http://www.asiapacificforum.org Asia Pacific Forum is the progressive pan-Asian radio show broadcast every Tuesday night from 8-9pm on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City and live on the web. We cover underreported stories from Asia, as well as Asian American politics and culture. Each week we talk to authors like Arundhati Roy, Jessica Hagedorn, and Jeff Chang; activists and politicos like Yuri Kochiyama, Mike Honda, and Monami Maulik; intellectuals like Tariq Ali, Vandana Shiva, and Vijay Prashad; artists like DJ Rekha, David Henry Hwang, and Asian Dub Foundation--and many more! en-us 2009 Asia Pacific Forum info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) http://www.asiapacificforum.org/images/logo-apf-podcast.png http://www.asiapacificforum.org 144 46 Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI Asia Pacific Forum is the progressive pan-Asian radio show broadcast every Tuesday night from 8-9pm on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City and live on the web. We cover underreported stories from Asia, as well as Asian American politics and culture. Each week w Asia Pacific Forum is the progressive pan-Asian radio show broadcast every Tuesday night from 8-9pm on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City and live on the web. We cover underreported stories from Asia, as well as Asian American politics and culture. Each week we talk to authors like Arundhati Roy, Jessica Hagedorn, and Jeff Chang; activists and politicos like Yuri Kochiyama, Mike Honda, and Monami Maulik; intellectuals like Tariq Ali, Vandana Shiva, and Vijay Prashad; artists like DJ Rekha, David Henry Hwang, and Asian Dub Foundation--and many more! WBAI-FM, New York Asia Pacific Forum info@asiapacificforum.org News Politics Arts activism, radical, art, literature, immigration, immigrant, race, minority, Pacifica, left, liberal, film no 2009 Asia Pacific Forumactivism, radical, art, literature, immigration, immigrant, race, minority, Pacifica, left, liberal, filmNews & PoliticsSociety & CultureArts Last June a Sikh student at Richmond Hill High School in Queens was attacked by another student who attempted to remove his turban before hitting him in the face. Sikh students are not the only group to face this kind of bias-based harassment in New York City. A survey found that 76 percent of sixth to 12th grade students reported seeing students "threaten or bully other students at school." The Sikh Coalition along with several local civic and community advocacy organizations have just released a report card on how the New York City Department of Education has dealt with the issue of bullying and harassment. SONNY SINGH, of the Sikh Coalition will join us to talk about the situation for students in New York City schools and what they are doing to hold the DOE accountable. GUESTS: SONNY SINGH is a community organizer with the Sikh Coalition in New York City. Sonny has been involved in movements for social and economic justice since he was in high school. Since moving to NYC in 2003, he has worked in the labor movement for the union UNITE HERE and was most recently a Community Organizer at CHAMP -- the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project -- where he worked to build a new generation of HIV prevention justice activists. Sonny grew up in Charlotte, NC and Phoenix, AZ. He is also a trumpet player, dholi, and vocalist, and can be seen performing regularly in the NYC area. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=154#408 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=154#408 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 Activism Asian American Civil/Human Rights Education NYC/Region info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI Last June a Sikh student at Richmond Hill High School in Queens was attacked by another student who attempted to remove his turban before hitting him in the face. Sikh students are not the only group to face this kind of bias-based harassment in New York City. A survey found that 76 percent of sixth to 12th grade students reported seeing students "threaten or bully other students at school." The Sikh Coalition along with several local civic and community advocacy organizations have just released a report card on how the New York City Department of Education has dealt with the issue of bullying and harassment. SONNY SINGH, of the Sikh Coalition will join us to talk about the situation for students in New York City schools and what they are doing to hold the DOE accountable. GUESTS: SONNY SINGH is a community organizer with the Sikh Coalition in New York City. Sonny has been involved in movements for social and economic justice since he was in high school. Since moving to NYC in 2003, he has worked in the labor movement for the union UNITE HERE and was most recently a Community Organizer at CHAMP -- the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project -- where he worked to build a new generation of HIV prevention justice activists. Sonny grew up in Charlotte, NC and Phoenix, AZ. He is also a trumpet player, dholi, and vocalist, and can be seen performing regularly in the NYC area. 20:03 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. The last few weeks we have seen countless images of Iranians on the street--and the police brutality they are meeting--as the country confronts the election of Mahmoud Ahmadijinad over Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Rezaee, and Mehdi Karroubi, and the sanction of the results by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama and Ahmadijinad have volleyed comments back and forth about the elections and the legitimacy of protest. We'll ask AMITIS MOTEVALLI, an artist activist and educator who just returned from a three-week trip to Iran, why so many have taken to the streets of Iran and the nature of the U.S.'s interest. GUESTS: An artist, activist, and educator, AMITIS MOTEVALLI was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to the US in 1977. She just returned from a three-week trip to Iran. