iamasiam

Shed Tears Yet?

“I’ve had enough of the Japanese earthquake news.  Can we switch to another channel now?”  The thought just left me aghast.  Can I be as stoic?  When was the last time I shed tears over similar devastating news?  Memories of 9/11 gushed in very quickly.  Then there’s Hurricane Katrina, then Haiti.

Hurricane Katrina and Haiti’s earthquake hit much closer to home, and The World Trade Center tragedy happened right in my work neighborhood.  Does the disaster in Japan seem more remote because it’s halfway across the world?  Maybe the early videos taken from the air or at a distance, described to be of “Steven Spielberg proportions” by one reporter, brings it away further from us.

The news will then start focusing on the people, the faces of the survivors and the bodies of the dead retrieved from the rubble.  Here’s where Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake and 9/11 really hit hard for me:  the mourning of the dead, the anguished pleas for help and relief, and the over-long search in desperate hope to find the missing.

Have you shed some tears yet?  There’s no need for tears, really, but here’s HOW YOU CAN HELP.

***

Viewers of “train wreck” TV programming can’t get their eyes off all the car chases, vacation accidents, people getting run over or falling, and more people getting hurt.  Most of the violence shown appears to be self-inflicted and often brought about by sheer stupidity.  Still, my blood curdles thinking how tragedy can be commercialized to such extent.  I’m wondering which advertisers invest on such shows?  How much do each shell out for, say, a 30-second spot? 

 

Arisen!

Enjoying a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon at a Pan-Asian Chelsea joint, I couldn’t help but notice a boisterous group enjoying their pre-dinner cocktails at a table nearby.  The 30-something male trio relishes their time together with jubilant chatter and unhinged laughter.  From their conversation, Gladys Kravitz could intermittently decipher a word or two in English.  For the most part they’re speaking Bahasa.  They’re Indonesian. They’re gay.  They’re out.  And they’re now emphatically (flamboyantly) having a “Sex in the City” moment, with ne’er a care in the world.

Now, I can’t help but recall this Indonesian flick I’ve seen recently, “Arisan”. ^[1] Its main character is also in his thirties, but he is a closeted gay man just in the process of being pried out of his comfortable but lonely closet.  Dorothy is not in Chelsea anymore.  While Jakarta happens to be the capital of the biggest Muslim country in the world, luckily you’re not in Uganda either. ^[2]  Still, Indonesia is enough of a setting to have your heels clicking 24/7 if you were the main character in this movie. 

“Arisan” is said to have broken barriers, the first Indonesian film to breach the taboo topic of homosexuality.  While touted as a “feel-good” movie, it still feels like it is decades old compared to my restaurant scene in Chelsea.  It’s heartbreaking to witness the portrayal of reality.  Personal struggles for social acceptance of one’s identity are still such a big deal on the other side of the world.  Nevertheless, it is comforting to know that the story is not one of tragedy, as would be the case if it were a film based on David Kato’s own struggles. ^[2]

^[1] The New York Times Movie Review, Feb. 8, 2011
^[2] Bishop Pierre Whalon, “Christian Morality and the Murder of David Kato”, The Huffington Post, Feb. 7, 2011

Asian American International Film Festival 2010

AAIFF'10 starts today with film exhibitions scheduled at various venues in NYC. Check out http://www.aaiff.org/2010 for tickets and more information.

The AAIFF's vision: More than an expression of collective identity, the festival is anchored by the distinct contributions of its members. It is a platform for filmmakers of all backgrounds to develop the constructs of Asian cinema and cultivate the next generation of talent.

The Language of Self-Discovery

It publishers have dubbed Wang Gang’s “English” as a “transcendent novel about the power of language to launch a journey of self-discovery”.  This journey is set during the Cultural Revolution, a sad period in China’s history.  One might expect the author’s work to be laden with grief and bereft of humor.  Not the case!

