Weekend Edition Saturday

Saturdays at 7am

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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Author Interviews
4:49 am
Sat September 22, 2012

The Haunted Life Of Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini

Originally published on Sat September 22, 2012 9:35 am

Ray Mancini carried hopes and ghosts into the boxing ring. He was the son of a great contender, Lenny Mancini, who was wounded in World War II before he ever got a chance at a championship. Mancini inherited his father's ring nickname — "Boom Boom" — and his championship dreams. In 1980, Mancini succeeded in winning the lightweight championship of the world, earning him widespread adoration.

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Europe
4:34 am
Sat September 22, 2012

'Time Banks' Help Spaniards Weather Financial Crisis

Credit Oli Scarff / Getty Images
Unemployment is rampant in Spain and full-time jobs are scarce. Here a woman works at a street stall in Madrid. Some Spaniards are signing up for "time banks," where individuals perform services based on their skills, and receive another service in return. No money changes hands. A woman is shown here working at a street stall in Madrid.

Originally published on Sat September 22, 2012 9:35 am

After saving money for years, Lola Sanchez was finally able to buy a car refitted with a ramp and space for a wheelchair in the back for her teenage son, who has cerebral palsy.

A nurse used to come each day to help with her son's care. That service was cut amid government austerity measures, though Sanchez still gets a small check every month.

"What I need is physical help, even more than financial assistance," Sanchez says, "because I can't physically lift him on my own."

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History
4:34 am
Sat September 22, 2012

Harlem Hosts First Strokes Of Emancipation

Credit Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Emancipation, a wood engraving by Thomas Nast in 1865. The official Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863.

Originally published on Sat September 22, 2012 11:01 am

Saturday marks the 150th anniversary of a crucial moment in U.S. history. On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, announcing his intention to free the slaves in the states rebelling against the Union.

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Music Interviews
1:03 am
Sat September 22, 2012

Rickie Lee Jones: 'One Devil With One Guitar'

Credit Myriam Santos / Courtesy of the artist
Rickie Lee Jones' new album, The Devil You Know, is a collection of covers. "I think [I recorded the album] partially to remind people that a singer is the one who interprets the song," she says. "And once you do that, it's yours."

Originally published on Sat September 22, 2012 9:35 am

It takes chutzpah to redo the kind of songs that get labeled as iconic, like The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," or "The Weight' by The Band, or Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." But Rickie Lee Jones has made a career out of surprising p

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Music Interviews
1:03 am
Sat September 22, 2012

Kid Koala: All Roads Lead To The Blues

Credit Corinne Merrell / Courtesy of the artist
Kid Koala's new album is titled 12 Bit Blues.

Originally published on Sat September 22, 2012 9:35 am

Eric San, who goes by the name Kid Koala, plays the blues. But just as Kid Koala isn't a traditional blues name like Blind Lemon Jefferson or Doctor Ross the Harmonica Boss, he isn't a standard blues man.

Kid Koala is a DJ. Big turntables, fast hands, scratching old-fashioned vinyl records — the whole deal. Now, he's taken that DJ equipment and produced a "turntable blues" album titled 12 Bit Blues.

So how did a Canadian DJ discover the blues, exactly? San says it all happened in high school.

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