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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, September 24, 2007
  • Street scene in India (extremeboh/flickr)
    (extremeboh/flickr)

    India at 60

    On today's show: we'll find out how India has united its diverse population over six decades as an independent democracy, and why the country is now poised to become a global superpower. Then comedian Robert Klein remembers 35 years of laughter on HBO. Also, we'll take a look inside the weird and wonderful world of competitive chess. And a former advertising executive will tell us how he became a Starbucks barista and why it's the best job he's ever had.

India After Gandhi

Sixty years have passed since India became an independent nation. Ramachandra Guha explains how and why a country with such great political, ethnic, religious, and economic divisions has managed not only to survive, but to thrive.

Purchase India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy at amazon.com.

Weigh in: Is India poised to become a global superpower?

What brings such a diverse population together in India?

Funny Man

Comedian Robert Klein has been a star on the stand-up comedy circuit for nearly 35 years, with a style of observational humor that has influenced Billy Crystal, Richard Lewis, and Jerry Seinfeld, among others. He discusses a new DVD collection featuring some of his best work for television, The HBO Specials: 1975-2005.

Purchase The HBO Specials: 1975-2005 at amazon.com.

Events: See Robert Klein in Hal Ashby's "The Landlord" (1970)
September 19-25 at Film Forum (209 West Houston Street)
Purchase tickets to The Landlord

King's Gambit

Paul Hoffman's latest book, King's Gambit, is a detailed history populated by an international cast of characters that includes passionate lovers, quirky intellectuals, scheming adversaries, overbearing parents, and rebellious children...and it all takes place in the world of competitive chess.

Purchase King's Gambit: A Son, A Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game at amazon.com.


Event: Paul Hoffman will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, September 25 at 7 pm
Astor Place Barnes & Noble

Weigh in: Have you ever been obsessed with a game?

How Starbucks Saved My Life

Michael Gates Gill was having a great life - an Ivy League education, a high-powered job, and a happy family in the suburbs - but around the time he turned sixty, it fell apart. He lost his job, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and had a foolish affair that led to a divorce and an unexpected child. He'll explain how he ended up becoming a barista at the Starbucks on 93rd and Broadway, how it changed his life, and why serving coffee is the best job he's ever had.

Purchase How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else at amazon.com.


Event: Michael Gates Gill will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, September 25 at 7 pm
Lincoln Square Barnes & Noble
1972 Broadway, at 66th Street

Weigh in: What's the best job you've ever had?

Tom Daschle on Fixing America’s Health Care System

The Leonard Lopate Show

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has accepted President-Elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. You can hear Tom Daschle talk about his prescriptions for fixing American’s health care crisis on the Leonard Lopate Show in March 2008.

Big Plans for America

The Leonard Lopate Show

Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel from Illinois has agreed to be Chief of Staff under President-Elect Barack Obama. You can hear him on the Lopate Show in 2006 discussing his thoughts on what the Democratic party needed to do in order to succeed.

Barack Obama, Circa 2004

The Leonard Lopate Show

As the Democratic Convention is underway in Denver, listen to 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.

Sen. Joe Biden on the Lopate Show

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sen. Obama has chosen Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware to be his running mate. To find out more about his personal and political life, listen to Leonard’s Aug. 2007 interview with Sen. Biden. At the time, the Senator from Delaware was still a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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?