Weekend America for Saturday, December 3, 2005


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How did your life collide with the headlines in 2007?
Iraq, the subprime crisis, Facebook, immigration, oil prices - 2007 had no shortage of hefty headlines. We'd like to hear about how these and other major news events of the past year affected you. Where did your life collide with the news in 2007?

What's your holiday performance story?
The office talent show, the neighborhood caroling posse, the school pageant ... At holiday time we often sing, dance, and dress as shepherds. Did you bloom in the warmth of your audience's adulation, or freeze up like the snowman you'd rather be building? Did your holiday performance change your life or that of someone close to you?

Broadcast Date: December 3, 2005 | Map these stories

Defining Bribery
This week, Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham admitted to the public that he accepted bribes from defense contractors. But when does an offer become a bribe? Hosts Barbara Bogaev and Bill Radke put the question to University of Pennsylvania ethics professor Thomas Donaldson.

Online resources:

» Professor Thomas Donaldson

Bribery's Gray Area
As a former admissions officer for Duke University, Rachel Toor was frequently offered bribes to get certain students into school. She talks about her experience then and what she faces now as a freelance college counselor.

Online resources:

» Rachel Toor Web site

Music Bridge: Needles - Artist: Garage a Trois
CD: Outre Mer (telarc)

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Old World, New Kitchen: Persian Cuisine
This month, Weekend America is exploring some of the connections we have with food, our traditions and different cultures. In the first of our series, producer Beth Hoffman explores Persian cuisine with Nasrin Mohammadi, an Iranian immigrant who makes her home in Utah.

Online resources:

» Nasrin Mohamadi recipe for Chicken Tahchin

Music Bridge: Chahar Mezrab - Artist: Masters of Persian Music
CD: Faryad (World Village)

A Poem Lovely as a Tree
Like it or not, Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees" is one of the most quoted poems in American history. With the 119th anniversary of the poet's birth, producer Sarah Elzas looks at the many interpretations of Kilmer's famous poem over the years.

Online resources:

» The Philolexian Society Web site
» Full text of Kilmer's poem, "Trees"
» Joyce Kilmer Bio

Music Bridge: Concert in Your House - Artist: Fridge
CD: Sevens and Twelves (Output)

Race, Cocaine and Corruption
In 1999, a sting operation was launched against alleged drug dealers in the rural town of Tulia, Texas. Almost all of those arrested were black. It turns out, the undercover agent who brought the charges was himself a criminal and many of those arrested were framed and railroaded through the justice system. Now, most are out of jail. Reporter Nate Blakeslee first reported the story. He talked to hosts Bill Radke and Barbara Bogaev about the case and how the town responded.

Online resources:

» Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town. It's available the Public Radio BookSource.

Pop Music: Wilco
Lots of bands record live albums. But few do it well. The band Wilco has been successful going live with its new release, Kicking Television: Live In Chicago. Host Barbara Bogaev talks to music critic Allan Light about why their new CD works.

Online resources:

» Wilco | The Late Greats, Handshake Drugs | From the album, Kicking Television: Live in Chicago (Nonesuch)

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

Online resources:

» Event information

Music Bridge: Beat Connection (Disco Dub Version) - Artist: lcd soundsystem
CD: DFA compilation #2 (DFA)

Remembering John Lennon
December 8 marks the 25th anniversary of singer John Lennon's murder. Producer Paul Ingles talked to some fans about their recollections of that day and what his life and music meant to them.

Online resources:

» Listen to the full "John Ono Lennon" (((Hearing Voices))) Radio Special

Music Bridge: Imagine - Artist: Dolly Parton & David Foster
CD: Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill)

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Deadly Reaction
It wasn't easy avoiding the news this week about the teenager who died after kissing her peanut-eating boyfriend. Peanut allergies can be especially life threatening and are a constant worry for parents of young children with the condition. Host Barbara Bogaev talks to parent Gaby Wood of New York about what she goes through to keep her peanut-allergic child safe. Then, just how prevalent are peanut allergies? Host Bill Radke talks with Dr. Scott Sicherer about America's overall increase in allergic symptoms.

Online resources:

» Anaphylactic shock definition at Wikipedia.com

Music Bridge: Untitled - Artist: Tristeza
CD: A Colores (Better Looking)

The Chronicles of Lewis
The Disney movie based on C.S. Lewis' book, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe will be released next week. Lewis was a devout Christian. But did he intend for his book to have such religious overtones? Weekend America talks to Alan Jacobs, the author of Lewis' biography, The Narnian.

Online resources:

» Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis is available at the Public Radio Book Source.
» Official movie Web site for The Chronicles of Narnia
» A boxed set of of C. S Lewis's entire Chronicles of Narnia Series available at the Public Radio BookSource.

Surrendering to Winter
Winter doesn't officially begin for a few more weeks, but for some parts of the country, it's already a brutal reality. Writer J. Robert Lennon shares some of the telltale signs of the season around his home in Ithaca, New York.

Online resources:

» J. Robert Lennon Web site

Music Bridge: In My Time of Need - Artist: In The Country
CD: This is the Pace of My Heart (Rune Grammofon)

Gays in the Priesthood
This week, the Vatican affirmed its ban on priests with "deep seated homosexual tendencies." How is this playing out in the church? Weekend America has an update from psychologist Thomas Plante, who screens recruits for the priesthood.

Online resources:

» Thomas G. Plante Ph.D., ABPP

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"Gaydar": Fact or Fiction
Do some people have an innate ability to identify homosexuals? Do we have some kind of biological "gaydar?" Host Barbara Bogaev talks to William Lee Adams, a recent Harvard grad who did his undergrad thesis on the topic.

Music Bridge: Hard Petting - Artist: Tipsy
CD: Uh Oh (Asphodel)

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

Online resources:

» Event information

Pop Music: Bobby Bare
Country singer Bobby Bare basically ducked out of the music world in the early 1980s. But he's back and he has a new CD, The Moon is Blue. Host Barbara Bogaev talks to music critic Allan Light about Bare's comeback recording.

Online resources:

» Bobby Bare | Am I That Easy to Forget, Yesterday When I Was Young | From the album, The Moon Was Blue (Dualtone Music Group)