About Me

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Journalist and Producer Anita Woodley is from Oakland, California. Formerly she produced stories and was an on-air contributor to the nationally-syndicated public APM radio program, "The Story with Dick Gordon" co-produced by WUNC-FM. Anita's previously worked for other broadcast news organizations such as CNN, KRON-TV, WAGA-TV, KMTP-TV and KCBS-AM.

Anita's Accolades

• 2011/2012– Network Radio -Sports, “After Basketball” (National Association of Black Journalists)
• 2011/2012– Network Radio -Interview/Discussion, “Prison to Life” NABJ
• 2011/2012–Network Radio -Feature, Finalist “The Evolution of Malcolm Shabazz” NABJ
• 2011/2012 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist Grant Recipient, Durham Arts Council
• 2010/2011 – Network Radio -Sports, “Off the Corner” NABJ
• 2010/2011 – Network Radio -Interview/Discussion, “When Living in a Hotel is No Vacation” NABJ
• 2009/10 – Network Radio -Interview/Discussion, “Lessons from a Dropout” NABJ
• 2008 – Harry Chapin Media Award- Radio: Hunger and Poverty Coverage, “A New Life in a Foreclosed Home”
• 2008/2009 – Network Radio -Interview/Discussion, “Playground to Prison” NABJ
• 2008/2009 – Network Radio -Sports, “Courage on the Court” NABJ
• 2006 – Harry Chapin Media Award- Radio, Finalist “Gift of a Loan”
• 2001 – EMMY® Award, “CNN Exceptional Coverage on 9/11” NATAS
• 2000 – Francia Young Memorial Award “Most Promising Minority Journalist, Community
Leader and Scholar for exceptional work as a Journalist” SFSU/BECA Dept.
• 2000 – Recognition as a pioneer with contributions for others to follow, EOP/SFSU
• 2000 – Academic Excellence/All-University Undergraduate Honors/Magna Cum Laude, SFSU
• 1999 – Golden Key National Honor Society, Lifetime Member

Friday, March 27, 2009

KNOCK OUT THERAPY

Stacy-Nakell-2.jpgStacy Nakell >>More

It takes an inner toughness to keep a job these days, and Stacy Nakell has one of the toughest jobs there is. She's a social worker. But she has an extra edge when she tells women that they can find the courage to stand up to a violent person in their lives. Stacy is a boxer in her off-hours.

Stacy had made a bet with her boyfriend when she walked into a gym for the first time. To Stacy’s surprise, competition also allowed her to confront her difficult childhood and mend a strained relationship with her father. Dick Gordon talks to Stacy about her passion for the sport of boxing and about how her time in the ring has transformed her approach to her work.

  • See images from Stacy’s first bout with rival Tiffany
  • See images from Stacy’s second bout with rival Tiffany

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

What's Gender got to do with it?

Beverly-Kennedy-crop.jpgBeverly Kennedy

Beverly Kennedy decided she wanted a career in law enforcement. The trouble was, this was the early 70's in Boston, and the cops weren't hiring women to walk a beat. Beverly didn't take "no" for an answer, and built a career defending herself and other people. Beverly talks to Dick Gordon about how a tense moment with a male colleague motivated her to become a lawyer and eventually a domestic victim service worker.

(ADVANCE TO SECOND INTERVIEW)

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Tuesday, March 17 2009

Bearing Witness In Congo

AnnekeAnneke Van Woundenberg

Reports suggest that war-torn regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo have recently experienced a period of calm. But people who live and work there know how tragic the situation still is. Anneke Van Woundenberg is a human rights investigator. She travels to remote villages and interviews witnesses and victims of brutal attacks. Anneke says though the witness accounts can be heartbreaking, she's still optimistic about Congo's future. She talks with Dick Gordon about her latest trip to Congo, when she met one man who saw the decimation of his village - and watched on a screen in a crowded church as the International Criminal Court prepared to try one of Congo's rebel leaders for war crimes.


