Weekend Edition Saturday

Saturday at 6am

Saturday mornings are made for Weekend Edition Saturday, the program wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.

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World
4:37 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Hopes Raised For Girl Shot By Taliban

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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Presidential Race
4:37 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Social Media A New Layer For Campaign Messaging

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

No need to tweet this, it's hardly news: the use of social media has exploded this election season. There were some 7.2 million tweets sent during this week's presidential debate, compared to just half a million over the course of all four debates of 2008. And while hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by the Obama and Romney campaigns to reach voters by TV advertising, they pay attention to social media, too.

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Strange News
4:37 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Moose On The Loose? Here's A Survival Tip

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

If you take a trip to see autumn foliage in Western Massachusetts this weekend, beware: local moose do not offer photo ops. Pete Brown, who's a logger, learned this last month when he saw a moose while he worked in the woods. He tried to get a picture. Instead, Mr. Brown, who has two hip replacements, got the run of his life. Pete Brown joins us from his home in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Thanks for being with us.

PETE BROWN: Oh, it's my pleasure, Scott.

SIMON: So, you saw a moose, and then what?

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Sports
4:37 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Week In Sports: A Tough One For Lance Armstrong

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: The San Francisco Giants live to play again, thanks to a pitcher thought to be past his prime. He was sure blue-ribbon last night. Lance Armstrong got a standing O last night but also heard from a few folks who might want their money back, just as major corporate sponsors might. And more NHL games are put on ice - or is that none are on the ice? NPR's Tom Goldman joins us. Morning, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.

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Music Interviews
12:03 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Brandy's 'Two Eleven' Is One For Whitney

Credit Gomillion & Leupold / Courtesy of the artist
Brandy's latest studio album is called Two Eleven.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

Music Interviews
12:03 am
Sat October 20, 2012

Placido Domingo On Pop Singers And Karaoke

Credit Ruben Martin / Courtesy of the artist
Placido Domingo's new album, Songs, is his first collection of pop music in more than 20 years.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:21 pm

Placido Domingo is one of the most influential people in classical music. During a 50-year career, he's played more than 140 roles, conducted more than 450 operas, and won just about every award that a human being can win in opera and life.

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Simon Says
6:44 am
Sat October 13, 2012

The Pirate Prince Of Sealand, Remembered

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 10:58 am

Paddy Roy Bates, the self-proclaimed prince of Sealand, was almost 80 when I met him in the summer of 2000. He was silvery and straight-backed — very much the model of a modern major, which he was in the British Army during World War II, when he survived frostbite, malaria, snakebites and a German bomb that shattered his jaw so badly a surgeon told him no woman would ever love him. So he married a former beauty queen named Joan and made her the princess of Sealand.

Let me explain.

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The Salt
4:17 am
Sat October 13, 2012

When It Comes To Falafel, The Flavors Of Home Can Vary

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 3:38 pm

Falafel — those crispy, filling fried balls of mashed beans, herbs and spices — is found in cafes and homes all over the Middle East and parts of Africa. It's like a common language shared among sometimes fractious nations.

But until recently, I always thought falafel was made one way — garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro and cumin. (That's how my Sudanese mother taught me.) But it turns out there are many recipes out there, each with a flavor distinct to its region.

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Movie Interviews
4:17 am
Sat October 13, 2012

Hoop Dreams Land Basketball Player An 'Iran Job'

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 8:15 am

Weekend Edition host Scott Simon talks with filmmaker Till Schauder and basketball player Kevin Sheppard. Schauder's new film goes behind the scenes in Iran, where Sheppard played professionally for a time. The film is called The Iran Job.

Presidential Race
4:17 am
Sat October 13, 2012

Candidates Return To The Trail After VP Debate

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 8:15 am

One day after the only vice presidential debate, Rep. Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden took to the campaign trail. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports.

Middle East
4:17 am
Sat October 13, 2012

Border Incidents Ratchet Up Turkey-Syria Tensions

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 8:15 am

Weekend Edition host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Peter Kenyon and NPR's Kelly McEvers about the latest news in Turkey and Syria, where fighting from Syria's internal conflict has spilled across the border the two nations share.

