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On Demand

The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, December 26, 2005
  • paint

    Oil and Paint

    The largest urban oil spill is just below Newtown Creek in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. On today’s show, Chief Investigator Basil Seggos and City Council member David Yassky update us on the civil suit residents have initiated against ExxonMobil, BP Amoco, and ChevronTexaco. Then, we'll talk to an industrial hygienist about the environmental and health concerns of exposure to oils and chemicals. Plus, we’ll hear about the wheelings and dealings over artists’ estates, and Siri Hustvedt shares her collection of essays on painting.

Newtown Creek

The largest urban oil spill in North America—in Greenpoint, Brooklyn—is millions of gallons bigger than the Exxon Valdez. Chief Investigator Basil Seggos tells us about the civil suit residents are bringing against three of the world’s major oil companies: ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, and BP Amoco. He's joined by City Council member David Yassky.

Music: A Civil Action Soundtrack, Tracks 6, 7, and 9

Toxicity

Monona Rossol, an industrial hygienist/chemist, discusses the impact and toxicity of the Newtown Creek spill, and some of the general concerns about being exposed to oils, solvents, and chemicals. She's president of the Arts, Crafts, Theater & Safety, Inc. For More information, call 212-777-0062 or visit artscraftstheatersafety.org.

Music: A Civil Action Soundtrack, Tracks 8 and 10

Artists' Estates

Magda Salvesen and Peter Stevens tell us about the emotional and professional concerns of handling the work of a deceased artist. A new book, Artists’ Estates, sheds light on this aspect of the art world, and offers a look at many well-known estates, as well as those of less famous artists.

Music: Iris Soundtrack, Tracks 1, 4, 3, and 5

Mysteries of the Rectangle

Siri Hustvedt describes the discoveries she’s made by devoting repeated attention to paintings that attract her in a new collection of essays: Mysteries of the Rectangle.

Music: Finding Neverland Soundtrack, Track 1

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.