Milt's File - Extension 720 - WGN Radio 720 Chicago

MILT'S FILE

April 2003

April 30, 2003:
WHAT TO DO ABOUT KOREA. Here is a master plan put forward by Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. It makes pretty good sense to us--and, at any rate, it does make fascinating reading.
http://www.brookings.edu/

THE PROFESSORS AND TERRORISM. Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago (and an occasional guest on Extension 720) finds her colleagues sorely lacking. Here is a review of her new book in which she (gently) indicts them.
http://www.nytimes.com/

INTELLIGENCE FAILURES DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION. This account, from a participant, is rather stunning. We don't vouch for its accuracy--but the editors of the National Review apparently do.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

GLOBAL WARMING? NEW ICE AGE? WHEN AND HOW? Freeman Dyson--a great figure in modern science--here reviews a recent book that addresses such questions about the future of the earth. The article is from the new issue of The New York Review of Books.
http://www.nybooks.com/

AN OBITUARY FOR A MAGAZINE.The Partisan Review was at the center of American intellectual life for many years. Now it is folding--and Sanford Pinsker has written a proper memorial--just published in The Forward.
http://www.forward.com/

WHAT ABOUT GOD? If you want to know what "liberal" theologians are doing these days to hold on to a conception of the Transcendent, try this on for size. It is by the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University.
http://www.philosophersnet.com/

MUSIC HEARD TOO OFTEN. This outspoken critic, writing for The Scotsman, can't stand another hearing of the Pachelbel Canon, the Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto and various other war horses of the concert program. This is curmudgeonly writing at its highest!
http://www.arts.scotsman.com/

CLASSIC CHICAGO JAZZ. A great combo recorded these five tunes at the height of the jazz years in Chicago. The pianist is Lil Hardin-Armstrong, wife of Louis.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/

April 29, 2003:
SHIITE THEOCRACY OR PLURALIST DEMOCRACY? That may well be the choice before the Iraqis. But clearly it will not be a choice uninfluenced by the American presence. This article from todays N.Y. Times does suggest that the Shiite clergy can--just possibly--be swayed away from theocracy.
http://www.nytimes.com/

THE WAY THE WAR WAS WON--SO QUICKLY! This article from the Weekly Standard focuses on the technological perfection of Command and Control operations. Interesting stuff!
http://www.weeklystandard.com/

THE COMING PRIVATIZATION OF SPACE. This story from the current issue of Newsweek may be an augury of a total transformation in our approach to exploring (and utilizing) the rest of the solar system.
http://www.msnbc.com/

HOW SOCIETIES SELF-DESTRUCT. Jared Diamond, a fairly frequent guest on Extension 720, recently won a major scientific prize. Here is an interview with him in which he lays out his very interesting model for comprehending how societies flounder and fail.
http://www.edge.org/

PHONY SEX ABUSE CHARGES AND SOCIAL PANIC. It began a number of years ago--and before this social panic had run its course thousands of people had been injured--and some innocents sent to jail. Dorothy Rabinowitz of the Wall Street Journal was one of the first to see through the madness. Here, she recounts a part of the story.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/

MALCOLM MUGGERIDGE RECALLED. He was a wonderful presence on the talk shows twenty years ago--a former leftist journalist turned Christian traditionalist. There is a new biography of Muggeridge and here is a review of it by one of our favorite guests, Christopher Hitchens.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/

IS THIS THE ANSWER TO SPAM, SPAM, SPAM? T'would be a solution devoutly to be wished. We offer this link as a possible service--but we have not yet tried the anti-spam program that is recommended in this note from New Zealand.
http://aldaily.com/

STRONG COUNTRY? The seventies was a great period for country music. In this collection the outstanding recordings are by: Tom T. Hall, Dolly Parton, the Statler Brothers and Ronnie Milsap. And under no circumstances should you miss Jerry Reed's 'When You're Hot You're Hot.'
http://www.beau-dacious.addr.com/

April 28, 2003:
THE NEO-CONS AND AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY. The Economist, Britain's leading news and opinion magazine, here evaluates the sources of America's "new" foreign policy. A fair amount of useful information is packed in here, together with some arguable interpretation.
http://www.economist.com/

WHAT BRILL DIDN'T TELL US. Steve Brill was on the program on Thursday, April 17th (now available on our Audio Archive). The following Sunday he broke this story about New York's two senators. We offer it without further comment.
http://www.newsmax.com/

DOING THE EQUALITY HUSTLE! C.O.R.E., once a great civil rights organization, has come upon strange times. This article, from the quite liberal N.Y. Village Voice gives the disturbing, and inevitably fascinating, details.
http://www.villagevoice.com/

THE END OF IT ALL AS FORSEEN BY THE ASTRONOMER ROYAL! Sir Martin Rees is caught, in this interview from the U.K. Guardian, in a rather pessimistic mood. That is if predicting the end of the world does properly classify as "pessimism." Happily, he cadges his bet before the interview is finished.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/

THE GREAT NAY-SAYER. H.L. Mencken remains a sort of mythic hero for American journalists. He skewered the "booboisie" and just about everything else. A major biography has appeared and here is a major--and very informative--review of that work from the current issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
http://www.claremont.org/

TO SEE ETERNITY IN A BLOT OF INK. The Rorschach Test was once the main instrument for "personality diagnosis." But that was long ago before proper skepticism undermined the cult of clinical psychology. But the Rorschach and other "projective" measures are still around. This interesting article from yesterday's N.Y. Times Magazine is an engrossing acount of the rise, fall and possible return of the Swiss psychiatrist's invention.
http://www.nytimes.com/

