As Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces crackdown violently on protestors, Libyans all over the world watch to see what will become of their loved ones and their country. Amjad Tarsin's parents are ardent opponents of the dictator. They were scared they'd pay the ultimate price for their opposition and moved to the U.S. But they always swore they'd return to their homeland once Qaddafi left power.

After Lara Logan was sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square, more women reporters have been talking about sexual assault on the job. Pippin Ross was once a regular voice on NPR shows. While reporting on a story in 2000, she was brutally raped and began a downward slide that ended in prison. There, she began to identify the close connections between addiction, sexual violence and the kinds of crimes that land women in prison.

Tim DeChristopher is on trial this week for “monkey wrenching” a federal oil and gas auction. When he heard about an auction of drilling leases for 150,000 acres of public land in Southern Utah, he attended the auction, got a paddle, and began to bid. Soon he had secured leases worth over 1.5 million dollars, and he didn’t have the money. Does Tim deserve to go to jail as a felon? He joins Dick to talk about his case.

The work of the Wisconsin Senate has been paralyzed for a second week as 14 Democratic lawmakers remain out of state, refusing to return and take part in legislation that would curtail the bargaining rights of public sector unions. The most dramatic disappearance of lawmakers was in the late spring, 1979, in Texas. Senator Carl Parker and his fellow Democrats - nicknamed the Killer Bees - hid for five days to avoid controversial legislation.

A former leader of the gang Asian Boyz was in a Los Angeles courtroom last week, while lawyers argued about the need for a death sentence in his case. Gangs remain a serious issue, and Aqeela Sherrills understands that well. After spending time with a gang as a teenager, he’s now a peacemaker - trying to argue for a lasting truce among rivals. Aqueela’s commitment to peace was tested when his own son was murdered.

Two months ago today, a gunman shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at point blank range. It’s a kind of miracle that she survived the shooting. Brendan Kehoe knows much of what is ahead for Representative Giffords. Brendan was 23 years old when he was in a terrible car wreck. He had three brain surgeries, and has since recovered. Also in this episode, Leon Fleisher was the perfect pianist. As a child prodigy, he played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16. Then, at his prime, he lost the use of two fingers on his right hand.

Dick talks with Alma Cousin who was a real-life maid in Jackson during the time of the The Help’s setting, along with Elizabeth Hays, one of the white children she cared for. Also in this episode, By day, “The Lady Aye” works as a copywriter for a major department store in New York City. But by night, she is one of the world’s few female sword swallowers.

Shana & Matthew Onigman did everything in their power not to be a foreclosure  statistic. When they bought their fixer-upper home, they planned to slowly make repairs. Within weeks, they watched nearly everything fall apart - pipes burst, floorboards collapsed and termites poured into the kitchen. Friends and family recommended Shana and Matthew walk away. Instead, they've torn the house completely down and they are rebuilding on the same spot.

Also in this episode, Rik Palieri wrote to say: “I thought you might enjoy this story of how a chance meeting with Pete Seeger changed my life.”

The brackets that frame March Madness will be distributed this weekend. And the drumbeat that takes us to the National Championship in college basketball will begin in earnest. Nolan Richardson coached the Arkansas Razorbacks to several Final Fours and one NCAA national championship in 1994. But as successful as his career has been, Coach Richardson says he's faced racial discrimination at every step of the way. Also in this episode, coach Buzz Ridl's son Jack.

Thomas Buergenthal was a judge in the International Court, and when he was a young boy, he was a victim of Holocaust atrocities. Also in this episode, Harry Bernstein wrote his first memoir at age 97. He's now 100. Plus, Sue Perna.

A year ago, Adam Pinkert headed to Robinson Crusoe Island, a sparsely-populated eco tourist spot, in what Adam calls "the Galapagos of Chile." He awoke in the middle of the night to rumbling and rising water coming into his third floor hotel room. Adam tells Dick Gordon about his escape from the tsunami that destroyed the village of 700 people and the island's only town. Also in this episode, when Larry Whitlow hears about tsunami warnings, he can't help but remember the terrifying experience he had after the Indonesian quake in December 2004. Plus, David Brooks shares his story involving Johnny Cash and his grandmother Winafred.

