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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, November 20, 2003
  • Pim Fortuyn
    Pim Fortuyn

    The Life and Times of Pim Fortuyn

    Insect expert Thomas Eisner describes bug behavior you’ve probably never heard of: female moths holding their mates for ransom, beetles ejecting boiling-got defensive sprays, and caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by attaching petals to their bodies. Then Professor James Kennedy talks about the 2002 murder of Dutch populist politician Pim Fortuyn. Robert Hughes on his new book about the Spanish artist Goya. And a discussion on the financial success of the Pequot Indian tribe.

Thomas Eisner

It’s shocking what bugs can do! In For Love of Insects, biologist Thomas Eisner talks about the secret lives of insects.

  • Events: Thursday, November 20th, The New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University presents BUGGY LOVE. An evening celebrating the works of Thomas Eisner featuring Thomas Eisner, Oliver Sacks, Natalie Angier, Diane Ackerman and May Berenbaum
    8-10 PM
    The Angel Orensanz Foundation
    172 Norfolk St., just south of Houston St.
    $5 at door/ NO RESERVATIONS
  • Music: Sirens Soundtrack composer Rachel Portman
  • James Kennedy on Pim Fortuyn

    As part of our station-wide Old Amsterdam/New Amsterdam series, Professor James Kennedy from Amsterdam’s Free University talks about the life and death of Pim Fortuyn, the openly gay, right-wing Dutch populist politician. He was the leading candidate to become the next prime minister before his assassination in 2002.
    Old Amsterdam, New AmsterdamFind out more about Pim Fortuym in Old Amsterdam/New Amsterdam

  • Music: Orkest de Volharding 1972-1992 Trajekten “Cees Van Zeeland” Jan Van Vlijmen Schonberg Quartet “Andante”
  • Robert Hughes

    Art critic and author Robert Hughes has written a comprehensive new book about the life and art of Francisco de Goya. Hughes says that Goya "invented…the illusion of being there when dreadful things happen."

  • Music:The de Falla Trio Music For Three Guitars: Albeniz, Boyce, Soler, deFalla, Corea Padre Antonio Soler Quintet No. 4 in A Minor
  • Brett Fromson

    In Hitting the Jackpot, Brett Fromson details the 1992 opening of Foxwoods, Connecticut’s first casino, and its effect on the Pequot tribe’s financial health.

  • Music: Talk Radio Soundtrack Stewart Copeland
  • Tributes: Jeanne-Claude

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Jeanne-Claude created environmental works of art with her husband and fellow-conspirator/collaborator Christo. Together, they wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, and created The Gates, with billowy orange drapes, in Central Park. Jeanne-Claude just died at the age of 74. You can hear Leonard Lopate’s last interview with them both, from July 19, 1999.

    Let’s Go Swimming!

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms found in recreational water in the United States sicken thousands of people every year, and even result in deaths. We’ll speak with chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol about the protozoa, amoebas and other things that love to go swimming with us. Monona is also founder and President of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety.

    Frank McCourt

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Frank McCourt has been a guest many times on this show over the years, starting in 1996 for the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, that would earn him a Pulitzer Prize. Fame came to him late in life, after he’d retired at the age of 65 from teaching English and creative writing at public schools here in New York. He was a sweet, eloquent man who spoke with grace and humility; he just died at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. You can hear him speaking with Leonard Lopate for his Survival Kit in 2000, and in 2005, for his memoir, Teacher Man.

    Science and Faith

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Earlier this week, Pres. Obama announced that he plans to nominate geneticist Dr. Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health. You can listen to Leonard’s 2006 conversation with Dr. Collins about how he reconciles his personal faith with his professional scientific knowledge.

    FDA to Regulate Tobacco?

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    May 14, 2009
    Congress is getting ready to a vote on whether to make tobacco subject to FDA regulation. You can listen to a segment we did in May about the bill and what it would mean for the cigarette companies.

    Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    On May 3, the Lopate Show won its third James Beard Award for our 3-ingredient challenge. In August, we asked our listeners to call in and name 3 ingredients and then challenged New York chef and 3-ingredient expert Rozanne Gold to whip up a recipe! You can listen to the 3-ingredient challenge and get some inspiration for simple, delicious, and unexpected dishes.

    Leonard is on Facebook

    Now Leonard is on Facebook! We’re posting photos, status updates, links to notable interviews, and lots more. Check it out.

    Barack Obama, Circa 2004

    The Leonard Lopate Show

    Listen to President-Elect Barack Obama on the Leonard Lopate Show in November 2004. He had recently won a seat in the U.S. Senate, and only a few months before, his rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention catapulted him into the national spotlight.