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The Leonard Lopate Show

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
  • Jim Jones (the jonestown report/FBI)
    Jim Jones (the jonestown report/FBI)

    The Roots of Change

    Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai explains how planting millions of trees has revitalized Kenya. And a political science professor argues that the red state / blue state divide can be explained by economics. Later on, we’ll find out how one largely forgotten man helped launch Time magazine. Then, a new documentary investigates what happened at Jonestown—the site of the largest mass suicide in modern history. And to start it all off, word maven Patricia T. O’Conner takes your calls.

Rich State, Poor State, Red State, Blue State

Columbia statistics and political science professor Andrew Gelman argues that the red state / blue state divide can be explained by the voting habits of each state's wealthiest residents. He and his researchers have found that rich people in poor states are more likely to vote Republican, while rich people in rich states tend to vote Democratic. Andrew Gelman is the co-author of the November 2005 study "Rich State, Poor State, Red State Blue State: What's the Matter with Connecticut?"

Words Fail Me

Word maven Patricia T. O’Conner explores the complexities of the English language. Today, she answers some listener mail and talks about the language of Halloween.

Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English is available for purchase at amazon.com

The Man Time Forgot

Isaiah Wilner examines the role Briton Hadden—now a largely forgotten figure—played in launching Time magazine.

The Man Time Forgot is available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Isaiah Wilner will be reading and signing books
Wednesday, October 18 at 7 pm
Astor Place Barnes & Noble

Why Did Jonestown End in Mass Suicide?

On November 18th, 1978, the largest mass suicide in modern history took place in Guyana. Stanley Nelson investigates what happened at Jonestown in his new documentary, “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.

Tree Change

Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, explains how networks of rural women are revitalizing Kenya--by planting millions of trees. Her new memoir is Unbowed.

Unbowed is available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Wangari Maathai will be speaking with Leonard Lopate
Sunday, October 22 at 7:30 pm
The 92nd Street Y
For tickets, visit the 92nd Street Y website, or call 212-451-5500.

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?