Fresh Air Weekend
10:58 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: David Alan Grier, Sacha Baron Cohen

Credit Courtesy of the American Repertory Theater
In Porgy and Bess, David Alan Grier plays the drug dealer Sporting Life, a role closely associated with Sammy Davis Jr. and Cab Calloway.

Originally published on Sat May 26, 2012 8:02 am

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:


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Alaska Air DIY Luggage
5:33 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Alaska Airlines Tries Do-It-Yourself Luggage Tagging

Credit Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines will try out a new do-it-yourself luggage tagging system at SeaTac.

Alaska Airlines is trying out a new luggage-tagging system at SeaTac Airport. It relies on customers using new kiosks to weigh their own bags and print out and attach labels. Travelers still must drop off luggage with agents and show I.D. But airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the change should save some time. She says Alaska and its sister carrier Horizon tried out the system last year in Bend.

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69 year old Washington Swimmer
5:05 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

At 69, Northwest Swimmer Says You’re Never Too Old For Gold

Sometimes life hands you disappointment and humiliation. That happened to Suzie Aldrich in a swim meet in college. The Walla Walla native didn’t swim again for nearly 50 years. But in retirement the pool called her back for a re-do. And the results were astonishing.

“They say to invest in gold and I try to do my best," says Suzie Aldrich with a laugh.

"These are all gold medals. I’m Suzie Aldrich and I’m 69 years old. I’m from Walla Walla, Washington and I’m the Eastern Washington, Washington State, Alaska international record holder in backstroke. I’ll see ya at the other end."

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Oregon Kids Mental Healthcare Problems
4:48 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

State Audit Finds Unexplained Gaps In Children's Mental Health Care

Credit HHS.gov / Northwest News Network
Oregon auditors have found that girls under age 13 and Hispanic youth are using using mental health services at a disproportionately low rate.

Oregon needs to do a better job at making sure that low-income children are getting the mental health services they’re eligible for. That's the finding of a new audit by the Oregon Secretary of State's office.

The report applauds the Oregon Health Authority for bringing tens of thousands of additional children into the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan over the past three years.

But auditors found that some groups of children were using mental health services at a disproportionately low rate. They include girls under age 13, and Hispanic youth of all ages.

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UW Grad and Soldier K.I.A.
4:38 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

UW Grad Is Latest Washington-Based Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Credit Andrea Velasquez Kessler / Northwest News Network
2nd Lt. Travis Morgado was “kind and considerate” says his mother.

The cemetery at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be the site of a Memorial Day ceremony to honor fallen service members. A University of Washington graduate is the latest Washington-based soldier to die in Afghanistan.

Army records indicate 25 year old Lt. Travis Morgado is the sixth soldier from the Army post near Tacoma killed in action so far this year.

Just before he deployed in March, Lt. Morgado spoke with NPR’s Martin Kaste outside Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was reacting to news that a fellow soldier, Sgt. Robert Bales, had been accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians.

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The Two-Way
4:14 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Observing Memorial Day

Credit Steven Senne / AP
People walk through a portion of the Boston Common covered with American flags on Wednesday.

Like many Americans, we plan to take Memorial Day off. And while a three-day weekend is always fun, this holiday is a somber one.

We were reminded of that reading an Op-Ed from Tom Manion in today's Wall Street Journal. Manion served in the military for 30 years and his son, Travis Manion, was killed in Iraq when he was just 26-years-old.

Manion delivers an emotional piece that attempts to answer a complex question: Why do they serve?

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The Two-Way
3:53 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

What's In A Smile? Turns Out Computers Best Humans At Parsing What's Genuine

Credit MIT
A study participant smiles for different reasons.

Did you know most people smile when they are frustrated?

Look at this picture:

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
2:51 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Prediction

In a recent speech, Mitt Romney announced there was a list of words he wasn't allowed to say. Our panelists predict what those words are.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
2:51 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Bluff The Listener

Our panelists tell three stories about improving customer service.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
2:51 pm
Fri May 25, 2012

Opening Panel Round

Our panelists answer questions about the week's news: The Greatest Duh-liberative Body in the World.

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