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, exhibiting art nationally and abroad as well as organizing to create an active and resistant cultural discourse through information exchange, either in art, pedagogy or organizing artist and educators. She is a recipient of the California Community Foundation Fellowship and the Visions of California Award. For more information see http://www.amitismotevalli.com http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=154#409 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=154#409 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 Middle East South Asia Asian Civil/Human Rights Diaspora International (Non-U.S.) Media Politics info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI The last few weeks we have seen countless images of Iranians on the street--and the police brutality they are meeting--as the country confronts the election of Mahmoud Ahmadijinad over Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Rezaee, and Mehdi Karroubi, and the sanction of the results by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama and Ahmadijinad have volleyed comments back and forth about the elections and the legitimacy of protest. We'll ask AMITIS MOTEVALLI, an artist activist and educator who just returned from a three-week trip to Iran, why so many have taken to the streets of Iran and the nature of the U.S.'s interest. GUESTS: An artist, activist, and educator, AMITIS MOTEVALLI was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to the US in 1977. She just returned from a three-week trip to Iran. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles, exhibiting art nationally and abroad as well as organizing to create an active and resistant cultural discourse through information exchange, either in art, pedagogy or organizing artist and educators. She is a recipient of the California Community Foundation Fellowship and the Visions of California Award. For more information see http://www.amitismotevalli.com 38:03 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. The recent resignation of Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as Prime Minister of Nepal has raised new questions about the future of that country. Dahal, known popularly as Prachanda, was democratically elected last August. He was elected after a ten year Maoist insurgency that he helped to lead brought down Nepal's centuries-old monarchy. Several weeks ago, he resigned after a struggle over control of the army and integration of former Maoist fighters into its ranks. What will this recent turn of events mean for the future of Nepal? Nepal expert Ashok Gurung helps us unpack the situation there. GUESTS: ASHOK GURUNG is the Senior Director of India China Institute (ICI) at The New School. He has over fifteen years of international development experience in over 40 countries worldwide. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#405 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#405 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI The recent resignation of Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as Prime Minister of Nepal has raised new questions about the future of that country. Dahal, known popularly as Prachanda, was democratically elected last August. He was elected after a ten year Maoist insurgency that he helped to lead brought down Nepal's centuries-old monarchy. Several weeks ago, he resigned after a struggle over control of the army and integration of former Maoist fighters into its ranks. What will this recent turn of events mean for the future of Nepal? Nepal expert Ashok Gurung helps us unpack the situation there. GUESTS: ASHOK GURUNG is the Senior Director of India China Institute (ICI) at The New School. He has over fifteen years of international development experience in over 40 countries worldwide. 18:42 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. June is Pride Month for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people around the world. In China, city officials in Shanghai have forced the cancellation of several events in the first ever Pride Week festival organized there. We talk to Hannah Miller an organizer from Shanghai about what happened and how these actions will impact future LGBT organizing in Shanghai and the rest of China. GUESTS: HANNAH MILLER, is a founder of ShanghaiLGBT, which organized ShanghaiPRIDE, China's first successful gay pride festival. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#406 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#406 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 East Asia Asian Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI June is Pride Month for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people around the world. In China, city officials in Shanghai have forced the cancellation of several events in the first ever Pride Week festival organized there. We talk to Hannah Miller an organizer from Shanghai about what happened and how these actions will impact future LGBT organizing in Shanghai and the rest of China. GUESTS: HANNAH MILLER, is a founder of ShanghaiLGBT, which organized ShanghaiPRIDE, China's first successful gay pride festival. 