WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

Analysis and commentary on political news. This week, presidential politics and the latest from the campaign trail. And a look at potential VP picks as GOP hopeful Mitt Romney is expected to make his choice in the coming weeks.

Should women with especially high levels of testosterone be able to compete at the Olympics with their female counterparts? Or should a double amputee who runs on prosthetic blades be able to compete with able-bodied runners, or does the use of prosthesis give an unfair advantage? We look at the International Olympic Committee’s decisions when it comes to gender testing and the use of prosthesis in sport with Midday’s doctor-in-residence John Cmar. Also, an explanation of the newly approved HIV prevention drug Truvada.

We meet Dallas Dance, Baltimore County’s new school superintendent, the youngest to hold the job in at least 50 years. The 31-year old is responsible for the 26th largest school system in the nation, its 105,000 students and $1.5 billion budget.

Open phones this hour. Call or email with your comments and questions.

Midday's new vocabulary quiz. Contestants show their ability to discern the correct definition of a word from multiple choice answers, give a word based on its definition and first letter, give as many definitions as possible within a 60-second lightning round.

J.P. Grant, the businessman who took charge of financing the Baltimore Grand Prix, talks about preparations for the races coming up on Labor Day Weekend. The Midday Weekly Review - Grand Prix edition

In the wake of the Aurora movie theater massacre, a look at gun culture and violence in the U.S. Many assert that the media (movies, tv, and video games in particular) contribute to our culture of violence. Or is it our historic celebration of guns and power, in the name of liberty, that leads to these mass murders? And why is it young, white males who perpetrate the majority of mass killings? Midday culture commentator Sheri Parks helps to answer these difficult and polarizing questions.

Smartphone apps can track everything from sleep patterns to diet habits in an effort to help Americans change lifestyles and improve health. David Freedman, author of June’s Atlantic cover story, “The Perfected Self,” joins us to talk about the psychology at work in smartphone tracking. WYPR and NPR technology commentator Mario Armstrong fills us in on the latest self-help smartphone apps.

We open the phone lines to get listener questions and comments on the latest in political news. 410-662-8780 or toll-free 866-661-9309. Send us an email: midday@wypr.org.

If modern life is so great -- with advances in technology and other advantages that earlier generations did not enjoy -- why has living in rich, urban and industrial societies proven to be less satisfying than expected? Peter N. Stearns, professor and provost at George Mason University, asks why, if we live in a society of progress and abundance, are there more cases of depression and discontentment? Perspectives on modernity and finding the right balance between expectations and reality, with the author of “Satisfaction Not Guaranteed: Dilemmas of Progress in Modern Society.”

AARP says the number of older Americans seriously delinquent on loans jumped more than 450 percent in the last five years. Some 3.5 million older homeowners are underwater on their mortgages. Older African Americans and Hispanics are the hardest hit. A look at how the mortgage crisis has effected the country's senior citizens and left millions of them fiscally vulnerable in retirement. With Susan Reinhard, senior vice president and director for the AARP Public Policy Institute, and Vicki King Taitano, director of the Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau.

Tony Foreman on wine, with stops in Alsace, Napa and Maryland to check on the growing seasons at three vineyards. Your questions answered this hour.

Casino boss backs off tax break demand, O'Malley calling for special summer session just to approve a sixth casino for the state. We'll be discussing this on the Midday Weekly Review with Karen Hosler WYPR- Your Public Radio 88.1 FM, Charles Robinson Maryland Public Television and Andy Green, opinion editor The Baltimore Sun. Also - more details on Violet Ripken's kidnapping with Sean Welsh from Patch and a call to the Baltimore Sun's Jean Marbella for a taste of Olympic excitement with the opening ceremony just hours away.

A look at the summer movies, both blockbusters and indies. With Christopher Llewellyn Reed, filmmaker and associate professor and chair of Film/Video at Stevenson University in Maryland; and our Midday interns, Galen Druke and Stephanie Hom.

Our legal affairs show with Baltimore attorneys, and husband and wife, Jim Astrachan and Julie Rubin.