WNYC New York Public Radio Most Emailed of the Week

A Fine Romance (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:46 GMT

Poet, editor, and cultural critic David Lehman looks at the origins of the American songbook—jazz standards, iconic love songs, and famous movie sound tracks. In his book A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, explores the fact that the majority of this music was written exclusively by Jews.

Event: David Lehman will be speaking and he’ll be joined by pianist Jonathan Breit and vocalists Thomas Dolan, Hannah Oberman-Breindel, and Megan Stern
Tuesday, November 10th, at 8:15 pm
The 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue, at 92nd Street
Tickets $27. More information and tickets here. Or call 212-415-5500.

Pros and Cons of Teaching to the Test (The Brian Lehrer Show: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:29 GMT

Earlier this year, we collaborated with the Vote 18 Political Literacy Project, which looked to engage Pace High School students in the mayoral election. Education was a hot topic, and in particular the question of how much NYC schools should rely on standardized testing. Christopher Malone, associate professor of political science at Pace University, is organizer of the project. He's joined by Quincy Adonis and Melanie Lugo, two Pace High School students who participated in the project.

Man of Constant Sorrow (The Leonard Lopate Show: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:58 GMT

Ralph Stanley looks back on his long career as the patriarch of old-time mountain music. In Man of Constant Sorrow, he tells the story of how music now popular around the world was created by two brothers from a dying southern mountain culture.

When the Wall Came Down (The Leonard Lopate Show: Monday, 09 November 2009)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

The Berlin Wall came down 20 years ago today. We’ll discuss the events that led to that historic event and how the former Soviet Bloc has changed since the Iron Curtain was lifted. We’re joined by Stephen Kotkin, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History and of International Affairs at Princeton University, whose most recent book (written with Jan T. Gross) is Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment, and Stephen F. Cohen, Professor of Russian Studies at New York University, whose most recent book is Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War.

Parasites (Radiolab: Friday, 25 September 2009)

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00 GMT

What's gotten into you? In this hour we explore nature's moochers - the good, the bad, and the hideous. We have stories of lethargic farmers, zombie cockroaches, and even mind-controlled humans (kinda, maybe). Could parasites be the shadowy hands that pull the strings of life?

The Restored Red Shoes (The Leonard Lopate Show: Monday, 09 November 2009)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Thelma Schoonmaker, the widow of Michael Powell, and Martin Scorsese’s longtime editor, discusses Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 masterpiece "The Red Shoes." For the film, they created an original ballet from scratch and cast an actual ballerina in the lead. A new 35mm print of "The Red Shoes" is playing at Film Forum November 6-19.

Report Finds Thousands of Kids Stuck in Overburdened Foster Care System

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:16 GMT

Foster care is supposed to be a short term solution for kids waiting to either go back home or get adopted by a new family. But a new report by a child advocacy group depicts an overburdened system t....

WNYC - Slideshow: Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City's Parks

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:04 GMT

Cycling = Ka-Ching!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:52 GMT

An economy that's headed downhill is not a good thing. But a bicycle going downhill picks up speed. And the bicycle business has been up in the past year. As WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports, it's counter....

The Ascent of Money (The Leonard Lopate Show: Wednesday, 04 November 2009)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Renowned historian Niall Ferguson looks into the history of money and how it makes the world turn. In The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, he tells the human story behind the evolution of the world’s financial system, from its origins in Mesopotamia to the latest economic upheavals.

Open Up (The Leonard Lopate Show: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:21 GMT

Our November 11 show is live from the Jerome L. Greene space! Andre Agassi talks about his life on and off the tennis court. Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk discusses his latest novel. Then, Susie Essman describes working on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." And we get a look inside the UK’s intelligence agency, the MI5.

Recipes from Chef David Chang

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:57 GMT

ginger scallion noodles Our ginger scallion noodles are an homage to/out-and-out rip-off of one of the greatest dishes in New York City: the $4.95 plate of ginger scallion noodles at Great New ....

Conducting Your Way to the Top (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 04 November 2009)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:32 GMT

Roger Nierenberg is a conductor and creator of the Music Paradigm, a program that invites executives to sit inside an orchestra and even try their hand at conducting. He joins us to share his observations on why he thinks conducting can turn business executives into successful leaders as recounted in his new book, Maestro: A Surprising Story About Leading by Listening.

