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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, July 21, 2005
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    Growing Pains

    William Hartung and Debbie Hillier discuss the role the arms trade plays in global poverty in our weekly Underreported feature. Alexei Ratmansky, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, tells us about the company's current run in New York. Then, Lauren Mechling, Laura Moser, and Wesley Adams join us for a panel discussion on writing for teenagers. And James McWilliams looks at how colonial attitudes shaped American cuisine in A Revolution in Eating.

Up in Arms

Pledges made at the G8 summit for fighting world poverty mainly dealt with aid, trade rules, and debt servicing. In this week’s Underreported feature, we’ll examine an overlooked issue: the impact of the arms trade on global poverty. We’ll be speaking with William Hartung, director of the World Policy Institute’s Arms Trade Research Center, and Debbie Hillier, a Senior Policy Analyst for Oxfam.

» Underreported series

The Bolshoi Ballet

Alexei Ratmansky, director of the Bolshoi Ballet, discusses his philosophy on keeping classical ballet relevant for modern audiences.

Young Adult Fiction

Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser, authors of The Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber, join Wesley Adams, executive editor of young adult fiction at Farrar, Straus & Giroux, for a panel discussion on young adult fiction. They’ll discuss the evolution of the genre, and tell us what it’s like to create and market literature aimed at teenagers.

» Read an excerpt of The Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber in the Reading Room

A Revolution in Eating

James McWilliams argues that colonial American attitudes about food and politics were intertwined. A history professor at Texas State University–San Marcos, Mr. Williams shows that the colonists used food as a way of asserting their political and social convictions in A Revolution In Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped America.

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.