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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, May 15, 2008
  • Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan
    (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)

    War Game

    Actor Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan have co-authored a new historical novel set in the Civil War, Escape from Andersonville. Also, States of the Union is all about Oregon, which holds its primary on May 20. And on Underreported: how air pollution may be interfering with bees' ability to pollinate.

Escape from Andersonville: A Civil War Novel

Daniel Lenihan and actor Gene Hackman have co-written a new historical novel set in the Civil War, Escape from Andersonville. It’s about a Union officer’s escape from the notorious Confederate prison camp Andersonville, and his dramatic return to free his men still imprisoned.

Event: Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan will be speaking and signing books
Thursday, May 15 at 7 pm
Columbus Circle Borders Books

States of the Union: Oregon

Oregon holds its primary on May 20. Find out which issues matter most to voters in the Beaver State, how Senator Gordon Smith’s re-election campaign is going, and why the candidates in one House race are using personal attacks against each other. Also: why some are already saying that Oregon will be a battleground state in the fall campaign. David Steves is political reporter for The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore. He works in the paper’s Salem bureau and also writes a blog.

States of the Union fact of the week: Oregon is one of four major world hazelnut growing regions. It produces 95% of the domestic hazelnuts in the United States.

Underreported: Air Pollution and Bees

A new study by University of Virginia researchers suggests that air pollution interferes with bees’ and other insects’ ability to follow the scent of flowers to their source, which interferes with the pollination process. UVa’s Department of Environmental Sciences Professor Jose D. Fuentes explains more about their findings and what it means for the pollination process and bee populations.

Tributes: Jeanne-Claude

The Leonard Lopate Show

Jeanne-Claude created environmental works of art with her husband and fellow-conspirator/collaborator Christo. Together, they wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, and created The Gates, with billowy orange drapes, in Central Park. Jeanne-Claude just died at the age of 74. You can hear Leonard Lopate’s last interview with them both, from July 19, 1999.

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.