April 2005
Shows
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FRIDAY,
APRIL 1ST
THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
Due to the pope’s weakening condition, our previously scheduled
program on Islam has been canceled. In its stead, we will be examining
the papacy of Pope John Paul II, detailing the steps in papal
succession, and discussing the effect of his imminent passing
on Catholicism and the world in general. Our guests will be JON
NILSON, professor of theology at Loyola University Chicago, FATHER
LESLIE HOPPE of the Catholic Theological Union, and MEINRAD SCHERER-EMUNDS,
executive editor of US Catholic magazine.
MONDAY,
APRIL 4TH
GREAT BOOKS
According to John Milton, “A good book is the precious life-blood
of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a
life beyond life.” Tonight, we devote our program to books
and literature, particularly the “Great Books” of
the Western World. From Plato’s Republic to Philip Roth,
our guests will discus the important of reading the masterpieces
of our culture, as well as read excerpts from some of their favorite
works. Our guides through this tour of literature are MARK BAUERLEIN,
professor of English at Emory University and director of research
and analysis for the National Endowment for the Arts, and BRUCE
GANS, director of the Great Books program at Wilbur Wright College,
one of the City Colleges of Chicago.
TUESDAY,
APRIL 5TH
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6TH
Extension 720 takes a seat on the bench as the Cubs play west
coast games beginning at 8:40 p.m.
THURSDAY,
APRIL 7TH
FAMILIES AND THE LAW
British writer Rose Macaulay once wrote of families: “A
group of closely related persons living under one roof; it is
a convenience, often a necessity, sometimes a pleasure, sometimes
the reverse; but who first exalted it as admirable, and almost
religious ideal?” ALLAN CARLSON, president of the Howard
Center for Family, Religion and Society, would argue that the
family is indeed the backbone of American society and that we
as a culture and a government cannot survive without it. In his
new book 
Fractured
Generations: Crafting a Family Policy for Twenty-First-Century
America, he discusses how government can use its legislative
powers to support the family, and he will be our guest tonight
to discuss the delicate relationship between government, legislation
and the family.
FRIDAY,
APRIL 8TH
BASEBALL’S GREATEST LEGENDS
Another baseball season has started, and along with it comes the
obligatory talk of inflated salaries and bloated muscles. Though
the steroids scandal has recently tainted America’s pastime,
the golden years of baseball and legendary figures such as Lou
Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Cy Young and countless
others retain their shine. To commemorate the beginning of another
baseball season, Extension 720 devotes its program tonight to
some of the great legends of the game. Our guests include JONATHAN
EIG, senior writer at the Wall Street Journal and author
of the new book 
The
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, and FRED
MITCHELL, sports writer at the Chicago Tribune and author
of 
Cubs:
Where Have You Gone?
MONDAY,
APRIL 11TH
AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE WAR ON TERROR
Just over three years ago, the United States launched a major
military offensive in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime,
deny Al Qaeda one of its major sponsors, and find Osama bin Laden.
This mission has been considered more successful than our involvement
in Iraq, and tonight we will examine the specifics of U.S. military
operations in Afghanistan and the current state of that country.
Our guests include acclaimed military journalist SEAN NAYLOR,
senior writer for Army Times and author of the new book
Not
a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda,
TOM MOCKAITIS, professor of history at DePaul University and an
expert in counter-terrorism and insurgencies, and RUSSELL ZANCA,
professor of anthropology at Northeastern Illinois University
and an expert on Central Asia.
TUESDAY,
APRIL 12TH
SYRIA, LEBANON AND THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE EAST
The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri
and the resulting protests on the streets of Beirut calling for
Syria’s complete withdrawal from Lebanon have sparked interest
in the history of these two Middle East countries and their unique
relationship. Lebanon’s gestures towards democratization
raise questions over Syria’s future and how this particular
instance will affect democratization in the Middle East overall.
Tonight, we will discuss these issues in detail with THEODORE
KATTOUF, U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 2001 to 2003 and current
president of AMIDEAST, a non-profit organization dedicated to
U.S.-Middle East cooperation, and ILAI ALON, expert in Middle
East affairs and advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister on the
Syrian and Palestinian negotiations.
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 13TH
REMEMBERING SAUL BELLOW
Saul Bellow once wrote that "A novel is balanced
between a few true impressions and the multitude of false ones
that make up most of what we call life." Tonight, on a special
edition of Extension 720 live from the Chicago Historical Society,
we sort through the true and false impressions to remember and
appreciate the Nobel Laureate and one of Chicago's greatest authors.
The panel of RICHARD STERN, professor of English at the University
of Chicago, and acclaimed writer and MacArthur fellow ALEKSANDAR
HEMON will read excerpts from some of his greatest works, evaluate
his writing, and discuss his literary legacy.
THURSDAY,
APRIL 14TH
STAND-UP COMEDY
Steve Martin once defined comedy as “the art of making people
laugh without making them puke.” Tonight, we will be defining
comedy, as well as discussing the sub-genre of stand-up comedy
with two men who are experts on that delicate art. Our guests
will be DAVE SCHWENSEN, former talent coordinator for An Evening
at the Improv and author of the new book 
Comedy
FAQs and Answers: How the Stand-Up Biz Really Works,
and WGN Radio’s own STEVE COCHRAN, who is a veteran comic
as well as being a veteran broadcaster. They will be analyzing
comedy routines and giving practical advice as to how you can
survive and succeed in the cutthroat world of comedy.