Mr. Gang exploits the childish innocence and curiosity of his main character, a young schoolboy studying the English language, to describe the mode of the times.  In this exchange between the main character (narrating), his schoolmate (Garbage Li) and the school principal, Mr. Gang injects humor when the boys are called into the principal’s office to be punished for their misdeed.  This humor just naturally flows over and envelopes the mood of the discussion that follows.  It broaches on what perhaps may be the author’s main point--a sad one, albeit—in this smart, endearing and--at times--lighthearted novel.

Garbage Li fixed his eyes on the ground. I was looking up at the ceiling.  I heard the principal say, “It’s you.  Were you two fighting?”

“Mr. Principal, he hit me first,” Garbage Li declared.

“Shut up!  I am not asking you!” the principal barked.  Garbage Li lowered his head.  The principal then turned to me.  “What did he say to you?”

“He said, ‘You’re an asshole.’”

The principal was infuriated, as if he were the object of the remark. “Li Jian-ming, did you say that?”

“Mr. Principal, I didn’t say you’re an asshole.  I said he’s an asshole.”

The principal pounded on the desk and boomed, “You are not allowed to say that to anyone, period!”

Garbage Li and I were silent. The principal paused for a moment.  “You!  Go back to your classroom now and write a self-criticism statement.  It has be thorough and soul-searching!”

Garbage Li walked to the door.  Hen then stopped and turned around.  “Mr. Principal, what is a soul?” he asked.

The principal was about to say something.  “Soul…,” he began, then changed his tack.  “Don’t worry about what it is, just go and write your self-criticism.

Garbage Li finally left, feeling wronged.

What is a soul?  What is soul-searching?  I wondered, too.

Discovering one’s self, you’ll need the words to describe it.

[1] Wang Gang, “English”, Viking, 2009

China's Soul Searching (In English)

It is the sixth in a series of school stabbings in China.  A Time reporter aptly explores the underlying reasons for such attacks, including the Chinese citizen’s lack of access to mental health care and the legal system’s deficiency in providing ample recourse to injustice. ^[1] One could not help but argue that much soul searching is needed even if only to cushion the emotional blow such violence has impacted on its victims and their relatives.

#

In Wang Gang’s powerful novel, “English”, set in the dark days of the Cultural Revolution, the story revolves around preteens in their process of self-discovery while learning a new language in school.  In one of such revelations, one of the children called into the school principal’s office questions the punishment just wrought upon. ^[2]

“Go back to your classroom now and write a self-criticism statement.  It has to be thorough and soul-searching!”

“Mr. Principal, what is a soul?”

“Don’t worry about what it is, just go and write your self-criticism.”

#

A close relative, obviously religious, forwarded me one of those chain letters which argues that, “even from a purely secular viewpoint”, in countries where there is “genuine humbling & seeking of God through prayer”, general prosperity follows.  I argued that China is now one of the strongest economies in the world.  What is their religious base, I asked? <sup>[3]

[1]</sup> Austin Ramzy, “China's Soul Searching as School Knifings Continue”, Time, May 12, 2010
^[2] Wang Gang, “English”, Viking, 2009
^[3] See related article, “God Vs. Gov”

Imelda's Never Ending Story

Imelda says that her true ambition is "to serve without end, and to love without end", to which her son Bong-Bong explains, "My mother, y'know, she may be in her eighties, but she doesn't realize that." Let's just hope the voters do!

God versus Gov

According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life^[1], seventy percent of the people in the world live in countries where there are heavy religious restrictions or hostilities.

Such restrictions or hostilities come from:

• The country’s governments via direct actions, policies and laws;
• Private individuals, organizations and social groups; or
• Both

Of the twenty-five most populous countries in the world, the following Asian countries land in different groups in terms of the weight and source of such religious restrictions and hostilities.

