NPR People: Liane Hansen

It's still illegal to import haggis from Scotland, despite reports saying otherwise. There's been a ban on this concoction of sheep meat cooked in a stomach since 1989, when mad cow disease was in the news.

Folks from Michigan's Upper Peninsula — or "Yoopers," as they call themselves — want you to know how lucky they are to live in such a beautiful place, how hard it is to do that, how their jokes about themselves are funnier than anything you've heard — and why you shouldn't move there.

The meat turnovers were brought to Michigan's Upper Peninsula by immigrant miners from Cornwall, England. "Yoopers" — the local population — are very opinionated about them. A pasty isn't just a meal — it's a heritage. Here's the recipe, too.

If there's a Michigan map in your mind, it probably looks like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula — separated from the rest of the state by the Great Lakes — often gets left off the map entirely. While that can be irksome, the remote nature of Michigan's northern section can also insulate it from the rest of the state's economic distress.

Host Liane Hansen talks to Raul Malo, the Grammy-winning performer and former leader of the country-rock band The Mavericks. He performs a few songs from his new album, Lucky One.

Although the family in Apologize, Apologize may seem extreme, author Elizabeth Kelly says they are just "hyper-functional." Amidst the egos, eccentricities and a menagerie of intelligent animals is a quiet story of one boy's coming-of-age.

Tony Award-winning actress Natasha Richardson died this week at the age of 45 after an accident at a Canadian ski resort. Another actress died this week — a woman whose career was also cut short.

Copeland knows the blues, but maintains that singing it doesn't have to be sad. Some of the songs on her new album, Never Going Back, touch on hardship and loss. But she focuses on empowerment instead of wallowing in defeat.

"Take the A Train," the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, was recorded on this day in 1941. Host Liane Hansen looks at the story behind the song.

The state of Kansas has been publicly wrestling with how or whether to teach Darwin's theory of evolution in the public schools. At the University of Kansas, some students are studying biological sciences despite devout Christian faith and a strong belief in the biblical story of creation. They face internal struggles similar to the ones Darwin himself must have felt as he wrestled with his scientific theories about evolution.

Howard University's Showtime Marching Band will be one of six outfits from historically black colleges and universities playing in the inaugural parade for Barack Obama. It is the first time the Washington, D.C., band will perform at an inauguration.

During the presidential campaign, President-elect Barack Obama wasn't the only person hearing jokes about his name. The privilege and curse of sharing a famous name.

Jamie Mangan suffered catastrophic injuries when her Humvee ran over an IED near Kirkuk, Iraq. She still suffers from the effects of brain injuries, but she gets support from Rex, the bomb-sniffing German Shepard she thought had died in the blast, and from her husband, the medic who saved Jamie's life.

If you are a long-time listener, then you've probably noticed that we are producing more interactive multimedia features on Weekend Edition. The addition of blogs, vlogs and Tweets gives us more ways to connect with you.

Between now and the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, we'll be exploring the civil rights milestones that marked the path to the White House.