Taiko, or Japanese drum performance, is thrilling contemporary entertainment rooted in deep cultural traditions. Founded in San Jose's Japantown in 1973, San Jose Taiko has grown to become one of the premiere taiko ensembles in the world.

Naheed Hasnat Senzai is a successful Bay Area author of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction. She specializes in writing stories that feature diverse characters with lives rooted in rich cultural heritages.

Executive Director Eddie Ahn of Brightline Defense is a passionate advocate for the underserved of San Francisco. We climb up to the roof with he and his team as they install an air quality sensor near a busy City freeway interchange so that it can start monitoring pollution there. Data collected by the nonprofit's network of instruments is available for free to low-income residents who cannot afford their own sensors. Brightline partners with other groups to get the word out about protecting everyone from unhealthy air.  

 

Learn more at www.brightlinedefense.org 

 

Produced by Rick Bacigalupi

Neighbors who live near San Jose's Reid-Hillview Airport have been living with noise and air pollution for many years. Now a new study commissioned by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has found definitive proof that lead from the leaded fuel exhaust of small aircraft constantly flying overhead has entered the bloodstream of resident children.