WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

Whether the “war on women” is a fabrication of election year politics, scholar and activist Beth Richie says the threat of real violence to black women in the U.S. has never been more serious. And, with the partisan divide over the recent renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, she says legal, social, political and economic policies are to blame. Richie is author of “Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America's Prison Nation.” Original airdate 07/25/12.

MSNBC host and Nation writer Chris Hayes argues that since the 1960s, the country's meritocracy has embraced the growing economic inequality that has placed them near the very top, spawning a new American elite -- one that becomes corrupt to preserve its status. In “Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy,” Hayes warns of a crisis of authority that engulfs not just our politics but our day-to-day lives.

For decades, WYPR's Baltimore raconteur Gilbert Sandler has chronicled Jewish life in his native city. In a new collection of stories, Sandler focuses on the everyday life of vivid characters within a vibrant community from the 1920s through the 1980s, through the Great Depression, into the Civil Rights era and beyond. Author of several books about Baltimore, Sandler's latest is "Glimpses of Baltimore Jewish Life," published by the History Press. This podcast originally aired 06/21/12.

A look at sexuality across the human lifespan -- from puberty to menopause, through the sexual revolution, the AIDS epidemic and the political debates over birth control and abortion. Our guests are sociologists Laura Carpenter and John DeLamater, editors of "Sex for Life: From Virginity to Viagra, How Sexuality Changes Throughout Our Lives," from NYU Press.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, on the Romney-Ryan team's proposals for Medicare; why gun control has become such a political non-starter in the wake of mass shootings, even for candidates with safe seats; and the government's preparation for extreme weather related to climate change.

Marc Agronin, M.D., geriatric psychiatrist in Florida and author of "How We Age: A Doctor's Journey Into the Heart of Growing Old," on how our bodies and brains age, and the way we understand aging.

Time Magazine columnist and CNN host Fareed Zakaria was recently suspended from both jobs over accusations of plagiarism. Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik shares his thoughts on the story, and what it means about today's journalistic standards.

A conversation about living life to the fullest with psychiatrist Dr. Gordon Livingston, author of"Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart:Thirty True Things You Need To Know Now."

Opa! Greek food is on the menu for this edition of Midday Eats with Hong & Shields. Chefs Henry Hong and John Shields talk gyros, souvlaki, pita, spanakopita, baklava and more. Where can you find the best greek food in Baltimore? And how, for the life of Zeus, do you pronounce “gyro” anyway? Guest host: Melody Simmons

Perspectives on news and trends, interviews with newsmakers and authors, quick takes on some of the week's most interesting regional stories with the Maryland journalists who covered them. Guest host: Melody Simmons

Our legal affairs show with Baltimore attorneys, and husband and wife, Jim Astrachan and Julie Rubin. Guest host: Melody Simmons

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be hard at any age. But what would it be like to get such a diagnosis as a teenager or as a young adult, a time in life when you’re just starting to make big decisions such as deciding on a career, choosing where to live, or settling down with a romantic partner? This hour, a look at the unique challenges that face young people who have cancer, such as having to confront mortality prematurely and questions over reproductive capacity. Guests include oncology specialist Dr. Patrick Brown, director, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Pediatric Leukemia Program; Brock Yetso, president and CEO, Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults; cancer survivor Zach Lederer; cancer survivor Brina Furman. Guest host: Melody Simmons

Unless you have a first-class travel budget, you’re likely to agree that flying today is an ordeal at best -- and at its worst, a nightmare. Veteran airline industry reporter William Magee on why and how air travel became such a nasty experience – and why current trends could make flying more dangerous. Guest host: Melody Simmons

Construction on Owings Mills’ Metro Center remains on schedule. Plans to develop apartments, shops and offices are underway and the massive project is projected for completion by next spring. Meanwhile, nearby Owings Mills Mall is set for major redevelopment and, just a half-mile down the road, another development project is in the works at the former Solo Cup factory, for a 400,000-square-foot complex that would include the coveted grocery store Wegmans. These projects have divided the community and Baltimore County government, with concerns over retail saturation and traffic congestion clashing with ambitions for revitalizing the area. We hear from the developers behind Metro Center and Foundry Row (Solo Cup) and open the phones for listener comment. Guest host: Melody Simmons

“A Confederacy of Dunces” won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1981, some 12 years after its author John Kennedy Toole committed suicide, devastated by failure to get the novel published. Biographer Cory MacLauchlin examines the life and tragic death of Toole, his love of hometown New Orleans, the creation of the memorable character that is Ignatius Reilly, and the book that’s become a classic of modern American literature. MacLauchlin is the author is "Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces."