People & Life
People & Life on Weekend America
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The A-11 Offense
Two frustrated coaches at Piedmont High School in Northern California were brainstorming ideas to keep their small team competitive. What they devised was a crazy new offensive strategy called the A-11 that took advantage of the "scrimmage kick" formation. If you have no idea what that is, you're not alone, but the A-11 strategy worked and the Piedmont Highlanders began winning. Is it the future of football?
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Weekend Soundtrack: "12 Diablos" by We
It's time to listen to your weekend soundtrack - the songs that bridge the gap from Friday to Monday. This week our story comes from Charles Wommack. His weekend soundtrack is the song "12 Diablos" by the group We.
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Walking to Alaska: Is it Really Over?
We've spent over a year on the trail of Erin McKittrick and Bretwood "Hig" Higman. The couple started walking from Seattle to Alaska in June of 2007, and we've been checking in on their progress. Last time we caught up with them, the couple had ended up in Seldovia, Alaska. We invited them onto the show for one last hurrah and to look back at what their trek has taught them.
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2008: A Stunningly Predictable Year
2008 was the year that Weekend America Host John Moe turned 40. It might sound crazy to be surprised by your own birthday, but somehow he was shocked. Then he realized something: If he was stupid to not be thrown by a highly foreseen event, then all of America was stupid. Because in retrospect, the big events of 2008 were completely predictable and yet they blew our minds anyway.
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Christmas in Hamtramck
Sisters Charnita Monday and Helen Hatcher have been inseparable their whole lives. But in the 1970s, they were kicked out of their homes in Hamtramck, Michigan. This spring, after a discrimination suit, Charnita and Helen moved back to Hamtramck into side-by-side houses. Weekend America's Desiree Cooper checked in on them this holiday season to see how they were doing.
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John Moe's 2008 Highlights
Weekend America host John Moe revisits some of his favorite stories of the year. First he checks in again with super-villain Dr. Cruelty, now in search of an economic bailout. He talks with the last pick of the 2008 NFL draft. And he gives an update on his son's hamster Fuzzy, whom John transported halfway across the country earlier this year.
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High Times and Halvah
Hanukkah starts this Sunday at sundown. A new book tracks Jewish history through four generations of Jewish albums. After discovering rare vinyl records of Jewish music during trips down to Florida retirement communities, Josh Kun and Roger Bennett put together a book that tells the story of Jewish past "by the records we have loved and lost."
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Picture Perfect
Holiday cards are stuffing mailboxes around the country. If you're short on time or words, why not send a picture? Round up the kids and head to the photographer; or better yet, cheer on dad as he runs from behind the tripod, sets the timer, and tries to sit down and smile before the camera flashes. Brooke Williams spent her youth posing for her family's annual photo. And it was excruciating.
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Zappa in Bronze
The City of Baltimore has declared December 21st to be Frank Zappa Day. Zappa was born in Baltimore, but the city has only recently begun embracing his legacy. Last year, they held Frank Zappa Day in August, when Zappa's son Dweezil came to town for a concert. And next year the city plans on unveiling a new bronze bust of the musician. It was a gift from Lithuania. Lawrence Lanahan explains how Baltimore ended up with a big Frank Zappa head from Lithuania.
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Auto Bailout, Shoe Throwing, and Romantic Comedies
Time for our weekly parlor game to gauge the news of the week. We are joined by Luke Burbank, host of the radio show "Too Beautiful To Live" in Seattle; Kerry Howley, contributing editor to Reason Magazine; and Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor at The New Yorker.
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First Weekend Home: Laid Off
For 544,000 people in the US, the line that divides the week and the weekend got a little more murky last month. The unemployment rate now stands at 6.7 percent, the highest it's been in 15 years. For reporter Jonathan Menjivar in Philadelphia, all these statistics recently became a reality. Not for himself, but for his mother, Rosanna Leisure.
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Backstage at "A Christmas Carol"
As Christmas approaches, it's hard to escape from "A Christmas Carol." The classic Charles Dickens tale is on stage in cities around the nation. Here in the Twin Cities, actor Michael Booth has played the role of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's put-upon employee, for six years. We wondered how he kept things fresh. John Moe went backstage at a recent performance to find out.
