Monday, May 12th, 2008
Red Line Mass Transit: Will it Shuttle Jobs to West Baltimore?
City and state officials are hoping a new transit line will be a solution for Maryland’s commuters, but after this weekend’s Mayor’s Summit, some local activists are hoping for a different boost. Can the Red Line streamline community development along its tracks? We’ll talk with Operation Reach Out Southwest Executive Director Joy Smith and 1,000 Friends of Maryland Executive Director Dru Schmidt Perkins.
External Links:
Baltimore Red Line
Mayor’s Red Line Summit
1,000 Friends of Maryland
Frames of Mind: A Shared Grief
What happens in the long weeks and years after the death of a loved one, is often thought of as an intensely personal experience – marked by personal memories, and private pain. What happens when that pain is shared – with the community, or with the public, years after death? Kathleen Kennedy Townsend talks about her shared grief, after the loss of her father and her uncle. Sheilah is also joined by bereavement counselor Carla Jackson, who works at the Gilchrist Hospice Center at GBMC – and how she helps to normalize the emotions of guilt, anger, and grief following the loss of a loved one.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend will speak at the 10th annual Irvin B. Levinson Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, May 14th, at 6 p.m. at the Sol Levinson and Bros Funeral Home in Pikesville, MD. The lecture is free and open to the public. 8900 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, Maryland, 21208. 410-653-8900
External Links:
Levinson Lecture Series
Gilchrist Hospice Care at GBMC
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Elite Violinists
What exactly does the Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra do? Practice. A lot. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Jonathan Carney and Assistant Concertmaster Igor Yuzefovich to talk about life with the B-S-O and perform a selection composed by Miklós Rózsa.
Igor and Jonathan will perform with Jonathan’s wife Ruth in a benefit concert for Paul’s Place, a Family center in the Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood.
The event takes place Sunday May 18th at 5:00pm at St. John’s Church in Glyndon
External Links:
Jonathan Carney
Igor Yuzefovich
“These Shining Lives” and the 2008-2009 Centerstage Season
Critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews the world premiere of the play “These Shining Lives” at Centerstage through June 1st. She also gives a preview of their 2008-2009 season.
External Link:
Center Stage
Friday, May 9, 2008
Renewable Energy Plans in Maryland
Sheilah is joined by Malcolm Woolf, head of the Maryland Energy Administration, and Johanna Neumann of Maryland PIRG and the Chesapeake Safe energy coalition, to discuss the O'Malley administration's policies on energy in Maryland.
External Links:
Maryland Energy Administration
Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition
Maryland PIRG
“King Baby”
Susan McCallum Smith, literary editor for the Urbanite Magazine, reviews Lia Purpura’s new book of poetry “King Baby”. And Lia Purpura gives us a brief reading from the book.
External Links:
More on “King Baby”
Susan McCallum Smith’s literary blog
The Spaces of African American Life & the Morgan State Men’s Lacrosse Team
Tom Hall talks with Dr. David Terry, Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture about the integration of college lacrosse, the barber shop as a home for conversation and more.
A People's Geography: The Spaces of African American Life runs through September 7th
Sports and Race in America: The Morgan State Men's Lacrosse Teams, 1970 – 1975 opens tomorrow and runs through June 22nd
Miles Harrison Jr will be giving a lecture and book signing for Ten Bears tomorrow, May 10th at 12:30
External links:
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Ten Bears
Wednesday May 7, 2008
The Super Delegate Super-Dilemma
Sheilah talks with Gregory Pecoraro, a Democratic National Committee member and uncommitted Maryland Democratic Party Super Delegate about how the results of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries might affect his choice.
Saving the Piping Plover
Nathan is joined by David Wilson, Executive Director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, to talk about efforts to protect the nesting Piping Plovers on Assateague Island.
External Links:
Assateague Island State Park
Maryland Coastal Bays Program
Aid Attempts to Myanmar Cyclone Victims
After the cyclone, a Burmese-American physician tries to reach out to her family in Burma, and describes some of her challenges in traveling to Burma. Sheilah speaks with Dr. Myaing Ngunt, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
External Link:
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: International Health
Mobtown Modern Presents: Minimalish Music
The second installment of Mobtown Modern, a new series of concerts highlighting the best in modern composed music, takes place this week at Baltimore’s Contemporary Museum. We’ll talk with Mobtown Modern curators Brian Sacawa and Erik Spangler about the series.
Mobtown Modern presents Not So Much: Minimalish Music Friday May 9th at 8pm at the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, featuring:
Philip Glass, Music in Similar Motion
Steve Reich, Vermont Counterpoint
Michael Gordon, The Low Quartet
Nico Muhly, Honest Music
Terry Riley, In C
External Links:
Mobtown Modern
Contemporary Museum
Culture Calendar
This week Tom is joined by WYPR News Producer and Engineer Jonathan EhrensEvents discussed:
BSO Decorator Showhouse May 10th – June 7th
Baltimore City College Choir’s annual spring concert May 9th
FriendsFest May 10th
Frederick Chorale: Pops Concert May 10th
Art with a Heart Gala May 10th
Opening Party for Jimmy Rouse Art Exhibition May 9th
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Medicaid Cuts to Maryland in a Weakened Economy
The Bush administration’s efforts to cut Maryland’s Medicaid funding by an estimated $65 million per year, according to state officials, was met with some resistance in the House, but may gain enough support in the Senate to pass. Funding would affect Medicaid spending on outpatient care, rehabilitative services, and funding to Maryland’s Healthy Start program, which works with pregnant mothers at risk for poor birth outcomes across the state.