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Thursday, March 12, 2009

Friday, September 19 2008 - Pushing Drugs

Shahram AhariShahram Ahari

Shahram Ahari believes that the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and doctors can compromise the health of patients. Shahram knows what he's talking about: he was a drug rep with Eli Lilly, where he learned how to entice doctors with gifts, slanted statistics, and psychological profiles. He even earned the nickname "safe cracker" for getting into the offices of doctors who avoided sales people like him.

Shahram tells Dick Gordon why his selling techniques worked. He also recounts the crisis of conscience that led to his quitting the industry.

  • Learn more about how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing
  • Watch Shahram describe how he sold the drugs

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Monday, September 22 2008 - Lessons from '29

(SECOND INTERVIEW)

Mary Jane YoungMary Jane Young

Mary Jane Young still has vivid memories of the 1929 crash. Her father had been a successful real estate builder in New York and had also bought stocks. He eventually lost everything.

Mary Jane talks to Dick about watching their belongings, including her playhouse, auctioned off on their front lawn - just hours before her family became homeless.

Mary Jane baby 1Mary Jane then - more >>

Mary Jane says it was a lullaby her mother sang that helped her through their move from a park bench to an abandoned house.


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Thursday, October 09 2008 - HEART matters

David BassDavid Bass

The presidential candidates are seeking support for their proposed health care plans, citing rising costs across the board. This year, uninsured Americans are expected to spend $30 billion on out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Musician David Bass was born with heart problems and later required a heart transplant to save his life. But he was turned down by his doctor for care because he lacked health insurance. He talks to Dick Gordon about how he navigated the Medicaid system to get on the transplant waiting list.

Rebecca PorterRebecca Porter - see their family

His wife Rebecca Porter also joins the conversation. She says David's heart problems sparked her interest in nursing. Now that the family has medical benefits, she says, her family's outlook on the future has changed.


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Friday, October 10 2008 - Still A Target

Friday, October 10 2008 - Still A Target

Geo VaughnThis week marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming. Over the last year, violence against gay people has increased 24 percent.

Geo Vaughan has found out how hate-motivated attacks against the gay community are thriving. In August, Geo was looking for a nightclub in the Chelsea district of Manhattan - an area known to be gay-friendly. When he got a bit lost, he asked a group of young men for directions. They assaulted him when they realized he was gay.

Geo talks to Dick Gordon about being gay bashed and how speaking out against it has changed his life.


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(SECOND INTERVIEW)

Kimberly Esmond AdamsKimberly Esmond-Adams

Among the tough jobs people choose as professions, there's one that no one really want to think about: prosecutors of serious crimes against women and children.

Kimberly Esmond-Adams became a prosecutor in 2002. She says that the work is hard because the kinds of things that the people are accused of is hard for most of us to believe. Kimberly talks with Dick Gordon about how she manages to control her anger in cases where a family member is accused of raping a child and why she decided to become a prosecutor against her father's wishes.


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Wednesday, October 15 2008- FOLLOW-UP: Small Business Roller coaster


Alice EvansAlice Evans

The presidential candidates have added details to their economic proposals. It's likely they'll discuss small business loans in tonight's debate.

In June, Chef Alice Evans' restaurant was destroyed during the floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She spoke with Dick Gordon about her high hopes of reopening her year-old catering business. Now the economy has taken a dive, and Alice may have to sell her home to repay her outstanding back loans.

Alice talks to Dick Gordon about how being ineligible for business loans caused her to lose a $50,000 grant - and how much that kind of assistance could help her recover.


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Thursday, October 16 2008-Tough job - Drumming up Real Estate


Zach FinnZach Finn

The foreclosure rate in Florida is three times the national average. But Ft. Lauderdale realtor and developer Zach Finn is ignoring the numbers. He has opened a new office and is even throwing upscale cocktail parties to lure buyers. He talks to Dick about how parties and international investors are keeping his business afloat.


