Edgy City: Urban/Rural Space and Ho Chi Minh City

Link to audio of program:

.

As Ho Chi Minh City races to be Vietnam's most modern metropolis, some outlying areas are left behind. Yet they become
interesting because they exhibit many of the tensions that face the developing country after decades of war, as Vietnam copes
with being nominally Socialist but practically capitalist, and races to modernize itself, at the risk of leaving behind
peasants in the largely rural country.

Erik Harms, who teaches Anthropology at Yale, has offered a revealing look at
the social lives that intersect each other in the wake of this modernization race. Focusing on Hóc Môn, on the edge of
Saigon, he writes like a journalist [I mean his writing is readable], revealing social lives as otherwise marginalized
residents of this region on the Trans-Asia Highway are able to tell their stories through his new book, Saigon's Edge: On
the Margins of Ho Chi Minh City, now out from University of
Minnesota Press.

Harms is interviewed by KUCI Subversity show host Daniel C. Tsang, in the first show of this 2011 summer online series, as
Subversity takes a break from radio broadcasts for the summer. The interview is exclusively available online, and as
podcasts, with a official posting date of Monday 20 June 2011 but the interview was taped earlier today, 17 June 2011 at
KUCI's studios.

Interview with Harms by Yale University posted on YouTube:

Adam Bereki's Lawsuit vs. Huntington Beach Police Department

Updated: To listen to the 14 June 2010 edition of the Subversity show, click here: .

Irvine -- On the next edition of KUCI's Subversity program, airing Monday 14 June 2010, we talk with Adam Bereki, author of Friendly Fire: The Illusion of Justice, his memoir about his fight against homophobic discrimination within the Huntington Beach Police Department.

We ask him why as a gay teenager in Orange County he wanted to be a cop in the first place and how he found peace after being consumed with his case, which ended up in an out-of-court 2.5 million-dollar settlement. In his book, he critiques the way police interact with residents and calls for law enforcement as well as a foreign policy, that is not based on violence.

A review of Bereki's book by Subversity's host in the Surf City Voice calls it a "stunning indictment of what the author perceived as the deep machismo, laced with homophobia, of the Surf City's police department."

The show airs from 5-6 p.m. on 14 June 2010 on KUCI, 88.9 FM in Orange County, and is simulcast via kuci.org.

Lincoln Cushing on American Labor Posters

Lincoln Cushing returns as a guest on KUCI's Subversity show Monday 24 August 2009 to talk about a new book of labor posters he has co-compiled, Agitate! Educate! Organize! American Labor Posters from Cornell University Press.

His bio:

Lincoln Cushing, born 1953, Havana, Cuba.

Lincoln Cushing is an artist, librarian, archivist, and author. At U.C. Berkeley he was the Cataloging and Electronic Outreach Librarian at Bancroft Library and the Electronic Outreach Librarian at the Institute of Industrial Relations (now Institute for Research on Labor and Employment).

He is involved in several projects to document, catalog, and disseminate oppositional political culture of the late 20th century. He is the author of Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art, Chronicle Books, 2003; editor of Visions of Peace & Justice: 30 years of political posters from the archives of Inkworks Press,, 2007; co-author of Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Chronicle Books, 2007; and co-author of Agitate! Educate! Organize! American Labor Posters, Cornell University Press, 2009. His research and publishing projects can be seen at his website http://www.docspopuli.org.

To listen to the show, click here: .

Privileging (Gay or Straight) Marriage is Misplaced

For the November 24, 2008 edition of Subversity, a KUCI public affairs program, we talked with law professor Nancy D. Polikoff, author of a new book, Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families Under the Law (Beacon Press, 2008).

She argues that by privileging marriage under the law over other relationships, many people suffer, including those in domestic partnerships. She breaks with fellow queer activists who are now flowing into the streets to defend gay marriage after California voters approved Prop. 8 that banned gay marriage in California. She challenges those activists to see beyond gay "equality" arguments that restrict marriage benefits only to those willing to get married.

