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July 1998 Shows
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
SUMMER FILMFEST
What’s the best way to get away during this El Nino-induced sultry
and steamy summer? Are you looking for action-adventure, a little romance,
perhaps an apocalyptic doom and gloom scenario? Tonight’s panel,
including the Chicago Tribune’s John Petrakis and Chicago Magazine’s
Penelope Mesic, recommends a trip to the dark, cool, air-conditioned oasis
known as the movie theatre: It’s not too expensive, doesn’t
require much planning and will most definitely take you to places you
never thought you’d go. Tune in for a review and preview of the sleepers
and blockbusters coming soon to a multiplex near you.
THURSDAY, JULY 2
KOSOVO
Geopolitical experts warn that the civil war between the Serbs and the
ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, Yugoslavia has the earmarks of another Bosnia:
President Milosevic has failed to issue any decisive policy, NATO, the
U.N. and the U.S. have wrung their collective hands about what to do and
newspapers report growing incidence of savagery, torture and murder. This
evening, Andrew Wachtel, Professor of Slavic Languages at Northwestern
University and DePaul University's Tom Mockaitis discuss the origins of
the Kosovo confrontation and the conflicts and fragile resolutions that
define the patchwork region of Yugoslavia today.
FRIDAY, JULY 3
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE REVISITED
On the eve of our nation’s birthday, we celebrate with a tale of
the hard-fought battles, from Lexington to Yorktown; hard-working patriots,
from General George Washington to the frontier farmers and of course,
declarations of independence, from the Boston Tea Party to the… Declaration
of Independence. Tonight, our expert panel of historians reassesses the
roots of the American Revolution and the burgeoning nation that was borne
out of rebellion.
MONDAY, JULY 6
LOST AND FOUND CHICAGO
No better metaphor exists for the tension between old and new Chicago
than the McGraw-Hill building on Michigan Avenue, across from the Tribune
Tower. Its facade merits landmark status but its location merits a multi-million
dollar retail center. And of course, ueber-developer John Buck has cashed
in on the opportunity: He will tear down the old building but preserve
its historically significant facade, and build a new one that will span
Rush Street. Blair Kamin, the Chicago Tribune’s architectural critic,
has kept busy writing about the changing cityscape, and he and tonight’s
panel will look at it again, with an eye towards the city’s architectural
past and its future.
TUESDAY, JULY 7
STRUGGLE FOR INTEGRATION
In her new book, Someone Else’s House: America’s Unfinished
Struggle for Integration (The Free Press), journalist Tamar Jacoby examines
how America measures up to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision for "the
beloved community", a race-neutral society in which everyone belongs.
Her research took her to New York in the 1960’s, to Detroit in the
1970’s, and to Atlanta in the last two decades, and she has concluded
that although Americans still believe in the concept of racial integration,
it is irrelevant to the real problems of race today. Jacoby joins us tonight
to discuss the past thirty years of race relations and whether we can
achieve King’s dream of integration in the next century.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
MANAGING MARTIANS
If life exists on other planets, then Donna Shirley, author of Managing
Martians (Broadway Books), would be one of the first to know. As captain
in charge of the Mars Exploration Program team that put the "Rover"
on Mars just a year ago, Shirley is one of the most prominent leaders
in the world of aerospace engineering. Tonight, she will offer her unique
perspective on space exploration, on being one of the few women in a male-dominated
profession, and on those little green people in flying saucers.
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
JULY 9-10
Will Sammy Sosa eclipse Roger Maris’ record of most homeruns in a
season? You might find out if you listen to the Cubs’ games on these
nights. Tune in to Extension 720 after the game, for a taped conversation
or a spectacular in-studio guest.
MONDAY, JULY 13
THE CHARTER SCHOOL MOVEMENT
E.D. Hirsch, professor of English at University of Virginia, is a hero
to a select group of parents in Arlington Heights, IL. The state Board
of Education recently approved their proposal to develop the suburb’s
first charter school based on Hirsch’s "core knowledge curriculum"
program which emphasizes the accumulation of facts over so-called progressive
education. The charter school movement has grown from 150, just three
years ago, to 700, today. Tonight, four local charter school advocates
will explain their mission to give children the knowledge and skills they
will draw on for the rest of their lives.