Sheilah speaks with Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County’s Health Commissioner, about the proposed cuts and how they are likely to affect Medicaid enrollees in his county – and how the cuts might or might not affect Howard County’s plans to expand and develop its own universal health care program.
External Links:
Howard County Health Department
Bush Administration Policy Letter on Proposed Medicaid Funding Changes
College Tuition: The $200,000 Impulse Buy
Has your teen been accepted at Johns Hopkins or Goucher? Congratulations, and good luck: getting into one of Maryland’s prestigious colleges is only half the battle. We’ll talk with educational consultant and admissions strategist Steven Roy Goodman about the thousands of students stranded on university waiting lists, the stability of the student loan market and how to squeeze a little extra financial aid money from your school of choice.
Web Exclusive:
Steven Roy Goodman's 10 tips on how not to get off the college waitlist
External Links:
Top Colleges - Steven Roy Goodman’s web site
College Admissions Together: It takes a Family by Steven Roy Goodman
“The Color Purple” at the Hippodrome
J. Wynn Rousuck reviews the musical based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “The Color Purple.” The show will be at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center through May 18th.
External Link:
France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
Screen Painting: Baltimore’s Hometown Art
One of Jenny Campbell's shiny, modern painted screens.
In the summer of 1913, screen painting- images painted on metal window screens- went from nonexistence to a Baltimore neighborhood sensation. 95 years later, this quirky art is as much a part of the city’s landscape as the Inner Harbor. We’ll talk with state folkorist Elaine Eff and tattoo artist-turned-screen painter Jenny Campbell about why screen painting developed in the first place and how the art is changing today.
Rowhouse Rembrandts: Celebrating Screen Painters and Urban Arts in Baltimore is a festival that happens this weekend, May 9-11th at the American Visionary Art Museum and at the Creative Alliance
External Links:
American Visionary Arts Museum
Creative Alliance
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Catonsville Nine, 40 Years Later
As the 40th anniversary of the burning of draft files by a group of Catholic peace activists in Catonsville, Maryland approaches, Sheilah is joined by writer, priest and activist Father Daniel Berrigan, a member of the Catonsville 9, and Brendan Walsh, a member of the support group, and founder of Viva House in Baltimore, to discuss one of the iconic acts of civil disobedience against the Vietnam War.
External Links:
Information about events commemorating the 40th anniversary can be found at:
Jonah House
Red Emma's
Investigation of a Flame documentary film
Youtube - A brief video of the action
Frames of Mind: Crownsville State Hospital
What was it like to be an African-American patient in the decades before hospitals desegregated? Sheilah interviews historian Janice Hayes-Williams, who has investigated some of the story of Crownsville State Hospital, and Paul Lurz, a former employee at Crownsville State Hospital, and unofficial historian of the facility.
External Links:
Maryland State Archives – Crownsville State Hospital records - Maryland State Lunacy Commission
Crownsville Hospital Center (Wikipedia Entry authored by Paul Lurz)
From Cow Uterus to Indian Synthesizers: The music of Matmos
Baltimore electronic musicians Matmos are known for making music with unlikely instruments, such as roses, a cow’s uterus, a bucket of oatmeal and liposuction surgery. They record the sounds made by these strange objects and work them into conceptual pieces of pop music. On their new record Supreme Balloon, the duo is working with more conventional instruments- vintage synthesizers- but their approach is just as idiosyncratic. Tom Hall talks with Martin Schmidt and Drew Daniel about finding music where others rarely dare to look.
Supreme Balloon comes out tomorrow on Matador Records.
External Links:
Matmos Homepage
Matador Records: Matmos
MP3: “Rainbow Flag” from Supreme Balloon
Friday, May 2, 2008
E-Medicine in Rural Maryland
Earlier this week, six Maryland hospitals announced a partnership with Christiana Health Care based in Wilmington, Delaware, to begin a monitoring system for patients in rural ICU’s. Why are some hospitals turning to Delaware to treat their patients? Sheilah speaks with Cal Pierson, head of the Maryland Hospital Association, about the overall shortage of physicians willing to see patients in rural parts of the state - and Thomas Lawrence, Chief Medical Officer for Peninsula Health Care based in Salisbury, MD.
External Links:
Christiana Care Health System Press Release
Kinetic Sculpture Race
The Platypus rounds the harbor in last year's race
Human-powered sculptures of a wombat, a poodle, or a platypus – are likely spectacles for tourists and drivers this weekend in Baltimore. The amphibious works of art will tour the streets around the Inner Harbor, and also take a dip into the murky water. Maryland Morning intern Justin Lucas explores some of the history and building processes behind the 10th annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, hosted by the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore. The race will be held Saturday, May 3rd.
