Thu, Aug 2, 2007 -- 6:30 PM

Pacific Time 2007-08-02
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Host: K. Oanh Ha

Winning International Favor -- Through Heavy Metal?
A week ago, Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations was turned down for the 15th consecutive time. But Taiwan is undaunted and plans to launch a fresh bid to join the UN in September. And now the island has an unlikely champion Â? a Taiwanese heavy metal band, ChthoniC. They're currently touring the US as part of Ozzfest.

UN Secretary-General Visits Old Friend
Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, visited the San Francisco Bay Area last week to meet with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and to highlight global climate change issues. And Ban's visit also had a personal side. In 1962, a Bay Area family took in a young Ban as an exchange student.

Music Bridge #1: Mid-Show Music Break
"Rock and Roll on the New Long March", by Cui Jian. From the 1987 CD of the same name.

Grading Press Freedom in China
In its bid for the 2008 Olympics, China promised it would give foreign media freedom to report storiesÂ?a privilege they didn't previously have. But foreign reporters in China say the promise hasn't entirely been fulfilled. Melinda Liu, the president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China and bureau chief for Newsweek magazine in Beijing, talks to Pacific Time about the challenges of reporting in China.

Indigenous People in Borneo's Changing Landscape
Last week, we heard about palm oil plantations replacing the rainforests in Indonesia. The palm oil is mixed with diesel to get a cleaner fuel alternative. In an attempt to lift poor communities out of poverty, the Indonesian government plans to increase the number of plantations Â? and add millions of jobs. But the nomadic farmers of the rainforests are losing their way of life.

Music Bridge #2
"Kemayoran" by a Mandar musician from South Sulawesi, from the CD "Music of Indonesia: Indonesian Guitars" (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)

Music Bridge #3: End Music
"Mixed Vision" by Mo Magic, from the CD "The Rough Guide to the Asian Underground" (World Music Network UK)