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Wednesday, October 22 2008 - LEAVING FOR HEALTH CARE

(DOUBLE FEATURE)

Barbara CalderOf all the issues in this election season, the issue of health care is of utmost importance to Barbara Calder. She's been unable to qualify for health insurance since she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. Now, Barbara is selling her home in Colorado and making plans to move her family abroad. As she tells Dick Gordon, having the disease has changed her view of health care in the U.S. As a dual citizen, she thinks she'll be able to get better care in Belgium.


COUNSELing the housing crisis

MaryEllen De Los SantosOne woman is very busy in these tough economic times. MaryEllen De Los Santos counsels homeowners who are facing foreclosure. Most have already fallen behind on their mortgage payments by the time they call, and she says many have serious problems managing their money. MaryEllen tells Dick she's found lenders more difficult to work with since the bailout, but she's still managing to help people hold on to their homes.

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Monday, November 03 2008 -Voting as a Family

(THIRD INTERVIEW)

Kyle and Kim Allen-KiesenKyle and Kim Allen-Niesen

The Allen-Niesen family loves politics. In fact, Kim Allen-Niesen has used games like "Debate Bingo" and predicting Super Tuesday winners on tally sheets to creatively engage her children. But this election is more than a game for her 14-year-old son Kyle. He managed to convert three conservative Republicans to vote for Barack Obama in the primary election - his grandmother and two church youth leaders. Kyle talks to Dick about his mission to convert Republicans to vote for Obama. And his mother Kim shares how this presidential election has strengthened their family bond.

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(SECOND INTERVIEW)
Monday, November 10 2008 - Dangerous Job: Taxi Driver

Roy Carlson Jr.Roy Carlson more photos >>

Assaults and robberies of taxi drivers are on the rise. Cab drivers are 60 times more likely to be murdered than people doing any other job.

Cabbie Roy Carlson was nearly killed last spring when a teenage passenger attacked him. After she refused to pay the fare, the 15-year-old girl cut Roy's throat and nearly severed his carotid artery. She was released from a juvenile facility after serving only 3 months.

Roy talks with Dick Gordon about his split-second decision to chase the girl after being attacked - and how his view of passengers has changed.

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Thursday, November 13 2008 - Rethinking HydroPower

Thursday, November 13 2008 - Rethinking HydroPower

Fred-Ayers-crop.jpgFred Ayer

Politicians are all talking about alternative sources of energy. One such energy source is hydroelectric power, something Fred Ayer knows a lot about. Fred is a fisheries expert who's been involved with hydroelectric projects for decades. After emotional court battles over dam construction took a personal toll on him, Fred started consulting with environmental groups.

He talks to Dick Gordon about how he now uses his expertise to bring together opposing sides. Recently, he helped negotiate the successful purchase of three dams along the Penobscot River.


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Friday, November 21 2008 - BLUES OF HIS OWN

(SECOND INTERVIEW)

Drew QuestellAndrew Questell larger >>

Like the blues masters who preceded him, Andrew Questell has been playing the blues since he was just a kid - 10 years old. He's now 14.

Drew talks with Dick about how he got into this kind of music and how his skill is catching the attention of local blues enthusiasts. Drew even had the opportunity to play with one of the musicians he's always admired, John Dee Holeman.

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Monday, November 24 2008 - BEYOND THE GANG

Danny MoraDanny Mora more photos >>

These days news coverage is glued to economic woes. But difficult economic times filter down to the streets, and police say they are facing a worrisome increase in gang activity.

Danny "Big Dan" Mora once roamed the streets of East Oakland, Calif., as a gang member. Danny Mora now is a senior at the University of California at Berkeley with plans to attend Harvard next year. Danny believes it is important to not leave the community. In fact, he mentors young people, encouraging them to stay out of gangs.

Danny talks to Dick Gordon about why older gang leaders grant him permission to recruit younger members off the streets - and why he believes weathering the violence in his old neighborhood will create positive change.


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Monday, December 01 2008 - Latinos and HIV

Joe ZamoraJoe Zamora

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Among the many groups struggling to slow the spread of the virus are Latinos. In Los Angeles County, they make up almost half of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases.