BACH IN CHURCH...where, to be sure, most of his music was performed. Here is one of the great cantatas, superbly performed by Helen Field and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Simon Wright.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 25, 2003:
THE SURRENDER OF AZIZ. This Washington Post article summarizes the events surrounding the surrender of Tariq Aziz but more importantly, gives us a broad update on just where we currently stand in Baghdad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

INSIDE THE AZIZ HOME. Though Tariq Aziz held little real power in Iraq, this report has intrinsic interest--not just because Aziz is the most public Iraqi figure yet caught, but because it was filed by Evan Osnos, a Tribune reported embedded with the 1st Marines and our guest last night.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/

SARS AND CHINA. An interesting piece from the Council on Foreign Relations' James Goldgeier speculates that SARS could be to Communist China what Chernobyl was to the Soviet Union--namely, the source of a disastrous cover-up that inevitably provokes popular dissent. In any case, the SARS outbreak does show that political consequences can flow from any source.
http://www.cfr.org/

THE DAY THE WORLD EXPLODED. Simon Winchester will be among our guests Monday night. A prolific author, his latest book is Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, August 27, 1883. This review, from the New York Times' Janet Maslin, just appeared today.
http://www.nytimes.com/

GIVE US A BREAK! Carl Bernstein made a career out of invasive investigative reporting and has exploited his knowledge of Deep Thoat to endless publicity and monetary gain. Now he is upset that some aspiring journalists at Illinois are investigating the famous Watergate source? Give us a break, Carl!
http://www.cleveland.com/

BEETHOVEN'S NINTH: A POLITICAL HISTORY. The last movement of the Ninth Symphony is one of the most famous in all of classical music--and, as a new book argues, among the most politically charged. A fascinating look at the broader consequences of music, from The Economist.

BEETHOVEN'S NINTH...Piano Sonata. We have yet to locate a full version of the Ninth Symphony, but this is a beautiful (if less politically charged) substitute of Beethoven's work.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 24, 2003:
GETTING TO KNOW SADDAM. The full horror of his Stalinist regime is still unfolding. The Christian Science Monitor published this horrifying story today.
http://www.csmonitor.com/

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH! We would like to believe this intelligence estimate about the diminished strength of Al Qaeda. But even if true it avoids the question of other groups that may be springing up to do the same sort of terrorism against the West.
http://abcnews.go.com/

ONE OF THE FEW TRULY GREAT MEN OF OUR TIME. That's our view of Vaclav Havel and it is borne out in this fine article by Matt Welch which has just appeared in Reason, a magazine well worth your continuing attention.
http://www.reason.com/

WHO ARE THE "NEOCONSERVATIVES" (AND, FOR THAT MATTER, WHAT IS IT?) Here is a kind of tour map and historical essay in answer to those questions. The article, from the current issue of the New York Observer, is slightly tilted toward the acidulous but is, nevertheless, a useful guide.
http://www.observer.com/

THE SANTORUM FLAP. Are you up on this one? Today's column by Stanley Kurtz of the Hoover Institution gives you the facts. And it does demonstrate the power of the press; more particularly, the power to distort and confuse when "political incorrectness" is suspected.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

WE REMAIN QUITE FOND OF CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS....He has been a dynamic guest on our program and remember: THIS STORY IS FROM THE ONION.
http://www.theonion.com/

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! The marimba is important in Central American music--and here are some great marimba recordings from Guatemala. If you don't read Spanish, don't worry. Just scroll down and listen. Be sure not to miss "Lagrimas de Thelma."
http://www.quetzalnet.com/

April 23, 2003:
THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS. Sam Huntington's article of some ten years ago is often cited as a predictive overview which makes sense of the present struggle between the West and radical Islamist forces. Here is the original article as published in the journal, Foreign Affairs.
http://www.lander.edu/

THEY ARE NOT MERELY HARMLESS GOOFS. That is the message of this commentary on the "postmodern" intellectuals who despoil the American academy. Jonah Goldberg of National Review is right, but he doesn't know the half of it. Only the kids who have suffered four years of exposure to the "tenured radicals" of contemporary "higher" education know what a blight has descended upon the humanities and social science departments.
http://www.townhall.com/

HOW WATSON AND CRICK CHANGED THE WORLD. This excellent review of the consequences of the decoding of DNA was recently posted by the BBC. Incidentally, James Watson will be with us on the program next month.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

ANOTHER DEEP THROAT: HAVE THE KIDS AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SOLVED THE MYSTERY? Led by journalism professor Bill Gaines, they have turned up a pattern which seems to point to one man. Read all about it here--and follow the various links provided on this fascinating site.
http://deepthroatuncovered.com/

THE INTERESTING CASE OF COLIN POWELL. He's everybody's favorite cabinet officer. But why? Newt Gingrich was outspoken in his criticism of the State Department over the weekend. But he gave Powell a pass. Ramesh Ponnuru, in the current National Review is not quite that kind.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

IT'S FUNNY--SHE DOESN'T LOOK JEWISH! Actually, we had not heard about this archipelago politician and her election as Governor of Hawaii. The story is intrinsically interesting--so here it is.
http://www.foxnews.com/

THE DAY AFTER EARTH DAY. Here's a second evaluation of some of the excessive claims of enviroenthusiasts: It was issued yesterday by the Pacific Legal Foundation--and they do seem to know their stuff.
http://www.pacificlegal.org/