FRIDAY,
APRIL 15TH
SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF ORDINARY LIFE
Why do so many drug dealers live with their mom? How
can you connect a teacher and a sumo wrestler? What explains the
drop in crime during the 1990s? Tonight, after the 6:05 Cubs game,
acclaimed economist STEVEN LEVITT will address all these questions
and more as he joins Extension 720 to unlock the riddles of everyday
life and discuss his new book 
Freakonomics:
A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.
MONDAY,
APRIL 18TH
BETTY CROCKER, AMERICAN ICON
WHEN CATS REIGNED LIKE KINGS
Since 1921, Betty Crocker has been the consummate homemaker—expert
in culinary delights and clean homes. But who is this mysterious
woman of many faces? After tonight’s 6:05 Cubs game, we
will examine the legacy of Betty Crocker, from her status as one
of the most successful marketing tools ever devised to her importance
as the embodiment of American domestic bliss. Our guest during
the first hour of the show will be SUSAN MARKS, author of the
new book 
Finding
Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America's First Lady of Food.
During the second hour, Extension 720 plays a recently recorded
segment with GIGI GEYER, an old friend of the program and author
of the new book 
When
Cats Reigned like Kings: On the Trail of the Sacred Cats.
TUESDAY,
APRIL 19TH
THE SCIENCE OF SEX DIFFERENCE
In the last few months, Lawrence Summers--the president
of Harvard University--has been maligned for stating at a speech
in January that there is "a difference in the standard deviation,
and variability of a male and a female population." To put
in in layman's terms, men and women have inherently different
abilities. Putting the social and political implications of this
aside, what do we know about sex difference? This question will
be addressed tonight after the 6:10 Cubs game by our two guests:
ARYEH ROUTTENBERG, professor of psychology and neurobiology at
Northwestern University, and JERRE LEVY, professor emerita of
psychology at the University of Chicago.
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 20TH
Due to rain delay, Extension 720 was completely pre-empted
tonight. The scheduled program with Eldon Ham on his book 
Larceny
and Old Leather: The Mischievous Legacy of Major League Baseball
has been rescheduled for May.
THURSDAY,
APRIL 21ST
THE LIFE OF THE RESTAURANT CRITIC
Legendary food critic Duncan Hines once quipped that “I’ve
run more risk eating my way across the country than in all my
driving.” Indeed, the lives of restaurant critics can be
precarious, putting their appetites on the line so that way may
separate the great food from the horrible. Tonight, RUTH REICHL,
former critic at the New York Times and current editor-in-chief
of Gourmet, joins the program along with DENNIS RAY WHEATON,
restaurant critic at Chicago Magazine . They will share
their tales from the restaurant trenches, inspired by Reichl's
new book 
Garlic
and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.
FRIDAY,
APRIL 22ND
THE ROOTS OF CHRISTIANITY
Who was the historical Jesus? Is the Bible myth or historically
accurate? Tonight, these questions and more will be debated as
Extension 720 takes a look at the early history of Christianity
with two experts. Our guests will be TOM HARPUR, a former Anglican
priest, current professor of Greek and New Testament at at the
University of Toronto and author of the new book 
The
Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light, and AMANDA QUANTZ,
professor of the history of world Christianity at the Catholic
Theological Union.
MONDAY,
APRIL 25TH
SURVIVING THE MIDDLE AGES
The mid-life crisis is often a period of exploration, regret and
finally acceptance of mortality. Tonight after the 7:05 Cubs game,
legendary editor and biographer JAMES ATLAS joins Extension 720
to discuss his latest book of essays 
My
Life in the Middle Ages: A Survivor's Tale, which details
his struggle through the middle of life and how he emerged battered
but not broken.
TUESDAY,
APRIL 26TH
Due to the late Cubs game, the scheduled program
with Jerome Pohlen on his book 
Oddball
Iowa: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places has been
moved to May 4.
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 27TH
A CHICAGO ALDERMAN REMEMBERS
When Leon Despres was elected to the Chicago City Council, this
city was not—according to Paddy Bauler—“ready
for reform.” Despres, however, challenged the inherent corruption
and was one of the few alderman to stand up to the powerful Daley
machine. Tonight. LEON DESPRES joins Extension 720, along with
KENAN HEISE, to discuss his new book 
Challenging
the Daley Machine: A Chicago Alderman's Memoir and to
analyze the current state of Chicago politics.
THURSDAY,
APRIL 28TH
DEBATING THE RAPTURE
“And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death
and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works. And death and Hades were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake
of fire. And if any was not found written in the book of life,
he was cast into the lake of fire.” So goes the account
of the final judgment of the damned as described in Revelations.
This literal belief in the Rapture—when Jesus returns to
earth to take all believers to heaven—has become an important
part of evangelical Christianity. Tonight, we will be discussing
the veracity of rapture theologies and whether they are an accurate
representation of the Christian faith. Our guests will be BARBARA
ROSSING, professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of
Theology and author of the book 
The
Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation,
and KEVIN ZUBER, professor of theology at the Moody Bible
Institute.
FRIDAY,
APRIL 29TH
THE PERFECT MILE
After tonight's 7:05 Cubs game, Milt chatted with NEAL
BASCOMB, author of 
Perfect
Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less than Four Minutes to
Achieve It.
Archive
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2002
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2003
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2005
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