Weekend Edition Saturday

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From civil wars in Bosnia and El Salvador, to hospital rooms, police stations, and America's backyards, National Public Radio's Peabody Award-winning correspondent Scott Simon brings a well-traveled perspective to his role as host of Weekend Edition Saturday.

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

New Liturgy Reanimates Catholic Music

When Catholics arrive at church for the beginning of Advent this weekend, they may find themselves stumbling over not only the words, but also the music. The Vatican has changed the English-speaking Mass to make it more faithful to the Latin. Some see that as a renaissance for composers and for the music publishing business.

New Roving Science Lab Charts A Course For Mars

Launched Saturday morning, the six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory boasts a suite of high-tech instruments to study the planet's geology. It will land on the planet in August 2012, lowered gently to the surface on a cable by a rocket-powered helicopter.

In Iowa, Obama Backers Seek To Rekindle Enthusiasm

Iowa voters catapulted the young senator from Illinois to victory in the state's leadoff caucuses four years ago. The president's campaign, which is gearing up in the early states ahead of next year's election, is counting on activists to stick with him in 2012.

Art Therapy Nonprofit Improvises In New Economy

The dismal economy has taken a toll on nonprofits. Donations are down. One nonprofit, Free Arts of Arizona, which uses art as therapy for the children of abused women, has had to make layoffs and budget cuts.

With Paula Deen, It's Not Really About The Pie

With Paula Deen, it's not really about the butter, the mayonnaise or the fried cheesecake. For fans, it's about that feeling that you're sitting around the kitchen table with a friend.

At LAPD, Predicting Crimes Before They Happen

Using years of crime statistics, the department's computer churns out maps with small highlighted areas where it predicts a crime will occur. Police hope that the technique helps reduce crime, but there are concerns over how the data will be used.

'Unconquered' Explores An Isolated Amazon Tribe

In his book The Unconquered, journalist Scott Wallace goes deep into the Amazon rain forest to learn about a group that has never come into contact with modern civilization.

Turkey Feels Pressure To Act On Syria

Turkish rhetoric has now escalated to the fullest, with Friday's call by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Syrian president Bashar Assad to leave power. Turkey insists it won't move unilaterally, but pressure is building to protect civilian life in Syria. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

A Second Look At Last Year's Deficit Reduction Plan

The failure of the congressional supercommittee to reach a deal on reducing federal government deficits is being called another example of dysfunction and gridlock in Washington. New attention is now focused back on the plan put forth last year by President Obama's bipartisan deficit reduction commission, a blueprint that a number of Democrats and Republicans endorsed. Host Scott Simon talks with former Sen. Alan Simpson, former co-chair of that deficit reduction commission, about the failed negotiations of the supercommittee.

One Last Hitchhike In A Moscow Taxi

In Russia's capital, hitchhiking is a part of life. To avoid the burden of finding a cab, most Muscovites just flag down a passing car and negotiate a price. Often the ride is an adventure, but that's about to change. NPR's David Greene goes hitchhiking in Moscow.

JFK Assassination Reporter Tom Wicker Dies At 85

Tom Wicker, one of postwar America's most distinguished journalists, has died at the age of 85. Host Scott Simon has a remembrance.

Surviving Christmas Trees In Demand Down South

This year's historic drought killed thousands of evergreen trees in Texas and Oklahoma. Now Christmas tree farmers are scrambling to meet holiday demands. Host Scott Simon checks in with Karen Barfield, owner of Tinsel Time Christmas Tree Farm in New Caney, Texas.

Doris Day (Yes, That Doris Day) Topping Charts

A new name burst onto the top rungs of British pop charts this year with a song called, "My Heart." Well, maybe not a new name; it's actually one of the most famous names in musical history. Host Scott Simon speaks with screen legend Doris Day about her new album.

Mubarak's Party Haunts Egyptian Elections

Many former members of Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party are running for parliament, creating stiff competition for newcomers seeking office across Egypt and prompting cries for the interim Egyptian government to ban their candidacy. The military rulers had said they would pass a so-called "treachery law" preventing their candidacy, but have not acted thus far. NPR's Soraya Nelson reports.

Deal Reached; NBA Season Mostly Saved

After a marathon bargaining session that lasted into the wee hours of Saturday morning, owners and players representatives emerged with an agreement that should lead to a new contract. Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Mike Pesca about the tentative labor deal between NBA owners and players.

Pages

Arts & Culture

NPR

Where's Jimmy Hoffa? Everywhere And Nowhere

FBI agents believe they have a credible lead on the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa's body. If they're right, it will solve a longstanding mystery, which will also deflate Hoffa's resonance in popular culture.

Food

NPR

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

Did a 10-pound bag of potatoes really cost $15 back in 2008? We get to the bottom of some puzzling numbers in the lawsuit alleging America's potato growers have become a spud cartel.

Politics

NPR

House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

The legislation is one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades and follows the May murder convictions of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. The bill, which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization, is unlikely to ever become law.

Technology

NPR

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

Profits for the nation's carmakers are on the rise, but after years of doing more with less, higher profits are unlikely to translate into significant numbers of new jobs. There are eight fewer plants and hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the industry than before the Great Recession.

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Weekend Edition Saturday

Arts & Culture

Where's Jimmy Hoffa? Everywhere And Nowhere

Food

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

Politics

House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

Technology

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

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