11:40 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. Award-winning Bangladeshi author and human rights activist Taslima Nasrin was exiled from Bangladesh in 1993 as a result of her writings on women's emancipation and secularism. She is the author of thirty-two books of poetry, essays, novels and short stories, many of which have been banned in Bangladesh. After being exiled, she lived in India for several years, but in 2008, she was forced to leave as a result of death threats by Islamic fundamentalists and pressure from the Indian government. She now lives in New York City and continues to write, even in the face of continuing death threats. Tune in to hear her read from her work and talk about life in exile. GUESTS: TASLIMA NASRIN is an award-winning writer and human rights spokeswoman from Bangladesh. Exiled from her country for her writing, she is currently a Vivian G. Prins Global Scholar at New York University's Department of English. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#407 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=153#407 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 South Asia Books/Literature Civil/Human Rights International (Non-U.S.) Religion Women's Rights/Violence Against Women info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI Award-winning Bangladeshi author and human rights activist Taslima Nasrin was exiled from Bangladesh in 1993 as a result of her writings on women's emancipation and secularism. She is the author of thirty-two books of poetry, essays, novels and short stories, many of which have been banned in Bangladesh. After being exiled, she lived in India for several years, but in 2008, she was forced to leave as a result of death threats by Islamic fundamentalists and pressure from the Indian government. She now lives in New York City and continues to write, even in the face of continuing death threats. Tune in to hear her read from her work and talk about life in exile. GUESTS: TASLIMA NASRIN is an award-winning writer and human rights spokeswoman from Bangladesh. Exiled from her country for her writing, she is currently a Vivian G. Prins Global Scholar at New York University's Department of English. 20:37 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. In September 2007, thousands of Buddhist monks took to the streets of Rangoon to protest the military junta. In a few days, protestors swelled to 100,000. The regime countered by shutting off the Internet and clamping down on foreign reporters. As the world watched, a small team of underground video journalists risked their lives to shoot the images that would be broadcast across the globe. The new documentary, BURMA VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country, tells the story of these journalists through the eyes of those on the ground. Director Anders Østergaard speaks with us about the award-winning documentary. GUESTS: http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#402 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#402 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 Southeast Asia Asian Civil/Human Rights Elections & Voting Film International (Non-U.S.) Media Politics info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI In September 2007, thousands of Buddhist monks took to the streets of Rangoon to protest the military junta. In a few days, protestors swelled to 100,000. The regime countered by shutting off the Internet and clamping down on foreign reporters. As the world watched, a small team of underground video journalists risked their lives to shoot the images that would be broadcast across the globe. The new documentary, BURMA VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country, tells the story of these journalists through the eyes of those on the ground. Director Anders Østergaard speaks with us about the award-winning documentary. GUESTS: 18:25 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. In the afternoon on May 19th, Melissa Roxas was abducted outside Manila, along with two of her companions. At the time Roxas was involved in providing health services to the rural community in Tarlac. A week later, Roxas surfaced in Manila where she revealed that she was tortured and repeatedly questioned about her activities. Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, joins us to talk about Roxas' experience and how it fits into a larger pattern of disappearances and political killings under the Arroyo regime. GUESTS: http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#403 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#403 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 Southeast Asia Activism Asian Asian American Civil/Human Rights Elections & Voting Foreign Policy International (Non-U.S.) Legal Politics info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI In the afternoon on May 19th, Melissa Roxas was abducted outside Manila, along with two of her companions. At the time Roxas was involved in providing health services to the rural community in Tarlac. A week later, Roxas surfaced in Manila where she revealed that she was tortured and repeatedly questioned about her activities. Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, joins us to talk about Roxas' experience and how it fits into a larger pattern of disappearances and political killings under the Arroyo regime. GUESTS: 15:22 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. On May 12th, 2008, China's Sichuan province was devastated by an earthquake that left 88,000 people dead and more than 5 million homeless or displaced. A year later, rebuilding continues while many children remain separated from their parents. Now folk musician Abigail Washburn has teamed up with producer Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project on Afterquake, an album dedicated to the families affected by the disaster. Proceeds from the project go to SICHUAN QUAKE RELIEF, a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to raising awareness of the reconstruction efforts and coordinating projects to assist those affected by the earthquake. GUESTS: http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#404 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=152#404 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 East Asia Asian Education International (Non-U.S.) Media Music Performing Arts Youth info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI On May 12th, 2008, China's Sichuan province was devastated by an earthquake that left 88,000 people dead and more than 5 million homeless or displaced. A year later, rebuilding continues while many children remain separated from their parents. Now folk musician Abigail Washburn has teamed up with producer Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project on Afterquake, an album dedicated to the families affected by the disaster. Proceeds from the project go to SICHUAN QUAKE RELIEF, a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to raising awareness of the reconstruction efforts and coordinating projects to assist those affected by the earthquake. GUESTS: 23:07 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. Forty years ago, the US and British governments forcibly expelled between 1,500 and 2,000 indigenous residents of Diego Garcia, an island in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to make way for a US military base. It has since been the launching pad for military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and may house a secret CIA prison. It sports a nine-hole golf course, burger joints, and internet cafes which cater to those who staff the base. Meanwhile, most Chagossians live in poverty 1,200 miles away, barred from returning to their homeland. We'll speak with scholar David Vine, whose new book on Diego Garcia combines interviews with former island residents and military officials with declassified government documents to tell the secret history of this form of empire. GUESTS: DAVID VINE is assistant professor of anthropology at American University. His work focuses on issues including forced displacement, U.S. foreign and military policy, military bases, and human rights. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Mother Jones online, Foreign Policy in Focus, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Committed to using academic work to help solve major public problems, he has also conducted research on gentrification in Brooklyn, NY, environmental refugees, and summer league basketball in Washington, DC. Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia is published by Princeton University Press. More here. MUSIC: "Pei Natal" by Charlesia Alexis http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=151#400 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=151#400 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 South Asia Asian Books/Literature Foreign Policy History War on Terror info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI Forty years ago, the US and British governments forcibly expelled between 1,500 and 2,000 indigenous residents of Diego Garcia, an island in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to make way for a US military base. It has since been the launching pad for military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and may house a secret CIA prison. It sports a nine-hole golf course, burger joints, and internet cafes which cater to those who staff the base. Meanwhile, most Chagossians live in poverty 1,200 miles away, barred from returning to their homeland. We'll speak with scholar David Vine, whose new book on Diego Garcia combines interviews with former island residents and military officials with declassified government documents to tell the secret history of this form of empire. GUESTS: DAVID VINE is assistant professor of anthropology at American University. His work focuses on issues including forced displacement, U.S. foreign and military policy, military bases, and human rights. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Mother Jones online, Foreign Policy in Focus, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Committed to using academic work to help solve major public problems, he has also conducted research on gentrification in Brooklyn, NY, environmental refugees, and summer league basketball in Washington, DC. Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia is published by Princeton University Press. More here. MUSIC: "Pei Natal" by Charlesia Alexis 21:12 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. This week marks the 20th anniversary of the government crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On June 4, 1989, Chinese troops opened fire on tens of thousands of unarmed students who had been camped out there to call for democratic reforms and an end to government corruption. Tomorrow evening at the Asia Society in New York, Tiananmen Mothers and Human Rights in China will screen a film called "Portraits of Loss and the Quest for Justice." It features the stories of eight victims of the Tiananmen massacre, some of whom survived and some of whom died during the protests. We will be joined by Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China, to discuss the film, the events it commemorates, and the twenty years of government silence that have followed. Click here to learn more. GUESTS: SHARON HOM is executive director of Human Rights in China and a professor of law emerita at CUNY School of Law, where she taught for eighteen