Fair Share

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The situation in Zimbabwe continues to worsen, and now the US has expanded sanctions against the country. Hear the latest news from Zimbabwe, and find out how things were allowed to deteriorate so badly. Also: a new one-man performance about growing up in 1970s Oakland. Francie Lin’s debut crime novel, The Foreigner. Plus, a look at where performing arts festivals in New York – and whether underserved communities are getting their fair share of them.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening this coming Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are filling up quickly, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

Drive 'N' Dine

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Americans spend almost as much time driving as they do eating. On today’s show: find out what our driving behaviors reveal about who we are. Also, a look at what kinds of foods are most appealing to New Yorkers. A Virginia circuit court judge talks about his new legal thriller novel. Plus, a waiter-turned-blogger tells shocking and true tales of arrogance and misbehavior by diners. He estimates that 20% of restaurant customers are psychopaths.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are limited, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

Know Your Power

Monday, July 28, 2008

Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, offers some life and career advice for her fellow American women. Also: a new documentary about what recruiters have to do to convince young people to join the Army these days. Plus, the latest in our Underappreciated summer reading series is about Mehdi Charef, who helped create a new genre of Franco-African literature in the early 1980s.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are limited, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

And for tomorrow's show - Tues. July 29 - we want to hear from current and former waiters. Tell us your horror stories of diners' misbehavior.

High Wire Act

Friday, July 25, 2008

The price of oil is way up - but so is the price of natural gas, which is another major source of energy in the U.S. On Please Explain, find out what natural gas is, how the price is set, and why it’s used for everything from heating homes to manufacturing plastics. Also: Tony Award-winning hoofer Savion Glover. We get a preview of "Baghead" – it’s both a comedy about filmmaking and a spoof of the horror flick genre. A look at 30 years of in-studio photos from Columbia Records. And Philippe Petit describes walking on a high wire between the two World Trade Center towers in 1974.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are limited, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

Crackdown

Thursday, July 24, 2008

In the 1990s, then-mayor Rudy Giuliani instituted his zero-tolerance campaign in New York City. We look into how that crackdown continues to affect New Yorkers. Also: a new documentary about Mobile, Alabama's segregated Mardi Gras celebration. States of the Union is all about Connecticut. And on Underreported: how former Liberian girl soldiers are adapting to life after that country’s long war.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are limited, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

Testing, Testing

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Students, schools, and teachers are often judged by their standardized test scores. What do tests like the MCAT and the SATs really measure, and how often are they misunderstood and misused? Also: hear the story of the small-time Dutch painter who successfully forged Vermeers. Independent filmmaker David Gordon Green. And former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel talks about his long political career devoted to fighting the rise of American militarism.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Seats are limited, so RSVP soon. Find out more.

Battle for Pleasures

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

We’ve heard of Big Oil and Big Pharma. What's Big Wine? A wine journalist explains why she says we should reject Big Wine – viticulture as a business and technology – and return to the winemaking the way it used to be done. Also: Ruth Reichl takes your calls on all things food-related. A new novel set in pre-Castro Cuba. And to start us off: a sociologist who worked as a cop in Baltimore talks about life on the front lines of the war on drugs.

We're hosting another FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Find out how to RSVP.

On a High Wire

Monday, July 21, 2008

Find out just how precarious the financial situations of American families really are. Also: looking for something to read this summer? We kick off our annual Underappreciated literature series with the work of Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih! Plus, Adam Mansbach on his new novel. And a look at the rise of megachurches.

We're hosting an other FREE Lopate Show film screening on Monday, August 4! We'll be watching the 1972 film "The Candidate." Go here to RSVP and find out more.

Smoke Pit

Friday, July 18, 2008

What drinks go well with food on the grill? Find out what to drink when you’re out grilling this summer! Also: Please Explain is all about BBQ. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer explains why she calls executive decisions made by the Bush administration after 9/11 "a war on American ideals." And States of the Union is all about Kansas.

Translations

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Information about what's really going on at Guantanamo has been very hard to come by. An Afghani-American woman who volunteered as a translator for detainees describes her time there…and reveals what they told her. Don Felder of the Eagles breaks the band’s years of public silence. Jess Winfield on his debut novel about sex, drugs and Shakespeare. Plus, on Underreported: an update on Sudan.

