Calling All Sports Fans!!!

Produced by Sarah Beyer Kelly and Kathryn Dalrymple

NPR Correspondent David Greene fills in for Liane Hansen as Host of Weekend Edition Sunday and teaches Scott Simon a little something about being a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan. Who's your favorite team? Do you paint your face with your team colors? Our Senior Editor Tony Marcano has some thoughts below. Post your story too!

Tony Marcano, Senior Editor
Being not nearly as erudite or photogenic as David Greene (I have the proverbial face made for radio), I'll avoid the goofy video log and just tell you about my passion for the New York Giants here. Excuse me, I meant the New York Giants, champions of the National Football League. Let me repeat that: CHAMPIONS OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

Continue reading "Calling All Sports Fans!!!" »

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NPR goes under cover!

Sarah Beyer Kelly, Senior Producer

NPR's new "undercover agent" Scott Simon speaks with NPR News Analyst Juan Williams about President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Leon Panetta to head the CIA.

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The Ninth Inning

Davar Iran Ardalan, Senior Producer

In early September, author and garlic farmer Chester Aaron emailed me and asked me to consider a program that focuses on the lives of seniors. "One neighbor," Chester wrote, "a fisherman, 80 years old, kept his family going by continuing to fish. He died last week. His children and grandchildren had a wake. The tributes, by fishermen and wives, would have broken your heart but also given you hope."

I was intrigued and over the course of the fall, we began reviewing essays and considering interesting seniors to feature. Today, as part of our series "The Ninth Inning," you will hear the story of Chester Aaron himself. I came to know Chester back in August of 2001, when NPR's Lisa Simeone and I traveled to Occidental, California to meet him. We were reporting on a story about garlic and had just attended the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. Chester, who is an organic garlic farmer, spoke of the dark days ahead for domestic growers.

Over the years, Chester has graced us with wonderful stories. He spoke to NPR's Steve Inskeep about his father's Russian Root Soup. And he shared his recipes for "Stuffed Grilled Trout" and "Cold Almond-Garlic Soup" with Liane Hansen and offered a cure for garlic breath.

Next week, as part of the Ninth Inning series, Liane will speak with Dorothy Toy Fong, also known as the Chinese Ginger Rogers, who at the age of 91 is still dancing.

Want to share your life story with us? Post it here and we might invite you to the show.

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2009 PREDICTIONS: May be written in the stars, or on the Soapbox blog!

Gemma Watters, Production Assistant

On this week's show, Liane Hansen and editor of The Onion newspaper Joe Randazzo take a look into the future to see what news stories may be making the headlines in 2009. The Onion is known mostly for its satirical look at the news.

So, take a peek up at the stars and see if you can predict next year's
headlines. You never know -- you may be the next Carnac the Magnificent!

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The Orchkids

Sarah Beyer Kelly, Senior Producer

Harriet Tubman Elementary School sits in one of Baltimore's most impoverished neighborhoods. But when students there get a chance, they can really make some music. The school has a fairy godmother in the form of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's maestro, Marin Alsop. She and the BSO have paired up to help bring a musical education to the kids who get their own instruments to play.

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Call for Inaugural Diaries

Gemma Watters, Production Assistant

If you or someone you know has managed to snag one of those 250,000 golden tickets to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, Weekend Edition wants to hear from you. Join the multimedia fun and tell us everything -- how did you get tickets? Who's going with you? Who isn't? How are you getting to Washington, D.C? We take video logs, blog posts, tweets and plain old emails.

Tell us how we can reach you. Send a message to Weekend Edition Sunday through our contact page. Please put "Inaugural Diary" as the subject heading.

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Gainsbourg, not Aznavour

Ned Wharton, Senior Producer

NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg's audio postcard from the summer solstice in Paris included a mesmerizing singalong of the song "La Javanaise." The piece was identified as a Charles Aznavour song, but Francophile listeners correctly identified it instead as a tune by Serge Gainsbourg. We had fun doing some more research on YouTube, and found this terrific old video of Monsieur Gainsbourg performing the song.

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Impact of War

Walter Ray Watson, senior producer

Impact of War, Weekend Edition Sunday's four-part series on the difficulties veterans face after coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is drawing to a close. The final chapter tells the story of Keith and Leisa Doney, who both serve in the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in upstate New York. As David Sommerstein of North Country Public Radio reports, the division will soon be deployed to Afghanistan, and the Doneys will have to leave their three children in the care of a neighbor who has moved into their home.

Liane Hansen also has a conversation with Chad Sowash, an Army infantry drill sergeant with the reserves at Fort Benning, Georgia. When he's not on active duty, he's vice president of business development for the non-profit company Direct Employers.

Sergeant Sowash writes a blog on about recruitment issues called The Chad, on JobCentral.com, a resource website for recruiters, jobseekers and employment services.

As Sergeant Sowash tells Liane, finding work in this economic climate is tough for military veterans and civilians alike.

If you have just returned or are about to come home from military service in Iraq or Afghanistan, we'd like to hear about your efforts to find a civilian job. Add your comments to our blog. Thanks.

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On Vacation with the Obamas

Jacob Soboroff, Field Vlogger

Greetings from Oahu, Hawaii where President-elect Barack Obama is spending his final Christmas vacation before moving into the White House. I'm here for my family vacation, and while here I've been asking locals how they feel that their native son is heading to the White House, chatted with New York Times correspondent Jeff Zeleny, and walked down Kailua beach to find the paparazzo that snapped the now-famous shirtless picture of the President-elect.

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Watch Ethan Bortnick's Trailer!

posted by Davar

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