September, 2007

This week the networks are heralding the premieres of their new fall series. Listeners of a certain age might recall a time when there were only three networks and you anxiously awaited the new fall tv season.

With cable stations and premium channels like HBO creating their own series, ABC, NBC and CBS no longer gain the lion's share of the telelvision viewing audience. Joining Marc this hour, for what is always a popular show, is Sun television critic David Zurawik; who also hosts WYPR's Media Matters Take on Television. He'll discuss the new fall series and have the latest information on returning favorites. Stay tuned.

                                                                                                                                   -Marcus

Marc's guest this hour is Tavis Smiley who hosts signature national talk shows on both public television and radio. A former aide to the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Smiley made history in 2002 when he became the first African-American to host his own show on National Public Radio.

Recognized by Time and Newsweek as one of America's most promising leaders, Tavis Smiley is in Baltimore to host an All-American Presidential Forum for PBS, tonight at Morgan State University. Tonight's forum will allow Republican Presidential candidates to address issues of concern for people of color. Tonight's debate, however, has not been without controversy. The leading contenders for the Republican nomination will not be in attendanc citing scheduling conflicts.

After declining an invitation to debate on Univision, earlier this month, critics view this as evidence of the Republican party's lack of concern for minority issues. We'll talk about this issue and others with public radio and television host Tavis Smiley.

                                                                                                                                  -Marcus

Ambition is defined as an eager or strong desire to achieve something. However, it's a quality we applaud or abhor in people. Depending on your age, gender or socio-economic status, ambition can be a good or bad thing.

According to one of our guests this hour, ambition is the inner drive that pushes someone to achieve and is essential to leadership. As history has shown us too much ambition can bring harm to others; not enough can result in a lonely existence and people not reaching their potential.

                                                                                                                                    -Marcus

If you've watched the local news or read the papers in the past week you've, no doubt, seen Governor O'Malley at kitchen tables to discuss his plan to restructure state income tax. Last week the governor climbed to a rooftop to discuss his vow to close corporate loopholes which have allowed large companies to avoid paying millions in local and state taxes.

While Maryland is one of the wealthiest states, it's facing a looming fiscal crisis. Will making businesses pay more in taxes help the state's revenue? Marc and his guests will debate the issue of whether businesses pay their fair share of taxes.

                                                                                                                                     -Marcus 

Today for the second half of the one o'clock hour we'll talk with Cynthia Enloe.

She is in town today to give the 1st annual Korenman lecture at UMBC, today at 4:30 pm. Go here for more information!

I don't know how one gets to become known as "an international feminist treasure," but I imagine it involves being pretty smart and interesting.  She is the author of Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics, Maneuvers, The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives, and, The Curious Feminist: Searching for Women in a New Age of Empire

She writes and teaches about the interplay of women's politics in the international arena. One example she focuses on is the implications for women that exist in the War in Iraq. What does it mean for feminism? What does it mean for the welfare of women in the Middle East?

Join us!

-Jessica

I'll be honest. I originally decided to do a segment on Banned Books Week because I was fishing around for a last minute show idea. I thought, "Oh, this will be interesting. We can talk about all the great classics that were once banned!"

Basically, I equated the practice of banning books with history. As in, that doesn't happen anymore.

Oh boy, was I wrong.

Do you know the federal government is banning some books in prisons? Or that books about gay penguins are being challenged in libraries across the country? I remember a series of books I loved when I was a preteen. It was a series about a girl named Alice and her two best friends by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I loved this series. The main character was wondering all the same things I was, feeling all the same things I did, was perplexed by everything I was perplexed by. It felt like having a friend. It made me feel less alone, and safe. I was looking at the list of the 10 most challenged books of 2006, and the Alice series is STILL on it! The books started being written in the 80's!

Now on the other hand, I was in a bookstore last week and I went into the young adult section and I have to admit, I was pretty horrified. Some of the titles and covers were shockingly grownup and seemed to encourage girls to subscribe to a mindset where pretty, popular, sexy, and sophisticated is all that matters. I grabbed one of the books from the Gossip Girl series and leafed through it. Scotch, sex, smoking. All of these things were discussed casually or actually occurred in the first 10 pages of this book. I certainly don't think I would want my (nonexistent) daughter reading this book.

But I guess I feel like that is a choice I as a parent should make. Not the government. What do you think? Did you realize we lived in a world where Toni Morrison still has two books on the most challenged list?

-Jessica

While there are always vociferous and vicious attacks against any gay rights legislation from some fundamentalist religious quarters, I think most Americans and most Marylanders are perplexed and don’t know what we should do.  Many, if not most, heterosexuals in our nation grew up in Christian, Muslim or Jewish homes where marriage was between a man and woman.  Where homosexuality was over there somewhere...someone who was a little "light in the loafers"...some form of aberration, or a way of avoiding the draft.