JUST MORE GOOD COUNTRY MUSIC. Here's a fine collection we just located.Be sure you link to Alabama, Aaron Tippin, Ricky Skaggs and Desert Rose.
http://www.hhtabby.addr.com/

April 22, 2003:
THE ISLAMIST MAFIA HAS TARGETED DAN PIPES. He is one of the leading experts on radical Islam and its penetration of American society. That, obviously, is why certain groups are trying to block his appointment to the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace. Pipes, who has been a frequent guest on our program, is also the author of many articles that we have featured on this site.
http://www.washtimes.com/

CAN YOU BE A FEDERAL JUDGE AND A SERIOUS CHRISTIAN? This op-ed from today's Wall Street Journal suggests that--if Schumer and certain other Dems in the Senate have their way--it may become impossible.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM. That was the title of a very funny Monty Python skit. Far less amusing is the spam plague that corrupts your daily e-mail. Apparently all the new anti-spam programs are beatable--or so says this story from today's N.Y. Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/

THE ENVIRONMENT ON EARTH DAY. The coming of Earth Day has prompted a number of articles evaluating whether the country is really in danger of environmental degredation. This one, from the Commonwealth Foundation of Pennsylvania, has just been forwarded by the Heartland Institute of Chicago.
http://www.heartland.org/

THE REVOLUTIONARY (AND PRIVATE) CAREER OF MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE. We have just come upon this fine biographical essay by the British writer, Hilary Mantel. As an historical figure, Robespierre may well represent the beginnings of murderous, post-revolutionary savagery rationalized as "defense against counter-revolutionary forces."
http://www.lrb.co.uk/

AT CORBY'S TABLE. Our favorite "food-writer" has done a major book and he talks about it and the joy of civilized cuisine in this interview from The Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

FRANZ SCHUBERT'S TROUT QUINTET. The young master of romantic lyricism (he was only 22 at the time!) created this masterpiece in 1819. It is performed with delightful ease by pianist Anne-Marie McDermott and a string quartet.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 21, 2003:
SADDAM AT THE END OF HIS TETHER. This truly fascinating account of the last days of the Iraqi regime is by the Times' senior correspondent in Baghdad.
http://www.nytimes.com/

THE MILITARY SIDE. When they study the Iraq war in the military academies, the engagements described here will get close attention. According to this Washington Post story, these were the three battles that broke the back of the Iraqi resistance.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

WHERE ARE THE IRAQI WMDS? This story from today's N.Y. Times seems to be the beginning of an answer. The author, Judith Miller, has been a guest on Extension 720.
http://www.nytimes.com/

CAN INTELLECTUAL LIFE BE SAVED FROM THE "CRITICAL THEORISTS?" We offer this account of a recent conference at the University of Chicago without further comment..but not without disdain.
http://www.boston.com/

IS "CONSERVATIVE PROFESSOR" AN OXYMORON? David Horowitz thinks it is, these days on most American campuses. This hard punching article is from his magazine, Front Page.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/

DOES MARRIAGE HAVE A FUTURE? They keep pecking away at it by legitimating other forms of "intimate partnership." Here's the newest disturbing development as reported by Maggie Gallagher. She is the author of the important book, The Case for Marriage, which she has discussed with us in two earlier appearances on the program.
http://www.townhall.com/

THE MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE AND RELIGIOUS TRUTH. John Horgan, the author of the book reviewed here, has been a guest on Extension 720. He is a science reporter who seeks beyond conventional science for the possibility that transcendent experience can be trusted. This review makes us eager to get the book.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

MORE GREAT MUSIC FROM THE SMITHSONIAN. This one presents Cuban jazz as performed by some great musicians visiting from Havana.
http://www.jazzradio.org/

April 18, 2003:
HOW THEY LOST THE WAR. Three high-ranking Iraqi officers describe how the end came and ponder why their military forces collapsed so quickly. This most interesting story is from today's Christian Science Monitor.
http://www.csmonitor.com/

HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THERE? Saddams, that is. Here, leading today's Iraq report from CNN, is the story about Saddam Hussein's appearance on Abu Dhabi TV. Is this believable and/or who is playing what stupid game?
http://www.cnn.com/

WILL THE U.S. GO AFTER IRAN, SYRIA, LIBYA (OR POSSIBLY ANDORRA)? A reputable journalist from Iran argues that we have other ways, short of war, to push for regime reform. This article appeared in National Review yesterday.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

WHAT IF THE SUPREME COURT CHOOSES "COLORBLIND ADMISSIONS?" The decision in the University of Michigan case will be coming soon. In this article from the City Journal Professor John McWhorter, recently a guest on our program (see Audio Archive), explains why such a decision would be good for everybody.
http://www.city-journal.org/

THE FAITH OF TOM DASCHLE. These have not been easy days for the minority leader of the Senate. And now his home town bishop is questioning the senator's right to call himself a Catholic. This curious tale is well told in this piece from the current Weekly Standard.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/

KASS ON COURTSHIP. In this later day of the "hook up" is courtship in the traditional sense possible? Do young people know what it was and how it might still serve their needs? This fine article is by Leon Kass, a frequent guest on Extension 720. He is now on leave from the University of Chicago and serves as the Chairman of the Presidential Commision on Bioethics.
http://www.thepublicinterest.com/

WHICH MEMBER OF THE ILLINOIS DELEGATION COULD BEST BE REPLACED BY THE NEW TECHNOLOGY? Here's a trend that you may not have noticed. The Onion has the scoop in this article from yesterday's issue.
http://www.theonion.com/

