The Coffee House

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The News
Takoma Voice managing editor Eric Bond and editor Nancy O’Donnell report that Takoma Park, MD has a new police chief, Thomas Anderson, but critics question a process that gives the unelected City Manager exclusive hiring authority; Takoma-Silver Spring Coop plans to move to Takoma Junction; the future of Montgomery College in Takoma Park; and Hyattsville, MD is offering free, daily bicycles rentals.

Commentaries
Randy Boehm of the Gateway Coalition warns that some Montgomery College trustees want to abandon the Takoma Park college campus; Herman Schwartz of Friends of Rwanda is holding a benefit for a young girl who lost her parents in the Rwandan civil war; Toni Bruce on the need for city government in Takoma Park to help micro business; Haynes Fraser o her brother’s valor in WWII.

Body & Sole

Dancer and yoga instructor Robin Deen Carnes offers our host lessons in “YogaRhythmics.” (Host: Howard Kohn)

This recording is missing from the collection. The original program description is retained below.

(this part of episode is missing)

In Sickness & In Health
Fine tune your ticker with Dr. Robert Di Bianco, cardiologist at Washington Adventist Hospital. (Host Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Sue Richards and Maggie Sansome play the Celtic harp and hammer dulcimer. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Marita Golden discusses her latest book, Saving Our Sons: Raising Black Children in a Turbulent World. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
Poem by Duane Redmond.

Forum
The Peruvian hostage-taking crisis and US drug decertification of Colombia, with Marc Chernick, Andean politics professor at Georgetown University. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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The News
Takoma Voice managing editor Eric Bond and editor Nancy O’Donnell report on teen employees who identified a chronic shoplifter; cooperating police departments are working together on Operation Linkage to identify violent offenders; Historic Takoma is enlarging classical photos of Takoma Park; the Montgomery County, MD executive is funding a feasibility study for creating Fenton Village in Silver Spring; and more.

Commentaries
Students Andrea Stewart and Loraine Hutchins on anti-gay bias and stifling free expression at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD today and yesterday.

Body & Sole

Jack Winters, Takoma Park, MD youth league commissioner, and “Geezer Soccer” player Rick Eisen discuss the rapid growth and popularity of kids and adult soccer.

Commentary
Retired cop Condie Clayton on the selection of an outsider as the Takoma Park police chief.

In Sickness & In Health
Sally Laux and Leslie Montgomery of Crossings on healing with acupuncture. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Celtic singer Grace Griffith offers “Poison Glen” and “The Quiet Land/Innisfree” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

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Writers’ Bloc
Paul Hendrickson discusses is book, The Living and the Dead: Robert McNamara and Five Lives of a Lost War, a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. (Host: Charles Duke)

In Verse
Norman Greene offers “Father’s Fear” or “A Better Way to Kill,” and “First Date.”

Forum
Doing well while doing good as socially responsible investors with Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Coop America, and Steve Scheuth, vice president of the Calvert Group and chair of the Social Investment Forum. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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The News
Takoma Voice managing editor Eric Bond and editor Nancy O’Donnell report on the County Executive’s smart growth plan to revive downtown Silver Spring; toxic chemical PCE found in Sligo Creek; the Earth Day bike-around Takoma Park, MD; Takoma Park unification festivities; Liz Lerman Dance Exchange opening in Takoma Park; and more.

Commentaries
Randy Boehm on the “haves and have nots” in Silver Spring development; Haynes Fraser on being committed to a cause.

Body & Sole
Involving “at risk” kids in recreation programs, with guest Steve Ellis, Takoma Park youth outreach director. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Norman Greene presents “Energy.”

In Sickness & In Health
Treating arthritis with Dr. Evan Siegel, rheumatologist at Washington Adventist Hospital. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Singer/songwriters Pete & Maura Kennedy, performing “Life is Large,” “St. Mark’s Square,” and “River of Fallen Stars.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Writers’ Bloc
Patricia Browning Griffith discusses her latest novel, Supporting the Sky, a mother-daughter story set in contemporary Washington, DC. (Host: Lisa Page) In Verse Rose Solari presents “Letter from Sligo Creek.”

Forum
An exchange about the proposed construction of the Inter County Connector, featuring Joe Anderson of the Montgomery County, MD Park & Planning Commission, ICC supporter Aaron Handler, retired engineer Frank Vrataric, and ICC foe Greg Smith. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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The News
Takoma Voice editor Nancy O’Donnell and Mark Cohen report on a Tako9ma Park, MD unification party; Montgomery College will expand its campus in Takoma Park; development plans for a Town Center in Silver Spring; consumer cable fees may be going up again; car airbag thefts; the Takoma Park jazzFest and more.

Commentary
Montgomery Blair High School student Lily Raff argues the community service requirement to graduate high school in Montgomery County, MD is counter-productive and unfair.

Body & Sole
Takoma Park, MD moms Jane Hurst and Mary Jackstreit chat about girls’ sports, today and yesterday. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Rose Solari presents “Chicken Fights”

In Sickness & In Health
Vegetarian nutritionist and vegan caterer Gail Naftalin talks health and recipes. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

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Musical Traditions
The entrancing world music, jazz-raga sounds of Facing East, performing “Facing East,” “Himalayan,” and “Purnima.“ (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc

Los Angeles Times correspondent Sam Fulwood III, author of the memoir Waking from the Dream: My Life in the Black Middle Class, talks about the vagaries of civil rights today. (Host: Lisa Page)

Forum
U.S. EPA Administrator Carol Browner, a Takoma Park, MD resident, talks about her background, her priorities, and takes an unusual multiple-choice test. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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The News
Takoma Voice managing editor Eric Bond and Lisa Page present. Topics include: Takoma Park, MD unification commenters include Tom Gagliardo, Peter Franchot, Steve Del Giudice, Ed Sharp, Derrick Berlage; the future of the old Montgomery Blair High School; and the Takoma farmers market’s management.

Body & Sole
Howard Kohn offers a play-by-play about his recent stroke.

Feature
Home brewing, a video guide by Hunter Williams. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Sickness & In Health
Midwife Carolyn Dutcher of the Takoma Women’s Health Center assesses various modes of birth control, including the female condom. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Bruce Hutton performs “Old Groundhog” on the mouthbow, “I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground” on fretless banjo, “Freight Train” on guitar, “Sweet Home Chicago” on the steel guitar. (Host: David Eisner)

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Writers’ Bloc
Authors Eleanor Clift and Tom Brazaitis discuss their book about Washington power politics, War Without Bloodshed: The Art of Politics.

In Verse
“Your Face” by Rose Solari.

Forum
Author Mark Hertsgaard takes a spin through the automobile’s past and suggests how the transportation industry might be steered so that the planet avoids a crash. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
A discussion of the Clinton Administration’s proposal for national education standards and testing. Guests: Sharon Robinson, vice president of the Educational Testing Service, and Robert McClure, senior professional associate with the National Education Association’s Center for Innovation. And plans to convert the Old Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD into two adjacent schools spanning kindergarten through 8th grade. (Reporter: Gina Jordan) (Host: Mark Cohen)

Commentary
Cindy Allen makes the case for parental involvement in their kid’s education.

In Sickness & In Health
The medical and policy debate over uses of marijuana with Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
Ilona Popper presents “The Place.”

Musical Traditions

Cajun two-step and waltz sounds from Karen Collins and Ann Porcella, including “Steppin’ Fast,” “Ma Malheureuse,” and “Oh, Madeline.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Maxine Clair, author of Rattlebone, discusses and reads from her work. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Takoma Park, MD mayoral candidates share their visions for the city. Candidates are Kathy Porter, a city council member, and Rudy Arredondo, a civil rights activist. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Commentary
Eric Bond, Takoma Voice publisher, on facing competition from the Washington Post’s suburban newspaper chain, the Gazette.

In Sickness & In Health
The use of hypnosis inn medical treatment, with Robert Anderson, psychologist, and Laura Rodriguez Archila, hypnotherapist. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
Rose Solari presents “Elegy for the Five-Sided Box.”

Musical Traditions
Scotland meets Africa with Bagpipes and Beyond, with a medley including “The Earl of Mansfield” and “Scottish Sword Dance,” “The Green Hills of Tyrol,” and a horn pipe and jig set. (Host: David Eisner)

Body & Sole
Activists Denny May and Betsy Taylor discuss the relationship between adult sports and community building. (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
Development options for downtown Silver Spring, MD, with Bryant Foulger, Foulger-Pratt, and Silver Spring (MD) Redevelopment Steering Committee members Leslie Hanley, Bobbie-Falls Zeitler of Citizens for Sensible Development, and Takoma Park Council member Marc Elrich. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The impact of Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Coop’s relocation to Takoma Junction in Takoma Park, MD. (Reporter: Gina Jordan)

Body & Sole
The prospects for a new, indoor soccer facility in Silver Spring, MD with Art Williams of the Silver Spring Redevelopment Steering Committee. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Commentaries
Haynes Frasier: Stop Gun Violence Against Kids; Herman Schwartz: Social Security Death Benefits Are a Pittance.

Musical Traditions
Eclectic acoustic music with Urban Legends., including “I’m a Woman,” “Old King Kong,” and “Why Get Up?” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Novelist Bruce Duffy discusses his latest work, Last Comes the Egg. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
The economy: What the heck is going on? Guests are Larry Mishel, Research Director at the Economic Policy Institute, and Jerome Levinson, American University law professor. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Ed Sharp reflects on what’s next for him after retiring as mayor of Takoma Park, MD. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Sickness & In Health
Massage therapists Hedy Sladovich and Inga Rothrock consider the healing powers of touch. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Prasada-Rao serves up “That’s the Way It Goes,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Ellen’s Angels.”(Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Poet D.J. Renegade performs and discusses his musical style of verse, including “Diminuendo in Blue,” “Mama After Midnight,” and “Flies in a Jar.” (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Marilyn Shoenfeld, Blair Cluster Coordinator and liaison to the Montgomery County, MD Board of Education, and Joe Lavorgna, Montgomery County Schools Director of Planning and Capital Programming, discuss the process of redrawing elementary and middle school boundaries in the Blair High School cluster. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Commentary
Tim Hannapel, co-president, Piney Branch Elementary PTA in Takoma Park, MD, on the need to teach tolerance toward gays to grade school students.

Body & Sole
Liz Lerman, director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, talks about her innovative dance troupe, its philosophy, and why the Dance Exchange resettled in Takoma Park, MD. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Phil Wiggins of Wiggins & Cephus makes the blues harp cry, with “Burn Your Bridges,” “Sitting on Top of the World” (which shares the same melody as “Come On in My Kitchen”), and a Gospel melody, including “Amazing Grace.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Ilona Popper performs "Memory: Age 13."

In Sickness & In Health
Dr. James Gormally, clinical psychologist, and Dr. Roxanne Dreyden-Edwards, adult and child psychiatrist, distinguish the post-holiday blues from real depression and discuss how to treat these maladies. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

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Forum
Starpower Communications — a joint venture of Pepco Communications and RCN Corp. — plans to compete with cable and phone monopolies by offering bundled cable, phone and high-speed Internet access services in the D.C. area. The panel includes Karen Giet, Director of Governmental Affairs for

Starpower; Michael Strait, chairman, Montgomery County Cable Advisory Committee (CCAB); and Rick Lane, member of the CCAB. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
“Rapoetry” by D.J. Renegade with Laryea Addy on the drum.

Body & Sole
Parents Elaine Anderson and Mark Ginsberg discuss their kids' participation in Montgomery County, MD's ice hockey program. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
The Jesse Paledofsky Group performs “Paradise,” “So I Can Feel Your Rivers Wash Me Down,” and “Cruising on the Beltway.” (Host: David Eisner)

Feature
The art of being a school crossing guard with Annie Cotton.

Writers’ Bloc
Literary activist Ethelbert Miller discusses and reads from his poetry collection, First Light. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Home businessman Steve Mencher asks tax questions of CPA and Certified Financial Planner Alan Bergamini. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"The Grieving House" by Ilona Popper.

In Sickness & In Health
Takoma Park (MD) Animal Clinic veterinarian, Dr. Pat Kriemelmeyer, considers the health effects of pets on n humans. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Percussionist and singer Laryea Addy offers up an African beat. (Host: David Eisner)

Feature
Vox populi: Should Iraq invade the U.S.?

Writers’ Bloc
Larry Beinhart discusses his novel, American Hero, and the film adapted from it, “Wag the Dog.” (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Did MD Governor Glendening reverse course and oppose the Inter County Connector outer beltway for the DC area? Commenting are Charles Dukes, ICC Partnership; Greg Smith, Campaign to Stop the ICC; and Judith Mbuy, Gazette newspaper staff writer. (Host Mark Cohen)

Feature

Ethelbert Miller presents "For Mother's Day."

Body & Sole
Reclaiming an urban woodland in Takoma Park, MD, featuring Dan Robinson, Chairman, Takoma 2010. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Andean sounds of Fortaleza, including “Vientos del Sud,” “Cochabamba,” and “Niña Camba.” (Host: David Eisner)

Feature
Takoma House & Garden Tour.

In Sickness & In Health
Are organic foods really better than conventional options? With Hiu Newcomb, organic farmer, and Mark Keating, policy analyst at the Henry Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

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Forum
The prospects for Silver Spring, MD redevelopment, including comments by County Executive Doug Duncan, developer James Todd, Md. State Senator Ida Rubin, and Montgomery County Council President Ike Leggett. Also, the status of Montgomery County, MD funding for the Takoma Park Library, including comments from Library Director Ellen Arnold-Robbins, Buddy Daniels, Councilman Larry Rubin, Silver Spring Library Branch Manager Ann Irvine, and Save Our Library member Jack Mayer. (Produce: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Children’s storytelling at the Takoma Park Library with Jillian Hershberger. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Body & Sole
At what age is it appropriate to keep score in kids’ sport? Coaches Bill Valdez and Sue Immerman weigh in, along with comments by parents Jordan Barab, Marie Defeche, Steve Mackler and Larry Rubin. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
Ethelbert Miller remembers author and activist Lorraine Hansberry.

In Step
Sylvia Soumah, director of the Coyaba Dance Theater, talks about African dance. Wendy Brown performs with her class at the Dance Exchange. (Host: Liz Leman)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade, with Laryea Addy on drums, performs "Jazz in 4/4 Time."

Writers’ Bloc
TransAfrica founder and anti-apartheid leader Randall Robinson discusses Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America, his autobiography. His father was a history teacher in segregated Richmond, VA, his brother Max became the anchor of ABC World News Tonight, and Randall went from a self-described “jock” to a renowned global human rights activist. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Reviews of forthcoming June episodes of PBS’ first-person documentary series, “P.O.V.,” by Pat Aufderheide, and a discussion of “Nappy” with the documentary’s Takoma filmmaker, Lydia Ann Douglas. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
“Diamond Day” in Takoma Park with Coach G.

In Sickness & in Health
The pros and cons of vaccination with Dr. Regina Rabinovich, Chief of Clinical Studies, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and John Salamone, president of Informed Parents Against Vaccine- Associated Paralytic Polio. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
"Eating with Our Sons" by E. Ethelbert Miller.

Musical Traditions

Rita Clarke and Bourbon Street perform “Mardi Gras Mambo,” “They All Ask for You,” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
The art of ghostwriting with Time Magazine columnist Jack E. White. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Democratic candidates for the 5th District seat on the Montgomery Council, incumbent Derick Berlage and challenger Marc Elrich, face off. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide’s take on summer movies as launching pads for trinket marketing and a look at "Welcome to Sarajevo."

Body & Sole
Gymnastics for tots with Silver Stars (Silver Spring, MD) staff members Cherie Hope and Gail Marks. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Rose Solari presents "What She Tells Herself."

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Eric Brace performs “Angelina” and “Louisiana.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Author William Loizeaux discusses his memoir. The Shooting of Rabbit Wells. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum

The future of Silver Spring and Takoma Park, MD may be driven by the arts. We speak with Helen Frederick at Pyramid Atlantic. Jillian Raye of the Lumina Theater joins us in the studio. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Hollywood's treatment of kids and God and a better option from Germany in “Village of Dreams.” (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

In Sickness & In Health
Household environmental hazards with Maryla Records, author of Domestic 007, and Larry Weinstock, Acting Director, EPA Office of Radiation & Indoor Air. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Franklin Taggart is featured, playing “Ramona,” “Pathway to Me,” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade performs "Song in the Key of Nicole."

Writers’ Bloc
We Had a Dream author Howard Kohn discusses race and politics in Prince George’s County, MD. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
At-large candidates for the Montgomery County (MD) School Board, Dan Parr and Steven Abrams, and a feature report on the new Montgomery Blair H.S. by Ross Adams. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Ethelbert Miller presents “Slow Dancing in D.C.”; David Sherin offers “Bosses Are Great!”

In Sickness & In Health
Dietary supplements with Dr. Premala Brewster-Wilson, Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine and Nutrition, and Tracy Fox, Sr. Federal Regulatory Manager, American Dietetic Association. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Cajun sounds of Squeeze Bayou, performing the “Acadian Two-Step” and “Calcasieu Waltz.” (Host: David Eisner)

Body & Sole
Dave Loop, owner of the East of Maui skatepark rink in Silver Spring, MD is guest. Ed Bager reports on the future of skate park facilities in the down county area. (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
A field report on Discovery Communications’ plans to relocate to Silver Spring, MD (includes excerpts of Ross Adams’ interviews with Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan and Discovery vice president Don Bayer, as well as comments by Italia Gourmet owner Marco Fontini) and the prospects for a "Burbank on the Potomac" in Silver Spring, with Ray Barry, director of AFI’s National Film Theater; Jerry Whiddon, producing artistic director of the Roundhouse Theater, and Susan Hoffmann, manager, community relations and promotion for the Silver Spring Regional Center. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Kim Roberts presents "Siamese Twins."

Body & Sole
Area high school football programs are scrambling for talent and losing ground to soccer. Ed Bager’s field report includes comments by coaches Tom Verbanic of Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Dale Castro of High Point High School in Prince George’s County, and football parent Charles Hall. Guests are Michael Duberstein, research director for the NFL Players Association, and John Simson, president of the Blair Boosters Club. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Ghanaian percussionist Asante, who played with Paul Simon on the Graceland album, performs. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Book reviewer and author Alan Cheuse discusses his new collection of short stories, Lost and Old Rivers. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Montgomery County State's Attorney-elect Doug Gansler discusses his successful electoral campaign and plans for the prosecutor's office when he takes the helm on January 4, 1999. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade's "Silent Night"; Kim Roberts' "The Floor Is Sticky."

