Weekend America for Saturday, July 24, 2004


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How did your life collide with the headlines in 2007?
Iraq, the subprime crisis, Facebook, immigration, oil prices - 2007 had no shortage of hefty headlines. We'd like to hear about how these and other major news events of the past year affected you. Where did your life collide with the news in 2007?

What's your holiday performance story?
The office talent show, the neighborhood caroling posse, the school pageant ... At holiday time we often sing, dance, and dress as shepherds. Did you bloom in the warmth of your audience's adulation, or freeze up like the snowman you'd rather be building? Did your holiday performance change your life or that of someone close to you?

Broadcast Information for July 24, 2004

Music Bridge: Start From Scratch
Artist: Galactic
CD: Crazyhorse Mongoose (Capricorn)

Col. Mimms J. Mabee

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Operation Desert Thirst
In these dog days of summer, water is on the brain. Who couldn't use a dip in the pool, or just a tall cool glass? But if you think you're thirsty, talk to a soldier stationed in Iraq. Matthew Algeo interviews Col. Mimms Mabee, a preventative medicine doctor, and Specialist Tamara Moore, an army medic, to get some perspective on thirst, hydration, and the dangers of the desert sun.

Music Bridge: Farenheit Fair Enough
Artist: Telefon Tel Aviv
CD: Farenheit Fair Enough (Hefty)

Daniel Kraker

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Watering Holes
When reporter Daniel Kraker moved from the land of 10,000 lakes to the southwest desert, he knew it would be dry. But he wasn't quite prepared for just how dry. His solution -- a quest for the perfect swimming spot.

Online resource:
East Cedar Creek Photos at AZPaths.com

Music Bridge: Tinsunshine
Artist: Kiln
CD: Ampday (Thalassa)

Political Science
The Bush administration faces accusations of distorting and suppressing science to suit its own political goals. What do our nation's top scientists think about the charges? Barbara Bogaev talks with correspondent Jim Sterngold about how the relationship between science and governments has changed over the years.

More from Jim Sterngold:
"Debate over nuclear weapons" aired June 19, 2004

Music Bridge: Instructograph
Artist: Solvent
CD: Apples & Synthesizers (Deluxe)

Water in Your Ears, Part 1
Drip, gurgle, splash. Can you guess what those sounds are? Producer Joe Bevilacqua offers up an audio quiz to test our aqua I.Q.

Online resource:
Answers to the water quiz

Music Bridge: Kitty Wú
Artist: Jaga Jazzist
CD: Day (Smalltown Supersound)

Skerker the Soothsayer of Weekend Weather...
Ben Skerker's unusual survey of events, celebrations, unplanned gatherings and -- of course -- his prognostications on weekend weather.

Reports:
Part 1
Part 2

The Donkey and the Elephant Hold Hands
In Boston next week, hordes are descending for the Democratic National Convention. Those going to convention are the lucky ones -- or not, depending on your point of view. But a lot of political foot-soldiers are getting left behind. From our partner station KUOW in Seattle - Ruby de Luna introduces two friends on opposite sides of the political fence.

Music Bridge: Lion Thief
Artist: The Beta Band
CD: Heroes To Zeros (Astralwerks)

Water Sculpture

Gallery

The Art of Glaciers and Pond Scum
We continue our celebration of water this week, with a conversation between Barbara Bogaev and artist Stacey Levy-- a sculptor who's submerged herself in the liquid she loves.

Online resources:
Stacy Levy Web site

Music Bridge: Oceans in The Hall
Artist: Ladybug Transistor
CD: Old Enough 2 Know Better (Merge)

Water in Your Ears, Part 2
The water-cycle continues, with the second half of producer Joe Bevilacqua's water quiz.

Online resource:
Answers to the water quiz

Omar
Donny Hathaway
Lizz Fields

Soul Salvation
Looking for something to listen to on those hot summer nights? We get tips from Deejay Kristy Lomax on how to put a little more soul in our record collection.

Kristi's set list:
Essensual - Omar from the album, Best by Far
I Gotta Go - Lizz Fields from the album, By Day, By Night (independent release)
Someday We'll All Be Free - Donny Hathaway from the album, These Songs for You, Live!

The 9-11 Commission Hits the Road
The 9-11 commission could be coming to a town near you. After the publication of its final report this week, the commission is traveling around the country to lobby for its recommendations. This is not unlike what happened after investigations into another national tragedy - Pearl Harbor. Before Pearl Harbor, the US had also received lots of warnings, but failed to connect the dots. Kerry Donahue reports.

Online resources:
www.ibiblio.org: Comprehensive Web site of all 9 of the Pearl Harbor investigations
www.thornwalker.com: An example of the conspiracy theories surrounding Pearl Harbor and 911 investigations
www.tbrnews.org: Grandson of Admiral Husband Kimmell, making the case for Kimmell who was among two men held responsible for the failures at Pearl Harbor
www.9-11commission.gov: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States
An historical account of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the investigations, "At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor," by Gordon Prange is available at the Public Radio BookSource. Your purchase helps support Weekend America.

