On Demand
The Leonard Lopate Show Archive
May 2004
Swimming With Sharks
Monday, May 31, 2004
Neurologist Oliver Sacks shares his latest book, Vintage Sacks. Then Lynne Cox, one of the world’s best long-distance swimmers, is here to explain why she’s chosen to swim around the shark-infested Cape of Good Hope and across the Bering Strait from Alaska to the Soviet Union. She’s also swum in Antarctic waters, across the English Channel, and through the sewage-infested Nile. Plus, Somali writer Nuruddin Farah shares his latest novel, Links. And James McManus describes the allure of Vegas casino life.
Synthesizing the News
Friday, May 28, 2004
Reports of the war in Iraq come in daily from the newspapers, the radio, and the television, but it can be hard to pull them together to get a more balanced narrative of what’s happening over there. Journalist Todd Purdum has drawn from a wide range of media resources in order to come up with his own narrative. Then Korean-American novelist Chang-Rae Lee shares his latest, Aloft. And a look a the life of a man who once was one of America’s biggest counterfeiters – his daughter, Jennifer Vogel, has written a new book about his life; it’s called Flim-Flam Man.
Brainiacs
Thursday, May 27, 2004
On May 13 and 14, the Columbia University Medical Center held the Brain and Mind Symposium, designed to help answer some of the most pressing and complex issues in modern neuroscience, including stem cell research, Alzheimers, and disorders of the aging brain. Leonard talks with Drs. Gerald Fischbach and Richard Mayeux, two neuroscientists who participated in the Symposium. Then, James Surowiecki explains why he trusts the wisdom of the masses, and how collective wisdom shapes economies and societies. Vijay Seshadri on his new book of poems, The Long Meadow. And a discussion with writer David Lloyd about certain universal experiences in the lives of adolescent boys.
Hoodwinked?
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Iraqi ties to Al-Qaeda? Weapons of mass destruction? Imminent threat from Iraq? When members of the Bush administration made its case for war in Iraq, national security analyst John Prados thinks that they withheld some key information from the American public. He’s here to share intelligence reports and briefings from the CIA and the Pentagon. Then writer/director/producer Roland Emmerich talks about "The Day After Tomorrow," his new big-budget movie about global warming. It’s generating a lot of controversy. Also, burn units are no place for the squeamish – but Barbara Ravage shares some details about treatments for burn victims. Plus a look at the life of Antonin Careme, a man who might have been the very first celebrity chef.
News from Abu Ghraib
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
The troubled U.S. involvement in Iraq isn’t going to be made any easier by recent revelations of torture in Abu Ghraib prison. Mark Bowden talks about the Bush administration’s response to the scandal, and what led American soldiers to commit the abuses. Journalist and anthropologist Wendy Orent explains why the plague, a.k.a. Black Death, can never be completely eradicated. Then, a discussion with David Robb on how the Pentagon shapes Hollywood – the Defense Department helps movie producers with locations, technical advice, and equipment in exchange for positive portrayals of the U.S. military. And Wendy Aibel-Weiss and Stephen Hindy talk about the history of the Brooklyn beer-brewing industry.
Beyond Fallujah
Monday, May 24, 2004
Journalist Patrick Graham has spent the past year living amongst Sunni Iraqis involved in the insurgence against the American military presence. He explains why he thinks the resistance might actually be quite well-organized, and NOT just a few renegade supporters of Saddam Hussein or Al-Qaeda. Christopher Mason follows the Sotheby’s-Christie’s auction house scandal from London and Paris to New York and Palm Beach - the world's two leading auction houses conspired to fix prices in order to cheat their clients out of millions of dollars. Then, a discussion with Joan Sullivan, principal of the Bronx Academy of Letters, an innovative new public school. Also on the show are Matthew Sharpe, BAL’s writer-in-residence, and ninth-grade student Devon Negron. And David Leavitt shares his new novel, The Body of Jonah Boyd.
