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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, July 06, 2007
  • (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtstradling/346307820/" target="_blank">mtstradling</a>/flickr)
    The New Jersey Turnpike as seen from inside an NJ Transit train (mtstradling/flickr)

    New Jersey State of Mind

    We're in a New Jersey state of mind. On today's show: three writers and guest host Julie Burstein (all native New Jersey-ites) try to make sense of their home state's mixed reputation. We'll also find out why the construction of New Jersey's Pulaski Skyway caused a major political power struggle in the early 20th century. Then, a comic novel that follows three high school students through the college application process, from SATs the rejection letters. And today's Please Explain is all about smell.

Writing About New Jersey

New Jersey is the Garden State, but it's also known for its highways and chemical plants. Young writers from New Jersey make sense of their home state's mixed reputation in a new collection called Living on the Edge of the World: New Jersey Writers Take On the Garden State. Contributors Kathleen DeMarco, Christian Bauman, and James Kaplan join us to explain what's weird and wonderful about New Jersey.

Living on the Edge of the World is available for purchase at amazon.com

America's First Superhighway

New Jersey's Pulaski Skyway was the country's first superhighway, designed to connect the hub of New York City to the rest of the USA. The construction project was very contentious, and resulted in a very flawed highway. The Skyway hasn't changed much since it first opened in 1932. Steven Hart's new book is The Last Three Miles: Politics, Murder, and the Construction of America's First Superhighway.

The Last Three Miles is available for purchase at amazon.com


Event: Steven Hart will be reading and signing books
Saturday, August 11 at 2 pm
Barnes & Noble
3981 US Highway 9
Freehold, New Jersey

Getting In

Susan Coll's new comic novel, Acceptance, tracks three high school students as they go through the college admissions process...from SATs, campus tours, and interviews to rejection letters.

Acceptance is available for purchase at amazon.com

Please Explain: Smell

On today's Please Explain, we get nosey with smell. Biophysicist Dr. Luca Turin and psychobiologist Dr. Charles Wysocki explain what odors are, how our noses work, and what kind of information humans can gather by smell.

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.