Not being a hunter myself, I wondered how much I could to relate to a story about the decline of hunting culture in Vermont. Surprisingly, this simple montage of voices helped me appreciate the sense of loss felt by these hunters. One woman talks about how meaningful it was to learn hunting skills from her parents, and her disappointment that her children are not interested in learning them from her. A man talks about how deer hunting tunes you into nature and your surroundings, and another about the bond hunters develop with land on which they hunt. In a very short time, this piece gave me insight into a culture that has always been foreign to me.

Paradise Lost is a sobering documentary about the poor conditions in Haiti, and the government?s inability to improve the quality of life for its people. Healthcare, poverty, corruption, crime, and lack of services all are addressed by the reporter and the experts (mostly from Non Governmental Organizations) who appear in the piece. As one might expect, the picture is very bleak, although the report manages to highlight a couple of encouraging developments. The reporter?s narration is competent, if a little formal, and the report does a good job of providing history and context to today?s situation. Where the piece falls short however is in building compelling scenes, and including the voices of ordinary (non ?expert?) Haitian people. There is a powerful scene near the top of the story at a maternity ward, and I found myself wanting to hear more first-hand experiences such as this, rather than the analyses of professionals. Nevertheless, it?s important that Haiti not be forgotten even though it?s not in the headlines these days.

This is a Columbus Day special made up of stories, music and poetry from several Native American tribes in the American West. The strongest element is a sound piece by Jessie Boggs about the revival of canoe building in the Pacific Northwest. The narration and sound succeed in taking me to these waters, and the actualities convey the importance of the canoe tradition in maintaining Native language, community, and family identity. This special also features poetry, a nice variety of music, and two compelling essays about poverty and prisons from a Native American perspective. The issue I have with this show is that while individual elements are good radio, it doesn?t hold together as a whole. There is no theme that unites these pieces, and the host transitions don?t create a narrative thread. The host?s writing is sometimes clich?d and no real connection is made between the show and Columbus Day. Despite this shortcoming, there are several individual pieces worth considering for rebroadcast.

This is a fun story. Two students at Stanford University set out to discover why a lake on their campus which years ago played host to skinny dipping, bonfires and windsurfing, is now a muddy hole. The simple answer to their question is an endangered salamander that lives in the lake, but the story turns unexpectedly complex as the students learn that the salamander is preventing worse things from occurring there. This piece works because it captures the maturing, albeit in a small way, of these two college students into people with a more complex understanding of the world around them. The reporters? voices work well, as does the writing and sound; in one scene they try to record what salamanders hear at the lake. Music is used playfully even if somewhat predictably, and the actualities add information and texture. This piece could have been a bit shorter, and there are a couple of transitions in the storyline that aren?t quite convincing, but it?s generally a good ride.

Setting out to make a radio documentary about something as visual and static as bridges is definitely taking on a challenge. And while this piece from Radio Netherlands effectively communicates the reporter?s passion for these structures, it doesn?t quite succeed on other levels. The narration is competent, and the interviews touch on several interesting themes--bridges as a source of national pride, bridges as key to the economy of Holland, the effect of computers on bridge design?but they only touch on them. I wanted to hear least some of these ideas developed more thoroughly. The structural backbone of the piece is a contest to build a small bridge out of compressed sand, a scene that is revisited several times over the course of the story. While this is a creative device, the event doesn?t provide the drama necessary to pull the piece together. Between visits to the contest are a series of interviews with bridge historians, engineers and architects. Each person makes an interesting point or two, but in the end they were not particularly compelling characters. The use of sound and the mix were competent, but could have been used more artfully to enhance the story.

There are two stories worth considering from this weekly Native American news magazine. The first is about Equine Therapy, using horses to treat people with substance abuse and emotional problems, and it begins at 6:35 into the show. The piece explains the history and cultural importance of horses to the Southern Ute Tribe, and also points out that early indications are that horsemanship is helping patients acquire self confidence and coping skills. I like the topic quite a bit, but this piece does have its faults. The reporter?s narration and writing are not very conversational, and there are several audible edits. Most importantly, there is no scene of one of these therapy sessions. Hearing an instructor teaching these skills would have helped me understand how and why this is an effective program. Despite these shortcomings, I found myself intrigued by Equine Therapy in a Native context, and wanting to learn more about it.

The second feature is about homosexuality in Native America, and it presents a refreshingly different perspective on the subject of same sex marriage. In many Native cultures, gays are referred to as Two Spirited because they have special access to both the male and female worlds. They are treated with respect and given great responsibility by the community. The reporter puts together an effective narrative that features a lesbian spiritual leader from Phoenix. The writing is clear and the narration is relaxed and inviting. One element that I found lacking was the audio quality of the interviews. The microphone should have been closer to the speaker and the interviews conducted in places with less background noise. Still, the content makes me pay attention. This 5-minute piece begins at 17:30 into the show.