Night Train to Nashville
Friday, May 21, 2004
Most Americans think of Nashville as the citadel of country music, but the R&B scene that emerged there in the post-World War II years was outstanding. Michael Gray of the Country Music Hall of Fame has produced a new compilation called Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970. Then, musicians Ruth Brown, Bobby Hebb, and Clifford Curry talk about making their way in Tennessee R&B culture.
Metropolis Found
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Author Robert Lipsyte reminisces about visits to the Queens Public Library with his father, and crime novelist Lawrence Block explains how 9/11 has changed the way he writes about New York City. Two more writers, Dennis Smith and Esmeralda Santiago, are here too to explain why New York is so vital to their work. And E.L. Doctorow shares Sweet Land Stories, his new collection of five short stories, each mostly set in a place that’s anything but sweet – for example, a religious cult in Kansas, and an utterly corrupt presidential administration in the White House.
Q&A Day
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Want to know about that angular brownstone on 11th St. that doesn't fit in with its neighbors? Or the history of some other funny-looking building you've often wondered about? Christopher Gray, New York Times "Streetscapes" columnist, answers listeners' questions. Then call in during our second hour to ask word maven Patricia T. O'Conner your questions about English language and grammar.
Mad Libs
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Shops and restaurants tend to come and go pretty quickly in New York City, but some have been able to stick around. Mark Federman, of Russ & Daughters, and Lou DiPalo, of DiPalo’s Fine Foods, talk about the challenges of running century-old establishments in a fast-paced city. Then ex-conservative David Brock criticizes his former party – he thinks Republicans have hijacked public discourse in the U.S. in the last thirty years. And Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary under the Clinton administration, differentiates between public and private morality in American society. He thinks that the government should worry less about what people do in their bedrooms and more about what they do in the boardrooms.
Redesigning Lower Manhattan
Monday, May 17, 2004
Lower Manhattan is in flux. Downtown Alliance president Carl Weisbrod talks with Martin Pederson, editor of urban design magazine Metropolis, about the future of the neighborhoods hit hardest by 9/11. Then a discussion with Alexandra Fuller, who's African by birth but not by blood. She traveled through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique with a veteran of the Rhodesian Wars in an attempt to come to terms with years of civil war in Africa. And two former POWs in the Vietnam War, Fred Cherry and Porter Halyburton, describe how they helped each other survive brutal torture at the hands of the North Vietnamese.
Moderate Iraq
Friday, May 14, 2004
Whether Iraqi moderates choose Islamist radicalism or democracy will have a huge impact on their country’s future. New Yorker staff writer George Packer has been interviewing some of Iraq’s moderates, and he’s here to share their opinions. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (yes, the basketball star) talks about General Patton’s 761st tank battalion in World War II – an all-black crew who spent 183 days on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge and suffered casualty rates of almost 50% in addition to chronic racism from other American soldiers. The 761st also liberated Mauthausen concentration camp.
The Scales of Justice
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Legal scholar Thane Rosenbaum rebalances the scales of justice in America. He explains why he thinks morality isn’t a main concern of our judicial system, and what could be gained from including philosophy in the legal process. Plus, poet John Hollander is joined by William Anderson founder of the Cygnus Ensemble, to celebrate the bicentennial of Ralph Waldo Emerson and examine his contributions to American cultural history. Charles Siebert shares his latest book that explores the complexities of the human heart throughout the last 500 years, inspired by a transplant he managed to witness back in 1998. And Chinese director Tian Zhuang Zhuang shares his latest film "Springtime in a Small Town."
The Bone Collector
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
The gurus of how-to Ubell and Son take listeners’ calls on home repair. Forensic anthropologist Clea Koff’s work has led her to the sites of some of the worst genocides of human history, including mass graves in Rwanda and parts of the former Yugoslavia. She explains how efforts to exhume bodies in these areas has not only helped in establishing the identity of the victims but uncovered evidence of war crimes, The Bone Woman. Diarmaid MacCulloch explores the intricacies of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and how it has shaped Western culture, The Reformation: A History.