I think many just have difficulty thinking about sex between two men or two women together.  The idea of same sex marriage is just too foreign for most people.
Do you think that is true?  Now, maybe we should just take religion out of civil ceremonies for marriage.  I mean if Valerie and I were to marry at City Hall, it would not be called a civil union, but being married through a civil ceremony.  So, the idea of civil unions, I think, is just a strategy to make same sex marriage more palatable for the rest of us.

What do you think it would do to the fabric of society if gays and lesbians were allowed to be married in civil ceremonies?  You can’t force a religion to perform marriages that they deem inappropriate, that violates their tenants. Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples will not perform marriages between people of different faiths; others may not even perform marriages that cross racial or ethnic lines or when someone is divorced. It is their right.

If our state and nation allowed same sex marriage, no one could force a religious group to marry them or sanction them.  Of course, there are a minority of religious institutions that would marry gays and lesbians.  That is their right, also.

Gays and lesbians are our neighbors, our co-workers, our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, best friends, acquaintances and cousins.  They have children of their own, or through surrogates and adoption.  They serve in the military and in all branches of public services.  They defend us in court, serve our dinner, perform surgeries on our bodies, build our homes and are part of every facet of life.

Is their right to marry not a human right? A civil right? What would happen to us as a nation if they had the right to a civil marriage with all its protections?  What has happened in Quebec, Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Holland, Spain and South Africa where same sex couples are allowed to marry?

What are your thoughts?

Join us at Noon today, and here.

-Marc

Today at Noon we discussed what is going on in Jena, Louisiana, and what it means for the entire country, and for race relations.  How will this particular event go down in history?  Can Jena be redeemed?

And then...

How do you get to be known as "legendary" while still in your 30's?  I don't know, but I guess Edwidge Danticat does, because she has accomplished this.  She joined us to discuss her new book, a memoir.  It begins on a day in September of 2004 when she learned that her father was dying and that she was pregnant.  From there it moves to her childhood, and her emigration to the U.S. 

Hope you enjoyed it!

-Jessica

For more info about Jena 6, click on the names below to go to a couple of other blogs that were mentioned during the show today:

Friends of Justice (Alan Bean)

Southern Poverty Law Center

-Justin

Whether or not you agree with Robert Kaplan's politcal opinions and worldview, which are undoubtedly controversial, a couple points are hard to argue.

He's highly influential, not only through his prolific writing, which includes a dozen books and twenty years worth of features and op-eds in everything from the NY Times to The Washington Post to military journals to The Atlantic Monthly, where he serves as correspondent, but also through the role he has played as advisor to the US government and military.

He's a great writer, always conveying a wealth of information in a way that is both literary in style and readable.  He does a great job of combining on-the-ground reporting, history, politics, travel writing, and literary references with his own forward-thinking analysis.

That said, you can decide for yourself what you think of Kaplan's opinions.  Click here for an archive of his articles for The Atlantic Monthly.  His most recent book is Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts.  I would strongly recommend one of his earlier books, Balkan Ghosts, an in depth look at the tumultuous Balkans.

Leave your comments here to let us know what you think of today's interview and any of Kaplan's writing that you may have read.

-Justin

Okay, Puppy Day is over.  Sigh.  But today at Noon we've got some really interesting stuff for you. 

Sometimes I will be standing in line at a store here in Baltimore and am just inwardly cringing at the rude behavior of the person in front of me--the way they order the clerk around, demand stuff without saying please, and don't bother to say thank you.  It drives me nuts.  I was raised differently.  When I was a server in a restaurant this used to really bother me as well, when people at my tables would just totally dispense with civility and be rude to me.  Do you ever bemoan the loss of politeness and manners in today's world?  Do you think it has a real effect on our ethics and quality of living?  Has our loss of civility harmed our social fabric?  Or am I just being a fuddy-duddy and I need to get with the new, casual way of life?

We'll be discussing all this and more today with Dr. P.M. Forni.  Ten years ago, he co-founded the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, where they study and assess the effects of civility-or the lack of civility-on modern life.

Join us with your thoughts, comments, and horror stories of rude people!

Poll: Is American society less civil now than it was in the past?

 -Jessica

Before we get to the cute puppies at 1pm, we'll be taking a look at health care reform.  You can never have enough pictures of cute puppies, though.  If anyone would like to share any of their own, please feel free.  Actually, I should post some pictures of the new kitten in my house that's about 7 weeks old, talk about cute.  Check in soon for those.

I know everyone has a lot to say about health care reform, not to mention a lot of questions.  Today, we'll be discussing different ideas for reform, the possibility of a single payer system, what the presidential candidates are talking about, and much more.  So, call or write in with your own thoughts, ok?  Thanks.

-Justin

On Sunday, there was a shootout in Iraq.  No big deal, right?  Happens all time?  But this one was different, because it wasn't between insurgents and coalition troops, or between different Iraqi groups.  The shootout was between guards who worked for the private military company Blackwater USA and and Iraqi civilians.  Anywhere from 8-20 Iraqi's were left dead, depending on your source.  The circumstances surrounding the shootout are in question but Iraq has revoked Blackwater's license and their right to operate in Iraq. 