In Sickness & In Health
Sleep disorders and what to do about them with Dr. Richard Waldhorn of Georgetown University Hospital's Sleep Disorders Center and Roland Finken with the Council on Later School Start and a sleep apnea sufferer. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Step
Choreographer Doug Hamby, who puts technology to use in dance, including having a robot as a company member. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews the Brazilian film, “Central Station.”

Writers’ Bloc
Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Tony Horwitz discusses his new book, Confederates in the Attic. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
As national retail chains spread across the country, can local communities control their economic destinies? Ross Adams reports on the conflict over CVS's decision to locate a shopping mart at the D.C.- Takoma Park, MD border. Then, Steve Sadler of Citizens for Sensible Development in Kilmarnock, VA, discusses his group’s efforts to block a Wal-Mart from locating there. Michael Shuman, author of Going Local, discusses concrete steps local communities can take to control their economic futures. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews "Smoke Signals" and finds that it is likely to make you uncomfortable and entertain you.

In Sickness & In Health
Fluoride may help protect teeth against tooth decay but some argue it is also poisoning us. EPA Senior Scientist Dr. William Hirzey states the case against fluoride. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Wammie-award winner Randy Barrett picks a guitar and banjo and sings “Carpe Diem,” “High on a Mountaintop,” and “In Loving Memory of You.”

In Verse
"The Cathedral of St. Matthew’s" by Ethelbert Miller.

Body & Sole
Ed Bager reports on what sorts of indoor playground-like facilities exist for tots in Montgomery County, MD. County Councilman Steve Silverman discusses the prospects for public, indoor playgrounds for tots to get them through the winter months. (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
President Clinton is again seeking "fast track" authority to negotiate a hemispheric trade treaty modeled after NAFTA. Michael Dolan of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch argues that Congress should deny the president such authority. But Lance Compa, a labor lawyer and a senior lecturer at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, says it’s time to give "fast track" a chance, so long as it provides for NAFTA-like labor and environmental side accords. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Plans for bring a “cohousing development” to Takoma, D.C. Takoma residents Stephen Rosenberg and Cindy Cohen, as well as Takoma Village consultant Ann Zabaldo, comment. (Reporter: Ross Adams)

Body & Sole

Montgomery County may become the home to one of the largest soccer complexes on the East Coast. Discussing the proposed Germantown-area facility are Trisha Heffelfinger of the Maryland Soccer Foundation and Linda Schugar of Montgomery Soccer Inc. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Wammie-award winner Magpie sings “Under a Blanket of Blue,” “Mary Brown, Abolitionist,” and “We Belong to the Earth.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade presents “Morna.”

Writers’ Bloc
Author Juan Williams discusses his new biography, Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary.

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Forum
Marriott's efforts to wrest up to a $50-58 million deal from Maryland and Montgomery County to build a new headquarters or to just stay put. Kristina Ellis, marketing specialist for Montgomery County's Economic Development Department; Jerry Gordon, director of Fairfax's Economic Development Authority; and Greg LeRoy, director of the "Good Jobs First" comment. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
A memorial service for Chick-Chick, a/k/a Roscoe the Rooster, late of Takoma Park, featuring eulogies by Mike Tidwell, Myron Bretholz, and Alma Keating. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Ilona Popper presents "Dream I"

In Sickness & In Health
The why’s, how’s and ethics of organ donations, with Sue Edwards, bioethicist at the Washington Hospital Center. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Grace Griffith, accompanied by Bob Freeman on violin and harmonica, performs a Pete and Maura Kennedy tune and “Dimming of the Day” by Richard and Linda Thompson. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Earth Odyssey author Mark Hertsgaard ponders the human species' prospects for survival in the face of poverty and environmental crises. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
A preview of the 13th Annual Washington DC Film Festival, focusing on Latin America Film. FilmFest executive director Tony Gittens and film critic Pat Aufderheide discuss what's on the program, including cuts from Claude Chabrol's “The Swindle,” Hanif Kureishi's “My Son the Fanatic,” and the digital re- release of Richard Lester's Beatles mockumentary, “A Hard Day's Night” (audio drops out). (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Could it be that Jerry Falwell is on to something about the Telletubbies? Tinky-Winky!!

In Verse
D.J. Renegade offers “Blackflash.”

In Sickness & In Health
The ethics and law of assisted suicide, including a feature report by Ross Adams on Maryland's new statute criminalizing assisted suicide. State Senator Jennie Forehand and Delegate David Valderrama comment, followed by a discussion with Dr. Henry Silverman, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Hospital Center and the chair of the Center's Ethics Committee. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
The Washington Post's "Nightwatch" reporter and lead singer of “Last Train Home,” Eric Brace offers up his arrangement of "The Beat Goes On," “Sugar,” and “True North.” (Host: David Eisner)

Body & Sole
To what extent are local sports heroes truly "heroes," and to what extent should a local community take pride in the athletic accomplishments of its native sons and daughters. The cases of Takoma Park's Dominique Dawes and Steve Francis provide grist for the comments of sportswriter Jim Naughton. (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
When ado taxpayer subsidies for economic development spur community revitalization and when are they corporate handouts? Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan argues that both the Silver Spring redevelopment project and the package offered Marriott to stay in Montgomery County were good deals. Maryland Sen. Paul Pinsky from Prince George's County (D-22nd Dist.) supports the Silver

Spring project but not the Marriott deal. US Rep. David Minge (D-MN) maintains that federal legislation is necessary to curb the bidding war among the states for business. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
The poem "Lunching" by Lori Tsang, accompanied by Antonio Parker on sax and Leland Nakamura on drums.

Body & Sole
University of Pittsburgh sport historian, author and filmmaker Rob Ruck talks about the history of sandlot baseball and sport as a community activity. Ross Adams reports on a summer college, semi-pro wood bat baseball league. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Mary Sue Twohy sings “Rain on Me” and “Back Door of My Heart.” (Host: David Eisner)

Feature
Rehearsal scenes from Lumina Studio Ensemble's summer production of "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare.

Writers’ Bloc
The making of an independent, community newspaper: Takoma Voice editor-in-chief Eric Bond and writer Nancy O'Donnell are featured. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
The designer drug MDMA (Ecstasy): What is it? Should it be illegal? CUNY Medical School professor and pharmacologist Dr. John Morgan discusses how MDMA works on the brain, why users find it pleasurable, and what the risks are in using the drug. Sociologist Marsha Rosenbaum tells how Ecstasy became popular both in therapy and for recreational use, as at Rave parties. And Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies warns that much of what passes for MDMA on the street is not. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
A reprise of "Jazz in 4/4 Time" by D.J. Renegade.

In Sickness & In Health
Asthma sufferers may breathe easier. The debilitating lung condition need no longer limit its many victims. Commenting are Ruth Quartey of the Howard University College of Medicine and Linda Borschuk of the Maryland Asthma & Allergy Foundation. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Rita Clarke and the Crew of Renegades play a lively mix of New Orleans sounds, including “Such a Night It Is” and “Ophelia.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Host of NPR's “Talk of the Nation,” Ray Suarez, drops by to discuss The Old Neighborhood, his new book describing the great suburban migration from America's cities and what we've lost as a result. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
What can local communities, and citizens, do about global warming? Fred Sissine, mayor of Mt. Rainier, MD, talks about what local governments, including Takoma Park and Mt. Rainier, can do. Michael Totten, co-director of the Institute for Environment and Business at the World Resources Institute, discusses how individuals can become more energy efficient, save money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Reporter Ross Adams visits the home of Albert Nunez to survey some simple and useful ways individuals can conserve energy. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Rebecca Villareal serves "Magic Pork Chops."

Feature
Scenes and sounds from Takoma Park's July 5th Independence Day.

In Sickness & In Health
Those annoying insects creeping around your house: Which ones are a health hazard, which ones destructive, and which ones simply creepy? Steve Dubik, horticultural consultant, has some answers. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
African duo Anansegromma performs.

In Step

It's called the "Teen Initiative" and this innovative summer intensive at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange brings together a broad cross-section of teen dancers to explore not only their art but themselves. The director is Gesell Mason. She is assisted by teen guide Vincenza Davis. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide surveys this summer's film, video and TV offerings, and has some clips and suggestions, including "The Buena Vista Social Club" and a P.O.V. show on church, state, and freedom of and freedom from religion in the Deep South.

Body & Sole
Number 6 ranked bantamweight pro boxer Lisa "Too Fierce" Foster displays her skills to our reporter Ed Bager and talks about her unusual career path. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
The Montgomery County Council narrowly voted down a "living wage" bill recently that would have more than doubled the federal minimum wage for private sector employees with County contracts. The measure was introduced by councilman Phil Andrews. Council president Ike Leggett unsuccessfully proposed a compromise to try and save the principle underlying the "living wage." Also discussing the "living wage" campaign and its next steps is Tom Hucker, campaign director of Progressive Montgomery. Also, Ross Adams reports on a low wage family in Montgomery County where a quarter of public-school students are eligible for free lunches. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"Indecent Exposure" by Lori Tsang with Leland Nakamura on drums.

Feature
The opening of the new Sligo Creek Elementary School on the site of the old Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD with a French immersion program. Among those commenting is Principal Dr. Michael Martirano. (Producer: Jenny Brown; Narrator and Editor: Chris Weiss

Body & Sole
Takoma Park, MD has funding for a new community center but opinion differs as to where it should be, who it should be for, and what kind of programming the center should offer. Merita Irby, manager of the International Youth Foundation, has traveled widely in the U.S. and abroad studying why community centers succeed or fail. She shares her findings. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Flamenco song and dance with vocalist Gerardo Moreno, guitarist Richard Marlow and dancers Edwin Aparicio and Natalie Monteleon. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Biologically speaking, what does it mean to be female? New York Times writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Natalie Angier discusses her new book, Woman: An Intimate Geography, in which she tackles, among other things, the influence of genes and hormones on intelligence and aggression, and whether females are more monogamous than males. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Takoma Park, MD residents signed enough petitions to qualify a referendum for the November 2nd ballot that would ban all handguns in the city. But a state law expressly preempts most local ordinances that purport to regulate firearms. The City Council was faced with a dilemma: Put the referendum on the ballot and possibly violate state law or keep the referendum off the ballot and violate the City's charter. Among those commenting are the City Attorney Sue Silber, gun control advocates Tom Mooney and Betsy Taylor, and City Council Members Lisa Hawkins and Marc Elrich. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"Indecent Exposure" by Lori Tsang; “Under the Night Sky” by Kim Roberts.

In Sickness & In Health
Is biogenetically engineered food safe? Should it be labelled? Patrick Kelly, Director, State Government Relations at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and Charlotte Arnold, Policy Director at the Center for Food Safety, exchange views. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
The Cajun sounds of Squeeze Bayou, “Jongle a Moi” and “Reno Waltz” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc (Note: No audio on this segment. To watch with audio, see Episode 22 (February 1999)) A reprise: Author Juan Williams discusses his new biography, Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Maryland Governor Parris Glendening pulled the plug on the controversial Inter County Connector in September, opting instead for two limited access parkways, intersection improvements, and mass transit. So what comes next? Gus Bauman, representing the Greater Washington Board of Trade, still favors building an East-West highway linking I-270 and I-95. Peter Shapiro, a Prince George's County Council member, argues it's time to scrap an "Outer Beltway" project and instead build an East-West light-rail system inside the Beltway. Also, reporter Ross Adams takes us on the difficult commute from Gaithersburg to Laurel. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran explains why he supports a movement to ban handguns.

In Verse
"Winged Communion" by Lori Tsang, accompanied by Antonio Parker on sax and Leland Nakamura on drums.

In Sickness & In Health
Current trends in treating infertility with Dr. Frank Chang of the Mid-Atlantic Fertility Centers. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews the controversial film "Dogma" and also "The Harmonists," a German film now out on video.

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter-guitar player Steven Gellman, accompanied by Jamie Daly on mandolin, performs “Second Chance” and “We still Dance.” (Host: David Eisner)

Body & Sole
The costs and benefits of professional sports stadiums. Jon Morgan, Baltimore Sun sportswriter and author, talks about the hidden taxpayer subsidies supporting Camden Yards and the Ravens football stadium. Also, reporter Brad Shellgren looks at who will pay and who will profit from if a new baseball stadium is built in the District of Columbia. D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission Chairman Bill Hall comments. (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
In his first year as Montgomery County State's Attorney, Doug Gansler and his office have squared off against Mike Tyson and the Israeli judiciary. Gansler looks back at these cases, as well as the controversial marijuana prosecution of Takoma Park, MD activists, and offers his views on handgun control. (Host Mark Cohen)

Feature

The American Film Institute and Discovery Communications are launching the "International Documentary [Film] Festival" to begin in 2001 at the soon-to-be renovated Silver Theater in Silver Spring. Announcing the project were Doug Duncan, Montgomery County executive; Jean Picker Firstenberg and James Hindman, the co-directors of the American Film Institute; and Discovery CEO John Hendricks and senior vice president Donald Baer. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews "Snow Falling on Cedars."

Writers’ Bloc
She's best known as the host of a daily talk show on NPR-affiliate WAMU-FM but Diane Rehm is now also the author of a memoir, Finding My Voice. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
"The Absurd Messiah" by Miriam Morsel Nathan.

Body & Sole
Pesticides on golf courses: Dick O'Connor, golfer and environmental lawyer, and Diane Cameron, environmental scientist, assess how green are the greens. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Richie Havens reprises the song he opened with at Woodstock, “Freedom” and also offers “Alone Together.” (Producers: Steve Olson and Jere Silber.)

Watch on YouTube

(missing audio from 9:03 – 10:04)

Forum
Labor, environmental and human rights protesters were credited by a U.S. trade delegate for derailing the recent WTO talks in Seattle, where the street scene was reminiscent of the 1968 Democratic Convention. Commenting is independent web journalist John Tarleton. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Community Bridges aims to mentor and empower at-risk girls from the 4th through the 8th grades in Takoma Park and East Silver Spring. (Reporter: Ross Adams)

In Sickness & In Health
The latest evidence on the relationship between genes, the environment and drinking problems, with Dr. Enoch Gordis, director the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Weekend Traveler
A visit to Fells Point in Baltimore. (Producer: Steve Olson; Narrator: Steve Barber)

Writers’ Bloc
Carolivia Herron discusses her controversial children's book, Nappy Hair. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
"Estela" by Rebecca Villarreal.

Musical Traditions
Tinsmith offers contemporary Celtic sounds, “The Black Fox” and “Mrs. McGraw.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Should cable companies be forced to share their lines with Internet Service Providers? Commenting are Wes Heppler, Cable Telecommunications Association; Kristan Van Hook, openNET Coalition; and Jane Lawton, Cable Communications Administrator, Montgomery County Office of Consumer Affairs. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Overcrowding at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD. (Reporter: Ross Adams)

In Sickness & In Health
The pros and cons of laser surgery ("Lasik") for correcting vision problems. Commenting are Dr. Jay Lustbader, Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at Georgetown University, and Jean Christensen, a Lasik patient. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
The world music sounds of Rachel & Jacqui. (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
“Teen Angel” by Miriam Morsel Nathan

In Step
Movement with a social message: Choreographer Helanius J. Wilkins. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Second Look
Freelance producer William "Rocky" Kistner discusses his Frontlines documentary, "Justice for Sale." (Host: Howard Kohn)

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Forum
Maryland will begin deregulating the sale of electricity in July. Will competition benefit residential customers, either in price or by providing "green power"? Commenting are Glenn Ivey, chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission; Mark Mazur, Director of Policy, U.S. Department of Energy; and Chris Cook, principal, E3 Energy Associates.

Feature
Allegations of racism and discrimination in the Takoma Park (MD) Police Department. (Reporter: Ross Adams)

Writers’ Bloc
The Nation Washington editor David Corn discusses his political thriller, Deep Background. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
"How to Imagine Deafness" by Kim Roberts.

Rewind
A preview of the upcoming DC FilmFest with festival assistant director, Shirin Ghareeb. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
Lisa Moscatiello encounters “Stormy Weather” and sings of her “Bed by the Window.”

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Forum
The Public Justice Center, a Baltimore-based poverty law organization, has launched an Appellate Advocacy Project and enlisted Steve Sachs, former Maryland Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for Maryland, to help take the PJC to the next level. Sachs is joined by the Project's director, Deborah Eisenberg. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
An area on the fourth floor of the City Place Mall, dubbed Silver Spring Art Space, is home to artists and even a touring opera company. Ross Adams reports.

In Sickness & In Health
Obesity has myriad causes but genetics play an important role, argues Dr. Marc Reitman of the Diabetes Branch of the National Institutes of Health. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Weekend Traveler
An off-season excursion to Chincoteague and Assateague. Get ready to kayak. (Producer: Steve Olson; Videographer: Kimberly Keese; Narrator: Chuck Barber)

Musical Traditions
Bruce Molsky goes down home on the fiddle with “Cotton-Eye Joe” and to Zaire on the guitar with “Song of Praise.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Getting more out of life than stuff: Silver Spring author Jerome Segal discusses his book, Graceful Simplicity. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
More and more states are enacting laws to make it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana to ease the pain of chronically or severely ill patients, like guest Kitty Tucker of Takoma Park, MD. So why was a bill to legalize medical marijuana, sponsored by Donald E. Murphy (R- Balt./Howard Counties), rejected in this session of the Maryland General Assembly? (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature

When Steve Olson and his film crew went to cover the recent Mobilization for Global Justice protests in DC for the Coffee House, he wasn't expecting to spend 16 hours in jail. But that's what happened. (Producer: Steve Olson)

In Verse
Miriam Morsel Nathan presents "The Tattoo Lady."

Second Look
Recall reading about how the federal “Drug Czar’ Barry McCaffrey secretly provided financial incentives for the TV networks to inject anti-drug messages into their prime-time programming? That story quickly went out of print, suggests the Washington editor of Salon.com, David Weir, because the print media that broke the story had a similar financial deal with the Drug Czar. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
The Celtic-inspired mandolin and guitar sounds of Robin Bullock performing “Old French” and “Miss Monahan.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Ethelbert Miller looks back at his upbringing, marriages and career in his new memoir, Fathering Words: The Making of an African American Writer. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Elian Gonzalez may be the most celebrated asylum applicant in memory but a "well-founded fear of persecution," not celebrity, is the basis for establishing refugee status under international law. Commenting is Bemma Donkoh, deputy regional representative for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews two documentaries airing in June on PBS, "Well Founded Fear," which listens in on INS asylum officers talking about their cases, and "Butterfly," about a woman's battle against clearcutting the giant redwood trees.

