Pakistan and Afghanistan
Newly arrived refugees from Pakistan's Swat valley, wait for tents in a camp set up for people who fled from fighting between Taliban militants and government security forces, in Mardan near Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday, May 6, 2009.(AP)
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Thousands of civilians are fleeing the Swat Valley in Pakistan as the fighting between the military and the Taliban intensifies. There have also been protests in Afghanistan over the deaths of dozens of civilians in U-S air strikes this week. Ameer Ahmed Kahn is the editor of the BBC’s Urdu service, which broadcasts to Pakistan. He joins us from London.
The Du Bois Society
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Is ’smart’ the new ‘cool’? First Lady Michelle Obama has told young African Americans to focus on their education and ignore anyone who says they’re “acting white” by getting good grades. We meet up with a group of young people who are taking her advice. They meet on Saturday at Harvard University to debate and listen to scholars. They’re called the Du Bois Society and they’re trying to convince other young people that being smart is cool.
Bank Stress Tests
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Test results of struggling banks are due today, and they are expected to show that even the banks that verged on collapse will be able to recover if they can raise billions of dollars in cash. We speak with Rebecca Christie, treasury reporter for Bloomberg News.
Madoff Scandal
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We look at one of Bernard Madoff’s key associates, Frank DiPascali. He helped run Madoff’s bogus investment operation, and employees say he seemed to work in the shadows. Now DiPascali is reportedly trying to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, and he might name names of those involved. Our guest is James Bandler, who is investigating the Madoff case for Fortune magazine.
Listener Letters
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We heard from a number of listeners after we mentioned Swine flu news roundup that Boston talk show host, Jay Severin had been pulled off the air because of language he used to describe Mexicans. We also heard from a number of “Synesthetes,” after our recent segment on the neurological condition “Synesthesia.”
Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth”
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We revisit our conversation with Pulitzer prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. “Unaccustomed Earth” has just come out in paperback. The book of short stories, like her other works, deals with the divides that open up between Bengali immigrants to their US and their children, who are born and raised here.
Music from the show
- Dave Douglas, “A Single Sky”
- Couch, “Heimweg 78″
- Robert Schuman, “Fresh/Alerte”
- Grophe, Grand Canyon Suite: Cloud Burst performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
- Nitin Sawhney, “First Day in New York”
I was listening to the conversation about the DuBois Society and I don’t think it is fair to have this discussion without mentioning the tremendous contribution that Bill Cosby has made to this cause. He has been having this discussion for years and has been criticized for being so outspoken. He is a leader and a wonderful example for the black community.
Posted by Katherine Quinn, on May 7th, 2009 at 11:38 amThank you.
What does Bill Cosby have to do with this? This article isn’t about internalized racism. He obviously has a problem with black people, particularly, the urban poor.
Posted by Billy Smith, on May 17th, 2009 at 12:28 am