BASIC BASIE. One of the great masters of American jazz is remembered here in a feature from Lincoln Center. We hear the original Basie band and another that reconstructs some of the famous original performances.
http://www.jazzradio.org/

April 17, 2003:
ONWARD AND UPWARD--OR JUST SIDEWAYS, OR WHAT? This interesting story from the Times of London concerns more than the future of Tony Blair. There are those who argue that the emergence of the EU as a "governmant" will have dreadful consequences for civility, culture and the true "diversity" of Europe itself.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/

WEST IS WEST AND ISLAM IS IMPERVIOUS. The distinguished Arabist scholar, Bernard Lewis (a recent guest on Extension 720) examines the attitudes and relations between Islam and the other two "religions of the book." The article is from the new issue of The Atlantic Monthly.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY'S FAVORITE COMMUNIST PROFESSOR GETS HIS COMEUPANCE: Richard Pipes (father of Dan and a distinguished historian at Harvard) reviews the memoirs of Eric Hobsbawm. This has just recently appeared in Commentary magazine.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/

WAS NEO-REALISM REALISTIC? A large group of "realist" international relatiions specialists argued, before the war, that it was not desirable; that Iraq could be "contained." Some other relevant academics disagreed strongly. One well-reasoned disagreement was conveyed in this article by Robert Lieber of Georgetown University. Though written before the invasion the article has just now appeared. Again, the source is Commentary.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/

AN EARLY CONSERVATIVE ADDRESSES THE PALEOCONSERVATIVES ON THE ISRAEL QUESTION. William F. Buckley has been shaping and critiquing conservative policy for many years. Here he addresses some of his agitated colleagues and the Bush administration on the matter of how to move Israel toward a compromise settlement with the Palestinians.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. This one is not about Iraq, the Middle East or civil defense--but, rather, about a problem that cries out for remedial attention--TORT REFORM! George Will has some wise words on the subject and some interesting comments on recent judicial appreaches.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE POINCARÉ CONJECTURE ANY MORE! Here's exciting news from the mathematics front (topology sector). The story is from the N.Y. Times and if you do fully comprehend it, we are impressed.
http://www.nytimes.com/

THE GREAT MOZART 39TH. This late symphony (done toward the end of his short life) has a magisterial quality. This fine performance by the Enlish Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 16, 2003:
THE ARABS AND DEFEAT. Many Arabs imagined that the United States would face an intifada-like resistance in Iraq. The rapid defeat of Saddam's forces and apparent unwillingness of the Iraqi people to sustain a guerrilla campaign left many in neighboring countries disappointed and dejected. Hassan Fattah, a Jerusalem-based writer for The New Republic, examines the Arab street after the war and sees an opportunity for progress.
http://www.tnr.com/

FRIEDMAN ON SYRIA. Like him or not, Thomas Friedman is probably the most prominent columnist covering the Middle East. In today's New York Times, he articulates what he would do with Syria: "aggressive engagement," a concept he credits to our old friend Stephen Cohen.
http://www.nytimes.com/

ASIA AND IRAQ. With so much attention focused on the damaged U.S.-European relationship, few have commented on East Asia's view of the Iraq War. James Steinberg tries to summarize the general reaction in this piece--an overdue corrective as the North Korean crisis continues to simmer.
http://www.brookings.edu/

ON FAREED ZAKARIA. Prominent on all the news channels since 9/11, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria is an articulate and always influential voice among the foreign policy elites--and this article speculates that his future may include much bigger and better things. We include it today because Zakaria will be recording an interview with us later in the month.
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/

HITLER'S LIBRARY? Of the many bizarre articles we encounter on a daily basis, few can match the following just out from The Atlantic. Unbekownst to us (and, we trust, most of our listeners), the Rare Book Room at the Library of Congress contains some 1,200 volumes from Hitler's personal library, several with notation, all captured after the fall of Germany in 1945. Never properly studied, the collection is apparently available to the general reader. Read on, with morbid fascination, about what must be one of the strangest book collections in the world.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

THE EARLY UNIVERSE. Martin Rees of Cambridge University is perhaps the world's leading astrophysicist. Here he talks about the "ultra early universe" and, in doing so, analyzes much of cosmological theory from the recent past. Our next Cosmology program will take place on Friday, May 2.
http://www.edge.org/

MORE JELLY ROLL. Late Jelly Roll Morton here, performed in New York City just a year before his death. Look for a full Extension 720 program devoted to the great jazzman in early June.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/

April 15, 2003:
JOHN LEO HAS THE ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IRAQI WAR. One of our favorite columnists--and a past guest on Extension 720--here takes on some of the questions persisting after (or raised by) our victory in Iraq.
http://www.usnews.com/

AND WHAT ABOUT SYRIA? The pressure may be on but is it justified? This view from The New Republic seems to us to be fairly balanced and judicious.
http://www.tnr.com/

THE WAR IS OVER--BUT NOT ON THE AMERICAN CAMPUS. This report of a recent event at Yale University is, we fear, fairly representative of the continuing agitation of and by the most noisy of all anti-administration groups: i.e. the large leftist sector of the American professoriate.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/

NEOS AND PALEOS. Conservatives, that is. A few weeks ago we linked to this article by David Frum who had recently been a guest on this program. It has roused much anger from paleo-conservatives such as Pat Buchanan and from the editors of Chronicles at the Rockford Institute. They requested that we link their response to Frum's article. So, here is the original again and then there follows the dismissive commentary by Tom Fleming (also a past guest on Extension 720) and the editor of Chronicles.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