After he found out he was HIV positive at 17, Joe Zamora became an activist for gay Latinos and people with HIV in the Los Angeles area. He believed he was making a measurable difference, but a year ago, Joe became disillusioned after seeing healthy Latinos with HIV become overly dependent on social services and purposely having unprotected sex. He talks with Dick Gordon about how sex parties and AIDS myths in the Latino community are fueling the spread of the virus.


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Monday, December 08 2008 - Forgiving Child Soldiers

Forgiving Child Soldiers

Janet SumoJanet Sumo

Rebel leaders in eastern Congo are adding thousands of new fighters to their ranks. Many of them are children, taken forcibly from their families and trained to kill.

Janet Sumo spent a lot of time with child soldiers when she was younger, and she's been angry ever since. As a young teenager in Liberia's first civil war, she became so disillusioned from adults, she began spending her time with child soldiers. She saw them commit unspeakable acts of brutality.

It was only recently, after reading the memoir of a former child soldier, that Janet was able to forgive. Janet says her stories are horrifying to tell and to remember. As she tells Dick Gordon, she hopes to one day heal herself, by becoming a doctor.


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Wednesday, December 10 2008 - LESSONS FROM A DROPOUT

Lessons From a Dropout

Gerrin HayesGerrin Hayes Craig ZenoCraig Zeno

Among many other concerns in a faltering economy is the dropout rate - in some U.S. cities, as many as half of entering freshmen fail to graduate. Policy makers say that means we'll have fewer educated minds to grapple with economic problems, and an increased burden for social services.

Twenty-year-old Gerrin Hayes just dropped out of high school. He says growing up in a crack house made it impossible to focus on studying. But Gerrin still has hope. He has a mentor, Craig Zeno, who once was a dropout himself, and he makes a strong case for the value of school.

Gerrin tells Dick Gordon why it's still important to him to earn a high school diploma. And Craig talks about how working with tough cases like Gerrin's motivates him to keep doing this work.

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Wednesday, December 17 2008 - Helping Coach

Craig and Coach 1Craig Dudnick and Coach more photos >>

When Craig Dudnick first met Mrs. Viola Hillsman, he was just 19. He was a student at Northwestern University - she was the 76-year-old cook in his fraternity house. The two became close friends, and Craig came to depend on Mrs. Hillsman's advice. In fact, he and the other frat boys had nicknamed her "Coach."

A few years after he graduated, Craig found himself back in Chicago, needing a place to stay. He moved into Coach's basement and soon realized she needed his help. Her husband died, and eventually she developed dementia. Craig ended up caring for Coach for 20 years.

He talks with Dick Gordon about what he learned from Coach, and how their close friendship changed his life.


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Thursday, December 18 2008 - TV Shopping


Meg FavreauMeg Favreau

We are headed into one of the diciest holiday shopping seasons in recent memory. Will consumers open their wallets or not?

Meg Favreau knows what makes people buy. Meg worked for a television shopping channel. She talks with Dick about how she got sucked into the vortex of TV commercialism and why she didn't stop customers who were bitten by the bargain bug.


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Friday, December 26 2008 - Permanent House Swap

Sherry Crosslin and Jerry StussmanSherry Crosslin and Jerry Stussman

With the dramatic rise in foreclosures, some people have gotten creative with how they buy and sell their homes. Sherry Crosslin and Jerry Stussman took a novel route: They swapped houses.

Sherry's property was nestled along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. She tried to sell her house the traditional way but got no responses. So she went online with the idea of trading homes. A week later, Jerry got in touch with her and they made a deal.

Dick Gordon talks to both Sherry and Jerry about their house swap - and how they figured out they could trust one another.