Race Schedule:
8:00 – 9:30am Sculpture Brake Test and Safety Check at AVAM
9:30 –10:00 Opening Ceremonies & LeMans Start at AVAM
10:00 –10:15 Race up Battery Avenue into Federal Hill Park
10:15 –11:00 Race down Riverside, Fort, Lawrence, Key Highway past AVAM
around the Inner Harbor, Aliceanna to Boston to Canton Waterfront Park
11:15 – 1:15pm Canton Waterfront Water Loop
1:00 – 1:30 Race up Kenwood to Patterson Park
1:15 – 3:00 Patterson Park Obstacles—Sand, Mud, Pagoda Climb and
Fishing for the Glorious Founder Challenge
3:00 – 4:30 Race down Lombard, Central, Eastern, Pratt, Light, Key Highway,
Hull Street, Fort Avenue, Jackson, Clement, and up Covington Street
to the finish line at AVAM (finishers may begin arriving as early as 3:30)
4:30 – 5:00 Post-Race Recovery & Dinner
5:00 – 6:00 Awards Ceremony at AVAM
External Links:
American Visionary Arts Museum
Kinetic Sculpture Race
A Placed Called Canterbury
New York Times Writer Dudley Clendinen spent several years in a retirement community – not as a resident, but as a son. He wrote about his experience of caring for his mother, and the quirky characters he met in the process of writing the book.
External Link:
A Place Called Canterbury
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Will Saving The Crabs Kill The Crabbers?
Shortening this summer’s crabbing season might help boost Maryland’s blue crab population, but it might endanger an even rarer species: the watermen who depend on crabs for their livelihood. We’ll talk with John Van Allstine, a waterman in Anne Arundel County, and Dr. Michael Paolisso, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland.
External Links:
Michael Paolisso
Maryland Watermen’s Association
School Lockdowns and Child Trauma
Sheilah talks to Dr. Harolyn Belcher, Director of Research at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Family Center on how children are affected by school alerts and lockdowns.
External Links:
Kennedy Krieger
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Peter Max
Tom talks with artist Peter Max about international success, and the mysteries of the galaxy. Peter Max will be exhibiting and selling his work in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore this weekend.
External Link:
Peter Max
Culture Calendar
This week, Tom is joined by Dudley Clendinen, author of “A Place Called Canterbury: Tales of the New Old Age in America.”
Art Show at Ladew Topiary Gardens, Thu. May 1st at 6PM
Lombard Middle School Art Show at Gallery 1448, opening on May 2nd, show runs through May 18th
A Trio of Trios presented by the Community Concerts at Second, Sat. May 3rd at 7:30PM
“Celebrations of Spring: Songs from the British Isles” presented by the Canticle Singers of Baltimore, Sat. May 3rd at 7PM
“May Magic” presented by the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestras, Sat. May 3rd at 7PM
Amateur Crossword Puzzle Tournament at the Maryland Science Center, Sun. May 4th at 1PM
“Sounds of Hope and Change: Celebrating Diversity through Music” presented by the Kids on the Hill, Sun. May 4th at 2PM
“Sounds of Spring” presented by the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, Sat. May 3rd at 8PM
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Dust Storm Over Lead Research
It’s been two weeks since an Associated Press article described a study in which researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kennedy Krieger Institute spread pasteurized sludge/compost mixed with woodchips, over the lawns of nine occupied houses in efforts to reduce the amount of lead in the soil. The study has generated outcry in some communities of East Baltimore, and has highlighted failures in communication between the research institutions and the broader Baltimore community. Hopkins maintains that the pasteurized sludge/compost mixture is commercial-grade fertilizer, widely used in other home gardening applications, but residents and community activists have concerns about the way the study was conducted.
Sheilah speaks with Glenn Ross, a community activist in East Baltimore and the vice president of the Environmental Justice Partnership, Inc., as well as Michael J. Klag, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about the study, and the concerns that were raised by both sides about the study.
External Links:
Kennedy Krieger Public Statement
Abstract of Mark Farfel’s Lead Dust Study (Farfel et al., 2004)
Environmental Justice Partnership
I.O.U.S.A.-The Movie
Sheilah talks to Addison Wiggin, Exective Publisher of Agora Financial and Executive Producer of a new movie, I.O.U.S.A., about why he made a documentary about the National Debt. I.O.U.S.A. will be shown several times this weekend in Baltimore as part of the Maryland Film Festival.
External Links:
I.O.U.S.A. Website
Maryland Film Festival
Jeffrey Chappell
Pianist Jeffrey Chappell is one of a small number of pianists equally established in the worlds of classical and jazz music. Tom Hall talks with Mr. Chappell about classical pianists’ phobia of improvisation and his experiences composing music- one handed.
Jeffrey Chappell will direct the Goucher Jazz Ensemble Thursday, May 1 at the Merrick Lecture Hall at 8pm.
External Links:
Jeffrey Chappell
Jazz Sonata: Music by Jeffrey Chappell
The Birds of Springtime
Writer and farmer Lucie Snodgrass shares her thoughts on the congruence of baseball and bird watching in Maryland.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Bio-Fuels and Rising Food Prices
Sheilah is joined by Johanna Neumann of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group (Maryland PIRG), and the Maryland Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Pat McMilllan to discuss the different factors responsible for rising food prices.
