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The Leonard Lopate Show
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Brainiacs
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.
Gerald Fischbach and Richard Mayeux
Gerald Fischbach, M.D., executive vice president and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Richard Mayeux, M.D. is the director of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, and the codirector of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, both at Columbia University Medical Center.
» Read more about the Brain and Mind Symposium
Music: Soundtrack, "Naqoyqatsi." Music by Philip Glass. Tracks 5 and 11.
James Surowiecki
James Surowiecki writes that "under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest ipeople in them." His new book is The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations.
Music: Alloy Orchestra, "Lonesome." Tracks 11 and 18
Vijay Seshadri
Vijay Seshadri writes about love, bodily pain, and his father’s obsession with the American Civil War in his latest book of poems, The Long Meadow. Seshadri was winner of the 2003 James Laughlin Award.
Superman Agonistes
When my X-ray eyes look through the humans
to the need inside,
glowing red and green,
my blood cells collide,
my lungs collapse,
my cortex rebels,
and my heart wraps
a bomb around itself
and threatens to kill us both.
But I cant stay away.
I have to fly down
to watch them pray,
to watch them couple,
to watch them fight,
exposing myself
to their kryptonite.
Vijay Seshadri
Superman Agonistes copyright 2004 by Vijay Seshadri. Reprinted from The Long Meadow with the permission of Graywolf Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Music: Soundtrack, "At First Sight." Tracks 5 and 6
David Lloyd
David Lloyd’s new book is Boys: Stories and a Novella, set in upstate New York in 1966. He’s also the author of a book of poems called The Gospel According to Frank.
» Read an excerpt of Boys in the Reading Room
Music: Soundtrack, "The Usual Suspects." Track 20
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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.
Video Pick: David Chang on Momofuku
The Leonard Lopate Show
Recent Videos:
- Arthur Schwartz on The Southern Italian Table
- David Plouffe on The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
- Ken Auletta on Googled: The End of the World as We Know It
- Paul Shaffer on We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga
- George Steel on the New York City Opera’s new season
- Gail Collins on When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of Women from 1960 to the Present
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [33]
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.
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [9]
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.
- Comments [4]
