January 2005
Shows
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MONDAY,
JANUARY 3RD
THE ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS IN 2005
On the first Monday of 2005, as we all return to work and face
the new year, our thoughts naturally turn to what the next twelve
months will bring. Tonight on Extension 720, we will explore the
state of the economy 2005. From the strength of the economy to
the direction of the stock market, our panel of experts will attempt
to forecast the economic outlook. Joining us will be PAT DORSEY,
analyst at Morningstar Inc., and SAM PELTZMAN, professor of economics
at the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 4TH
THE LATEST IN MEDICAL DISCOVERIES
What cures for diseases will we see in the next year? Are we any
closer to understanding how the brain works? What new medical
problems will we be facing in 2005? All these questions will be
asked and answered tonight on Extension 720 as we welcome STEVE
GOLDSTEIN, chairman of pediatrics at the University of Chicago,
and JAMES SCHROEDER, president and chief executive officer of
the Northwestern University Medical Faculty Foundation.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 5TH
GREAT PRE-COLUMBIAN CIVILIZATIONS
The Inca, Maya, Olmec and Aztec—the four great pre-Columbian
peoples of South and Central America—created great civilizations
with sciences, religion and architecture all their own. Tonight
we will journey to Tenochtitlan, Machu Picchu and beyond with
two experts in these ancient civilizations. Our guests include
GARY FEINMAN, curator of anthropology at the Field Museum, which
is currently playing host to the exhibit Machu
Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas, and BRIAN
BAUER, professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois
at Chicago.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 6TH
PHILOSOPHY TODAY
French writer Nicolas Chamfort mused “Philosophy, like medicine,
has plenty of drugs, few good remedies, and hardly any specific
cures.” His cynicism about the usefulness of philosophy
might be shared by many of our listeners, but tonight we hope
to dispel the myth that philosophy cannot relate to “real
life.” Our guests tonight will talk about the study and
practice of modern philosophy as well as detail its practical
applications. They are KENNETH SEESKIN, professor of philosophy
at Northwestern University, and SALLY SEDGWICK, professor of philosophy
at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 7TH
GREAT CHICAGO DANCE BANDS
Tonight, Extension 720 celebrates (with some great and rare recordings)
the great Chicago dance bands of the first half of the twentieth
century. CHARLES SENGSTOCK, a former WGN Radio newscaster and
author of the new book That
Toddlin' Town: Chicago's White Dance Bands and Orchestras, 1900-1950
joins us to highlight some of the great Chicago bands that gave
Chicago its great musical reputation.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 10TH
IN SEARCH OF GENGHIS KHAN
In the late 12th and early 13th century, the great Mongol warrior
Genghis Khan united all the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and set
about conquering much of Asia, from the Adriatic Sea to the Pacific
Coast of modern day China. He not only founded the great Mongolian
empire, but also became a mythic figure in the annals of warfare,
joining the likes of Alexander the Great. The end of his life
and his final resting place, however, are shrouded in mystery.
Tonight, Chicago lawyer and explorer MAURY KRAVITZ and JOHN WOODS,
professor of history at the University of Chicago, will discuss
his life and their quest to find his tomb.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 11TH
GREAT SPEECHES
“Talking and eloquence are not the same: to speak, and to
speak well, are two things,” or so observed English dramatist
Ben Jonson. Tonight, we will examine the difference between speaking
and speaking well, between words and rhetoric, between good and
great speeches with DAVID ZAREFSKY, professor of communication
at Northwestern University and an expert in the history of rhetoric.
We will be playing some of the great speeches of the last century
and examining what makes them so memorable. Tune in to hear the
likes of Churchill, Roosevelt, Bryan, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
John F. Kennedy and many, many more.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 12TH
CONSUMER FRAUD
Are you afraid
of shopping online because of possible identity theft or fraud?
Have you ever been conned by a pyramid scheme? Has a shady contractor
or repairman taken you for all your worth? Well, be taken in no
more. Tonight on Extension 720, we welcome PATRICK HURLEY of Consumer
Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General's office,
JOSEPH HUDSON of the Cook County State's Attorney's office, and
STEVE BERNAS, executive director of the Better Business Bureau
of Chicago, who will offer their expert advice on how to avoid
being a victim of consumer fraud.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 13TH
A QUESTION OF BELIEF
The question of religious belief has always been a contentious
one, from as far back as the Roman Empire to today. But what are
the intellectual bases of religious belief? And what are the philosophical
underpinnings of atheism? We will be answering these questions
and more tonight with two experts representing the opposing perspectives—WILLIAM
SCHWEIKER, professor of theological ethics at the University of
Chicago’s Divinity School, and JEROME STONE, professor emeritus
in philosophy at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 14TH
A LOOK A THE COSMOS
Thomas Carlyle once wrote “I don’t pretend to understand
the Universe—it’s a great deal bigger than I am .
. . people ought to be modester.” Extension 720, however,
has not given up its quest to understand the origins of space
and time. Tonight, we once again turn our eyes to the stars and
ponder not only the cosmos, but also the origins and future of
the universe itself. MICHIO KAKU, Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical
Physics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York,
joins our program tonight to discuss his new book Parallel
Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimension, and the
Future of the Cosmos.
