September
2005 Shows
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THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 1ST
A CONVERSATION WITH CARDINAL GEORGE
Tonight, Extension 720 is pleased to welcome back Cardinal Francis
George, the eighth archbishop of Chicago. He is the first native
Chicagoan to hold that post and in the seven years since he took
that office has become one of the most important figures in modern
Catholicism. He will be on hand for the full two hours to discuss
all the recent developments in the Catholic Church, including
the legacy of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict
XVI.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 2ND
FOREIGN POLICY NEWS REVIEW
There have been many important new developments on the international
scene in the past few weeks—including the removal of Israeli
settlers from the Gaza strip and the ongoing struggle to create
and ratify a constitution in Iraq. Tonight, immediately following
the 6:05 p.m. Cubs game, we will analyze these recent events and
discuss their importance for the future of U.S. relations in the
Middle East generally with TOM BEVAN of RealClearPolitics.com
and JAY WILLIAMS, professor of political science at Loyola University.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 5TH
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
Currently running at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier
is one of Shakespeare’s most compelling and controversial
plays—The Merchant of Venice. The play’s
villain, the Jewish merchant Shylock, is at once a dreadful anti-Semitic
stereotype and a sympathetic and compelling figure. Tonight we
will be exploring the nuances in this work, discussing literary
and historical anti-Semitism, and listening to some scenes from
the play with a panel of experts: BARBARA GAINES, artistic director
of the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, legendary actor MIKE NUSSBAUM,
starring as Shylock in the current production, and (joining us
by phone from New York City) JAMES SHAPIRO, professor of English
at Columbia University and an expert on the portrayal of Jews
in Shakespeare.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 6TH
INSIDE FORENSICS
It was one of the core beliefs of Sherlock Holmes that “crime
is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather
than upon the crime that you should dwell.” In investigating
modern crimes, the focus on logic has been joined by the focus
on evidence, particularly forensic evidence. Tonight after the
7:05 p.m. Cubs game, we will be joined by two people expert in
both forensics and criminal investigations: MICHAEL BADEN, a leading
forensic expert and former New York City chief medical examiner,
and LINDA KENNEY, a noted civil rights attorney and legal expert,
who are the co-authors of the new crime novel 
Remains
Silent.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 7TH
THE SUPREME COURT
After tonight’s 7:10 p.m. Cubs game, Extension 720 will
be discussing the Supreme Court, including the legacy of late
Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the nomination of John Roberts
to the chief justice position. Our guests include JOHN MCGINNIS,
professor of law at Northwestern University.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 8TH
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH
Extension 720 takes a seat on the bench as the Cubs play two games
on the west coast, both starting at 9:15 p.m.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 12TH
OPEN
LINE
After
tonight’s 7:05 p.m. Cubs game, we once again open up the
phone lines to hear our listener’s reactions to the top
news stories of the day. Be sure to get your phone calls and e-mails
in early to make your voice heard.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 13TH
Extension 720 was pre-empted by extra innings in tonight's
7:05 p.m. Cubs game. Stay tuned for our recorded interview with
Richard Conniff, which will air soon.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 14TH
Extension 720 was once again pre-empted by extra innings in the
Cubs game. The podcasting program has been moved to September
21st.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 15TH
A brief recorded edition of Extension 720 will follow
tonight's 7:05 p.m. Cubs game and President Bush's address on
the latest news from Louisiana on the Hurricane Katrina recovery
efforts, which will air as soon as the game ends.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 16TH
GREAT DIRECTORS
Some of the
greatest American directors of all time reached the peak of their
careers in the 1960s and 1970s--Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford
Coppola, Martin Scorcese, and--some might argue--Alan J. Pakula.
The director of such films as The Parallax View, Klute
and All the President's Men, Pakula created a unique
and often-paranoid vision of life in America. He, and other great
directors of that era, will be the focus of Extension 720 tonight
as we welcome GENE PHILLIPS, professor of English at Loyola University
and an expert in the films of Kubrick and Coppola, and JARED BROWN,
author of the new book 
Alan
J. Pakula: His Life and His Films.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 19TH
MAGAZINE REVIEW
In June, the Chicago Tribune released its yearly list
of the 50 Best Magazines, on which they named Blender
as the best magazine of 2005—and the New Yorker
didn’t even make the top 10! Which magazines have made strides
this year and which ones have faltered? Is the move towards magazines
focused on gossip and celebrity journalism tarnishing the industry?
