Slavery Is Not Dead

Friday, March 28, 2008

There are more slaves in the world today than at any other time in history. Find out who and where those slaves are, and whether anything can be done to end slavery once and for all. Also: a new school in Baghdad that teaches Iraqis to tell their stories through film. A math professor explains how he calculates whether baseball players are worth their high salaries. And on Please Explain: how kids play make believe. Guest host Julie Burstein sits in for Leonard today.

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st! We'll talk about political idealism in Hollywood. We're also hosting a special film screening on March 31st. Seating is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP, so don't wait!

More Women in Politics

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin thinks that more women - especially younger women - need to get involved in politics. Also: States of the Union is all about Oklahoma. Susan Choi on her new novel. And on Underreported: East Timor's struggles to establish a working democracy.

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st! We'll talk about political idealism in Hollywood. We're also hosting a special film screening on March 31st. Seating is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP, so don't wait!

Transformers

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

WorldCom went from being a business success story to a major disaster when it filed for Chapter 11 in 2002. Find out whether any lessons from that meltdown can apply to the current economic troubles in the US. Also: a former NY mafia soldier-turned-Orthodox Jew. Then, a new MoMA exhibit about merging science and design. And Senator Chuck Hagel on how we can move beyond partisan politics.

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st! We'll talk about political idealism in Hollywood. We're also hosting a special film screening on March 31st. Seating is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP, so don't wait!

Solutions for a Small Planet

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Economist Jeffrey Sachs says that crises facing humanity - like poverty and disease - are daunting, but they can be solved! Also: find out how to build homes out of garbage like old tires and beer cans. A Chicago teacher on helping his students solve some of the big problems in their community. Plus, a new documentary about the last 5 years of war in Iraq.

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st! We'll talk about political idealism in Hollywood. We're also hosting a special film screening on March 31st. Seating is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP, so don't wait!

Moon Rising

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon has enormous influence in Washington and abroad. Find out more about his vast business and media empires..and whether his influence is something to be concerned about. Also: the challenges of integrating ex-inmates back into their communities. A look at how New York City's urban infrastructure keeps things running smoothly...most of the time, anyway. And Eric Alterman talks about liberalism in post-Bush America.

Tune in for our latest Political Projections on Tuesday, April 1st! We'll talk about political idealism in Hollywood. We're also hosting a special film screening on March 31st. Seating is limited to the first 100 people who RSVP, so don't wait!

Easter Gospel

Friday, March 21, 2008

Leonard DJs his annual Easter gospel music special! Also: one woman's return to the homeless shelter she had lived in as a teenager. Hear about the new Broadway revival of Sondheim and Lapine's "Sunday in the Park with George." And on Please Explain, find out how NPR shapes its news and political coverage.

Good War

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Is there ever such a thing as a good war? Guest host Julie Burstein talks to Nicholson Baker about the uses of war, and the case for pacifism in our modern world. Also: poet Mark Doty. Then Ceridwen Dovey's debut novel. And Underreported looks into how women care for domestic water supplies around the world. Plus: restoring Iraq's marshlands.

NPR's Ombudsman will be here on Friday, March 21 for Please Explain. What do you want to know about how NPR shapes its news and political coverage?

Never Give In

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Senator Arlen Specter talks about how he dealt with a cancer diagnosis while serving in the Senate. Also: we hear about a mysterious bat-killing disease striking caves throughout the Northeast. States of the Union is all about Wyoming. And word maven Patricia T. O’Conner takes your calls on our wacky English language!

NPR's Ombudsman will be here on Friday, March 21 for Please Explain. What do you want to know about how NPR shapes its news and political coverage?

American Unreason

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Is American society anti-intellectual? Also: some great names from the stage and screen world. David Strathairn and Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Nelson talk about "Conversations in Tusculum," their new play at the Public. Alan Cumming, who's starring in a revival of Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” And...Gabriel Byrne on his role as a therapist in HBO’s innovative series, “In Treatment.”

