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The Leonard Lopate Show / April 28, 2004

The Leonard Lopate Show

Wednesday, April 28, 2004
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  • Adam's Curse
    Adam's Curse

    Y Not?

    Sperm counts are declining and percentages of abnormal sperm are rising in many parts of the world. Are we headed towards a world without men? Brian Sykes, one of the world’s premier geneticists, predicts that the Y chromosome could someday cease to exist. Then, biographer Simon Sebag Montefiore details everything from the daily routines to the horrific crimes of Josef Stalin and his entourage. New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast talks about a new collection of her cartoons from 1995 to 2003. It’s called The Party, After You Left. And our Next Frontier series continues with Dr. Juris Zarins, who’s combing the Middle East for the fabled ancient city of Ubar.

Brian Sykes

Oxford geneticist Brian Sykes is the author of Adam’s Curse. He explains scientific findings that suggest that the Y chromosome is fragile, and why that might lead to the eventual extinction of men.

» Read an excerpt of Adam’s Curse in the Reading Room

Music: “Feast,” “The Circular Word,” and “New York Counterpoint” by Richard Stoltzman from "New York Counterpoint"

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Simon Sebag Montefiore’s biography is Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar. He chronicles Stalin’s court from his acclamation 1929 until his death in 1953. According to some estimates, about 20 million Russians died in Stalin's purges and in his notorious Gulag.

» Read an excerpt of Stalin in the Reading Room
» More about the author

Music: Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” by Gergiev Shostakovich

Roz Chast

The Party, After You Left is Roz Chast’s latest collection of her cartoons, which appear frequently in the New Yorker. She finds humor in bad marriages, road rage, and bratty children.

Music: “Down Home Rag” by The Beau Hunks from "Saxophone Soctette"

The Next Frontier: Dr. Juris Zarins

Ubar Dr. Juris Zarins is a professor in the anthropology department at Southwest Missouri State University. He’s been out exploring in the Middle East, looking for the ancient city of Ubar, once dubbed "the Atlantis of the Sands."

» Visit "The Next Frontier" pages for bios, links and a slideshow

Music: “Gelin Gidelimk” from "Monothiestischer Dreiklang: Christliche Gregorianik Sufimusik des Islam Judische Tempelgesange"

Bill Richardson on Diplomacy

The Leonard Lopate Show

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson will be joining Obama’s cabinet as Commerce Secretary. You can hear him talk about his experience in foreign policy and diplomacy on the Lopate Show in April 2007.

(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tedkerwin/">tedkerwin</a>/flickr)

Plaxico Burress on the Lopate Show

The Leonard Lopate Show

NY Giants star Plaxico Burress is in the headlines this week for his self-inflicted gunshot wound. You can hear him on the Leonard Lopate Show in July 2008 talk about his life on and off the football field, and what it was like to win the 2007 Super Bowl.

Tom Daschle on Fixing America’s Health Care System

The Leonard Lopate Show

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has accepted President-Elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. You can hear Tom Daschle talk about his prescriptions for fixing American’s health care crisis on the Leonard Lopate Show in March 2008.

Barack Obama

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.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?