Floating the Mississippi

Ryan Steiner

It sounds like any child's dream—going down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft. The words of Huckleberry Finn ring in the ears of those who long for such an adventure.

Ryan Steiner was hanging around with some friends and family one night when they decided it was their turn: so they built a raft. Ryan talks with Dick about what it was like to float down the Mississippi and why that trip still means so much to him.

• See photos of Ryan's trip on the Mississippi

Music heard in this story: "Huck Finn" performed by Andrew Burnis for the album Rail to Reel

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Turned Away at the Polls

Kevin Killer

Kevin Killer is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. Shortly after taking a job on a reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D., he noticed how disenfranchised his people were from local politics. So he got involved in political campaigning himself. It was then that he noticed something else: members of his tribe were being turned away at the polls.

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Paralympic Athlete

Elexis Gillette (image courtesy Anna Kwan)

Elexis Gillette is one athlete who can't wait to get to Beijing. He's currently ranked second in the world in the long jump. Elexis is also blind. He's competing in the Paralympics, to be held at the same site as the Olympics - and his events will likely also include the triple jump, the 100 and 200 meters, the 4x100-meter relay, and the 4x400-meter relay.

Wesley Williams

Elexis lost his eyesight in the fourth grade. But he's always been athletic, and this year he's ready to compete against the best in the world. He talks to Dick about what it was like to lose his sight, and he explains exactly how track works for those who can't see.

His trainer Wesley Williams also joins the conversation to explain what he does to help Elexis.

• See a European Levi's ad featuring Lex
• Learn more about the Paralympics

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USS Stark

Tim Gable

Today's story features an event that traces the long history of mistrust between the US and Iraq.

Tim Gable was an Operations Specialist aboard the USS Stark in May 1987. The ship was struck by two Iraqi missiles while he was asleep. He, along with 28 other crew members, were trapped in the berthing spaces where the missiles hit. They faced electric shocks from severed live wires, quickly rising water, fire, and smoke. Tim escaped by jumping into the Gulf, where he swam for nearly twelve hours so that two of his shipmates could use the life rings that had been thrown overboard.

Tim talks with Dick Gordon about how this experience changed his life and the lives of his crew members forever.

• See a photo of Tim in front of the hole where the missile entered the USS Stark
• Read about the incident and see more photos of the USS Stark
• Find out more about the memorial service that will be held this weekend
  

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Your Story - Adoption at Gunpoint

Roger and Ellen Questel

Roger and Ellen Questel wrote in to tell us about a pivotal moment in their lives. It all began when they adopted a little girl, Aline, from Brazil.

The couple discovered that Aline had two sisters still back in Brazil. Roger and Ellen decided to begin the process to bring the other two girls back to the U.S. They arrived in Brazil to attend a hearing, and stayed with a friend. That's where the trouble began. They tell Dick the harrowing story of being held up at gunpoint. Eventually, they were able to get the girls and make it home to safety.

• See photos of the family

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Almost On the Ground

Matt Capobianco - larger >>

Cyclone Nargis hit Burma nine days ago. More than 30,000 people are dead, and just as many are missing. Matt Capobianco's emergency assistance team is waiting for permission from the Burmese authorities to enter the country.

Matt has been involved with disaster relief before - he was on the ground in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr hit in November of 2007. He has seen what it is like for people and for the aid workers who are trying desperately to organize amidst the chaos. Matt's team, GlobalMedic, expects to get on the ground soon to provide aid for those who have survived the deadly cyclone.

• See photos of the aid effort in Bangladesh
• Visit the GlobalMedic website
  

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Family in Pictures

Helen Tsatsos and Yia Yia

Helen Tsatsos has always been interested in her grandmother's Greek heritage. Helen remembers seeing the stiff formal portraits taken of her grandmother when "Yia Yia" was a teenager. On one trip to Greece, Helen wandered into a shop and began looking through old photos. She was shocked to find her own grandmother's eyes looking back at her from the stack. The store was hundreds of miles away from her grandmother's hometown. Helen talks to Dick about how important it was for her to discover this small piece of her heritage.

• See the photo (and a closeup)

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Better Weapons

Anh Duong

You would think that the victims of war would be the last ones to get into the business of inventing new arms.

Anh Duong was a teenage girl in Saigon when she fled from the invasion of Communist forces. She stuffed everything she owned into a little duffle bag and, along with her family, made her way to the US.

Anh is now a weapons designer in Washington. She is responsible for engineering America's first "thermobaric bomb". This bomb is designed to be extra deadly when it is dropped into caves. Anh talks with Dick Gordon about what it is like to have seen war from both sides, and her strong connection to freedom.

• Read an article written about Anh after she won the 2007 National Security Medal
• See a photograph of Anh receiving the medal
• Read an article about US plans to send 7000 more troops to Afghanistan
  

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Brushes with Fame: Dave Brubeck

Michael Rosen

When the Dave Brubeck Quartet was at the height of its popularity, 16-year-old Michael Rosen's parents wouldn't lend him the car. But Michael was determined to see his idol play, and he walked 10 miles to get to the club - when he wasn't even of legal age. Inside the club, he met Dave Brubeck who ended up paying for Michael's Cokes. Michael tells Dick about how his meeting with the jazz great altered the course of his life.

• See a video of The Dave Brubeck Quartet playing their famous hit "Take Five"
• Check out the autographs Michael got at the show
  

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Business Class "Terrorist"

Mohamed "Mo" Fikry

Since 9/11, airline security has tightened dramatically. Few people have felt the tightening more than Mohamed "Mo" Fikry. He's a businessman and likes to joke that he's been on more flights than many pilots. Mo is originally from Egypt, but he's called the United States home for decades.

Mo has twice been accused of being someone he's not—a potential terrorist with plans to bomb aircraft. He talks with Dick Gordon about his experiences at airports and why he's decided to stop flying with one major airline altogether.

• Read more about Mo in the Los Angeles Times

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