WYPR: Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast Podcast

Today, on The Lines Between Us, we continue trying to understand economic inequality in the region with a look at the job market. What does "who you know" mean when you take race and class into account? First, Baltimore Sun columnist Lionel Foster with an essay on the lack of connections that keep many talented young black men from finding work. And, sociologist Deirdre Royster tells us what she found when she studied networking among white and among black vocational students in Baltimore looking for blue-collar work. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post joins Jed Dietz of the Maryland Film Festival to discuss Quentin Tarantino's Django, Unchained, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit.

The college football bowl season is in full swing. None of the players is getting paid to play in the bowl games -- or any other game for that matter. Historian Taylor Branch says we should change that. Tom Hall talks with Branch about the Bowl Championship Series and the state of college sports. Then: 500 years ago, what did Europeans understand about Africa? An exhibit at the Walters Art Museum shines a light on the interplay of skin color, perception and status the 15th, 16th, and 17th Centuries. Tom takes of tour of the exhibit, called "Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe."

Today, we revisit the first episode of "The Lines Between Us," Maryland Morning's year-long multimedia study of inequality in the Baltimore region. We start with an essay from senior producer Lawrence Lanahan. Lawrence came up with the idea for this series; he explains why he feels … a sustained conversation about inequality in our region is necessary. Then, a personal story from Pikesville resident Sheldon Caplis. In 1964, a family secret came to light and forever shaped his approach to race relations. Plus: for more than a year, Tom Hall talked with the writer Dudley Clendinen about his battle with ALS. Dudley died in May. Today, we listen again to their last on-air conversation.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel have been playing in the sand again--that is to say, the sands of Mars. We talk with one of the researchers about what they've discovered about the moving sand dunes of the Martian landscape Then, Baltimore native Laurel Snyder talks about her novel for kids called "Bigger Than a Breadbox," about a girl who misses Charm City when her family moves away. Plus: When is it a good idea to seek counseling--and why is it difficult for some people to take that step? Tom Hall asks psychiatrist Mark Komrad of the Shepherd Pratt and Johns Hopkins Hospitals. It's the subject of his book "You Need Help."

Owings Mills writer Elizabeth Bastos has a Christmas story about beauty, ugliness, and truffles. It was 50 years ago that Rachel Carson published Silent Spring--the book that kickstarted the modern environmental movement. She based some of her book on work done at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel. Three retired scientists there tell us about Carson and the eventual ban of DDT. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians Phil Munds and Ken Goldstein were making a record with pianist and composer Bryan Rowe when he died in 2009. Bryan's widow Barbara encouraged them to finish. Today, they tell Tom Hall about the album that resulted, called Thin Space.

In the past ten years the role and responsibilities of the National Guard have shifted dramatically. We hear from the daughter of Maryland National Guard Major Robert Marchanti II, who was killed in in Afghanistan in February 2012. To discuss the changing role of the National Guard, Sheilah talks to Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland and Larry Minear, a researcher of international armed conflicts. Then- A boys’ love of the ballet-Tom Hall and Maryland Morning theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck discuss the musical "Billy Elliott" at the Hippodrome. And-The "My Station North" project allowed young students to capture the sights and sounds of the neighborhood. We’ll hear excerpts from the students’ work, and learn about the project from UMBC professor Tim Nohe.

Nathan Sterner talks with Dan Coe from the Space Telescope Science Institute about looking deeper into space than any man has looked before. An archaeological discovery in Charles County is teaching us how Native Americans lived in Maryland in the 17th Century. We talk with the anthropologist who led the dig. Tom Hall talks with Frank Deford about his book "Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter".

Mark Shriver set out to solve the riddle that powered his father’s life. The result is his memoir, A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver. There is a ministry at the Port of Baltimore. We’ll meet the Reverend Mary Davisson, chaplain of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center. Tom Hall has this remembrance for Nancy Haragan, a leading arts advocate in Baltimore, who passed away a little over a year ago. The title of Eddie Brown's autobiography, “Beating the Odds”, is an understatement. Tom talks with Brown about his life and business.

