Swimming for the Rivers
Tuesday, July 28 2009
Swimming for the Rivers
Christopher Swain
About ten years ago, Christopher Swain developed a crush on a river. He was living in Eugene, Oregon and became fascinated with the Columbia River, which runs from the wilds of Canada into the Pacific Ocean northwest of Portland. When Lewis and Clark explored the Pacific Northwest, the river was 'clear at any depth', no pollution, no dams, and full of fish. Christopher saw that the river had been abused and contaminated over the years, and wanted to do something to help.
He decided to swim the entire length of the river to draw attention to its plight. He went on to swim other bodies of waters he loves - the Hudson and Charles Rivers, and Lake Champlain - and is now swimming down the Atlantic coast. Janet Babin talks with Christopher about swimming in the shadow of nuclear power plants, close encounters with wildlife, and why doing these crazy swims might make a difference.
The Forest Hill Fiasco
Don Foshee
Vesta Foshee died peacefully in the early hours of July 1, 2006. Her son, Donald, who cared for her in her final years, thought he had one less care when he called the funeral home that morning. Vesta had prepaid her funeral expenses in 1979. Don found, instead, that his burdens were just beginning. Clayton Smart, the new owner of Forest Hill Funeral Home, had decided that very day to invalidate over 13,000 prepaid funeral plans. As he tells Dick, Don is still struggling with the repercussions of that decision. This story originally aired on November 26, 2008.
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