External Links:
Maryland PIRG
Maryland Department of Agriculture
Frames of Mind: Schizophrenia, and the Shortened Life
Why is it that schizophrenics live an average of 15 years shorter than the general population? Sheilah interviews Dr. Robert Buchanan, professor of psychiatry and Chief of the Outpatient Research Program at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center in Catonsville, MD, about his work in schizophrenia research and the complications with weight, cardiac disease, and diabetes, that current medications for schizophrenia pose patients.
External Link:
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
The Golden Radio Buffs Present “The Goldbergs”
Nostalgia for the golden years of radio brings The Golden Radio Buffs back for their last performance at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, before the group goes on hiatus. They will be performing selections from the radio serial, “The Rise of the Goldbergs.” Director Gene Leitner, and actors Eddie Applefeld and Royce Tucker join Tom Hall in studio to discuss the serial – and TV/media critic David Zurawik talks about how “The Rise of the Goldbergs” (later titled “The Goldbergs”) fit into American, and Jewish, broadcasting history.
External Links:
The Golden Radio Buffs of Maryland
The Jewish Museum of Maryland
Friday, April 25, 2008
Losing Your Home for $250 in Water Bills
The annual state tax lien sale is upon us, a harsh procedure where cities empower investors as debt collectors and threaten home owners with foreclosure over unpaid taxes and city bills. We’ll hear from Leola Myers, a Baltimore woman struggling to keep her home after water bills and a city alley paving fee put her behind on bill payments. Then we’ll talk with Jay Dackman, an attorney who used to be a major investor in the tax lien sale until he flipped sides to campaign for reform.
To avoid Baltimore City's tax sale, bills must be paid by Monday, April 28th.
Tax sale information for other counties can be found at their county web site.
External Link:
Baltimore City Tax Sale
Wimax Technology Comes To Baltimore
Think of the wireless network you pick up at a local coffee shop- now imagine if that signal covered an entire city. That’s the idea behind Wimax, a new high-powered wireless internet technology. Sprint plans to launch Xohm, the first consumer Wimax network, in three cities: Chicago, Washington DC, and Baltimore. We’ll get the scoop on this new technology from Dr. P.K. Kannan, Director of the Center for Excellence in Service at UMD’s Robert H Smith School of Business.
Sprint hopes to launch Xohm in Baltimore later this year.
External Links:
Xohm Homepage - Sprint’s Upcoming Wimax Service Center for Excellence in Service at UMD’s Robert H Smith School of Business
Waiting for Hockney and the Maryland Film Festival
Tom Hall is joined by Jed Dietz, Director of the Maryland Film Festival, and Gary Vikan, Director of the Walters Art Museum, to discuss a new documentary Waiting for Hockney about a Maryland artist’s quest that will be shown at the festival. Then Jed gives some highlights from the rest of the Festival. The Maryland Film Festival runs from May 1st through May 4th.
External Links:
Maryland Film Festival
Waiting for Hockney - Film Homepage
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
LNG at Sparrows Point: A Safe Bet?
AES Corporation is hoping to build a Liquified Natural Gas facility at Sparrows Point, a project opponents are calling ‘a bomb on the doorstep to Baltimore.’ We’ll talk with Baltimore County Homeland Security Director Richard Muth about the safety hazards such a facility might pose for the people living and working near Sparrows Point, the watercraft on the Chesapeake Bay, and the safety measures necessary to control it
External Links:
US Coast Guard's Safety Estimate for the Sparrows Point LNG Project (PDF)
Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Myspace for Myparents: Social Networking for Adults
After a cell phone video of a student attacking a Baltimore high school teacher made the national news two weeks ago, social networking sites like Myspace and Youtube have come under renewed scrutiny. Is the technology to blame, or just our understanding of it? NPR Digital Media Senior Product Manager Andy Carvin says don’t be alarmed: many adults are missing the positive aspects of teenagers’ online lives, and shows us how some tech-savvy adults are jumping in.
External Links:
Video - Student Attacks Teacher in Baltimore
Video - One Teen’s Online Protest
Andy Carvin’s Blog
Gardening Guru Anne Raver - Tips for April
Anne gives Tom some tips on what to plant now, sprucing up your soil, and how to keep your lawn “green”.
External Links:
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension
Home and Garden Help (and soil testing services)
Green Lawn Care
Culture Calendar
This week, we’re joined by Aaron Henkin, producer of WYPR's "The Signal" for our weekly culture calendar.