Second Look
Nina Seavey of Takoma Park won an Emmy for her documentary about polio. Now she's working on a film about a winning group of teen musicians from Russia who are about to hit it big in Nashville. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
The sights and sounds of the “Million Mom March” for gun control . (Producer: John Windmueller)

In Sickness & In Health
Skin cancer: What causes it and how to prevent it with Dr. Scott Saxman, senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
"Congratulations" by Rebecca Villarreal.

Musical Traditions
Liz Goldberg sings the Kate Wolf tune, “Across the Great Divide” and her own “Comrades in Arms.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Did EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment "cook the books" to make it appear that the Baltimore area, which EPA labels "severe" for smog, would have clean air by 2005? "Yes," says Rena Steinzor, the attorney representing 1000 Friends of Maryland. "No," says attorney Michael Powell on behalf of the BWI Business Partnership. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Del. John Arnick (D-Balt. Cty) is again sponsoring legislation to ban the use of cell phones by drivers while on the road. Absent such a law, Maryland State Trooper Cynthia Brown cautions drivers to use their cell phones sensibly. The cell phone industry's Lisa Idhe argues an outright ban is unnecessary and counterproductive. (Reporter: Ross Adams)

Second Look
The press and the 2000 presidential campaign: Kevin Merida and Michael Powell of the Washington Post how the boys and girls on the bus treat the candidates and the issues. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
"Checkpoint" by Lori Tsang.

Writers’ Bloc
Is America ready for a woman president? Authors Eleanor Clift and Tom Brazaitis assess the prospects in Madam President: Shattering the Last Glass Ceiling.

Rewind
Pat Aufderheide reviews "Sunshine," Istvan Szabo's panorama of the 20th century through the experiences of a Hungarian Jewish family.

Musical Traditions

The soft, lyrical sounds of Chuck Durfor and friends performing “Hunter” and “Running from Home.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative (MCHI) spokesman Hal Wallach argues that "managed care" has failed in its mission to cut health care costs and provide universal coverage. His group commissioned a study that found that variants on a single-payer insurance system would do a much better job and MCHI plans to lobby the General Assembly to enact such a system. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
The PBS series “P.O.V.” tackles two controversial topics in September. One concerns Pacifica's pathbreaking and tumultuous flagship radio station, KPFA; the other focuses on the tribulations of the last doctor unafraid to perform abortions in a remote area of New England. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

In Sickness & In Health

The HPV virus causes cervical cancer and perhaps prostate cancer and pregnancy loss. How does the virus spread and how can its dangers be prevented or treated? Guests are Mary Coe, a positive Pap smear patient, and Penny Hitchcock, chief of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade performs "Sunday Poem"; Miriam Morsel Nathan offers "Waiting for Messiah."

Writers’ Bloc
Short-story writer Matthew Klam, winner of the prestigious O'Henry Award, talks about and reads from his collection, Sam the Cat and Other Stories.

Musical Traditions
Blues guitarist James Mabry goes "Walking the Dog" and “Mystery Train” with the help of Jacques "Saxman" Johnson. (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Connie Morella, a popular Republican, is seeking reelection to the House of Representatives from Montgomery County, MD on November 7th. But Democrat Terry Lierman argues that a vote for Morella is a vote for Republican control of the House. Includes field report by Ross Adams. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
The Andean sounds of Fortaleza; Celtic music from Tinsmith; Liz Goldberg sings of “All I Ever Wanted”; and Magpie performs “Power and the Glory.”

In Sickness & In Health
Hepatitis comes in many forms, from the relatively benign to the potentially fatal. Leslye Johnson, Chief of Hepatic Diseases at the National Institute for Allergy & Infectious Diseases, knows the ABCs of hepatitis. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Weekend Traveler
Fossil hunting, beach combing, etc. on Maryland's Solomons Island. (Producer: Steve Olson; Writer: Susan Glick; Videographer: Kimberly Keese; Narrator: Chuck Barber)

In Verse
Rebecca Villareal feasts on "Orangefood."

Second Look
Writers are finding their works appearing on the Web, sometimes without their permission and without compensation. Janice Shields, a grievance officer with the National Writers Union, doesn't like it.

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Forum
Where is globalization taking us and what can and should we do about it? Guests are Robert Sharer, chief of the trade policy division at the International Monetary Fund, and Thea Lee, assistant director for international economics in the Public Policy Department at the AFL-CIO. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Features
Women and jewelry from the Middle East, with guest Marjorie Ransom (Producer: Eileen Binns); and unveiling the memorial statute to Roscoe the Rooster in Takoma Park. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Miriam Morsel Nathan offers "In the House of the Thousand Candles"; D.J. Renegade presents "At the Window"

Musical Traditions
Blues harpist Phil Wiggins; Urban Legends performs “That‘s What I Like About You”

Second Look
Pulitzer-prize winning syndicated columnist Clarence Page discusses his video essay, "Charter Schools That Work,” about public charter schools. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Writers’ Bloc
New York Times race relations reporter Steven Holmes talks about his new biography, Ron Brown: An Uncommon Life, about the Democratic kingpin and former Commerce Secretary (Host: Lisa Page)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
A recent study found that small particle pollution from power plants is responsible for 30,000 premature deaths a year nationally, and the Baltimore-DC metro area is the second worst in the country. Mark Wenzler, environmental counsel at the National Environmental Trust, discusses the study and its implications. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
The original sounds of the Jesse Palidofsky Group.

In Sickness & In Health
Antibiotics are routinely fed to livestock and poultry in the US, and some argue this is making these "miracle drugs" increasingly ineffective in fighting bugs in humans. Commenting

are Bente Wantzin, a Danish government representative, and Steven Fondriest of the Union of Concerned Scientists. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Rewind
Visions in DC is more than a niche indie and international film house; it's also a lounge and bistro, and a welcome alternative to multiplex sterility. President Andrew Frank and Operations Director Andrew Mencher are guests. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

In Step
The subtle grace of Cambodian dance. Cambodian American Heritage Artistic Director Madame Sam-Oeun Tes and Program Administrator Gary Marco are guests. (Host: Liz Leman)

In Verse
"how it is", a poem by Lori Tsang

Writers’ Bloc
O'Henry Award winner and former NPR commentator Patricia Elam discusses her new novel, Breathing Room. (Host: Lisa Page)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Maryland Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari discusses the state's "smart transportation" strategy, one that relies increasingly on mass transit in addition to road building and improvements. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler

Thurmont, Maryland residents have banded together to preserve three scenic, covered bridges, bridges that not only span bodies of water but generations. (Narrator: Chuck Barber; Producer: Steve Olson; Writer: Susan Glick; Videographer: Kimberly Keese)

Second Look
Columbia, Maryland is a post-WWII planned community that puts a premium on racial inclusiveness and accommodating economically diverse residents. In a three-part series in the Baltimore Sun, reporter Gady Epstein visited Columbia's neighborhoods to see how well Columbia is living up to its promise. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
"Tourists in Espana," a poem by Rebecca Villarreal.

Rewind
In his award-winning film, "Before Night Fall," director Julian Schnabel retraces the search for personal and artistic freedom of celebrated Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, from his imprisonment for homosexuality in Castro's Cuba to his death from AIDS in the U.S. Pat Aufderheide finds that Schnabel "captured the passion of this remarkable writer…"

Musical Traditions
Bluesmen James Mabry and Jacques "Saxman" Johnson perform “Going Down Slow”; Rachel & Jacqui offer “Angels in Africa.”

In Sickness & In Health
Household and garden pesticides are often dangerous to humans and not always necessary to control pests, argues Greg Kidd, science and legal policy director of Beyond Pesticides: National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

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Forum
Although Maryland has the highest per capita family income in the country and the lowest rate of poverty, income inequality in the state is growing, 20 percent of the jobs pay poverty-level wages, and over 100,000 children in Maryland live below the poverty line. Discussing solutions are John P. O'Connor, Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation; Bruce Herman, program director of the Working for America Institute of the AFL-CIO; and Patrice Cromwell, Workforce and Economic Development Fellow at the Open Society Institute. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
On Inauguration Day 2001, as friends and supporters of George W. Bush descended on D.C., so too did thousands of protesters challenging the legitimacy of the new president. These are some of the sights and sounds. (Produce: Mark Cohen)

Second Look
Having witnessed more than his share of offensive conduct by athletes, sportswriter Jim Naughton grew jaded on the subject of sports. Through his son, however, Jim rediscovered the core values that initially drew him sports, which he wrote about in the Washington Post Magazine in “Greater Glory.” (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Lisa Moscatiello is the WAMMIE for "Artist of the Year” and her CD, "Second Avenue,” was named the "Album of the Year.” She performs “Little Maggie.”

In Verse
Ethelbert Miller presents “My Father, Uncle and Billie Holiday”; Lori Tsang offers "Angelita," accompanied on sax by Antonio Parker.

Writers’ Bloc
Award-winning travel writer Mike Tidwell discusses his new book, In the Mountains of Heaven, detailing adventures on six continents — from the hospitality of hunter-gatherer pygmies in Africa to a sojourn with nomadic shepherds along the Silk Road to being marooned on a deserted island. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
With a hands-off president in the White House, Cabinet members are likely to have considerable latitude in running the federal government. But apart from Colin Powell and John Ashcroft, most Bush Cabinet members are unknowns to the public. Nicholas Confessore, a staff writer with The American Prospect, offers thumbnail sketches of key players on the Bush team. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Old-timey banjo sounds with Bruce Molsky performing “Rove, Riley, Rove” and a melody by Chuck Durfor and Friends.

In Sickness & In Health
The mapping of the human genome marks a scientific milestone, raising prospects for far-reaching beneficial health uses as well as abuses. Rick Weiss of the Washington Post looks at the scientific import of mapping the human genome and its ethical consequences. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Feature
Sights and sounds at the recent Mardi Gras celebration in Baltimore. (Producer: Steve Olson)

In Verse
Rebecca Villareal presents “Second Hand.”

Writers’ Bloc
Each decade of the 20th Century evokes its own unique sensory memories. In his latest book, What It Felt Like: Living in the American Century, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post writer Henry Allen travels back through the recent century. (Host: Lisa Page)

Feature
The City of Takoma Park has hired the grassroots organization, Progressive Montgomery, to reach out to underserved, often immigrant neighborhoods.

Watch on YouTube

Forum
The heat is on President Bush following his reversal of a campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant and his decision to scrap the Kyoto accords on global warming. Two views on the President's decisions: Dan Reicher, visiting fellow at the World Resources Institute and former chief of the Energy Department's Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office under the Clinton Administration, and Paul Georgia of the "Cooler Heads Coalition," who is an environmental analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler
Just outside Wilmington, Delaware, the town of Arden continues to be influenced by its century-old founding vision as an arts and crafts and political utopia. (Narrator: Chuck Barber; Producer: Steve Olson; Writer: Susan Glick; Videographer: Kimberly Keese)

In Sickness & In Health
Gum disease may be harmful to more than your mouth. There is a growing body of evidence that it may cause damage to the heart, lungs and bones, and be a factor in strokes, diabetes and even pre-term births. Commenting is Dennis Mangan, chief of the Infectious Diseases and Immunity Branch at NIH's Dental and Craniofacial Research Institute. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
The poetry of 19th century African-Americans is largely a closed book, but one that two area poets, Angela Boykin and Carolyn Joyner, recently opened. In Part I of their three-part series, "Strike Again That Sounding String," Boykin and Joyner reenact the verses of American slaves.

Rewind
Pat Dowell of public radio chats about two new films from Latin America, “Me, You, Them” from Brazil, and “Amores Perros” from Mexico, which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
One-half of the renowned Wiggins & Cephas duo, Phil Wiggins, plays the blues harp.

Feature
Learning by doing: 4th graders at a Takoma Park (MD) Elementary School recently descended on Annapolis to persuade lawmakers to declare the Pinxterbloom Azalea the state shrub. It’s not so much about the azalea, says parent Cindy Allen, but a lesson in the legislative process. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
What do standardized tests tell us about student, curriculum and school performance? It depends on the test, argues Karin Chenoweth, who writes the "Homeroom" column in the Washington Post. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler
Strasburg, PA, an hour-and-a-half from Baltimore, is not only located in the heart of Amish Country, it is

also the Train Capital of North America. (Narrator: Chuck Barber; Producer: Mark Cohen)

Second Look
What does the new census tell us about who we are and where we are heading, demographically and politically? Robert Lang is the director of urban and metropolitan research for the Fannie Mae Foundation. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
D.J. Renegade performs "A Love Supreme”; Angela Boykin and Carolyn Joyner reenact the verses of emancipated American slave (Part II).

Musical Traditions
The powerful pen and emotive voice of singer-songwriter Terri Allard, accompanied by harmonica wizard Gary Green, performing “Loose Change and Spare Parts” and “Lifeline.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
On Her Own Ground is the biography of a path-breaking African-American woman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Madam C.J. Walker. The biographer is her great, great granddaughter, A'Lelia Bundles. (Host: Lisa Page)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Sibling sexual abuse, argues Risa Shaw, is part of the dark underside of "family values." Shaw is the editor and publisher of Not Child's Play, an anthology of memoirs, poems, short fiction and art. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The US Supreme Court recently ruled that "cannabis clubs" may not distribute marijuana as a painkiller to AIDS and cancer patients. All the more reason for Maryland to legalize medical marijuana, argues GOP Delegate Donald Murphy. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
The public burning of draft board records with napalm by priests Dan and Phil Berrigan and seven other Catholic pacifists was perhaps the most dramatic act of protest against the Vietnam war in Maryland. That act and the trial of the “Catonsville Nine” are memorialized by filmmaker Lynne Sachs in "Investigation of a Flame." (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
A return engagement of The Kennedys, showcasing Pete's guitar mastery on a medley and the couple's gift for bending genres with “Is the Bullfrog Waterproof.” (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Before there was a computer, there was the IBM Hollerith, a punch card database system that Adolph Hitler put in the service of his "Final Solution." The strategic alliance between Nazis bent on genocide and America's most powerful corporation bent on maximizing profit is the chilling subject of IBM and the Holocaust by author Edwin Black. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
Angela Boykin and Carolyn Joyner present romantic poems by late 19th Century African-American (Part III).

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Juveniles awaiting trial in Maryland are frequently held in adult jails. According to Human Rights Watch, these jails often provide inadequate education, mental health services, food, or separation from adult criminals. Commenting are Stuart O. Simms, Maryland Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections; Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Public Justice Center; and Penny Kahn, Assistant Public Defender. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
“Hephaestrus and Hera" by Rose Solari; "Valley of the Roses" by Lyubomir Nikolov.

Second Look
President Bush has rapidly developed a reputation for favoring expanded coal, oil and gas production over conservation and environmental concerns. Is his toxic reputation well founded? Eric Pianin, who covers Bush and environment for the Washington Post. offers his insights. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
The 24th annual Takoma Park Folk Festival is slated for September 9th. We look back at the sounds, sights, and history of the festival, with music by Tom Prasada-Rao and Reverb, and commentary by David Eisner and Saul Schniderman. (Producer: Abby Sternberg)

In Sickness & In Health
Maryland, like the country as a whole, is facing a severe nurse shortage. Why? And what is being done about it? Commenting is Kathryn Hall, executive director of the Maryland Nurses Association.

Feature
Humor and juggling with Nicolo/Whimsey.

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Forum
There's no more classical music on WETA-FM during morning drivetime and no more bluegrass on WAMU during afternoon drivetime. Instead, the Washington, DC area's two biggest public radio stations are airing the very same NPR programs. Why? Commenting are Frank Ahrens, the Washington Post's "Radio Listener" columnist; bluegrass fan Congressman Howard Coble; Ink, Inc. ad men Steve and Jay Rosenberg; and Robert Siegel, Senior Host, NPR's "All Things Considered."

In Verse

Bernadette Geyer presents "Square Dance at Uncle Johnny’s Farm"; Rebecca Villareal offers “Meat Fest"; and D.J. Renegade performs("Diminuendo in Blue.”

Musical Traditions
Imagine going to the movies only to discover that a tune you recorded years ago, “I’ll Fly Away,” was on the soundtrack of the hit movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou"! That's what happened to the Kossoy Sisters, who appeared at the recent benefit opening of the concert film, "Down from the Mountain," based on the music from "O Brother…" (Host: David Eisner)

In Step
"Tappers With Attitude," the high-energy, youth dance troupe based in Silver Spring, MD is at the forefront of the percussive dance scene in the area. The creative inspirations behind TWA, Yvonne Edwards and Renee Kreithen, are guests. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Writers’ Bloc
Civil right activist Roger Wilkins has won a Pulitzer, he authored the acclaimed autobiography, A Man's Life, and he is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History and American Culture at George Mason University. His most recent book, Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and Dilemma of Black Patriotism, explores the moral contradictions of a country founded in the name of equality but built on the toil of slaves. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Dr. Zahid Bukhari, the director of the Pew Project: Muslims in the American Public Square, and Dr. Ahmed Moen, a leader of the Ethiopian-American Islamic community, contend that while the September 11 hijackers acted in the name of Islam, their actions ran counter to the Moslem faith. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
A photo essay on the global outpouring of sympathy for the US in the wake of September 11. (Photos compiled by Dr, Norman Dean)

In Verse
Lori Tsang offers her poem, "Sisters," accompanied by Antonio Parker on sax and Leland Nakamura on drums.