FLEMING'S RIPOSTE. Do read both posts closely and, if so inclined, share your responsive thoughts with us. E-mail to extension720@tribune.com and we will post your comments.
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/

KASS ON THE MORAL PRESUMPTIONS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE. Leon Kass, Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Bioethics, has been a frequent guest on our program. On the last occasion we discussed his recent book that is here examined in a review from First Things.
http://www.firstthings.com/

A LESS-THAN-SUPREME JUSTICE. There are biographies and there are "pathographies." Here is a vigorous review of the latest major instance of the latter. The real William O. Douglas--longest serving Supreme Court justice--seems to have been a considerable cad.
http://www.nytimes.com/

A GREAT MODERN WRITER WHO HATED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING! Evelyn Waugh is a mordant delight, a misanthrope for the ages. This flashback article from The Atlantic (it contains links to their earlier articles about him) is an excellent introduction to an author whose bitterness does, paradoxically, give much pleasure.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

THE BRANDENBURG FIFTH. Of all of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos the one we like the best is the fifth. Here, for the price of one, are two performances.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 14, 2003:
THE WAY THEY WON THE WAR. This account from today's issue of Newsweek reveals what the special forces were really up to in the months before (and the weeks during) the war. Ignore all the special "interactive" stuff and read the gripping story.
http://www.msnbc.com/

IS MILITANT ISLAM "WESTERN" IN ORIGIN? The thesis is examined in what appears to be an important new book by Paul Berman. This intelligent review from yesterday's N.Y. Times makes us want to get the book and to get its author on the program. We're working on it.
http://www.nytimes.com/

DAN PIPES AND HUSSEIN AMIN ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE IRAQ WAR. This discussion was aired on Friday last on Australian television. The contrast in views is, to say the least, instructive.
http://www.danielpipes.org/

THE CASE OF CNN, CONT'D. Jim Glassman, former publisher of The New Republic and an old personal friend, is indignant about CNN keeping secret what it knew about the barbarity of the Iraqi regime. We fully agree!
http://www.techcentralstation.com/

ARE COPS RACIST? Heather MacDonald addresed that question on our program a while ago and she goes at it in full detail in a recent book. Here, from Commentary Magazine, is a thoughtful review of that book.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/

LENI RIEFENSTAHL IS STILL AROUND AND MAKING NOISE! Who? She was Hitler's favorite film-maker and advanced the Nazi cause as a great propagandist. But at the age of 100 she is still explaining that she never was a Nazi. This fascinating article is from the current issue of the Wilson Quarterly.
http://wwics.si.edu/

HOW THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS THOUGHT ABOUT GOD: Emerson had vast influence upon the intellectuals (and liberal churchmen) of the following hundred years. Here is an important (and still very readable) essay in which he defines the transcendent; i.e. "God."
http://bartelby.com/

WINNING AT THE WORLD SERIES (OF POKER). Jim McManus did a great book on poker, murder and other Las Vegas specialities. He was our guest on the program last Tuesday. And here is the review of his book from yesterday's N.Y. Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/

CLASSIC SINATRA! There's nothing more to be said. Here are some of the great recordings: Start with "I Get a Kick Out of You" and take it from there.
http://www.hhdarma.addr.com/

April 11, 2003:
THE WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH: TODAY'S NEWS. For our daily review of the lead stories we link today to The Washington Post. The story about our old friend Tariq Aziz is of particular and peculiar interest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

WHAT WILL HISTORY MAKE OF THIS WAR? Victor Davis Hanson, an academic historian, has emerged as one of the wisest--and best informed--commentators on contemporary uses of military force. This essay of his is of considerable value in assessing what is truly new in the story now unfolding in Iraq.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

L'OBSESSION ANTI-AMERICAINE. Why are the French so beastly towards us? Here is a review from Foreign Affairs of two French books that address that question. The author, Walter Russell Mead, has been a guest on the program on a number of occasions.
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/

KRAUTHAMMER ON NEW POLICY AND NEW OPPORTUNITY. Is a more activist involvement in opposition to--and undermining of--totalitarian regimes now emerging as a national policy? Krauthammer thinks so--or hopes so.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

A CURIOUS MESSAGE FROM SAUDI ARABIA. This editorial from the Kingdom's major English-Language newspaper seems to be saying that Arabs had better welcome the American victory or the rest of the world might think that we favored Saddam Hussein (even though we did, sort of...) The rest is silence!
http://www.arabnews.com/

HE "FELT AWFUL"? WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE CNN COULD HAVE SAVED? If, that is, they had revealed to the world what they knew about the mad and murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. This strikes us as scandalous malfeasance by the managers of a major news network.
http://www.nytimes.com/

SADDAM/OZYMANDIAS. The Times of London reminds us that Percy Bysshe Shelly had a prevision from his empathic connection with the fall of a great tyrant of the past. If you don't know this perfect poem do, by all means, read it now.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/

IS AMERICAN SCIENCE ENDANGERED BY THE "SOPHISTICATED" CREATIONISTS? This British author, in an article from the Guardian, asserts that that is the case. Do you find this persuasive? Your responses are welcome at extension720@tribune.com.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/

POSSIBLY THE BEST BLUES SITE ON THE INTERNET! Just take a look--and then listen to such artists as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley and Etta James.
http://www.beau-dacious.addr.com/

April 10, 2003:
LIBERATION DAY. William Shawcross rejoices at the fall of Baghdad in The Wall Street Journal. Shawcross, a British journalist and historian, is especially harsh on Europe and the EU, which he sees as nothing less than politically bankupt.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/

