September
2004 Shows
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WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 1ST
THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
The GOP has invaded New York City (along with thousands of protestors)
for what will surely be one of the most memorable conventions
in years. Republican stars such as Rudy Giuliani, John McCain,
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Laura Bush and Dick Cheney have taken to
the stage to do their part to re-elect George W. Bush. How well
have they done so far? And what have the protestors done to contradict
or perhaps even support the Republicans’ message? Tonight,
after the 6:05 Cubs game, we examine the highlights and lowlights
of the first three days of the Republican National Convention
with a panel of political experts. Our guests will be WGN Radio’s
own PAUL GREEN, live from New York City, JOE MORRIS, a Chicago-based
lawyer and prominent Illinois Republican, and ROBERT SCHMUHL,
professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 2ND
Extension 720 tonight takes a seat on the bench for Northwestern
Wildcats football at 8:30 p.m.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 3RD
FREEDOM OF THOUGHT ON CAMPUS
The previously scheduled 6:35 Cubs game has been postponed due
to Hurricane Frances. As a result, Extension 720 will instead
discuss academic freedom with representatives from the Association
for the Study of Free Institutions and Free Societies, including
Jeffrey Sedgwick, associate professor of political science at
the University of Massachusetts, and Micah Watson, graduate student
in politics at Princeton University.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 6TH
WANDERING THE EXOTIC UNITED STATES
On this Labor Day, Extension 720 takes it easy and goes on the
road with BRAD HERZOG, author of 
Small
World: A Microcosmic Journey, which details his visits
to Rome (Oregon), Athens (New York), Moscow (Maine), Mecca (California),
Congo (Ohio), and our very own Cairo (Illinois). Be sure to tune
in to hear about Brad’s fascinating journeys and be prepared
to call-in with your own exotic and not-so-exotic travel stories.
TUESDSAY,
SEPTEMBER 7TH
This Extension 720 program was pre-empted by the 7:05
Cubs game. Sports lawyer Eldon Ham will be rescheduled.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 8TH
TREACHERY IN FOREIGN POLICY
BILL GERTZ, reporter for the Washington Times, joins
Extension 720 after the 7:05 Cubs game to discuss his new book
Treachery:
How America's Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 9TH
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THE DOWNFALL OF ART
E.M. Forster once wrote: “Works of art, in my opinion, the
only objects in the material universe to possess internal order,
and that is why, though I don’t believe that only art matters,
I do believe in Art for Art’s sake.” Does the internal
order of art still exist or in today’s culture of acceptance
and correctness, has art been diluted? We will answer these questions
tonight with ROGER KIMBALL, noted art critic and social commentator.
Kimball is the managing editor of the New Criterion and
his latest book is 
The
Rape of the Masters: How Political Correctness Sabotages Art.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 10TH
THE VIEWS OF STUDENTS TODAY
Tonight on the program, we go inside the ivory tower with three
graduate students from the University of Chicago. Not only do
today’s graduate students work on their dissertations and
prepare for careers as researchers and professors, they also have
nuanced views of the world that are a window into today’s
younger generations. Joining Extension 720 to discuss their political
views, the current state of academia, and the life of a graduate
student today will be HEATHER WILHELM, JOHN SCHUESSLER and EMILY
NACOL.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 13TH
FICTIONALIZING WORLD WAR II
Tonight on Extension 720, we go behind enemy lines with acclaimed
historical novelist ALAN FURST. Author of a series of novels set
in the Second World War, Furst will join the program live after
the 7:05 Cubs game to discuss his illustrious career as a writer
and his latest novel, 
Dark
Voyage, which follows the adventures of a Dutch freighter
working for British Intelligence in 1941.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 14TH
A recorded edition of Extension 720 will air after this 7:05 Cubs
game.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 15TH
ROSH HASHANAH TAPES
A recorded edition of Extension 720 will air as Milt takes the
night off to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Producer MAGGIE BERNDT hosts
a selection of clips from Extension 720's thirty year history
that feature politicians, political historians and political pundit,
including Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, P.J. O'Rourke, Michael Beschloss
and Sir Peter Ustinov.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 16TH
SKULLDUGGERY AND CHICANERY: CHEATING IN SPORTS
After the 6:10 Cubs game, sports lawyer ELDON HAM returns
to the program to discuss the rules of sport and the many ways
in which they are broken. Ham is the author of numerous books
on sports, including 
100
Greatest Sports Blunders of All Time and 
The
Playmasters. He will be joined by a
fellow sports lawyer, LESTER MUNSON, who also writes for Sports
Illustrated.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 17TH
RELIGION NEWS REVIEW
After the 6:10 Cubs game, Extension 720 turns its attention
to the world of religion and the latest developments and trends
with two well-known religion writers. Our guests will be CATHLEEN
FALSANI, religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times,
and JIM WALL, senior contributing editor at The Christian
Century.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 20TH
CHICAGO'S BEST JOURNALISTS REMEMBER
Extension 720 delves into the history of Chicago journalism
with three from that field: JOHN DRUMMOND, former reporter for
WBBM-TV (CBS 2), BERNIE JUDGE, editor of the Chicago Law Bulletin,
and DICK KAY, political correspondent for WMAQ-TV (NBC 5).
