Bob Edwards Weekend Highlights – June 25-26, 2011
HOUR ONE:
Egyptian-American comedian Ahmed Ahmed is back, this time to discuss his new documentary called Just Like Us. He brought fellow stand-ups on a historic tour of the Middle East, with shows in Dubai, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The film is not just about the comedy, but gives a real sense of the people and the places prior to the revolutions which swept through the region.
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Susan Cordell. She grew up in a small town, left as soon as she could, and vowed never to return. But after her mother died, and she returned for the funeral, Cordell found the memories of her childhood pulling her back to that small hometown again and again.
HOUR TWO:
Our favorite ex-con Louis Ferrante is back with a new book called Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman. He shares nuggets of advice good for the boardroom and the backroom such as, “never bad mouth the boss” and “the importance of networking: it’s good to go to a funeral as long as it’s not yours.” Ferrante served eight and a half years in prison and refused to incriminate his associates in the Gambino crime family. Since then he’s gone straight and now lectures groups of at-risk teens across the country.
Ruthie Foster is an up and coming vocalist from central Texas who blends influences from Southern blues, rock, gospel, country and jazz. Her breakthrough CD from 2009 was called The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and her latest project is a DVD and CD called Ruthie Foster Live at Antone’s.