Nancy D. Polikoff is Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, where she teaches in the areas of family law, civil procedure, and sexuality and the law. Previously, she supervised family law programs at the Women's Legal Defense Fund (now National Partnership for Women and Families), and before that she practiced law as part of a feminist law collective. For 30 years, she has been writing about and litigating cases involving lesbian and gay families. Her articles have appeared in numerous law reviews, and her history of the development of the law affecting lesbian and gay parenting appears as a chapter in John D'Emilio, William B. Turner, and Urvashi Vaid, eds., Creating Change: Sexuality, Public Policy, and Civil Rights (St, Martin's Press, 2000). She helped develop the legal theories in support of second-parent adoption and visitation rights for legally unrecognized parents, and she was successful counsel in In re M.M.D., the 1995 case that established joint adoption for lesbian and gay couples in the District of Columbia, and Boswell v. Boswell, the 1998 Maryland case overturning restrictions on a gay noncustodial father's visitation rights.

For more on the book, go to http://www.beyondstraightandgaymarriage.com/.

Her blog is at: www.beyondstraightandgaymarriage.blogspot.com/

To listen to the show, click here:

Saving Marriage; Bill Ayers on his Fugitive Days

Mug shot from Chicago Police of Ayers

In our the next edition of Subversity, a KUCI public affairs program, we delve into two controversial issues this election season.

In part 1 of the program, we talk with two filmmakers, Mike Roth and John Henning, who directed a documentary, "Saving Marriage," on the ultimate success in Massachusetts to forestall a voter-ban on gay marriage. We'll ask them what lessons can be learned given that California voters will vote in November whether or not to ban gay marriage (Prop. 8) and overturn the state Supreme Court's recent ruling allowing it.

In part 2, given the controversy over Barack Obama's "palling around" (allegedly) with former fugitive Weatherman Bill Ayers (now a respected education professor in Chicago), we re-air portions of a past interview we conducted with Prof. Ayers. We asked him then to reflect on his fugitive days.

To listen to the entire show, click here: .

More online:

Saving Marriage web site: www.savingmarriagethemovie.com/home.html

Saving Marriage trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmjfKgnnCdA

Ballotpedia Proposition 8 entry: ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=California_Proposition_8_(2008)

Obama and Ayers:

NY Times:www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin (needs free registration)

NY Times Ayers profile: topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/william_c_ayers/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=bill%20ayers&st=cse

Online Petition to Support Bill Ayers:

http://www.supportbillayers.org/

Pallin on Ayers:

www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/us/politics/05palin.html

Our 12 April 2002 interview with Bill Ayers on Subversity: .

Satire: Christian Zionism in Bush's America

On our 4 February 2008 show, we talked with Irving Wesley Hall, the author of a new satirical work, ."Einstein Sisters Bag theFlying Monkeys: A Political Satire about Christian Zionism in Bush's America"

To listen to the entire show, click here:

Ngugi on Being a Writer in a Society in Crisis on the occasion of his 70th Birthday

Irvine -- As UC Irvine prepares to celebrate "Ngugi's Spirit," on Saturday (see below), for our Martin Luther King Day show this Monday at 9 a.m., Subversity converses with Distinguished Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong'o on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Ngugi is the Director of the acclaimed International Center for Writing and Translation at UCI. He is also a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature with Comparative Literature as his home department.

Joining us in the conversation on "Being a Writer in a Society in Crisis" is Gabriele Schwab, Chancellor's Prof. of English and Comparative Literature at UCI. We'll focus on the current turmoil in Kenya.

One of the foremost contemporary African writers and an exile of Kenya and former political prisoner, Ngugi's work as literary figure, activist, and academic testify to his relentless passion and commitment to deliver much needed critique. In 2006 Ngugi published his first novel in nearly two decades, the critically lauded and lengthy The Wizard and the Crow, which went on to win the California Gold Award for fiction in 2007.

To listen to the entire show, click here:

In Ngugi's Spirit: Saturday 26 January 2008 at UC Irvine
The University of California, Irvine is delighted to announce the event, In Ngugis Spirit, to be held at the University of California, Irvines Crystal Cove auditorium on January 26th. Gabriele Schwab, Chancellors Professor of English and Comparative Literature, and David " Theo Goldberg, Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of the Humanities Research Institute, invite the community to join them in honoring the life and work of the world-renowned poet, playwright, novelist and post-colonial theorist Ngugi wa Thiongo on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Ngugi is the Director of the acclaimed International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine, a university treasure originally made possible through the endowment of Humanities alumnus Glenn Schaeffer. He is also a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature with Comparative Literature as his home department.

