Please Explain (The Leonard Lopate Show)

Each 4th of July many of us crowd on rooftops, waterfronts and around televisions to watch the explosive magic of fireworks. Although large, professional pyrotechnic displays are a favorite, some people also enjoy setting off fireworks on their own. This year is the first time since 1909 that New Yorkers in certain counties can legally light fireworks for the Fourth of July (although the change in the law still prohibits New York City residents from putting on their own pyrotechnic shows). Joining us for a Please Explain look at fireworks is journalist and historian Jack Kelly, author of the book Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards & Pyrotechnics, and Phil Grucci, CEO of Fireworks by Grucci, which has provided pyrotechnic displays for US presidential inaugurations and will be putting on fireworks shows in 24 municipalities this independence day.

Mussels, clams, oysters, and scallops are all bivalves with much more to them than just being delicious. We explore their ecosystems, how to farm them, and how to prepare them. 

Ivan Orkin knows his Ramen. His restaurants have been named one of the ten best by Pete Wells at The New York Times, and Ryan Sutton wrote in Eater that his Ramen is so good "it will make your eyes explode." He talks to us about his secrets for making Ramen, along with Chris Ying, co-author of the book Ivan Ramen with Orkin, and editor in chief of Lucky Peach (subscribe here).

For today's Please Explain, we’ll talk cooking with fats and oils. Picking the right cooking oil is crucial when cooking, and oils vary in their health properties. As delicious as that coconut oil or schmaltz is, it might not be the best for your body. Daniel Gritzer, culinary director at Serious Eats, discusses which oil or fat is best for which purpose, from pie crusts, to roasting, to sautéing, to cooking a steak. He’ll explain what a smoke point is and why it differs between fats, the particulars of frying, how to render fats and how to store them. Rebecca Blake, Director of Clinical Nutrition at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, will cover the nutrition component, explaining which oils and fats ones are better for you and why.

The hamburger used to be the symbol, and cornerstone, of fast food, and all the ills associated with it. But as the movement for fresh, organic, locally sourced food rose, so did the lowly hamburger. For this week's Please Explain, we are talking all about the history, and the future, of the hamburger, with Benjamin Wallace, the author of "The Play-Doh of Meats" in the June 1-7 issue of New York Magazine, and Pat LaFrieda, of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyers. Adam Kaye, Vice President of Culinary Affairs at Blue Hill, also joins us to talk about the red-headed stepchild of the burger family: the veggie burger. 

Office supplies. Cluttered around your desk, holding notes and lists, they seem not only indispensable, but universal. But there is a hidden history behind the sticky note, the stapler, and the paper clip. James Ward, the cofounder of The Stationery Club and the Boring Conference, discusses the stories behind our everyday office supplies in The Perfection of the Paper Clip: Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession. 

Leonard's in studio paper clip collection! Today's please explain is about office supplies. Tweet us your photos! pic.twitter.com/BZMwOuxpZj

@LeonardLopate Here's my desk drawer dedicated to filled notebooks. Just can't bear to part with them. pic.twitter.com/qF5iQsxPHa

@LeonardLopate @WNYC @iamjamesward i sort my paperclips by size pic.twitter.com/eL5L8kJxfB

@LeonardLopate pic.twitter.com/WIha0GDgN7

Cults have been around for thousands of years, and they exist throughout the world, but when news reports break about a cult, it often seems like they have sprung up out of nowhere. For this week's Please Explain, we will be examining the world of cults. Ian Haworth of the Cult Information Centre and Dr. Steve K.D. Eichel, president of the International Cultic Studies Association discuss what a cult is, why people join them and how to exit one. 

Evolution is commonly seen as a process that happens in the wild, far away from human involvement. But humans and animals have evolved alongside each other for ages. The reason your dog understands you so well is largely due to evolution, and specifically the evolution of domestication. For this week's Please Explain, we turn our lens on the science of domestication with Richard Francis, the author of Domesticated: Evolution in a Man-Made World.

Please Explain this week is all about birds: how human activity is driving several species to extinction, and what some people are doing to try and change that. Douglas Kass and Roger Kass, directors of the film Emptying the Skies, discuss the fate of many migrating birds today. Not only is development and construction stressing these populations, but illegal bird poaching in Cyprus and France accounts for millions of bird deaths. The film profiles a group of activists who go to these poaching areas, releasing caught birds and destroying traps. The directors are joined by Tom Auer, Conservation Data Specialist at National Audubon Society. 

Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson joins us for Please Explain: The Cosmos! Most recently, he’s the host of National Geographic Channel’s first-ever late-night series, StarTalk. Based on Tyson’s incredibly popular podcast of the same name, the new series will bridge the intersection between pop culture and science as it brings together celebrities, comedians and scientists to discuss the latest developments in our vast universe. The show is filmed at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, where Tyson serves as director.