Underreported from WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show

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Underreported: Renditions in the Horn of Africa Oct 02, 2008

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A 2007 rendition program in the Horn of Africa led to nearly 100 men, women, and children being rounded up in Kenya and eventually rendered to Ethiopia. At least 10 victims of this program still languish in Ethiopian prisons, with little recourse; still others are missing. We find out why these people are being held and what should happen next.
Jennifer Daskal is Senior Counterterrorism Counsel at Human Rights Watch.

Underreported: NYCHA’s Woes Sep 25, 2008

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The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the nation’s largest public housing authority. It’s also facing big troubles. It has a huge operating deficit on its budget, and is also dealing with rising fuel costs, deteriorating properties, and budget cuts. We look into how things got this bad, and what can be done to help save NYCHA. Leonard talks to Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Julia Vitullo-Martin.

Underreported Update: Newtown Creek Oil Spill Sep 18, 2008

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The worst oil spill in U.S. history happened right here in New York City, at Newtown Creek in Brooklyn. Find out how cleanup efforts are going, whether Greenpoint residents should be worried about negative health effects, and why Newtown Creek might have a new problem to deal with – illegal concrete dumping! Alex Matthiessen is president of Riverkeeper.

Underreported: California’s Lower Ninth Ward? Sep 18, 2008

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The Sacramento delta provides drinking water for 23 million Californians. It’s maintained with jury-rigged levees which are not well-equipped to deal with earthquakes or climate change. We look into why the Sacramento delta is in crisis, and what can be done to save it. Barry Nelson is Western Water Project Director for the NRDC, which has published an article about the crisis in the latest issue of its OnEarth magazine.

Underreported: Thailand Sep 11, 2008

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We explain the ongoing political chaos in Thailand. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was forced from office after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of violating the constitution for receiving payment while hosting a popular TV cooking show. Meanwhile, anti-government groups have been staging massive protests since Dec. 2007. Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch joins us to talk about what’s happened, and what’s next for Thailand.

Underreported: Is NYC Ready for a Major Hurricane? Sep 04, 2008

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70 years ago, in September 1938, a major hurricane struck the northeast and killed almost 700 people…and caused the modern equivalent of nearly 5 billion dollars in damage! Find out whether the New York City metro area is prepared for another major hurricane, and the disasters that could follow. Sarah Newkirk is Coastal Program Director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island; Dr. Nicholas Coch is Professor in the Queens College School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Underreported: Offshore LNG Terminals in NY and NJ Sep 04, 2008

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Environmentalists in New Jersey and New York are fighting proposals to build offshore terminals to store liquefied natural gas (LNG). Hear why ExxonMobil and private investment firms want the terminals to be built, and why many are concerned about the terminals’ potential impact. David Byer is Water Policy Attorney for Clean Ocean Action.

Underreported: Termite Guts Aug 28, 2008

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Could termite guts hold a solution to global warming? Some scientists think that a better understanding of how termites devour wood so efficiently could eventually allow us to create valuable biofuel. Phil Hugenholtz is head of the Joint Genome Institute’s Microbial Ecology Program and is involved in mapping the contents of the termite gut.

Underreported: Is Pollution Poisoning China’s Children? Aug 21, 2008

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With the Beijing Olympics underway, everyone’s talking about how air pollution there is affecting athletes’ performances. But how is it affecting Chinese children’s physical and intellectual development? Dr. Frederica Perera, director of Columbia University’s Center for Children’s Environmental Health, joins us to explain how China’s pollution problem may be poisoning its children.

Underreported: Eating Mud Cakes in Haiti Aug 21, 2008

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As Haiti’s food prices skyrocket, many poor Haitians are resorting to eating mud cakes - the cheapest way to quell hunger in a country whose food import bill will leap 80% this year, the fastest price jump in the world. Rory Carroll is a correspondent for the Guardian.