The Leonard Lopate Show

Underreported: Health Crisis in Burma

Burma/Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and decades of repression, civil war, and poor governance have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Now the Burmese government's extreme travel restrictions have forced most aid workers out of the country. On the first part of today's Underreported, Leonard speaks with Aryeh Neier, President of the Open Society Institute, and Brian Williams, UNAIDS country coordinator for Burma, about the dire health conditions in Burma.

Event:
Aryeh Neier and Brian Williams will be participating in a panel discussion on the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid to Burma, co-sponsored by the Asia Society and the Open Society Institute. The panel is called "Human Rights and Public Health: The Burma/Myanmar Tragedy."
The panel is tonight, Sept. 13, from 6:30 - 8:00 pm
at the Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
New York City
For tickets, call the Asia Society box office at (212) 517-ASIA or visit tickets.asiasociety.org

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Underreported: Burmese Press Under Attack

The military regime that governs Burma is working hard to prevent news gathering. Burmese journalists have been threatened, harassed, and physically assaulted. On the second part of today's Underreported, Leonard speaks with Shawn Crispin, a Bangkok-based journalist. Mr. Crispin is an Asia program consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists and was bureau chief for the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review in Bangkok from 1999 to 2004.

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The Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts

The 2nd annual Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts, September 14 to 17, will be four days of theater, poetry readings, concerts, and symposia. The festival was conceived as a way to inspire young actors to understand the deeper mission of the artist. Leonard will be joined by Tom Oppenheim, Artistic Director of the Stella Adler Studio, famed playwright Edward Albee, and award-winning actress Marian Seldes.

Tickets to the Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts are available online at SmartTix

Additional information is available at The Stella Adler homepage

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The Rape of Europa

What would happen if the Mona Lisa or Michelangelo’s David were destroyed? Well, this almost happened during the Third Reich and World War II as part of the Nazi’s large-scale theft of European art. “The Rape of Europa” tells the story of the theft, destruction, and remarkable survival of many of Europe’s art treasures. Leonard is joined by Richard Berge, who wrote, directed, and produced this documentary.

Events: “The Rape of Europa” opens September 14 in New York at the Angelika Film Center and the Paris Theatre

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Reforming the New Orleans Criminal Justice System

Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, destroying not only the city’s infrastructure and the lives of many of its residents, but also its criminal justice system. Police stations and jails were ruined, essential information and files were lost, and the people who make up the criminal justice system were traumatized and displaced. Two years after the hurricane the system is up and running, but serious problems remain. Michael Jacobson, the Director of The Vera Institute of Justice, joins Leonard to speak about what happened in the aftermath of Katrina and what can be done to improve the justice system.

You can read the Vera Institute of Justice report to the New Orleans City Council here

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