Ritsuko Robinson grew up in her family’s inn on the bay in Kesennuma, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. She lives in the U.S. now, but she was planning to go back for an important family ceremony this April. Since the tsunami, though, she’s had only spotty contact with family members, and she’s sure the most cherished family possession - the inn - has been destroyed.

Bill Scranton was on his way to a press conference when he got word about an incident at Three Mile Island. As Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, he was one of the people facing the cameras, responsible for making sense of conflicting statements and informing a panicked population. Looking at what's happening in Japan, he's thinking about what he learned from a nuclear crisis. Also in this episode, Joan Brill tells the story of her father's friendship with Albert Einstein.

Jim Ansara made millions after he sold his construction company in 2006. Now he spends most of his time involved in charity work, but writing checks is not enough. His latest project is building the first new hospital in Haiti since the quake hit. Once the new hospital is finished, it's slated to be the most advanced training hospital in the country. Also in this episode, Marti al Fakhir is a doctor who's been doing emergency medicine in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya. Plus, Richmond Shaw.

 Four years ago a tornado tore into Greensburg, Kansas, flattening the town. Greensburg is now back, stronger and greener, but the more private story is that it’s a lot harder to bounce back when the people you love are gone. Dick Gordon speaks with two residents of the town, Bob Dixson and Norm Volz, about how to rebuild when all seems lost. Also in this episode, a musical memory from Nanci Griffith, plus Delsie Bailey shares the story of her daughter Faith.

During the summer of 1986, Sergei Belyakov was a 30-year-old Soviet army reservist who became a Chernobyl 'liquidator,' spending 40 days at the contaminated reactor during the dangerous clean-up efforts.

The new film Miral is generating all kinds of controversy – as most films about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict do. The movie is based on the novel written by Rula Jebreal, inspired by her own life. Rula got caught up in the first intifada, a time when Palestinian children were throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. Rula was arrested and friends of hers were killed. Rula tells Dick Gordon how she escaped the violence and became an advocate for peace. Also in this episode, Ignacio Varchausky is a musician from Buenos Aires.

The news from Japan’s nuclear reactors remains mixed and questions about the safety of food, milk and tap water abound. These are familiar and disturbing issues for Keiko Ogura. Keiko survived the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. She now opposes nuclear power. Dick talks with Keiko about what she’s thinking now that her country faces another nuclear threat. Also in this episode, Musician Laurelyn Dossett. Plus, Mariana Sadowska.

For the last two years, we've been telling the story of Mogadishu with the help of a young man there, Abdi. We've heard about his family splintering, the bullet holes in his roof and the bombs that explode on his way to school. Today, our news is that Abdi is leaving Mogadishu. Also in this episode, Gordon Hempton is looking for One Square Inch of Silence - not a place lacking in sounds, but rather a place on the planet where the sounds of nature are allowed to be heard.

Duane Chapman is a researcher with the US Geologic Survey exploring high tech ways to control the exploding Asian carp population. But he wasn't always working to contain the invasive species. Also in this episode, more than one fisherman has suggested a straightforward way of dealing with Asian Carp - eat them, all of them. Dan Collision and Elizabeth Meister are two journalists who went out on the Illinois River to look into that argument. Plus, Rachel Friedman's protest.

When we first began talking with a young Somali, Abdi, about life in Mogadishu, we agreed to never use his name - it would be too dangerous. Today, we re-introduce you to Abdi Iftin. A few weeks ago, Abdi decided Mogadishu had become to dangerous, even for him. With the help of friends he met through this program, and working closely with his brother Hassan in Nairobi, Abdi managed to get out of Somalia. Abdi and Hassan talk with Dick about how they managed it, and what life looks like now for two Somali refugees in Kenya.

Also in this episode, Sidney Morris bought a baby chimpanzee off the side of the road in Africa in 1970.