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The Leonard Lopate Show
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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

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.
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.
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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.
Video Pick: David Chang on Momofuku
The Leonard Lopate Show
Recent Videos:
- Arthur Schwartz on The Southern Italian Table
- David Plouffe on The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory
- Ken Auletta on Googled: The End of the World as We Know It
- Paul Shaffer on We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Show-Biz Saga
- George Steel on the New York City Opera’s new season
- Gail Collins on When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of Women from 1960 to the Present
- Comments [1]
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.
- Comments [33]
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.
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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.
- Comments [9]
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.
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