Second Look
There is a growing performance gap between affluent and poor students in Montgomery County schools. Washington Post reporters Brigid Schulte and Dan Keating discuss their two-part series finding that affluent students who attend "poor" schools perform on a par with well-off students at affluent schools, but economically disadvantaged students who attend affluent schools perform dramatically better than their counterparts at schools with high rates of poverty. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Two-time WAMMIE honoree, singer-songwriter Lea (Morris), offers jazz and Brazilian sounds from her "Creation" CD. (Host: David Eisner)

In Sickness & in Health
Tuberculosis is a medical scourge but the disease claims very few victims today in America. Dr. Thomas Walsh, Medical Director of the Montgomery County (MD) Health Department's Tuberculosis Control Program, contends that schools and medical professionals are over-screening for TB, which is wasteful, inconvenient, and can lead to unnecessary and even hazardous drug treatment regimes. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

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Forum
Former congressman, Fr. Robert Drinan, a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, considers how the US response to the attacks on September 11th might have been different if a permanent international criminal court existed to try Osama bin Laden. Also, Alysondra Campaigne, legislative director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Carl Goldman: Executive Director, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Council 26, discuss how September 11th has affected the environmental and labor policy agendas. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Poet Lyubomir Nikolov offers "The Valley."

Second Look
National Public Radio religion correspondent Duncan Moon talks about the response of the Muslim world, abroad and in America, to September 11th. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
The sounds of the Sherwood Blues Band. (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
The effect that terrorism has on a family is the subject of Susan Richards Shreve's latest novel, Plum & Jaggers. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
With the holidays, we're reminded about how important families are and how stressful they can be. Maryland Delegates Michael Dobson (D-Dist. 43, Balt. City), and Sharon Grosfeld (D-Dist. 16, Montgomery County) discuss legislative proposals to prevent spousal abuse, ensure child support, and provide unemployment compensation for working women on maternity leave. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Rewind
Danny Schechter, the executive editor of mediachannel.org, talks about the news site and producing a new film, "We Are Family," on tolerance in the wake of September 11. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Feature
A photo essay about Reagan National Airport the day it reopened after the attacks of September 11. (Photos: Sam Kittner)

Writers’ Bloc
Susan Coll discusses her satirical novel, Karlmarx.com: A Love Story. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Verse
Rose Solari offers “Distances”; Bernadette Geyer presents “I Become Like Proust”

Musical Traditions
The Celtic-inspired guitar and bouzouki pickings of Robin Bullock. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
CareFirst, with over 3 million insureds, wants to convert from a non-profit to a private insurer and sell itself to a California corporation, WellPoint. The deal must first be approved by regulators in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Delaware. Commenting are health policy analyst Carl Schramm and Joe Curran, Maryland Attorney General. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Second Look
Sam Smith, editor of the Progressive Review, has a new book, Why Bother? What keeps people going through struggle and failure? Among his many memorable quips: “I graduated magnum cum probation” from Harvard. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Weekend Traveler
We go Salsa dancing at the Spanish Ballroom at the National Park Service’s Glen Echo Park in Maryland. (Producers: Susan Glick and Kimberly Keese; Narrator: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Step
Choreographer, dancer, teacher, and community leader Carla Perlo, the executive director of The Dance Place in the District of Columbia, which hosts artists at its studio from around the world but prides itself in developing local talent at its dance school. According to Perlo: “I really believe in the arts as a way of leveling the playing field where people can visit each other’s cultures in a w3ay that is not threatening.” (Host: Liz Lerman)

In Verse
Poet Rebecca Villareal presents “Second Hand.”

Rewind
Documentary filmmakers Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker’s latest film is about social class in America, “People Like Us.” The filmmakers said it was hard story to tell because most Americans view themselves as middle class. But America is segregated not only by race but by class. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

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Forum
Is heating your home with stove fed with corn pellets a solution to climate change? Meet some homeowners – Mike Tidwell, Liz O’Donnell, Tom Wolf, and Rick Zeller — in Maryland who think so. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Second Look
Whistleblower advocate and attorney Tom Devine, Legal Director at the Government Accountability Project, asserts that EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman transferred EPA’s ombudsman who found that EPA had grossly low-balled the amount CitiGroup would have to pay to clean up a radioactive site in Colorado. Whitman’s husband manages investments for CitiGroup. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
A photo essay on environmental hazards in our communities. (Photos: Sam Kittner)

Rewind
Chris Hanson is Associate Director of the 10th annual Environmental Film Festival. He previews a variety of the 105 films at this year’s festival in the Washington, DC area. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
Lea (Morris) performs her song “Unbelievable” and “My Heaven.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Miriam Morsel Nathan presents “Sweeping.”

Writers’ Bloc
Maxine Clair discusses and reads from her new novel, October Suite. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Only one in nine women knows that emergency contraception exists to prevent pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, or abuse. Commenting are MD State Senator Cheryl Kagan and Susan Holland, mother of a rape victim with Down Syndrome. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Lori Tsang performs “Undertow” with the backup of saxophonists Antonio Parker and drummer Leland Nakamura.

In Sickness or in Health
Lyme disease, spread by deer ticks, can be severely debilitating, as our guest, Claire Spector, Director of the Elemedica Institute, can personally attest. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Forum
Despite opposition from business groups, the Montgomery County, MD Council recently adopted a “Living Wage” requirement – a wage floor twice the federal minimum wage — for businesses and organizations with contracts or grants with the County. Council President Isiah Leggett, Council Member Philip Andrews, and Progressive Montgomery Director Tom Hucker discuss. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Steve Key performs “If You Got the Rooms” and a David Goldfinger tune, “Demon Java.”

Writers’ Bloc
Pulitzer Prize winning historian Roger Wilkins discusses his new book, Jefferson’s Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism. (Host: Lisa Page)

Feature
Nicolo/Whimsey’s unique mix of Renaissance juggling, accordion and saw music, and humor.

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Forum
President George W. Bush professes outrage over his mother losing money due to Enron’s fraud. But Enron’s ex-CEO Ken Lay is also Bush’s largest campaign contributor, notes The Nation magazine’s Washington editor David Corn. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler
We visit the National Zoo in the District of Columbia. (Narrator: Cathy Kristiansen)

Writers’ Bloc
Poet and attorney Brian Gilmore is the author of Jungle Nights & Soda Fountain Rags, based on the music and life of jazz giant Duke Ellington. (Host: Lisa Page)

Feature
A visit to the Takoma Park JazzFest.

Rewind
Todd Lending’s Academy Award nominated film “Legacy” traces an impoverished African-American family’s journey for five years following the murder of a son. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
WAMMIE winner for Best Blues Album, singer and slide guitarist Melanie Mason performs “Come on in My Kitchen” and “Sliding Delta.” (Host: David Eisner)

Feature
Takoma Park, MD breaks ground on its new municipal building. Mayor Cathy Porter credits our own Hoard Kohn with bringing the project to fruition.

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Forum
The costs of higher education are sky high but state governments are helping with tax breaks in college savings plans. We speak with Joan Marshall, executive director of the College Savings Plans of Maryland, and investment advisor Peg Downey. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler
We visit the Dupont Circle Farmers Market in Washington, DC. (Narrator: Kimberly Keese; Producer: Kimberly Keese and Susan Glick)

Second Look
Scott Crawford, publisher and art director of the local music magazine, harp, talks about the genesis of this new voice. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Poet DJ Renegade (Joel Dias-Porter) presents “Mex”; Rose Solari presents “As If to Remind Us of Everything.”

Musical Traditions
Saxophonist Antonio Parker and the Sounds of the City, performing “The Journey of Songhai” and “The Exchange.” (Host: David Eisner)

Photo essay

Martin Lueders goes inside an Afghani refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan.

Rewind
Filmmaker Toby McLeod discusses his documentary, “In the Light of Reverence,” about the fight to protect sacred Native American sites. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

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Forum
We visit the 6th Annual “Bring in Da Slam” youth poetry slam in Washington, DC, which emcee Ray Suarez described as “the WWF meets Waldon Pond.” Along with teen poets, adults presented, including Poet Lauriat Michael Collier, actress Vanessa Williams, and master spoken word poet Regie Gibson (“In the Year I Loved Your Mother”). And we visit an after-school poetry club for at-risk DC middle schoolers, instructed by poet/musicologist Reuben Jackson. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc

Kenneth Carroll is a poet, essayist, and the director of DC Writers’ Corps, the sponsor of both “Bring in Da Slam” and the middle school poetry club. He discusses his varied works. (Host: Lisa Page)

Feature
Minnesota artists Andrew Saur and Angel Sarkela produced a series of watercolors using coffee as their medium.

Feature
The Rave scene: Merely a club drug haven? Then why is it a favorite dance venue for non-users as well? (Producer: Sarah McAleer with Mark Cohen; narrated by Dagmar Mika)

Feature
A “Bread for the World” photo essay by Martin Lueders.

Rewind
Documentarian William Greaves tells the story of barrier breaking diplomat “Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey.” (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Terri Allard, accompanied by harpist Gary Green, performs “Brand New” and “Makes No Sense.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Meet the Democratic primary candidates in Maryland’s 8th District who hope to unseat US Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD): MD State Senator Chris Van Hollen; Ira Shapiro, former US Senate staff member and Clinton administration trade official; and Deborah Vollmer, artist and former staff attorney for the United Farm Workers Union. State Representative Mark Shriver declined to appear. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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(Note: Audio drops out for a few seconds during the

introduction)

Forum
Mike MacCracken of the US Global Change Program and Maryland climatologist Dr. Kenneth Pickering discuss climate change. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Weekend Traveler
Sugarloaf Mountain, 30 miles from Washington, DC, is a year-around attraction for hikers, bikers, and rock climbers. (Producers: Susan Glick & Kimberly Keese; Narrator: Flo Dwek)

Writers’ Bloc
Author Richard Bausch discusses his new novel, Hello to the Cannibals. (Host: Lisa Page)

Rewind
Documentary filmmaker Matt Testa talks about his film, “The Buffalo War.” (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

In Verse
Holly Bass offers “a revolutionary movement of air”; Sean Po performs “Magician”.

Musical Traditions
A cappella harmonies from Reverb. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Special episode: Democratic challenger Chris Van Hollen and incumbent Republican Congresswoman Connie Morella debate the issues facing the US House of Representatives. (Host: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is replete with cycles of promise and despair, handshakes and death. Since the start of the Second Intifada, thousands have died, mostly Arabs. As peace prospects dim, more and more Israelis are embracing “transfer,” the removal of Arabs from their ancestral homeland. We attend a “Women in Black” protest near the White House and hear from Sarah Anne Minkin, the group’s founder, and Abir Burgel, an Israeli Arab, who maintain that the only sustainable answer is Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Jessica Simon presents “The Source”; Brandon Johnson offers “House Call.”

Second Look
Journalism ethicist Christopher Hanson at the University of Maryland considers whether the wall-to- wall cable TV news coverage of the DC Beltway Sniper hastened the capture of the suspects or aggravated the threat. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Folk-rock with The Kennedys, performing “Didn’t It Rain” and “Pearl’s Eye View.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Sickness and in Health
How safe is America’s blood supply? We speak with Jim MacPherson, CEO of America’s Blood Centers. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Writers’ Bloc
Jamaican-born author Donna Hemans discusses her debut novel, River Woman, exploring the bonds of blood, culture and country. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
The growth of the Latino population and how the changing demographics of the DC region is altering our politics, with Henry Quintero of the Latino Civil Rights Center of Maryland and Nurith Aizenman of the Washington Post. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Lisa “Too Fierce” Foster’s pathway from foster care to champion boxer. (Producer: Mark Cohen; Narrator: Dagmar Mika)

A Second Look
Bob Ehrlich is Maryland’s first Republican governor since Spiro Agnew and he inherits a billion dollar deficit. What should be expected of his rise from an Arbutus rowhouse to Princeton quarterback to Maryland’s chief executive? Steve Dennis is the Bureau Chief in Annapolis of the Gazette newspapers. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Blues singer Melanie Mason performs Mance Lipscomb’s “Joe Turner Killed a Man” and a Robert Johnson tune. (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Poet Rebecca Villareal presents “Estela.”

Rewind
Kristi Jacobson discusses her HBO documentary, “American Standoff,” about a protracted Teamsters strike against Overnite Transportation Company. (Host: Pat Aufderheide)

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Forum
The lone law school in the DC-Baltimore area that is dedicated to training public interest lawyers is seeking full accreditation this year. What makes UDC's David A. Clarke School of Law different? We ask its dean, Shelley Broderick. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Lyubomir Nikolov ("Aladzha Monastery"); Holly Bass ("California")

Photo Essay
An Islamist protest against Bush and Blair in Peshawar, Pakistan, the day before US air strikes in Afghanistan began. Photos and narration by Martin Lueders.

Writers’ Bloc
Why does America fascinate and infuriate the world? Mark Hertsgaard, author of The Eagle's Shadow, shares his insights drawn from interviews with people on five continents. (Host: Lisa Page)

Feature
Road signs in need of an editor.

Musical Traditions
DooWop and Gospel a cappella harmonies from Reverb, performing “I Just Want to Spend Some Time With You” and “I Trust in God.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
We observe a delegation from MoveOn.org as it meets with freshman Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). In 1988, as a Senate staffer, Van Hollen interviewed scores of Kurds gassed by Saddam Hussein. But Van Hollen argues that President Bush has not made the case for war against Iraq. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) offers the poem, "prophet”; "Soy hija de Huracan," "I am the child of Huracan," begins "Boricua Blues" by poet Maritza Rivera.

A Second Look
Around the world, homes for extended families and communal households are giving way to single- family dwellings. As Washington Bureau Chief for Environment News Service Cat Lazaroff notes, a recent study found that this lifestyle change is contributing to a loss of biodiversity. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
We visit the new Black Rock Center for the Arts in the fast-growing community of Germantown in northern Montgomery County, MD. Black Rock features a variety of live entertainment, an art gallery, and classes for young people. (Narrator: Flo Dwek; Producers: Flo Dwek and Kimberly Keese)

WorkLife
There is a campaign to pass a law in Maryland to make it easier for adults to get a driver's license, regardless of their immigration status. Kim Propeack of CASA of Maryland discusses why this legislation is important. (D-18th Dist.). (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Fiddler Bruce Molsky plays "Cotton-Eyed Joe."

Writers’ Bloc
A ghost story set in a small town is the subject of the latest novel by Robert Bausch, The Gypsy Man. (Host: Lisa Page)

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Forum
Maryland, like many states, faces a growing budget deficit. The governor, who pledged to not raise the income or sales tax, proposes legalizing slots machines as the solution. Steve Hill, director of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, argues that slots aren't a silver bullet and that the General Assembly could consider closing gaping corporate tax loopholes and adding a new tax bracket for upper-income residents to raise revenues. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Here’s the anti-war ad Comcast refused to televise before or after President Bush's State of the Union Address.

Feature
In early April, the historic, art deco Silver Theater in Silver Spring will reopen as the state-of- the-art "AFI Silver." We tour the three-screen theater and hear about what's planned from theater director Murray Horwitz. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

A Second Look
When she last visited The Coffee House in 2000, filmmaker Nina Gilden Seavey previewed her forthcoming film about Russian teens seeking to hit it big in Nashville. Well, Nina's back, and with

clips from her just-released, highly acclaimed documentary, "The Ballad of Bering Strait." (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
Craig Herron's "A Fall from the Clouds" is a love story, a war story, and a beautifully crafted short work of animation.

In Verse
We attend the DC area's first "Poets Against the War" gathering on February 12 at All Soul's Church. Among the poets was Ron Weber, who read "Signs and Wonder."

Musical Traditions
A world jazz encore engagement with Antonio Parker and the Sounds of the City performing “Fela’s Shrine” and “The Last Dance.”. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Gov. Bob Ehrlich's transportation package includes the Inner Purple Line, a light-rail transit system linking Bethesda-Silver Spring-College Park-New Carrolton. B u t i s i t a d e q u a t e l y f u n d e d ? Montgomery Council Member George Leventhal comments. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Remember when conservatives railed against judicial activism? Well, now the shoe's on the other foot. Constitutional scholar and activist Jamie Raskin discusses his best seller, Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court vs. the American People. (Host: Lisa Page)

In Sickness & In Health
The Pentagon loves the penetrating power of depleted uranium weapons but, some fear, DU may be a cause of what's popularly known as Gulf War Syndrome. Steve Robinson of the Gulf War Resource Center says it's time to take a closer look. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Feature
The Bush Administration likes to talk about the "Coalition of the Willing." Well, meet the "Coalition of the UN-willing,” set to the music, “Makes No Sense” by Terri Allard.

WorkLife
Forget the Vietnam-era image of Labor as hardhats attacking anti-war protesters. Today, says former National Hospital Workers Union and Teamsters official Bob Muellenkamp, organized labor is more likely marching with the protesters. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
If you mixed jazz, folk, Celtic, classical and pop, you might come up with the sounds of the Joanne Juskus Trio, performing “Rebel” and “Good Thing.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Holly Bass offers a too timely poem, "the boogie."

In Step
We visit dance classes at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and Alcine Wiltz, Dance Department chair at the University of Maryland. (Host: Liz Lerman)

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Forum
In an early defeat for his Administration, the Maryland Senate rejected Governor Bob Ehrlich's nominee for Environment Secretary. Senator Brian Frosh (D-Dist. 16, Mont. County), who led the fight against the Lynn Buhl nomination, comments. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"Suburbia" by Jessica Simon; ""Remember Playing" by Native Son; "My Daughter's Ashes" by Maritza Rivera.

Rewind
MHz Networks producer Debbie Mintz Brodsky discusses her film, "Teens in Between," about immigrant teens in Annandale, Virginia. (Host: Denny May)

Second Look
Yes, they want video games, but kids want more than “stuff,” especially more time to be with mom and dad and friends, argues author Betsy Taylor. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Singer/songwriter Lianna offers “Where You Are” and "A Beautiful Life."

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Forum
A look back at the 2003 legislative session in Annapolis and a look ahead to battle lines over the continuing budget crisis, with House majority leader Kumar Barve (D- Dist. 17). (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Scottish poet Grant McLeman and photographer Martin Lueders collaborate in the telling of "Promises," a reflection on missed opportunities and hope; Adriane Harjo offers the poem "Honored?", on the naming of cars, liquor and sports teams after Native Americans.

Feature
The U.S. Senate's senior member, Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.), blasts the Bush Iraq policy as a "house of cards" built on deception. But Byrd assures, "the truth will emerge."

Second Look
Author Mike Tidwell discusses his book, Bayou Farewell, about the disappearing geology and culture of the Gulf Coast. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Cajun music with Squeeze Bayou.

