Weekend America

The Real Recession

If you didn't get the news this week, we're officially in a recession. Yes, we dropped the R-word. But does it actually mean something different now that we know the recession is real? To help process what all this means we spoke with Dan Ariely. He's a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University and a regular Marketplace commentator.

America's Infrastructure

America's Infrastructure: Urban Drains

This week in Missouri, a constitutional amendment goes into effect to help cities access more money for drainage projects. In an effort to get to the bottom of what the amendment aimed to do, reporter Adam Allington did a little urban spelunking into the miles of storm water drains running underneath the city of Columbia, Mo. He met up with a guide to help him find his way.

Inside Blackness

Inside Blackness: Two Coopers, Two Continents

Helene Cooper, author of "The House at Sugar Beach," was raised in Liberia and is now the diplomatic correspondent to The New York Times. As part of our series Inside Blackness, she sat down with Weekend America's Desiree Cooper to discuss the psychological difference between being raised as a black person in Africa versus the United States.

Letters

Letters: Survivors of Suicide, Axl Rose, and a Post-Election Mixtape

Quite a few listeners have had strong emotional reactions, both happy and sad, to certain parts of the show recently. In fact, there may have been some crying and laughing. We hear your responses to our segments on survivors of suicide, Axl Rose's editor and our post-election mixtape.

Change of Seasons

Change of Seasons: Poetry and Curling

Is there a chill in the air yet, in your neck of the woods? Our nose hairs haven't frozen yet, but we're sure that treat is just around the corner. Which can only mean one thing: winter! You still have a couple weeks until the official beginning (December 21st, to be exact) but here's a little primer for the season.

Muslim Cowboy

When he was growing up in northeast Oklahoma, Kareem Salama knew that he wanted to be a cowboy. Now he's an aspiring country music star. He's also a practicing Muslim. He sees no contradictions in that, saying his upbringing in Oklahoma made it all possible. Reporter Kyle Gassiott brings us his story.

Voter Intent

For most of the country, the 2008 election is over. But not in Minnesota. After nearly three million votes were cast in Minnesota's US Senate race, incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman leads his Democratic challenger Al Franken by only 215 votes. The state has finished hand counting all the ballots, but there's still no winner.

Your Take on the New American Car

The CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and GM are driving back to Detroit this weekend after asking Congress a second time for billions of dollars to avoid bankruptcy. We still don't know if Congress will say yes. In the meantime, you sent us your best ideas about how to make American cars inspiring and awesome again. Here are some of our favorites.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Obama's Team of Rivals, Getting Paid for Good Grades, and Bratz

Our panel of non-experts weigh in on this week's news events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of week America had. Joining us on this week's panel are: author and New York Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee; television host Sofia Dickens; and Luke Burbank, who hosts the radio show "Too Beautiful To Live" in Seattle.

Poetry Radio Project

Reflecting on Mumbai

London had the 7/7 bombings. Madrid had the 3/11 train bombings. America had September 11th. And while India has suffered bombings before, last week's terrorist attacks were something else altogether. Brooklyn-based Indian-American poet Vijay Seshadri lived through 9/11, and this weekend, he talks about what the events in Mumbai mean for him and the poem that helps him get as close as he can to understanding it all.

The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard spent a decade researching where all our "stuff" comes from: consumer goods, electronics, cars, food. She figured out how it was made, who bought it, and where it all ended up. Then she made a 20 minute video, "The Story of Stuff." As it turns out, everything comes from somewhere. You buy it, you use it, you throw it away. But the story of stuff has a plot line that might hold the world in the balance.

Good King Who?

Every holiday season, the malls are filled with piped in Christmas carols. Most have something to do with Jesus or Santa. All except one, that is: "Good King Wenceslas." You remember him, right? He looked out on the Feast of Stephen, as the snow lay roundabout, deep and crisp and even? It's a catchy tune, and easy to sing but why in the world did it catch on as a Christmas carol?

Blip Festival

This weekend in New York City, artists will be playing video game consoles for eager crowds. Blip Festival 2008 is underway. Audiences are attending chip-music concerts. Chip-music artists modify old Gameboys and old video game consoles and recast them as musical instruments. We spoke with three artists who are trying to push the limitation of those old game systems.