Weekend America

In Plain Township, Job Losses Continue

In Ohio, where thousands are out of work, blue collar voters are key to what could be a decisive Democratic primary next week. Reporter Mhari Saito finds out how the promises of Senators Clinton and Obama are resonating with families in the midst of hard times.

Election 2008

If the Candidates were Pharmaceuticals

Drug companies spend millions to find just the right brand name for new drugs. They hire specialized researchers like Jim Singer, president of Namebase. Research has shown that letters with a hard edge like P, T or K convey effectiveness. X seems scientific. L, R or S provide a calming or relaxing feel. Z means speed. We asked Singer to bring his name knowledge to the presidential election.

Bill's Values

Elbows on or off the Table?

Weekend America host Bill Radke continues his series on family values by discussing the rules of etiquette like "No elbows on the table." He and his wife disagree, so Bill brings in an expert on the history of manners.

Letters

Letters: Losing a Team and a Planet

This week we hear from listeners who urge us to forget about the Seattle SuperSonics, chaperone a middle-school dance and get out Star Wars planets down.

The Lightening of San Fransisco

San Francisco was once home to a thriving black community, but lately that's changing. The situation hasn't gone unnoticed by long-time residents like Reverend Amos Brown, who fears the city's black history might be lost forever. Weekend America's Krissy Clark takes a look at San Francisco's changing demography.

Election 2008

Fake Calls from the Candidates

It's the middle of the night. You're sound asleep and the phone rings. It's not an emergency -- just another automated "robocall" from a presidential candidate. But imagine what it would sound like if a real live candidate gave you a ring after hours. Weekend America asked some writers to do just that.

Campaigning in a Country Called Texas

In anticipation of next week's primary, campaign foot soldiers are trying to cover the vast geography of Texas, from the bayous of East Texas to the Rio Grande. The political terrain is as varied as the landscape. Weekend America talks to people all around the state, to find out what matters to Texans.

A Russian Election Party

In Russia, Putin's hand-picked successor Dmitri Medvedev is nearly guaranteed to win to win the country's presidency. Russian ex-pats Ilya Merenzon and Katia Gaika are watching from afar and plan to cast their ballots. Weekend America talks to these two Russian citizens living in New York, for their unique perspective on democracy.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Fences and Mohawks

Our panel of non-experts reviews this week's most salient news. This week we hear from author and Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker, Yale literature professor Amy Hungerford, and journalist James Lileks, author of the blog, the Daily Bleat.

Don't Ask the GPS

Last week in Secaucus, N.J., a GPS system led truck drivers directly into a road block on a residential street, instead of the industrial area they were looking for. But map mistakes are nothing new. It's just the technology that changes. We talk to Mark Monmonier of Syracuse University about the world's biggest cartographic blunders and what happens when they go uncorrected.

Racing Outhouses Down a Hill

You can push a lot of things down a snowy mountain, including an outhouse. And if goes down a mountain, you might as well push two down and have a race. Whatever the thinking behind the outhouse races at Anchorage, Alaska's Fur Rondy, it's an event to remember. Weekend America correspondent Rebecca Sheir checks it out.

(Really) Going Semi-Pro

Believe it or not, a basketball team like the one depicted in Will Ferrell's movie, "Semi-Pro," actually existed. The Flint Pros had a fantastic first season and some of its players, such as Justus Thigpen and Phil Stevens, moved on to play in the NBA. The team itself flared out midway through its second season. David Rizik, whose dad helped to start the team and became the announcer for the games, tells the story.

Fifty-Two Alternatives to Suicide

When he woke up in a psych ward after a drunken suicide attempt, Owen Lowery made a list of 52 things he wanted to do, and then spent the next year meeting them. He fought a shark, went hang gliding, and made someone's dream come true. Making a movie was at the top of the list, so he filmed himself going through his self-imposed check-list. We talk to Lowery about his film, "An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrists."