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Linguist Geoff Nunberg contemplates the finer points of punctuation.

NPR's Michele Kelemen has a report from Podolsk on Russian sports hero Alexander Karelin. This giant of the Greco-Roman wrestling scene is going for his fourth Olympic gold in Sydney next month. But he's not just an athlete; he's also a member of the Russian Duma. President Putin's party recruited Karelin last year to boost its public image.

NPR's John Burnett reports from the Mexico border, where, over the last six years, the United States has substantially increased efforts to stop illegal aliens from entering. Burnett accompanies some Border Agents on their rounds, and talks to some of the Patrol's critics. Ranchers in Arizona and Texas are among those who say the thousands of new agents and new technology have done little to stem the flow of illegals.

Nearly a third of the American workforce works a temporary or part-time job, or hires on as an independent contractor. For many workers, these arrangements provide the flexibility and freedom they never had in traditional jobs. But many "free agents" struggle to obtain benefits and professional stability. As David Molpus reports, a new study finds that organizations are emerging to help workers cope with the change, but there are still lots of bumps in the system.

All Things Considered offers a work song for temporary workers that might need an outlet for their pain at having an insecure status in the workforce.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on a California court ruling that an anonymous sperm donor must come forward to testify in a case involving the sperm bank and the parents of a child who now suffers from a genetic kidney disorder.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that anonymous sperm donors do not have an unlimited right to privacy. Robert talks to Ruth Colker, Law Professor at Ohio State University.

A team of four California rock climbers were taken hostage for six days this summer by Islamic rebels in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan before managing to escape. Noah talks to Beth Rodden, a 20-year-old world-class climber from Davis, California, who was a member of the team, about the harrowing adventure.

Jackie Northam of Chicago Public Radio reports that more than two weeks after Firestone began recalling millions of its tires, there's now a desperate scramble for replacements. Fingers of blame are pointing in many directions. Federal investigators say 62 people have died in car accidents that may have been caused by peeling tire treads.

Noah Adams speaks with John Powers, who covers the Olympics for the Boston Globe. Powers has been following the series of arbitration cases by American athletes who say they should not have been passed over for the US Olympic team. Major cases include athletes in wrestling, cycling, and softball. Powers says a lot of the cases involve the way in which athletes are chosen for the teams.