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The Leonard Lopate Show

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
  • barbed wire atop a prison wall

    Life After Prison

    Barry Gibbs and David Shepard spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. They've both been exonerated, but freedom hasn't been easy. Find out why it’s so difficult to return to the outside world. Also: what jokes can teach us about philosophy. On States of the Union, the election issues that matter in Massachusetts. And word maven Patricia T. O’Conner!

    The Leonard Lopate Show is hosting a listener photo project! Send us a photo of a random object that has special meaning to you, and tell us the story behind the object. Find out how to submit here.

    We also want your New Year's food ideas. Submit your recipe here.

Exonerated: Life After Wrongful Imprisonment

Barry Gibbs spent 19 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. David Shepard was wrongfully convicted of rape, and served 10 years of a 30-year sentence. Both were exonerated. But exoneration comes with its own set of challenges. Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Shepard, and Innocence Project attorney Vanessa Potkin explain why returning to the outside world is so difficult…and whether anything can make up for the years lost in prison.

Innocence Project’s website
Hear Barry Gibbs' Oct. 2005 interview with Leonard, just a week after his release

Philosophy is Funny

What the Hegel and Bette Midler have in common? Tom Cathcart and Daniel Klein say that jokes can help us understand the great philosophical traditions. Their new book is Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes.

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar is available for purchase at amazon.com

Weigh in: Tell us your jokes about philosophy.

States of the Union

States of the Union: Massachusetts

Several major politicians have earned their political stripes in Massachusetts -- including Michael Dukakis, John Kerry, and now Mitt Romney. On States of the Union, we find out how Bay State voters feel about Mitt Romney…as well as whether their universal health care policy has been a success, and why the state recently moved its primary to February 5. Fred Thys is political reporter at WBUR.

WBUR’s website

Word Maven Patricia T. O’Conner

Word maven Patricia T. O’Conner answers your questions about the English language...including some of the more interesting new words of 2007.

Patricia T. O’Conner’s Woe is I Jr.: The Younger Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English is available for purchase at amazon.com

Patricia T. O’Conner’s Grammarphobia website

Gov. Sarah Palin and Alaska Politics

The Leonard Lopate Show

August 08, 2008
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is Sen. John McCain’s VP running mate. To find out more about Gov. Palin and Alaska politics, check out our States of the Union: Alaska segment from Aug. 8, 2008.

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.

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.

John McCain in 2000

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sen. John McCain spoke with Leonard in September 2000 about his memoir, Faith of My Fathers. He discussed his family's naval background, his time in POW camps, as well as his own presidential ambitions for the 2000 election.

States of the Union

The Leonard Lopate Show

Why is New York a blue state, Wyoming a red, and Ohio a shade of purple? Looking ahead to Election Day 2008, Leonard talks to journalists, scholars, and activists from each of the 50 states to find out what motivates voters from Maine to California.

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?