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 21ST
THE LEGACY OF THE HOLOCAUST
Tonight, after the 6:05 Cubs game, Extension 720 hosts
noted Chicago author MONA SUE WEISSMARK, author of 
Justice
Matters: Legacies of the Holocaust and World War II.
Weissmark is a professor of psychology at Roosevelt University,
the founder and former director of the Mansfield Institute of
Social Justice, and is a visiting scholar at Northwestern University.
During the second hour, a recorded edition of Extension 720 featuring
JONATHAN SARNA discussing his book 
American
Judaism: A History will air.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 22ND
PALEONTOLOGY AND PRIMATES
Tonight, after the 6:05 Cubs game, Extension 720 explores the
world of the dinosaurs and beyond as we welcome PAUL SERENO, paleontologist
at the University of Chicago and founder of Project
Exploration, a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing
the wonders of science and technology to kids in the city. During
the second hour, we feature primate researcher FRANS DE WAAL discussing
his book 
My
Family Album: Thirty Years of Primate Photography.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 23RD
THE USE AND ABUSE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Though G.K. Chesterton once claimed that “all slang is metaphor,
and all metaphor is poetry,” we at Extension 720 are more
inclined to agree with Samuel Johnson, who “laboured to
refine our language to grammatical purity, and to clear it from
colloquial barbarisms, licentious idioms, and irregular combinations.”
Joining us tonight in our quest to save the English language are
ELLEN HUNT, SUSAN HARRIS and CRAIG SIRLES, all experts in the
proper usage of our vernacular.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 24TH
YOM KIPPUR TAPES
As Milt takes the night off to celebrate Yom Kippur, recorded
segments of Extension 720 will air after the 6:10 Cubs game. Tapes
to be heard include noted author ANTONY BEEVOR on his new book
The
Mystery of Olga Chekhova.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 27TH
AVOIDING CON ARTISTS
Tonight, after the 7:05 Cubs game, Milt is joined by
BAMBI VINCENT and BOB ARNO, co-authors of 
Travel
Advisory: How to Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams While Traveling,
who will give tips on how to avoid been snookered while on the
road.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 28TH
THE SINKING OF THE EASTLAND
After the 7:05 Cubs game, Milt is joined by Chicago writer
JAY BONANSINGA, best known for his mystery novels, author of the
new non-fiction book 
The
Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 29TH
THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM
The spectre of September 11, 2001 still haunts the United States,
and the threat of more terrorist attacks still looms on the horizon.
But what form could such an attack take? Tonight, GRAHAM ALLISON,
director of Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International
Affairs, joins the program to discuss national security and the
ever-looming terrorist threat, as outlined in his new book 
Nuclear
Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 30TH
THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
WGN will carry the first presidential debate between
George W. Bush and John Kerry live from Coral Gables, Florida.
Extension 720 will be live after that debate with sharp analysis
of each side's arguments and the verdict on who won. Our guests
will be MOLLY ANDOLINA, professor of political science at DePaul
University and former research director for the Pew Research Center,
and JOHN McINTYRE, co-editor of Real
Clear Politics.
Archive
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