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Musician Jacob Slichter, drummer for the rock band Semisonic, leads us through a day in the life of a band on tour. As it turns out, it's not the roller coaster ride one would expect.

As we continue to mark the five year anniversary of the welfare reform law, host Melissa Block talks about the future of the law with Marvin Olasky, author and Senior Fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, and Rebecca Blank, former adviser to President Bill Clinton and current Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

NPR's Tom Gjelten looks for hints at Cuba's future in a battle over one of Cuba's signature products: Cuban rum. The story involves the Bacardi family of Santiago, Cuba, which developed rum in the 19th century, but left after Castro imposed Communism.

An oil painting by Marc Chagall was stolen from the Jewish Museum in New York two months ago. Now there's news that the painting is being held for ransom. The demand: peace in the Middle East in exchange for the painting's return.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports that the treatment of the Roma -- widely known as Gypsies -- is an important civil rights issue in Europe. This has become especially true since the collapse of Communism, which afforded the Roma more civil protections and economic opportunities. Now, they face ghettoization and discrimination throughout much of central Europe.

It's been a rough time for radio stations that simulcast their programs over the Internet. A new contract for advertising actors, and a ruling broadcasters are not exempt from paying royalties for on-line broadcasts have forced many stations to stop their Webcasts.

Taking up where African icon Fela Kuti left off, NYC-based Antibalas has found a growing audience for its dance-ready Afrobeat style, peppered with Latin and funk flavors. Listen to live cuts from their recent gig at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC.

Since the 1800s, Montana has been mandolin country. Ten musicians from Bozeman together produce a dramatic sound - they call it the "Montana Sound" - inspired by the freedom and open spaces of their home state.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on the new trend toward "universal jurisdiction," in which any country can try anybody for war crimes committed anywhere. Several countries want to question former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger about the U.S. role in Chile 25 years ago though Kissinger says he's not a criminal.

Every year, roughtly 75 million of Americans get sick from tainted food- often severely enough to end up in the hospital. Up to half of the cases of food-borne illness result from food prepared in our own homes. NPR's Joe Palca got a lesson in proper food handling from two researchers who've been studying kitchen behavior, and the common errors many of us make.