• India, Pakistan, and Indonesia have both very high or high government restrictions and very high social hostilities.
• China and Vietnam have very high or high government restrictions but low or moderate social hostilities.
• The Philippines enjoys low government restrictions but suffers from high social hostilities.
• Myanmar has very high government restrictions and high social hostilities.
• Thailand has both moderate government restrictions and social hostilities.
• Japan has the least restrictions or hostilities from both government and private sources.

According to the study, the brunt of restrictions falls on religious minorities.  Here’s an overview of the religious majorities and minorities in each of those countries.^[2]

Peace on earth, good will toward men!

^[1] pewresearch.org
^[2] cia.gov

When Bells Toll. When Minarets Rise.

There’s the case of a referendum held in Switzerland recently banning the construction of new minarets in mosques from where Koranic chants are recited to call Muslims to prayer.  It passed by a decisive margin of six to four. This development raised ire among many worldwide, some calling for a similar ban on church bells.  An American columnist argues that the Swiss have no ill intent; they just want Islamic extremism nipped in the bud. ^[1]

As grotesquely unfair as a referendum to ban minarets may have been to hundreds of thousands of ordinary, well-integrated Muslims, I have no doubt that the Swiss voted in favor primarily because they don't have much Islamic extremism—and they don't want any.

Then there’s the Brooklyn man who barely a month ago also made—interestingly, only local—headlines following his protests on church bells ringing.  All he could do however was to put up signs in his front yard to demand that the parish turn down the recorded bell sounds that occur every hour of the day.  In this case, it is already law. ^[2]

Bells and organs at places of worship are exempt from the city's noise code - even electronic bells like the ones at St. Thomas….

Meanwhile, there’s this Malaysian writer boasting of her country’s religious diversity—though predominantly Muslim.  Citing verses from the Koran, she goes in length about the need for religious tolerance.  From her article though, I gather there is no law in her country against the construction of religious icons, nor ordinances limiting noise disturbance. ^[3]

Down where I live is a Hindu temple and across the road is a mosque, and there is always something going on, but I manage to sleep. You try staying in Bali, the temples are always chiming. I once frightened myself silly wondering why the Balinese temple next door kept having prayers at night, but you know what? The moral of the story is this: you learn to adjust. Or put a pillow over your head and go back to sleep.

^[1] Anne Applebaum, “In Switzerland, towers of fear”, The Washington Post, Dec. 8, 2009
^[2] Mike McLaughlin, “Marine Park man hangs signs in front yard to protest tolling of church bells at St. Thomas Aquinas”, NY Daily News, Nov. 20, 2009
^[3] Dina Zaman, “The sounds of faith”, The Malaysian Insider, Dec. 10, 2009

Hapa, Meet Korasian. Korasian, Hapa.

It is refreshing to know that Americans of mixed racial background are celebrating their identity more than ever before. ^[1] Still, one does not have to look too far back in time to see how ignorance and hate still fan stubborn resistance towards interracial relationships.

Just a month ago, a Louisiana justice of the peace has refused to officiate an interracial marriage.  The judge rejects that he is a racist and says he is merely concerned that the couple would produce a biracial offspring.  His belief is that their children would suffer by not being accepted by either side of the family. ^[2]

Regardless of the various pockets in today’s society that still believe it is unconscionable for races to mix, we have come a long way.  Think about the response you would have elicited last Thanksgiving if the dinner guest you may have brought home with you were of a different skin color.  Would it have carried the same punch as when Sidney Poitier walked in on that scene in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” half a century ago? ^[3] In contrast, broad ethnic violence continues to split countries and families around the world.

In these times of mounting deficits, it is good to know that the spirit of racial tolerance and appreciation can be a valuable American export.  Yet, we still have much to learn from other societies who are just now experiencing the growing pains of dealing with interracial relationships and the soul searching as a result of the new generation of Korasians.  For example, South Korea is currently experiencing a baby boom from mixed marriages. In the last three years, their government has opened 119 multicultural family support centers across the land to offer help in education and vocational training to address the stigma associated with it. ^[4] In the spirit of free trade, can we have one of those centers installed in Louisiana, please?