One of the foremost contemporary African writers and an exile of Kenya and former political prisoner, Ngugis work as literary figure, activist, and academic testify to his relentless passion and commitment to deliver much needed critique. In 2006 Ngugi published his first novel in nearly two decades, the critically lauded The Wizard and the Crow, which went on to win the California Gold Award for fiction in 2007.

Opening at 5:30 pm, In Ngugis Spirit will begin with remarks from UC Irvines Chancellor Michael Drake and Kenyan Ambassador Zachary Dominic Muburi-Muita and proceed with a special talk from Professor and fellow activist Angela Davis, poetry readings by poet, critic and activist Mukoma Wa Ngugi (Ngugis son) and acclaimed indigenous poet, writer and activist Simon J. Ortiz. Following this opening, guests will be invited to a reception and book signing with Ngugi and the guest speakers. At 8 pm, Humanities Dean Vicki Ruiz will open the next session, which will include poetry readings from much-admired African American poets Sonia Sanchez and Jerry Quickley. The evening will conclude with Chinese Music/African Dance: Translation and Performance, a unique event featuring Liu Sola, internationally reknowned Chinese composer, singer, writer and performer, and Koffi Koko, internationally acclaimed African Dancer.

In Ngugis Spirit is sponsored by The UC Humanities Research Institute; The Executive Vice Chancellors Office; The Dean of Humanities; The Departments of Comparative Literature, English, African-American, East Asian Languages and Literatures, German, Spanish and Music; The Critical Theory Institute; The Critical Theory Emphasis; and the Chancellor Professors Research Fund.

James Petras on CIA Destabilization in Venezuela

Irvine -- On our next show, to air Monday 3 December 2007, Subversity focuses on the situation in Venezuela, a day after a referendum to decide whether or not President Hugo Chavez can re-run for office indefinitely, but also to decide on various measures to improve conditions of the poor in Venezuela. We talk with Prof. James Petras, a long-time observer of Latin American social change, about the role of the CIA in stirring up opposition to Chavez, in the wake of the disclosure of a secret document alleged to be drafted by the CIA to destabilize the country.

James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York. He is the author of more than 62 books published in 29 languages, and over 600 articles in professional journals, including the American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Social Research, and Journal of Peasant Studies. He has published over 2000 articles in nonprofessional journals such as the New York Times, the Guardian, the Nation, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, New Left Review, Partisan Review, TempsModerne, Le Monde Diplomatique, and his commentary is widely carried on the internet.

His publishers have included Random House, John Wiley, Westview, Routledge, Macmillan, Verso, Zed Books and Pluto Books. He is winner of the Career of Distinguished Service Award from the American Sociological Association's Marxist Sociology Section, the Robert Kenny Award for Best Book, 2002, and the Best Dissertation, Western Political Science Association in 1968. His most recent titles include Unmasking Globalization: Imperialism of the Twenty-First Century (2001); co-author The Dynamics of Social Change in Latin America (2000), System in Crisis (2003), co-author Social Movements and State Power (2003), co-author Empire With Imperialism (2005), co-author)Multinationals on Trial (2006).

His website is: petras.lahaine.org.
See:
James Petras, "CIA Venezuela Destabilization Memo Surfaces," CounterPunch, 28 November 2007.
James Petras, "Venezuela Between Ballots and Bullets," CounterPunch, 14 November 2007.
James Petras, "China Bashing and the Loss of U.S. Competitiveness," CounterPunch, 22/23 2005.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "The Enigma of Chavez," Le Monde Diplomatique, 4 October 2000.

To listen to the show, click here:

Mike Davis, winner of Lannan nonfiction prize, on "Katrina in the Suburbs" and on OC and Academia

Mike Davis at 2002 UCI rally supporting UC lecturers & librarians; photo © 2002 Daniel C. Tsang

Irvine -- On this Veterans Day show, KUCI's Subversity show features a veteran of countless peace and justice struggles and related literary output, cultural critic and UCI history prof. Mike Davis. Davis, who last week won the noted Lannan Literary Award for non-fiction for his prolific body of work, speaks to Subversity about developers and Orange County, and why he would like to reduce his time in academia (from full-time to one-third). He has made such a request to UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake. We talked to him after his recent (October 31) UCI talk, "Katrina in the Suburbs," about the politics of wildfires, which will also air.

