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On Demand

The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
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    On Ugliness

    If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then ugliness is too. Umberto Eco explores human fascination and disgust towards ugliness. Also, find out how the oil industry benefited from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. We hear about the drawings of French pointillist Georges Seurat. Plus: the far-reaching scandal involving former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson.

Umberto Eco on Ugliness

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder….and ugliness may be too. Umberto Eco explores why humans are both attracted to and repelled by the monstrous in his new book On Ugliness.

Events: Umberto Eco will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, November 13 at 7 pm
Union Square Barnes & Noble

Pierre Bayard will be in conversation with Umberto Eco and Paul Holdengraber
Saturday, November 17 at 6 pm
New York Public Library
South Court Auditorium
42nd Street (at 5th Avenue)
To purchase tickets, call SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or go online

On Ugliness is available for purchase at amazon.com

Georges Seurat’s Drawings at MoMA

French painter Georges Seurat is famous for his pointillist paintings, but his drawings were once described as "the most beautiful painter's drawings in existence." Jodi Hauptman has curated a new exhibit at Seurat’s drawings at MoMA.

MoMA’s Seurat exhibit website

The Convict and the Congressman: A Major Scandal

When the FBI searched the home of Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson in 2005, they found tens of thousands of dollars in his freezer. We look into where the money came from, and how far the related corruption scandal spread. Andrew Rice’s article about the scandal in the November issue of Conde Nast Portfolio is called “The Convict and the Congressman.”

Read Andrew Rice’s article

How the Oil Industry Changed After the Cold War

Find out how the oil industry benefited from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992…and what that means for Central Asia today. Wall Street Journal correspondent Steven LeVine’s new book is The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea.

The Oil and the Glory is available for purchase at amazon.com

Tributes: Kate McGarrigle

The Leonard Lopate Show

Folk singer Kate McGarrigle, who gained acclaim for a series of projects with her sister Anna, died Monday, Jan. 18, from a rare form of cancer. She left behind a family of talented musicians, including her sister, son Rufus Wainwright, and daughter Martha Wainwright. McGarrigle appeared on The Leonard Lopate show with her sister in December 2005, ahead of their holiday show at Carnegie Hall.

Monona Rossol on 50 Million Chemicals

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On September 7, 2009, scientists working for the Chemical Abstract Service (which assigns identification numbers to all new chemicals) entered the 50-millionth chemical substance into their Registry. Chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol, President and Founder of Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, took a look at what all these new substances are, where they are coming from, and how they affect our health. Rossol also responded to listener comments and questions. You can read her answers here.

Alan Alda on What Makes Us Human

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Barbara Demick on Ordinary Lives in North Korea

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Lucien Castaing-Taylor on "Sweetgrass"

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Michael Pollan on Food in 2010

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Atul Gawande on The Checklist Manifesto

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Christopher Kimball on Surviving Holiday Cooking Disasters

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Lidia Bastianich on Cooks from the Heart of Italy

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Neil deGrasse Tyson on Pluto

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National Book Award Winners

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A number of this year’s National Book Award winners have appeared on The Leonard Lopate Show. Click here to see the list!

Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award

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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.