Weekend America for Saturday, February 18, 2006


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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: February 18, 2006 | Map these stories

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Standing Out in a Crowd
As a child, Brian Copeland was noticed quickly in his San Leandro neighborhood. He was Black. His neighbors were nearly all white and many of them were heavily racist. He shares his experiences from that time in his one-man show called "Not A Genuine Black Man." Producer Tania Ketenjian joined him recently for a walk through his old neighborhood.

(ADVISORY: Some listeners may find some of the language featured in the one-man play objectionable.)

Online resources:

» Brian Copeland Web site: Information about this one-man show, Not A Genuine Black Man .

Covering
Having an identity that's different from others around you may not be something you feel the need to hide. But it isn't always something you want to emphasize, either. That was the case with author and Yale professor Kenji Yoshino. He talked to host Bill Radke about why he covered his identity as a gay man.

Online resources:

» Kenji's book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights is available at the Public Radio BookSource.
» Learn more about Kenji Yoshino at Yale.edu.

Music Bridge: Tic Tac - Artist: Eliot Lipp
CD: Tacoma Mockingbird (Hefty)

Olympic Update
We're heading into week two of the Olympics and Weekend America's resident Olympics fanatic Chris Spurgeon remains glued to the TV and any other Olympics media source he can find. Hosts Bill Radke and Alex Cohen check in to get the latest buzz.

Online resources:

» Olympic.org - Official Web site of the Olympic Movement
» NBC Olympics: Torino 2006
» Official Torino 2006 Web site

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Meet Rosey Fletcher
Just a few years ago, Rosie Fletcher's pals left her alone on a hillside to struggle with the basics of snowboarding. Now, she's only a few days away from competing in the sport at the Winter Olympics. Weekend America's Bill Radke and Alex Cohen reach her in Turin to see how she's gearing up for her big moment.

Online resources:

» Rosey Fletcher Web site

Music Bridge: Up From The South - Artist: The Budos Band
CD: The Budos Band (Daptone)

Jazz Picks: Chris Potter
Most folks have become acquainted with Chris Potter's sax playing through his work with Steely Dan. Now, Chris has his own album called, Underground. Weekend America's Jazz Critic Nate Chinen joins host Bill Radke to talk about it.

Online resources:

» Chris Potter | Next Best Western, Big Top | From the album, Undergound (Sunny Side)

Kids Who Cut
It seems teenagers have always done things to shock their parents. But not every crazy act a teenager does can be simply labeled "teen behavior." The act of "cutting" is one example. Why do teens cut themselves? First, we hear a story from high school student Amanda Wells, who sits down with a friend to learn why she cuts. Then, host Barbara Bogaev has a conversation with Matthew Selekman, a family therapist about how parents need to respond.

Online resources:

» Partners for Collaborative Solutions
» RecoverYourLife.com - The Self Harm Support Community
» Selekman's book, Working with Self-Harming Adolescents: A Collaborative, Strengths-Based Therapy Approach, is available at the Public Radio BookSource.

Music Bridge: The Rider #1 - Artist: Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
CD: The Proposition (Mute)

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

» Event information

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

A Moment in the Spotlight
Karaoke gives amateurs the opportunity to shine...or crash... as they croon along with an instrumental track of a popular song. Now actor wannabes can enjoy a similar experience with Videoke. A club in Austin, Texas has a videoke night, where participants play a starring role in front of their favorite film. Host Alex Cohen joined in the fun one night and tells us what happened.

Online resources:

» Download your own practice clips at Videoke.org

Cartoons on Campus
The big U.S. newspapers may not be publishing those cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. But some papers on college campuses are...and it's creating quite a stir between students and students, students and administrators... and just about everyone else. Producer Shannon Mullen explores this week's debate over the cartoons at Harvard University. Then, guest-host Alex Cohen talks to the former editor of an Illinois student newspaper, who was recently kicked out of school for publishing the illustrations.

Performance information:

» The Harvard Salient
» Cornell's Commentary on the Danish Cartoons at SpeakingOfFaith.org

Music Bridge: A Spire - Artist: Tape
CD: Rideau (Hapna)

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Next Floor, Stratosphere
Why wait around for the next space shuttle when you can take a space elevator? The idea isn't so far fetched. As a matter of fact, an experimental space elevator was just tested. Guest-host Alex Cohen talks about the results with the head of the company that built it, Liftport CEO Michael Laine.

Online resources:

» Previous coverage: "It has Its Ups and Downs" (08/06/2005)
» LiftPort Group Web site

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"...Secretly Fond of Each Other"
Brokeback Mountain is up for best picture at the Academy Awards, so the timing was perfect for Willie Nelson to release a song called "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)." Host Bill Radke asked Willie about the song and his fascination with cowboy mystique and culture.

Online resources:

» Download "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly (Fond of Each Other)" from iTunes
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Listen to the full version of Willie Nelson's "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly (Fond of Each Other)"
» WillieNelson.com
» LiveWillie.com - Live audio concert recordings from many of Willie Nelson's live shows in standard MP3 format.

Jazz Picks: Larry Goldings
Mention the name Larry Goldings to most jazz fans and sounds of a bebop-inspired Hammond B-3 come to mind. But before Larry was an organist, he was a pianist...and piano is what you'll hear featured on his new CD. Is it any good? Weekend America's jazz critic Nate Chinen joins host Bill Radke to talk about it.

Online resources:

» Larry Goldings | Singsong, Hidalgo | From the album, Quartet (Palmetto)

Solomon Squad: Public vs. Private Schools
It's an issue many parents face today: should they put their kids in public or private schools? It's a question one mother, Christina James put to Weekend America's own Solomon Squad. This week's squad members, former Paramount pictures head Sherry Lansing and political advertising expert Lionel Sosa tackle the pros and cons with host Bill Radke.

Online resources:

» "John Stossel's 'Stupid in America'" (ABCNews.com)
» "Public schools: Do they outperform private ones?" (CSMonitor.com)
» "Public or private?Study finds public schools equal or outperform private" (The Charlotte Observer)
» "Schools are better than many think, parents are assured " (SFGate.com)