Weekend America Voices
Bill Radke
Recent Stories
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You Can't be Happy All the Time
Weekend America co-host Bill Radke's daughter Susanna turns 17 months old this weekend, and he's questioning his own need to see her smile all the time. Sometimes a little sadness and anguish can be good for the soul -- as long as that dark guest in your head knows when to leave...
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Obama's Cash Campaign, TV Hurls
Our non-experts tackle the weighty issues of the past week -- Fashion maven Damali Ayo; Luke Burbank, host of the talk radio show "Too Beautiful to Live"; and "New Yorker" cartoonist Bob Mankoff.
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Economy, War and Military Recruiting
All branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, with the exception of the Army National Guard, have been either meeting or exceeding their monthly recruiting goals. That's a surprise, given American discontent over the war in Iraq. MIT professor Cindy Williams has studied military recruiting trends, and says there is more to the numbers than people think.
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When the City is the Disease
Health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of the latest salmonella outbreak -- this one is the St. Paul strain. Naming a disease after a location happens a lot, and sometimes it can cause problems. Dr. Larry Altman, medical correspondent for the New York Times, talks about some of the complications.
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Gitmo Habeus, One Hard-Core Judge
Our panel of non-experts tackle the weighty issues of the week: Conservative commentator Tara Setmayer; comedian and writer Dana Gould; and author John Ridley, who writes the "Visible Man" blog for NPR.org.
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"Blues for Big Scotia"
Mark Kaufman's father thought he hated jazz until he heard "Blues for Scotia" by legendary pianist Oscar Peterson -- the song at the center of this week's Weekend Soundtrack. Kaufman says the things parents give us are incalculable, and the moment when a son or daughter can give back is priceless.
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Hillary's Adios, Post-Rapture Email
Our non-experts weigh in on some of the biggest and oddest headlines of the past week: relationship advice columnist Dan Savage; John Ridley, author and blogger for the "Visible Man" blog at NPR.org; and conservative writer and commentator Nancy French, author of "A Red State of Mind."
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America's Weekend on Flickr
Behind every great photo is a great story. We spoke to two people who've taken some of our favorite photos and posted them on Flickr.com, and asked them for the stories behind them.
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Figuring Out Beauty for Herself
My daughter turns 16 months old today. The older she gets, the more people comment on her looks. And so it begins: a lifetime of the world telling her what she looks like. I'm sure someone's going to think she's pretty and no doubt someone will find her ugly -- or at least, not right-looking. And I wonder how she's going to react to these appraisals.
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Military, Married and Serving Together
In May of 2006 the U.S. Army began allowing married couples to live together in Iraq to boost morale, preserve marriages and bolster re-enlistment rates. Bill Radke talks to Bikiesa and Joe Cole, two sergeants stationed at Camp Falcon in Iraq, about their cramped quarters, private time and the terrors of mortar attacks.
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Gay Marriage and Terrorist Donuts
Our latest panel of non-experts weigh the week's biggest headlines: Firoozeh Dumas, author of "Laughing Without an Accent"; Gustavo Arellano, writer of the infamous "Ask a Mexican" advice column for the OC Weekly; and David Rakoff, author of "Don't Get Too Comfortable."
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U2: Stuck in a Moment
We've been asking you about the music that plays in your time off -- your Weekend Soundtrack. This week's story comes from Julie Nicholds. She listens to us in Wauwatosa, Wis. The soundtrack to her weekend is "Stuck in a Moment" by U2, and she tells us how it turned her life around.