years. She has testified on a variety of human rights issues before key US and international policymakers, including the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Relations and the European Parliament. She has published extensively on Chinese legal reforms, trade, technology, and international human rights, including a chapter in China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges (Seven Stories), edited by Minky Worden. And she edited, with Stacy Mosher, Challenging China: Struggle and Hope in an Era of Change (The New Press). http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=151#401 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=151#401 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -0400 East Asia Asian History International (Non-U.S.) info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI This week marks the 20th anniversary of the government crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On June 4, 1989, Chinese troops opened fire on tens of thousands of unarmed students who had been camped out there to call for democratic reforms and an end to government corruption. Tomorrow evening at the Asia Society in New York, Tiananmen Mothers and Human Rights in China will screen a film called "Portraits of Loss and the Quest for Justice." It features the stories of eight victims of the Tiananmen massacre, some of whom survived and some of whom died during the protests. We will be joined by Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China, to discuss the film, the events it commemorates, and the twenty years of government silence that have followed. Click here to learn more. GUESTS: SHARON HOM is executive director of Human Rights in China and a professor of law emerita at CUNY School of Law, where she taught for eighteen years. She has testified on a variety of human rights issues before key US and international policymakers, including the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Relations and the European Parliament. She has published extensively on Chinese legal reforms, trade, technology, and international human rights, including a chapter in China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges (Seven Stories), edited by Minky Worden. And she edited, with Stacy Mosher, Challenging China: Struggle and Hope in an Era of Change (The New Press). 14:22 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. Quick: name an Asian American superhero! Um, having trouble? Well, you're not alone. Although Asian Americans are all over the comic book world as artists and fans, we are largely invisible between the covers. Now some of the top Asian American artists and writers working in film, TV, literature, and comics have teamed up to fill in the blanks. Join us tonight as we talk to the editors of a new anthology of stories featuring Asian American masked marvels and caped crusaders. They'll tell us how the writers and artists they've assembled finally got a chance to invent characters in their own image--and at the same time, make some sly and critical points about American history and society. Indeed, this new book, Secret Identities, features graphic stories that tell the "shadow histories" of the Hibakusha (the children of Hiroshima survivors), John Henry (the steel-drivin' man), and a Nisei superhero who finds himself interned during WWII. Also tonight, we'll speak with Gene Yang, who has joined forces with Derek Kirk Kim to create The Eternal Smile, a new graphic novel featuring three short stories and complementary artwork. These two heavyweights at the helm of the burgeoning Asian American comics scene have produced a full-color book in which art both fantastical and real illustrates the multi-layered themes of each story: a young knight who must subjugate a dragon to win a princess's heart; a tycoon frog; and a working stiff who succumbs to an e-mail scam. We'll be offering signed copies of Secret Identities and copies of The Eternal Smile to listeners who call in and pledge support for Asia Pacific Forum and WBAI. We're in the middle of WBAI's crucial spring fund-drive, so please call tonight, get copies of the books for yourself or someone you know, and tell your friends! Asia Pacific Forum, WBAI, and the Pacifica Network exist only because of donations from you, our listeners. Please call in to the station tonight at 212 209-2950 to pledge your support, or pledge online here. GUESTS: The editors of Secret Identities are JEFF YANG, founder of the Asian American periodical aMagazine, author of three books, and "Asian Pop" columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; PARRY SHEN, best known for his lead role in the movie Better Luck Tomorrow; KEITH CHOW, an educator and comics journalist; and JERRY MA, founder of the indie comics studio Epic Proportions. The authors of The Eternal Smile are GENE LUEN YANG, author of American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist, winner of the American Library Association's Printz Award and an Eisner Award; and DEREK KIRK KIM, author of the acclaimed Same Difference and Other Stories. