July 2002
Shows
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TUESDAY
JULY 2ND
THE GROSSMAN GAZETTE: LIVE
Regular listeners know the Tribune's ace features writer
RON GROSSMAN from our Grossman Gazette, which often follows late
baseball games. Tonight, Grossman, who is incidentally a former
professor of history and, among other things, a regular commentator
on American intellectual life, visits live in the studio after
the 6:05pm game. Among our topics for discussion: Western Civ
at the University of Chicago, the true identity of Deep Throat,
and much more. Join us after the game.
WEDNESDAY JULY 3RD
LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU
RICHARD MELMAN, the founder of the 'Lettuce Entertain You' Restaurants,
joins us after Cubs baseball tonight. He'll discuss the nature
of the restaurant business and how he was able to succeed in such
a difficult environment. Tune in after the game, and we promise
to reveal what the future of the American dining experience holds
for you--and what Melman likes to eat!
THURSDAY JULY 4TH
Taped interviews will follow Cubs baseball on this 4th of July.
We wish you an enjoyable holiday.
FRIDAY JULY 5TH
This program remains under construction. Please check back to
this website for details on this post-6:35pm ballgame program.
MONDAY JULY 8TH
THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF INDIA
Of the British Empire's crown jewel, Winston Churchill once said,
"India is a geographical term. It is no more a united nation than
the equator." In the seventy years since that statement, India
has not only become a united, independent nation, but the world's
largest democracy and a rising economic and military power. Our
panel tonight will examine the history, culture, and politics
of the South Asian giant which, despite its many advancements,
remains seated on an extremely precarious subcontinent. Our guests
include SURENDA KUMAR, the Consel General of India in Chicago.
TUESDAY JULY 9TH
SPORTSWRITERS
"The incredible dumbness of Sportswriters is a subject I thought
I'd exhausted a long time ago, but let's hit it one more time,
just for the fun of it. . . .," Hunter S. Thompson once said.
We'll test the intellect of our sports-worthy panel tonight. IRA
BERKOW, sportswriter for The New York Times and author of 
The
Minority Quarterback: And Other Lives in Sports, is our guest
tonight, along with some prominent local sportswriters.
WEDNESDAY JULY 10TH
NEWS REVIEW
Another look tonight at recent events in the news: the war on
terrorism, the Middle East, South Asia, U.S.-European relations,
the upcoming 2002 elections, and much more. Our guests will include
our trusted friend MIKE McGUIRE of The Chicago Tribune and PERI
ARNOLD of the University of Notre Dame.
THURSDAY JULY 11TH
THE ECONOMY AND THE MARKETS (see entry for July 24th)
FRIDAY JULY 12TH
MILT'S MUSIC FROM THE FILE
Regular visitors to the Extension 720 website are no doubt familiar
with our daily postings of significant news links, commentaries,
and studies in "Milt's File". Always included among these listings
is a link to a music site, ranging from the classical masters
and opera to early jazz and big band tunes to Fado and Zimbabwean
music and beyond. Milt will select the cream of the crop from
our own files and play them for your listening curiosity and enjoyment,
beginning at 9:00pm.
MONDAY JULY 15TH
Taped interviews will follow the 7:05pm Cubs game.
TUESDAY JULY 16TH
THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE
"Science," Karl Popper once mused, "must begin with myths, and
with the criticism of myths." Much of modern science, indeed,
began as seemingly impossible speculation, only to far exceed
any scientist's wildest imaginations. But what is on the horizon
in the world of science? A cure for cancer? Exact cloning? Biological
immortality? We'll look at the always fascinating frontiers of
science with a full panel beinning at 9:00pm tonight.
WEDNESDAY JULY 17TH
This post-6:05pm ballgame program remains under construction.
Please check back to this site for updates.
THURSDAY JULY 18TH
(MASTERS OF 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE: postponed indefinitely)
THE QUESTION OF GOD
Has science disproved the existence of God? One of our guests
tonight, TANER EDIS of Truman University, author of 
The
Ghost in the Universe: God in Light of Modern Science, seems
to think so. JIM WALL of Christianity Today disagrees.
We'll debate the issue, tonight at 9:00pm.
FRIDAY JULY 19TH
THE
LIFE AND FILMS OF STANLEY KUBRICK
Though his career spanned five critically acclaimed decades, Stanley
Kubrick only directed eleven major films. But the quality of those
eleven, and the legacy he left behind, is beyond calculation.
Among his classic works: Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove,
2001: A Space Odyssey, and Barry Lyndon. Father
GENE PHILLIPS was a personal friend of Kubrick and has now produced
The
Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick. He joins us this evening,
along with many classic film clips, for a look at the career of
one of the great directors in the history of cinema.
MONDAY JULY 22ND
THE GREAT CONQUERORS
Alexander. Caesar. Ghenghis Khan. Napoleon. The great conquerors
of history (and more than just these four) not only redefined
military science, but far beyond the course of their mortal lives,
shaped the course of civilization politically, economically, and
culturally. How did the great conquerors dominate their times?
We'll attempt to analyze the characteristics of these celebrated
and often infamous leaders, and find out just what they were like,
from ancient times through the twentieth century. Our guests will
include JOHN LYNN, professor of history at the University of Illinois,
and JOHN VOTAW, a combat veteran and director of the 1st Division
Museum.
TUESDAY JULY 23RD
SNOBBERY
In his 'Book of Snobs,' William Makepeace Thackeray observed,
"It is impossible, in our condition of society, not to be sometimes
a Snob." Our guest tonight, JOSEPH EPSTEIN, would no doubt agree.
His latest book 
Snobbery:
The American Version is, in fact, the first book to examine
its topic since Thackeray's famous work. Epstein will spout his
own rather snobbish views about snobbery, beginning at 9:00pm.
JON ANDERSON of the Chicago Tribune joins in the discussion.
WEDNESDAY JULY 24TH
THE ECONOMY AND THE MARKETS
The NASDAQ has hit a five-year low. The Worldcom debacle has again
raised ugly speculation about the very nature of American business.
The dollar is near free fall and the stock markets show signs
of extreme strain. Overall, this does not seem to be a good time
for an economy that has been at or near recession for months.
What should you be doing with your money? Find out beginning at
9:00pm tonight, with an expert panel that includes PAUL KASRIEL,
chief economist at Northern Trust, and SAM PELTZMAN of the University
of Chicago.
THURSDAY JULY 25TH
These programs remain under construction. Check back to this website
for updates.
FRIDAY JULY 26TH
Taped interviews will follow the 7:05pm ballgame.
MONDAY JULY 29TH
CONGRESSMAN HENRY HYDE
Extension 720 is pleased to welcome back to the program Congressman
HENRY HYDE, the chiarman of the House International Affairs Committee.
Congressman Hyde joins us for the full two hours to talk about
the war on terrorism, the future of American foreign policy, the
Chicago airport controversy, and a host of other topics. Tune
in at 9:00pm.
TUESDAY JULY 30TH
Taped interviews will follow the 7:05pm ballgame.
WEDNESDAY JULY 31ST
BOOK REVIEW SHOW
Another edition of our quarterly book review show is upon us.
Milt has challenged our traditional panelists ALAN GITELSON, PENELOPE
MESIC, and DAN TUCKER with a wide array of recent works in history,
biography, science, religious studies, and the arts, plus several
works of fiction. John Ruskin wrote: "All books are divisible
into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all
time." We'll see if any of tonight's choices reach into the latter
category or if our show becomes, to paraphrase Logan Pearsall
Smith, "the gilded tomb of mediocre talent."
Archive of previous
show topics:
