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The Leonard Lopate Show

Wednesday, June 01, 2005
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    Countering Terror

    Timothy Naftali traces the history of America’s developing counterterrorism strategies, and looks at what went wrong leading up to 9/11 in Blind Spot. Then, NASCAR racer Janet Guthrie tells us about her memoir A Life At Full Throttle. Next, Robin Meloy Goldsby shares 30 years of memories from her life as a cocktail lounge pianist. Finally, Gary May revisits the 1965 Ku Klux Klan murder of a civil rights activist following the Selma voting rights march.

Blind Spot

National security historian Timothy Naftali traces the development of America's counterterrorism efforts, and explains why we were unprepared for 9/11 in Blind Spot.

Music: “Royksopp’s Night Out” by Royksopp

A Life at Full Throttle

Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in 1977. She looks back at her career in a new memoir, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle.

Music: “Days of Thunder” movie soundtrack, “Thunder Box” by Apollo Smile (Warner Brothers)

Piano Girl

Robin Meloy Goldsby regales us with stories from her 30 years playing piano in cocktail lounges: Piano Girl.

Music: “Twilight”, tracks “Twilight” and “Hush” by Robin Meloy Goldsby (GEMA Manuscript)

The Informant

Gary May examines the disturbing circumstances surrounding the 1965 investigation into the death of a civil rights activist. The book is titled The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo.

» Excerpt of The Informant in the Reading Room

Music: “Cobb” movie soundtrack, “Cobb Dies” composed by Elliot Goldenthal (Warner Brothers)

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.