Rundown for 01/02

Gaza
Seven days of Israeli aerial bombardment have battered Gaza and killed some key leaders of the Islamic militant group Hamas. But with Hamas still unbowed and still launching rockets into Israel, an Israeli ground invasion seems more likely every day. We speak with Isabel Kershner, who's covering the story for the New York Times.

Living with Rockets
We hear from Mechi Fendel, who lives in Sderot, Israel for what life is like in the line of Hamas rocket fire. She contributes to the Living With Rockets blog on the Jerusalem Post website.
Living with Rockets Blog

Tuna
The Blue Fin Tuna is the world's most desired fish and the most endangered. So frenzied is the demand for Blue Fin for sushi that a single perfect specimen can net about 395-dollars a pound in Japanese markets. Given that demand researchers estimate the breeding stock in the Western Atlantic is only 20-percent of what it was in the 70's and they fear for the Blue Fin's future. Our guest is Richard Ellis, a biologist and author of "Tuna a Love Story."
Richard Ellis' Web site

MA Marijuana Law
As of today, it is no longer a criminal offence to carry less than an ounce of marijuana in Massachusetts. If caught, the offender would receive a $100 civil citation. The law was passed overwhelmingly by 65% of voters in November, but law enforcement authorities across the state and legal experts say the law is ill-conceived. Many loopholes exist that make it virtually impossible to enforce the law, most notably that you do not legally have to identify yourself to a police officer if caught. We speak to Berkshire Country District Attorney David Capeless about the challenges that lay ahead.

Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder's latest CD, "I, Flathead" is up for a Grammy, so we take advantage of that to revisit our conversation with the legendary guitarist from earlier this year. "I, Flathead" completes a trilogy of records that are rooted in Cooder's native California, and it takes listeners into a bygone world of bygone California filled with hard living, car-racing and seedy dance halls.
Ry Cooder