wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, March 01, 2007
  • Girl Soldiers (AJEDI)
    (AJEDI)

    Rebuilding Lives

    On today’s Underreported segments, we talk about violence against young girls in both Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Later on, a husband and wife team talk about working to rebuild Afghanistan’s health care system. Plus: we talk to two skaters from New York City's only all-female roller derby league. And we talk to a man who spent two decades on death row before DNA evidence exonerated him.

Underreported: Young Girls in Zimbabwe

Just an hour’s drive from the tourist destination Victoria Falls, young girls in Zimbabwe are surrounded by poverty, political instability, and physical and sexual violence. The widespread belief that sleeping with a virgin will cure a man of HIV/AIDS has made sexual violence an everyday part of life. Betty Makoni, founder and director of the Girl Child Network, talks about the challenges facing Zimbabwe's young girls, and tells us what her organization is doing to help. Ms. Makoni is in New York to participate in the UN's 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Underreported: Girl Soldiers in the DRC

Former Congo militia leader Thomas Lubanga will be brought to trial soon at the International Criminal Court. He's accused of war crimes that include conscripting child many girl soldiers he conscripted were also kept as sex slaves. Bukeni Tete Waruzi, director of AJEDI-Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, talks about these girl soldiers, and what happens to them when they're demobilized and returned to their villages.

Rebuilding Afghanistan's Healthcare System

Fred and Mary Hartman, a husband and wife medical team, tell us about working to help rebuild Afghanistan’s healthcare system.

Window on Afghanistan is available for purchase at amazon.com

Gotham Girls  Roller Derby Championships

Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Pop Rock and Ginger Snap, two skaters from New York City's only all-female roller derby league, tell us what it takes to be a Gotham Girl.

Two Decades on Death Row...for a Crime He Didn't Commit

In 1978, Kerry Max Cook was convicted of rape and murder in Texas. He spent the next two decades on death row, protesting his innocence. In Chasing Justice, Kerry Max Cook talks about his ordeal, and the DNA evidence that finally exonerated him.

Chasing Justice is available for purchase at amazon.com

Events: Kerry Max Cook will be speaking and signing books
Friday, March 2 at 7:30 pm
Barnes & Noble
3535 US Route 1
Princeton, New Jersey

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.