WYPR

Dan and guests take a look at the top Maryland news stories of the week, including Gov. Martin O'Malley's State of the State address.

As the Maryland Senate approaches a crucial vote on same-sex marriage, Dan reviews the political and social forces at play on the issue. His guests include:  Sen. Allan Kittleman, a Howard county Republican and former Senate minority leader who recently announced his support for the measure, taking a stand against his caucus in the General Assembly; Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, a major LGBT news source for the region; and Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, which opposes the change in the law.

The Atlantic Ocean has inspired thousands of books, stories, plays, paintings and poems over the years. But author Simon Winchester has come up with something entirely new -- an elegantly written biography of the massive and mighty sea that became the axis of Western Civilization. Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories.

It was a wintry Saturday afternoon in rural Cecil County, Maryland, at a one-room post office turned furniture shop near the town of Elkton. Outside the old building, a January wind whistled over snow banks, through the bare branches of trees. But inside this place, a warm camaraderie was emanating through the room. Three musicians sat together, acoustic guitars on their knees, trading stories and songs, and bridging an age-span of three generations between them.

Thank You!:  Tim Kabara of Beatbots reviews Thank You’s latest album

Transitional Justice in Egypt:  UMBC assistant professor Brian Grodsky has examined democratic transitions in eastern Europe and the Balkans.

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Hearing and Dementia:  Looking at the link between hearing and dementia

On One Field:  Filmmaker Mauricio Osorio tells us about his new documentary “On One Field,” which explores how pickup soccer games at Patterson Park can break through the isolation that so many new immigrants feel after moving to Baltimore

An Energetic Conversation:  Continuing the discussion about energy options in Maryland

Apps to Up Your Apple Intake:  How mobile apps can help you stick to your diet

Maryland Morning Culture Calendar...Treats for aesthetes!

Hearing and Dementia:  Looking at the link between hearing and dementia

On One Field:  Filmmaker Mauricio Osorio tells us about his new documentary “On One Field,” which explores how pickup soccer games at Patterson Park can break through the isolation that so many new immigrants feel after moving to Baltimore

An Energetic Conversation:  Continuing the discussion about energy options in Maryland

Apps to Up Your Apple Intake:  How mobile apps can help you stick to your diet

Maryland Morning Culture Calendar...Treats for aesthetes!

Sparrows Point For Sale?:  Baltimore Brew’s Mark Reutter on Russia-based Severstal’s potential sale of the Sparrows Point steel plant to a New York-based investment company.

Irene Lewis Exits, Stage Center:  J. Wynn Rousuck talks with Center Stage’s outgoing artistic director.

Drinking Closer to Home:  Baltimore author Jessica Anya Blau tells Tom about her latest novel.

Thank You!:  Tim Kabara of Beatbots reviews Thank You’s latest album

Transitional Justice in Egypt:  UMBC assistant professor Brian Grodsky has examined democratic transitions in eastern Europe and the Balkans. We’ll find out what he makes of Egypt’s immediate future.

Missed Connections:  The section of Craigs’ List that gives people the chance to revisit a fleeting moment, and maybe–just maybe–find true love.

Ronald Reagan's legacy on the 100th anniversary of his birth.  Our guests: Michael Schaller, a history professor at the University of Arizona and author of several Reagan biographies: Ellen Sauerbrey, a former Maryland state legislator, Republican nominee for governor and state department official; and Michael Owen, a former congressional aide, Pentagon and Energy Department official, who served as a Reagan advance man.