WorkLife
With Republicans in control of the White House and Congress, organized labor has focused its proactive legislative agenda on state legislatures. Commenting is Naomi Walker, State Legislative Issues Coordinator for the AFL-CIO. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

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Forum
Who is responsible for chicken waste polluting the Chesapeake Bay? Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich recently scrapped a rule that made chicken processors as well as farmers liable. According to Theresa Pierno, vice president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Ehrlich's approach will harm both farmers and the Bay. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The sights and sounds of the DC Caribbean Carnival. (Producer: Nigel Bartholomew)

Feature
Steve Earle, a five-time Grammy nominee with hits on both the Country and Rock charts, is an impassioned crusader against the death penalty. He tells why he'll never witness another execution. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Photo Essay
Afghanistan remains riddled with land mines and unexploded ordinance, as Martin Lueders discovered with his camera.

In Sickness & In Health
Trans fats in food extend shelf life but cause heart disease and many other maladies. How do consumers know if trans fats are present in their food? Are tropical oils better? We hear from Sally Fallon, President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Alison Kretser, nutritionist at the Grocery Manufacturers of America. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Animation
Ernie Berger's "Snack-O-Rama": Anyone who has ever done battle with a vending machine will identify.

In Verse
"c'mon in: a blues hop" by Brandon Johnson.

Musical Traditions
House Concerts are a growing phenomenon around the country and Maryland. The musicians and audience like the intimacy, the focus on the music, and the convenience. We hear from audience members, hosts and musicians: Beth Wood at the Dawson Concerts in North Potomac, Jen Chapin and Stephan Crump at Holden's Lair in Baltimore, and Ray Kaminnsky at Weil Sing in Takoma Park. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
With state budgets in deep red, four-year public college tuition rates are rising dramatically (e.g., U. of Maryland is up over 20% this year). How are community colleges — the entry point for most students into higher education — faring? We speak with Dr. Ronald A. Williams, president of Prince George's Community College. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Animation
Humorous interplanetary search for intelligent life: "A Narrow Martian of Error" by Angela DiMeglio and Marcus Hart.

Artistic Eye
David Fogel of the Gateway Georgia Ave. Revitalization Corporation leads us on a tour of South Silver Spring retailers who are turning their walls into art galleries. (Producer: Welmoed Laanstra)

A Second Look
Author Edwin Black returns to discuss his latest historical investigative work, War Against the Weak, on the eugenics movement and the American roots of Nazi pseudo-science. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
Sign language interpreters are increasingly familiar figures at live cultural events, making them accessible to the deaf. The analog for people who are blind or of low vision is audio description. Joel Snyder of Audio Description Associates demonstrates. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Bill Kirchen performs “Hollywood City” and his Grammy nominated "Poultry in Motion." (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) implores, "Grandma Get your Gun," the wolves are in the yard.

Writers’ Bloc
First-time novelist Carolyn Parkhurst made it onto both the New York Times and Washington Post Best Seller lists with The Dogs of Babel. (Host: Richard McCann)

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Forum
A public hearing on Pepco's responsiveness to widespread electricity outages in August and September filled the Kensington (MD) Town Hall. We'll hear from Pepco officials, Pepco customers, and speak with Montgomery County, MD Councilmember Tom Perez (District 5). (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"The Sidewalk" by Scottish poet Grant McLeman (with photos by Johnny Boucher and Martin Lueders); "Street Smarts" by Maritza Rivera.

WorkLife
When a majority of employees at Comcast in Montgomery County, MD signed cards seeking union protection, the country's largest cable company fought dirty to keep the union out, argues Pat Hunt of the Communications Workers of America. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Swedes also get the Blues: Robert Lighthouse performs “Homeland Security Blues” and “She’s the One I Love.” (Host: David Eisner)

Feature

Imagine reducing greenhouse gas emissions from your home by 90%. Mike Tidwell takes us on a clean energy tour of his Takoma Park house. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
Democrats in Annapolis prepare for another session in which the governor will press for slots as the solution to the budget deficit. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Sheila Hixson is ready to deal but Del. Luiz Simmons of Rockville warns that gambling sucks the lifeblood out of low-income communities. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Artistic Eye
A photo and video exhibit by Jacqueline Terry and Brad McCallum at the Conner Contemporary Art Gallery in D.C. looks at the lives of homeless teens in Seattle. Commenting on the exhibit and the relationship of art to activism is Blake Gopnik, Chief Art Critic for the Washington Post. (Producer: Welmoed Laanstra)

Writers’ Bloc
We take another look at the life of pioneering black woman entrepreneur, Madam C.J. Walker, Her Dream of Dreams. Author Beverly Lowry talks about the process of writing history and of a white woman writing about an African-American. (Host: Richard McCann)

In Verse
In "FairyTale/Not a Victim," Adriane Harjo fantasizes about cars and romance, and confronts stereotypes about Native Americans.

Feature
The Rave dance scene has been condemned as a haven for so-called "club drug" use by teens but music, dance and art may better explain the popularity of Raves. (Producer: Sarah McAleer; narrated by Dagmar Mika)

Musical Traditions
The Joanne Juskus Trio returns with its distinctive blend of jazz and folk sounds, performs “Birthday” and “Within Your Fire.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
What impact will the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision permitting same-sex marriage have on our region? Commenting are Maryland Senator Sharon Grosfeld (D-Montgomery County) and Michael Crawford, Associate Field Director of the Human Rights Campaign. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Leah Harris hears "noises of the coming days"; Scottish poet Grant McLeman and photographer Martin Lueders take a metaphorical "Voyage”; in "ants," Brandon Johnson wonders if anyone really sees him

A Second Look
Al Gore is a serial fibber and George W. Bush is syntactically challenged. That was the consensus media narrative for the 2000 presidential election, argues author David Corn. But in The Lies of George W. Bush, Corn maintains that the media let Bush get off too lightly. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Writers’ Bloc
Children’s book author, illustrator and filmmaker, Edwin Fontanez, shares from On This Beautiful Island. (Host: Naomi Ayala)

Musical Traditions
The American debut of the Russian vocal group, Svetilen, on a tour sponsored by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Soaring harmonies. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
The City of Baltimore is losing 110,000 trees a year; the DC region has seen a drop of over 30% in heavy tree cover since the early 1970s. Such tree loss is costing hundreds of millions of dollars in added storm water and dirty air costs, according to Cheryl Kollin, director of the Urban Forestry Center at American Forests, and Guy Hager, Director of the Parks & People Foundation's Great Parks, Clean Streams and Green Communities program. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Adriane Harjo remembers a home of "pain and fleeting, sacred moments"; Lisa Pegram witnesses “Eviction”; and Sami Miranda finds that "soft words sing the pain of waiting"

In Sickness & In Health
Antibiotics are medicine's "wonder drug." But some bacteria, called MRSA, have grown insensitive to conventional antibiotics, which poses a huge public health risk. Dr. Mary-Claire Roghmann, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of

Medicine, explains. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

WorkLife
The Betrayal of Work author Beth Shulman joins us to talk about the America's hardworking, permanent underclass. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Nick Annis is an award-winning lyricist. He offers two of his originals, “Background Scenery” and “Time to Go.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Public arts funding has been slashed in the face of tight state budgets. Now President Bush is proposing a small increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. How might this affect state and local arts funding? Theresa Cameron, executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and Pamela Holt, executive director of Maryland Citizens for the Arts comment. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Artistic Eye
Welmoed Laanstra visits Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring where noted artist Tim Rollins and his Kids of Survival instruct at-risk youth in printmaking.

In Step
Dance innovator Joe Goode of San Francisco recently visited the area for a program at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. He samples and discusses his work. (Host: Peter DiMuro)

Feature
An Eric Blumrich flash video of Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking on American militarism.

Writers’ Bloc
New York Times correspondent Christopher Marquis talks about the difference between journalism and novel writing, biological and found families, and his first full- length work of fiction, A Hole in the Heart. (Host: Richard McCann)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriters Lori Kelly and Cletus Kennelly offer up “Gun Shy Girl” and the winning entry in the Mid- Atlantic Songwriting Contest, “It Was a Great Day.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who unseated popular Republican incumbent Connie Morella, was one of a

very few bright spots for the Democratic Party in the 2002 congressional elections. Van Hollen talks about his recent travels to Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan; climate change; Haiti; and his reelection race in November. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Reuben Jackson leads us on a poetic journey from DC's Ward 4 to Iran ("isfahan. where, ellington said, 'all is poetry'. just pronouncing it is a first-class ticket for the tongue.") Jackson is the poet laureate of the Jazz Journalist Association, archivist of the Smithsonian's Duke Ellington Collection, and a DC Writers’ Corps teacher.

Feature
Archie Edwards owned a barbershop on Bunker Hill Avenue in Northeast DC. On Saturdays around noon, Archie, a talented Piedmont bluesman, would lay down his scissors and pick up a guitar, and jam and bull with anyone who cared to join in. Archie's now passed away but the Saturday jam and Archie's spirit live on at the barbershop. (Produced by Peter Kent and Mark Cohen. Camera, editing and narration by Peter Kent.)

A Second Look
America has a corrections system that costs taxpayers $40 billion annually and incarcerates almost one-fourth of the world's prison population, according to Amnesty International, including increasing numbers of women. Is the "prison-industrial complex" making us safer? Reuters national correspondent Alan Elsner joins us to discuss his new book, Gates of Injustice: The Crisis in America's Prisons. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Feature
Sarah Pleydell stars in this excerpt of Sibbie O'Sullivan's one-woman play, "The Body," a rumination on grief and coming to terms with death.

WorkLife
A labor dispute over health benefits lasted 4-1/2 months at southern California supermarkets — Albertsons, Safeway, and a Krogers’ subsidiary. Casting a long shadow over the strike/lockout was the mega-chain, Wal-Mart, says Susan Phillips, international vice president of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

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Forum
Maryland faces a $1 billion budget gap next year and there is no consensus in Annapolis about how to close it. Steve Hill, director of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, has some pointed suggestions. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Slam champ JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) returns with "n-a-k-e-d," a drug war lament.

WorkLife
"Outsourcing" jobs abroad is becoming a pivotal issue in the 2004 elections. Free traders insist that outsourcing is the flip side of foreign manufacturers setting up shop in the US and employing Americans. But Thea Lee, AFL-CIO Assistant Director of Public Policy, argues the free traders are missing some key distinctions. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Roots-rock band the U-Liners offers up Steve Earle (“Christmas in Washington”) and Dave Alvin (“Trouble Bound”) tunes. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Artistic Eye
Randall Packer is the self-declared Secretary of the US Department of Art and Technology, a virtual agency that exists in Packer's mind and on the Web, dedicated to bringing the voice of artists to bear on government. (Host: Welmoed Laanstra)

In Step
An ensemble of choreographers will present at this month's DC Contemporary Ballet Festival Theatre, including Vincent Thomas. Also appearing, festival co-director Rob Bettman. (Host: Sherrie Barr)

(There are not missing episodes here. The numbering convention for the episodes
changes at this point.)

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Forum
The Dust Bowl that ravaged the Southern Great Plains in the 1930s was caused by tiny anomalies in the sea surface temperatures of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, according to Dr. Siegfried Schubert of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
An excerpt from the new film, "We Are All Smith Islanders,” about the impact of global warming and erratic weather patterns on farming in Maryland.

A Second Look
"No Child Left Behind" is a complex law and a grand idea but its focus on preparing students for tests in reading, math and soon science could have the unintended consequence of gutting all other areas of study, like civics, history and the arts, warns Claus von Zastrow of the Council on Basic Education and author of Academic Atrophy. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Poet DJ Renegade remembers "El Magnifico," Roberto Clemente; Sami Miranda offers "Greetings

from the War."

Musical Traditions
Paul Watson and Judy Luis-Watson, a/k/a BluesWorks perform “Key to the Highway” and “Chuck It.”

Writers’ Bloc
Poetry and politics with Sarah Browning, editor of an anthology of DC Poets Against the War. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

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Forum
Drugmakers claim that high prices for prescription drugs are needed to finance the discovery of new wonder drugs. But Merrill Goozner, author of The $800 Million Pill, argues that drugmakers greatly exaggerate their R&D costs and that taxpayers are carrying the heavy load for drug innovation. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
"The Fountain of Youth" is not about Viagra or minoxidil observes satirist and story-teller Chris Chandler, who makes a trip to St. Augustine; Poet Lisa Pegram remembers her scandalous "Aunt Jenklee."

Feature
The Smithsonian Anacostia Museum is hosting an exhibit through the end of 2004 titled, "All the Stories Are True: African American Writers Speak." Exhibit curator Ethelbert Miller takes us on a tour of the works of children's book authors Eloise Greenfield and Walter D. Myers; biographer Valerie Boyd; science fiction writers Samuel R. Delany and Octavia E. Butler; local poets Kenny Carroll and Dolores Kendrick; historical fiction writer and National Book Award winner Charles Johnson; and acclaimed Haitian- American author Edwidge Danticat.

Writers’ Bloc
New York Times correspondent Christopher Marquis talks about the difference between journalism and novel writing, biological and found families, and his first full-length work of fiction, A Hole in the Heart. (Host: Richard McCann)

Musical Traditions
Folk harmonies with Rick & Audrey, performing “Open the Gate” and more.

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Forum
As Walmart and other Big Box developers spread from rural to more urban areas, communities across the country are attempting to respond with land use controls. Montgomery County, MD Council Member Tom Perez discusses proposed footprint limits in the County. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Archie Edwards owned a barbershop on Bunker Hill Avenue in Northeast, DC. On Saturdays around noon, Archie, a talented Piedmont bluesman, would lay down his scissors and pick up a guitar, and jam and bull with anyone who cared to join in. Archie's now passed away but the Saturday jam and Archie's spirit live on at the barbershop. (Produced by Peter Kent and Mark Cohen. Camera, editing and narration by Peter Kent)

In Step
Modern dance company CityDance Ensemble will become the resident company at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, MD. Joining us is CityDance associate director Karen Bernstein. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Musical Traditions
Bill Kirchen performs “There’s a Man in the Bottom of the Well” and then is joined by Swedish bluesman Robert Lighthouse on “Spike Driver Blues.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
"Rap 23", a housing project-based spin on the Lord's Prayer by DJ Renegade.

Writers’ Bloc
The University of Maryland's Susan Leonardi chats about her first novel, set in an abbey, And Then They Were Nuns. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

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Forum
Six-term Congressman Albert Wynn (D-MD 4th Dist.) talks about the reliability of electronic voting machines, outsourcing of federal jobs, his support for casino gambling and the Bush Administration's energy bill, and why he now thinks his vote to authorize the president to go to war in Iraq was a mistake. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Cat Stevens once recorded a tune, "Miles from Nowhere," which eerily captures the former pop singer's recent deportation under his adopted name, Yusuf Islam. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

A Second Look
In Banking on Baghdad, author Edwin Black reports that all the West has ever cared about in Iraq is being a colonial stepping-stone and a source of oil. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Leah Harris is also thinking about Iraq in "What They're Selling."

Artistic Eye
Artist Linda Hesh proposes placing photo ads in the newspaper that challenge prejudice. (Producer: Welmoed Laanstra)

WorkLife
Six million people could lose their right to overtime pay. Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, explains. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriters Lori Kelly and Cletus Kennelly return with "Snow is Falling" and "Celestial Dance."

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Forum
Charter Schools have been slow to take hold in Maryland and Virginia, but not so in DC. We talk with the executive director of the DC Charter Public Schools Association, Ariana Quiñones-Miranda, about the mushrooming charter movement in the nation's capital and whether it is meeting expectations. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Adriane Harjo has a "West Side Story"; Rose Solari reflects on "Her Mother's Elephant."

A Second Look
Michael Moore calls "Hearts and Minds" (1974) the greatest documentary, perhaps the greatest film, ever made, linking the culture of America to the Vietnam war. We talk to "Hearts and Minds" filmmaker Peter Davis, who was at AFI Silver for the film's re-release. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Queen, a biography of Dinah Washington by Nadine Cohodas and Hard Revolution by George Pelecanos.

Musical Traditions
The U-Liners perform "Walking Boss" and the Hank Williams classic, "Jambalaya."

Willing Spirit
A conversation with Rev. Rebecca Brillhart of the Sligo Adventist Church about why her church broke with its tradition and recently hosted a gathering of over 1,000 interdenominational social activists. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

Feature
A clip from "We Are All Smith Islanders," the first film to document the effects of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (Producer: Mike Tidwell with Mark Cohen)

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Forum
No one is surprised to hear stories of for-profit corporations cutting ethical corners but nonprofits face their own set of ethical challenges. We consider some of them with Peter Berns, executive director of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
According to Councilmember George Leventhal (D-at large Montgomery County, MD) and activist Mike Tidwell, the Mirant Corp. is by far the largest polluter in the county. Which is why a group of protesters recently staged a sit-in at the gates of Mirant's Dickerson coal-fired, electric generating station.

WorkLife
Union members comprise only 11% of the electorate but in the 2004 presidential elections, they accounted for approximately 25% of all voters, notes David Boundy, Deputy Political Director of the AFL-CIO. If it weren’t for union voters, who overwhelmingly favored John Kerry, Boundy says that President Bush would have won in a 55%-44% landslide. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Artistic Eye
A visit to the 8th Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair in Silver Spring, MD, where books aren't just about text on the page but about the page the text lives on. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Poet Holly Bass ruminates on why she tidies up public places in "Gleam."

Willing Spirit
A conversation with Web blogger and Soul Sister’s Guide to a Very Merry Christmas author Jen Lemen, about a mindful way for families to celebrate Christmas. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

Musical Traditions
Direct from Russia via the Smithsonian Institution, a return engagement of the choral group Svetilan.

Artistic Eye
Rembrandt, Vermeer, meet another Dutch master, Gerard ter Borch. Over 50 of his paintings are on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. We speak with curator Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr., about ter Borch and his legacy. (Host: Welmoed Laanstra)

This recording is missing from the collection. The original program description is retained below.

Apologies: This episode is missing from the

collection

Forum
Maryland ‘s GOP Gov. Bob Ehrlich said he called a Special Session of the legislature to find a fix for the spiraling cost of medical malpractice insurance for doctors. The General Assembly reported out a bill and the governor vowed to veto it. What's going on? We talk with Maryland Senate President, Democrat Mike Miller. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) has a "True Story" about blackness.

A Second Look
Baseball returns to DC, and with it, a nearly unrivaled commitment of tax dollars to build the Nationals a stadium. We speak with Rick Eckstein, co-author of Public Dollars, Private Stadiums. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
It's "a man's world" but Lori Tsang is glad she's not a man.

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Bob Dylan's memoir, Chronicles, Volume One.