^[1] See related post, “Hapa”
^[2] Associated Press, “Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License By Louisiana Justice Of The Peace”, The Huffington Post, Oct. 15, 2009
^[3] http://www.imdb.com
^[4] Martin Fackler, “Baby Boom of Mixed Children Tests South Korea”, The New York Times, Nov. 28, 2009

Top Destinations for Overseas Education

A total of 262,416 students have studied overseas in the most recent academic term (2008-2009), according to a recent study by the Institute of International Education. ^[1]

China makes it fifth in the list of the most popular destinations, dominated by European countries.  These five countries account for 46% of total students enrolled overseas in the 2008/2009 academic term:

• United Kingdom, 12.7%
• Italy, 11.7%
• Spain, 9.6%
• France, 6.6%
• China, 5%

Overall, enrollment overseas has increased by 8.5%. Three Asian countries have among the highest rates of increases as destination for an overseas education:  India, China, and Japan. In these three countries, it would cost only about half, at most, of what one would spend in a local college or university.  For example, college education in India would be about two-fifths the average U.S. local cost.  (Note:  These calculations are based on most recent estimates of average tertiary educationexpenditures per student ^[2] and GDP per capita^[3] in each country.

^[1] Institute of International Education
^[2] Nationmaster.com
^[3] Central Intelligence Agency

International Students in the USA: Asia Dominates (but at a Steeper Price)

A total of 671,616 international students studied in the U.S.A. in the most recent academic term (2008-2009), according to a recent study by the Institute of International Education.^[1]

• India tops the list of countries from which international students originate.  China ranks second in the list.  India and China, combined, account for thirty percent of the total population of international students.
• South Korea ranks third in the list.
• Half of the total international student population in this country comes from only five countries.  Four of those five countries are in Asia, with only Japan ranking lower, fifth in the list below Canada.

In fact, Asian countries dominate the top 25 places of origin of international students.

With the dramatic increases in the cost of education, will this trend continue?  Consider the recent fee hikes that elicited recent student protests in one of our country’s most prestigious universities.^[2]

That would bring the basic UC education fees to about $10,300, plus about another $1,000 for campus-based charges, for a total that would be about triple the UC cost a decade ago. Room, board and books can add another $16,000.

Never mind the laptop!  Twenty-seven grand and change seems like a steep sum to me.  How can the typical American family whose average household income is $50,740^[3] afford to bring their sons and daughters to college nowadays?  And, how much more of a challenge is it for foreign students coming from the above-mentioned countries?

Using GDP per capita as a benchmark for comparison, while the US figure rests at $46,900, consider that of those five countries. ^[4]

• India, $2,900
• China, $6,000
• South Korea, $27,600
• Canada, $39,100
• Japan, $34,000

^[1] Institute of International Education
^[2] Amina Khan, “UCLA students end a day of protest over fee hikes”, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2009
^[3] U.S. Census Bureau
^[4] Central Intelligence Agency

What’s your Global IQ? Sarah Palin’s?

Take the test: http://pewglobal.org/quiz/iq/ ^[1]

Op-Ed columnist Richard Cohen suggests Sarah Palin may not fare well in this. ^[2]

Could those who fault Barack Obama for being callow and inexperienced imagine Palin meeting with the Chinese or, for that matter, conducting a protracted policy review about Afghanistan? As for Pakistan, South Korea, North Korea, the Middle East and, of course, the perplexing Georgian-Abkhazian conflict -- I don't think she is quite up to it all, some of those nations not being close to Alaska.

Chris Matthews asks author Matthew Continetti, a Sarah Palin supporter, whether she is smarter than him. ^[3]

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So, looking at your Global IQ scores, do you think you're as smart as Ms. Palin?

