Weekend America for Saturday, January 14, 2006


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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 Date: January 14, 2005

Heat or Eat
Soaring fuel prices are forcing many elderly people in the Northern U.S. to make a tough choice this winter: should they heat their home comfortably... or eat? Independent producer Shannon Mullen introduces us to a couple faced with the problem and takes us to their "home" in their defunct business offices to learn how they're trying to cope.

Music Bridge: Looking Glass - Artist: TG Mauss
CD: Mechanical Eye (Quatermass)

Heating Assistance
Charitable organizations and public agencies have their hands full helping people who are struggling with their fuel bills this winter. Weekend America's Bill Radke talks to Debra Myles about how she helps people with her Chicago-based energy assistance program.

Family Courts
Glenn Campbell is famous for his research on UFO sightings in the Nevada desert known as Area 51. But these days, he has a new passion: seeking transparency in the way business is conducted in the nation's family courts. Hosts Bill Radke and Barbara Bogaev talk with Campbell about his latest pursuit.

Online resources:

» Family Court Chronicles Web site

Music Bridge: Long Walk - Artist: Hauschka
CD: The Prepared Piano (Karaoke Kalk)

Classical Music: Tolstoy's Waltz
Some Russians famous in the world of dance and literature are also very accomplished composers. And thanks to a new recording, we get to hear a sample of their musical talent. Host Barbara Bogaev talks to Time Out New York music critic Steve Smith about the new CD.

Online resources:

» Lera Auerbach | Waltz in F | From the album, Tolstoy's Waltz (Bis)

Solomon Squad Follow-Up
Last week, Weekend America's "Solomon Squad" tackled the issue of whether money is a good motivator for kids to earn good grades. That conversation struck a cord with our audience. As a child, Weekend America listener Alecia Batson had mixed feelings about receiving a financial incentive as a child. Host Bill Radke talks to Alecia and her parents to find out why.

Online resources:

» Listen to last week's discussion about using money to motivate kids.

Music Bridge: Fingerbib - Artist: Alarm Will Sound
CD: Acoustica (Canteloupe)

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Taking a Pass on Over-the-Counter
At the office, the grocery store, even at this week's Alito nomination hearings, it seems like there's an inordinate amount of coughing going on. Welcome to the cold and flu season. This week, the American College of Chest Physicians advised those battling a cough to pass on those over-the-counter cough suppressants, saying they don't work. Weekend America sent reporter Alex Cohen to see what might help.

Online resources:

» American College of Chest Physicians Web site

Music Bridge: Monkey See, Monkey Do - Artist: The Budos Band
CD: Renaissance, Elizabethan and Baroque Music (Daptone)

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

Online resources:

» Event information

Music Bridge: Beat Connection (Disco Dub Version) - Artist: lcd soundsystem
CD: DFA compilation #2 (DFA)

Salute to the Armonica
Benjamin Franklin invented many fascinating things during his life, including a musical instrument called the armonica. As we prepare to celebrate his 300th birthday this coming week, independent producer Peter Crimmins gives us a primer on Franklin's unique instrument.

Online resources:

» Carolyn Skyler Web site
» The Franklin Institute

Lying Memoirs
When does stretching the truth become an outright lie? News about author James Frey's exaggerated memoirs raised a lot of questions this week. Weekend America hosts Bill Radke and Barbara Bogaev talk to another memoir writer Diana Abu-Jaber about the pressure she felt to write a better story, and to writer and non-fiction writing teacher Laura Wexler, who maintains that writing non-fiction should be just that.

Online resources:

» James Frey's book Million Little Pieces is available at the Public Radio BookSource.

Bull#@*!% Buster
Philosophy professor Harry Frankfurt knows a thing or two about lying. He's known for his book on lying called On Bullshit. He discusses the topic with hosts Bill Radke and Barbara Bogaev.

Online resources:

» Harry Frankfurt's book On Bullshit is available at the Public Radio BookSource.

Music Bridge: The Upwards March - Artist: Bell Orchestre
CD: Recording a Tape the Colour of Light (Rough Trade)

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High-Art Music
Singer-composer Meredith Monk is celebrating 40 years of performances. She's been holding special sessions in New York for people interested in performing her unique form of music. Independent producer Alicia Zuckerman spent a couple of days listening in before this weekend's concert at Carnegie Hall.

Online resources:

» Meredith Monk Young Artists Concert

"I Have a Dream"
As the nation prepares to honor the birth of Martin Luther King Junior this long holiday weekend, comic writer Alan Olifson feels certain that the airwaves will be inundated with excerpts of King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech. This leads Olifson to wonder if his own dreams might prove inspirational.

Music Bridge: Swings and Roundabouts - Artist: Stromba
CD: Tales from the Sitting Room (Fat Cat)

Classical Music: Bela Bartok
It's been a while since an American symphony has put out an exciting new classical recording. But music critic Steve Smith of Time Out New York tells host Barbara Bogaev that one has just arrived. It features the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Bela Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra."

Online resources:

» Béla Bartók | Concerta for Orchestra - Finale | From the album, The Philadelphia Orchestra (Ondine)

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Overcoming Family Trauma
The victim of a sexual assault doesn't suffer alone. Often, it can be an overwhelming experience for her entire family. Photographer Patricia Evans was sexually assaulted over 18 years ago. Her husband Jamie Kalven has written a book about the family's experience recovering from the event - it's called Working With Available Light. Kalven joins host Barbara Bogaev and Pam Driscoll, the parent of another assault victim, to share thoughts about overcoming such a trauma.

Online resources:

» Working With Available Light: A Family's World After Violence is available at Amazon.com

Music Bridge: Young and Old - Artist: Gegor Samsa
CD: 55:12 (the kora records)

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

Online resources:

» Event information

Music Bridge: Beat Connection (Disco Dub Version) - Artist: lcd soundsystem
CD: DFA compilation #2 (DFA)

gallery

Hmong Idol
Fox's American Idol returns to TV this week, showcasing the singing talents of young Americans around the country. But some Hmong living in the U.S. say these type of televised competitions have overlooked their talents. So, they've come up with their own show, Hmong American Idol. Independent producer Sarah Lemanczyk visited with some of the performers in St. Paul, Minnesota.