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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, October 10, 2005
  • Bonobos
    Bonobos

    Strange Behavior

    Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Haynes Johnson revisits the tense days of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade in The Age of Anxiety. Then, Madam Zhao Ruheng tells us about the National Ballet of China’s production of Zhang Yimou's "Raise the Red Lantern." Next, Princess Martha Louise of Norway describes her new children’s book. And primotologist Frans de Waal explains what he’s learned about human nature from observing the behavior of apes.

The Age of Anxiety

In The Age of Anxiety, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Haynes Johnson examines Senator Joseph McCarthy’s five-year reign over American politics during the 1950s. His zealous campaign against Communism terrorized politicians and cultural figures alike. In this new history, Mr. Johnson draws parallels between that climate of fear, and today’s current political anxieties.

» Excerpt of The Age of Anxiety in the Reading Room

Events:
Haynes Johnson will be speaking on:
Monday, October 10th at 7:30pm
Barnes & Noble
Broadway and 82nd Street, NYC
7:30pm

Tuesday, October 11th at 7pm
CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Ave at 34th St
Room 9100

Music:
Cobb soundtrack (by Elliot Goldenthal) -- #10, 17, and 9 (SONY CLASSICAL)

Raise the Red Lantern

Madam Zhao Ruheng, the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of China since 1994, tells us about the company’s critically acclaimed production of Zhang Yimou's "Raise the Red Lantern."

Events:
Raise the Red Lantern will be performed:
Tuesday, Oct 11th through Saturday, October 15th at 7:30pm
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Tickets: $20, 40, 60, 70
Call 718.636.4100 or visit www.bam.org

Music: "Raise the Red Lantern" soundtrack (by Zhao Jiping) -- #1 and 4 (Milan)

Royal family Norway

Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns

Princess Martha Louise of Norway tells us about her new children’s book: Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns. The book is based on her grandfather’s childhood, and touches on the search for a new royal family after Norway broke its union with Sweden in 1905.

Music: The Beautician and the Beast soundtrack (by Cliff Eidelman) # 1 and 2 (Milan)

Our Inner Ape

Frans de Waal tells us what the behavior of chimpanzees and bonobos—our two closest ape relatives—can tell us about our own human nature in Our Inner Ape: A Leading Primotologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are.

Music: Oscar and Lucinda soundtrack (by Thomas Newman) # 4, 2, and 1 (Sony Classical)

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.