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The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
  • Globe
    (NASA)

    A World Without Humans

    If humans disappeared from Earth overnight, how long would it take to erase the marks we've made on the planet? On today's show, we'll hear some estimates on how soon NYC's subway tunnels would flood and skyscrapers would crumble. Also, two Californians talk about how moving to Italy has changed their lives. We'll find out about what led to the urban rebellion in 1967 Newark that left 26 dead and 725 injured. Plus: why J. Edgar Hoover's career took off after he led the notorious Palmer Raids.

The World Without Humans

If humans disappeared from Earth overnight, how long would it take to erase the marks we've made on the planet? Journalist Alan Weisman says that within days, New York City's subway tunnels would flood and skyscrapers would start to crumble. However, plastic bags would stick around for much longer. Weisman traveled the world to speak with experts and visit abandoned sites like Chernobyl for his new book, The World Without Us.

The World Without Us is available for purchase at amazon.com

Living in a Foreign Language

TV actors Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry left their lives in California to buy an 350-year-old stone cottage in the Umbrian countryside. They write about the food, wine, and lifestyle they found there in a new memoir called Living in a Foreign Language.

Living in a Foreign Language is available for purchase at amazon.com


Events: Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, July 10 at 7 pm
Upper West Side Barnes & Noble
2289 Broadway, at 82nd Street


Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker will be speaking and signing books
Wednesday, July 11 at 7 pm
Bookends Bookstore
232 East Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, New Jersey

Revolution '67

Black urban rebellions of the 1960s are often relegated to the footnotes of history, but they were milestones in America's race struggles. A new POV film, "Revolution '67," looks at the six-day Newark, N.J. outbreak in mid-July of 1967 that led to 26 dead people, 725 injured, and close to 1,500 arrested. Leonard talks to filmmakers Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno and Jerome Bongiorno, and former SDC/NCUP activist Carol Glassman.

Young J. Edgar Hoover

In his book Young J. Edgar, Washington lawyer Kenneth Ackerman describes how J. Edgar Hoover’s career took off in 1919, when he led the Palmer Raids -- a crackdown on civil liberties designed to rid the country of anarchists and communists. Not long after, he was chosen to run the FBI.

Young J. Edgar is available for purchase at amazon.com

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.