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The Leonard Lopate Show

Thursday, July 19, 2007
  • Urban refugees in Nairobi (Mapendo/Christophe Calais)
    Urban refugees in Nairobi (Mapendo/Christophe Calais)

    Trying To Survive

    On today's Underreported: a look at the 2004 massacre of hundreds of Congolese Tutsi refugees, and how the survivors are adjusting to a new life in the United States. Also, more about Iraq's health care crisis. Then: how the concept of childhood has changed around the world in the past 150 years. We'll hear the music of a young Indian-American tabla artist. And TIME magazine's Baghdad Bureau Chief Bobby Ghosh talks about four years of covering the Iraq war.

Underreported: Gatumba Massacre Survivors

On the night of August 13th, 2004, Hutu militants crossed from Congo into Burundi and attacked the Gatumba Transit Center in which fifteen hundred Banyamulenge Congolese Tutsi refugees had sought safe haven. Hundreds were killed and wounded. Now nearly 600 hundred of the survivors have been resettled in the US. On today's Underreported, we'll find out what happened during the massacre, and how the survivors are dealing with the aftermath and getting the help they need. Leonard talks to Sasha Chanoff of Mapendo International, one of the architects of the Gatumba resettlement; also, Olivier Mandevu, president of the Gatumba Refugee Survivors Foundation.

Event: The Third Annual Gatumba Genocide Memorial
will be held on Sunday, August 12
at Pinnacle Mountain in Voorheesville, NY
For more information, go to gatumbasurvivors.org

Underreported: More on Iraq's Healthcare Crisis

Last week we heard about Iraq's healthcare crisis. This week, find out what's being done to help Baghdad's sick and wounded in Jordan and in northern Iraq. Nicolas de Torrente of Doctors Without Borders has just returned from a trip to the region to try to set up faster and more effective ways to treat Iraqi patients.

The History of Childhood

In Full of Grace, photographer Ray Merritt has chronicled how youth is depicted in photography over the last 150 years. With photos from Lewis Carroll, Richard Avedon, Andre Kertesz, and other master photographers, Merritt explores the progress of the child in areas such as child development and welfare, but also the setbacks in areas such as poverty and hunger.

Full of Grace is available for purchase at amazon.com

Suphula (Farrel Duncan)

Tabla Artist

The young percussionist Suphala studied for years with Ravi Shankar’s tabla player, the late Usted Allarakha. In her third album, “Blueprint,” she blends the tabla with electronic sounds and deft songwriting.

Suphala’s website

Covering the Baghdad Battlefields

Aparisim “Bobby” Ghosh is TIME magazine’s Baghdad Bureau Chief and has been covering the fighting in Iraq since the US-led invasion back in 2003. He has been caught in crossfire, seen two colleagues badly wounded, and was part of the team of journalists that first reported on the killings of 24 civilians in Haditha. He'll talk about why he keeps going back.

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

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.

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?