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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, March 31, 2005
  • Hangzhou military cadets in China (Xinhua/Gamma, Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers)
    Hangzhou military cadets in China (Xinhua/Gamma, Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers)

    Love and War

    Today on Underreported, more about child soldiers. In trouble spots all over the world, children are being abducted and forced to fight in wars. Then, Ross Gregory Douthat discusses his disillusionment with Harvard in Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class. Novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz tells us about The White Rose--an updated take on Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier set in New York City. And, Jeanne Guillemin lays out a new history of biological weapons.

Child Soldiers

Leonard talks to Bukeni Tete Waruzi from Enfants Soldats, Jo Becker Children's Rights Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch; and Hakima Abbas of Witness, an organization that trains human rights defenders to use video to document abuses.

» More about Witness
» More about the Coalition To Stop The Use of Child Soldiers
» More on Human Rights Watch
» More on the Underreported series

Music: Track #5, "Meta, Beta, Tarabeta" by Pangeia Instrumentos and Track #4, "Royksopp's Night Out" by Royksopp

Ruling Classes

Ross Gregory Douthat relates the personal disappointments he endured as an undergraduate at Harvard, and explains why he became disillusioned with his alma mater in Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class.

Events:
Ross Douthat will be reading & signing books on:
Thursday, March 31st at 6pm
Barnes & Noble College Store
Columbia University, Lerner Hall
2920 Broadway

Music: Track #5 from the album "Music from the Film Bach’s Fight for Freedom" on Sony Classical

The White Rose

Jean Hanff Korelitz tells us about her latest novel, The White Rose. A new spin on the Strauss opera Der Rosenkavalier, the book traces the complicated love interests of several characters as they negotiate life in contemporary New York City.

Music: Disc 3, track #9 from Richard Struass’s "Der Rosenkavalier," performed by the Wiener Staatsoper, on RCA Red Seal

Biological Weapons

Jeanne Guillemin investigates the past, present, and future threats of biological warfare in Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism.

» Read an excerpt of Biological Weapons in the Reading Room

Music: Track #6, "Resolution" by Thievery Corporation

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.