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 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 9/10/18. Milt in this 2011 episode delves into education reform with top-tier veteran journalist Steven Brill, who had just authored, “Class Warfare: Inside The Fight To Fix America’s Schools.” They discuss how Brill developed the book and what he learned along the way. It’s an insider account including a close look at the personal dynamics among influencers – both in the front lines and the background – in key locales including the White House, and the New York City and Washington, D.C. mayor’s offices. President Barack Obama and city and state officials staked political capital on bold and controversial education reform initiatives including a major emphasis on charter schools. As Brill tells Milt, the book flowered after he wrote a New Yorker piece on that city’s “rubber rooms,” where abusive or incompetent teachers who could not be fired due to union contracts, were relegated each work day while still collecting their salaries.

Added 9/4/18. Milt in this October, 1997 episode interviews noted historian Michael Beschloss on what he learned writing the first of two volumes based on once-secret White House tapes made by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in the first two years of his presidency – starting with the hurried taking of office by the former Vice President after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in November, 1963. The episode also includes the playing of some fascinating excerpts from the LBJ White House audio cache utilized by Beschloss. Listeners will gain insider insights to LBJ’s relationship with Lady Bird, as well as big topics faced by the administration such as civil rights, poverty, Vietnam and LBJ’s impending challenge from Republican Barry Goldwater.