Debunking Conventional Wisdom

Monday, March 17, 2008

The Western media's news coverage of the Middle East has focused almost exclusively on Iraq. But what about the other 20 countries in the region? Veteran reporter Robin Wright discusses the future of the entire Middle East. Also, one chimpanzee's attempt to learn sign language 30 years ago. Then, incoming Governor David Paterson’s swearing-in ceremony. Plus, Benjamin Black's new novel of murder and deception in 1950s Ireland.

Balancing Act

Friday, March 14, 2008

Find out how the USSR's launch of Sputnik 50 years ago brought the world’s superpowers to the brink of nuclear war! Also: the relationship between the media and the Pentagon. A look into how mass-produced commercial colors changed the art world in the mid-20th century. And Please Explain is all about balance and the 6th sense of proprioception.

Damage Control

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Could some cancers be contagious? Hear new evidence that suggests certain types of cancer can spread from one person to another. Also, States of the Union is all about Delaware. A look at the Teapot Dome Scandal of 1922. Ron Leshem's war novel, Beaufort. And on Underreported: whether nanotechnology in consumer products is being properly regulated by the EPA.

What Ifs

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

If the U.S. had pursued a different foreign policy during the '80s and '90s, could 9/11 have been prevented? Also: BAM Cinematek’s celebration of J. Hoberman’s 30 years as a film critic for the Village Voice. We hear about the exciting discovery of a 52-million-year-old fossil of a primitive bat. And the guru of how-to, Larry Ubell, answers your home repair questions!

Ad Infinitum

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

South African Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs talks about racial relations in post-apartheid South Africa. Also: how the Latin language has shaped western culture for more than 2,000 years. Find out about the ongoing restoration project at the Parthenon in Athens. And a look at the buildings here in NYC that have been saved thanks to our landmarks law.

Torture and Democracy

Monday, March 10, 2008

Human rights monitoring doesn't necessarily stop torture, according to an expert on government interrogation. He says it simply causes torturers to use techniques that leave no physical scars. Also: a man who spent a difficult decade in foster care as a kid. Alison Larkin’s debut novel. And we hear why second-world countries could eventually decide the fate of the world’s superpowers!

Critical Care

Friday, March 07, 2008

Former US Senator Tom Daschle says that the US must guarantee universal health coverage in order to stay economically competitive. Also, on States of the Union, we look ahead to Mississippi’s primary. Then Parmigianino’s masterpiece, "Antea," now making a rare visit to the Frick. And Please Explain is all about parkways.

Play Ball

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Spring training is in full swing. Who will be the best baseball teams and players in 2008? Also: actors Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson on their new film, "Married Life." The fascinating life of the explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. And on Underreported: why Cyprus may now have a better chance of reunification.

Happy 23 to Leonard Lopate

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Join Leonard to celebrate his 23rd anniversary as a host here at WNYC! Also: the complexities of South Africa's AIDS crisis. A new documentary about American military doctors. Psychologist Carol Gilligan's first venture into fiction-writing. Plus: are pharmaceutical companies overmedicating us?

Dodging Bullets

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Veteran war correspondent Martin Fletcher explains how he’s coped with seeing violence up-close for 30 years, from Rwanda to Afghanistan. Also: Jimmy Breslin's fascinating stories of the American mafia. Then, get out the popcorn for some movie talk: the latest in our Political Projections film series looks into how Hollywood has dealt with the cynical side of Washington politics. And we’ll hear about how Hollywood was changing in 1968.

Help Leonard celebrate his 23rd anniversary as a host at WNYC! Tell us your favorite memories of the show over the years.

Doomed From the Start

Monday, March 03, 2008

Were the United States and Britain doomed from the start in Iraq? Guardian columnist Jonathan Steele believes so...because Western policymakers didn’t take into account Iraq’s unique historical experience. Then, rediscovering the life and work of New York muckraker Jacob Riis. Also, Terrance McKnight, the new host of WNYC’s Evening Music, shares his plans for this station’s nightly music mix. And on the eve of the March 4 primaries, States of the Union revisits Texas. Plus, a panel on what makes a best-selling children’s book!

Tune in for the latest in our Political Projections film series! Tomorrow - Tuesday, March 4 - we'll talk about how Hollywood has showcased American cynicism about politics. You can watch the films we've chosen and weigh in on the conversation.