January 2006
Shows
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MONDAY,
JANUARY 2ND
A LOOK BACK AT 2005
Tonight, Extension 720 will follow the 720 WGN News 2005 Rewind,
a look back at some of the biggest news stories from the past
year.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 3RD
THE LEGACY OF HERMAN KOGAN
Northwestern University Press has just reissued two of legendary
Chicago journalist Herman Kogan’s books: 
Lords
of the Levee and 
Big
Bill of Chicago. Tonight we will be talking about his
place in the pantheon of great Chicago reporters and the history
of Chicago journalism with his son and Chicago Tribune
columnist RICK KOGAN and Chicago historian and author RICHARD
LINDBERG.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 4TH
PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
Rene Descartes declared in his philosophical writings “cogito,
ergo sum”—I think, therefore I am. But how does
a human being come to think? Where does consciousness come from?
And how do various philosophers account for human rationality?
Tonight, we will be discussing the long history of epistemology
and philosophy of mind with two experts: DAVID HILBERT, professor
of philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and DAVID
FINKELSTEIN, professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 5TH
PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS FOR AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
As we begin 2006, America finds itself facing many challenges
from abroad—from our continuing involvement in Iraq to the
growing influence of China in the global economy. Tonight, we
will be discussing the future of American foreign policy in the
next few years with a panel of experts, including CHARLES LIPSON,
professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and
RICHARD FRIEDMAN, president of the National Strategy Forum.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 6TH
THE RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES
Benjamin Franklin once said, “a great empire, like a great
cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.” Indeed, once
an empire is formed, its maintenance becomes a political, social
and cultural struggle and it often seems that all empires are
doomed to failure. Tonight, we will be examining some of the great
empires throughout history, discussing the roots of empires and
the sources of their falls, and defining imperialism in historical
and modern terms. Our guests will be BRIAN LAVELLE, professor
of classics at Loyola University, CORNELL FLEISCHER, professor
of history at the University of Chicago and an expert on the Ottoman
empire, and MICHAEL KHODARKOVSKY, professor of history at Loyola
University Chicago and an expert on imperial Russia.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 9TH
THE LANDSCAPE OF THE COSMOS
Charles Darwin once that the universe “has precisely the
properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design,
no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.”
Tonight, Extension 720 turns its eyes skyward once more as we
contemplate the origins and nature of the universe and how the
makeup of the cosmos affects the structure of the earth. Our guest
is LEONARD SUSSKIND, professor of theoretical physics at Stanford
University and author of the new book 
The
Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent
Design.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 10TH
THE RESTAURANTS OF THE YEAR
Each year, new restaurants open in Chicago—some to great
acclaim and some to harsh derision. Tonight, we will be discussing
the best and worst of the new eateries that opened this past year
(and also commemorating some that closed down) with two expert
dining critics, including PHIL VETTEL of the Chicago Tribune
and DON ROSE.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 11TH
THE DANGERS OF POP PSYCHOLOGY
The modern world is filled with self-help gurus—from Deepak
Chopra to Dr. Phil—who promise personal fulfillment if they
follow their simple plan. Each year, millions of Americans spend
countless dollars pursuing this ever-elusive happiness that the
pop psychologists promise them is just around the corner. But
is such self-actualization possible or even desirable? Tonight,
we will be talking about the dangers of the utopian dreams being
peddled by self-help gurus with STEWART JUSTMAN, author of the
new book 
Fool's
Paradise: The Unreal World of Pop Psychology.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 12TH
FOOD SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY
The quality and safety of the food we produce and eat
is one of the most important issues to Americans today, and recent
concerns about genetically modified foods and mercury levels in
fish have only made food technology one of the top research areas
in the country. Tonight Extension 720 discusses all the newest
trends in food safety and technology with MARTIN COLE, head of
the National Center for Food Safety and Technology at IIT, ROSETTA
NEWSOME, director of the Department of Science and Communications
at the Institute of Food Technologists, and CHARLES SANTERRE,
professor of food and nutrition at Purdue and an expert toxicologist.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13TH
WINTER TRAVEL
As the holidays are over and we return to our daily routines
in the cold Chicago winter, the thoughts of many turn to warm
getaways to escape the ice, wind and snow. Tonight, Extension
720 is the place to be for all your winter travel ideas--from
island getaways to fantastic ski resorts--as recommended by ALAN
SOLOMON, travel writer for the Chicago Tribune, and KATHY
RODEGHIER, travel editor for the Daily Herald.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 16TH
THE LATEST INTERNET NEWS
Tonight, we welcome a panel of three experts who will
talk about what’s new online—from podcasts to blogs
to the seemingly infinite varieties of websites, our guests will
take you through the latest developments in cyberspace and beyond.
Joining us will be ELLIS BOOKER, editor of Crain’s B2B
and an expert in all things internet, ROBERT JORDAN, the founder
of Online Access magazine and CEO of Inc. 500, and STEVE
JOHNSON, internet columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 17TH
WHAT’S NEW AT ARGONNE?