Music Bridge: Soul Miner
Artist: Tommy Guerrero
CD: A Little Bit of Something (Beggars Banquet)

Open Letter to Women Who Work for Chain Bookstores
We reach into our file of "Open Letters to People and Entities Unlikely to Respond." Imagine if you could bend the ear of anyone in the world, and give them a piece of your mind. What would you tell them? This week, a complaint from the mall, on non-conformity and its discontents. By Sarah Bauer.

Online resources:
Read Sara Bauer's Open Letter to Women Who Work for Chain Bookstores
Submit an open letter to McSweeney's Open Letters to people and entities who are unlikely to respond

Music Bridge: Sparkle City
Artist: Shuggie Otis
CD: Inspiration Information (Luaka Bop)

Barbara Bogaev

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The Lance Dance
This week Lance Armstrong became arguably America's greatest athlete. He destroyed his opponents on the climb known as the alpe d'huez - the steepest climb on the tour. We invited Riley McAlpine, a pro cyclist into the studio to try and help us simulate the climb - she brought with her a stationary bike that you can set for different gradients, and Barbara Bogaev took a spin. Or tried to.

Music Bridge: Tour De France Etape 2
Artist: Kraftwerk
CD: Tour De France (Astralwerks)

Lance Armstrong

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The Mind of An Endurance Athlete
We turn to Doctor Barbara Warren, a psychologist and extreme athlete to understand what makes someone like Lance Armstrong tick.

Tour de France Web site

Listening Post: Presidential Campaign Ads
Recent research shows that swing states are being flooded by Presidential campaign ads from both parties while millions of Americans in other states have not seen any. So while Californians and Texans are ad-free, the real action is in states like Florida and Ohio. To talk about this we have Pat Duggins, News Director at WMFE in Orlando and Karen Kasler, Bureau Chief at Ohio Public Radio.

In Search of the Perfect Sandwich
The Italian district of St. Paul, Minnesota is home to what may be the only sandwich in the world that you can call "controversial." The "Hot Dago," named after a derogatory name for Italians. Stephanie Curtis of Minnesota Public Radio goes on a quest to find the perfect version of this creation, and gets the scoop on the origins of the name. (Note: This piece includes the word "Dago" -- a derogatory epithet used by some to describe Italian-Americans. It will be used tastefully, in the context of the story.)

Hot Dagos in St. Paul, Minn.:
www.yarussos.com

Music Bridge: Love of My Life O Sole Mio
Artist: Louis Prima and Keely Smith
CD: Capitol Recordings (Bear Family)

Simon Joyner

Sad Songs They Say
In the past few weeks our Music Director Michael Raphael has been playing one record with very sad love songs. It's by an artist called Simon Joyner. This album is not for everyone. But Raphael makes a case for why it should be.

Online resource:
Simon Joyner Web site
Simon's latest release "Lost with the Lights on" is available at the Public Radio MusicSource. Your purchase helps support Weekend America.

Richard Paul

A Short History of Campaign Mistakes
The Democratic National Convention starts Monday, and campaigning's in full force. Debates, bumper stickers, lawn signs, wall-to-wall TV coverage, and - if we're lucky - really big mistakes. Our campaign guy Richard Paul is here to talk to us about the worst mistakes ever made in presidential campaigns.

Online resources:
More election coverage from Richard Paul
www.oscarbrand.com

Music Bridge: Genevieve
Artist: Greyboy
CD: Soul Mosaic (Ubiquity)

For the July 24, 2004 broadcast:

... on our December 15 broadcast:

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» The Huckabee Mystique: See video of Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris.

» Another Great Moment in Small Talk: Read how Charlie Schroeder became an unpopular "tool" because of Borat.

» Listener Letters: Renewable Christmas Trees: Read listeners' alternate endings to "Puff the Magic Dragon."

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Weekend Weather

From the July 5 broadcast

Awful Car Night

Auburn, N.Y.
National Brewery Museum Opening Ceremony

Potosi, Wis.
Sand Sculpture Contest

Bruce, S.D.
Oregon Coast Geezer Games

Newport, Ore.
Annual Coolest Fourth of July Celebration

Fort Davis, Texas
Maui Invitational Band Festival and Blues Fest

Wailuku, Hawaii

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This week: Have you exper-
ienced any strange seasonal changes: springtime plants sprouting; squirrels sunbathing?
Let us know...

Weekend Weather

Awful Car Night

National Brewery Museum Opening Ceremony

Sand Sculpture Contest

Oregon Coast Geezer Games

Annual Coolest Fourth of July Celebration

Maui Invitational Band Festival and Blues Fest