The following was originally broadcast on 11/12/11, WABE-FM Atlanta

By: Aaron Choi

I immigrated to the United States from South Korea when I was twelve years old. My first fast food experience was a few days after I arrived. I strolled into a local Burger King to try out their famous burgers. After a short glance at the menu, I ordered what looked to be the most American meal the store had to offer: the number six combo. A rich steakhouse burger with fries and a large coke.

The following was broadcast on 4/9/11, WABE-FM, Atlanta.

By Hai Nguyen

My father and I make routine trips to the grocery store with similar outcomes.  We always stand out.  On our last visit, my dad didn’t seem to mind that we had two more items than allowed in the express checkout lane. “No one is counting” he sharply said to me in our native Vietnamese tongue.

After the slow process of watching him swipe each item across the self-service scanner -- waiting for each beep -- the amount of our bill shows up on the screen: 21 dollars and 43 cents.  Of course, rather than using a credit card, my father pulls cash from his wallet to feed into the machine. Then, he starts counting the exact number of pennies he needs, as the people in line behind us start to squirm. When he realizes he is seven cents short, he starts to yell at the machine. I knew we shouldn’t have bought so much tuna fish.

But as my father stood there, making a scene in the grocery store, I reminded myself that only five years ago he was growing his own food as a farmer in Vietnam. He left that behind for me, so that I could grow up in America. And his struggles in the grocery store are just another part of his adjustment to our new life.

Sure, it may have looked like my father was senile at that moment, but to me, all I saw was a very loving and amazing father.

Previously on WABE:

* Prom and School Spirit: A Culture Shock For French Student

* Don't Lean On Me For Technology

* What Money Can't Buy

The American culture is one that is shaped by fear. It controls intolerance, elections, legislature and consumption. This fear that is such a key element of American society is illogical. These fears often stem from ignorance and paranoia, while logical fears are overlooked. Read more...

By Alvin Duncan

The aim of most youth is self-acceptance but it seems they always fall short during the process. They compare themselves to the images in music, television and movies.
Music example such as its an ok thing to degrade women, go head to head with the 5 0 and use profanity, TV example: it’s a cool thing to drop out of high school and start food fights at school and movie example drinking having sex and using drugs is the thing to do. They set limits for themselves based off the images they see. Read more...

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent out an official statement regarding the Fort Hood shooting. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. They want the media and the general public not to hold this one incident as precedent for all Muslim Americans. While investigators are searching for a motive, CAIR does not want the fact Major Nidal Malik Hasan was a Muslim to take precedence over any other evidence. CAIR’s Executive Director Nihad Awad says,

“We reiterate the American Muslim community’s condemnation of this cowardly attack. Right now, we call on all Americans to assist those who are responding to this atrocity…The motive of the attacker is not yet known. We urge all Americans to remain calm in reaction to this tragic event and to demonstrate once again what is best about America – our nation’s ability to remain unified even in times of crisis. We urge national political and religious leaders and media professionals to set a tone of calm and unity.”

CAIR doesn’t want investigators and the media to pin the Fort Hood shooting on the Islam religion and continue the “Muslim terrorist” stereotype.” This may create Muslim backlash leading to harm of innocent Muslim Americans. CAIR urges American Muslims, and those who may be perceived to be Muslim, to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves, their families and their religious institutions from possible backlash.

As a musician who appreciates complexity, I cringe when cheesy pop music comes on the radio. The overly passionate lyrics, the duplicating chord changes all sound the same and are so aggravating. But sometimes I get caught off guard and begin to like a song for a second. Why does this happen? I hate pop! The music is popular though, that’s why it’s called pop, and there are a reason people like it. However fake it is, it works.
Pop musicians have a formula. The chords, the lyrics, and the images are all part of a formula created to make you like it. Axis of awesome, a parody band, proves the existence of this formula. They compiled the choruses of 36 songs that all use the same 4 chords. These songs include Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, You’re Beautiful by James Blunt, apologize by One Republic as well as songs by the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, U2, Red Hot Chile Peppers, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and many others. These are popular songs, spanning generations that have won peoples hearts because of a simple construction. Read more...

I’m hearing the phrase "Post-Race America" a lot. Just because the president of the United States is African-American, it is far too early to label this era as one of a “Post-Race America.”

I believe America can be personified as a recovering racist.

By Aaron Godine

According to KRON4 news a deadly disease has emerged again known as the swine flu. It is a disease that is caused by when human blood and infected pig blood come in contact. This disease is highly contagious, and has currently spread through the nation. The disease spreads between humans through coughing or sneezing and people touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food.