Added 10.30.18. Milt in 2011 interviews historian Deborah Lipstadt on her then-new book, “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann.” Sitting behind bulletproof glass in court in Jerusalem, Eichmann was tried and subsequently sentenced to death for his central role serving Hitler by overseeing the transport of millions of Jews to death camps, in The Holocaust. Eichmann was a Nazi Obersturmbannfuhrer, or senior assault unit leader. After World War II he fled Germany for first Austria, then Argentina. He was captured there in 1960 by Israeli agents. Lipstadt is the author of “Denying The Holocaust,” and other books. She is a  Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, at Emory University.

Added 10.24.18. Milt interviews the Peabody Award-winning film documentarist Joseph Dorman upon the 2011 release of his film, “Sholom Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness.” To many, Aleichem is known mainly as the writer who work gave rise to “Fiddler On The Roof.” Accordingly, Dorman tells Milt, he thought of Aleichem as “a dusty Jewish humorist of the past.” But looking more closely, he says he discovered “the greatest Jewish writer of the modern era.” The conversation explores the how and why, including historical and social context of Aleichem’s work, as Jewish immigrants to the U.S. were bridging the gap between the old and new worlds. The film was one of the top-grossing documentaries of 2011. Dorman co-wrote a famed 2001 documentary on Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton; produced the 1998 documentary “Arguing The World;” and is at work on new documentaries – one about Israel and the Middle East, and another on a noted AIDS pediatrician. He teaches at NYU, and is a former PBS news magazine senior producer.

Added 10.16.18. Milt interviews celebrated playwright, author and essayist David Mamet in 2006 upon the publication of Mamet’s book, “The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred And The Jews.” The book is dedicated by Mamet, “To the Jews…whose favorite Jew is Anne Frank…who bow the head reverently at a baptism and have never attended a bris – to you, who find your religion and race repulsive, your ignorance of history a satisfaction, here is a book from your brother.” A lively and rich discussion between Mamet and Milt ensues.

Added 10.10.18. In this 2011 episode Milt talks with two authors about the 2008 financial meltdown in the U.S. and necessary course corrections going forward, as economy-builders traverse the slippery slopes of growth. One guest is Economist columnist and former Financial Times writer Philip Coggan. He is author of “Paper Promises: Debt, Money, And The New World Order.” Another is former Wall Street investment banker and hedge fund partner, later an adjunct professor at the International Affairs School of NYU, Ann Lee. She is author of “What The U.S. Can Learn From China: An Open-Minded Guide To Treating Our Greatest Competitor As Our Greatest Teacher.” Flashing forward: As of late August 2018, the U.S. public debt had grown 50 percent since this episode aired, from $14 trillion to $21 trillion. Seventy percent of that more recent U.S. public debt was owned by either the U.S. government, the U.S. Federal Reserve, or U.S. investors. The rest was owned by foreign investors, foremost those in China and Japan. Coggan accents in the episode that rising public debt means many public health care and Social Security beneficiaries will not be paid all or most of what they are owed. Meanwhile, context around China’s impressive economic growth over recent decades has advanced since the episode aired. This 2017 PBS analysis pinpoints three big risks for China: financial instability from bad lending; accelerating private de-capitalization; and growth constraints stemming from authoritarian mis-rule.

Added 10.2.18. Beware of any story that starts out like this: “A friend of my cousin’s wife’s brother’s co-worker saw this happen and could not believe it.” You probably shouldn’t believe it, either. But how tall tales become more or less accepted truth reveals much about us – and our fears, foibles and prejudices, which are all now depth-charged by light-speed digital communications. In this vintage-1986 episode Milt delves back into urban legends with their then-leading chronicler, Jan Harold Brunvand. He had just authored his third related volume, “The Mexican Pet: More New Urban Legends And Some Old Favorites.” The first two were “The Vanishing Hitchhiker” and “The Choking Doberman.” Brunvald was a professor of English at the University of Utah.

Added 10.2.18. Dating to not later than the mid-90s, this episode focuses on archaeology tied to the biblical lands and times. With eminent experts rich in field-dig experience and historical perspective, Milt explores whether, in fact, the walls of Jericho really may have come tumbling down as Joshua led the attack. Or does the evidence suggest otherwise? And what about Baby Jesus? Was he really born in a manger? The larger framework around which this episode is centered is the fascinating and painstaking process by which archaeology reveals – confirms, alters, denies – historical or allegorical tales which may have been taken as truth, if not always “gospel truth.” Milt’s guests included Dennis Groh, then a Professor of the History of Christianity at Garrett Theological Seminary; and Walter Rast, then a Professor of Old Testament and Palestinian Archaeology at Valparaiso University.

Added 9.25.18. When Rachel Bertsche moved to Chicago to be with her boyfriend (soon to be husband) she left behind her “besties,” or best girlfriends, in New York. So, using digital and analog means she intentionally set out to meet – once a week for a whole year – with candidates to take their place. She chronicled the outcomes in an engaging memoir titled “MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend.” Milt in this 2012 episode engages Bertsche about what she learned along the way. They explore the nature of friendship, research on the topic, and more.

Added 9.25.18. Architecture can make our souls soar, or sink. At the same time, in big cities it is bound up in the economics of land development and the politics of preservation and zoning. In recent years, sustainability, landscape integration and practical functionality have all become more important in the practice of the craft. Or is architecture – can it be? – less a craft or industry than an art? If so, when and how does it rise to that level? Certainly, Chicago has a rich tradition of enduring, classic architecture in the city’s many vibrant neighborhoods and in its downtown. Milt in this 2011 episode explores the world of modern-day architecture, with a Chicago focus. His guests are the Pulitzer prize-winning architecture critic writing for The Chicago Tribune, Blair Kamin; and John Ronan, principal of the Chicago firm John Ronan Architects.

Added 9.18.18. Milt in this vintage 1980 broadcast talks with noted philosopher, educator and author Mortimer Adler about his then-new book, “How To Think About God: A Guide For The 20th Century Pagan.” His central contention is that “there are rational grounds for believing that God exists.” Milt, a self-admitted “20th Century Pagan,” spars in a friendly but probing manner with Adler about how non-believers should approach the idea of God, if at all. Adler was a prolific writer and influential popular intellectual of the 20th Century. Early in his career he was appointed a professor of the philosophy of law at the University of Chicago Law School. Among many other pursuits, he later co-founded the Great Books Of The Western World program, and served as an editorial director for Encyclopedia Britannica. Among his dozens of other books were, “How To Read A Book,” “The Capitalist Manifesto,” “The Idea Of Freedom,” “Reforming Education,” and “How To Think About The Great Ideas.”

Added 9.18.18. Milt in this 2012 episode talks with  Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, a cardiologist – and science writer Kathryn Bowers. They authored the book, “Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health And The Science Of Healing.” This fascinating discussion explores the underpinnings and philosophical ramifications of how the study of animal health and well-being can and does guide advances in human health. It starts – as Milt notes – from the premise that “we are very much like our animal neighbors in our pathologies.”