Weekend Edition

Topics from the Most Recent Show: Saturday | Sunday

Saturday

• Zimbabwe's Billion-Dollar Bill Nearly Worthless
  In Zimbabwe, banknotes issued a few months ago are worth only a fraction of a percentage of what they were originally. The Zimbabwean $50 billion bill is worth 33 U.S. cents; and it takes 1.2 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars to make up about $4,000 U.S.
• Can The Fed Help Control Inflation?
  Scott Simon talks to Alan Blinder, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, about whether the Fed can bring inflation under control in the face of spiraling energy and food prices.
• Championship Wrestling, Nubian-Style
  There's a weekly power struggle in northern Khartoum in Sudan. On this Friday, a young Nubian man answers the referee's call for a contender and waits to see who will enter the wrestling ring to test his strength in one of humankind's oldest traditions.
• Obama Arrives In Afghanistan
  Afghanistan is the first stop on a week-long overseas trip during which Sen. Barack Obama also plans to visit Iraq. His presence there is considered part of a congressional delegation and not part of his presidential campaign.
• Bill Would End U.S. Ban On Visas For Those With HIV
  This week, the Senate approved a $48 billion extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Included in the bill was a provision that would lift a ban, in place since 1987, on visas for people with HIV.
• Are You Ready For The Summer? Camp, That Is
  A new book titled <em>Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies</em> is an ode to the time of year when kids swarm to camps with appropriated Native American names and sweaty cabins filled with bunk beds and the spoils of independence.
• Iran Says It Won't Suspend Enrichment Program
  Multilateral talks aimed at curbing Iran's uranium enrichment program began Saturday in Geneva. But any hope that the Bush administration's decision to send a high-ranking envoy to the talks will change Iran's position faded when an Iranian official said Iran would not stop enriching uranium.
• Saying Good-Bye To NPR's Gary Smith
  Our dear NPR colleague, Gary L. Smith, died this week at age 57. For the past four years, Smith presided over NPR's front desk, greeting everyone who walked through with a giant smile. The loveliness that lit up his face was his determination to see the beauty in everyone.
• South Carolina Miffed By U.K. 'Gay' Ads
  London recently held its annual gay pride festival. A tour operator who promotes gay-friendly tourism to several U.S. cities bought some ad space for posters that said, "South Carolina is so gay." South Carolina caught wind of the ad campaign and was not happy.
• Tour De France Drama On And Off the Course
  The 14th stage of the Tour de France got underway Saturday morning in Nimes, France. There have been some surprising results on the course, and some unsurprising developments off it. Doping once again has plagued the Tour.
• For Die-Hard Fans, A Cubs-Themed Cemetery
  Being a Chicago Cubs fan isn't always easy. For true die-hards, parting with the perennial also-rans, under any circumstances, is unthinkable. Now they won't have to &mdash; ever. How? A Wrigley Field-themed cemetery, of course.
• The Evolving Role Of The Vice President
  Scott Simon talks with vice presidential scholar Joel Goldstein about why and how the role of the vice president has changed.
• Passion For Kayaking Sparks Fight Against Malaria
  Five years ago, Dr. Jessie Stone had temporarily given up medicine and left New York to pursue her passion for kayaking. She had no idea that her medical career and her passion would cross paths and change her life. Today, she runs a malaria prevention program in rural Uganda.
• Mayors Urge Municipal Bans On Bottled Water
  The U.S. Conference of Mayors has passed a resolution urging governments to phase out bottled water in city buildings. Scott Simon talks with Martin J. Chavez, mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and one of the co-authors of the resolution.
• Obama's Foreign Trip; U.S. Envoy to Iran
  Scott Simon reviews the week's news with Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr. Among the topics: Sen. Barack Obama's first foreign trip since become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee; and the U.S. sends an envoy to talks in Geneva regarding Iran's uranium enrichment program.