Today on The Lines Between Us, some people in Baltimore's nonprofit community tell us why they're moving the conversation about employment opportunities beyond "diversity" into "inclusion," and we'll learn what the difference is. Then, the Celtic music group, Helicon, joins us for a preview of their 27th annual winter solstice concert.

A report out from the United Health Foundation ranks Maryland 19th out of the 50 states in terms of overall health. We talk with a United medical officer about the report, and with Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein about the challenges Maryland faces, in areas including obesity, infant mortality, and violent crime. The National Audubon Society is holding its 113th annual Christmas Bird Count this year. Birders across Maryland will be tramping through the woods in search of interesting birds. Our own Nathan Sterner ventured out to Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Prince George's County last Sunday to take part in a count. Four major local institutions, one immortal ballet. Tom talks to the leaders of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore School for the Arts about their collaboration with MICA to produce The Nutcracker at the Lyric. And treats for aesthetes!

The state plans to build a new 120-bed jail to house juvenile offenders charged as adults in Baltimore; that's scaled down from an original 180-bed plan. Advocates would like to see it scaled down to zero. We'll look into whether there's a path in Annapolis to stopping construction and devoting resources to programs like rec centers and school construction. In the wake of the Connecticut elementary school massacre, once again the cry goes up: "We need to talk about mental health!" But...how do we talk about it? Director David Schweizer on his production of the William Inge play Bus Stop, now running at CENTERSTAGE.

It became clear late last week that the Sparrows Point steel mill will not re-open, and the jobs it provided will not return. We talk with one of the thousands of unemployed steel workers, and with Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz about what the county plans to do to retrain and support the laid-off workers. Then, Sherban Young has received national attention for his knack for crafting mystery capers. We'll ask the Ellicott City author to drop some clues about his latest works. And theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews the Baltimore Annex Theater's production of "UBIK," a science fiction drama adapted from a Philip K. Dick novel. Plus, Tom Hall talks with beer aficionado Rob Kasper about the best winter brews.

In mid-century Baltimore, aspiring black entrepreneurs had a hard time finding capital to launch businesses. A man known as "Little Willie" Adams used a fortune he'd made running an illegal lottery to fill that gap. Today on the Lines Between Us, University of Maryland law professor Larry Gibson, who handled some of Willie Adams's loans, will tell us Little Willie's story. And Neil Muldrow, chair of the Governor's Commission on Small Business, will tell us what happened when credit began to expand into Baltimore’s black small business community. As part of Lines and the WYPR Maryland Film Festival Spotlight series, we screened the documentary The House I Live In, a documentary exploring how U.S. drug policy affects individuals at each level of the system. After the screening, Tom Hall speaks with special guest Kurt Schmoke, former Baltimore mayor who suggested decriminalizing drugs in 1988. They discuss what's changed--and what hasn't--a quarter century later.

This month Maryland native Alan Gross entered his fourth year in Cuban custody. Why was Gross arrested for providing telecommunications equipment to Cuba's small Jewish community, and why have U.S. efforts to free Gross not been successful? To examine the many angles, Sheilah speaks with Congressman Chris Van Hollen and Dr. Julia Sweig with the Council on Foreign Relations. Holiday parties abound—what are the best ways to go from day to night? We ask our style tutor Zoey Washington. Sascha Wolhandler of Sascha's 527 restaurant lets Tom in on her secrets for great appetizers to serve during your holiday entertaining. Treats for aesthetes!

Michael Griffin of Maryland's Department of Assessments and Taxation tells us why you should apply for the Homestead Tax Credit before the December 31st deadline if you haven't already. An experimental Alzheimer's treatment at Johns Hopkins Medicine uses electricity to stimulate memory centers in the brain. Nathan Sterner talks with professor Paul Rosenberg who's leading the trial at Hopkins. Tom Hall visits an exhibit at Maryland Institute College of Art honoring influential fiber artist Lenore Tawney.