"A writer who seems to paint pictures without leaving brush strokes."  That's how the Old Mole's Larry Bowlden describes the work of Jhumpa Lahiri in her collection of stories Unaccustomed Earth.  You can find an archive of Larry's past reviews here.   

Fourteen Oregonians died last month in five murder-suicides and one attempted murder suicide. Why this sudden outbreak now of men using guns to murder their spouses, ex-spouses and themselves when domestic violence homicides in Oregon have been on the decline? In 1997, 22 domestic violence homicides took place in Multnomah County alone. In recent years, the state average has been eight murder-suicides a year. Is it the economic climate, a lack of social services, or deep-rooted cultural issues?

This week on Voices from the Edge, Jo Ann and Dave talk with Jennifer Warren, LCSW, a counselor with Portland's Men's Resource Center/Women's Counseling Center since 1998. She specializes in domestic violence intervention and recovery, and has worked extensively with men and women arrested for domestic violence. Join us in this discussion about what's behind domestic violence murder-suicides, how the problem is being addressed and what needs to be done to stop the violence.

 Common Sense Talk Radio
 Hosted by Kayse Jama and Grassia Melendez
 From the Center for Intercultural Organizing 

Today's guests are Joy Margheim from the Oregon Center for Public Policy, and Ronault "Polo" Catalani from Portland's Office of Human Relations.  

5:00 - 6:00 pm Thurs. Nov. 26th

KBOO interviews Dhoruba bin Wahad, who is speaking from a hotel in Jordan after being detained and then denied entry into Palestine by Israeli authorities.  bin Wahad is a former political prisoner in the US who was charged in 1971 with the murder of two police officers, but was vindicated nineteen years later when a judge ruled that the FBI had fabricated evidence in order to frame bin Wahad of a crime he didn't commit.

As an African-American, on his way to a conference on political prisoners convened by the Palestinian Authority in the city of Jericho, bin Wahad feels that he was racially profiled, along with his travelling companion Naji Mujahid - the only two African Americans on a busload of white tourists.

Bridging the gap between the US and Africa with Hip Hop youth culture -- that's one of the aims of the new film Moving 2 the Beat, produced here in Portland and in Sierra Leone.  Abdul Fofanah, co-director of the film and a Sierra Leonean -American, talks about the film here with Tom Becker.   

 Common Sense Talk Radio

 Hosted by Kayse Jama, Grassia Melendez, and Lucilene Lira
 From the Center for Intercultural Organizing