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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, April 30, 2009
  • Darryl Strawberry

    Giants on the Field

    On today’s show: Darryl Strawberry speaks about his achievements on the baseball diamond and his struggles off the field. Then, T.J. Stiles on his new biography of America’s first tycoon: Cornelius Vanderbilt. And, songwriter Chip Taylor, who's also been a professional gambler and a golf pro. Plus, our latest Underreported segments look at Spain’s deflation problem and the psychology behind swine flu hysteria.

Darryl Strawberry

Former slugger Darryl Strawberry is know as much for his controversial decisions off field as he is for his accomplishments on the baseball diamond. He recounts the triumphs of his career and tragedies of his personal life in his memoir Straw: Finding My Way.

Events: Darryl Strawberry will be speaking and signing books
Thursday, April 30, at 6:00 pm
Yogi Berra Museum
Montclair State University
8 Quarry Road
Little Falls, NJ

Friday, May 1, at 12:00 pm
Borders, Wall Street
100 Broadway
New York

Sunday, May 3, at 1:00 pm
Bookends
232 E. Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ

The First Tycoon

Cornelius Vanderbilt is an American icon. He was the founder of a dynasty, a steamship builder, creator of a vast fortune and lord of a railroad empire. T. J. Stiles joins us to talk about his authoritative biography of Vanderbilt The First Tycoon.

Event: T.J. Stiles will be in conversation with Kevin Baker
Thursday, April 30, at 7:00 pm
New York Public Library Cullmen Center for Scholars and Writers
South Court Auditorium
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
Tickets: $15; $10 for members
More information here.

Chip Taylor

Before Chip Taylor became a hit songwriter and performer he was a budding golf pro. He joins us to talk about his new CD and accompanying book Songs from a Dutch Tour.

Underreported: Worries about Spanish Deflation

Economists are always worried inflation, but now some economists are worried about the possibility of price deflation in Spain. On today’s first Underreported, Nelson Schwartz, European economic correspondent for the New York Times, explains what’s driving down prices in Spain and what that tells us about the country’s economy. You can read Nelson Schwartz's story about Spanish deflation here.

Swine Flu

Underreported: The Psychology of Disease Panic

The emergence of Swine Flu has set off a pandemic panic, but why? Dr. Robert Klitzman is Director of the Ethics and Policy at the HIV Center at Columbia University and researches why our culture overreacts to some diseases like Swine Flu but under-reacts to other threats. His latest book is When Doctors Become Patients.

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

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?