wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, September 08, 2005
  • Saparmurat Niyazov ( Embassy of Turkmenistan)
    Saparmurat Niyazov ( Embassy of Turkmenistan)

    Cutting Remarks

    In today’s Underreported feature, Filip Noubel from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting gives us an update on the political climate in Turkmenistan. Then, Alex Shuper tells us about his documentary about film editing: “Edge Codes.com.” Aimee Bender shares her new short story collection, Willful Creatures. And Charles Mann reconsiders the history of the Americas before Columbus in 1491.

Underreported: Turkmenistan

Filip Noubel, the Central Asia Project Manager for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting calls in from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with an update on Turkmenistan. He's joined by Cassandra Cavanagh from the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute. Although you may have never heard of President Saparmyrat Niyazov, he boasts a personality cult that rivals those of Stalin and Mao. In this week’s Underreported feature, we’ll look into the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic leader.

» More on the Central Asia program of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
» More on the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute
» Underreported series

Music: Resolution" by Thievery Corporation, and "Coffee Talk/Wild Dreams" by DJ Krush

Edge Codes.com

Alex Shuper edited and directed the documentary “Edge Codes.com.” The film looks at the history and future of motion picture editing, and includes interviews with George Lucas, Dody Dorn (“Memento”), Thelma Schoonmaker (“Raging Bull”), and many others.

Events: Alex Shuper will be be participating in a Q&A session with Hollywood editors Chris Tellefsen ("The Village") and Andrew Mondshein ("The Sixth Sense") on:
Tuesday, September 13th
» More on this event and “Edge Codes.com”

Music: soundtrack to "The Fog of War" (Strange Mountain label) by Philip Glass (#15 and 6)

Willful Creatures

Aimee Bender, author of An Invisible Sign of My Own and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt tells us about Willful Creatures, a new collection of surreal, and often disturbing, short stories.

» Read an excerpt of Willful Creatures in the Reading Room

Music: soundtrack for "Finding Nemo" by Thomas Newman (Pixar), # 5 and 4

1491

Charles Mann describes how new historical techniques are leading to discoveries that are challenging long-held beliefs about pre-Columbian American history. His new book is 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.

» Read an excerpt of 1491 in the Reading Room

Music: "The Beautiful" by Triptych Myth (AUM Fidelity), #6 (Last Minute Trip Part One)

Bill Richardson on Diplomacy

The Leonard Lopate Show

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson will be joining Obama’s cabinet as Commerce Secretary. You can hear him talk about his experience in foreign policy and diplomacy on the Lopate Show in April 2007.

Plaxico Burress on the Lopate Show

The Leonard Lopate Show

NY Giants star Plaxico Burress is in the headlines this week for his self-inflicted gunshot wound. You can hear him on the Leonard Lopate Show in July 2008 talk about his life on and off the football field, and what it was like to win the 2007 Super Bowl.

Tom Daschle on Fixing America’s Health Care System

The Leonard Lopate Show

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has accepted President-Elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. You can hear Tom Daschle talk about his prescriptions for fixing American’s health care crisis on the Leonard Lopate Show in March 2008.

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.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?