TUESDAY, JULY 14
THE EVOLVING INTERNET
It might be the largest online subscriber service, but when it first arrived,
no one predicted a long life for America Online (or AOL, its better known
acronym). But it did survive and blossom into a financially successful
virtual world. Kara Swisher, the Wall Street Journal’s Silicon Valley
reporter, relays the rise of AOL in her new book, AOL.COM: How Steve Case
Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for
the Web (Times Books). She and two other Internet specialists talk tonight
about the ever-evolving world of the Internet.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
UNITED STATES CIVIL WAR
Almost a decade ago, documentarian Ken Burns became a household name with
his PBS-produced Civil War series. Even the most reluctant students of
history were glued to the television set to watch stories of the Blue
and the Gray. Tonight’s program will be equally satisfying, as our
expert panel showcases the greatest battles, politics and egos of this
tumultuous era. Among the panelists is Jeff Shaara, whose new book, The
Last Full Measure (Ballantine), focuses on the final two years of the
war, including Lee’s surrender at the Battle of Appomattox and the
assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
THURSDAY, JULY 16
EXPLAINING HITLER
There exists in modern history a handful of people about whom so much
has been speculated, written and debated that the person’s character
is inevitably misunderstood. Adolph Hitler is the primary example of an
enigmatic leader who eludes simple character analysis. In his significant
new book, Explaining Hitler (Random House), writer Ron Rosenbaum examines
the theories and controversies over Hitler’s life, his psyche, his
ancestry, his sexuality and his anti-Semitism. Tonight Rosenbaum joins
the program to share his conclusions on the true essence of this satanic
presence in modern history and on the nature and source of his evil.
FRIDAY, JULY 17
After tonight’s early ballgame, Extension 720 presents a very special
program which we’ve left open for whatever comes our way.
MONDAY, JULY 20
After the game tonight, we might feature a fascinating guest who will
talk about a fascinating topic, or we may run tapes from the archives…no
less fascinating for being recently recorded.
TUESDAY, JULY 21
THE SECRET LIFE OF BUGS
If you spent the better part of the spring trying to protect your garden
from the wrath of herbivorous insects and failed, tonight’s guest
can tell you why. May Berenbaum, one of the country’s leading entomologists
and Professor of Biology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, researches
the ongoing battle between plants and insects, and why it is that insects
often win. She has also written books like Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits and
Nibblers and has even had a character on the popular television program
"The X-Files" named for her. Tonight, after the early game,
Berenbaum will join us to discuss the secret life of the bugs and insects
with whom she works every day.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
THE SOUTH SIDE
Louis Rosen grew up on the south side of Chicago during the 1950’s
when it was white, middle-class, and largely Jewish. One decade later,
the neighborhood underwent a dramatic transformation, to a middle-class
black community. In his narrative The South Side: The Racial Transformation
of an American Neighborhood (Ivan R. Dee Publishers), Rosen revisits his
old stomping grounds and interviews its former and current residents to
capture the personal stories behind the ‘white flight’ phenomenon.
After tonight’s ballgame, Rosen shares these tales with us.
THURSDAY, JULY 23
QUARTERLY BOOK REVIEW
Summer’s here, the time is right for dancin’ in the streets
and for reading books, of course. It should come as no surprise that our
regular panel of top-notch book reviewers, Daniel Tucker, Alan Gitelson
and Penelope Mesic, will review and recommend the latest fiction and non-fiction
offerings of the season, including Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone,
John Irving’s A Widow for One Year and Sir Georg Solti’s Memoirs.
FRIDAY, JULY 24
MAGIC!
In this cynical information age, it is remarkable that magicians still
manage to thrill audiences of all ages. Whether it’s the bunny-in-the-hat
trick, the levitating woman or the disappearing milk ruse, the magician’s
sleight of hand remains a very special talent. On tonight’s program,
we have assembled a panel of four magicians (and maybe a mentalist or
two), including Jay Marshall, the Dean of the Society of American Magicians,
to talk about their trade, to perform their mysterious feats and to maybe,
just maybe, share some of their secrets.
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY
JULY 27-29
Extension 720 is fully preempted these nights as the Cubs play on the
West Coast.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
Tonight’s postgame show is still under development. Stay tuned for
further details.
FRIDAY, JULY 31
We’ve left tonight open to discuss the news of the day, the scandal
of the week or the miracle of the month.
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