Weekend Edition

Topics from the Most Recent Show: Saturday | Sunday

Saturday

• Military Daughters Draw On Each Other For Support
  Teenagers Kaylei Deakin and Moranda Hern raised $30,000 to organize a conference for girls with family members in the military. The two-day event featured workshops on self-esteem and presentations by female members of the armed services. But more important, it was a place where the girls could discover they were not alone.
• Week In Review With Juan Williams
  Washington was swept up in drama this week as the health care debate finally came to a vote. Obama also signed his jobs bill, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Russia. Host Scott Simon reviews the week's news with NPR News Analyst Juan Williams.
• Catholics Torn On Health Care Abortion Language
  The Catholic bishops have lobbied hard to get Catholic members of Congress to oppose the current health care bill because of language it says could allow some federal funding of abortion. The Catholic hospital group differs on the interpretation of the abortion language and the relative importance of the rest of the bill.
• Obama Rallies: 'We Have Waited Long Enough'
  President Barack Obama packed the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Friday for one more health care rally. Speaking to students in a swing state, Obama hoped to put a bit of his campaign magic on the legislative drive to overhaul the nation's health care system.
• Oops, Taliban Arrests Derail Secret U.N. Talks
  The arrest of senior Afghan Taliban figures in Pakistan ended secret talks between the Taliban and the United Nations, according the former head of the U.N. mission in Kabul. U.N. representative Kai Eide, who stepped down this month, says the capture of more than a dozen Taliban members, some through joint U.S. Pakistan operations, effectively derailed the possibility of continuing dialogue about settling the war in Afghanistan. But Pakistan says there was no intention to sabotage anything.
• House Majority Leader Says Dems Have The Votes
  President Obama has a sure vote in Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House Majority Leader, who is trying to rally and convince any wavering Democrats. Host Scott Simon talks to Hoyer about the revised health care bill.
• Immigration Calls To Beleaguered Democrats
  A big rally demanding comprehensive immigration reform is expected Sunday, but don't expect much action from Congress on the issue. Comprehensive reform is not a winner in an election year for Democrats; they'll have to give it a nod, but they are unlikely to take it on along with health care, financial regulations and jobs.
• Victors In Iraqi Elections Include Suspected Murderers
  For all the talk of unity and reconciliation, many Iraqi citizens are in for a shock when the new parliament swears in. Several of the winners, including top vote-getters, are believed to have committed mass murder during Iraq's sectarian civil war. One of the names bandied about as a compromise candidate for prime minister allegedly managed a secret prison where Sunnis died by electric drill. Another is a famous death squad leader. With the results finally crystallizing, it's not at all clear that this election will heal any of Iraq's wounds.
• Flooded S.D. Town Tries Life As An Island
  As parts of South Dakota struggle with flooding due mostly to extremely heavy snowmelt, some residents are struggling to stay in their towns. Roads leading into the town of Claremont, population 500, are under water and residents are using tractors and ATVs to access their town. Jenifer Jones of South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports.
• 'American Idol For Nerds' Pits Inventors' Business Plans
  Georgia Tech has what some call an <em>American Idol</em> for Nerds. It's a competition to encourage undergraduates to invent usable items. Winners of "InVenture" get $15,000. Students must not only have a shiny invention, but also a marketing and business plan. This is the second year the college is having this competition. Susanna Capelouto of Georgia Public Broadcasting reports.
• March Madness Claims First Victims
  And then there were 32! That is, 32 teams still alive in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman has been channeling Lou Gehrig the past two days, sitting, watching game after game and considering himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Host Scott Simon talks with Goldman about the highlights of NCAA March Madness.
• In A Texas Jail, An Exclusive SXSW Concert
  At the South by Southwest Music Festival this week in Austin, Texas, one of the most exclusive events was an unofficial, invitation-only concert &mdash; at the Travis County Correctional Complex. Wayne Kramer of MC5, Billy Bragg, and others were there to launch a music therapy initiative called Jail Guitar Doors.
• How To Rebuild A Life In Haiti
  Two months after the earthquake, Haitians are now facing the long, hard slog of trying to rebuild their lives. NPR's Katia Riddle brings us snapshots of several people facing the question: "Where do I go from here?"
• Your Letters: Coffee Party; Racial Wealth Gap; Delilah
  Host Scott Simon reads listener letters and e-mails about last week's program.
• New Basic Training Hardens 'Softer Generation'
  The U.S. Army is overhauling its basic training program for the first time in 30 years. Part of the shift is intended to train a new generation of soldiers whose experience with fighting is usually limited to video games.

