Since the Iraq war began in 2003, more than 2 million refugees have fled that country. To date, the US has admitted only 466. But last week, Washington announced it would speed up the process for admitting Iraqi refugees. One woman hoping to enter the country is Nour al-Khal. She spoke to Dick Gordon from an undisclosed location, out of concerns for her own safety. She was shot while working with American journalist, Steven Vincent, who was killed in the assassination attempt. 

The Iraq war has already claimed the lives of more journalists than either the war in Vietnam or World War II: 93 so far. So traveling around Iraq as a solo documentary filmmaker may strike some as potentially self-destructive. But that's what Laura Poitras and James Longley did. Each spent years there on their own, filming scenes that at times put their lives in danger.  

Ana Benitez Graham crossed the border from Mexico with her family when she was 13. Because the journey cost so much money, Ana and her siblings all had to get full-time jobs, even when they were in school.

Valerie Fitzenreiter's daughter Laurie never spent a day of of her childhood in a traditional classroom. When she was pregnant with Laurie, Valerie read a book called "Summerhill," about a progressive school in England where students were given such a vast amount of freedom they weren't even obligated to go to class. It changed her philosophy on parenting forever.  

Lorrain Taylor lives in Oakland, California. She lost her twin sons, Albade and Obadiah, to gun violence there. The murders were never solved. Now Lorrain speaks - and sings - to inmates at penitentiaries in an effort to prevent further gun violence. Also in this episode, Linda Powell wrote to us about a moment which she says changed her life. 

Ebrahim Moosa was educated in a madrasa, and has spent the past year visiting madrasas around the world. He feels that the word "madrasa" has become demonized in the west, yet he admits that the world of the madrasa is not without its problems. Also in this episode, one woman's chance meeting with Ralph Fiennes.

Ahmed tells us that right now in Baghdad, events that would normally be fun occasions are now just fractured reflections of the chaos where he lives.                              

This past weekend, 20-year-old Latina violinist Elena Urioste won first prize in The Sphinx Competition, a national contest designed to showcase the talent of minority classical musicians. It's the second win for Elena, and it's made a difference. She has performed with symphony orchestras in Atlanta, Cleveland and Boston. Elena's achievement is precisely what Aaron Dworkin had in mind when he founded the Sphinx Organization.

Celeste Bacchi is a lawyer who represents people condemned to die. She remembers when she got the passion for this work - watching Gregory Peck play Atticus Finch in the movie "To Kill A Mockingbird." Also in this episode, Tricia Lewis.

Four years ago, Dawn and William were newly married, had bought their first house, had good jobs, and were thrilled to have a baby on the way.  Then Dawn fell down the stairs in their home. The accident began a spiral of mounting medical problems which ultimately forced Dawn to stop working. Even with William's health insurance, the bills kept piling up. The couple was managing to scrape by until William's employer eliminated overtime.  Also on this episode, Greg Morelli is the co-owner of a successful restaurant in Chicago.