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The Leonard Lopate Show

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
  • Guggenheim Museum

    The Test of Time

    We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's groundbreaking design for the New York home of the Guggenheim Museum with Thomas Krens and David van der Leer. Then, landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson tells us what Manhattan looked like before European settlers arrived here. And film historians Steve Massa and Ben Model discuss a new series of silent-era slapstick comedies at the Museum of Modern Art. Plus, Elizabeth Edwards.

The Guggenheim at 50

Thomas Krens, former director of the Guggenheim Museum, and David van der Leer, assistant curator of architecture and design there, on celebrating the 50th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's renowned building design. The exhibition "Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward" is on view May 15 through August 23 at the Guggenheim.

View a slideshow of images from the exhibition here.

Mannahatta

Landscape ecologist Eric Sanderson takes us back to what the isle of Manhattan must have looked like back in 1609. Sanderson combed through historical and archaeological records, geographically matched an 18th-century map of Manhattan to the modern cityscape, and used modern principles of ecology and computer modeling to re-create the wilds of the island four centuries ago. The book Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City is filled with illustrations. Visit the interactive Mannahatta Project website. The exhibition "Mannahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City," is on view May 20 through Oct 12 at the Museum of the City of New York.

Event: Eric W. Sanderson will be speaking at the World Science Festival
Thursday, June 11th, at 6:30 pm
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
More information here.

View a slideshow of images from the project here.

Cruel and Unusual Comedy

Film historian Steve Massa and film historian/accompanist Ben Model on their series at the Museum of Modern Art, "Cruel and Unusual Comedy: Social Commentary in the American Slapstick Film." The series runs from May 20 through June 1 at MoMA. More information and screening schedule here. Visit the Cruel and Unusual Comedy blog to find out more about the series.

Elizabeth Edwards

Resilience

Elizabeth Edwards has had her share challenges—from losing a child to being diagnosed with cancer, from campaigning with her husband John Edwards in his run for vice president and president to discovering his infidelity. She discusses how to best cope with life’s difficulties in her book Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities.

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.