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The Leonard Lopate Show

Wednesday, May 31, 2006
  • brain

    All in Your Head?

    Brain surgeons operate on one of our least understood organs. On today’s show, we'll ask a neurosurgeon what’s inside our skulls. Later on, New Yorker writer Roger Angell shares his new memoir. And we’ll pay tribute to the autoharp. Plus, word maven Patricia T. O’Conner will be here.

Adventures in Brain Surgery

Brain surgeons use a mix of new technology and old-fashioned dexterity to probe one of our most important—and least understood—organs. In Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, neurosurgeon Katrina Firlik takes us inside our skulls, and describes the day to day challenges of operating on human brains.

Events: Katrina Firlik will be reading and signing books
Monday, June 5 at 7 pm
Upper West Side Barnes & Noble
2289 Broadway, at 82nd Street

Roger Angell on Love and Loss

New Yorker writer Roger Angell looks back on his life, and remembers the people he's known, and misses, in Let Me Finish.

Events: Roger Angell will be discussing his book
Wednesday, June 14 at 7 pm
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway
For tickets, 212-864-5400 of visit symphonyspace.org

Applauding the Autoharp

Musicologist Mike Seeger celebrates the history of the autoharp, which was invented in the 1870s, in Masters of Old-Time Country Autoharp.

Words Fail Me

Word maven Patricia T. O’Conner answers your questions about the English language, and explores the changing nature of the word "pimp."

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.