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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, August 29, 2005
  • Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, The Rivals
    Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, The Rivals

    Behind the Spectacle

    Are the media turning our elections into freak shows? Alexandra Pelosi and Matt Taibbi offer some insight on the real story behind the red state-blue state drama. Then, Johnette Howard considers the unique rivalry and friendship between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Frank Deford revisits baseball in the 1900s with The Old Ball Game. And Steven Levitt uses economics to answer unconventional questions about everyday life in Freakonomics.

Political Spectacles

We’ll look back into the role the media played in the 2004 presidential election with Matt Taibbi, author of Spanking the Donkey, and Alexandra Pelosi, author of Sneaking into the Flying Circus.

Music: Jump Start and Jazz: Two Ballets by Wynton Marsalis. Cut #6 (Sony Classical)

The Rivals

Johnette Howard, a sports columnist for Newsday and a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated, looks at how the public rivalry and personal friendship between two seemingly dissimilar athletes—Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova—helped define and popularize women’s tennis in The Rivals.

The Old Ballgame

Frank Deford, an NPR Morning Edition weekly sports commentator, brings to life the earliest days of baseball with a look at two of the biggest players of the 1900s. His new book is titled The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball.

Music: Soundtrack to Field of Dreams, music by James Horner: "Field of Dreams"

Freakonomics

The Wall Street Journal has said that if Indiana Jones were an economist, he'd be Steven Levitt. The self-described "rogue" economist speculates on how everyday life is affected by money matters—from what kind of impact Roe v. Wade had on violent crime, to why many drug dealers still live with their moms—in Freakonomics.

Music: "Salpica" by Mambotur

Tributes: Kate McGarrigle

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Folk singer Kate McGarrigle, who gained acclaim for a series of projects with her sister Anna, died Monday, Jan. 18, from a rare form of cancer. She left behind a family of talented musicians, including her sister, son Rufus Wainwright, and daughter Martha Wainwright. McGarrigle appeared on The Leonard Lopate show with her sister in December 2005, ahead of their holiday show at Carnegie Hall.

Monona Rossol on 50 Million Chemicals

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On September 7, 2009, scientists working for the Chemical Abstract Service (which assigns identification numbers to all new chemicals) entered the 50-millionth chemical substance into their Registry. Chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol, President and Founder of Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, took a look at what all these new substances are, where they are coming from, and how they affect our health. Rossol also responded to listener comments and questions. You can read her answers here.

Alan Alda on What Makes Us Human

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Barbara Demick on Ordinary Lives in North Korea

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Lucien Castaing-Taylor on "Sweetgrass"

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Michael Pollan on Food in 2010

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Atul Gawande on The Checklist Manifesto

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Christopher Kimball on Surviving Holiday Cooking Disasters

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Lidia Bastianich on Cooks from the Heart of Italy

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Neil deGrasse Tyson on Pluto

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National Book Award Winners

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A number of this year’s National Book Award winners have appeared on The Leonard Lopate Show. Click here to see the list!

Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award

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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.