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The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, June 22, 2004
  • Why Lincoln Matters
    Why Lincoln Matters

    Lincoln: My Hero!

    The Rail Splitter is more than a relic. Former New York governor Mario Cuomo names Abraham Lincoln as one of his heroes, and he thinks that Lincoln’s legacy is as relevant as ever. Then, three former UN peacekeepers tell what it’s like to live and work in war zones like Cambodia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. (There are more sex and drugs than you might expect.) Martin Clark on his second novel, Plain Heathen Mischief. And a look at Farmingville, a new documentary about immigrant Mexican day workers in a small Long Island community.

Gov. Mario Cuomo

Gov. Cuomo’s new book is Why Lincoln Matters: Today More Than Ever. Cuomo also edited an anthology of Lincoln’s writing called Lincoln on Democracy.

» Read a brief biography of Abe Lincoln
» More about Gov. Cuomo’s book
» Read an excerpt of the book in our Reading Room

Music: CD: He Got Game Soundtrack (The music of Aaron Copland) Cut # 6 "Lincoln Portrait"
Cut # 11 "Grover’s Corner" from Our Town
Sony Records

Events: Mario Cuomo reads and signs books in Huntington, NY on Friday, June 21 at 8pm at The Book Revue and Saturday, June 22 at 2pm in Ridgewood, NJ at Bookends.

Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait, and Andrew Thomson

Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait, and Andrew Thomson met when they worked as peacekeepers in some of the most war-torn corners of the world in the 1990s. They’ve co-written a new memoir called Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A True Story from Hell on Earth, which the UN is trying to block because of some racy and revealing details.

Events: The three authors will be giving a reading/Q&A/booksigning on Tuesday, July 6 at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble at 7:30PM

Music: CD: Instrumentals Cut # 5 "Meta, Beta, Tarabeta" byPangeia Instrumentos
Cut # 11 Edit of "How Was it For You" by Gare Du Nord

Martin Clark

Martin Clark’s second novel, Plain Heathen Mischief, follows Reverend Joel King after his release from prison, where he spent six months for statutory rape of a 17-year old. Clark’s acclaimed first novel is The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living.

Music: CD: Sound track from A Shock to the System Cut # 2 Cut # 7

Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini

Farmingville is Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini’s documentary about complex relations between locals and Mexican laborers in the Long Island community of Farmingville. It airs Tuesday, June 22 on PBS at 10 pm.

» More about Tambini and Sandoval
» Read a letter from the filmmakers

Music: CD: Seabiscuit Soundtrack Cut #5

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

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?