In Magnolia Springs, Alabama, residents have set up barges with booms attached to stop oil from seeping into Weeks Bay, protecting a 6,000-acre estuary. The town didn't trust the Unified Command's plan to stop the oil from reaching its shores, so residents are taking on the problem themselves. We speak with James Hinton, a volunteer fire chief, who's heading the effort.

After a life in and around the sea, environmental journalist Julia Whitty is watching the Gulf Coast oil disaster with sadness. Her new book, out in July is "Deep Blue Home: An Intimate Ecology of Our Wild Ocean."  She joins us from New Orleans with her thoughts.

We may be living longer, but many people think these are the scariest times humans have ever faced. Author David Ropeik says it takes some work to determine the differences between true dangers and false alarms. His new book, "How Risky Is It Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts," offers some suggestions. Ropeik is a former award-winning TV news reporter, who also teaches at Harvard's continuing education program.

Selling property these days is hard — some buyers can't get mortgages and in some areas, there are a lot of houses on the market. But what happens when a house with a history goes on the market? The house where a multiple murder took place in the 70's is now on the market. We speak to Nick Summers, who has written in Newsweek about the challenges faced by the current owner of "The Amityville Horror" house, which is now for sale.

• Air, "Mike Mills"
• The Wee Trio, "Flint"
• Freddie Hubbard, "Little Sunflower"
• The Lickets, "Meat City"
• Christian McBride, "Brother Mister"
• Lalo Schifrin “Amityville Horror Main Title”