^[1] Pew Research Center
^[2] Richard Cohen, “Time for Some Palintology”, The Washington Post, Nov. 17, 2009
^[3] Hardball with Chris Matthews

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: Thailand

Top Billionaires
Three billionaires make it to the Forbes 2009 list of the richest people in the world.  Their collective net worth of $7.1 billion, equivalent to 1.3% of Thailand’s GDP last year. ^[1][2]

• Chaleo Yoovidhya is the co-creator of Red Bull and founder of Thai energy drink producer T.C. Pharmaceuticals.  With a net worth of $3.7 billion, Chaleo Yoovidhya is the country’s wealthiest. 

• Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi has a net worth of $2.1 billion.  The son of a Bangkok street vendor of fried mussel pancakes, he is a self-made tycoon growing his fortune in inexpensive beer and whiskey.

• Dhanin Chearavanont heads one of world's largest producers of animal feed and livestock with operations in Asia.  He is the third richest in the country with a net worth of $1.3 billion.

The Hungry

An estimated 11.2 million are currently living in hunger in Thailand.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in Thailand remains unchanged at 17% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ^[2][3]

According to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Thailand ranks 22nd with a score of less than 8.2 in the Global Hunger Index (GHI).  The IFPRI ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. ^[4]

^[1]forbes.com
^[2]cia.gov
^[3]fao.org
^[4]ifpri.com

I Dream Of India: Then and Now

In his recent New York Times column ^[1], Akash Kapur describes how India’s image has changed over the years with positive shifts in stereotypes following newfound material prosperity. Replacing the “three C’s: caste, cows and curry” are “technology, outsourcing, billionaires, Bollywood”.

He cites examples culled from sources of but limited casual contact with Indians.  A taxi driver, working as a shuttle-bus driver in last summer’s U.S. Open, is astonished that his Indian passengers are taking expensive box seats.  A newspaper vendor notices the young Indian sisters next door do not wear the “red dot” on their foreheads and that they walk with an “American swagger”.

That is, perhaps, why such perceptions brush only the surface.  As the third largest Asian American ethnic group and with close to 2 million Indian Americans living across this country ^[2], the odds are that more personal interactions with Indians would merit a strong influence in shaping stereotypes other than what is skin-deep.

A writer for various other publications such The Atlantic, The Economist, Granta, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, among others, Mr. Kapur himself acknowledges that the clichés belie the more complex layers of what is India today.  “I know there’s a lot more to the country than smart and rich technology workers who are stealing American jobs and buying box seats in the U.S. Open”, he writes.

I trust also that Akash Kapur whose father is Indian and whose mother is American has himself received more substantive feedback from more personal sources other than the occasional taxi driver and newspaper vendor.  Living in America for twelve years before his decision to move back to India six years ago puts him in an auspicious position to capture such complexities from various perspectives of those he touched and who touched him.  I am anxious to read such revelations in his future works, perhaps in his upcoming non-fiction slated for publication next year.

In an earlier column for Granta Magazine ^[3], he alludes to the “genuine openness and friendliness” of Americans that he first misconstrued as superficial.  He also reveals that it was “a feeling of estrangement, and of cultural and ideological isolation” that has also driven him to move back to the home that he missed.  He seems severely impacted by “the ‘war on terror’ and the war in Iraq – and more broadly, the war on civil liberties “.  He writes, “It had taken me many years to feel American; by the time I left, I was once again an outsider.”

Indeed, it would also be interesting to understand his own perceptions of India--and, yes, American--from both the eyes of the American and the outsider.  I’m guessing his view have shifted just as well from when he first received “crude reactions” as a child to when he now wields the fearless maturity to share his reflections in his well-polished craft.  I’m hoping his optic cuts more deeply through the stereotypes and clichés.

