Drugs for Medicine?
Seventy-four-year-old George Earl Lewis of Chickasha, Oklahoma was arrested in January of 2005 for selling two grams of crack cocaine to an FBI informant. Lewis claims that he sold the drugs to pay for his wife's cancer medication. He pleaded guilty and was given a ten-year suspended sentence. The district attorney who brought the case says Lewis used his wife's condition to gain sympathy, and has been pushing drugs much longer. Weekend America host Barbara Bogaev speaks with Lewis, his attorney Ryland Rivas, and district attorney Bret Burns about the case.

Dada on Display
In the 1920s, American composer George Antheil was toying with sounds of big industry and factories -- resulting in his Ballet mécanique. Highly rhythmic and extremely loud, the piece is nearly impossible to perform because of its break neck tempos. Tufts University professor Paul Lehrman has been trying to stage the work for decades, but he hasn't been able to find musicians who could play fast enough. When the National Gallery of Art asked him to put together a performance of The Ballet mécanique for a new exhibit, he turned to Eric Singer of the League of Electronic Musical Robots, for help.

Moment of Silence
Weekend America host Bill Radke discovered that former United Nations Secretary-General Dag HammarskjÖld believed silence was so important he designed a special room for silent contemplation at the UN. Host Bill Radke talks with Ian Williams, UN correspondent for The Nation magazine, about the room and silence.

World Music: Sayyed Darweesh
Music critic Anastasia Tsioulcas shares music from a turn of the century Egyptian composer who's been called the father of modern Arabic music. His name is Sayyed Darweesh and the track is called "Calmly and Peacefully."

High Brow, Low Brow
Weekend America host Bill Radke invites three guests -- Amy Hungerford, a professor of American literature at Yale, Dana Gould, co-executive producer of The Simpsons, and our weather guy/culture vulture, John Moe -- to weigh in on recent news and cultural events and rate them either high, middle, or low brow.

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

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A Charmed Life?
Do you know someone who seems to have it all? Renowned glass blower Ginny Ruffner is one of those people. Famous for her glasswork and large sculptures, Ruffner's art has been exhibited all over the world. She's enjoyed fame, talent, and fun for 30 years -- but over a decade ago, everything changed. Independent producer Katy Sewall shares Ruffner's story.

Three Years in Iraq
Jacksonville, North Carolina tattoo shop owner Tim Claydon and Oceanside, California barbershop owner Tracy Paramore have been servicing soldiers since the Iraq war began three years ago. They talk with Weekend America hosts Bill Radke and Barbara Bogaev about the changes they've noticed in their clients from Camps Lejeune and Pendleton.

From Baghdad to New London
Thirty-year-old Iraqi artist Esam Pasha grew up in Baghdad. Over the years he taught himself English by watching American TV shows. After the fall of Baghdad in 2003 he began working as a translator for U.S. troops and the press. Every day he would change his route to work to avoid possible attack. Today his life could hardly be more different. After getting a visa to the U.S., he's spent the last few months making art in the small city of New London on the Connecticut coast. Weekend America offers a portrait of the artist and the contrast between his old and new life.

Sister Story
KUOW's Cathy Duchamp explains that when her sister, Christine Jertberg, was diagnosed with cancer, they both felt helpless and out of control. Duchamp says she really didn't know what to do, or how to help her. And then she found a research project called the Sister Study that offered a way out of her helplessness. Duchamp shares her story.

World Music: Cristina Branco
Music critic Anastasia Tsioulcas shares music from the Portuguese singer Cristina Branco.

The Cinderella Shot
As another March Madness descends, Weekend America's Bill Radke talks to the Cinderella player of the 1998 NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney, Bryce Drew, about his winning basket and how this year's championship playoffs could hinge on a split-second play.

Real Life Zelig
Fred Brito, a.k.a. Mark Esparza or Frederique de Britao, is a con man that has bluffed his way into high-level jobs at places like the Red Cross and UCLA. He's impersonated a conductor at a classical concert. He's stolen cars. He's done time in prison. Weekend America host Bill Radke tries to sort out Brito's story, and whether we should trust Brito's claims that he's going straight.

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

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Cartoon Controversy
Acton Gorton was fired this week from his job as editor of the University of Illinois student newspaper. A few weeks ago Gorton published some of the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in the Daily Illini. He tells Weekend America whether he now regrets his decision.

Oh Say Can You Sing
A recent Harris poll found that two out of three American adults don't know all of the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- and many don't even know which song is our National Anthem or why it was written. The members of the National Association for Music Education -- our nation's music teachers -- decided to do something about it. So they launched the National Anthem Project. Since January, they've been touring the country, state by state, spreading the song. One of the teachers, Amy Menace, gives Weekend America host Bill Radke a few pointers on properly singing the anthem.