Tonight we will be addressing these questions, as well as examining
the state of the magazine industry with JIM WARREN, deputy managing
editor of the Chicago Tribune, and ABE PECK, chair of
the magazine department at Northwestern University’s Medill
School of Journalism.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 20TH
THE “PORNIFICATION” OF AMERICA
Porn is everywhere in the United States today—it has moved
from a clandestine vice to one that is seen daily on television,
in magazines, and on the internet. Tonight, after the 6:35 p.m.
we examine the increasing and detrimental influence that adult
entertainment has on our marriages and families with PAMELA PAUL,
whose new book is 
Pornified:
How the Culture of Pornography Is Changing Our Lives, Our Relationships
and Our Families.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 21ST
Due to yet another late Cubs game, the Extension 720
program on podcasting has been postponed.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 22ND
THE LIFE OF DAVID
King David is regarded as the greatest of the ancient
Hebrew kings--a man who united Israel and selected Jerusalem as
its capital. His life is recorded biblically in the books of Samuel
and the two books of Chronicles and his poetry is preserved as
the Psalms. In these accounts, David is a man of many personas:
he is the young shepherd boy who had the courage to face--and
kill--the seemingly unbeatable Philistine Goliath. He is also
the man so consumed with lust for Bathsheba that he sent her husband
to be killed in battle so that he could marry her. Tonight we
will be exploring the many sides of this ancient ruler and evaluating
his historical, theological, and poetic legacy with ROBERT PINSKY,
former poet laureate of the United States and author of the new
book 
The
Life of David and BENJAMIN SOMMER, professor of religion
at Northwestern University and director of their Crown Family
Center for Jewish Studies.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 23RD
THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT AND HURRICANE RITA
Several recent events have changed the tenor of the on-going
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The death of Yasir
Arafat and the recent Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have
been landmark events in this conflict and perhaps have opened
the door to a long-term solution. During the first hour of the
program, we will be discussing all the recent events in this region,
as well as discussing the future of both Israel and Palestine
with ALAN DERSHOWITZ, professor of law at Harvard Law School and
author of the new book 
The
Case for Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can be Resolved.
During the second hour, we welcome back CHARLES DOWDING,
professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern
University, and ALBERT HUNTER, professor of sociology at Northwestern
University, to discuss the ongoing recovery effort from Hurricane
Katrina and the potential damage of Hurricane Rita, which is currently
bearing down on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 26TH
U.S. HISTORY: THE LAST THIRTY YEARS
On Extension 720 tonight we examine the last thirty years of U.S.
history, beginning with Watergate and ending with the hotly contested
2000 presidential election. In these past three decades, America
has struggled with the legacy of the Vietnam War and Watergate,
seen the rise of Ronald Reagan and religion-base conservatism,
and watched as the Cold War ended not with a bang but a whimper.
Tonight we will be discussing all of these events and more with
ROBERT SCHMUHL, professor of American Studies at the University
of Notre Dame, and acclaimed historian JAMES T. PATTERSON, whose
new book 
Restless
Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush vs. Gore
serves as the final volume in the Oxford History of the United
States.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 27TH
ANDREA MITCHELL TALKS BACK
After tonight’s 7:05 p.m. Cubs game, Extension 720 is pleased
to welcome legendary journalist ANDREA MITCHELL. Currently serving
as the chief foreign correspondent for NBC News, she was previously
NBC’s White House correspondent and veteran presidential
politics reporter. Her new memoir, 
Talking
Back...to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels,
candidly explores her groundbreaking career as a woman in the
predominantly male world of journalism and explores the professional
and personal aspects of her marriage to Alan Greenspan, chairman
of the Federal Reserve.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 28TH
GEORGE RYAN ON TRIAL
The corruption trial for former Illinois governor George
Ryan is just around the corner, and tonight Extension 720 gathers
a panel of experts to discuss the events that led to Ryan's indictment
and the larger implications for the future of politics in Illinois.
Our guests will be WGN News anchor ANDREA DARLAS, PAUL GREEN,
WGN's political analyst and professor of political science at
Roosevelt University, and ALBERT ALSCHULER, professor of law and
criminology at the University of Chicago Law School.
THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 29TH
EXPLORING MESOAMERICA
After tonight’s 7:05 p.m. Cubs game, GARY FEINMAN, archaeologist,
curator and chair of the anthropology department at the Field
Museum, is our guest as we explore the indigenous civilizations
of Mexico. Feinman has just returned from his ongoing explorations
in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico and he will be in-studio tonight
to discuss the archaeological history of this region and his recent
finding about the early cultures of Mexico and Central America.
FRIDAY,
SEPTEMBER 30TH
PODCASTING
After tonight's 7:05 p.m. Cubs game, Extension 720 welcomes
back former producer CHRIS VALLANCE, currently working as a broadcast
journalist for the BBC. He will be taking us on a tour of the
exciting new world of podcasts, including his own work as the
weekly podcasting and blogging correspondent for BBC Radio Five
Live.
Archive
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