Author Interviews
12:03 am
Sat October 13, 2012

Michael Feinstein: What I Learned From The Gershwins

Originally published on Sat October 13, 2012 9:38 am

Michael Feinstein, the singer and pianist known as the "ambassador of the Great American Songbook," has a serious pedigree to back up that title: a real-life connection to one of America's greatest songwriting teams. It's the subject of Feinstein's new memoir, The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs. (A CD of Feinstein singing those songs also comes with the book.)

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Simon Says
6:05 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Does Voting Early Prompt Hasty Choices?

Credit J.D. Pooley / Getty Images
Voters cast their ballots during early voting in Bowling Green, Ohio. Early voting began Oct. 2 in the battleground state, five weeks before Election Day on November 6.

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Nov. 6 is 32 days away, but for millions of Americans, there is no longer an Election Day.

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia now have early voting, which is under way even now in eight states. Hundreds of thousands of votes have already been cast, most before this week's presidential debates or Friday's jobs report, and all ahead of the three future debates and any unforeseen October event that might test the mettle of a candidate.

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Author Interviews
5:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Fallen 'Lion': How The 'House Of Assad' Came Down

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

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Presidential Race
5:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Economic News Brightens Obama Rally

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

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Health
5:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

States Struggle To Manage Meningitis Scare

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Nearly two-dozen states are watching for new cases of a rare kind of meningitis, caused by fungal contamination in injections for back pain. Officials say the shots were custom made by a Massachusetts pharmacy that shipped about 17,000 doses to states from New York to California. While the disease cannot spread from person-to-person, at least five people have died and dozens more are sick. The outbreak first showed up in Tennessee as we hear from Daniel Potter of member station WPLN.

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Sports
5:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Wild-Card Wins And Anxiety-Prone Players

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: Major League Baseball premiered its new high-stakes, single game wild-card playoff round last night. But a controversial call involving a famously vague old rule is at the center of attention today. The - eh-eh - defending world champion St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves in that game. The Baltimore Orioles put away the Texas Rangers. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman joins us now. Morning, Tom.

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Economy
5:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Jobs Report Has Surprising Results

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The jobless rate fell sharply to 7.8 percent in September, which happens to be exactly where it was when President Obama took office. That's according to the U.S. Labor Department's latest monthly jobs report. But even though the unemployment rate dropped, the Labor Department's payroll survey reveals that businesses did not significantly hire new people. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has this report on how experts are interpreting the numbers.

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Deceptive Cadence
4:26 am
Sat October 6, 2012

The MacArthur 'Genius' Bow Maker Who Makes Violins Sing

Credit Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Over the past four decades, Benoit Rolland has made more than 1,400 bows for violins, violas and cellos.

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Among the 23 recipients of the MacArthur "genius" grants this past week: an economist, a mathematician, a photographer, a neuroscientist, and a Boston-based stringed instrument bow maker.

Benoit Rolland acknowledges that the violin reigns supreme as the star of the strings, capable of fetching millions of dollars at auction. But what about the bow? "A violin with no bow is not a violin, that's clear," says Rolland.

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Author Interviews
3:59 am
Sat October 6, 2012

A Love Song To Family, New York In 'Sunlight'

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

When we get an early glimpse of Harry Copeland, he's falling in love in an instant, with a girl he sees on the Staten Island Ferry. Her hair "trapped the sun and seemed to radiate light," he writes, "and with New York in 1947, when it brimmed with color, light, drama and a babble of voices that reminded him of the world he fought to save as a paratrooper in World War II."

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Economy
3:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Holiday Jobs Come With Uncertainty For Workers

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Retailers across the country expect to hire hundreds of thousands of extra workers this holiday season to help with the anticipated spike in sales. Retail workers who have been hustling year-round for more hours are looking at that news with a jaded eye — because the vast majority of these seasonal jobs will disappear after December, sending many of these workers back scrounging for more work.

