Weekend America

Back of the Pack

The field of presidential candidates is already crowded and the list of hopefuls seems to be dominated by some prominent political figures. But there are a lot of ordinary people who aspire to be president and are doing something about it. Many of them probably won't stand a chance against candidates with household names and tens of millions of campaign dollars, but the only way to ensure failure is not to try. Weekend America's John Moe surveys the edges of the field and fills us in.

Presidential Nominees

Pundits have been calling the presidential field overcrowded, but with over 300 hundred million Americans, we thought there had to be other qualified candidates. A few weeks ago on the show, we asked listeners to imagine for a moment that to run for president you didn't need loads of money and a squeaky clean personal life. Who then, we wondered, would make a great president? This week we meet some of the nominees.

Roses are Red...

It's been more than 150 years since Elizabeth Barrett Browning penned "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Love poetry has changed a lot since then. For one thing, poets don't use the words "I love thee" anymore. Or even "I love you." Sean Cole, a poet himself, set out to answer this question: "Wherefore art thou, love poetry?"

The Space Crime Continuum

NASA this week brought into focus such heady concepts as space, time, crime, and for us... space-crime. Astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria broke America's record for the most time spent walking in space, and astronaut Lisa Nowak was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping following her apparent love triangle meltdown. After these events, the obvious question is, what if it had all happened in space? Glenn Reynolds, is a professor who teaches space law at the University of Tennessee. We asked Reynolds what laws govern the outer edges of the universe.

Gullah Celebration

On Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, hundreds of people are gathering for the 11th annual Gullah Celebration. The original Gullah were African slaves that settled along the Atlantic coast. Gullah is also the name of the language that the people spoke and still speak today. Desiree Cooper had a chance to speak with Louise Cohen, a local Gullah storyteller.

Fragile Heart

On Valentine's Day producer Julia Barton thinks about the heart as more than just a romantic symbol. She thinks of the human organ and one that can be especially frail. Her son was diagnosed with a rare heart problem. Barton brings us the story of the surgeon who gave her son a chance at life.

Once I was Gay...

The announcement that Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is "completely heterosexual" has raised quite a few eyebrows. We talk about this with Richard Cohen, the author of "Coming Out Straight: Understanding and Healing Homosexuality," and also with Daniel Gonzales. Gonzales went through therapy to "cure" his homosexuality, but says it did not work.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Good News, Bad News, No News

Our panel of non-experts review the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. Weighing in is Nancy French, author of "A Red State of Mind," Amy Hungerford, a Yale literature professor, and Hollywood writer Dana Gould.

Rent-a-Pet

Why buy a puppy when you can get the cute for free? Producer Adam Allington asks this very question. He ran into a different kind of animal shelter with a different way of finding homes for dogs.

Deadly Force Tour

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to the Groove Alliance, an R & B band from New Hampshire. Front man Mike Pacheco is a major in the U.S. Army and he spent the past year in Baghdad. Earlier this month, his band mates traveled to the Green Zone to play a number of shows to entertain Iraqi workers and to raise money for the Starfish Network, a group that provides funding for surgeries for Iraqi children. We find out how the tour went.

Open Letters to Entities Unlikely to Respond

Open Letter to Carpet

Usually when you write a letter, the recipient writes back. But sometimes, they just can't. From time to time we air open letters to people and entities who are unlikely to respond. It's part of our ongoing series with McSweeney's online magazine. Writer Colin Joyce took some time out of ripping carpets out of his new home to send along this correspondence.

The Lonely Hearts Club

Weekend America's Krissy Clark recently noticed some mysterious fliers posted on phone poles around the Los Angeles area. They say: "Lost!!!! I lost my heart somewhere between downtown LA and Venice and it might be broken. If found, please email find.my.heart@gmail.com. I really need it back!" The fliers made Clark laugh, but also left her wondering who would respond. We meet some of the people who were drawn in.