Nacho Corbella Multimedia Journalist

For more than 30 years Wayne Oliver was a cable constructor. This job had a great financial return, but little time he had to spend with his family.

When the housing market crashed, new develpments stopped being built. Oliver lost his job and almost all of his possessions. But this situation gave him a second chance, an opportunity to regain what he had lost; his family.

Swept up in the subprime lending mess that is roiling the housing industry in the US, Cynthia Barret McGowan lost her house to foreclosure in May 2008. After having to file bankruptcy, all her savings are lost.

First part of a Multimedia Special on the Mortgage Crisis

Donning a saffron-colored robe, Juttipong Wongpet’s life changes.
He gains a new name and loses the hair on his eyebrows and head. As a 15-day monk, Wongpet is robed for merit, earning favor for his ancestors. Although Wongpet will leave his monk name behind, for a season he will rise above the station of a layman… and bring honor to his family.

Walter O. Hughes (59) is one of the last crabber in Ash Little River, North Carolina. He started when he was a child, following his father's steps. Today, he continues with the tradition, but the rise in oil prices and the depreciation of his products are putting this way of life at risk.

Few men are bold enough to live and work in the extreme conditions that the gauchos of Tierra del Fuego endure everyday. However, this way of life is facing its greatest challenge; a lack of interest from the youth, threatening the ancestral traditions of the gaucho.

Extension 9 is a government housing project that offers shelter to dwellers of squatter camps. Since coming to power, the South African government has built nearly two million units in response to a critical housing shortage. However, many believe their efforts haven't gone far enough.