Commentary/Sonia Sotomayor nomination/NPR’s Latino USA an analysis of Sotomayor’s nomination in the context of  the contribution Latinos have made to shaping U.S. jurisprudence

In August 2001 I interviewed Arnulfo Chino a waiter who worked at the World Trade Center. A sound portrait of the Towers, the man who made a life in them and a decision to stay in New York. This is my 9/11 report. 

NPR’s Day to Day: Day Laborers Forge Friendship in Hurricane’s Wake  This is where you end up when cleanup workers like Ruben land without a family or friends. Ruben has copper-colored skin. His nickname, Flaco, is tattooed on his neck and another, the Virgen Guadalupe, the Mexican Virgin Mother, is tattooed on his forearm. And for weeks, he smoked away the hours all alone until he found Myron.

Reservists Prepare to Deploy/ WNYC/PRI/Next Big Thing
A medical exam, shots in the arm, paperwork and drafting a last will and testament. At Fort Dix in New Jersey, 150 reservists went through these final steps before they are sent overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. My question to them: what is the most precious thing you have. Radio report here.

After the Wars radio documentary: Women, Identity, Politics and Power in Today’s Central America

The two decades since the time of heavy conflict in the region have seen profound changes in the role of women. Many women who lost brothers, fathers, or husbands in the fighting were compelled to take on more responsibility. This social dynamic can be seen in the number of women who have entered politics and have taken on leadership positions – from former Nicaraguan president Violeta Chamorro to indigenous rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu. The project’s reporters traveled to El Salvador to document the lives of the people in the small village of Santa Marta, near the Nicaraguan border in the decade since the Salvadoran Peace Accords allowed them to return to their homes. They also spoke to women who supported opposing sides during the war, to bring us a compelling picture of the realities and challenges facing women in present day Central America.