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Steve Key plays his Kerrville Festival winner and the title track to his latest CD.

Willing Spirit
Rev. Brian McLaren, pastor at the Cedar Ridge Community Church, who helped birth a national

newspaper ad campaign questioning God's purported Republican politics, talks about faith and morality, private and public. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

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Forum
The top transportation priority of the Ehrlich Administration in Maryland is the Inter-County Connector. But Steve Dryden, Media Relations Coordinator for the Audubon Naturalist Society, argues the ICC will contribute to sprawl. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Poet Tifffani Frost praises her grandma in "Sweet on Feet"; "Kim Roberts presents “The American Giant and the Achondroplastic Dwarf”

Musical Traditions
"Evil," sings Chris Chandler, is the hair club for men and cable TV!

In Sickness & In Health
Diesel technology is efficient but its exhaust poses special health and environmental hazards, says Julie Anderson, Washington representative for Clean Vehicles and Climate Policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Artistic Eye
We reprise the printmaking arts and education program of Tim Rollins and the Kids of Survival at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, MD. (Producer: Welmoed Laanstra)

Musical Traditions
The pan-Celtic music of Iona, performing the Acadian tune, “Qu’avez-vous, Oui, Belle Blonde” and a medley. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Climate and environmental activists are pressing for passage of two bills in Annapolis. The first bill focuses on reducing four key pollutants from power plants, including carbon dioxide; the second bill would reduce vehicle emissions based on California standards. We speak with Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Second Look
Howard Kohn remembers his late colleague at Rolling Stone magazine, Hunter S. Thompson.

Writers’ Bloc
The ever-droll novelist Susan Coll chats about her latest novel, Rockville Pike, and the suburban lifestyle. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

In Verse
"An Elegy for Her 20s" by Rose Solari

WorkLife
"Working America" is a fast-growing ,community-based organization targeting non-union members that is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. We talk with its director, Karen Nussbaum. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Nick Annis finds it's all "Background Scenery."

Willing Spirit
There aren't many models to follow but Montgomery Community Missionary Church Pastor Michael Pauls is intent on building a truly inter- racial church. (Host: Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

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Forum
Dr. David Graham, Associate Director of the Food & Drug Administration's Office of Drug Safety, explains why he believes FDA is "virtually incapable" of ensuring that prescription drugs are safe. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Reuben Jackson has "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"; Grace Cavalieri presents "A Poet in the Schools. Paterson, NJ"; Melanie Rivera remembers "last night”; Miriam Morsel Nathan has "I've Never Gone This Long."

WorkLife
Organized labor put all its eggs in the John Kerry basket last November but, according to David Boundy, AFL- CIO Deputy Political Director, even as it lost the war, labor won some important battles. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

In Step
The DC area has a new service organization to promote the performing dance community. Its director, Johanna Seltzer, explains. (Host: Liz Lerman)

Musical Traditions
Five-time WAMMIE nominee and rocker, Billy Coulter, with Tom Derr, sings "South of Serenity" and “One More Try.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Former Congressman Kweisi Mfume talks about his campaign for the US Senate, his efforts as NAACP President and CEO to reach out to young people, and the cloud over his departure from the civil rights organization. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) discovers she is a shape-shifting "Superwoman."

Willing Spirit
Is moral certainty necessary for religious leaders to be moral leaders? We ask Bishop John Chane of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

Artistic Eye
At the National Building Museum in D.C., Dutch architect Nathalie de Vries and NBM Vice President Ed Worthy talk about designs that maximize public spaces and amenities while providing novel, affordable housing. (Host: Welmoed Laanstra)

Worklife
Here's an unusual twist: A company sues its lawyers for malpractice for misleading it into an illegal "union avoidance" effort. With the story is Kim Freeman, Communications Director for American Rights at Work. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
The Brazilian sounds of Du Maracatu. (Host: David Eisner)

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The "48 Hour Film Project" challenges filmmakers from novice to pro to conceive, write, shoot, and edit a short film in two days. We chat with Project co-producers Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston and view some of the best works. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Willing Spirit
Chaplain (Major) Robin Pizanti talks about his ministry to wounded American soldiers — amputees and spinal cord injury victims — at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk- Davidoff)

In Verse
Poet Naomi Ayala visits "13th Street."

Writers’ Bloc
Rose Solari reads from and discusses her latest poetry collection, Orpheus in the Park, a mix of elegies and mythology. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

Musical Traditions
BluesWorks gets the "Runaround."

21st Century Life

Ben Larson talks about his new magazine, “Edible Chesapeake," dedicated to eating well, locally, and sustainably. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

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Forum
The first major uprising against Soviet rule occurred in Hungary in 1956. Hungarian émigré and sketchbook journalist Ed Hilbert, filmmaker Craig Herron, and producer Steven Fischer are

collaborating to tell that story in "Freedom Dance," a full-length animated film. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Kim Roberts is thinking about Vilnius in "The Back of My Hand”; Holly Bass tries some wordplay in "transmission”; Maritza Rivera on "Making Oatmeal”

21st Century Life
Policy analyst Rick Piltz blew the whistle on a recent Bush Administration official who softened the findings of US climate scientists warning that human activity is heating up the planet to a potentially devastating extent. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Feature
An animated, satirical look at prescription drug marketing, courtesy of Consumers Union, the Austin Lounge Lizards,and PrescriptionforChange.org.

Second Look
America invaded Vietnam, argues author Gareth Porter in Perils of Dominance, knowing that North Vietnam's ally, the USSR, lacked the capacity to withstand a US first strike. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
The guitar licks and vocals of Mark Sylvester performing ”American Gypsy” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

21st Century Life
Mirant Corporation shocked the region by announcing closure of its Alexandria, VA power plant, citing pollution problems. But what about Mirant's three power plants in operation in Maryland? Eric Schaeffer, former EPA chief of enforcement and now director of the Environment Integrity Project, comments. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Leah Harris presents “a flower for last days”; Chungmi Kim presents "The Color of My Dress"; Judith Harris offers "Fisherman's Flies "

WorkLife
Business associations maintain that corporate subsidies and tax breaks attract good employers and create jobs. A win-win situation? Not really, argues Good Jobs First director Greg Leroy in his book, The Great American JobScam. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Feature
He played with Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Charlie Byrd, and made his home in the DC area. We remember Keter Betts who died on August 6. (Produced by Tamara Neely and Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Poet, spoken-word artist, and arts advocate Charneice Fox talks about language and lyricism and her new book of poems, Hindsight..Moments on the Couch. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

Musical Traditions
American Folklife Center founder Alan Jabbour performs traditional fiddle tunes, including West Virginia Highway and more.

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Forum
Several bills favored by phone companies are pending in Congress that could effectively silence public access and community television. We chat with Richard Turner, executive director of Montgomery Community Television, about the proposed legislation. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Rei Berroa presents "Fragment I"; Sunil Freeman offers "Drafts for an Imaginary Cartoon (with poetic license”; Thomas Sayers Ellis presents "A Baptist Beat"

Feature
One of the most extraordinary and moving moments on TV following Hurricane Katrina occurred on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Writers’ Bloc

Author Joyce Hackett talks about “Washington Write- a-Story Day” and we hear a sample from Lisa Schamess. (Host: Lisa Page)

Musical Traditions
Swedish bluesman Robert Lighthouse performs “The Machine” and teams up with dieselbilly Bill Kirchen on “Ice Cream Man.”

Willing Spirit
Nancy James, Priest Associate at St. John’s Lafayette Square, a church near the White House, is the author of Standing in the Whirlwind about her work with inmates at the DC Jail. (Host: Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

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Forum
Why did the Right torpedo the Supreme Court nomination of White House Counsel Harriet Miers? Constitutional law expert Jamie Raskin observes that Miers didn't attend the right law school, didn't clerk for the right judges, didn't belong to the Federalist Society, and was too unpredictable politically. So President Bush was forced to go back to the drawing board and he chose a favorite of the Right, Samuel Alito. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Kim Roberts presents "Bark"; Naomi Ayala offers "Horses"

21st Century
Why would you put a huge portion of the country's energy infrastructure off the Gulf Coast in the center of Hurricane Alley? Navin Nayak, US PIRG environmental advocate, says that not only is this a gigantic mistake but we're subsidizing this blunder with our tax dollars. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Feature
A photo essay look-back at Hurricane Katrina. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Sickness & In Health
Hurricane Katrina left tens of thousands of pets homeless and under considerable stress. Bethesda, MD resident, veterinarian Victoria Hampshire, a member of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, traveled to New Orleans to assist in the animal rescue effort and reports on what she found there. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Lianna wonders, "What About Me?"

Writers’ Bloc
Sibbie O'Sullivan, playwright and poet, recently released a CD of poems, "Little Wheel," read by Sibbie and various artist friends. Sibbie talks about the CD and shares some verses. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Allan Lichtman is seeking the US Senate seat being vacated by Paul Sarbanes. Lichtman is running to the left of the leading Democratic candidates, Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume, arguing that there's too much government intruding in our private lives and too little government meeting our needs. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
911 and its aftermath: A photo essay accompanied by the Kossoy Sisters singing "I'll Fly Away." (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Thomas Sayers Ellis laments that "All Their Stanzas Look Alike"; Grace Cavalieri tastes an artichoke in "Carciofi."

21st Century Life
Baltimore Sun investigative reporter Tom Pelton offers a close-up look at how Governor Robert Ehrlich outsourced state environmental policy to Constellation Energy. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
Spoken-word artist Chris Chandler and street musician David Roe offer a tribute to the melting pot soul of "Ninth Ward New Orleans." (Producer: Karen Kilroy)

WorkLife
The GOP in Washington won't do it, so Maryland needs to lead the way in hiking the minimum wage, argues Progressive Maryland director Tom Hucker. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

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Forum
Sam Smith, editor of the Progressive Review, looks back on Al Gore's career and finds him to be a flawed politician but nevertheless an attractive option for the Democrats in 2008. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Sam Cooke’s meteoric and controversial rise to stardom as a soul vocalist and his tragic end are detailed in Dream Boogie by Peter Guralnick. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

In Sickness and In Health
Hormone therapy was all the rage a few years ago, not only to treat "hot flashes" and other symptoms of menopause, but also heart disease, dementia and other ailments of aging. Then along came a series of studies, culminating in the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative, which raised serious health questions about hormone therapy. We speak with Dr. Anthony Scialli of Georgetown University. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) presents "These Hips"; Rei Berroa offers "The Index Finger, the Eyes, the Thumb

A Second Look
The centerpiece of the Bush domestic agenda is an educational program called “No Child Left Behind,” which aims to raise the test scores of low-performing students. Four years into NCLB, how well is it doing? Education Week associate editor Kathleen Kennedy Manzo offers a report card. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter, folk-rocker Billy Coulter accompanied by Tom Derr, performs “Being Human” and “Conscience.”. (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich is proposing the largest state spending increases in a generation, focused on corrections officers and higher education. Stephen Elmore, director the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, looks at the overall impact of Ehrlich’s budgets to date. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
We visit Provisions Library in DC to see Taryn Simon's traveling photography and video show, "The Innocents." The exhibition features head shots and stories of 35 people wrongly convicted of homicide, rape and other crimes who were ultimately released from prison due to DNA evidence. Sita Reddy of Provisions Library narrates. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Derrick Weston Brown presents "Angels with Angles"; Sunil Freeman offers “Loon”

Willing Spirit
How did Jesus become "pro-rich, pro-war, and only pro-American?” asks Adam Taylor, director of campaigns and organizing for Sojourners, a 34-year-old Christian group in Washington, DC. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

Musical Traditions

Singer-songwriter Zoe Mulford offers "Our Lady of the Highway" and "Life Is Too Short to Fold Underwear." (Host: David Eisner)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Baltimore native John Slaughter's Brother in the Bush: An African American's Search for Self in East Africa.

21st Century Life
Exotic plant species are often decorative, even beautiful, but they can also do great harm to both indigenous plants and animal habitats. That's what's happening in our region as invasive species migrate from our gardens into parklands and beyond, says Lauren Wheeler of Natural Resources

Watch on YouTube

Forum
With the country almost equally divided between blue and red states, and many states themselves similarly divided, carefully chosen ballot initiatives that goose voter turnout for one party or the other can determine an election, says Kristina Wilfore, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Populist and humorist Jim Hightower muses on what John Kerry should have said to George Bush in their 2004 debates. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews DC poet Esther Iverem's new book of verse, Living in Babylon.

21st Century
University of Maryland marsh ecologist Court Stevenson has been studying the impact of global warming on sea-level rise. He expects that the storm surges from future hurricanes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed could flood not only coastal areas but even Washington, DC. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
A blues band with a harp player, a guitar, drums, and vocals. But it's all one guy, Curtis Blues, performing “Blues Left Texas” and “Rock Me.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Poet Melanie Rivera offers "Migration."

WorkLife
Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa of Maryland, discusses the upsurge in protests for immigrant rights and federal immigration reform legislation. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

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Forum
With hotly contested races for governor, US Senate and other offices this year in Maryland, we check in with the last Democratic governor, Parris Glendening. Since leaving office, Glendening has been serving as president of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute. So we talk with Glendening about the Inter-County Connector, global warming, gay marriage, immigrant rights, capital punishment, the current crop of Democratic candidates, and his legacy. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Kiva performs “Out of the Corner of the Eye” and “In Praise of Winter.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Verse
Holly Bass presents a monologue from "Diary of a Baby Diva"

Rewind
Silver Docs Festival Director Patricia Finneran previews the fourth annual Festival which will bring some 100 films to the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, MD the week of June 13 – 18. The Festival also features workshops and networking opportunities for documentary filmmakers, and gala events featuring filmmakers Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese, and Robbie Robertson, the leader of The Band, the subject of Scorsese’s heralded documentary, “The Last Waltz.” (Host: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
The Democratic primary election in Maryland is September 12. Among the many contested races is one for the US Senate seat being vacated by Paul Sarbanes. Rep. Ben Cardin holds a slight lead in the polls and a six-fold edge in fundraising over former congressman and NAACP chief Kweisi Mfume. We invited both Rep. Cardin and former Rep. Mfume to join us on the June show. Cardin failed to respond to our invitation. Mfume discusses his troubled youth and a host of contemporary issues, including immigration, gay marriage, a living wage, climate change, and energy independence. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Sunil Freeman presents “My Miles Dream”; Naomi Ayala offers “Saved”

Feature
Phone companies cooperated with the National Security Agency in compiling a massive database tracking the phone call patterns of millions of Americans. Information Trust founder Scott Armstrong wonders what the rules are for this new form of government snooping.

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Zoe Mulford performs “Knocking at the Door” and “Elegy.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Step
On July 20-30, the first-ever Capital Fringe Festival will feature more than 400 performances involving over 100 artists and ensembles at 18 venues. According to producer Damian Sinclair, the festival will offer a spectrum of work that falls within, between, and beyond the conventional categories of theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and puppetry. (Host: Peter Dimuro)

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Forum
Joe Curran is stepping down after nearly 20 years as Maryland’s Attorney General. The Office of Attorney General includes some 380 lawyers; it counsels state agencies, enforces environmental, health, securities and business laws, and handles all the criminal appeals for the state. Two of leading candidates to replace Curran, Montgomery County State’s Attorney Doug Gansler and Montgomery County Council Member Tom Perez, join us. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The already deep blue political sea that is Takoma Park and East Silver Spring, Maryland, is even bluer these days, awash in the campaign signs of District 20 insurgent candidate Jamie Raskin. A constitutional law professor and progressive activist, Raskin hopes to unseat a 19-year incumbent Ida Ruben, President pro tempore of the Maryland Senate and leader of the Montgomery County Senate delegation in Annapolis. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Chungmi Kim presents “Brother”

Musical Traditions
Kiva performs a traditional Tibetan song, “Green Tara Chant” and “Morning Sun.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Elections involve an obscene amount of campaign contributions. Commercial interests see these “contributions” as high-yield investments that purchase the ear – better yet, the soul — of politicians. So why not public financing to cut out the special interests? Chellie Pingree, the CEO of Common Cause, would like to see public financing adopted by states and in federal congressional elections as well. She also proposes the abolition of the electoral college, so that the president, like all other local, state and federal officials, is elected by the popular vote. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Poets Rei Berrroa presents "With Respect to Certain Activities of Doves"; Lisa Pegram offers "Larceny"; Derrick Weston Brown offers "Missed Train"; Grace Cavalieri presents "Temperance"; Reuben Jackson presents "Hard Bop"; and Sami Miranda offers "Las Jibaritias"

2nd Look
Hurricane Katrina is a harbinger of things to come, argues author Mike Tidwell. And not just for the Gulf Coast and Florida. In his new book, The Ravaging Tide, Tidwell foresees floodgates on the Potomac River as global warming causes sea levels to rise and induce ever more ferocious storms. (Host: Howard Kohn)

WorkLife
The National Labor Relations Board determines who is eligible to join a union in the private sector.

Former Board member Sarah Fox explains that the GOP-controlled Board might broaden the exclusion of “supervisors,” denying the right to organize to 8.3 million Americans. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Traditional fiddle music with Alan Jabbour, former director of the folk arts program at the National Endowment for the Arts and director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. He performs “West Virginia Highway” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD 8th Dist.) talks about the National Intelligence Estimate, legislation letting President Bush declare what constitutes torture, and the deteriorating situation in

Afghanistan. As co-chair of “Red to Blue,” a Democratic effort to win back the House. Van Hollen assesses the prospects for a Democratic victory in November. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Poet Holly Bass presents "duchamp's wife "

21st Century Life
A century ago, we were on the verge of mass-producing battery-operated cars. Instead of gas stations, there were electric-charging stations. But through skullduggery and outright criminal conduct, argues Pulitzer nominee Edwin Black in Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives, the petroleum pushers not only came to monopolize the consumer car market, they erased our collective memory such that we marvel today at hybrids like the Prius. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Feature
Sights and sounds from "Magical Montgomery."

