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On Demand

The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, May 18, 2009
  • credit card

    Personal Stories

    On today’s show: A look at how credit card companies have begun taking consumer profiling to new heights. Then, the noted novelist Reynolds Price on the six most important years of his life. And, Walter Kirn on why he thinks the American education system should shed its obsession with the meritocracy. Plus, we’ll take a look at how the recession is affecting New Yorkers.

Maybe That’s Why it’s Called a "Discover" Card

Credit card companies know a lot more about you then you think. Faced with huge losses, they've turned to consumer profiling to find out everything from what kind of birdseed you buy to which bars you frequent, all in an effort to get you pay your bill. New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg investigated their practices. His report, "Something Borrowed" appears in the Times' Sunday Magazine.

Leaving Home, Coming Back

In the third volume of his memoir Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back, Reynolds Price tells the story of the six most important years of his life.

standardized tests

Lost in Meritocracy

Walter Kirn thinks the American education system focuses far too much on standardized tests, extracurricular activities and class rankings at the expense of intellectual fulfillment. In his book, Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever, Kirn looks at the intellectual costs of our current education system.

Event: Walter Kirn will be reading and signing books
Tuesday, June 16, at 7:00 pm
McNally Jackson Bookstore
50 Prince Street

Recession Stories

We take an intimate look at how the recession is impacting New Yorkers with Devin Dwyer, producer of DownsizeNYC.com. We’ll also talk to Jong Min, an undocumented immigrant, and with sports reporter-turned-waiter John Walters.

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.