Chicagoland is home to one of the nation’s greatest scientific
treasures—Argonne National Laboratory. Founded in 1946,
Argonne was the first national laboratory and still holds the
distinction of being one of America’s largest research centers
and source of some of the great scientific breakthroughs occurring
today. Tonight, we will be joined by some of the top researchers
at this facility, who will detail their most recent discoveries
at the forefront of energy research, national security, and high-energy
physics. Our guests will be the lab’s new director and noted
astrophysicist ROBERT ROSNER, the University of Chicago's vice
president for research and for Argonne TOM ROSENBAUM, director
of the Argonne Center for Transportation Research DON HILLEBRAND,
and division director of mathematics and computer science RICK
STEVENS.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 18TH
THE LIFE AND PRESIDENCY OF RONALD REAGAN
Almost twenty-five years ago, Ronald Reagan began his first term
as president of the United States. The next eight years encompassed
some of the many events that have shaped our world today—the
Challenger disaster, the Iran Contra scandal, the Beirut bombings,
the growing budget deficit—and revealed the imagination
and character of a man who was so much more than just an actor.
Tonight, (in a program hosted by STEVE BERTRAND) we will be exploring
the public and private Ronald Reagan with acclaimed presidential
biographer RICHARD REEVES, author of the new book 
President
Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 19TH
HOTEL MANAGERS
Tonight we go inside some of the top hotels in Chicago,
as three hotel managers join us to discuss their unusual profession
and to tell some of the many fascinating stories from the inside
of a major hotel, including exploits of the rich and famous (and
others) who have graced their adopted domiciles. Our guests will
be HANS WILLIMAN from the Four Seasons, PETER SIMONCELLI from
the Westin River North and THOMAS MATHES from the Hotel Burnham.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 20TH
Tonight, WGN News anchor DAVE STEWART hosts a special edition
of Extension 720 which will focus on issues of domestic surveillance.
We will also feature frequent updates from the 720 WGN Storm Center
as bad weather approaches Chicago.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 23RD
OUR INNER APE
The Roman poet Ennius once wrote, “How like us is that ugly
brute, the ape!” Perhaps in his day such a proclamation
seemed far-fetched, but evolutionary science has shown us that
apes are indeed our closest relatives. Tonight, renowned primatologist
FRANS DE WAAL returns to the program to discuss his new book 
Our
Inner Ape: Power, Sex, Violence, Kindness, and the Evolution of
Human Nature, in which he details how research with chimpanzees
and bonobos reveals striking similarities between primate and
human behavior.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 24TH
SOLVING THE CRISIS IN BLACK AMERICA
Tonight, we are pleased to welcome back linguist, social commentator
JOHN McWHORTER, who follows his acclaimed book 
Losing
the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America with a powerful
look at how black communities in America can heal themselves:
Winning
the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America.
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 25TH
INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST
Just as Soviet Russia was once—in the famous words of Winston
Churchill—“a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an
enigma,” the complex political and social structures in
the Middle East remain elusive. Our guest tonight is Palestinian-Jordanian
journalist RAMI KHOURI, former editor of the Jordan Times
and current editor-at-large for the Beirut-based Daily Star,
who will be giving us an on-the-ground view of the current political
and cultural situation in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and beyond.
THURSDAY,
JANUARY 26TH
STEM CELL RESEARCH
The recent revelation that a top Korean researcher had
fabricated the cloning of human stem cells raises many new questions
about the scientific efficacy of stem cell research. Is it even
possible to clone human stem cells? Would such clones demonstrate
significant advances in the fighting of major diseases? And what
are the ethical implications of continued research on stem cells
and cloning? We will be addressing all of these questions and
more tonight with NIGEL CAMERON, research professor of bioethics
at Chicago-Kent School of Law and president of the Institute on
Biotechnology and the Human Future, and JANET ROWLEY, professor
of medicine, cell biology and molecular genetics at the University
of Chicago.
FRIDAY,
JANUARY 27TH
THE CULTURE OF THE 1930s
In 1936, Max Schmeling and Joe Louis met for what would
be the first of two boxing matches. These fights had repercussions
beyond the boxing world--the German-born Schmeling was held up
by Hitler and his growing Nazi party as the pinnacle of Aryan
superiority and had an enormous impact on the culture of that
decade. Tonight, we will examine this fight in detail, as well
as its larger political, historical and cultural implications.
Our guests include media expert and old time radio buff J. FRED
MACDONALD, president of MacDonald and Associates historical film
and audio archive, and LEWIS ERENBERG, professor of history at
Loyola University Chicago and author of the new book 
The
Greatest Fight of Our Generation: Louis vs. Schmeling.
MONDAY,
JANUARY 30TH
A VISIT FROM THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE
The Oriental Institute on the campus of the University
of Chicago has one of the world’s premier collections of
Middle Eastern artifacts. Tonight we welcome three experts from
that museum to talk about the various projects and exhibits that
go on at this south side landmark. Joining us in-studio will be
the new director of the museum GEOFF EMBERLING, noted Egyptologist
STEVEN HARVEY, and archaeologist CLEMENS REICHEL.
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 31ST
THE STATE OF THE UNION 2006
Tonight at 8:00 p.m., President Bush gives his yearly State of
the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. WGN will air
the speech and the Democratic response live, complete with analysis
from Congressional representatives and reporters. At 10:00 p.m.,
Extension 720 will be live with expert analysis from PERI ARNOLD,
professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame,
and JOE MORRIS, chairman of the United Republican Fund of Illinois.
Archive
of previous show topics:
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