In Step
While the technique of modern dance pioneered by Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis has survived, Cynthia Word felt there was something missing. And that something is the philosophy that drives the technique. Through her work at Word/Dance/Theater in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and in her production of “Wild Hearts: Sappho and Isadora,” Word aims to recapture a vision of dance that views the body as one of the gateways to higher consciousness. (Guest Host: Peter Dimuro)

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110,000 residents of Maryland are denied the right to vote because of their past criminal records. In Virginia anyone who was ever convicted of a single felony forfeits the right to vote forever, unless the governor intervenes. Yet elsewhere, like the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, voting rights are restored as soon as a convict serves their time. Commenting is University of Maryland law professor Michael Pinard. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Thomas Sayers Ellis presents "The Return of COLORED ONLY"; Native Son offers "Word Play"; Poet Judith Harris presents "Matrushka Dolls"

Willing Spirit
If the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, why aren't evangelical Christians up in arms about man-made climate change? Well, some are, like Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

21st Century Life
There are male bass swimming in the Potomac and its tributaries that are bearing eggs. According to Ed Merrifield, director of Potomac Riverkeeper, the endocrine systems of these fish have been disrupted by chemical pollutants that we dump in our waterways. And what happens to us when we drink this water or eat these fish? (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
Brazilian pandeiro music with Du Maracatu.

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21st Century Life
It's called "geo-engineering" and it encompasses a myriad of phantasmagorical schemes to stabilize the climate, like orbiting thousands of gargantuan mirrors in space to reflect away sunlight. Are there great minds really dreaming up these ideas? Is there any reality to them? We ask Dr. Michael McCracken, chief scientist at the Climate Institute. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Poet Brandon Johnson presents "periphery"; Sami Miranda offers "Victoria, Texas"; and Adriane

Harjo presents "It's Not Pretty, Maria"

Willing Spirit
What differentiates refugees from immigrants, and what role are religious communities playing in the often-rancorous debate over how we treat those who dreams of becoming Americans? Ralston Deffenbaugh of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service offers his views on what Scripture teaches. (Host: Rev. Heather Kirk- Davidoff)

Writers’ Bloc
In A Student of Living Things, Susan Richards Shreve imagines a near-term future in which a young mother confronts snipers, natural disasters and bomb threats, and discovers some discomforting truths about her own family. (Host: Lisa Page)

Musical Traditions
The one-man blues band, Curtis Blues, including “Walking Blues” and “River of Missing You.”

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Forum
The Maryland Health Initiative aims to increase the number of residents with health insurance and fund anti-smoking education by doubling the state tax on a pack of cigarettes. Guest: Vincent Demarco, Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition director. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Dark Magus, a warts-and-all biography of jazz legend Miles Davis authored by Davis's son Gregory.

In Verse
Tiffani Frost presents “cool"; Grace Cavalieri offers "Secret Jew"; Melanie Rivera presents "Migration"

Second Look
Montgomery County is fast becoming the "California of Maryland" when it comes to promoting the use of clean energy. Guest: Councilman George Leventhal. (Host: Howard Kohn)

WorkLife
Given the small number of federal and state inspectors charged with ensuring healthy and safe workplaces, some are proposing a plan to greatly hike the number of workplace monitors. Guest: Jim Grossfeld of the Montgomery County (MD) Commission on Health. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
The backroads country sounds of the Blue Moon Cowgirls, including “My Old Honky-Tonk Guitar” and more. (Host: David Eisner )

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Maryland lawmakers are on the verge of enacting a Clean Cars bill that will put into effect California's tougher vehicle emissions standards to limit smog and greenhouse gas emissions. Guest: Tom Pelton, Baltimore Sun reporter. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
We note the passing of two giants of progressivism — satirist Molly Ivins and Father Robert Drinan. Drinan had been a priest, a congressman, law school dean, law professor and author. He was the first sponsor of a resolution to impeach President Nixon and a leading advocate for the creation of an international criminal court. In an interview from October 2001, Fr. Drinan talked about how the US response to the 911 attacks might have been different had there been an international criminal court. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Sickness
Making the HPV vaccine mandatory and affordable for 11- and 12-year-old girls will reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous conditions that require so much medical attention. Guest: Susan Wood, former director of FDA's Office of Women's Health. (Host: Cathy Kristiansen)

Feature
Yao Afantchao emigrated to Maryland from Togo. With the help of the University of Maryland's Small Farm Institute, Yao is attempting to serve a growing market of emigres with vegetables and

smoked fish familiar to West Africans but produced here. (Producers: Mark Cohen and Dorie Blaisdell)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick performs “Cool Kids” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
We look at the state of whistleblower protection laws to protect employees who speak up against wrongdoing. Guests: Dr. David Ross, former senior FDA medical officer; Michele Tingling-Clemmons, children’s nutrition expert recruited by the District of Columbia government to manage a large federal grant to feed low-income kids; Tom Devine, legal director at the Government Accountability Project. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews a new book by Jan Reid, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs about Eric Clapton’s early, plugged-in group, Derek & The Dominos.

In Verse
Rei Berroa presents "Three Variations on the Theme of Peace and the Dove"; Kim Roberts offers “Golden"

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Lea Morris performs “Creation.”

Feature
Tom Block and Karim Chaibi are collaborating on an art exhibition at the Gateway Heliport Gallery in Silver Spring, MD that highlights the commonality in the mystical traditions of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

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Forum
The Federal Communications Commission is in the throes of its biennial review of ownership patterns of media. Broadcasters are again pressing for further relaxation of rules restricting the number of TV and radio stations an entity can own in a single market and rules regarding cross- ownership of a TV channel and newspaper in the same market. Guest: Mark Lloyd, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and affiliated professor at the Georgetown Institute of Public Policy. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Rose Solari presents “My Mother's Elephant"; Grace Cavalieri offers “Nettie"

Body Politic
The job of prosecutor is to do justice but their power to charge citizens with crimes is largely unchecked and their process for making charging decisions largely hidden from the public. Guest: Angela J. Davis, author of Arbitrary Justice, is a law professor at American University and the former director of the Public Defender Service in the District of Columbia. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

21st Century Life
Climate change is now the stuff of daily street conversation, thanks to Hurricane Katrina and Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth.” But what are politicians doing about it? Guest: Cindy Schwartz, director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
WAMMIE winning blues woman Melanie Mason performs a Robert Johnson medley of “Come On In My Kitchen” and “Preachin’ Blues,” and “Sliding Delta.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Recently deposed World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz alienated the Bank’s staff and Board by offering his romantic partner a sweetheart contract that violated Bank rules, and by trying to backtrack on the Bank’s family planning and climate change policies. Guests: Bea Edwards and Dylan Blaylock of the Government Accountability Project. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Ashley Kahn's The House that Trane Built, a history of the jazz label, Impulse records.

In Verse
Rei Berroa presents “After the War"

Body Politic
His confirmation hearing to be a Supreme Court justice stands as one of the most extraordinary events in modern political/judicial history and hardened Clarence Thomas in what was already his

pronounced rightward tilt. Guest: Kevin Merida, co-author, Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

In Step
An excerpt from "pas de dirt," a dance featuring two tractors and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the Bowen McCauley Dance company at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

WorkLife
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Depression Era "Bonus March" by some 40,000 WWI veterans who encamped in Washington, DC for two months seeking a promised service bonus. The protest ended with the encampment being burned to the ground by soldiers under the direction of General Douglas MacArthur. Guests: Glenn Marcus, producer of the PBS documentary, "March of the Bonus Army,” and author Lucy Barber, Marching on Washington. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Willing Spirit
This camp for teens in Reisterstown, MD, focuses on fun and outdoors but also democracy and diversity. It's called the LEADD program and is sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance. Guest: Preet Singh, senior policy advisor at the Interfaith Alliance. (Host: Heather Kirk-Davidoff)

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Forum
With attendance at horse races steadily declining and Maryland facing structural budget shortfalls into the foreseeable future, Gov. Martin O'Malley and Senate President Mike Miller are once again floating the licensing of casino video gaming/slots at racetracks to save the horse racing industry and balance the state budget. Guest: Andrew Green of the Baltimore Sun and Bernie Horn from the Center for Policy Alternatives. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Eighteen months after Katrina, the Big Easy was anything but. The Lower 9th Ward bore an eerie resemblance to Beirut in the 1980s. Public schools were shuttered or operated as effective police states. The main public hospital was still closed. The city’s underground pipes were leaking more water than people were using. Still, there are hopeful signs as tens of thousands of volunteers have descended on New Orleans to lend a hand and residents were trickling back, mindful that they live in a truly unique cultural oasis. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Sunil Freeman presents “Wash"; Maritza Rivera Cohen offers “Little Cat Feet"

Feature
Yao Afantchao emigrated to Maryland from Togo. With the help of the University of Maryland's Small Farm Institute, Yao is attempting to serve a growing market of emigres with vegetables and smoked fish farmed here as in West Africa. (Producers: Mark Cohen and Dorie Blaisdell Schwarz)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Joe Jencks performs “For the Singing” or more. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Newspaper headlines are chock full of reports about secret CIA prisons, deportations of terrorism suspects to countries that practice torture, millions of White House e-mails disappearing, warrantless searches of communications, and dubious forms of document classifications by the federal government. But is all of this mandated or justified by the post-9/11 reality? Guest: Patrice McDermott, director of openthegovernment.org. (Host: Mark Cohen)

WorkLife
Now that Maryland has the nation's first statewide "living wage" law, it needs to be enforced. That job falls to our Guest: Tom Perez, the state Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

In Step
A dance performance by Diana Tokaji and the Weerd Sisters at this summer’s Capital Fringe Festival. (Reporter: Priya Jagadeesh)

In Verse
Kwame Alexander presents "Memo to the President"

21st Century Life
It's called the “1 Sky Initiative” and it is a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2020 and produce 5 million jobs in the process. Guest: Betsy Taylor. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
Blue Moon Cowgirls perform “The Likes of You” and “Rocky Road Blues.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum

In 2006, Donna Edwards, a little-known executive director of a social change-oriented foundation, nearly upset then seven-term incumbent Al Wynn in the Democratic congressional primary for Maryland's 4th district. Edwards is again challenging him this year. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Joshua Weiner presents “Quilt"; Sean Brijbasi presents "Beth Susan"

21st Century Life
Farmers markets are on the rise, supplied by local niche farmers. They typically offer good food but it's often more expensive than in supermarkets. What to do? Guest: Organic farmer Mike Tabor. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Step
The dance form Stepping grew out of African-American fraternity and sorority parties. Stepping is catching on as a popular percussive concert dance form. Guest: Brian Williams of Step Afrika! (Host: Peter DiMuro)

Musical Traditions
The bluesy singer-songwriter team, Siobhan Quinn and Michael Bowers, perform “Valentino’s Ghost” and “Shine On.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Body Politic
The Maryland General Assembly recently completed a Special Session in which it raised certain taxes to offset a structural deficit and expand health insurance coverage; it also agreed to a statewide referendum on legalizing video gambling (slots). Guest: Ulysses Currie (D-Dist.25), chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

In Verse
Kyle Dargan presents “Autumnal Divination"

In Sickness & In Health
The medical community is on high alert about MRSA, a staph infection that can't be treated with conventional antibiotics. In 2004 American-born Ned Seligman made his annual pilgrimage from Sao Tome to the US to visit family and friends. Three days after seeing a dentist, he fell into a coma. When he awakened a month later, he found that his legs had been amputated and the ends of his fingers surgically removed. Ned survived because he was fortuitously treated with the last resort antibiotic for MRSA. But the more any antibiotic is used, the more likely it is that bacteria will develop resistance to it, cautions John Powers, infectious diseases specialist at the National Institutes of Health. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews a poetry compilation by Islamic detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Artistic Eye
Muriel Hasbun traces her family's emigration from Palestine to El Salvador to the US.

Musical Traditions
Russian Christmas with the chorale group Svetilan.

Watch on YouTube

21st Century Life
The Climate Commission created by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has issued far-reaching legislative recommendations that, if implemented, would move the state into a leadership role nationally in addressing global warming. Guests: Brad Heavner of Environment Maryland; Bill Cunningham of Unions for Jobs and the Environment. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Grace Cavalieri presents “Dates”

Courting Justice
America leads the world, by a substantial margin, in its rate of imprisoning its own public. Is it because Americans are more prone to criminality? And why the glaring racial disparities in the rate of incarceration? Guest: Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Project. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

Writers’ Bloc

In Clapton: An Autobiography, the rock guitar legend is unsparing of his personal excesses and, concludes reviewer Reuben Jackson, created a work worthy of Clapton’s musical greatness.

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Joe Jencks presents “The Sweetest of Rose” and “Come With Me.” (Host: David Eisner)

In Step
Daniel Phoenix Singh’s dance company offers a unique mix of the traditional from India and the very contemporary from America. (Host: Peter Dimuro)

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Second Look
Elections turn on which side appeals to the 20 percent of voters who are independents, “persuadables.” Bernie Horn, author of Framing the Future. argues progressives can reach these voters by emphasizing on “Freedom, Opportunity, Security.” (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Verse
Grant McLeman ("The Sidewalk); Maritza Rivera Cohen ("Street Smarts"); Holly Bass (“Agape")

WorkLife
The GOP-dominated National Labor Relations Board issued a raft of decisions that further limited the rights of employees to collectively bargain. Democratic NLRB member Wilma Liebman is our guest. Host: Fred Feinstein)

Forum
Montgomery County, MD County Executive Ike Leggett should not have signed a deal with music venue operator, Live Nation, to open a Fillmore franchise in Silver Spring, argues Marc Elrich, Montgomery County (MD) Council Member. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
The bluesy, folk sounds of Siobhan Quinn and Michael Bowers, including “”Boys Will Be Boys” and “Let It Come.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
The sub-prime loan crisis is expected to result in 1.8 million foreclosures in 2008 alone. Who are the lenders and borrowers who are affected? What should government do about it? Guest: Sarah Bloom Raskin, Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Kyle Dargan presents "Orange"

Courting Justice
Should the government and the law offer preferences to married couples over single individuals? Guest: Nancy Polikoff, author of Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage.(Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

Feature
Patrick Lacefield, the spokesman for the Montgomery County, Maryland executive responds to concerns that the deal to bring a Fillmore-brand live music venue to Silver Spring was poorly negotiated. (Reporter: Mark Cohen)

In Step

How are professional dancers developed? Guests: Nina Watt and Keith Thompson. (Host: Peter Dimuro)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick performs “The Circus Life” and “Life.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
While public attention is focused on the presidential race, the political parties and independent advocacy groups are gearing up for a battle over control of Congress. The Democrats reclaimed control of both chambers in 2006 and hope to build on their margin in 2008. Guest: Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD 8th Dist.). (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Grant McLeman (“Death Row") (set to the photographs of Lloyd Grane); Derrick Weston Brown ("Old Man's Strength"); and Ron Webber ("Signs and Wonders”).

21st Century Life
The Washington Nationals stadium is being touted as a model of green building design. So why was ExxonMobil granted naming rights to the 7th inning stretch? Guest: Shawnee Hoover, legislative director for Friends of the Earth. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
The world beat and Irish music sounds of Keltish performing “Star of the County Down” and “Rattlin' Bog/John Ryan's Polka.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Courting Justice
Over 120 death row inmates in the US have now been freed based on DNA evidence. Yet capital punishment is still widely in use in the US. Guest: Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

In Verse
Joshua Weiner (“Cloak”); Naomi Ayala (“Hole”); and Miriam Morsel Nathan (“Lullaby to My Father When He Finds His Mother at Long Last”)

Body Politic
Reporters typically get to ask the questions of politicians, so we thought we’d turn the tables and let an elected official grill a reporter. Guest: Washington Post reporter Lisa Rein. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

Feature
Veterans protest Iraq war in front of White House.

Writers’ Bloc
We look at the poetic and literary legacy of 89-year-old Reed Whittemore, former poet laureate to the Library of Congress, poet laureate of Maryland, and national book award finalist. Guests: Poet Grace Cavalieri and Dryad Press publisher Merrill Leffler. (Host: Reuben Jackson)

Musical Traditions

Singer-songwriter Terri Allard, accompanied by harpist Gary Green, perform “Loose Change and Spare Parts” and “Lifeline.” (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Since becoming Maryland Attorney General in January 2007, Doug Gansler has addressed same-sex marriage (for it), the rights of day laborers (the First Amendment applies), gang activity (tougher laws are needed), and the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay (banning phosphates in dishwater detergent). He serves as co-chair of Barak Obama's presidential campaign in Maryland. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Holly Bass presents “Dark Room”

Feature
The medical community is on high alert about MRSA, a staph infection that can't be treated with conventional antibiotics. There are a growing number of tragic stories associated with MRSA. Ned Seligman grew up in the Bay Area in the 1950s and spent the lion's share of the last 30 years working in Africa, starting with the Peace Corps. In 2004 he made his annual pilgrimage from Sao Tome to the US to raise money for Step-Up, his non-profit. Three days after seeing a dentist, he fell into a coma. When he awakened a month later, he found that his legs had been amputated and the ends of his fingers surgically removed. (Producer: Mark Cohen)

21st Century Life
The Bush administration continually censored, softened, and stonewalled reports by government scientists on climate change, according to a high-ranking staff member who resigned in protest in 2005. Guest: Rick Piltz, director of Climate Science Watch at the Government Accountability Project. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Zoe Mulford offers ”Our Lady of the Highway” and ageless wisdom, "Life Is Too Short to Fold Underwear." (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Courting Justice
The Supreme Court is ”not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final,” observed former Chief Justice Robert Jackson. That quote helps to explain the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision striking down the District of Columbia's strict law banning handguns in the home. Guest: Constitution scholar and advocate Alan Morrison discusses the Heller decision and the Second Amendment. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

In Verse
JaHipster (Tonya Matthews) presents "Grandma Get Your Gun"); Judith Harris offers "After Lacan"

Feature
Independence Day Parade in Takoma Park, Maryland

WorkLife
AFL-CIO legislative director William Samuel considers how the presidential candidates compare on working-class issues and discusses labor’s plans to mobilize its members for Barack Obama. (Host: Fred Feinstein).

Musical Traditions
“Dieselbilly” Bill Kirchen performs “Hollywood City” and his GRAMMY- nominated tune, "Poultry in Motion." (Host: David Eisner)

In Step
Dancer/choreographer Christopher Morgan discusses the challenges to creativity posed by dividing one’s time between artistic expression and managing a dance company. (Host: Peter Dimuro)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Some 3,000 minors are rape victims and get pregnant each year in the US. One out of 15 girls between 5th and 8th grades is sexually abused and over one-third of their attackers is a family member. Guest: Risa Shaw, the editor of the anthology, Not Child's Play, about sibling incest. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
Documentary filmmakers Richard Hall and Simone Fary call on numerous commentators from across the political spectrum to portray the "American Feud" existing between liberals and conservatives. We offer an excerpt.

