Arts & Culture

On the January and February editions of Choral Arts Classics, Tom welcomes Ray Sprenkle back to the show to discuss the masterpiece that Mozart left unfinished at his death in 1791. His Requiem is one of the most beloved pieces in the classical canon. Tom and Ray will talk about Mozart’s life, and his lasting influence on generations of musicians who followed him. Tune in January 29 and February 26 at 9:00PM for this two-part feast of Mozart’s most beloved choral work, in advance of Choral Arts’ performances of the Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony February 28-March 3.

Can human traffickers be discouraged by the threat of law enforcement seizing the proceeds? Delegate Kathleen Dumais of Rockville has proposed an asset forfeiture bill three years running; it has died in committee. We discuss her chances of it passing this session.

Do you see purple?  As the Ravens get ready for the Super Bowl, our in-house amateur economists analyze fluctuations in the Purple Economy.

The American Library Association announced some prestigious children’s literature awards this week. Librarian Paula Willey tells us what won and what was skipped.

Anthony Anderson of East Baltimore was tackled by a city detective during an arrest four months ago. As a result of injuries during that arrest, Anderson died that night in police custody. State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein announced last week there will be no charges against the police officers involved in the arrest. We asked him why.

What do you get when you give a police scanner an ambient soundtrack? Eric Eberhardt, creator of the website “You Are Listening To Baltimore” told us on Maryland Morning.

Thursday, Janurary 31 through Saturday, Feburary 9
Gumbo

January 29, 2013

Several years ago, Eric Eberhardt stumbled upon the idea of mixing the squawk of a police scanner with a soothing, ambient soundtrack. The result was the website, “You Are Listening To…”

Web Extra: MICA Professor Jason Sloan on the allure of listening to police scanners.

Web Extra: Sloan on why he regularly listens to police scanners.

Governor O'Malley is taking a third shot at pushing a wind-energy bill through the General Assembly. Should Marylanders subsidze one of first wind farms off the east coast? We ask Malcolm Woolf, former director of the Maryland Energy Administration.
And trend stories in the media tell us that online dating is hurting monogamy .. and the so-called "sexting app"  called Snapchat  is erasing what's left of modesty among American teenagers. What else is the Internet ruining? We ask our social media analysts, Nathan Jurgenson and P.J. Rey.

Stephen Wade always loved listening to old Library of Congress field recordings.  Then one day he decided to hit the road to search out the real-life roots of these iconic time capsules of American music.  For 18 years, this folk pilgrim traveled the country, meeting the friends, families, and sometimes the musicians themselves who were immortalized back in the 1930s and 40s by John A Lomax and his portable disc-cutting machine.

January 28, 2012

In a six-decade career, MICA art professor Raoul Middleman has become internationally known for his oil painting.

Low-doc, no-doc, and other risky loans helped cause the housing collapse. A new federal consumer agency has adopted a rule aimed at squeezing this kind of lending out of the market. Will it keep banks from making mortgage loans to people who can't afford them? We ask a University of Maryland business school teaching fellow with decades of experience working for lenders, assessing risk.