Baltimore
Peabody's Gala Passport to 150 Years : Sat. Apr. 26 at 8:30PM
"A New Brain" presented by the Spotlighters : Fri. Apr. 25th through May 18th, Fri. and Sat. at 8PM, Sun. at 2PM
"These Shining Lives" at Centerstage : Thu. Apr. 24th through Jun. 1st
Annapolis
"Hauptmann" presented by the Colonial Players : Fri. Apr. 25th through May 24th
Eastern Shore
House and Garden Pilgrimage Tour : Sat. Apr 26th 10AM to 5PM
Mid-Atlantic Symphony Season Finale : Sat. Apr. 26th at 7:30PM
Frederick
Festival of Children's Literature : Fri. Apr. 25th and Sat. Apr. 26th
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Fort Detrick Bio-Defense Lab Expansion
Sheilah is joined by Dr. George Lewis, President of the Fort Detrick Alliance, and Sally Familton, a member of Frederick Citizens for Bio-Lab Safety, to discuss some community concerns about the expansion of Army bio-defense research on the Fort Detrick Campus (especially of USAMRIID, the US Army Medical Research Institute on Infectious Diseases) and whether the National Academy of Sciences should conduct a review of the safety and environmental impacts of the expansion.
External Links:
Fort Detrick Alliance
Frederick News Post Article on Senator Mikulski and review
USAMRIID
Community Care for HIV/AIDS: 30 Years and Counting
Thirty years ago, patients with HIV/AIDS were met with intense fear not only by the general public, but by some in the medical community who carried the same stigma and general unease with the illness. It was in this environment that Chase-Brexton was originally founded. Since then, Chase-Brexton has expanded into health clinic that serves not only health care needs for those living with HIV/AIDS – but is staffed with social workers, psychologists, housing aids, and other services that assist the underserved in Baltimore, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Talbot County.
Sheilah speaks with David Lawrence Hankey, a former board member of Chase Brexton, who will be honored this weekend at the Chase-Brexton Health Services’ 30th Anniversary Gala. For more information about the Gala, visit Chase-Brexton.
External Links:
Chase Brexton
The “One Park” Vision
Tom talks with Jackie Carrera, President and CEO of the Parks and People foundation, about their ambitious vision of connected green space throughout Baltimore City. Their exhibit of Maps on the “One Park” project will be exhibited at the Walters Art Museum beginning Friday, April 25th.
External Links:
One Park “One Park” at the Baltimore Festival of Maps
Voices of the Earth
Tom Hall interviews the members of Trio Globo - a musical trio that will combine cello, harmonica, and percussion in a choral work Tuesday night, along with the Jezic Community Choir. Eugene Friesen (cello), Glen Velez (percussion), and Howard Levy (piano/harmonica) talk to Tom about the concert, and perform some of their works.
Trio Globo and the Jezic Ensemble perform Tuesday, April 22nd, at the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore, at 7:30 p.m. 5603 N Charles St. More information below.
External Link:
Jezic Ensemble
Monday, April 21, 2008
Anne Arundel Increases Pressure on Illegal Immigrants
A new policy at Anne Arundel jails is enabling federal officials to deport illegal immigrants faster – by reporting undocumented detainees in the county jails. Sheilah discusses the county’s policies with Erin Cox, staff writer for the Annapolis Capital, and Kerry O’Brien, manager of the legal program at CASA de Maryland, based in Silver Spring, MD.
External Links:
Anne Arundel County Press Release
CASA de Maryland
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Frames of Mind – Psychiatric Care, in the Crowded ER
For psychiatric patients facing acute mental distress, or at risk for suicide, the environment of an emergency department adds another dimension to the experience of being a patient. Howard County General Hospital recently constructed a separate emergency, psychiatric unit to its emergency department --- and on a state level, policy makers are wrestling with a way to confront and address better, less costlier, ways of treating psychiatric emergencies. Sheilah speaks with Dr. Joseph Schwartz, Clinical Director of Psychiatry at Howard County General Hospital; and Laura Cain, Managing Attorney at the Maryland Disability Law Center.
External Links:
Howard County General Hospital
Maryland Disability Law Center
Symphony by the Shore
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony orchestra, based on the Eastern Shore, performs this weekend in Perry Hall, Easton, Ocean Pines, and Ocean View, DE. Tom Hall interviews its conductor, Julien Benichou, about the orchestra, and where contemporary music fits in with its traditional repertoire.
External Link:
Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra
Single-Stream Recycling
In Baltimore City and other parts of the state, throwing all the plastics, glass, and paper in the recycling bin is no longer a problem, with a few exceptions. Tom Hall speaks with Ms. Tonya Simmons, Recycling Coordinator for Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
External Link:
Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Friday, April 18, 2008
Religious Music and Intolerance
In response to a recent classical music concert that offended some attendees, Tom is joined by Dr. Chris Leighton, Executive Director of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies, and Rabbi Mark Loeb, Senior Rabbi at Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, about the arts and religious intolerance.
The book written by Tom Hall and Chris Leighton is "The Bach Passions in Our Time: Contending with the Legacy of Antisemitism." Its projected publication date is Spring, 2009.
External Link:
Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies
Ladies of Liberty
The founding mothers of the United States are often overlooked in the history of the United States – and their lives and letters are the subject of NPR news analyst Cokie Roberts’ latest book. Nathan Sterner talks with Cokie Roberts about “Ladies of Liberty,” and the women from Maryland who helped shaped the country.
External Links:
Ladies of Liberty (William Morrow, 4/8/08)
Ladies of Liberty on Morning Edition
Poet Clarinda Harriss
To celebrate National Poetry Month, Tom talks with Maryland poet Clarinda Harriss about finding inspiration at the Waverly Farmers’ Market, and how the poetry of Sylvia Plath sometimes conquers the minds of young writers.
