of foreclosed homes in Wayne County, Mich., which includes Detroit and other suburbs and inburbs. It was 122 pages long, in tiny stock-listing type. Weekend America host Desiree Cooper speaks with Lisa Tate of Highland Park, Mich. Tate has very few remaining neighbors. Their homes have all been foreclosed.

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 "Simpsons" writer and producer Dana Gould; Gustavo Arellano, author of Orange County Weekly's "Ask a Mexican!" column; and Linda Chavez, the chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, based in Sterling, Va.

Weekend Soundtrack

Weekend Soundtrack: "Leave Them All Behind"

We've been asking listeners about the soundtrack to their weekends. This week, we hear from Tim Scanlin, of Pasadena, Calif. Tim listens to us on KPCC in Los Angeles, and his weekend soundtrack is "Leave Them All Behind," by the British band Ride

A Gateway to the Sixties

Forty-seven years ago, President-elect John F. Kennedy was considering cabinet members, the Dodgers manager got a new contract, and K's Sporting Goods in St. Louis had a sale on B-B guns. These are just some of the everyday facts reporter Tom Weber discovered when he found newspapers from December 1960 under his carpet.

Just Give Me One Moment in Time

At schools, churches, and concert halls, the holidays are a time for performances. Many kids get their first taste of the spotlight this time of year. Weekend America producer Angela Kim still remembers the first time she stepped on stage. Twenty years later, she realizes that she doesn't remember how her singing sounded as much as she remembers seeing her parents from the stage. This is the first installment in Weekend America's series on this holiday rite of passage.

Seattle's Charlie Brown Tree

The Westlake Center Christmas tree is the Christmas tree in Seattle. It's like the Rockefeller Center tree for the Northwest. But this year's sapling is ugly. Really. Donated by Weyerhauser, a northwest timber company, the Douglas-fir arrived with its top missing and many branches broken off. It was instantly dubbed "the Charlie Brown tree," and town set out to make it better through glue, sweat and tears. Even in the Charlie Brown special, the tree ends up being filled out before being deemed virtuous. Weekend America's John Moe wondered why we refuse to accept the unusual tree as it is.