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Are you better off than you were four years ago? That's the question first posed by Ronald Reagan in 1980, and one that Republicans are again using as one of their main arguments against the re-election of President Obama. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz puts the question to two economists, Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Douglas Holtz-Eakin of the American Action Forum. NPR's Don Gonyea also has the latest from the campaign trail in Florida.

As the NFL regular season opens this weekend, place-kicker Jason Hanson is preparing for his 21st consecutive season with the Detroit Lions. That's a record in the league — no small feat in an industry where a missed kick can cost you your career.

Turkish officials recently arrested several suspected Iranian spies. But these cases are but a pale echo of Turkey's heyday as a mecca for spies. During World War II, Istanbul was a crossroads that swarmed with agents. It has inspired authors from Eric Ambler to John le Carre — a tradition that continues today.

The dilemma, when technology is concerned, has always been whether to buy now or wait for a better, perhaps cheaper, and shinier gadget to come along. So where does that leave you, the consumer?

Michael Chabon's eighth novel, Telegraph Avenue, delves deeply into issues of art, race and sexuality. The book started with a "very tiny world," Chabon says, a vinyl record shop not unlike a Berkeley store that inspired him in the late '90s.

The debate over states' rights versus federal power is as old as our country, but this time the subject of controversy is relatively new. As Americans' views on homosexuality change, more states are stepping up to challenge the federal definition of marriage.

One overlooked part of the convention frenzy was the party platforms. They seemed to cause more embarrassment than excitement at the DNC, where party leaders fumbled at reinserting clauses about Jerusalem and God into their platform. And at the RNC, Rep. John Boehner admitted he'd never even read his party's platform. NPR senior Washington editor Ron Elving joins weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz to talk about the platforms and what — if anything — they mean in 2012.

In The Knockoff Economy, Kal Raustiala and Christopher Sprigman say that in the world of fashion, copycats make styles go in and out of vogue faster. Copying breeds competition, Raustiala says, and that makes clothes cheaper for consumers.

The notorious prison at Bagram Air Base outside Kabul has been officially handed over to Afghan officials by U.S. military officials. But questions remain about whether some of its prisoners — including "high value" Taliban operatives — will remain under U.S. control. Afghan President Hamid Karzai had demanded control of the prison known as the Parwan detention facility before he signs a status of forces agreement with the United States.

Del Mar, Calif., is one of the most popular surfing spots in Southern California. And Sunday it went to the dogs, with the seventh annual dog surfing competition. Hundreds of canines and their owners paddled out, and then the dogs rode the surfboards back to the shore.