DAN RODRICKS

What does it take to learn six languages, 20, or even 70? Journalist and linguist Michael Erard examined the linguistic prowess of the brain and sought out the world’s hyperpolyglots for his book, “Babel No More: The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners.”

Angie Barnett, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, returns to warn about online scams, consumer fraud and other shady business practices. Also, she'll tell us about BBB's recent advisory to consumers about funeral costs. In addition, Marceline White of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition talks about the high fees and interest rates charged by rent-to-own stores.

Karen Kruse Thomas, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, examines the history of health care delivery in the American south, including Maryland, between 1935 and 1954, and the parallel history of civil rights. Her new book, "Deluxe Jim Crow," chronicles the struggles of the Roosevelt administration as it debated building "separate but equal" hospitals and clinics for southern blacks.

Louis Galambos, professor of U.S. economic, business, and political history at Johns Hopkins University and the author of "The Creative Society, and the Price Americans Paid for It," a sweeping look at the nation through the eyes of its professional classes -- the lawyers, scientists, doctors, administrators, business managers, teachers and urban planners who shaped our modern society.

For the past three years, the Maryland Health Security Act has been introduced in Annapolis. It proposes the creation of a single-payer system to finance health care here. A new report projects that it would save the state billions of dollars. A similar bill is making headway in Vermont. This hour: revisiting the possibility of universal health care and a look at the state of Maryland's current healthcare delivery system, with the report’s author, Gerald Friedman, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Dr.

As Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a devout and unwavering Catholic, battles Mitt Romney in the Michigan primaries, a look at unabashed religion in GOP politics and Santorum's view of church-state. Our guests: Professor Shawn Parry-Giles, University of Maryland College Park; William D’Antonio, fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, Catholic University; and Holly Henderson, Maryland Republican and Santorum supporter.

In the February edition of our monthly show devoted to personal financial advice and consumer news, Megan Avery, president of Legacy Tax Advisory and Consulting, tells how to save for retirement in uncertain times. And with April 15th right around the corner, we’ll tackle some tax questions, too.

Disclosure:
Securities offered through Questar Capital Corporation. Member FINRA, SIPC. Legacy Consulting LLC is independent of Questar Capital Corporation

Our guest this hour is Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot who is among those who have little love for the governor's budget plan, which would increase income taxes paid by anyone making more than $100,000 and shift half the costs of teacher pensions to local governments. There's outright hostility for the governor's separate proposal to apply the sales tax to gasoline to fund transportation projects.

The Oscars! With Midday critic Linda DeLibero, associate director of film studies at The Johns Hopkins University. A preview of Sunday’s big show, with Linda and Michael Duffy, who teaches film and media at Towson University.

Julie Scharper of The Baltimore Sun reports on the expansion into Baltimore of a controversial program that lets U.S. immigration officials check the citizenship status of people who have been arrested by local police. Terry Headlee, managing editor of The Frederick News-Post, talks about how the same program has worked in Frederick County and about the county commissioners' vote this week to make English the official language of the county.