October 2004
Shows
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FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 1ST
THE FUTURE OF EUROPE
As the European Union becomes more fully formed—with a united
governing body and a common currency—what role will Europe
and the European ethos play in the future? Tonight, we take on
that very question with two experts: JEREMY RIFKIN and CHARLES
LIPSON. Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends
in Washington, D.C. and author of the new book 
The
European Dream. Lipson is professor of political science
at the University of Chicago.
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 4TH
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHICAGO
Tonight on Extension 720, we celebrate the publication of one
of the most comprehensive and important books ever written about
the city of Chicago: 
The
Encyclopedia of Chicago. Taking over ten years to complete,
this work is now the foremost catalog of this city’s long
cultural, economic and political history. Joining us live will
be the editors: JAMES R. GROSSMAN, ANN DURKIN KEATING and JANICE
L. REIFF.
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 5TH
THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
WGN Radio will be carrying the debate between Vice President Dick
Cheney and Democratic nominee John Edwards live from Case Western
University in Cleveland, Ohio from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Directly,
after the debate, Extension 720 will go live with DAVID AXELROD
and JOE MORRIS. Axelrod is a well-regarded political consultant
and worked for John Edwards during his primary run. Morris is
a Chicago-based lawyer and the chairman of the United Republican
Fund of Illinois.
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 6TH
EXAMINING PAKISTAN
Though ostensibly the United States’ ally in the war on
terror, Pakistan remains a volatile country with uneasy relations
with its neighbors, India and Afghanistan, and with worrisome
nuclear capabilities. Tonight, STEPHEN COHEN, senior fellow in
the Foreign Policy Studies program at the Brookings Institution,
joins the program to discuss the history and current state of
this crucially placed country. Cohen is the author of the widely
regarded 
India:
Emerging Power, and his new book is 
The
Idea of Pakistan. He will be joined in discussion by
MARSHALL BOUTON, president of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 7TH
THE CHANGING FACE OF CHICAGO
Chicago has long been recognized as one of the most architecturally
significant cities in the world. Tonight, we will examine the
latest changes to the city—including Millenium Park—and
discuss how the architectural changes are in turn, altering the
city’s social and cultural landscapes. Our guests include
BLAIR KAMIN, architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune,
and JOHN McCARRON, former urban affairs columnist and member of
the editorial board at the Tribune.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 8TH
THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: PART II
John Kerry and George W. Bush face off in their second debate.
Tonight in St. Louis, Missouri, they take questions from undecided
voters in a town-hall meeting format. WGN Radio again will carry
the debate in its entirety from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m., and once again,
Extension 720 will go live after the debate with commentary from
JEFF JENKINS, professor of political science at Northwestern University,
and Extension 720's old friend JOE MORRIS, chairman of the United
Republican Fund of Illinois.
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 11TH
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
John Dewey once defined intelligence as “in constant process
of forming, and its retention requires constant alertness in observing
consequences, an open-minded will to learn and courage in re-adjustment.”
If this is our working definition, is it possible for any man-made
device to ascend to this level of intellect? We will discuss these
matters and more tonight as we are joined by JEFF HAWKINS, author
of the new book 
On
Intelligence, and KRISTIAN HAMMOND, professor of computer
science at Northwestern University and director of the Intelligent
Information Lab.
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 12TH
STEALING THE ELECTION AND HOW TO KNOW
Tonight on Extension 720, as Milt takes the night off, we examine
the upcoming presidential election and “man’s principal
toy and tool”: words and the languages they create. During
the first hour, JOHN FUND, columnist for the Wall Street Journal,
discusses his new book 
Stealing
Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens our Democracy, which
details the long history of voter corruption in politics. In this
fascinating interview, he talks about the history of voter corruption
and predicts the chances of having another Florida-esque disaster
in this year's presidential election. During the second hour,
BOB McHENRY, former reference editor at Merriam-Webster and editor-in-chief
of the Encyclopedia Britannica, will discuss the development of
language, as well as how language serves to create knowledge.
He is the author of the new book 
How
To Know.
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 13TH
THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: PART III
On this final night of the presidential debates, Extension 720
will once again go live after the debate at 9:30 p.m. Our task:
to analyze the debates and forecast where the presidential race
is heading as both Kerry and Bush have just three weeks until
the election. Our guests will be WAYNE STEGER, professor of political
science at DePaul University, and JOE MORRIS, chairman of the
United Republican Fund of Illinois.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 14TH
GERMAN JEWS IN THE NAZI ERA
The enduring horror of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust continues
to command attention, and Extension 720 once again examines the
Nazi era and the experience of Jews in Germany during World War
II. As one of our guests, we are pleased to welcome back BRYAN
MARK RIGG, eminent historian and author of the groundbreaking
work 
Hitler's
Jewish Soldiers. His latest book is 
Rescued
from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher
Rebbe. He will be joined by LEON STEIN, professor of
history at Roosevelt University and a renowned Holocaust historian.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 15TH
STEM CELL RESEARCH
Stem cell research has recently become a hot button issue in the
2004 presidential campaign. Effectively banned by President Bush
in 2001, the death of Ronald Reagan and his son’s subsequent
speech at the Democratic National Convention have brought the
issue to the forefront of the public’s mind. Can stem cell
research provide a cure for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer
and perhaps even AIDS? Is it ethical to use embryonic tissue for
this sort of research? Joining Extension 720 tonight to address
all the ethical and scientific questions are ANN B. PARSON, acclaimed
science writer and author of the new book 
The
Proteus Effect: Stem Cells and Their Promise for Medicine,
HARINDER SINGH, professor of molecular genetics and cell biology
at the University of Chicago, and NIGEL CAMERON, research professor
of bioethics at Chicago-Kent School of Law.