Power Struggle
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Although the Taliban has officially been taken out of power, Afghan women remain in danger, particularly those speaking out and promoting women’s basic rights. Afghan refugee Partawmina Hashemee, head of a local Afghan woman's organization based in Pakistan, discusses the issues that women have continued to face since the fall of the Taliban. Rashid Khalidi examines the western world’s relationship with the Middle East throughout history, Resurrecting Empire. Hampton Sides, editor-at-large for Outside Magazine, shares his unique depiction of America, Americana: Dispatches From The New Frontier. Jeff Talarigo shares his novel, The Pearl Diver.
It's Nineteen Minutes After the Hour
Monday, May 10, 2004
When NPR announced its plans to reassign Bob Edwards, longtime host of National Public Radio's Morning Edition, it elicited a widespread response from listeners, many in protest. He talks about his reassignment and his latest project, a new book on the life of Edward R. Murrow. Marc Cooper on the lure of Sin City and his book The Last Honest Place in America. Andrew Wilson discusses the life of Patricia Highsmith. Director Mark St. Germain, who wrote and directed the new play, "Ears on a Beatle," about the FBI and John Lennon, is joined by lawyer Leon Wildes, who represented Lennon.
Love and War
Friday, May 07, 2004
Philip Smucker sheds light on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and explains why he has yet to be brought to justice. Rene Burri shares a collection of his work, Photographs. And James Hillman looks into human warfare and argues that not only does mankind like war but it has a psychological need for conflict.
Reproductive Rights Reproductive Wrongs
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Frank Langella discusses his role in Stephen Belber's critically acclaimed play, Match. The recent pro-choice demonstration in Washington DC drew numbers estimated as high as 1.15 million. Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, shares her views on the matter and why she fears the rights of women are under assault in this country. Diana Preston on the life of William Dampier, the little known explorer, naturalist, and buccaneer. Then the Leonard Lopate Show concludes its series on modern exploration "The Next Frontier" with a look into the economics of adventure tourism.
Diamond in the Rough
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Douglas Farah, in his recent expose, established a link between two of the world's most notorious terrorist networks -- al Qaeda and Hezbollah-- and the West African diamond trade. Arnold Ludwig, author of King of the Mountain, explains what John Kerry, George Bush and primates have in common. These days it seems hard for progressive to remain optimistic in the face of world events, but activist Rebecca Solnit offers reasons for hope. And we continue our series on the explorers of our time "The Next Frontier" with Elizabeth Seay on her efforts to document native American languages.
Fast Food Nation
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
There are 222,000 fast food restaurants now raking in an unprecedented $125 billion a year. Ruth Reichl is joined by special guest Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics and Safe Food, to discuss how the fast food industry will ultimately impact our American culture -- and the world’s. T.H. Breen looks into the origins of the American Revolution and explains how consumerism sparked the conflict. Harold Holzer on the speech that many claim earned Abraham Lincoln the presidency, delivered in New York in February 1860 Lincoln at Cooper Union. Plus, biologist Dr. Lenny Guarente on anti-aging drugs and his search for the Fountain of Youth.
Taking Africa
Monday, May 03, 2004
Africa's human beings and natural resources have been shamelessly exploited for years, and the whole continent is reeling from the aftereffects. Journalist Howard French has been reporting from Africa for more than 25 years, and he's in the studio today to talk about Africa's tragedies and why there's still hope for the future. Then political scientist and anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani differentiates between political Islam and religious Islam. Nina Marie Martinez shares her new novel, Caramba!. And we continue the Next Frontier series with Dr. Kenneth Kamler, who explains what happens to the human body when it's put into extreme environments. He was the only doctor on site during the 1996 climbing disaster on Mt. Everest.
- About This Program »
- Staff Bios »
- Contact Us »
- Guest Hosts »
- Guest Picks »
- Latest Show »
- Tapes & Transcripts »
- Show Archive »
Features & Series
Podcast
Stay up to date.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Shop at Amazon!
Leonard Lopate Show picks
Start your Amazon shopping on WNYC.org and a portion of your total purchase goes to WNYC.
More