Clarinda Harriss will be reading from Dirty Blue Voice as well as an upcoming collection of poetry called Mortmain, tonight at Load of Fun in Baltimore, as part of their 3rd Anniversary Party
External Links:
Clarinda Harriss
Load of Fun Gallery
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
O’Malley: With Crabs, Less is More
Yesterday, the Governor released his plan to replenish crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay by cutting this summer’s harvest by 30% of females in the second half of the summer. Could this bring the boom that Maryland’s dwindling blue crab communities need? We’ll talk with Maryland Department of Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Eric Scwabb and Thomas Miller, Professor of Fishery Science at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biology Lab.
External Links:
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
A Look Back at The Rise and Fall of Maryland’s Oyster Industry
With all this talk of crab populations, we’re looking back at the seafood that wrote the book on ecological calamity in Maryland. Dr. Jack Greer of University of Maryland’s Sea Grant College walks us through the history of oyster harvesting, from booming business at the turn of the last century, to devastation in the 80’s.
Dr. Jack Greer is the Assistant Director of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland Sea Grant College. He also writes about science and policy for the college.
External Links:
A Brief History of Oyster Populations in Maryland from the Maryland DNR
Bringing it all Back Home by Jack Greer, published in the Chesapeake Quarterly
Green Mapping
Tom talks with Janet Felsten, project director of Baltimore Green Map, and Wendy Brawer, from the Green Map System in New York, about the map being created to reflect natural spaces, sustainable living, and other “Green” elements in Baltimore City.
External Links:
Baltimore Green Map
Jones Falls Watershed Association
Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks
Baltimore Green Week
Baltimore Festival of Maps
Culture Calendar
This week, Tom is joined by Brett Keller, producer for Midday with Dan Rodricks
“Annapolis Anthologies” presented by the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Sat. Apr. 19th at 7PM and Sun. Apr. 20th at 2PM
“Steel Magnolias” presented by the Laurel Mill Playhouse, Fri. Apr. 18th through May 11th, Fri. and Sat. at 8PM and Sun. at 2PM
The Comedy Pigs at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Sat. Apr. 19th at 10:30
City Lit Festival at the Enoch Pratt Library, Sun. Apr. 19th 10AM to 5PM
“The Wood Gatherer” presented by the Fell’s Point Corner Theatre, Apr. 18th to May 4th, Fri. and Sat. at 8PM and Sun. at 2PM
“Third Annual Who Are You? Youth Media Festival” presented by Wide Angle Media runs through May 4th.
“Truth Speakers” Thu. Apr. 17th at 4:30PM
“By the Way, Meet Vera Stark” presented by Center Stage, Mon. Apr. 21st at 7PM
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
b comes to Baltimore
Part 1
Part 2
The Baltimore Sun Media Group is publishing a free daily paper aimed at students and young professionals with news, culture and blog-style user generated content. Are papers like b the antidote for slumping newspaper revenues in an increasingly diverse media environment? We’ll ask City Paper Editor Lee Gardener about what it takes to run a free paper in Baltimore. Then, b General Manager Brad Howard and NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik will join us to discuss how the fate of the free urban tabloid.
External Link:
b Official Web Site
The Town Crier Issues a Proclamation on Fell’s Apostrophe
Is it Fells Point, or Fell’s Point? Jack Trautwein is the official Town Crier for the neighborhood founded by William Fell. He offers a (semi-)official declaration on the punctuation of the Point.
Jack Trautwein teaches the History of Fell’s Point at the Fell’s Point Visitor Center on Monday Nights.
For More information, call the center at 410-675-6751
External Link:
Fell’s Point Visitor Center
Baltimore’s Festival of Maps
Tom talks with Peter Bruun of Art on Purpose and Jann Rosen-Queralt from Maryland Institute College of Art about some of the many art and map projects going on throughout Baltimore as part of the Festival of Maps.
External Links:
Maryland Institute College of Art A listing of events and artwork
Maps on Purpose Schedule of events and exhibits
Baltimore Festival of Maps
Plus, Tom reads aloud the poem “The Map” by Elizabeth Bishop.
Land lies in water; it is shadowed green.
Shadows, or are they shallows, at its edges
showing the line of long sea-weeded ledges
where weeds hang to the simple blue from green.
Or does the land lean down to lift the sea from under,
drawing it unperturbed around itself?
Along the fine tan sandy shelf
is the land tugging at the sea from under?
The shadow of Newfoundland lies flat and still.
Labrador's yellow, where the moony Eskimo
has oiled it. We can stroke these lovely bays,
under a glass as if they were expected to blossom,
or as if to provide a clean cage for invisible fish.
The names of seashore towns run out to sea,
the names of cities cross the neighboring mountains
-the printer here experiencing the same excitement
as when emotion too far exceeds its cause.
These peninsulas take the water between thumb and finger
like women feeling for the smoothness of yard-goods.
Mapped waters are more quiet than the land is,
lending the land their waves' own conformation:
and Norway's hare runs south in agitation,
profiles investigate the sea, where land is.