Sunday

• Chilean Children Suffer From Quake's Mental Shocks
  The Chilean capital, Santiago, withstood last month's 8.8 magnitude earthquake remarkably well. But mental health experts say the earthquake and the powerful aftershocks that followed it are having strong psychological effects, particularly on children.
• Homeowners, A Shortcut To Short Sales Is Coming
  Spring is the peak time for home sales, and, as the season begins, the federal government is launching a program to help the real estate market bloom again. Starting April 5, homeowners who qualify will get help selling their homes through a short-sale process rather than having to face foreclosure.
• Combat Vet Says Gender Bias Led To Untreated PTSD
  According to recent VA statistics, PTSD and depression are the top disability claims among America's female veterans. But many have trouble proving they saw combat &mdash; a key to being treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. One decorated war veteran's story is emblematic of the struggle to get help.
• What's In A Name? Plenty
  This week, Will Shortz's game involves famous people whose last names are used to finish a sentence &mdash; only the names have been turned into anagrams. Take, for example, the sentence "Andre is a gas." Rearrange the letters in the last three words to get the answer: "Agassi."
• From Around The Globe To A Tiny Texas Timeslot
  Of the nearly 2,000 bands at the South by Southwest Music Festival, well over 500 of them come from outside the United States. Felix Contreras heard from a few of the bands &mdash; like Longital, Bomba Estereo and Washington &mdash; who came from far away to perform.
• Shake Or Stir, But Please Don't Sweeten
  A proper martini isn't made with vodka. It isn't green, and its ingredients do not include fruit flavoring or chocolate. For food commentator Bonny Wolf, these points are not insignificant, so Wolf shares her recipe for the perfect martini, a pleasure that needs no sweetening.
• Violence Spurs Calls To Rein In The Repo Man
  If you don't make your car payments, someone can be hired to repossess it. They might tow it from your driveway or a parking lot. But sometimes repo men go further, breaking into people's garages or homes. Fights can break out. People get hurt, and some have even been killed, prompting some groups to call for greater regulation.
• Nation's First Chief Geek To Crack Government Open
  President Obama wants to bring the federal government into the world of 21st-century information technology. Last year, he named Vivek Kundra the nation's first federal chief information officer. Guest host Audie Cornish speaks with Kundra about his efforts to make the federal government more "open source."
• 'Funemployment' And More Slang For A Recession
  Not much good has come out of the recession from which we seem to be slowly emerging. But at least it's left us with some new lingo, like "staycation." <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em> has compiled a list of its favorites, and guest host Audie Cornish explains a few of them.
• SXSW Geeks Out Before The Music
  In Austin, Texas, hundreds of innovators in film, music and technology are gathering at the annual South by Southwest Festival. Guest host Audie Cornish checks in with <em>Weekend Edition Sunday</em> host Liane Hansen, who reports from the festival on some of the new technologies on display there.
• At 100, Granny D's Trek Finally Ends
  Doris Haddock, better known as Granny D, passed away this past week. She was 100. At age 89, the political activist made national headlines as she began a 14-month trek across the United States to raise support for campaign finance reform. New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.
• Boston Catholics Hope 'Light' Makes Flock Confess
  On radio stations in Boston, on CatholicTV and on the Web, the Archdiocese of Boston is trying to bring Catholics back to confession. <em>The Light Is On for You</em> is the name of the campaign, and one of its spokespeople is Father Robert Reed, director of CatholicTV. Guest host Audie Cornish speaks with Reed about the new campaign.
• Yearbooks No Longer 2 Good 2 Be 4-Gotten
  The Internet has taken a toll on print media, from newspapers and magazines to the telephone book. Now university yearbooks are also taking a hit. A growing number of universities are no longer publishing the annual picture books.
• A Wrenching Task To Win Marjah's Hearts And Minds
  NATO forces, who took the southern Afghan region of Marjah last month, are now trying to establish their hold on it by winning the confidence of local people. That includes paying for damage to businesses and farms from battle and paying condolences to families of civilians who were killed. A U.S. Marine commander faces one of his hardest tasks: apologizing and paying compensation to the family of a father whom Marines killed by mistake.
• 3-D Coming Soon To A TV Near You
  Between <em>Avatar</em> and <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>, there's no doubt that 3-D movies have brought people back to the theaters. Both films have made an astounding amount of money at the box office, and TV-makers are taking note. But will people want to wear those glasses on the couch? Guest host Audie Cornish talks to David Wertheimer, head of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, about the future of 3-D television.