Royko died Tuesday at the age of 64. For more than 30 years, Royko has written a column on happenings in his native Chicago and throughout the world. Royko has earned the Pulitzer, the Mencken, and Pyle Awards. His column was carried in more than 800 papers. Royko also wrote "Boss," a best-selling portrait of Chicago mayor Richard Daley. (Originally aired 10/26/89)
We talk with three of Scotland's most prominent writers: Irvine Welsh is the author of "Trainspotting" which was recently adapted into a movie. James Kelman won the prestigious Booker Prize for his 1994 novel "How Late It Was, How Late." and Duncan McLean is the author of "Bunker Man." The writers talk about their backgrounds and their careers.
Emergency room doctor Joe Sachs has a consultant to the popular TV drama series "E.R." He'll discuss how he works with the show, and his work in a real E.R.
Journalist Philip Hilts is a longtime correspondent on health and science policy for The New York Times. He broke the now-famous story of the Brown and Williamson tobacco industry papers, and is the author of "Smokescreen: The Truth Behind the Tobacco Industry Cover-Up." He'll discuss recent developments in the industry: the federal court ruling allowing the FDA to label tobacco a drug, and the historic admission by the Liggett Company that cigarettes are a health hazard and addictive.
Journalist Nicholas Lemann is National Correspondent of The Atlantic Monthly. He's written an essay in the April 28, 1997 issue of Newsweek, "The Limits of Charity." He'll talk with Marty Moss-Coane about the volunteerism touted at the current Presidential Summit.
Former major baseball league scout John Young. He is currently special assistant to the general manager of the Chicago Cubs. In 1988 he began a program in south central Los Angeles to get inner city kids playing baseball. Known as RBI ("Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities"), the program has since expanded to include 51 cities and 40,000 youth.
Writer Leonard Wolf. His latest book "Dracula: The Connoisseur's Guide" is about our attraction to vampires and the curiosity they have provoked over the past 100 years. Wolf is thought of as a specialist on the subject, having written such books as "The Essential Phantom of the Opera," "The Essential Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," "The Essential Dracula," and a number of other horror related books. Wolf is also the winner of the O.
Sterling is the editor of "Travelers' Tales Food: True Stories of Life on the Road." While in Asia serving in the Navy, Sterling developed an interest in the art of travel and food and claims he is willing to try any dish or drink at least once. He is also author of "The Eclectic Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area" and "Dining with Headhunters" and is the travel editor for "Fiery Foods" magazine.
Writer and former prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin. He's covered the O.J. Simpson trial for the New Yorker and has been a staff writer for the magazine since 1993. Now he is writing about the Oklahoma City Bombing trial and the issues it uncovers, from jury selection to victims' rights. Toobin is also a Legal Analyst for ABC's "Good Morning America" and the author of the bestselling book "The Run of His Life: The People vs. O.J. Simpson."
William Ulrich's new book is "The Year 2000 Software Crisis" (Yourdon Press). It is a guide to solving the problems that will arise in the millennium when computer software will translate the two-digit shorthand '00 as 1900, not 2000. For companies world-wide this computer failure could lead to business failure. Ulrich is President of Tactical Strategy Group, Inc. and a strategic Year 2000 advisor for corporations and government agencies.
Palestinian psychiatrist and human rights activist Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj. He is director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and is considered an authority on the traumas experienced by children under Israeli occupation. Sarraj has been an outspoken opponent of human rights violations whether committed by Israelis or Palestinians. Recently he was detained and interrogated by Palestinian police because of remarks he made critical of the Palestinian Authority. He was released after nine days following protests by Palestinian and international human rights groups.
Journalist Sean Kelly's 1993 book, "America's Tyrant: The CIA and Mobutu of Zaire" provides context for the unrest now in Zaire. Thirty years ago, Kelly covered Mobutu's rise to power. Kelly was with the Voice of America for twenty years. Now he teaches at American University in D.C.
