Added 7.18.18. Urban sociology was born in Chicago at the University of Chicago in the 1930s by street-savvy scholars who got out, explored communities and dug into non-academic realities to develop and test their theories. Broadly speaking, they were seeking  to better understand and document how immigrants, politicians, classes and interest groups in major cities relate to each other and conduct necessary social transactions, so that the urban organism is able to thrive and develop. Milt digs into the roots and present-day lessons of urban sociology for Chicago with two eminent scholars. One is Robert Sampson of Harvard University, author of “Great American City: Chicago And The Enduring Neighborhood Effect.” The other is Philip Nyden, Director of Loyola University’s Center For Urban Research and Learning. Callers add their own insights and observations, including some quite salient intel from a Chicago policeman on escalating gang-related murders.

Added 5.29.18. Milt talks with numismaticists Robert Feiler and Robert Leonard of the Chicago Coin Club about how exactly it is that money makes the world go round. In this 2010 conversation, they delve into the history of currency, its political uses, how its value is actually guaranteed, and the role of currency in economic  considerations including debt, purchasing power and inflation.

Two gigantic men try to push each other out of small sand pit. That’s Sumo wrestling, the distinctive sport of Japan. The way those wrestlers cheat – and similar subjects-  helped to suggest some of the basic insights of Freakonomics. Here’s the account provided by economics professor Steven D. Levitt shortly after the publication of his first book on the Freakonomics of everyday life.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. We look at different approaches to making money in the various markets and witness creating wealth out of thin air and losing it all in one short breath. A lively discussion of what was, what is, and what might be if we’re not careful and play safe.

Publisher Adam Bellow, son of Saul, looked to his famous father to land his first job. Such stories provide a good basis for this wide-ranging 2005 discussion in 2005 of nepotism in our time and across history. Beyond the moral issue of should it be done are the sociological issues of: How often is it done? How is it well or poorly done? Is it a benefit or burden for the larger society? As we kick these matters around some surprises are bound to show up.