New Normal? (Radiolab: Friday, 02 October 2009)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:00 GMT

How do you tell the difference between a sea change and a ripple in the water? Is a peacenik baboon, a man in a dress, or a cuddly fox a sign of things to come? Or just a flukey outlier from the norm? Is there ever really even a norm? In this hour we examine three stories that reframe our sense of normalcy.

The Royal Family on Broadway (The Leonard Lopate Show: Friday, 06 November 2009)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Jan Maxwell and Rosemary Harris discuss their roles in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber’s "The Royal Family." It’s playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, through November 29. More information and tickets here.

Drilling, Dredging and New York’s Water (The Brian Lehrer Show: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:32 GMT

Two issues pertaining to water in New York are coming to a head. Riverkeeper president Alex Matthiessen, discusses natural gas drilling in the watershed and the cleanup of PCB's in the Hudson River. ProPublica reporter Abrahm Lustgarten has been covering the drilling issue and his latest report is on radioactivity in the wastewater. Then journalist David Gargill writes about the dredging operation in an article called "The General Electric Superfraud" in the December issue of Harper’s Magazine.

Timely Musical (The Brian Lehrer Show: Friday, 06 November 2009)

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:08 GMT

Three members of the improvisational musical comedy group The Made-Up Musical Tara Copeland, Michael Martin, and Frank Spitznagel, demonstrate the art of "improv musicals."

Call for Ideas! Suggest a song title, pulled from the headlines, for the instant musical.

WNYC - Slideshow: The Map as Art

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:04 GMT

Student Veterans (The Brian Lehrer Show: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:11 GMT

On Veteran's Day, three Columbia University students discuss what it's like going back to school after returning home from war. Daniel Flatley served with the Marines in Al Anbar province and is now studying English, with support from the Yellow Ribbon Program. Rory Minnis is an Iraq War veteran and expects to graduate in 2010 with a degree in Middle East Studies. And Army veteran John McClelland, who was deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, hopes to continue on to law school after graduation and become a Judge Advocate General in the Army.

Moving Props and Moving Audiences (Soundcheck: Thursday, 05 November 2009)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:11 GMT

The best music jobs aren't on stage. Stagehands at Carnegie Hall can pull in more than $500,000 a year. Today, we look at the lucrative job of moving props. Also: New York City Opera opens its season after an off-season of drastic cuts in an effort to bring the beleaguered company back to financial stability. Later: Esau Mwamwaya of the Malawian-British trio The Very Best. And: Soundcheck's picks of the week.

Voting on Gay Marriage (The Leonard Lopate Show: Thursday, 05 November 2009)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Alan Van Capelle, Executive Director of Empire State Pride Agenda, explains how Tuesday’s results from Maine and Washington State will shape the debate on gay marriage both here in New York and around the country.

NY Voters Approve Proposal to Allow Prisoners Work for Nonprofits

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:05 GMT

New York voters approved Proposition 2 this week, by a large margin. The measure allows the state legislature to draft a law letting prisoners do work for non-profits. Some prisoner advocates say th....

Ayn Rand (The Leonard Lopate Show: Thursday, 05 November 2009)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Anne C. Heller, discusses Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and passionate advocate of laissez-faire capitalism and individual rights. Heller’s book Ayn Rand and the World She Made is a portrait of Ayn Rand’s life, from her childhood in Russia to her years as a Hollywood screenwriter to the publication of her bestselling novels, and a look into the legacy she’s left.

Googled (The Leonard Lopate Show: Thursday, 05 November 2009)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:35 GMT

New Yorker columnist Ken Auletta tells the story of the digital media giant Google. In Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, he looks into the company’s rise, and how it is changing traditional media, from newspapers to television to advertising to telephones.

Event: Ken Auletta will be in conversation with David Remnick
Sunday, November 8, at 7:30 pm
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
Call 212-415-5500 for ticket information.

Rise to the Top (The Leonard Lopate Show: Wednesday, 04 November 2009)

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:44 GMT

David Plouffe explains how the Obama campaign developed its unique strategies for the 2008 presidential race. Then, Frederick Wiseman discusses his latest documentary, about the Paris Opera Ballet. Also, photographer Joel Meyerowitz talks about taking pictures of the hidden pockets of wilderness in New York City. Plus, historian Niall Ferguson describes the evolution of our financial system.

Come see Andre Agassi on the Leonard Lopate Show live in the Greene Space on November 11! Get tickets here!