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=150#398 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=150#398 Tue, 19 May 2009 20:00:00 -0400 info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI Quick: name an Asian American superhero! Um, having trouble? Well, you're not alone. Although Asian Americans are all over the comic book world as artists and fans, we are largely invisible between the covers. Now some of the top Asian American artists and writers working in film, TV, literature, and comics have teamed up to fill in the blanks. Join us tonight as we talk to the editors of a new anthology of stories featuring Asian American masked marvels and caped crusaders. They'll tell us how the writers and artists they've assembled finally got a chance to invent characters in their own image--and at the same time, make some sly and critical points about American history and society. Indeed, this new book, Secret Identities, features graphic stories that tell the "shadow histories" of the Hibakusha (the children of Hiroshima survivors), John Henry (the steel-drivin' man), and a Nisei superhero who finds himself interned during WWII. Also tonight, we'll speak with Gene Yang, who has joined forces with Derek Kirk Kim to create The Eternal Smile, a new graphic novel featuring three short stories and complementary artwork. These two heavyweights at the helm of the burgeoning Asian American comics scene have produced a full-color book in which art both fantastical and real illustrates the multi-layered themes of each story: a young knight who must subjugate a dragon to win a princess's heart; a tycoon frog; and a working stiff who succumbs to an e-mail scam. We'll be offering signed copies of Secret Identities and copies of The Eternal Smile to listeners who call in and pledge support for Asia Pacific Forum and WBAI. We're in the middle of WBAI's crucial spring fund-drive, so please call tonight, get copies of the books for yourself or someone you know, and tell your friends! Asia Pacific Forum, WBAI, and the Pacifica Network exist only because of donations from you, our listeners. Please call in to the station tonight at 212 209-2950 to pledge your support, or pledge online here. GUESTS: The editors of Secret Identities are JEFF YANG, founder of the Asian American periodical aMagazine, author of three books, and "Asian Pop" columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle; PARRY SHEN, best known for his lead role in the movie Better Luck Tomorrow; KEITH CHOW, an educator and comics journalist; and JERRY MA, founder of the indie comics studio Epic Proportions. The authors of The Eternal Smile are GENE LUEN YANG, author of American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist, winner of the American Library Association's Printz Award and an Eisner Award; and DEREK KIRK KIM, author of the acclaimed Same Difference and Other Stories. 78:39 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. In the last few weeks, the alarm raised by U.S.-based major media outlets and senior Obama Administration officials over Pakistan's security situation has reached a pitch. Many U.S. commentators have referred to Pakistan as a failed or collapsing state, focusing in particular on Northwestern Pakistan. Just today, the press reported that the Pakistani army launched an air attack against Taliban bases in the Buner district. In the meantime, the U.S. Congress is considering over a billion dollars in aid to fund so-called counterinsurgency programs in, and economic assistance to, Pakistan. We'll talk to JUNAID AHMAD to sift through the alarming--or alarmist--news. GUESTS: Currently based at the University of Capetown, where he works with the organization Positive Muslims, JUNAID S. AHMAD has written for Left Turn Magazine on Pakistan and Islam. He is a member of the Peoples Rights Movement (www.prmpakistan.org), a progressive political confederation of social movements committed to structural changes in the Pakistani state, widespread social change, and a fundamental reconfiguration of the global relations of power; the President of National Muslim Law Students Association (www.nmlsa.org); and a longtime activist on issues related to corporate-led globalization, HIV/AIDS, gender justice, militarism and war, and Palestine. http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=149#396 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=149#396 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:00:00 -0400 South Asia Asian Foreign Policy International (Non-U.S.) War on Terror info@asiapacificforum.org (Asia Pacific Forum) Asia Pacific Forum - WBAI In the last few weeks, the alarm raised by U.S.-based major media outlets and senior Obama Administration officials over Pakistan's security situation has reached a pitch. Many U.S. commentators have referred to Pakistan as a failed or collapsing state, focusing in particular on Northwestern Pakistan. Just today, the press reported that the Pakistani army launched an air attack against Taliban bases in the Buner district. In the meantime, the U.S. Congress is considering over a billion dollars in aid to fund so-called counterinsurgency programs in, and economic assistance to, Pakistan. We'll talk to JUNAID AHMAD to sift through the alarming--or alarmist--news. GUESTS: Currently based at the University of Capetown, where he works with the organization Positive Muslims, JUNAID S. AHMAD has written for Left Turn Magazine on Pakistan and Islam. He is a member of the Peoples Rights Movement (www.prmpakistan.org), a progressive political confederation of social movements committed to structural changes in the Pakistani state, widespread social change, and a fundamental reconfiguration of the global relations of power; the President of National Muslim Law Students Association (www.nmlsa.org); and a longtime activist on issues related to corporate-led globalization, HIV/AIDS, gender justice, militarism and war, and Palestine. 23:32 noWeekly, progressive, pan-Asian radio show. WBAI-FM, New YorknonadultAsia Pacific Forum is the progressive pan-Asian radio show broadcast every Tuesday night from 8-9pm on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City and live on the web. We cover underreported stories from Asia, as well as Asian American politics and culture. Each week w