WHAT'S NEXT? The always valuable Brookings Institution briefings continued this morning with a discussion about the "Iraq Endgame." Among the topics: an in-depth analysis of the military campaign to date and what operations remain to be completed, and the prospects for stability. Among the guests: Kenneth Pollack, Michael O'Hanlon, and James Dobbins, the director for international security at RAND.
http://www.brookings.edu/

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH. Dick Cheney's speech to the newspaper editors yesterday was, more or less, a summary of the administration's views on the campaign. The full text, as printed in the New York Times, is well worth reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/

MICHAEL KELLY'S LAST PIECE. One of our best political journalists, Michael Kelly of The Atlantic, was killed last week. But the last piece he filed, just released today, has continuing relevance--and reminds those who enjoyed his work just how much he will be missed.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

THE GULAG: A HISTORY. David Remnick is editor of The New Yorker and a fantastic writer. He is also a historian of the Soviet Union whose book 'Lenin's Tomb' is one of the most gripping reads about its downfall. Here he reviews the sad history of the the Soviet Gulag, the subject of a new book by Anne Applebaum, who, incidentally, will join us next month (on May 8) to discuss the book in full.
http://www.newyorker.com/

UNRAVELING PRIME NUMBERS. A fun piece for all you (and us) eggheads! Two mathematicians have recently unveiled their "twin prime conjecture" model for breaking down prime numbers. One interesting, if fairly impractical statistic: only 1 in 28 numbers after a trillion (1,000,000,000,000) is a prime number!
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/

MUSIC OF THE GREAT WAR. A treasure trove of vintage, World War 1-era music. We discovered this site last week in preparation for our program with Richard Schickel--and played the title song of his book 'Good Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip' (see under 1918 recordings). Too much of this will wear you down, but a lot of the classics ('It's a Long Way to Tipperary' and 'Over There') are available.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/

April 9, 2003:
COVERAGE OF A MOMENTOUS DAY. No single story conveys the story--so here is the front page of the Tribune with many stories from Baghdad, Washington and elsewhere. Just click on all of them and if you figure out what happened to Saddam, do let us know.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/

SIR JOHN KEEGAN ON THE MILITARY INCOMPETENCE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. Keegan, one of the world's leading military historians, has often been our guest on Extension 720. This article from the U.K. Telegraph presents his analysis of how Saddam completely misused his military resources in the war now coming to an end.
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE NEWSROOM.....Exactly how is the press (both print and electronic) comporting itself as it reports and interprets the Iraq war? Howard Kurtz, the author of this valuable survey is the media reporter for the Washington Post and a sometime guest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com

SARTRE, CAMUS AND DE BEAUVOIR WOULD HAVE BEEN PLEASED. If Cotkin and his reviewer are right we have been a quite "existential" nation and we are now fighting a very existential war. Thus America is existentialist! The point is intriguing and is well made in this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
http://www.philly.com

IS SOMEBODY OUT THERE TRYING TO CALL? The search for extraterrestrial communications continues--and maybe something meaningful has been received. Or has it? Here's the latest from the SETI research front.
http://sfgate.com

FROM A FORGOTTEN AMERICAN CLASSIC. This story by Sherwood Anderson is from his collection titled Winesburg, Ohio. Try this one and you are bound to want to read some of the other stories--all of which are available on the linked web-site.
http://www.bartleby.com

AN APPRECIATION OF TWO BRITISH PLAYWRIGHTS. John Lahr (son of the great comic Bert Lahr) writes perceptively and always entertainingly of matters theatrical. This article from the current New Yorker makes us want to see--or at least read--all the plays that are mentioned.
http://www.newyorker.com

THE OTHER KREUTZER. Not the one for whom Beethoven wrote the Kreutzer Sonata, but the once celebrated opera composer, Conradin Kreutzer, is the source of this fine mid-19th century chamber work.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com

April 8, 2003:
DID THEY GET HIM? This story from today's N.Y. Times gives all of the relevant information and, as usual, the answer is..."Well, we don't exactly know."
http://www.nytimes.com/

WHO DO YOU BELIEVE: HOSNI MUBAREK OR DAN PIPES? Will our Iraqi war create 100 new Bin Ladens? Read on...
http://www.nypost.com/

BERNARD LEWIS ON THE "EUROPEAN QUALITY" OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. The eminent historian of the Islam--a former guest on our program--puts forth a most interesting argument in this article from today's National Post of Canada.
http://www.nationalpost.com/

A FORMER RADICAL ON TODAY'S RADICAL ISLAMISTS ON THE AMERICAN CAMPUS. David Horowitz does not speak softly and he does carry a big (editorial) stick. There is information in this article that needs serious consideration.
http://www.townhall.com/

ANTI WAR INTELLECTUALS IN ANOTHER COALITION COUNTRY. That country is Australia--they do actually have some military in Iraq. And they also have some public "intellectuals" who want Saddam and company to win. This story about them and their opponents is from their national newspaper, The Australian.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/

DNA REFLECTIONS FIFTY YEARS LATER. Here's a rather revealing interview with James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA. He has been our guest on Extension 720 and will be again in May.
http://www.sciam.com/

PANHANDLING A CITY INTO DECLINE AND DISORDER. There are yet other things wrong with San Francisco...but here is a problem that could be fixed if the politicians weren't mired in political correctness of the "bleeding heart" variety.
http://www.townhall.com/