Sunday

• Obama's World Tour Stops In Afghanistan, Iraq
  Sen. Barack Obama visited Afghanistan before heading to Baghdad, on a road trip designed to prove the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate's foreign policy credentials. Obama will also head to Jordan this week.
• Campaign Ads Look To Reach Hispanic Voters
  Many political analysts say the Hispanic vote is a key group in this fall's election, but no one is too sure about how to get that vote. National candidates want to reach the various sub-groups of these voters, but there is no magic means to reach them through the media.
• In Europe, A Fascination With Obama-McCain
  Weekend Edition's regular and sometimes controversial essayist Diane Roberts just came back from Europe. She comments on the fascination overseas with the U.S. presidential campaign.
• DNA Tests Refugees' Claims Of U.S. Relatives
  Early this year, the Department of Homeland Security conducted a first-ever DNA sampling of several hundred refugee applicants in Africa. Tests showed that a large percentage of applicants were not related to people they claimed as family members living in the United States.
• U.S. And Iran Discuss Nuclear Plan in Geneva
  Iran has been given two weeks to agree to freeze its uranium enrichment program or face the prospect of new and tougher U.N. sanctions. The timetable stems from seven-country sessions in Geneva, where top-level U.S. and Iranian officials were present.
• How Philadelphia's New Subway Changed A City
  In 1908, Philadelphians were riding in style on a brand new subway system. George Smerk, professor of transportation at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, talks about the subway's history.
• Trial Of Bin Laden's Driver To Begin In Guantanamo
  The first war-crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay starts tomorrow with Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, the defendant. Hamdan has been in U.S. custody for seven years. Host Liane Hansen speaks with <em>Miami Herald</em> reporter Carl Rosenberg.
• An Expert Tastes New Changes In Wine
  Natalie MacLean, author of <em>Red, White and Drunk All Over</em>, joins Host Liane Hansen to discuss how global warming, competition in the wine industry, and organic standards are changing the wine we drink. MacLean also reveals her favorite wine, after more than a decade as a sommelier.
• A Mystery Of Science And Nature: 'Madapple'
  Host Liane Hansen speaks with first-time novelist Christina Meldrum, a litigator and Harvard graduate. In <em>Madapple</em>, readers enter the lives of a mother and daughter, in which questions about faith, science and religion abound.
• A Nuclear Family Vacation: 10 States, 4 Nations
  Journalist Nathan Hodge is the co-author of the book <em>A Nuclear Family Vacation: Travels in the World of Atomic Weaponry</em> with his wife, Sharon Weinberger. They traveled to 10 U.S. states and 4 foreign countries to visit nuclear sites, including ones in Nevada, Russia and Iran.
• Philadelphians Reflect On City's Racial Legacy
  Three generations of women from an African-American family in the historic city of Philadelphia reflect on how their city and its people have changed during the past century.
• Minimum Wage Hike And A Tight Economy
  Minimum wage workers are set to get a pay bump Thursday, as the federal rate will go from $5.85 to $6.55. Experts differ on what the coming wage increase means for workers and employers at a time when the economy is struggling.
• For U.S., Iran, Will Momentous Become Momentum?
  The Iranians have been consistent for years &mdash; they won't compromise on enriching uranium. The United States insists they must. Can Iran and America bridge this gap? Liane Hansen speaks with Vali Nasr, professor of International Politics at Tufts University's Fletcher School of International Affairs and Adjunct Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
• Crafting Radio's Driveway Moments
  The phrase "driveway moment " is a term used to describe a radio story that keeps you in your car after you've reached your destination, just to listen. Host Liane Hansen speaks with NPR's Jonathan Kern about his new book <em>Sound Reporting</em>, which examines the art and craft of broadcast journalism and production. (ISBN:13-978-0-226-43178-9)(3:00)
• Letters: Capt. Goodlander, And Being An American
  Host Liane Hansen reads letters from our listeners about Captain Fatty Goodlander's most recent essay and our month-long series on who is an American.