The surprises keep coming. Ron Kovic, a US Marine who was shot and paralyzed in Vietnam in 1968, then went on to become an anti-war leader, and author of the memoir Born on the Fourth of July, rolled in for a quick, unscheduled speech. Listen to it here:
So, out here in Denver this week, in the middle of everything else we're doing, I've been recording a series of panels hosted by The Nation magazine for podcasts on their site. Today there was a surprise guest right before the panel, Jesse Jackson. That's the Reverend Jesse Jackson, or Jesse Jackson, Sr., not to be confused with his son the Congressman. From what I've heard at this point, he hasn't been too visible during the DNC yet this week, and today's the last day. Word is he flew in from DC this morning. Guess he wasn't invited to speak at the convention, after his unfortunate off-camera remarks became headlines in July.
Wondering what he had to say here today? I'll spare you some suspense; he's supporting Obama! To find out more, you'll have to listen. Click below:
A look at the practice of using tax credits to lure film industries to locate their productions in Maryland.
Federal Hillywood?
An interview with textile artist Sonya Clark, whose exhibit at the Walters Art Museum shows sculptures made of human hair.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is an author whose new book is called The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood. Paul Coates is the father mentioned in the title. He's the founder of Black Classics Press. They joined us to discuss the complexities of coming of age and raising a family in black, urban America. Their real-life story takes place in Baltimore, but could translate easily to many cities around the United States.
Ta-Nehisi has written for numerous publications including The Village Voice, Time, The Nation, NY Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and O. I would recommend his blog as a great place to check out some of his writing. Also, click here for a recent interview Ta-Nehisi did with us focusing largely on the '08 presidential campaigns.
The running time of this podcast is 49 minutes. The transcript is available below.
On Monday, May 19th from 6-8pm we made our first broadcast on WEAA, 88.9FM. It was a live interview with Andres Alonso, the CEO of Baltimore's Public School System. The phone lines stayed full, and we took as many calls from listeners as we could over the course of two hours.
In this podcast, Marc talks with Donald Devore, Secretary of Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services, about the work he's done in his first fourteen months on the job, and the work that still lies ahead for him and his department.
Note that one person's name has been beeped out to protect his identity, as he was a minor. Enjoy and let us know what you think. Running time 41:41.
In this podcast, Marc talks with community activists Timmy and Ray Cook about reforming the Juvenile Justice system.
Ray Cook
Welcome to two podcasts on the issue of Juvenile Justice.
When the Baltimore Sun reported that teachers at Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center had approached Governor O'Malley in March complaining that the Center was out of control, reform advocates weren't especially surprised. The Center, which houses teenage boys charged with theft, drug dealing, and assault, has been troubled since it opened in October 2003. From Justice Department investigations to chronic understaffing, the Center has never become what it was meant to be, a start at reforming the system.
This week Marc sat down with Secretary of Juvenile Services Donald Devore to find out his plans for turning the system around. He also spoke with Ray Cook, a community activist who started working at DJS after meeting Secretary Devore on our show-but who quit in frustration just a few months ago.
Please click on the links below to access the interviews and see our blog for more on juvenile justice and a chance to comment.
Welcome to a conversation with Thomas McCarthy, the writer and director of a new film called The Visitor.
Tarek teaching Walter the drum
Here's a podcast of a panel discussion between four people who played integral, yet completely different, roles in creating the world of The Wire. Listen to writer Bill Zorzi, executive producer Nina Noble, actor Chad Coleman, who played "Cutty," the gangster turned boxing coach/youth mentor/ladies' man, and Clark Johnson. Clark played the city editor Gus in the last season, and directed a few episodes of The Wire, including the pilot and the finale. The conversation, hosted by Marc Steiner, took place in front of a few hundred people at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on April 30, 2008 at the opening of their new exhibit "Local Scenes on the Silver Screen: featuring The Wire."
Don't have time to listen to the podcast right now? Click here to read the transcript.
From Left: Bill Zorzi, Chad Coleman, Marc Steiner, Nina Noble, and Clark Johnson. Photo credit: mojo40Design of Precise Management Company.
No one would ever claim that a Baltimore City Public School teacher has an easy job, but the attack on art teacher Jolita Berryhas made everyone realize just how dangerous a teacher's job can be. Teachers are beginning to speak up loud and clear about the dangers they face in the classroom and are complaining that they do not receive the support they need from their principals and union representatives.
How bad is the problem? What do teachers need to feel safe? Marc Steiner sat down with two current BCPSS teachers as well as a former teacher who left the system after being attacked twice in her classroom. Joining him was Ebon Soul, a history teacher at Carver Vocational-Technical High School, Julia Gumminger, a former art teacher at Waverly Middle School, and Bob Keal, an ESL teacher at an elementary/middle school in Baltimore City.
Marc Steiner talks with teachers at WEAA.
Ebon Soul, history teacher at Carver Vocational Technical High School.
Julia Gumminger, former art teacher at Waverly Middle.
Running time is 43 minutes. Video coming soon. Enjoy!
Thanks to our friends at WEAA for helping us out with this podcast.
What is the real cost of the Iraq War? According to the Bush administration, the tab so far totals over $500 billion dollars-10 times the $50 billion originally estimated.
Nobel Prize winner and former Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank Joseph Stiglitz says that number is outrageous-not because it's so high, but because it's so low. In a new book written with Linda Bilmes, he says the true cost of the war is going to be closer to three trillion dollars. He alleges that the Bush administration is playing with the numbers by only counting upfront costs-and not including other costs, such as health care for veterans and increased recruitment costs. He also confronts the idea that this war could actually provide a much needed stimulus for the American economy.
Joseph Stiglitz joined Marc Steiner by phone to explain how he came up with the three trillion dollar amount, and what he thinks needs to be done to ensure America's financial security.
Running time is 34:12.
We sat down with Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso to find out what his plans for reducing school violence are.
Running time is 51 minutes. Let us know what you think!
Andrei Codrescu left Romania as a teenager, made his way to the United States via Italy, and after spending time in many parts of the country including Detroit and New York City, eventually settled in New Orleans. He teaches English at LSU in Baton Rouge and has been providing commentary for NPR’s All Things Considered since 1983. In “After the Deluge: A Letter to America” he writes, “…it’s okay to be alive and you don’t have to work like a dog without any joy in this lifetime.” Still, he must work pretty hard because he’s published a huge stack of poetry, fiction, and essays over the last four decades.
Imagine you are a person who left your native country because you didn’t want to live under its government. Imagine several decades later, your adopted country chooses to invade your native country and topple the same regime you left under.
These are the topics that journalist Maria Hinojosa thought of when she was deciding which global women’s issue to focus on for a special episode of NOW, the acclaimed PBS program. But a phone call to a source set her straight. The biggest issue facing women globally is not genital mutilation, or slavery. It is the millions of women that are forced to marry as children. 51 million girls under the age of 18 are married.