A Whole New World

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

John Harwood, the chief Washington correspondent for CNBC, tells us who wields the most influence in our nation’s capital..from strategists to fundraisers to lobbyists. Also: policy analyst Kenneth Pollack's grand strategy for America's role in the Middle East. Laurie Anderson on her new piece, “Homeland.” And word maven Patricia T. O’Conner takes your calls on the English language!

You Can Do It

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tony Dungy, the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl, talks his successful careers...both in football, and as an author. Also: a look at the use of eminent domain in NYC, and the changing nature of public vs. private space. Stephen L. Carter on his new novel. Plus, hear about unlikely activists who have changed their communities all across America.

War and Peace

Monday, July 14, 2008

The world is a very different place today than it was when the Peace Corps was founded in 1961. Former volunteers discuss what the program has accomplished and where it should go in the future. Also, how Native Americans in El Paso opposed plans for the largest bronze equestrian statute in the world. And a 43-year-old sportswriter’s year as a pro football player. Plus, Susanna White talks about directing HBO’s new miniseries “Generation Kill.”

Life After Prison

Friday, July 11, 2008

Guest host Jeffrey Toobin talks to Marty Tankleff about how he survived 17 years of wrongful imprisonment, what got him out of prison, and how's adjusting to life beyond bars. Also: States of the Union is all about Washington. We hear why accidents may not be all that accidental after all. Plus, Please Explain is all about hamburgers!

Get it on Film

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Guest host Philip Gourevitch talks with teen filmmakers from the Bronx who just got back from shooting a narrative film in Uganda. Also: find out about a billion-dollar simulation of Iraq built in California's Mojave Desert by the U.S. Army. Joseph O’Neill’s new novel, Netherland. Plus, Underreported is all about Emmanuel "Toto" Constant, a brutal Haitian paramilitary leader currently on trial in New York for mortgage fraud.

Giants

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

NY Giants superstar wide receiver Plaxico Burress talks about his life before and after winning the 2007 Super Bowl. Also: a look at how the Abstract Expressionist movement influenced art in postwar America. We hear about the restoration of the groundbreaking 1961 film "The Exiles." Plus, Al and Larry Ubell take your calls on home repair!

Trendsetting

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Crime is rising in many midsize American cities. Hanna Rosin explains how this disturbing trend calls into question an important federal antipoverty program. Also, a look at the falling fortunes of Starbucks. And a debut novel set in contemporary Saudi Arabia. Plus, why some environmental trends catch on but not others.

Fighting for Change

Monday, July 07, 2008

Former NPR correspondent Sarah Chayes gives us an update on the situation in Afghanistan. She’s witnessed first-hand the resurgence of the Taliban and the widespread corruption of the US-backed Karzai government. Also, the stories of individual reformers who are fighting unsuccessfully for political change in China. And Hao Jiang Tian on how he became the first world-class Western opera singer from China. Plus, Anthony Mann’s daughter talks about her father’s 1950 masterpiece, “The Furies.”

If I Ruled the World

Friday, July 04, 2008

Former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers thinks that if women ruled the world, businesses would be more profitable, communities would be healthier, and politics would be more collegial. And a new documentary on the gonzo life of Hunter S. Thompson. Also, a look into the tough lives of Wyoming’s oilmen. Plus, Daniel Schorr on his 50-plus years of covering politics.

Collateral Damage

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges spent a year interviewing veterans of the Iraq War. What he uncovered was how much Iraqi civilians have suffered at the hands of American troops. Also, two Army veterans speak out against the Iraq War. And legendary artist Gary Panter. Plus, Underreported looks at what America's nurse shortage means for the future of health care.

The Unthinkable

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Ever wonder whether you would survive a disaster? Amanda Ripley discusses how science and real-life stories can help you answer that question. Also, Lee Child’s latest Jack Reacher thriller. And Guillaume Canet on adapting Harlan Coben’s novel for the silver screen. Plus, an epidemiologist who believes that the billions spent on preventing AIDS isn’t going to the people who need it most.

Commander-in-Chief

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Lyme disease has surpassed both AIDS and TB as the fastest-spreading infectious disease in the U.S. We look at what can be done to stop this epidemic. Also, the best illustration art from 65 years of Golden Books. And a debut novel set in elite Mexican society. Plus, our latest Political Projections is all about the role of the President as Commander-in-Chief!