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HENRY JAMES? We would say...absolutely nothing. He is one of the three or four major writers in the American canon. Not quite, says James Wood in this article from the current issue of The Atlantic. Where do you stand on this urgent issue? Tell us at: extension720@tribune.com.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

TWO GREAT JAZZ GUITARISTS. Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang are joined by King Oliver (cornet) and Hoagie Carmichael (drums and scat vocals). A fascinating oddity in the history of classic jazz.
http://redhotjazz.com/

April 7, 2003:
SADDAM AND THE CONTINUING WAR. This article from the new issue of Time magazine highlights the centrality of the Saddam questions. Is he alive? Yes. Are we trying to kill him? Yes.
http://www.time.com/

WHY DO (SOME) IRAQIS FIGHT ON? The question arises as we find the early prediction of quick surrender to have been incorrect. The answer, according to this perceptive article from the Weekly Standard, is to be found in the "fascist" nature of the Hussein regime.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/

RUMSFELD WINS; POWELL AND U.N. LOSE. In effect, with the plan revealed in this story from the U.K. Guardian, the U.N. is excluded from any role in the early civil administration of Iraq. Hmmmm.
http://www.observer.co.uk/

STAGNATION IN THE ARAB WORLD? That is the thesis advanced by Bernard Lewis, the distinguished historian of the Middle East who appeared on Extension 720 last summer. His new book is reviewed here, in yesterday's N.Y. Times, by another expert we much admire, Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings institution.
http://www.nytimes.com/

GETTING AROUND ON MARS. Here, according to the BBC, is how it will be done next time we are up there. Well, someone--or something--has got to do it!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

MR. ZIP ZIP ZIP. We talked with the distinguished film critic Richard Schickel last Wednesday night. His new memoir-cum-film history makes great reading. Here--in full agreement with our judgement--is Jonathan Yardley in Sunday's Washington Post. Look for last week's interview with Schickel soon in our Audio Archive.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

A CLASSIC MODERN POEM. We has occasion to read this on air a few months ago. A number of listeners have asked about it--so here it is. Some excellent explanatory commentary accompanies this modern classic by Auden.
http://poetrypages.lemon8.nl/

A GREAT RUSSIAN TENOR. Unknown in the west, Vinogradov was perhaps the most popular tenor in the Soviet Union. Here is a generous supply of his recordings. The two songs done with the Red Army Chorus are especially noteworthy.
http://www.russia-in-us.com/

April 4, 2003:
WHO COMES IN AS SADDAM GOES OUT? This informative story from the International Herald Tribune gives some interesting info about how the new civil administration--and ultimately the new government--of Iraq will be organized.
http://www.iht.com/

SO WHAT DO VILLEPIN, FISCHER AND THE TURKS, RUSSIANS AND MEXICANS DO NOW? Will they all try to get in on the act once we have displaced the Hussein regime? Here is a sharp piece on the issue from Victor Davis Hanson who appeared recently on Extension 720. The article is from the forthcoming issue of National Review.
http://www.nationalreview.com/

LEO PONDERS THE "PEACE" MOVEMENT AND MODES OF ANTI-BUSHISM. John Leo is, we confess, one of our favorite commentators because he sees through the usual bull as it flows from any (and sometimes all) partisan sloganeers. Today's column "really nails it!"
http://www.usnews.com/

MICHAEL KELLY, R.I.P. Michael Kelly, the former editor of The Atlantic, one of the nation's finest political reporters, and a frequent commentator on our "File," was killed in Iraq last night while embedded with the Third Infantry Division. His home publication eulogizes him here.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

AN AMERICAN MUSLIM PUTS ASIDE GRIEVANCE OVER CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS: This interesting op-ed piece appeared a few days ago in the Christian Science Monitor. We think it is balanced, judicious and correct!
http://www.csmonitor.com/

WHAT TO DO WITH LEGITIMATE HATE. This thoughtful and disturbing article has just appeared in the journal of Christian thought, First Things. The article touches (deeply) upon Jewish-Christian relations and upon the fate of Israel.
http://www.firstthings.com/

THE FATHER OF THE STRAUSSIANS...was, of course, Leo Strauss. But who, you ask, was Leo Strauss? Probably the most important intellectual influence in the rise of the new (not "neo") conservative movement. And he was, for most of his American career, a professor at the University of Chicago. Click and read on.
http://www.policyreview.org/

ADMISSION TO WHAT? Most college applicants (and their parents) don't quite know what they will encounter after they accept the acceptance they have received. The admissions game has become increasingly mysterious and Louis Menand, in this piece from the current New Yorker, might have ended with the warning: Caveat Emptor.
http://www.newyorker.com/

ABDELAZAR: PURCELL'S DARK USE OF THE BAROQUE STYLE. Undoubtedly England's greatest composer of the baroque period (unless one counts Handel as British) Purcell is majestically sombre in this suite. The second movement was adapted by Benjamin Britten in his "Moor's Pavanne."
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 3, 2003:
ENTER THE IRANIANS? News of some worry just out from the United Press. Are the Iranians really sending irregular units to harass U.S. forces in Iraq's big cities? Hard to believe but, according to this story, our intelligence sources are apparently saying yes.
http://www.upi.com/

AFTER THE WAR: THE U.S. AND "OLD EUROPE." How deep are the wounds and how prominent the scars? The Council on Foreign Relations recently held a talk between Richard Holbrooke, and the French and German ambassadors to the United States. Though all sides tried to put on a smiling face, the work in repairing these relationships after the war will be arduous.
http://www.cfr.org/

