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How did your life collide with the headlines in 2007? What's your holiday performance story? |
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Immigrant City
The current political wrangling over immigration is centered largely on Latinos coming across the border illegally into the United States. But there are other immigrant groups eager to make a new life here in the U.S. And they too have become a powerful force in American communities. In Monterey Park, California for example, 68 percent of the town is made up of Asian immigrants. Weekend America's Pat Loeb gets their perspectives on the recent debate, and learns why the town has kept such a low profile in the current immigration discussion. Online resources:
Music Bridge: Unseen Moment - Artist: I'm Not a Gun
CD: We Think as Instruments (City Centre)
Immigrant Trafficking
Immigration officials can be inconsistent in their attitudes toward undocumented workers. For example, those who are smuggled into the U.S. and forced to remain against their will are pitied and frequently protected, while others who sneak across the border and find their own work seldom get the same reception by federal officials. We talk about human trafficking and how it plays into the debate over immigration.
Memories of a Disaster
Some photographs are imprinted in our minds for life. What is it about those images that stay with us? That's something Corey Keller thought a lot about as she waded through hundreds of pictures from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. She's compiled the best in a new exhibit commemorating the quake at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She joins host Bill Radke to talk about them. Online resources:
Music Bridge: Broken Monitors - Artist: B. Fleischmann
CD: The Humbucking Coil (Morr)
Jazz: Pat Martino
Jazz guitarist Pat Martino plays tribute to another guitar great, Wes Montgomery on his latest CD. Jazz Times Magazine's Nate Chinen joins host Bill Radke to talk about it. Online resources:
Beckoning Beckett
This week marks 100 years since the birth of playwright Samuel Beckett. To commemorate the anniversary, "Weekend America" looks back at one of his plays, "Krapp's Last Tape." Appropriately, it's about a man who tapes his thoughts every year on his own birthday to commemorate his life. Host Alex Cohen talks to three actors who played the lead role: Rick Cluchey, Jordan Smith and R.S. Bailey. Music Bridge: Chaconne In G Minor - Artist: Moondog
CD: The Viking of Sixth Avenue (Honest Jons/Astralwerks)
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)
Swing Bridge Brothers
Twin brothers Duane And Dwight Lewis are a couple of local celebrities in Boothbay, Maine. For several decades, it's been their job to control a hand-operated swing bridge, which keeps their community running. Their story is also one of three winning entries to a "Weekend America" contest that invited listeners to celebrate the unsung heroes in their communities. Amanda Davis brings Weekend America the twins' story. Online resources:
Mumps Mystery
Thanks to immunizations, it's pretty hard for children to get mumps these days. There are usually only a few hundred cases across the country each year. And for years, Iowa has had only a handful of mumps cases, but this year, hundreds have contracted the disease, despite being vaccinated against it. Independent producer Kyle Gassiott investigates this sudden Iowa outbreak. Online resources:
Managing the Mumps
Health officials across the country are keeping an eye on a recent mumps outbreak in Iowa. "Weekend America's" Bill Radke talks to Illinois state epidemiologist Dr. Mark Dwarkin about how his state has dealt with previous outbreaks and what we can learn from them about containing other kinds of disease outbreaks. Music Bridge: Tic Tac - Artist: Eliot Lipp
CD: Tacoma Mockingbird (Hefty)
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
Darryl Hunt spent 18 years, nearly half his life, behind bars for a rape and murder he didn't commit. Since DNA testing revealed he wasn't responsible, Hunt has been pardoned, exonerated and financially compensated for his wrongful conviction. But can he get his life back? This weekend, a film about Hunt's experience is being shown at a film festival in North Carolina. Hunt talks to host Bill Radke about his life behind bars and how he's trying to move on. Online resources:
Music Bridge: Buildings and People - Artist: Marconi Union
CD: Distance (Hannibal)
Jazz: Francesco Cafiso Quartet
At age 16, Francesco Cafiso of Italy is blowing away great saxophonists who've been playing for decades. Nate Chinen of Jazz Times Magazine talks to host Bill Radke about Cafiso's new CD and the sax player's serious technical chops. Online resources:
Setting Boundaries in Cyberspace
Recent reports linking sexual predators to a popular teenage Internet gathering spot have only raised many parents' fears about their children's safety on the Web. How do parents set boundaries for their kids with something as exciting and freewheeling as cyberspace? "Weekend America" talks with a mother and her teenage daughter about how they negotiated rules for using the Internet. Online resources:
Music Bridge: Monkey See, Monkey Do - Artist: The Budos Band
CD: The Budos Band (Daptone)
Why MySpace?
Millions of Americans log onto MySpace.com daily to talk about themselves, share music and make friends. It's so popular that Fox media magnate Rupert Murdoch paid millions to buy the Santa Monica, California-based website. What makes this site so unique and what does it say about those who use it? Host Alex Cohen looks for answers with James Verini, who reported on the site for Vanity Fair Magazine. Online resources:
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)
The Story of John Prine
Singer-songwriter John Prine first drew national attention in 1971 and has had a loyal following ever since. Independant producer Gideon D'Arcangelo caught up with Prine in his Nashville studio to learn what first inspired him to write his own songs. Online resources:
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... on our December 15 broadcast:
» Weekend America
Enhanced Podcast: Skip back and forth through stories, see images on iTunes and on your iPod, all with better sound quality. » The Huckabee Mystique: See video of Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris.
» Another Great Moment in Small Talk: Read how Charlie Schroeder became an unpopular "tool" because of Borat.
» Listener Letters: Renewable Christmas Trees: Read listeners' alternate endings to "Puff the Magic Dragon."
» Sign Up for the Weekend America weekly newsletter: Find out what's on the upcoming show, and listen to the most popular previous segments.
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From the July 5 broadcast
Auburn, N.Y.
Potosi, Wis.
Bruce, S.D.
Newport, Ore.
Fort Davis, Texas
Wailuku, Hawaii