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The Leonard Lopate Show
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Sporks (muteboy/Flickr)Shaping Up and Shipping Out
Guest host Julie Burstein takes an in-depth look at how box boats revolutionized the shipping industry, and reshaped the world economy. Then, novelist Reynolds Price describes the spiritual lessons that have shaped him. And we’ll find out how cutlery has evolved in the West over the past 500 years. Plus, an industrial designer offers tips on revamping everything from your work space to your love life.
Underreported: Box Boats
In the last 50 years, technological innovations—from the internet to cell phones—have completely changed the way many of us live and do business. On today’s Underreported, we’ll take an in-depth look at a relatively unsung innovation—the box boat. While the shipping container itself is fairly low-tech, it has revolutionized the world economy—without box boats there might not be globalization or WalMart. Marc Levinson, author of The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger, joins us.
Spiritual Life Lessons
In 2000, novelist Reynolds Price became a godfather. He took this new role seriously, and decided to write a letter to his godchild outlining the different spiritual lessons he had learned throughout his life. Now, he’s expanded that letter into a kind of spiritual autobiography about his faith: Letter to a Godchild.
Feeding Desire
For 500 years, forks, spoons, and knives have been important tools in Western civilization. And they've served as works of art and status symbols--reflecting changes in diet and etiquette. One example: as table manners evolved, oval spoon bowls were designed to help cut down on slurping. We'll talk to food historian Darra Goldstein, a guest curator for the Cooper-Hewitt’s current exhibit Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500–2005. Ms. Goldstein is also the editor-in-chief of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture.
Revamp Your Life
Industrial designer Karim Rashid explains how redecorating your living room and reorganizing your social calendar can improve your life. His latest book is Design Your Self.
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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.
Video Pick: David Chang on Momofuku
The Leonard Lopate Show
Recent Videos:
- Arthur Schwartz on The Southern Italian Table
- David Plouffe on The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
- Ken Auletta on Googled: The End of the World as We Know It
- Paul Shaffer on We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga
- George Steel on the New York City Opera’s new season
- Gail Collins on When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of Women from 1960 to the Present
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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.
- Comments [33]
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.
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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.
- Comments [9]
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.
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