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 18TH
THE STATE OF TELEVISION JOURNALISM
The scandal at CBS News involving Dan Rather and the forged memos
relating to President Bush’s time in the National Guard
has brought new attention to the American news media and television
journalism. With the growing popularity of cable news from the
likes of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, has the networks’ drive
to be competitive and score the ever-elusive scoop undermined
their ability to create accurate and unbiased reporting? Discussing
these matters and more tonight is BOB SCHIEFFER, chief Washington
correspondent for CBS News, host of Face the Nation,
and moderator of the third presidential debate just a few days
ago. His latest book is 
Face
the Nation: My Favorite Stories from the First 50 Years of the
Award-Winning News Broadcast.
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 19TH
THE MYSTERIES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
The question of nature versus nuture has long plagued developmental
psychology, and tonight we again ask the question: how are personalities
formed? Joining Extension 720 live from Boston is eminent psychologist
JEROME KAGAN. Currently the Daniel and Amy Starch Professor Emeritus
of Psychology at Harvard, Kagan is the author of many books on
psychology, including his latest 
The
Long Shadow of Temperament, which examines the
role of temperament in developmental psychology.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20TH
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Extension 720 tonight helps the Lyric Opera of Chicago celebrate
its 50th anniversary with a program featuring the best of this
gala season and seasons past. BILL MASON, general director of
the Lyric Opera, ROGER PINES, historian and dramaturg at the Lyric,
as well as soprano ERIN WALL and mezzo-soprano JUDITH CHRISTIN
will join the program to play and discuss highlights from the
history and current season of the Lyric.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 21ST
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHAKESPEARE
In As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote: “One man
in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”
Though we may be familiar with his works, the seven ages of Shakespeare
the man remain mysterious. Tonight, we explore how Shakespeare
went from country burgher to one of the greatest artists of all
time with renowned Shakespearean scholar STEPHEN GREENBLATT, University
Professor of Humanities at Harvard and author of the new book
Will
in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 22ND
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE PARANORMAL
Belief in spectral presences and other paranormal occurrences
still persists, but tonight on Extension 720, we welcome two members
of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of
the Paranormal (CSICOP) to
explain the reality behind the seemingly supernatural. Our guests
will be PAUL KURTZ, chairman of the committee, and JIM UNDERDOWN,
executive director of the Center for Inquiry West.
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 25TH
THE UNDERGRADUATE LIFE
Tonight on the show, Extension 720 once again goes inside the
ivory tower with three undergraduates from Chicago's universities.
They will be on hand to discuss the state of the American university,
from academic honesty and integrity to the social pressures that
face today's college students. Our guests will include YUEFAN
WENG from the University of Chicago, KRISTINE HEITING from Northwestern
University, and AMANDA ROGERS of DePaul University, as well as
CHARLES LIPSON, professor of political science at the University
of Chicago and author of the new book 
Doing
Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism,
and Achieve Real Academic Success.
TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 26TH
TECHNOLOGICAL GREATS
“Man cannot live by technology alone,” or so thought
Arnold Toynbee, but technology certainly makes the world an easier
place. Tonight, we examine and celebrate some of the greatest
technological achievements of humans throughout history. From
gothic cathedrals to jumbo jets, we will look at the melding of
craftsmanship, science and aesthetics with E.E. LEWIS, professor
of mechanical engineering at Northwestern University and author
of the new book 
Masterworks
of Technology: The Story of Creative Engineering, Architecture,
and Design. He will be joined by KEVIN HARRINGTON, professor
of architectural history at the Illinois Institute of Technology,
and TOM MISA, associate professor of history at IIT.
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 27TH
HOW WE CHANGE OUR MINDS
Samuel Johnson once said: “Sir, I have found you and argument;
but I am not obliged to find you an understanding,” Though
Johnson believed in argument without understanding, most people—when
they disagree—want to reach a resolution. But how can you
go about changing someone’s mind? Logic does not always
serve to convince a teenager or someone on the other side of the
political spectrum. Tonight, HOWARD GARDNER, professor of cognition
and education at Harvard, will give a seminar on how to convince
others and change their minds. He is the author of the new book
Changing
Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's
Minds.
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 28TH
REMEMBERING CHICAGO AND THE SECRETS OF MAGICIANS
In a two-part program, Extension 720 tonight focuses
on one man's memories of a lost Chicago and the secrets of magicians.
During the first hour, Chicago writer and historian DOUGLAS BUKOWSKI
joins the show to discuss his new book 
Pictures
of Home: A Memoir of Family and City. During the second
hour, JIM STEINMEYER, author of the new book 
Hiding
the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned
to Disappear joins the program to reveal the secrets
behind the magic.
FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 29TH
ELECTION OPEN LINE
On Tuesday, we will choose our next president, but you
can vote early tonight on Extension 720 as we open the phone lines
to hear our listeners' opinions about the upcoming presidential
election. Be sure to call in and voice your opinion as there are
just four days until the election.
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