ON THE OTHER HAND...The Australians have been with us from the start, are providing elite special forces in the fight, and have solidified their status as a staunch friend. Why? Jacob Levy in The New Republic speculates on the motivations behind this important ally.
http://www.tnr.com/

THE CANDIDATES AND THEIR BOOKS. The PR aspect of a presidential campaign has no limits. An amusing column from The Washington Monthly highlights the politics behind the increasing political correctness of political booklists.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

THE DAY THE WORLD EXPLODED. Have you ever heard of Krakatoa? The great eruption of 1883 not only vaporized an entire Indonesian island but had broad social and even political consequences that reverberated for decades. A new book out from Simon Winchester tells the story and is enthusiastically reviewed here in The Economist. Winchester will be joining us later this month, on April 27.
http://www.economist.com/

THE "NEW" NEW YORK DINING EXPERIENCE. Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban went into effect just last weekend. How might this change the experience of the diners and drinkers in the Big Apple? The New York Times explores.
http://www.nytimes.com/

SLIM LAMAR AND HIS SOUTHERNERS. An obscure grouping here--but this band from the late 1920s recorded with great verve. Seven selections are available here, all tremendous fun.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/

April 2, 2003:
THE COMMANDERS AND THEIR ROLE. Dana Priest appeared on our program recently and discussed her important book, The Mission, which reports on the regional commanders of American military forces. Now James Fallows, another fairly frequent guest on Extension 720, puts forward a review/essay of Priest's book which adds to her analysis in an interesting and somewhat contentious way.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

KASS ON DALEY AND MEIGS. John Kass of the Tribune is the best Daley-chronicler we have...and we are lucky to have him. His musings on the "deconstruction" of Meigs Field are very much to the point.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/

SHOULD WE ASPIRE TO MAKE OUR CHILDREN "CITIZENS OF THE WORLD?" This wise essay from the journal of the Hoover Institution asks how "cosmopolitanism" can be reconciled with patriotism in the "reality" that we teach to our children.
http://www.policyreview.org/

A BULLETIN FROM COLUMBIA. The pro-Mogadishu professor is in hiding! Would that some of the senior members of his department (e.g. Edward Said) would do the same.
http://www.nypost.com/

A LEFT-LIBERAL WHO FAVORS THE WAR. Nat Hentoff is a stalwart left-oriented commentator on public affairs. He is also a great historian of jazz, a member with me of the board of FIRE (see www.thefire.org) and has been a guest on our program. And he is an honest man who thinks things out for himself--as witness this column from The Village Voice.
http://www.villagevoice.com/

A GREAT SCIENTIST/PHILOSOPHER. E.O. Wilson, the "father of sociobiology" has been our guest on Extension 720. Here is an excellent article about him and his achievements from the current issue of the Harvard Magazine.
http://www.harvard-magazine.com/

A DARWINIAN APPROACH TO RELIGION. Religions change, new ones arise, old ones mutate. That is the view developed in this intruiging article from The Atlantic. And "what new beast is slouching toward Bethlehem to be born?" You may find this article infuriating but it is worth some serious attention.
http://www.theatlantic.com/

PACHELBEL'S CANON. From the earliest period of baroque compositon, this haunting piece, buried for many years, was rediscovered in our time and has become one of the most frequently performed short pieces in the orchestral repertoire. Play this excellent performance--you'll love it.
http://classicalplus.gmn.com/

April 1, 2003:
CONTRA-CONTAINMENT. Before the war began John Mearsheimer and Steven Walt (both distinguished political scientists) argued on our program (see Audio Archive) and in a number of important articles that Iraq need not be invaded--that it could be "contained." Though the war is underway the controversy persists. Here is a critical article on the issue that has just appeared in the magazine Commentary.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/

THE VIEW FROM COLUMBIA...the university, that is. Dan Pipes reports in his column today in the N.Y. Post about the expressed loyalties of some of their historians and "Middle East experts."
http://www.nypost.com/

ANOTHER COLUMN ON THE HI-JINKS AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. This one by Dennis Prager is in the form of bitter satire. Does he overshoot the mark--or is there good reason to view sectors of the "professoriat" as "disloyal?" Your views are most welcome at: extension720@tribune.com.
http://www.townhall.com/

COLIN POWELL ON AMERICAN IMPERIALIST INTENTIONS. A story about Powell's response to a critical comment by the Archbishop of Canterbury has been going the rounds. Here, from a site that corrects urban legends, is the full--and still heartening--story.
http://www.snopes.com/

A BLACK INTELLECTUAL'S ARGUMENT AGAINST RACIAL QUOTAS IN EDUCATION. Tom Sowell of the Hoover Institution often rouses considerable anger from his academic "brothers." He will surely do so again with this op-ed which, in our judgment, makes some very pertinent points.
http://www.townhall.com/

ARE THE AFRICAN LEMBA JEWISH? These and other intruiging questions are now being addressed and, in some cases, answered by the examination of DNA data. This article from the U.K. Guardian gives an exciting overview of this new frontier in historical research.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/

THE MASTER (POSSIBLY THE FOUNDER) OF SATIRE. Juvenal is a wonderful writer--and because he is bitter and sometimes splenetic his satires have a rather modern ring. This appreciative and interpretive essay by Roger Kimball (an occasional guest on Extension 720) is fine reading. It is from the current issue of New Criterion.
http://www.newcriterion.com/

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING SOOTHING AND SUBTLE. Nat King Cole was incomparable for his gentle musicality. Here is a fine collection of his performances, some with the trio and others with full--and rather lush--orchestral accompaniment.
http://www.hhdarma.addr.com/

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