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Tuesday, December 30 2008 - Coming to America

Tuesday, December 30 2008 - Coming to America

Mawi Asgedom Mawi Asgedom immigrated to the United States from Sudan after living in a refugee camp for four years. He says before coming to the States, his family lived in a small hut made of straw and mud, surrounded by thousands of other refugees. Although those years in the camp were difficult, his father always found a way to make people laugh. As the family adjusted to life in the American suburb they moved to, however, Mawi says he eventually watched his father's resiliency fade into the background.

Mawi tells Dick Gordon about the funny and embarrassing moments of the family's immigration, and how his view of his father changed.



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Wednesday, December 31 2008 - Aging WITH HIV

Dennis and Larry - headshotDennis Golay and Larry Gibson - larger >>

Drugs that combat HIV have prolonged millions of lives. But for some older people, these drugs are also making them age faster.

Larry Gibson and Dennis Golay are in their 60s. They've been together for 27 years, and both have felt the side effects from their medications. Dennis lost his teeth, had a heart attack and developed a humped back. Larry's skull protruded outwards and he's undergone numerous facial injections. Despite their wavering health, Larry and Dennis have outlived 60 of their closest friends.

They talk with Dick Gordon about how they maintain their optimism - and how a pact they made two decades ago keeps them moving forward.


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Thursday, January 01 2009 - Hail Mary Football

(DOUBLE FEATURE)
Thursday, January 01 2009 - Hail Mary Football

Don and JohnDon Stancavish and John Fenimore

Playing in a New Year's Day bowl game is the pinnacle of success for college football players. Don Stancavish never played college football, but he vividly remembers the catch of his life as a high school wide receiver. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass against his school's arch rival with just seconds on the clock.

Twenty-four years later, the same ball he caught showed up in a package on his front porch. Don talks to Dick Gordon about what it felt like to have a piece of his youth handed back to him.

Don's former coach, John Fenimore, also joins in the conversation. He talks about highlights from the game and why he returned the football.


AFRICAN JAZZ

Somi-headshotSomi - larger>>

Since she was a child, Somi has used music to explore her identity as a Rwandese-Ugandan who grew up in the United States. Somi identifies deeply with her cultural roots, especially the idea she was taught while very young: that everyone has a song worth hearing. Somi specializes in jazz music. Her latest album is Somi: Red Soil in my Eyes. Dick talks to Somi about how her intercontinental family helps inspire her music.

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Friday, January 16 2009 - Beyond Civil Rights

Friday, January 16 2009 - Beyond Civil Rights

Gloria RichardsonGloria Richardson facing troopsGloria Richardson, credit Joe Fitzgerald. Below, facing National Guard troops larger>>

One woman named on the program of the 1963 March on Washington never got to speak.

Gloria Richardson was a well-known confrontational activist from Cambridge, Md. She successfully fought there for equal economic and social rights for all African-Americans citizens. But when she stood at the podium at the march, she says the microphone was taken away: she was seen as too radical.


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Monday, January 19 2009 - Dedicated to the Proposition: One Woman Sings

(DOUBLE FEATURE)
Monday, January 19 2009 - Dedicated to the Proposition: One Woman Sings

Dr_-Bernice-Johns-Reagon_crop.jpgDr. Bernice Johnson Reagon >>More

Today we continue our series of stories that explores what the inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow means for those who actively fought for civil rights.

Yesterday, Barack Obama spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and recalled the words Martin Luther King spoke at the March on Washington. Bernice Johnson-Reagon performed at the 1963 March on Washington with the Freedom Singers. The day before the march, they finished a gig in California and took a red-eye flight to D.C. Bernice says although she was not nervous, she was overwhelmed by the large number of people who decided to come to one place and take a massive stance against racism.

One Story from the Crowd

Donna-Perkins-Potts-crop.jpgDonna Perkins-Potts

Yesterday at the inauguration festivities, actor Samuel L. Jackson talked about the March on Washington. He said that the power of the march came from the fact that so many ordinary people attended it. Donna Perkins-Potts was one of those ordinary Americans. She was only 17 years old in 1963. After hearing Dr. King's speech, Donna returned to her semi-segregated college motivated to create change.