 I find this whole issue interesting because it brings up the issue of sovereignty and who exactly has the power in Iraq--the Iraqi's or the Americans.  Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said he wants Blackwater gone, but the U.S. is advocating a wait-and-see approach to this.

Join us as we speak with Naomi Klein, who is an expert on disaster capitalism and the author of The Shock Doctrine, about this issue. 

-Jessica

Franky

It's been  a somewhat stressful morning around here.  Can I tell you how excited I am by the fact that at one o'clock, representatives from Baltimore Area and Rescue Shelter (BARCS)are going to bring a doggie in? 

 I am also excited about the work BARCS is doing to expand their offerings for really sick animals.  They don't just get in normal abandoned puppies, kittens, dogs and cats.  They get in animals with severe physical problems.  And I think anyone who owns a pet knows how amazingly expensive serious veterinary care is.  So BARCS has started a fund to take care of these animals.  It was inspired by Franky, who was only four months old when his owner threw him out of a second story window and then put him in a trashcan.  BARCS saved Franky's life, and it wants to save the lives of more animals, so it started this special fund.

Want to bring a special pet into your life?  Click here to view the animals BARCS has for adoption!

We'll hear about all this and more.  Join us!

-Jessica

The breeding and racing of horses has played an important part in Maryland's economic history.  A recent Sun article reported a decline in the state's breeding operations since Pennsylvania began subsidizing its racing industry.

Today we'll discuss the economic and agricultural importance of the horse racing and breeding industry to the state of Maryland and whether the state should subsidize its horse industry.

                                                                                                                               -Marcus

September 30, 2007 will mark the 800th anniversary of the great Sufi mystic poet Rumi.  A number like 800 deserves more than one day of celebration, so we'll be starting ours at 1pm today with Coleman Barks, who has done the finest English-language Rumi translations that I have read.

If you already are familiar with Rumi's tremendous body of work, I don't need to write anything else here.  If not, I hope you'll have a chance to hear today's show.  There's plenty of Rumi's writing, as well as information about him online, as well.  Click here for one good place to start.

-Justin

Reporting from Iraq, not everyone's idea of a choice job.  Despite the obvious risks, some people wouldn't have it any other way.  One of our guests this hour, The Washington Post's Baghdad Bureau Chief Sudarsan Raghavan, has been on with us a couple times before.  Last time, his hearing was damaged from a bomb blast in the Green Zone that he was caught in the middle of.  I remember him talking about whether he considered leaving Iraq after that, and it sounded like he really felt compelled to stay.  Check out his articles here.

Two other reporters are joining us for the first time today, Gordon Lubold from the Christian Science Monitor and Tina Susman from the LA Times.  Just click on their names to see what they've been writing.

Hopefully, we'll have an hour today that goes beyond all of the political rhetoric on Iraq  last week, from Petraeus and Crocker's testimony to Bush's speech, and helps us gain an understanding of what is really going on there.

-Justin

This year te Baltimore Symphony Orchestra plans to perform the symphonies of Beethoven. With the exception of Mozart, there is probably no other classical composer as popular as Beethoven. From Schroeder's adoration of the composer in the Peanut's comics to the animated sequence set to the Pastoral Symphony in Disney's Fantasia, Beethoven remains at the forefront of the classical music canon.

This hour Marc takes an in depth look at Beethoven. He'll discuss the man and his music with Maestra Marin Alsop Music Director of the BSO. Also taking part in the discussion are John Gingerich, who's on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music and Bill Meredith, Director of the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies.

                                                                                                                                       -Marcus

When a one-woman show is named "Woman on the Rag" you know that the creator and performer will be a very different guest from our usual authors, politicos, and journalists.  And you won't be disappointed!  Susan Mele, along with director Gene Fouche (who runs the Maryland Ensemble Theatre),  joins us to discuss her upcoming opening at the Theater Project.  Woman on the Rag will be opening this weekend and runs through next weekend.  Go here for more information, and here to read Susan's blog for Trek bikes.

At one point in time, this was the most famous face in the world.  I bet most people today, at least the ones under 50, couldn't guess who it is.  It's Charles Lindbergh, who rose to fame in 1927 for being the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. He achieved instant international recognition.

Now I am willing to bet that NO ONE can identify the man in this picture, though his contribution to mankind was just as important (maybe even more so, if you've ever had or ever expect to have surgery).  It's Nobel Prize winner Dr. Alexis Carrel.

And what does famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and scientist Dr. Alexis Carrel have in common?  Find out today at One o'clock, when we speak with David Friedman, author of The Immortalists: Charles Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and their Daring Quest to Live Forever.

-Jessica

It was known as the Good War and gave birth to what became known as the greatest generation. Of course we're talking about WWII.  The American involvement in WWII is chronicled in Ken Burns' latest documentary, The War which will debut on PBS September 23rd. Joining Marc this hour is historian, biographer and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award Geoffrey C. Ward.

Ward wrote the narrative and companion book The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 for the Ken Burns documentary which some are calling his best work.

                                                                                                                                        -Marcus