^[1]Akash Kapur, “Letter from India: Exchanging One Cliché for Another”, The New York Times, Nov. 5, 2009
^[2]U.S. Census 2000
^[3]Akash Kapur, “Learning to Love America, Again”, Granta Magazine, Nov. 3, 2008

China's Top 10 Online Games (and the War of Worldly Crafts)

The MMLC Group, an intellectual-property consulting firm in Beijing, ranks the top ten games competing in the online gaming market in China, as follows: ^[1]

RANK	GAME	DEVELOPER	COUNTRY
1	DNF	Neople/Nexon	South Korea
2	kaixin online	TQ Digital Entertainment	China
3	asktao	G-Gits Networks	China
4	moyu	TQ Digital Entertainment	China
5	World of Warcraft	Blizzard Entertainment	USA
6	Westward Journey Online II	NetEase	China
7	Jade Dynasty	Perfect World Co., Ltd.	China
8	tialongbabu	Changyou.com Limited	China
9	ZhengTu	Giant Interactive Group, Inc.	China
10	CrossFire	Smile Gate	South Korea

Chinese government agencies are also vying for control in regulating these game sites.  NetEase was recently shut-down by the Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication but the Ministry of Culture countered that the former does not have the authority to do so.  Because the annual revenue from online gaming in China is projected to hit the $6 billion mark in four years, who gains control is of great significance.  The Ministry of Culture reportedly has the current edge because of wider support form other ministerial-level offices. ^[2]

RANK	AGENCY
1	Ministry of Culture
2	Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication

^[1]mmlcgroup.com
^[2]Michael Wines, "Online Warfare Prompts an Offline Clash in China" The New York Times, Nov. 7, 2009

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: Malaysia

Top Billionaires
Malaysia has six billionaires making it to the Forbes 2009 list of the world’s richest.  Their collective net worth of $22.9 billion is equivalent to 6% of Malaysia’s GDP last year. ^[1][2]

• Ananda Krishnan has a net worth of $7 billion.  A self-made tycoon who started as an oil trader, Ananda’s fortune comes from the telecommunications business.  His holdings include Malaysia's largest cell phone service provider.

• Robert Kuok is tied in ranking with Krishnan as Malaysia’s richest. His net worth also totals $7 billion.  He heads the Kuok Group, a multinational with diversified holdings that range from shipping to real estate to media.

Ananda Krishnan and Robert Kuok have a combined net worth that’s equivalent to three-fifths of the country’s other billionaires:

• Lee Shin Cheng ($2.7 billion)
• Teh Hong Piow ($2.5 billion)
• Quek Leng Chan ($1.9 billion)
• Yeoh Tiong Lay & family ($1.8 billion)

The Hungry
An estimated 3.3 million are currently living in hunger in Malaysia.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in Malaysia remains unchanged at 13% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ^[2][3]

According to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Malaysia ranks low with a score of less than 5 in the Global Hunger Index (GHI).  The IFPRI ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. <sup>[4]

[1]</sup>forbes.com
^[2]cia.gov
^[3]fao.org
^[4]ifpri.com

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: Indonesia

Top Billionaires
Five Indonesians are in this year’s Forbes list of world billionaires.  Their collective net worth is $7.4 billion or an average of $1.48 billion each. ^[1]

• Two brothers top the list of the richest in Indonesia. Michael Hartono & R. Budi Hartono each has a net worth of $1.7 billion.  They’ve inherited their fortune in the clove cigarette business and later expanded into banking, real estate, retail, and hotels.  They hold the major share in Bank Central Asia, the country’s second largest private bank.

• The next two richest Indonesians are both self-made tycoons who have made it in the palm oil business:  Sukanto Tanoto ($1.6 billion) & Martua Sitorus ($1.4 billion).  Both are also currently residing in Singapore.

• Peter Sondakh has a net worth of $1 billion invested in a diverse industries, e.g., telecom, retail and hotels.

