Added 5.31.19. Modern Russia is a study in intersectionality. How is it shaped by the overlapping spheres of strongman leader Vladimir Putin, the criminal oligarch class, plus a media more and more owned by said oligarchs, and the restless but still somewhat cowed masses? What are the key takeaways on the nation’s resurgent geopolitical profile? Milt probes the problems and prospects of modern Russia with two eminent “Russianists.” They are John Bushnell, a Northwestern University historian, and Martha Merritt, then of the University of Chicago.

Added 1.15.19. As feminism’s gradual ascent became evident, feminist icon Gloria Steinem said, “Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.” That’s still a lot to chew on. Joining Milt to discuss the changing roles and realities for men and women in the United States of the 21st Century are author and Manhattan Institute scholar Kay Hymowitz, and public relations executive Marj Halperin, a board member of the Chicago Foundation For Women and television political commentator. Serving as one locus of their conversation is Hymowitz’s then-recent book, “Manning Up: How The Rise of Women Has Turned Men Into Boys.”

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 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 9/4/18. Mega-wealthy do-gooders such as George Soros and Warren Buffet speak forcefully of the moral imperative to guarantee the societal security of the less well-off – but in fact, they can be viewed as merely the latest in a long line of elites who advance that line in alliance with progressive leaders, to preserve their own class hegemony. So argues lawyer and writer Michael Knox Beran. His books include, “Pathology Of The Elites,” “Forge of Empires,” and “Jefferson’s Demons.” In this 2011 interview, Milt draws out and challenges Beran on his contention of elites’ misdirection and duplicity. The conversation is focused around several then-recent articles Beran authored, including “Exposing The Elites,” and “The Descent of Liberalism.”