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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, June 01, 2006
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    Behind the Unrest

    East Timor is currently embroiled in the worst violence it’s experienced since it gained independence from Indonesia four years ago. We’ll get an update on the conflict in this week’s Underreported. Then, we’ll hear about a new documentary about three famous human behavior studies. And a former tutor describes his novel about helping well-off children prepare for the SATs. Plus, Ian McDiarmid describes his role in the Broadway hit Faith Healer.And a biography of the family behind Seagram.

Underreported: Unrest in East Timor

East Timor is the world’s youngest country. Now, it's experiencing an upsurge in violence--the worst since it gained its independence from Indonesia four years ago, on May 20th, 2002. Charles Scheiner, co-founder of the East Timor Action Network/U.S. (or ETAN/U.S.), just returned from East Timor last weekend. We’ll ask him what's behind the fighting.

Human Behavior Experiments

Director Alex Gibney tells us about his disturbing new documentary, “The Human Behavior Experiments.”

Tales from a Tutor

Former SAT tutor and Harvard grad Eliot Schrefer shares his new novel, Glamorous Disasters. The book explores the lengths one well-heeled mother is willing to go to in order to make sure her children get into good colleges.

Events: Eliot Schrefer will be reading and signing books
Thursday, June 1 at 7 pm
Astor Place Barnes & Noble

Faith Healer

Ian McDiarmid describes his role in the Broadway revival of Faith Healer.

The Family Behind Seagram

Seagram was once the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. In The Bronfmans, Nicholas Faith reveals how one Canadian family made whiskey drinking respectable in the United States, and big business around the globe.

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.