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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, April 17, 2009
  • central asia

    Breaking the Cycle

    On today’s show: Ahmed Rashid on why he says Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia have descended into chaos. Also, Sir Jonathan Miller on his staging of Bach’s St. Mathew Passion at BAM. Then, Choreographer Trisha Brown on her latest dance projects and her new art gallery show. Plus, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives an overview of addiction on today's Please Explain.

Descent into Chaos

Ahmed Rashid looks into what US involvement in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia has done to region and encourages a radical change of strategy to avoid disaster in his book Descent into Chaos.

St Matthew Passion

Bach’s St Matthew Passion has been a highlight of concert seasons and festivals for over 150 years. Sir Jonathan Miller joins us to talk about his latest restaging of the production as part of the BAM 2009 Spring Season. Ticket info here.

Event: Sir Jonathan Miller will be giving a talk
Saturday, April 18, at 5:00 pm
Hillman Attic Studio
30 Lafayette Avenue
Tickets: $8 ($4 for Friends of BAM)

Trisha Brown

Choreographer Trisha Brown’s dance company is presenting a career spanning season at the BAM Opera House, including her 1979 work Glacial Decoy and 2004's O Zlozony/O Composite. A collection of Brown's drawings opens at the Sikkema Jenkins gallery in Chelsea on May 9.

You can view a slideshow of Trisha Brown's work here.

Sanjay Gupta

Please Explain: Addiction

There are more than 20 million substance abuse addict in America today and about 2 million of them turn to residential rehab each year. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us to explain the science behind addiction and the toll it takes on individual addicts.

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.