MONDAY, JANUARY 17TH
THE LATEST FROM IRAQ
The scheduled
Iraqi elections are less than two weeks away, and the past few
months have seen increasing violence and bloodshed. What will
January 30th bring? Wiill the new government be able to control
the rising insurgency? And how long will the United States remain
after the elections? All these questions and more will be answered
by our panel of experts: ART CYR, professor of political science
at Carthage College, CHARLES LIPSON, professor of political science
at the University of Chicago, and JAMES JANEGA, a reporter from
the Chicago Tribune who has recently returned from Iraq.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 18TH
THE WORLD OF ANTIQUES
Antiques are more than simply things that are old. Tonight,
we will explore the world of antiques with two guests who make
their living in that trade: ALAN ROBANDT of Alan Robandt and Co.
and SEAN SUSANIN of Susanin Auctioneers. They will share their
knowledge of antiques as well as assess the value of our listeners’
finds.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 19TH
ANCIENT ROMAN LITERATURE
Tonight, Extension 720 travels back in time to the era
of Cicero, Virgil, Juvenal and Catullus as we examine the literature
of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Joining us will be
two experts--ED MENES, professor of classics at Loyola University
Chicago, and DAN GARRISON, professor of classics at Northwestern
University--who will read from some of the greatest works of the
ancient world.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 20TH
THE SECOND TERM OF GEORGE W. BUSH
At noon today, President Bush will be inaugurated as president
for the second time. Now that the presidential campaign is over,
what is next for the Bush Administration? Tonight we will examine
that very question with a panel of political experts. Under consideration:
continuing foreign policy challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan, and
looming threats in North Korea and Iran and such domestic issues
as Social Security and the tax code, which President Bush has
pledged to reform. PERI ARNOLD, professor of political science
at the University of Notre Dame, JOSEPH WIEGAND, executive director
of the Family Taxpayers Coalition, and JIM O'SHEA, managing editor
of the Chicago Tribune will give their predictions of
what the next four years will bring.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 21ST
THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
Recent crises--from the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean to
the mudslides in California--have brought natural and environmental
issues to the forefront of our minds. Morever, as the Kyoto Protocol
comes into effect next month, what impact will it have on the
world's people, countries and businesses? These issues will be
addressed tonight by BJORN LOMBORG, associate professor of statistics
at the University of Aarhus and the director of the Danish Environmental
Assessment Institute, whose latest book Global
Crises, Global Solutions describes the future of environmentalism.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 24TH
FRESH TAPES FROM THE VAULT
Milt Rosenberg is taking the evening off, and the previously
scheduled "Shakespeare's Comedies" program has been
moved to February. In its stead, please enjoy these
recently recorded programs. During the first hour, Milt talks
with noted writer ADAM HOCHSCHILD about his new book 
Bury
the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's
Slaves. The second hour features Milt's interview with
anti-death penalty activist SISTER HELEN PREJEAN, whose latest
book is 
The
Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 25TH
GREAT AMERICAN INNOVATORS
What makes America great? What inventions, ideas and
innovations have made this country what it is today? From the
automobile to the microchip, from mass production to the endless
media cycle, individuals and their ideas have forever changed
America. Tonight, we examine many of those great innovators with
HAROLD EVANS, editor at large of The Week Magazine and
author of the new book They
Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine, Two
Centuries of Innovators.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 26TH
A SEMESTER OF ACADEMIA
Tonight, we go inside the ivory tower to discover what
really happens in university classrooms. Our guest, PATRICK ALLITT,
is a professor of history at Emory University in Atlanta, and
his latest book--I'm
the Teacher, You're the Student: A Semester in the University
Classroom--chronicles three months in the life of one
of his classes. From the distribution of the syllabus to the determining
of final grades, Allitt chronicles the highlights and many lowlights
that the modern professor must face.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 27TH
THE HISTORY OF THE WAR AGAINST TERROR
September 11, 2001 changed our world forever as terrorism became
not simply a thing of distant lands, but a threat right here on
our own shores. However, to the government and the CIA, the fight
against terrorism had been raging long before the collapse of
the World Trade Center. Tonight, with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
STEPHEN COLL, we examine the history of the war against terror,
and specifically the CIA’s involvement in it. Former managing
editor of the Washington Post, Coll’s latest book
is Ghost
Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden,
from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 28TH
WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEB
Tonight, Extension 720 ventures into virtual reality
with two internet and computer experts who will fill us in on
the latest developments in cyberspace. Our guests include KRISTIAN
HAMMOND, professor of computer science at Northwestern University,
and CRAIG LANDY, president of All
Info Inc. and Searchengines.com.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 31ST
THE HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood and the American film industry have made an indelible
mark on modern American history and American civilization. Tonight
on Extension 720, we are pleased to welcome film critic and historian
DAVID THOMSON back to the program to detail the vast history of
American film. He has been called the “greatest living film
critic and historian” by the Atlantic Monthly and
tonight he will be discussing his latest book The
Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood.
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