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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, December 18, 2003
  • Sarah Chayes driving the road from Kabul to Kandahar
    Sarah Chayes driving the road from Kabul to Kandahar

    An American in Afghanistan

    Foreign correspondent and relief worker Sarah Chayes joins us live from Afghanistan to give a behind-the-scenes look at the news over there. She’s observed that after years of war and hardship, Afghans tend to have "no sense of a future, no ability to make long-term relationships." Then a discussion with Hayden Herrera on the life and work of Armenian artist Arshile Gorky. Actor Jimmy Smits talks about his role in a new play called “Anna in the Tropics.” And photographer James Rudnick on the importance of preserving New York City’s monuments.

Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes, field director of Afghans for Civil Society, lives and works in Afghanistan. She’s worked as a foreign correspondent for NPR.

Hayden Herrera

Hayden Herrera’s new book is Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work. A retrospective of Gorky’s drawings is also currently on display at the Whitney through February 15, 2004.

Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits talks about his role in the Pulitzer Prize- winning Nilo Cruz play “Anna in the Tropics,” now at New York’s Royale Theatre. The play is set in a Cuban- American cigar factory in 1929.

James Rudnick

James Rudnick’s new collection of photographs is called Gotham Restored: The Preservation of Monumental New York. He focuses on the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York Public Library, and Grand Central Terminal.

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.