With a 17-hour workweek, Onieka O'Kieffe is left with a lot of time on her hands. Too much time. She said she very often sleeps 12 hours a day just because she can.

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Asia
3:58 am
Sat October 6, 2012

U.S. Drones Navigate Murky Legal Path In Pakistan

Credit Massoud Hossaini / AP
An unmanned U.S. Predator drone sits on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport in southern Afghanistan in 2010. The U.S. has been using drones in Pakistan for years. The Pakistanis initially claimed the drone attacks as the work of their own military, but the strikes have become a source of friction.

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 6:15 pm

The U.S. has been carrying out drone strikes in Pakistan for some eight years, but it's done so under a policy that has emerged piecemeal over that time.

"It started in 2004, when drones were really an oddity," says Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He was on the State Department's policy planning staff when it all started during the Bush administration.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:57 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Romney Health Care Debate Claim Gets Corrected By His Own Staff

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Mitt Romney speaks during the presidential debate Wednesday in Denver.

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Independent fact checkers have not been particularly kind to Mitt Romney since Wednesday's first presidential debate in Denver. But one of the candidate's claims turned out to be so far off the mark that he had to be corrected by his own aides — a fact not unnoticed by the Obama campaign.

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Music Interviews
12:03 am
Sat October 6, 2012

Josephine Foster: A 'Vibrating Voice' To Shake The Soul

Credit Jessica Knights / Courtesy of the artist
Josephine Foster's newest album is titled Blood Rushing.

Originally published on Sat October 6, 2012 5:55 pm

Don't try to pigeonhole Josephine Foster. She has recorded albums of psychedelic rock and Tin Pan Alley, music for children, blues, Spanish folk tunes, 19th century German art songs and a song cycle based on the poems of Emily Dickinson. Although her soprano may be a little unusual, it's arresting.

Foster recently released a new album, Blood Rushing. She spoke with NPR's Scott Simon about finding her voice, collaborating with her husband, singing at funerals and embracing small-town life.

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NPR Story
11:58 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Arthur O. Sulzberger, Former 'New York Times' Publisher, Dies

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Former New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger has died today. He was 86 years old. Mr. Sulzberger took over the New York Times in 1963 after his brother-in-law and predecessor died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger was 37, the youngest publisher in the newspaper's history.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED TAPE)

ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER: As I told my sister Ruth, said do I bade my first executive decision, decided not to throw up.

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

U.S. Increases Aid To Syria As Violence Rages On

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States will give another $45 million in aid to Syria. That aid will mostly go toward humanitarian assistance, but it will also include communications equipment for the opposition in Syria. The news came at the end of a week of speeches at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where many raised alarms about the bloodshed in Syria. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

'Instant' Recounts The Magic Of Polaroids

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

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NPR Story
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Online And In The Open: Transparent Novel Writing

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Writing's often depicted as a private act - scribbling, crossing out, then crumpling two sheets into a fireplace; trial, error and angst - all of which is best kept private. Silvia Hartmann is now writing on a kind of electronic stage - in an open document, a Google doc - so that readers can see her story appear line by line, edit by edit. Silvia Hartmann joins us from the south coast of England. Thanks so much for being with us.

SILVIA HARTMANN: Hi.

SIMON: So what are you trying to do here, write a novel?

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Sports
5:43 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Sports: The Refs Are Back And Who's At Bat

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is Weekend Edition from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. You know, as Dickens might up it: It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It's time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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Health
4:38 am
Sat September 29, 2012

Why Tylenol Bottles Are Hard To Open

Originally published on Sat September 29, 2012 1:17 pm

Opening a new package of Tylenol can take some effort. There's the cardboard packaging, plus the push-and-twist top and the safety seal.

It used to be a matter of just popping off a cap. Thirty years ago, seven people died in Chicago suburbs after taking poisoned Tylenol. Pharmacies pulled Tylenol off the shelf in a panic, and the nation was in shock.

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