 

The Hungry
An estimated 38.4 million are currently living in hunger in Indonesia.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in India remains unchanged at 16% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ^[2][3]

According to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Indonesia ranks 38th (Serious) out of 84 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI).  The IFPRI ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. <sup>[4]

[1]</sup>forbes.com
^[2]cia.gov
^[3]fao.org
^[4]ifpri.com

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: The Phillippines

Top Billionaires
In the Philippines, two rich families make it to the Forbes list of billionaires this year.  Their collective net worth is $4.1 billion. ^[1] This may seem paltry compared to the wealth of other billionaires in the Asia Pacific region, but consider that their combined net worth is equivalent to 1.3% of the Philippines’ GDP. ^[2]

• Henry Sy & family have a net worth of $2.7 billion.  The family controls the Philippines' largest shopping mall developer, SM Prime Holdings, and has diverse holdings in various industries including banking.

• Another family headed by Lucio Tan has a net worth of $1.4 billion.  Lucio Tan & family own: the Philippines' largest cigarette maker, Fortune Tobacco; Philippine Airlines; Asia Brewery; mining operations; banks; property developments in Hong Kong.

Both Henry Sy and Lucio Tan are self-made tycoons who started from humble beginnings, both immigrants from China.  Mr. Tan is currently being prosecuted by the Philippine government, which claims that his wealth belonged to Ferdinand Marcos, the deposed president.

The Hungry
An estimated 12.7 million are currently living in hunger in the Philippines.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in India remains unchanged at 13% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ^[3]

According to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Philippines ranks 34th (Serious) out of 84 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI).  The IFPRI ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. <sup>[4]

[1]</sup>forbes.com
^[2]cia.gov
^[3]fao.org
^[4]ifpri.com

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: China

Top Billionaires
According to the Forbes list of the world’s richest, China boasts of 28 billionaires with a combined net worth of $43.8 billion, averaging $1.56 billion each.

• Topping the list in China is Liu Yongxing who ranks as the 205th richest in the world; he has a net worth of $3B.  Mr. Yongxing heads the East Hope Group, one of China's biggest feed producers, the very industry in which he first entered to build his fortunes from scratch.¹

Hong Kong is home to only 19 billionaires, which is nine short compared to its governing nation.  However, the combined worth of those 19 billionaires is one and half times higher than of their mainland counterparts—that is, $66.9 billion in total, averaging $3.52 billion each.  Three billionaires account for the major share of such wealth in Hong Kong.

• One of them accounts for 24 percent.  In fact, Li Ka-shing, whose net worth is $16.2 billion, ranks 16th of the world’s richest.  He is a self-made entrepreneur with holdings in container terminal operations, health and beauty retailer, energy and oil, and real estate development.

It’s worth noting that Taiwan has four billionaires who have a combined net worth of $10.5 billion averaging $2.1 billion each.

The Hungry
An estimated 13 million are currently living in hunger in China.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in India remains unchanged at 10% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.²)

According to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), out of 84 countries China ranks 5th in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) which ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst.³

Hong Kong and, for the matter, Taiwan are not reported separately in the FAO or IFPRI report.

¹forbes.com
²fao.org
³ifpri.com

The World Hunger Index

According to the International Food Policy Institute¹, twenty nine countries have levels of hunger that are alarming or extremely alarming.  Four of them are in countries in the Asia Pacific Region:

• Pakistan (pop. 176.2 million)
• Cambodia (pop., 13.5 million)
• Bangladesh (pop., 165.1 million)
• Timor-Leste (pop., 1.1 million)

To see the Global Hunger Index (GHI) of the country of interest to you, simply click and drag the marker to that country in the map above and refer to the scale below:

• Low:  Less than or equal to 4.9
• Moderate:  5.0 to 9.9
• Serious:  10.0 to 19.9
• Alarming:  20.0 to 29.9
• Extremely Alarming:  More than or equal to 30.0

¹ifpri.com

Top Billionaires & The Hungry in Asia: India

Top Billionaires
Twenty-four Indian citizens have made it to the world’s billionaires club this year, according to Forbes.com.  They have a collective net worth of $106.8 billion and an average net worth of $4.45 billion each.  Of the top five billionaires in Asia, three are from India, of which two of are ranked in the world’s top ten and two are estranged brothers.¹

• The seventh richest person in the world is Mukesh Ambani with a net worth $19.5B.  Mr. Ambani heads Reliance Industries, a growing petrochemicals business that he inherited from his father.

