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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, January 19, 2006
  • Women calling for peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia demonstrate  in France, 24 October 2005. (AFP/Getty Images)
    Women calling for peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia demonstrate in France, 24 October 2005. (AFP/Getty Images)

    Uncertain Boundaries

    Last month, UN troops from Europe, the US, and Canada were pulled out of the disputed border zone between Eritrea and Ethiopia. On today’s Underreported feature, guest host Philip Gourevitch asks if a crisis is looming. Later in the show, a look at the life of photographer and model Lee Miller. Plus, a new documentary about the economic reasons behind war. And we’ll take your calls on the line between embellishment and fabrication in memoirs.

Border Dispute

The head of the UN peacekeeping department is warning of a possible crisis in the Horn of Africa. On today’s edition of Underreported, we’ll get an update on the escalating tensions along the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Michela Wrong, the author of I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation, joins us by phone from London.

Music: “Tomorrow” by Amp
“Resolution” by Thievery Corporation

Lee Miller

Carolyn Burke shares her biography of photographer Lee Miller. Miller started out as a fashion model, and became a photojournalist in London during the blitz, after a formative relationship with the surrealist Man Ray. The biography is Lee Miller: A Life.

Music: “Telephone and Rubber Band” by the Penguin Café Orchestra

Open Phones: Fact or Fiction?

We’ll take your calls on the recent revelation that James Frey made up some of the incidents he described in his best-selling memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Call 212-433-9692.

» Hear Leonard inteview James Frey about his memoir A Million Little Pieces
» Read an excerpt of A Million Little Pieces in the Reading Room

Music: “Telephone and Rubber Band” by the Penguin Café Orchestra

Why We Fight

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki investigates the reasons behind America’s decisions to go to war in his new documentary, “Why We Fight”.

Events:
"Why we Fight" opens Friday, Jan 20 at the Angelika and the Lincoln Plaza cinemas, and Andrew Jarecki will be appearing at:
Lincoln Plaza cinemas for Q & A's following the 7:40 and 9:50 shows on Friday, Jan 20
Angelika
Saturday, Jan 21
for 3:10, 5:30, 8 pm, and 10:15 shows

Music: Erin Brockovich soundtrack, Tracks 1, 3, and 2

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.