Davis, who will receive $150,000 with the Lannan honor, is a past recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship award.

His biography from the Lannan Literary Awards notes:

"Mike Davis was born in Fontana, California, 60 miles east of Los Angeles in 1946, and is a veteran of 1960's civil rights and anti-war movements. From his first book, Prisoners of the American Dream (1986), about unionism in the United States, to his most recent, Buda's Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb (2007), Davis' fearless writing in 18 books shines a fresh light on economic, social, environmental, and political injustice. Some of his other books include City of Quartz, Ecology of Fear, Magical Urbanism, Planet of Slums, Dead Cities, In Praise of Barbarians, and No One is Illegal. He is currently working on a book about climate change, water, and power in the U.S. West and northern Mexico. A former meat cutter and long-distance truck driver, Davis has been a fellow at the Getty Institute and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1998. He teaches at the University of California, Irvine."

His Wikipedia entry is here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Davis_%28scholar%29.

The show airs on Monday, 12 November 2007, on KUCI, 88.9 fm in Orange County, California, and is webcast simultaneously via kuci.org. Subscribe to podcasts here: www.kuci.org/podcasts/?ShowID=600 .

He was last on Subversity after the Katrina disaster (14 October 2004). To listen to that show (unfortunately some audio is lost): kuci.org/~dtsang/subversity/Sv051014b.mp3.
Among his recent articles is this one, "San Diego Builds a Statute to an Arsonist: Developers with Matches".
To listen to the show, click here:

Chinese Political Poster Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Irvine -- For our next show, KUCI's Subversity radio program interviews the compilers of a new collection of Chinese political poster art from the Cultural Revolution. We chat with Lincoln Cushing, a librarian/scholar of political posters and with Ann Tompkins, whose collection of such posters has just come out in a wonderful compilation from Chronicle Books, Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

We also chat with an Chinese American activist mentioned in the book, Steve Louie, about the impact of the Cultural Revolution, and its art, on social and political movements here.

The show airs from 9-10 a.m. on Monday, 22 October, 2007, on KUCI, 88.9 fm in Orange County, Calif., and is simulcast on the Web via kuci.org.

Cushing maintains a documents for the people site: http://www.docspopuli.org/..

The bulk of the poster collection is housed at the East Asia Library at University of California,

Berkeley: www.docspopuli.org/ChinaPosters.html.

To listen to the entire show, click here:

Feminist Poetry from Vietnam

On our 27 August 2007 show, we aired an interview, taped in Hanoi, Vietnam, with long-time progressive author Lady Borton about her work on the first bilingual collection of feminist poems from Vietnam, The Defiant Muse: Vietnamese Feminist Poems, just out from Feminist Press

To listen to the show, click here:

To listen to just part 2 of the show on Vietnam labor conditions, click here:

Author/Journalist/Filmmaker John Pilger

On our next show, Monday 16 July, 2007, we chat with filmmaker, author and journalist John Pilger about his new book, Freedom Next Time (Nation Books, 2007). John Pilger has been war correspondent, author and film-maker. He has twice won British journalism's highest award, that of Journalist of the Year, for his work all over the world, notably in Cambodia and Vietnam. He has been International Reporter of the Year and winner of the United Nations Association Peace Prize and Gold Medal. For his broadcasting he has won France's Reporter Sans Frontieres, an American television Academy Award, an Emmy, and the Richard Dimbleby Award, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He has made 57 documentary films, most of them shown on ITV network television in the UK and around the world. In 2003, he received the prestigious Sophie Prize for "thirty years of exposing deception and furthering human rights". He holds numerous honorary degrees from British, Scottish and Irish universities. He is a Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professor at Cornell University, New York. A complete CV and filmography is on his website www.johnpilger.com See also Who's Who UK and International Who's Who.

To listen to the show, click here:

Stuart Timmons on Gay L.A.

On our January 15, 2007, we talked with author Stuart Timmons about a new book he has co-authored, with historian Lillian Faderman, Gay L.A., about the underground histories and struggles that led to today's emergence of public lesbian and gay communities in the Los Angeles region. Timmons had been on Subversity earlier, most notably when he talked about his book on Harry Hay, the progressive gay activist. An audio file of that interview in July 2001 is clickable here: . To listen to the latest interview about Gay L.A., click here: .