21st Century Life
Clean energy wind farms are spreading across the land and sea. A major project, involving 78 windmills, is being built by Bluewater Wind Company off the Delaware coast near the Maryland border. Guest: Bluewater's Jim Lanard. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Angie Chuang presents "Sonnet Sequence: Vietnam Latitudes.”

Forum
If Iran or terrorists were to blockade the Straits of Hormuz and impeded the supply of oil, a cataclysm could quickly follow. What to do? Author Edwin Black has The Plan: How to Rescue Society When the Oil

Stops — or the Day Before. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews a newly published collection of writings, Let Me Stand Alone, by American diarist Rachel Corrie who was crushed and killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian family home in Rafah in 2003.

Musical Traditions
The genre-bending sounds of ilyAIMY, performing “Burn It Down” and “Can You Love a Girl Gone So Long.” (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
A new report by former Maryland Attorney General Steve Sachs documented that between March 2005 and May 2006 the Maryland State Police spied on 53 peace, climate and anti-death penalty activists as potential terrorists, even though they knew that none of their targets advocated violence. Sportswriter Dave Zirin comments. Guest: Washington Post reporter Lisa Rein. (Host: Mark

Cohen)

In Verse
Brian Gilmore presents "nosferatu"; Greta Ehriig offers "The Puzzle"

Courting Justice
Is the media paying enough attention to GOP efforts to disqualify eligible voters, especially college students and new Americans? Guest: Rebecca Geller, Voter Protection, Obama for President. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

Feature
Despite the meltdown in the financial system, mainstream commentators generally agree that John McCain’s involvement in the Keating 5 S&L scandal of the 1980s is irrelevant to the 2008 presidential campaign. The documentary, “Keating Economics: John McCain and he Making of a Financial Crisis,” which we excerpt, suggests that this media consensus is mistaken.

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Ed Pavlic's poetry, Winners Have Yet to be Announced, about Soul vocalist Donny Hathaway, who committed suicide in 1979.

Musical Traditions
Performers: Multi-WAMMIE, GRAMMY winner Jon Carroll and son Ben perform ”Maybe This Romance” and “Strangers and Neighbors.” (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

21st Century Life
The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee addresses the 2008 Congressional campaign, his role in the Democratic leadership, and energy and climate policy. Guest: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Angie Chuang presents “Talking About Death.”

Feature
Reuben Jackson reviews A Freewheelin' Time, a memoir of Greenwich Village in the 60s by Bob Dylan's ex, Suzie Rotolo.

Forum
A progressive leader assesses the significance of President-elect Obama, the changing electorate, and the prospects for fundamental change. Guest: Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
BluesWork performs “Run-Around.”

WorkLife
"Joe the Plumber" represented conservative blue-collar America in the media's depiction of the 2008 electorate. But according to the numbers, union members voted overwhelmingly for Obama-Biden. Guest: Mike Podhorzer, deputy political director of the AFL-CIO. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Watch on YouTube

Forum
Following on the heels of the Wall Street bail-out, the Big 3 automakers made repeated visits to Washington to shore up taxpayer support for their flagging industry. Guest: David Lightman, White House correspondent for McClatchy. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
A preview of Anna Huong's 2000 "Peace Mural" painting exhibit.

In Verse
Naomi Ayala presents "Window Shopping.”

21st Century Life
Will the billions for infrastructure to put Americans back to work be spent on repairing our deteriorating roadways and building clean mass transit or will it be spent on new highway projects? Guest: Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Feature

The historic Spanish Pavilion at a national park in Glen Echo, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC, hosts a variety of dance forms, including Salsa. (Producers: Susan Glick and Kimberly Keyes)

Musical Traditions
Jazzy vocals of singer-songwriter Lea Morris, performing “Creation” and “Temporary Blue.” (Host: David Eisner)

Body Politic
The Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment found considerable racial and geographic disparities in the application of the death penalty in Maryland and that capital punishment is far more costly to taxpayers than life without parole. Guest: Benamin Civiletti, Commission Chair, who served as US attorney general under President Jimmy Carter. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

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Forum
It began with a presidential determination that the U.S. need not observe the Geneva Convention

regarding treatment of terrorism detainees and quickly morphed into an interrogation model that copied the harsh methods employed by Chinese Communists against American soldiers in Korea. Are “enhanced interrogation techniques” effective means of extracting credible information? Guest: Devon Chaffee of Human Rights First. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Greta Ehrig presents "The Two Pink Houses on Swinks Mills Road."

Courting Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel provided the Bush Administration with the legal justification for its torture practices. Did it also provide a safe harbor from prosecution? Guest: Dan Marcus, associate attorney general under President Clinton and general counsel to the 9/11 Commission. (Host: Angela Davis)

Writers’ Bloc
Reuben Jackson reviews Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation.

WorkLife
The Blue Green Alliance proposes to reconcile tensions between labor and environmentalists by supporting a federal stimulus package that puts people to work and protects the climate. Guest: Roxanne Brown, assistant legislative director of the United Steelworkers of America. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
One-man blues band, Curtis Blues, performs “Big Joe Williams” and “Rock Me.”(Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Is the Obama stimulus plan adequate to the task of reversing the recession? Guest: Dr. Robert Scott, senior international economist at the Economic Policy Institute. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The inauguration speech of President Barack Obama. (Photographer: Sam Kittner)

Courting Justice
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act provides women and minorities critical tools to challenge discriminatory pay practices and it overturns a Supreme Court opinion limiting pay equity suits. Will it close the wage gap between men and women? Guest: Sharyn Tejani, senior policy counsel at the National Partnership for Women and Families. (Host: Angela Davis)

In Verse
Kwame Alexander presents “Corn Rows Crowning Your Spirit.”

21st Century Life
The coal industry touts it, so too do coal-state politicians. But what is the reality behind the marketing gloss about “clean coal”? Guest: Kate Rooth, research coordinator for Greenpeace USA. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
ilyAIMY performs acoustic rock. Including “Matador” and more. (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Maryland State Police spied on death penalty, peace, and climate activists whom it suspected of “terrorism” and shared their suspicions with the federal Department of Homeland Security, which found no criminal activity by the protest groups. Guest: David Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Thomas Sayers Ellis ("Ways to Be Black in a Poem"); Angie Chuang ("Lunch Break from Building the Chinese Garden")

WorkLife
There's been an upsurge in raids aimed at identifying undocumented aliens for deportation by the

federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), increasingly with the cooperation of local officials. Guest: Michelle Mendez, a staff attorney with CASA of Maryland. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Feature
An exhibition of Karma Massoud’s paintings at the Montgomery County Executive Building in Rockville, MD.

Second Look
Why do banks sometimes sit on their residential properties and passively watch as these homes – and the neighborhoods around them – deteriorate? What can be done about it? Guest: Mary Kane, economy reporter for The Washington Independent. (Host: Howard Kohn)

Musical Traditions
Rock and R&B with Jon and Ben Carroll, performing “On the Front Porch” and “Just Relax.” (Host: David Eisner)

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21st Century Life
President Obama calls the Israeli-Palestinian relationship "unsustainable." But in light of the factionalism in the Palestinian community and the election of a right-wing government in Israel, will Obama press the two sides to implement a two-state solution? Guest: Nadia Hijab, senior fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Carolyn Joyner (“Red, White and Bleak”); Rei Berroa ("How to Manage Our Expulsion from Innocence")

Writers’ Bloc
Did American corporations and foundations — Ford, GM, IBM and more – help facilitate Hitler’s rise? Guest: Edwin Black, author of Nazi Nexus. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Artistic Eye
We reprise a 2003 photo and video exhibit by Jacqueline Tarry and Brad McCallum at the Conner Contemporary Art Gallery in D.C. on the lives of homeless teens in Seattle. Guest: Blake Gopnik, Chief Art Critic for the Washington Post. (Reporter: Welmoed Laanstra)

Musical Traditions
A capella harmonies by Reverb, including “Sometimes the Innocent Die” and “I Bowd on My Knees and Cried, ‘Holy.’” (Host: David Eisner)

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Courting Justice
Torture is illegal under both international and US law. The International Committee of the Red Cross found that the Bush Administration authorized torture of terrorism detainees to wring information out of them. President Obama ordered a halt to these practices. But will the Obama Administration hold the Bush administration accountable? Guest: Stephen Vladeck, constitutional law and national security scholar. (Host: Angela J. Davis)

Feature
A photo essay by Martin Lueders shot for “Bread for the World.”

In Verse
DJ Renegade aka Joel Dias-Porter (“Mex”); Anne Becker (“In the Dreamtime”)

Worklife
In the Wagner Act, FDR and Congress established the right of workers to join unions without retaliation. But employers have learned how to push the boundaries of the law to avoid unionization. Will a new Democratic president and solid Democratic majority in Congress ensure workers are truly free to organize? Guest: Julie Martinez Ortega of American Rights at Work. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Forum
A review of the Maryland legislature’s recent session, including protections for vulnerable

workers, domestic violence, evidentiary standards for use of the death penalty, greenhouse gas emissions, spying on nonviolent political groups, driver licenses for immigrants, and civil marriage for gay couples. Guest: Democratic State Senator Jamie Raskin. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Robert Lighthouse, Swedish Blues artist, performing “Homeland Security Blues” and “She’s the One I Love.” (Host: David Eisner).

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Forum
President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court justice but she faces a concerted attack by the right-wing echo chamber for allegedly being anti-White. Guest: American University law professor Darren Hutchinson (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Bernadette Geyer ("Reading Our Histories in the Marks on a Birthing Table"); Grant McLeman with photos by Johnny Boucher and Martin Lueders ("Promises"); Joshua Weiner (“Cricket”); Sami Miranda (“tambor speaks to the dancer”).

21st Century Life
President Obama issued an Executive Order mandating that EPA ensure that annual progress is made to save the nation's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Guest: Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Step
When a parcel is transformed from a farmland to a supermarket and then a church, the result is considerable cultural change. Guest: Choreographer Cassie Meador of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Acoustic rock with Billy Coulter with Tom Derr, performing “Being Human” and “Conscience.” (Host: David Eisner).

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Forum
It's called "Einstein 3” and is intended to secure government computer networks but some critics contend it should be called "Orwell 2" instead. Guest: Jesselyn Radack, Homeland Security director at the Government Accountability Project. (Host: Mark Cohen)

In Verse
Thomas Sayers Ellis (“A Slow Fade to Black”)

Courting Justice
A hard-nosed prosecutor took down bad guys. He did so until cops mistook him for a bad guy and he suddenly found the criminal justice system tables turned on him. Guest: Paul Butler, author of Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice. (Host: Angela J. Davis).

Musical Traditions
In Northeast DC, we visit the Archie Edwards blues barbershop, named for a talented Piedmont bluesman who made his living cutting hair. On Saturdays, Archie turned off his razor and picked up an acoustic guitar and played with his friends. (Narrator and camera: Peter Kent; Producers: Peter Kent and Mark Cohen)

Body Politic
How to make college affordable for all, especially those with the least? Guest: Activist Esther Gelman. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

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Forum
Barack Obama took office with plenty of political capital and good will to achieve far-reaching health care reform but he spent heavily on the financial bail-out and stimulus plan. Can health care reform be saved? Guests: Merrill Goozner, publisher of gooznews, and Sean Dobson, executive director of Progressive Maryland. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature

“The Man in a Van” and his participatory art project on surviving the recession.

In Verse
Carolyn Joyner (“Song”); Angie Chuang (“Serene”)

Body Politic
Before Enron imploded in over-reaching and fraud, its lobbying largesse in state capitals ushered in an era of utility deregulation and skyrocketing CEO compensation. Maryland Democratic State Senator James Rosapepe wants to re-regulate electric utilities. (Host: Jamie Raskin)

WorkLife
Labor film festivals are spreading around the world. The Washington, DC area will soon host its ninth Labor Film Festival at AFI Silver on the conditions of work. It’s organized by our guest Chris Garlock. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

Musical Traditions
Roots rockers, The Kennedys, perform an instrumental medley and “I’d Run Red Lights for You.” (Host: David Eisner)

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Forum
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD8), elected to Congress in 2008, has quickly emerged as a national voice for health care reform and for taking a closer look at our national goals and exit strategy in Afghanistan. (Host: Mark Cohen).

In Verse
Rei Berroa (“Sensual Harassment”); Brian Gilmore (“the george holliday rodney king video (director’s cut)”)

21st Century Life
Even before the accident at Three Mile Island, the US nuclear industry was in a downward spiral, the result of chronic and acute safety issues that prohibitively drove up the costs of regulatory compliance. In recent years, the nuclear industry has attempted a comeback as a climate-friendly energy source. Public Citizen energy specialist Allison Fisher joins us. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Rewind
Traveling to seven urban gardens throughout Washington, DC, documentary filmmaker Cintia Cabib chronicles in “A Community of Gardeners” a vibrant and diverse culture of neighbors who grow their own vegetables and build community. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Alt-country sounds of Randy Barrett performs “Carpe Diem” and “In Loving Memory of You.” (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Courting Justice
Tom Perez, the newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, inherits a Civil Rights Division that was highly politicized under the Bush Administration. Perez says he will refocus the Division on enforcing voting rights, holding predatory lenders accountable, and protecting victim of hate crimes, including members of the LGBT community. (Host: Angela Davis).

Feature
The Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop in the District of Columbia reaches juvenile felons housed in adult corrections facilities with a book club and poetry writing. We visit “Hear Us Out! 2009,” a poetry reading by the formerly incarcerated youth. Guest: Free Minds co-founder Tara Libert (Producer: Mark Cohen)

Writers’ Bloc
Did American corporations and foundations – Ford, GM, IBM and more – aid Hitler’s rise? “Yes” they

did, argues Edwin Black, author of Nazi Nexus. (Host: Mark Cohen)

21st Century Life
President Obama issued an Executive Order mandating that EPA ensure that progress is being made annually to save the nation's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Guest: Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman. Repeated from Episode 141. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
Calico Jack performs “It’s a Hard, Hard Road.”

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Worklife
With joblessness hovering around 10 percent, large numbers of people are trying to get by on unemployment insurance, but many other qualify who don't apply. Guest: Courtney Chappell of the DC Employment Justice Center. (Host: Fred Feinstein).

In Verse
Kyle Dargan (“Tesserae”); Anne Becker (“Berry Hollow”)

Second Look
As youth soccer booms across the country, some jurisdictions are turning to artificial turf in the belief that it is more durable and cost effective. Guest: Neurobiologist Kathleen Michels. (Host: Howard Kohn)

In Step
A wide variety of styles that get lumped under the Hip-Hop label. Guest: Junious Brickhouse and Emily Wessel of the DC-based Urban Artistry dance company. (Host: Peter Dimuro)

Musical Traditions
Roots rock with the U-Liners, performing “Walking Boss” and “Jambalaya.” (Host: Mark Cohen)

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Worklife
Having recently reached reform-oriented contracts in cities around the country, the president of the American Federation of Teachers argues that for public schools to be turned around, it will take all the adults in the system pulling together and class sizes that are manageable. Guest: Randi Weingarten. (Host: Fred Feinstein)

In Verse
Grace Cavalieri (“A Poet in a School”); Holly Bass (“the blood”).

Courting Justice
They are the same drug, pharmacologically speaking, but the penalties for possessing crack cocaine are far more severe than for powder cocaine. Guest: Nkechi Taifa of the Open Society Policy Center, (Host: Angela Davis)

21st Century Life
The former director of Greenpeace USA argues that no one should lament the failure of Congress to adopt a Cap-and-Trade climate policy. Guest: John Passacantando. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

Musical Traditions
Performers: 2008 WAMMIE honorees Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein pick and sing their acoustic sounds, including “210 Train” and “Sweet Sunny South.” (Host: David Eisner).

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21st Century Life

Even as the Obama Administration launches a substantial green energy program, BP Global recently announced plans to shut down its solar panel manufacturing facility near Frederick, Maryland and move the operations to China and India. Which raises the question, is the US ready to compete for a significant share of the growing global green energy production market? Guest: Steven Mufson, energy reporter for the Washington Post. (Host: Mike Tidwell)

In Verse
Brian Gilmore (“make it plain (for my mother)”)

Writers’ Bloc
Art Rooney’s public persona was that of the fat, cigar-chomping sports executive. But in his youth, the Pittsburgh Steeler owner was a three-sport athletic superstar. What made him rich was betting on the ponies. Guests: Rob Ruck and Maggie Patterson, authors of Rooney: A Sporting Life. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Feature
The Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop in the District of Columbia reaches juvenile felons housed in adult corrections facilities with a book club and poetry writing. We visit “Hear Us Out! 2009,” a poetry reading by the formerly incarcerated youth. Guest: Free Minds co-founder Tara Libert (Produced by Mark Cohen)

Artistic Eye
Silver Spring, Maryland will host the first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival in April, featuring hundreds activist artists who have joined together to raise awareness of human rights and justice issues. Guest: Tom Block. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
Singer-songwriter Lynn Hollyfield performs “Layers” and “Thirteen Summer Moons.” (Host: David Eisner).

Watch on YouTube

Forum
U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD 4th Dist.) discusses Obamacare, constitutional and legislative fixes to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, immigration reform, “too big to fail” banking legislation, escalation in Afghanistan, and President Obama’s reversal course and permits offshore oil drilling. (Host: Mark Cohen).

In Verse
Poetry by Rose Solari (“My Mother’s Elephant“) and Rei Berroa (“The Index Finger, the Eyes, the Thumb“).

Courting Justice
Punishing young people as adults: Liz Ryan of the Campaign for Youth Justice wants to know why we are abandoning the juvenile justice system. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)

Writers’ Bloc
Author Wayne Carlin recounts the parallel stories of two warriors, one American, one North Vietnamese, in Wandering Souls: Journeys with Dead and Living in Vietnam, and the search for forgiveness and reconciliation. (Host: Mark Cohen)

Musical Traditions
The Sweater Set harmonize with the help of a flute, guitar, and ukelele, performing “Stick Around” and “One Day I’ll Hide Your Keys.” (Host: David Eisner)

Watch on YouTube

Coffee House Scrapbook
The final episode of the Coffee House features a retrospective on the show’s 14 years and 150 episodes. We review the history of the program from its roots on the municipal access channel in Takoma Park, MD to it reach to over 80 public access channels, satellite TV, and streaming globally.