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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, June 30, 2008
  • Junk Food
    (w_yvr/flickr)

    Here's To Your Health

    Is our global food system too big and overworked? Find out how the industrial food economy may be leading to serious health problems, from obesity to starvation, for people all over the world. Also, hear about something else that may be causing health problems: prescription meds! Plus: a report card for the No Child Left Behind Act. And a look at the paintings of English romantic J. M. W. Turner.

    Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, July 1, for the latest in our Political Projections film series! We'll talk about how Hollywood has depicted the President in the role of Commander in Chief.

The End of Food

Is our global food system too big and overworked? Journalist Paul Roberts’s research leads him to believe that our hyper-efficient, industrial food economy is leading to serious problems for people all over the world. new book is The End of Food.

Weigh in: Which aspect of our global food system is most troubling to you?

A Report Card for No Child Left Behind

Find out how the No Child Left Behind Act has affected a troubled high school in Baltimore. Academy Award-winning filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond’s new HBO documentary is "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card."

The Paintings of J. M. W. Turner

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting the first U.S. retrospective of English romantic painter J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) in more than forty years. It’s on display from July 1 –September 21. Kathryn Galitz is curator.

Slideshow of J. M. W. Turner's Paintings

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Meds

Prescription medications may actually be causing health problems for many Americans. Former New York Times reporter Melody Petersen is the author of Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs.

Weigh in: Has a prescription drug ever unexpectedly made you seriously ill?

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.