Are they assigned, or can the countries pick their colors?
-What suits the character or the native waters best.
Topography displays no favorites; North's as near as West.
More delicate than the historians' are the map-makers' colors.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Maryland Morning Legislative Update
Sheilah is joined by Andy Rosen of The Daily Record. They review the fate of some lesser known legislation that was covered on the show during the session.
Using Acupuncture to Treat Substance Abuse
About one in eight Baltimore City residents is dependent on alcohol, heroin, or cocaine – and of the 80,000 people arrested by Baltimore City police each year, 70% test positive for drugs. Acupuncture is one of the many tools that Baltimore City Drug Treatment Courts use, as a referral for rehabilitation. Maryland Morning Producer Jennifer Chang visited the Penn North Neighborhood Center, which provides acupuncture in conjunction with counseling, for its outpatient substance abuse treatment.
External Links:
Tai Sophia Institute
“Gem of the Ocean”
J. Wynn Rousuck reviews the play “Gem of the Ocean,” onstage at the Everyman Theatre through April 27th.
External Links:
Everyman Theatre
Maps: Finding Our Place in the World
Tom is joined in the studio by Will Noel, Curator of Manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum, and Curator of the new exhibit “Maps: Finding Our Place in the World.” The exhibit will be on display at the Walters through June 8th, 2008.
External Links:
Walters Art Museum
Baltimore Festival of Maps
Friday, April 11, 2008
A Struggle over Schools in Baltimore County
Sheilah talks with Cathi Forbes, president of Towson Families United, Laura Mullen, PTA Head at Ridge Ruxton School, and Gina Davis, reporter for the Baltimore Sun, about the future of some Baltimore County Schools.
External Links:
Towson Families United
Baltimore County Public Schools
That’s an Awfully Nice Lawn, But Can You Eat It?
Los Angeles artist Fritz Haeg is the mastermind behind Edible Estates, a project where he destroys perfectly healthy front lawns and replaces them with elaborate vegetable gardens. Maryland Morning Producer John Notarianni follows Haeg in Baltimore as he searches for the perfect endless lawn.
Fritz Haeg is planting Baltimore’s Edible Estate today through Sunday. To volunteer to help garden, call The Contemporary Museum at 410-783-5720
External Links:
Fritz Haeg Edible Estates The Contemporary Museum
Gem of the Ocean
Tom Hall is joined by actors Lizan Mitchell and Jefferson A. Russell to discuss August Wilson’s "Gem of the Ocean," in production at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore through April 27th.
External Link:
The Everyman Theatre
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Driving While Black: Still a Crime Ten Years Later?
In 1998, the Maryland ACLU filed a lawsuit accusing Maryland state troopers of unfairly targeting African Americans for traffic stops along I-95. It’s finally been settled now, ten years later, but will cost the state $400,000. Does this mean racial profiling in Maryland a thing of the past, or is it an ongoing concern for minority drivers? We’ll talk with Debbie Jeon, legal director for the ACLU of Maryland, and Gary Rodwell, professor at Morgan State University and one of the original plaintiffs in the case.
From Sudan to Baltimore
Approximately 300 Sudanese refugees are currently living in Baltimore; most of whom resettled in 2001, 2003, and 2004. Sheilah speaks with James Chiracol, a Sudanese immigrant who has lived in Baltimore since 2001, and has been assisting local Sudanese refugees with job placement. Mr. Chiracol is also the President of the Sudanese Community Association in Baltimore, and together they discuss the challenges that Sudanese refugees living in Baltimore City have faced, with respect to housing, job placement, and law enforcement – and whether any plan to return to their homeland, as more refugees have returned since the 2005 peace agreement between North and South Sudan.
To support the rebuilding efforts in South Sudan, The International Book Bank, based in Baltimore, plans to supply thousands of books to a new library that will be built in South Sudan in collaboration with the John Dau Sudan Foundation. John Dau, whose memoir God Grew Tired of Us became the basis for a film with the same name, was one of the first “Lost Boys of Sudan” --- a group of refugees who fled civil war in Darfur, Sudan, for a refugee camp in Ethiopia, and eventually, America. He will be speaking at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Saturday, April 12th, from 7-10 p.m. Mr. Dau will share his experiences in coming to the United States, and his continuing work to build the infrastructure for schools and medical clinics in southern Sudan. For more information, visit the links below.
External Links:
International Book Bank
The Lost Boys of Sudan (film site)
Alice Dishes on Books in April
For this month’s book discussion, Alice Steinbach tells Tom about some of the hair-raising true stories of Freya Stark and Martha Gellhorn.
The books they discuss are:
Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark by Jane Fletcher Geniesse
The Journey’s Echo: Selected Travel Writings by Freya Stark
Travels with Myself and Another: Five Journeys from Hell by Martha Gellhorn
Gellhorn: A Twentieth Century Life by Caroline Moorehead
Culture Calendar
This week Tom is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning author and frequent Maryland Morning contributor Alice Steinbach.