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Tuesday, January 20 2009 by - A Summer with the King Family

Gurdon BrewsterGurdon Brewster - photo: Jeffrey Foote

Gurden Brewster spent time with the family of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was a young man. In the summer of 1961 when he was a seminary student, Gurdon volunteered to work at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He stayed with Dr. King's father, Daddy King.

As a white northerner in the South, Gurdon struggled with two kinds of discrimination that summer - from both African-American parishioners and his fellow white clergymen. He talks with Dick Gordon about his many close conversations with Daddy King over the breakfast table - and what it's like to watch today's inauguration having been through the civil rights movement.


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Thursday, January 22 2009 -A View From Inside

(SECOND INTERVIEW)
Thursday, January 22 2009 -A View From Inside
PROJECT CLINIC.jpgEarl Echard

Earl Echard also remembers segregation. He grew up having to sit on hard, straight chairs in the back of the doctor's office as a kid - only white people could sit in the waiting room. Earl grew up to become a physician assistant, and has chosen to spend his career working in low income housing areas and prisons. As he tells Dick, Earl is less optimistic that having an African American president will improve life for the many young African Americans born to disadvantage.

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Friday, January 23 2009 -Building a Promise

Friday, January 23 2009 -Building a Promise

Ochieng_Milton Oludhe.JPGMilton Ochieng

Milton Ochieng grew up in a rural part of Kenya. Even as a youngster, he was aware that people in his community frequently died of preventable diseases. Milton’s father planned to lessen those odds by opening a local health clinic. But before they could lay the first brick his father died unexpectedly.

Milton talks to Dick Gordon about the rocky road to fulfilling his father’s dream. Milton has finished medical school in the U.S., and he has moved back to Kenya to open a medical clinic there.

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Wednesday, February 04 2009- Your Story- A HORSE IN THE PROJECTS

(SECOND INTERVIEW)Wednesday, February 04 2009- Your Story- A HORSE IN THE PROJECTS

Aretha Aretha Crout

Aretha Crout was only 14 years old when she saved enough money to buy a horse. The catch was that she didn’t have her parents' permission and she lived in the Northern Long Beach projects. Aretha tells Dick Gordon how she used a tense moment with her new pet to help other children from the projects change their behavior.

  • See a photo of Aretha riding her first horse, Naya
  • Read about her organization, Pawsabilities

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Monday, February 23, 2009- Saving Each Other

Monday, February 23 2009 - Saving Each Other

Pat-Harris-crop.jpgPatricia and Pat Harris

Researchers are just beginning to understand how active duty combat affects women and men differently. One thing they have learned is that female soldiers are more likely to experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Pat Harris served in the first Gulf War and came home with classic signs of PTSD. She would crack the windows to find enemies and shop online to avoid the supermarket meat aisle. But while Pat was gone, her then 9-year-old daughter Patricia was going through trauma as well - in her case, at the hands of an abusive caregiver. The two women talk with Dick Gordon about how they helped one another reintegrate to normal life.

  • Learn more about the organization Pat Harris founded to help women veterans
  • Music in this story: My Girl by Laurence Juber for the album Pop Goes Guitar

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Friday, March 06 2009 - To Save a Horse

To Save a Horse - Friday, March 06 2009

claire.jpgdiane.jpgClaire Pass (above) Diane Branton and Quervo (below) <

The poor economy is forcing thousands of horse owners to give up their companions and, in some cases, euthanize them. When Diane Branton’s work hours were cut and gas prices rose, she could no longer afford to feed her horses. After 25 years of caring for Poncho and Quervo, Diane had to make a painful call. She asked a horse rescue center to take both horses and euthanize them at a free clinic.

Claire Pass of the Norcal Equine Rescue also joins the conversation. Claire says that although Poncho was euthanized because of poor health, financial help arrived in the nick of time for Quervo and he was reunited with Diane. Dick Gordon talks with Claire, Diane and Cheryl Austin, the woman who volunteered to financially support Quervo for the rest of his life.


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