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The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
  • Children and TV
    ( carf/flickr)

    Television for Toddlers

    The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two not watch television, but only 6% of parents take this to heart. We go behind the scenes of the booming $21-billion preschool entertainment industry. Also, legendary Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai. And how baseball replaced a missing, mentally ill father for Nicholas Dawidoff. Plus: how the period between the end of the Cold War and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 gave rise to the profound challenges America faces today.

America in the Post-Cold War Era

According to Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier, the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. Their new book, America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11, argues that the post-Cold War world we live in is chaotic and complex; filled with challenges posed by globalization, nonstate actors, weapons of mass destruction, and inefficient international institutions.

Event: Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, June 24 at 7 pm
Barnes & Noble Upper West Side
2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)

Growing Up With a Mentally Ill Father

Nicholas Dawidoff tells the story of his coming-of-age in 1970s New Haven in The Crowd Sounds Happy: A Story of Love, Madness, and Baseball. Faced with a mentally ill and dangerous father, he found a safe haven in baseball.

Event: Nicholas Dawidoff will be speaking and signing books
Wednesday, June 25 at 8 pm
Happy Ending Bar
302 Broome Street (between Eldridge and Forsyth Streets)

Legendary Japanese Actor Tatsuya Nakadai

Tatsuya Nakadai has been, for over 50 years, one of the world’s greatest actors. Known for his expressive eyes, he attained international fame as one of the best actors during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema. Film Forum, is showing two dozen of his films, from “Yojimbo” to “Ran” and “Kagemusha.”

Behind the $21-Billion Preschool Industry

After introducing his infant daughter to television, Variety editor Dade Hayes decided to go behind the scenes of the $21-billion preschool market. Anytime Playdate: Inside the Preschool Entertainment Boom, or, How Television Became My Baby’s Best Friend describes the production factories that craft television programs for children and the economic forces that shape what our children see.

Weigh in: Do you let your infants watch television? If so, why?

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?