“Continuum” at UMBC, Wed. Apr. 9th at 8PM
“Improv at the Organ” hosted by the Grace United Methodist Church, Sat. Apr. 12th at 8PM
“Mame” presented by the Memorial Episcopal Church, Apr. 11th thru. 19th
Alexander Kobrin at the Har Sinai Congregation, Sun. Apr. 13th at 3PM
“Baroque at the Basilica” presented by An Die Musik, Sun. Apr. 13th at 7PM
“Pasta, Puccini, Buon Anniversario!!” presented by the Annapolis Opera, Fri. Apr. 11th and Sun. Apr. 13th Annapolis Civil War Walking Tour hosted by the Historic Annapolis Foundation, Sat. Apr. 12th
George Wunderlich at the Frederick County Library, Wed. Apr. 9th at 7PM Union Surgeon at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Sat. Apr. 12th 11AM to 4PM
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Adjourned! A Wrap-Up of the 2008 Maryland General Assembly
Sheilah and her guests discuss what the legislature was able to accomplish this session, and what it may have to put off for next year. She’s joined by Fraser Smith, WYPR’s senior news analyst; WYPR news contributor & political reporter Karen Hosler; and Andy Rosen, government affairs reporter for the Maryland Daily Record.
Rhubarb… by Coconut and Lime
Baltimore-based food blogger Rachel Rappaport talks to Tom about exactly what to do with rhubarb --- that red, tart vegetable that causes epicures to either salivate or grimace at the thought. Rachel also shares a memory of smearcase, and growing up in the Highlandtown area of Baltimore --- and what food blogging is like, in the Mid-Atlantic region.
External Links:
Coconut & Lime
Taste of the Bay
Monday, April 7, 2008
Forestalling the Foreclosure Wave
Governor O’Malley signed into a law a set of emergency bills passed by the General Assembly on Thursday that would buy more time for borrowers in a foreclosure situation, in Maryland. Sheilah discusses the bill and its implications for the borrowers and lenders in Maryland, with Anne Norton, Director of Foreclosure Prevention at the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, a non-profit that serves low- and middle-income residents in the Baltimore area to address both potential and current foreclosure situations.
External Links:
St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
Civil Justice, Inc.
US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (Maryland)
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
HOPE (Home Owners Preserving Equity)
“Frames of Mind,” Week 11: Age and Happiness
Do older people think of themselves as any more or less happy when they were younger? Sheilah explores the subject of happiness, and finding meaning, in the process of aging --- and the way sociocultural norms often are at odds with the way the elderly come to terms with self-identity, and fulfillment.
External Links:
Mental Wellness in Aging
Judah Ronch at the Erickson School
By George! By Ira! By Gershwin!
The Annapolis Symphony revs up its engine and takes its show on the road this Thursday, with a biographical music tour of the life of George and Ira Gershwin that begins in Westminister, MD, on Thursday night. Tom Hall and singer Carolyn Black-Sotir discuss a series of upcoming performances in the Maryland region.
External Links
Annapolis Symphony
Friday, April 4, 2008
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Before he was MLK
40 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. We look back on the personal life of the legendary man with Dr. Levi Watkins. Today he’s the Associate Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; but as a child, Dr. Watkins attended MLK’s sermons at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
External Link:
Biography: Dr. Levi Watkins
Transmodern Arts Festival
The 5th Annual Transmodern Arts Festival highlights Baltimore’s freewheeling performance art scene, mixing local and national artists in a weekend full of the unexpected… and maybe even a free lunch. We’ll talk with Transmodern Festival organizer Bonnie Jones
The 5th Annual Transmodern Festival runs through Sunday at the Load of Fun Gallery, located at Howard St. & North Avenue in Baltimore.
External Links:
The Transmodern Festival
Load of Fun Gallery
Patuxent River Cleanup
The Patuxent River Cleanup is this Saturday, April 5th from 9am-12pm. There are 26 sites throughout the watershed, including Montgomery, Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties.
External Link:
Patuxent River Cleanup
Wednesday April 2, 2008
Global Warming Legislation Heats Up
An environment bill in the legislature that would encourage industries as a whole in Maryland to reduce its carbon emissions, is facing some challenges in the General Assembly. Sheilah is joined by Senator Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), chief sponsor of a bill that would commit Maryland to reducing its carbon emissions by 25% by 2020; and Senator Nathaniel Exum (D-Prince George’s), who has helped pass an amendment in the state Senate that could limit the Maryland Department of Environment’s regulatory power in achieving emissions goals. The bill will be voted on later this week in the Senate, before the close of the legislature on April 7th.
External Links:
Maryland General Assembly
Mei Hong Lou: The Beautiful Red Building
What were the riots of 1968 like for those who were neither white, nor black? Maryland Morning’s Producer Jennifer Chang shares a personal essay about her grandmother’s Chinese takeout restaurant, which was close to the corner of Greenmount and North Avenue, during the riots of 1968.
"A Little Night Music"
Tom Hall is joined by actress Kate Baldwin and dramaturg Gavin Witt to talk about the musical "A Little Night Music" playing at Centerstage in Baltimore through April 13th.
External Link:
Center Stage
For show ideas or feedback, e-mail mdmorning@wypr.org or send correspondence to:
Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast
88.1 FM WYPR
2216 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
