WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

Cholera and chicken pox continue to cause high death rates in developing countries, especially among children. In his memoir, 10 Lesson in Public Health: Inspiration for Tomorrow’s Leaders, one of the country’s leading epidemiologists, Dr. Alfred Sommer of Johns Hopkins, shares his ideas for solving troublesome worldwide health issues gained through his experiences in Bangladesh, Iran and Indonesia. (Original Air Date: April 8th)

With spring here and summer quickly approaching, Evan Balkan returns to Midday to share his list of the best walking tours of Baltimore. Balkan is author of Walking Baltimore: An Insider’s Guide to 22 Historic Neighborhoods, Waterfront Districts, and Hidden Treasures in Charm City.

A look at the top stories of the region with the reporters who covered them. This week we focus on the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico with Cricket Coodall, executive director of the Maryland Thoroughbred Association and Josh Pons of the Countrylife and Merryland thoroughbred horse farms. Also, Marceline White of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition and Shannon Morgan of Maryland Life Magazine.

Bay Journal reporter Rona Kobell has the results of tests of water quality in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, part of our look at recent controversies over the storm-water fees imposed on Baltimore and nine counties to stem polluted runoff into the bay.

A look at what it’s like to re-enter society following incarceration with three former Baltimore offenders who are all recent graduates of the Jericho Re-entry Program, a local year-long program to help get formerly incarcerated men get back on their feet.

Z on TV blogger and Baltimore Sun critic David Zurawik is back for another look at the latest media news, including Bill O'Reilly's war on Martin O'Malley, the Associated Press scandal, another open audition for House of Cards in Harford County and Arrested Development on Netfilx.

Ahead of his weekend's performances at Magooby’s Joke House, actor, writer, and stand-up comic Paul Reiser, a “Diner guy” best known for his work on the long-running NBC television series “Mad About You,” joins us in Studio A to reflect on his career in Hollywood and on the stage.

Baltimore City Schools CEO Andres Alonso steps down, Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown launches his bid for governor today, a report on the Syrian refugee crisis from Catholic Relief Services' Joan Rosenhauer and Maryland filmmaker Kathy McCabe on her documentary, "Good Ol Freda," on the Midday Weekly Review.

What happens when two people point fingers at each other and claim to be victims of a crime the police have not witnessed? This question was examined in one of Dan’s recent columns in The Baltimore Sun, prompting a follow-up conversation today about such common disputes, the limitations of police authority, the role of the Maryland District Court commissioners, and the challenges of resolving such cross-complaints. With Baltimore attorney Jim Astrachan and Gale E. Rasin, longtime Baltimore judge, retired.

During the Civil War, more than 200,000 black men enlisted in the Union Army or Navy. African American Faces of the Civil War explores the war through the images of men of color. The book’s author, Ronald S. Coddington, is our guest. He writes “Faces of War,” a column for the Civil War News and contributes to The New York Times online. Watch for images from the book on the Dan Rodricks Facebook page in the days leading up to the show.

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Raquel Cepeda, born in Harlem to Dominican parents, talks about her journey of self-discovery, and coming to terms with her ethnic identity and ancestry. Cepeda is author of Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina.

Last week, President Obama re-committed himself to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Obama’s remarks came during a mass detainee hunger-strike and on the heels of a renewed conversation about terrorism in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. Our guests: Terry Carter, senior writer for the American Bar Association Journal; Michael Greenberger, director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland; and Sig Libowitz, attorney and writer-producer of the acclaimed 2009 film, “The Response,” based on the transcripts of detainee tribunals at Guantanamo. He later served as an official observer to the militray tribunal process.

The long-awaited publication this month of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – the so-called bible of mental health professionals -- has stirred controversies. Doctors and researchers have bickered over which disorders are in and which are out. We delve into the controversy with Towson-based psychiatrist Dr. Mark Komrad.

After the demise of steel making, thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment could be coming to Sparrow’s Point over the next decade. We take an in-depth look at the economic possibilities for the area with Kevin Kamenetz, Baltimore County executive; Dan Gunderson, executive director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development; and Daraius Irani, executive director of the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University.

Back pain, knee pain and other forms of “boomeritis,” during a visit with Dr. Brian Block of Maryland Pain Specialists.