Your Questions on the Economy

Marilyn Geewax, Contributing Senior Editor

Each Sunday, I try to bring listeners a bit of news about the economy -- and explain how it might affect average Americans. Now I thought I'd ask YOU to tell me what YOU'D like to hear us discuss, whether it's economic fallout or personal finance tips. Just post your suggestions right here!

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Scott Simon on YouTube Reporters' Center

Thomas Pierce, Weekend Edition

The folks over at YouTube asked Scott to contribute a video to their new initiative, the Reporters' Center. The idea is to help aspiring journalists with their work out in the field. Scott shares a few thoughts on how to tell a good story:

It's also worth nothing that the Weekend Edition YouTube channel is merging with the overall NPR channel. We're creating playlists of both Scott's videos and Liane's videos.

Remember the time Daniel Schorr gave Liane Hansen a few pointers about tweeting? Or how about the time Naturally 7 dropped by the studio and demonstrated all the instruments they could imitate vocally? Or when Scott tried to find coffee in Second Life? Now you can relive every moment -- all in one place.

12:00 AM ET | permalink

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Poetry From Iran, One Tweet at a Time

Davar Ardalan, Weekend Edition

Persians are known for their poetry. So it is not surprising that as recent dramatic events have unfolded in Iran, so many Iranians who have been alerting the world have written poetically -- even in their tweets. Meet 26-year-old Parham Baghestani. I reached Baghestani in the fabled Iranian city of Isfahan, where he lives.

His tweets range from the mundane to the spiritual, and offer a window into the psyche and everyday life of an Iranian.

"My love has gone underground," he writes, "The taste of night is nothing but awareness."

We've translated more of his tweets. Read them here.

8:14 AM ET | permalink

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Remembering Chappy Hardy, "The Man from H.U.N.G.E.R."

Sarah Beyer Kelly, Weekend Edition

Chappy Hardy, filmmaker and New Orleans man-about-town, died this week at the age of 63. Listeners may remember him from a series of interviews he did with Weekend Edition host Scott Simon in 2005 about his culinary tour of the East Coast's best and most affordable dining places. He liked to call himself, "The Man from H.U.N.G.E.R." -- that's "Helping Uninhibited Nibblers Get Exact Results" -- as he roamed from Alabama to New York and back. He leaves behind one son, Zephyr Hardy, who is a cameraman for ESPN.

10:16 AM ET | permalink

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Rough Cut: Andy Richter on Letterman's Palin Joke

Scott Simon visited Andy Richter at his office in Universal City recently. When the two sat down, Scott asked Andy for his take on why David Letterman told the now controversial joke about Sarah Palin's daughter and Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez. If you missed Letterman's monologue, listen to it here:

And here's Andy's response:

What do you think? Does the "comedy math" add up? Let us know. And listen to the full conversation between Scott and Andy Richter on Saturday, June 27 on Weekend Edition, or online at NPR.org.

8:17 PM ET | permalink

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Iran's National Poet Speaks Out

Thomas Pierce, Weekend Edition

NPR's Davar Ardalan interviewed Simin Behbahani, Iran's national poet, today from Tehran. She's 82 years-old and one of the most respected figures in modern Iran. She recites two poems inspired by recent events -- one dedicated to the people of Iran and another to Neda, the woman whose death during the protests was viewed by millions on the web and on TV.

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Michael Jackson

E. Ethelbert Miller, Director of African American Resource Center at Howard University and author of The 5th Inning.

The last time I saw the great Pan-Africanist and intellectual C.L.R. James, I was in London. I sat by his bed while some of the Race Today folks were having a party downstairs. After asking how I was doing, James talked about Michael Jackson. He felt "this young man" was the greatest entertainer he had ever seen. I think from that moment on, I had a different take on Jackson. His ability to change was remarkable, and I took all of his changes to be nothing but a work of art. In many ways he represented the future. In a sex-starved world maybe it's good that someone looks androgynous. In a world filled with Pirates, maybe it's good that someone believes in Peter Pan. In a world where reality shows compete with reality, maybe our only escape is into animation and Never Never Land.

Continue reading "Michael Jackson" »

4:50 PM ET | permalink

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Feed Us Your Grilled Desserts, Part 2

Thomas Pierce, Weekend Edition

Photo courtesy of Mike Lang.

We've been asking for your grilled dessert recipes, and we've seen some pretty interesting ones so far: fruit kebabs, chocolate pizzas, bacon-wrapped bananas, and even an orange chocolate cake prepared entirely on the grill. Impressive.

You've got one more week to submit your own recipe. You can send an email or you can just leave a comment below.

All submissions will be reviewed by a pastry chef. And then our panel of chefs and food critics will taste the top three and pick a winner.

Happy grilling!

8:25 AM ET | permalink

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Rough Cut: Benjamin Patton On Military Fathers

Coming up on Weekend Edition Sunday tomorrow.... Guest Host Alison Stewart speaks with Benjamin Patton, grandson of the famous WWII general. Did you know that Ben Patton's FATHER was also a decorated general? He fought in the Vietnam and Korean wars, and sent audio "postcards," like this one, back to his family in the States.

Listen to Weekend Edition Sunday tomorrow to hear some of Ben's stories about growing up in a famous military family, and about visit our website after the show for family photos and links to a documentary he produced about his father and grandfather.

1:14 PM ET | permalink

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How To Translate Persian Tweets

If you're following the Twitter messages coming out of Iran but the ones in Persian are tripping you up, freelance journalist and blogger Cyrus Farivar has a step-by-step guide on how to translate them into English automatically. It's pretty nifty -- check it out.

12:31 PM ET | permalink

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