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The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
  • Gingerbread Cookies

    Cookie Swap

    'Tis the season for our holiday cookie recipe swap! Leonard and Ruth Reichl talk cookies...including the many fabulous recipes submitted by our listeners. Also: a look at the esthetics of evolution. A former software executive on why she changed her life and moved to Paris. Plus, oral historian Studs Terkel tells his own life story, after years of telling other peoples' stories!

    On Wednesday's show, we talk about the challenges and rewards of being a caregiver to an ill family member. Leave your comment here.

Studs Terkel Interviews Himself

After years of interviewing other people, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Studs Terkel tells his own story in a new memoir, Touch and Go. Terkel says the US is suffering from a case of national Alzheimer’s, and we need to get in touch with our histories.

Touch and Go is available for purchase at amazon.com

Weigh in: What do you think Americans can learn from oral histories? What can we learn from the lives of our older generations?

Studs Terkel's website

Tortue Molle from Evolution

What Evolution Looks Like

We look into the science and esthetics of evolution…and how humans came to be what we are. Author Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu and photographer Patrick Gries have collaborated on a gorgeous new book called Evolution.

Event: Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu and Patrick Gries will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, December 11 at 6 pm
The Steven Kasher Gallery
521 West 23rd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues)

Evolution is available for purchase at amazon.com

Slideshow: Evolution

How to Start a New Life in Paris

When software executive Kathleen Flinn was fired from her job, she stopped to ask herself: "What do I really want to do in life?" She then moved to Paris to enroll at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Her new memoir is The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry.

The Sharper Your Knife is available for purchase at amazon.com

Event: Kathleen Flinn will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, December 11 at 7 pm
Borders at Columbus Circle
Wine and cheese will be served

Weigh in: We'd like to hear from people who've changed career directions mid-life. What were you doing, and what did you decide to do instead? How scary was it to make the change?

Holiday cookies (Irot Marinucci/flickr)

Cookie Recipe Swap!

'Tis the season...for our holiday cookie recipe swap! Leonard and Ruth Reichl talk about the fabulous recipes you've sent to us.

You can read a few of the submissions discussed on air (including Ruth Reichl's oatmeal cookies recipe) here.

If you can't see the video click here

Ruth Reichl's cookie recipe contributions from Gourmet magazine

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

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?