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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, February 10, 2006
  • hurricane

    Precipitating Questions

    Cynthia Nixon tells us about her return to Broadway, and life after “Sex and the City.” Plus, on this week’s edition of Please Explain, we’ll grapple with a subject that’s bewitched humans since the dawn of time: the weather!

Facing Tragedy

Cynthia Nixon is returning to the stage for the Broadway debut of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole. The new play revolves around a tragic event, and the emotional aftershocks it creates for one family.

Music: Intersection, Track Numbers: 2, 13, and 6

Please Explain: The Weather

We’ve all had countless polite conversations about the weather. But how many of us really understand how it works? And just how much do the experts know? On this week’s edition of Please Explain, we’ll take a crash course on some of the basics, and explore some of the more bizarre sides of the weather. We’ll talk to Michael Schlacter, meteorologist at Expert Weather Investigations. He is also founder and Chief Meteorologist of Weather 2000, a New York City consulting firm, where he’s responsible for the oversight of all forecasting and consulting services provided to their Energy, Agriculture, Finance, Insurance and Retail clientele. He’ll be joined by Christopher Burt, an amateur meteorologist, the author of the book Extreme Weather, and the publisher of the Compass American Guidebook series.

Music: Sonatine Soundtrack, Track Numbers: 6 and 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.