wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, January 26, 2006
  • beauty cream

    Healing Balms?

    What’s really in anti-wrinkle creams? On today’s Underreported feature, we’ll ask who’s regulating cosmeseuticals, or cosmetics that claim to have therapeutic benefits. Also on the show, philosopher and journalist Bernard Henri-Levy on what it means to be an American. And a clinical psychologist explains why and how people decide to commit suicide.

Underreported: The Cosmeceutical Industry

Last year, Americans spent $6.4 billion on skin care products (like anti-aging creams) that claim to have therapeutic uses. On today’s Underreported feature, we’ll find out how these products are regulated, and whether or not cosmetics should be able to advertise medical benefits. We'll talk to Erika Kawalek, associate director of the New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University, and the author of “Artfully Made-Up” in the November/December 2005 issue of Legal Affairs.

Music: A Shock to the System Soundtrack, Tracks 5, 7, and 11

American, Through and Through

Philosopher and journalist Bernard Henri-Levy, in the tradition of Alexis de Tocqueville, traveled throughout the US to find out what it means to be an American today. He shares his observations and interviews in American Vertigo.

Events: Bernard Henri-Levy will be reading and signing books
Monday, January 30th at 7pm
Barnes and Noble, Union Square

Music: Jefferson in Paris Soundtrack, Tracks 3, 2, 10, and 4

Understanding Suicide

In Why People Die By Suicide, clinical psychologist Thomas Joiner explains why and how some people override their hard-wired instinct for self-preservation, and kill themselves. Also, author Alec Wilkinson, who wrote an article in the New Yorker in 1999 called Notes Left Behind: The Language of Suicide.

Music: Iris Soundtrack, Tracks 4, 3, and 2

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.