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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, January 07, 2008
  • Four-year-old DJ is currently taking a mixture of behavior-modifying medications, from "The Medicated Child" (Frontline)
    Four-year-old DJ is currently taking a mixture of behavior-modifying medications, from "The Medicated Child" (Frontline)

    Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

    More children are using powerful psychiatric drugs than ever before. We examine whether these medications are safe. Also, a look at affordable housing that actually improves people’s lives. And one woman’s yearlong experiment consulting with ten self-help gurus. Plus, how Napoleon’s scientists opened up Egypt to the West.

    Find out how you can participate in our new film series, Political Projections. You can watch a few selected movies about campaigns, and then tune in tomorrow, Jan. 8, for a discussion.

The Problems with Medicating Children

There are more than 6 million American children taking powerful psychiatric drugs. Many of these children have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and they’re taking medications whose long-term side effects haven't been determined. This is the subject of PBS Frontline’s “The Medicated Child.” Will Cohen is the co-producer.

"The Medicated Child" premieres on Tuesday, January 8 at 9 pm.

Weigh in: Does your child have bipolar disorder? If so, do you medicate him or her?

Learn more about "The Medicated Child"

A Yearlong Self-Help Journey

Beth Lisick didn’t consider herself a typical self-help victim. But after a yearlong experiment consulting with ten self-help gurus, she found herself succumbing to their ideas. Her journey is described in Helping Me Help Myself.

Weigh in: Do you read self-help books? If so, why? And what self-help gurus do you look to for advice?

Event:
Beth Lisick will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, January 8th
at the Barnes & Noble in Tribeca
97 Warren Street
at 7 o'clock

How the West Discovered Ancient Egypt

Until 200 years ago, only the most reckless Europeans dared to explore Egypt. Its history and peoples aroused great interest in Europe. But it wasn’t until Napoleon sent his best scientists to the Nile Valley that Egypt was exposed to the West. This story is told by Nina Burleigh in Mirage.

Event: Nina Burleigh will be speaking and signing books
Monday, January 7 at 6 pm
Explorer’s Club
46 East 70th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)

Dignified Affordable Housing

There are a number of architects and non-profit organizations working to create dignified affordable housing that can improve people’s lives. Three of them share their personal projects and experiences with affordable housing: Marianne Cusato, created Katrina Houses for the Gulf Coast, Andrew Bernheimer, worked on green low-income apartments in East New York, and Lori Girvan of Common Ground, a non-profit that places people in lower income houses and owns several buildings in New York City.

Slideshow: Affordable Housing

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?