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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, October 07, 2005
  • vaccination

    Protective Measures

    Nathaniel Fick gives us an insider portrait of an elite group of Marines: the First Recon Battalion. Then, filmmaker Paul Schrader tells us why he’s such a fan of the French director Robert Bresson. Jessica Hendra confronts her troubled relationship with her father Tony in her memoir How to Cook Your Daughter. And in our latest edition of Please Explain, we’ll learn about viruses and vaccines.

One Bullet Away

Recon Marines are an elite group—only one out of every hundred Marines qualifies. Nathaniel Fick, a former captain in the First Recon Battalion, tells us about his demanding, top-level training. And he describes what happened when the time came to put it into practice in Afghanistan and Iraq, in One Bullet Away.

» Read an excerpt of One Bullet Away in the Reading Room

Events:
Nathaniel Fick will be appearing on:
Friday, October 7th at 7:30pm
Barnes & Noble
2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)

Music: Soundtrack to JFK #8, 9

Robert Bresson

Pickpocket

Paul Schrader, who wrote “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull,” tells us what he admires about the films of the French director Robert Bresson. He says, in particular, that Bresson’s “Pickpocket” had a direct influence on his screenplays for “Taxi Driver” and “American Gigolo.” Two of Bresson’s films, “Pickpocket” and “Mouchette,” will screen at Film Forum in the coming weeks.

» More on “Pickpocket” at Film Forum

Music: Soundtrack of Little Thief # 5, 6

How To Cook Your Daughter

Comedian Tony Hendra helped John Belushi and Chevy Chase get their start, starred in “This Is Spinal Tap,” and wrote for and edited The National Lampoon. Last year, he published a best-selling memoir in which he revealed how a monk helped him with his struggles, including years of substance abuse. But in her new memoir, his daughter Jessica Hendra writes that he failed to address an important part of his past. According to Jessica, he sexually abused her. Jessica joins us to tell her side of the story, as recounted in How to Cook Your Daughter.

Please Explain: Viruses and Vaccines

In this edition of our weekly Please Explain feature, we’ll tackle the subject of viruses and vaccines. With avian bird flu an important issue in the news, we decided to find out how viruses work, and how vaccines combat them. We’ll also look at how vaccines are manufactured and distributed. We’ll hear from Paul Offit from the Department of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Ian Lipkin, a neurologist and microbiologist from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia.

» Please Explain series

Tributes: Kate McGarrigle

The Leonard Lopate Show

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

The Leonard Lopate Show

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

The Leonard Lopate Show

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

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.