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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, May 25, 2009
  • Bear Stearns

    Volatility

    On today's show: A special encore presentation of some of our favorite interviews from the past few months. First, we examine the fall of Bear Stearns one year after the company collapsed under a mountain of toxic assets. Followed by a look at the life of Flannery O’Connor. Plus, a discussion about the lost art of penmanship. And, we’ll find out how Uranium has changed the world: from Utah to Africa to Hiroshima.

From Bear Stearns to Bear Markets

Over the course of its 85 year history Bear Stearns became one of the financial giants on Wall Street. Then, in 2008 the company collapsed and took the rest of the financial system down with it. William Cohan chronicles the infighting, hubris, bad bets and terrible decisions that destroyed the company and triggered global financial ruin in House of Cards.

The Life of Flannery O'Connor

Novelist and short story writer Flannery O'Connor is an icon of American literature, but she got her first taste of fame by teaching a chicken to walk backwards. Brad Gooch's biography Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor, takes a detailed look at the writer 45 years after her death.

handwriting

Script and Scribble

In our increasingly electronic world penmanship is a lost art. In her book Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwritting Kitty Burns Florey ruminates on the end of handwriting instruction in our public schools and the decline of scriptwriting in our society.

The Rock that Shaped the World

Uranium may just look like yellow dirt, but it's altered the course of human history and shaped the modern world. In his new book Uranium: War, Evergy and the Rock that Shaped the World reporter Tom Zoellner examines the paradox of this powerful element: that the stability of our world rests in a substance that is unstable at its core.

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.