Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will tour the Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City, NJ, on Wednesday. We talk with Napolitano about the cutting-edge screening technology being developed there for DHS, and get her thoughts on the Gulf oil gusher - and where she thinks responsiblity lies.

Following news that the Icelandic volcano that has stopped international travel throughout Western Europe is picking up steam, we discuss how mother nature fits into a human age of technological mastery. Specifically, has Iceland's own climate had such a deep impact on Europe in the past?

European officials struck a deal yesterday to reopen most of Europe's air space to plane travel as early as this afternoon, assuming Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to subside. This would end the worst peacetime travel disruption in history, a travel crisis that has left thousands of passengers stranded for days and cost the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars. But in the midst of the chaos and inconveniences, one philosopher took a moment to reflect on what our world would look like without airplanes.

• Travel Takeout: Over sixty thousand flights have been canceled in the past four days, leaving hundreds of thousand people in Europe devising alternative travel plans. Seth Stevenson, author of "Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World" looks at their ground travel options.
• Listener Takeout: By phone, on Twitter, via email and posted on our website, Takeaway Listeners told us about the global reach of the Icelandic volcano's disruptive plumes.

A five-mile high plume of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland is drifting across Northern Europe, causing massive disruption at airports in the U.K. and Scandinavia. All flights originating from Scotland have already been grounded, and all London flights will be suspended.

With shrinking budgets and expanding populations, cities across the globe are desperate for cheap mass transit. From Johannesburg to Jakarta to Cleveland, city governments are choosing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)— a bus system that acts like a train but with no tracks or rails. The Takeaway talks to freelance reporter Steven Dudley, who explored the successful BRT system in Bogota, Colombia, and to Dan Moulthrop, reporter for WCPN, Cleveland Public Radio, where the city has been making the transition to a Bus Rapid Transit system.

To see the buses in action, watch the film below:

In the wake of an outbreak in swine flu in Mexico that has been spreading, a health official for the European Union urged Europeans to avoid non-essential travel to the United States and Mexico. And here in the United States many of our listeners are concerned about travel to Mexico. Rudy Maxa is the Host and Executive Producer of the PBS travel series Rudy Maxa's World. He joins us now with answers to your travel questions.

Imagine the ease of riding trains between metropolitan areas in the U.S. Simply buy a ticket, board a train, kick back and read, sleep, listen to your podcasts of The Takeaway. Doesn't that sound better than braving crowded airport drop-offs, hours-long security lines or snarled traffic on the interstate? This vision of the future of travel may become a reality. Yesterday, President Obama expressed his ambition towards building high-speed passenger rail lines in ten regions across the country. To discuss how this will be possible The Takeaway is joined by Matt Dellinger, a writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and the New York Times .

Here's a brief look at how one town, Springfield, is planning on upgrading their infrastructure:

During the holidays, weather problems have stranded passengers throughout the nation. But what does future travel have in store for passengers? To tell us about what 2009 may bring is Barbara Peterson, the senior aviation correspondent for Conde Nast Traveller.

Writer and cyclist Ryan Bowen was so inspired by Barack Obama's election win that he was desperate to make it to the inauguration. But he couldn't quite swing a plane ticket. Instead he decided to travel from Los Angeles to D.C. by bike. The Takeaway catches Bowen mid-journey.

Equipped with GPS, a humble shipping container reveals the story of the global economy.