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The Leonard Lopate Show
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Kismet, a next generation robot (Stephen Lewis/ The New York Times)More Than Meets the Eye
On today's show: Tennis ace James Blake remembers the year he lost his health, his career, and his beloved father, and shares how he got back to playing at the top of his game. Also, a writer discovers that his unassuming Teamster father had a secret enemy: Jimmy Hoffa. And, a globetrotting biologist and single mother describes raising her two boys in rainforests from Peru to Samoa. But first, we'll find out if robots with artificial intelligence are coming soon to a store near you.
More Than Meets the Eye
Robots with artificial intelligence have been a science fiction staple for decades, but now some researchers might be close to making them a reality. New York Times contributing writer Robin Marantz Henig and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Rodney Brooks describe new machines that can make eye contact, read social cues, and even help out around the house. Are they too good to be true?
Read Henig's article, "The Real Transformers."
Weigh in: What would you like a robot to do?
Click here to see robot photos by Stephen Lewis for The New York Times.
Crossing Hoffa
When Jimmy Hoffa gave the Teamsters a bad name, one card-carrying member tried to clear it. In Crossing Hoffa, Stephen J. Harper tells the story of his father, a one-time felon who had the courage to fight one of the twentieth century's most notorious thugs, no matter what the price.
Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story is available for purchase at amazon.com.
Welcome to the Jungle
Eight years after the publication of Life in the Treetops, globetrotting rainforest biologist and single mother Margaret Lowman is here in the urban jungle with her son and co-author Edward Burgess. They'll share their new collection of stories filled with science and adventure from Peru to Samoa.
It's a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops is available for purchase at amazon.com.
Weigh in: How do you balance your career and your children?
Breaking Back
In his new autobiography, tennis star James Blake recounts the worst year of his life and explains how he overcame great loss to get back into winning the game he loves.
Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life is available for purchase at amazon.com.
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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
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [4]