• With a net worth of $19.3B, Laksmi Mittal follows Mr. Ambani’s ranking as eight richest.  The bulk of Mr. Mittal’s fortune is stock ownership of the world's largest steel company, ArcelorMittal, also inherited from family.

• Mukesh’s younger brother, Anil Ambani, ranks 34th in the list of the world’s richest.  Anil, who has a net worth $10.1B, inherited his family’s interests in telecommunications, power and financial services following a bitter parting with his older brother.

The Hungry
An estimated 0.24 billion are currently living in hunger in India.  This assumes that the estimated level of the undernourished in India remains unchanged at 21% as last reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.²)

Furthermore, according to a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), out of 84 countries India ranks 65th in the Global Hunger Index (GHI), which ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst.<sup>3

1</sup>forbes.com
²fao.org
³ifpri.com

"The Cove": In The Tokyo Film Festival?

The Tokyo Film Festival opened Saturday with ecology as its theme.¹ Kudos to the festival organizers for making one last minute addition to the films in their roster, even though international pressure precipitated such a move! “The Cove” exposes the gruesome slaughtering of some 2,000 dolphins each year in an annual hunt conducted in a seaside town in Japan. The documentary already won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Will it win in Tokyo? Regardless, hopefully, it raises global attention to the cruelty of the killings and the rapid depletion of our ocean’s resources.

Now, will we see another season of “Whale Wars”²?

¹The Associated Press, “Tokyo Film Festival Opens With 'Green' Carpet”, The New York Times, Oct. 17, 2009
²discovery.com

With H1N1, Everyday is Global Handwashing Day

Millions of children and adults in over 80 countries are celebrating the second annual Global Handwashing Day. UNICEF Japan has launched a project promoting handwashing among children in Japan and around the world.¹ This video shows a dance choreographed by Kaiji Moriyama, a renowned dancer, as a public service supporting such efforts.  Everybody...Washi, washi, wah...

The Japanese government also launched a "cough etiquette" campaign, which encourages people to cover their mouths, use a tissue and turn away when coughing.²

¹unicef.org
²Catherine Makino, ”Japan takes hand washing to new level”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 16, 2009

Carnegie Hall Chinese Music Festival: A Welcome Surprise!

To the delight of its executive and artistic director, Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s three-week Chinese music festival is a surprise.¹  So writes New York Times critic, James Oestreich, in his column today.  He explains why:

Mr. Gillinson is quick to acknowledge that Chinese music, in any traditional sense, is almost antithetical to the traditional Carnegie concert format. At least until the mid-20th century, music in China was seldom seen as something to be presented on a proscenium stage and contemplated in isolation by sedentary, silent listeners. It was often a part of daily life, if not integral to the performance of a particular activity or ritual then as background for socialization. And when it did rise to the level of artistic aspiration, it was typically part of a larger catchall form, as in Chinese opera, which includes not only music, drama, dance, costuming and décor but also acrobatics and martial arts.

Aptly dubbed “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: Celebrating Chinese Culture”, the festival which runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 10 seeks to explore both “the hunger for Western works, as well as ‘real’ Chinese music.”² 

Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture pays tribute to a vibrant culture and its influence around the globe with 21 days of events and exhibitions at Carnegie Hall and partner institutions throughout New York City. It features leading Chinese musicians, including artists and ensembles traveling outside of China for the first time, performing myriad genres of music. This festival also includes traditional marionette theater, dance, exhibitions, and much more—a true immersion into a world that mixes ancient and modern, familiar and new.

The festival itself is happening beyond the confines of the Carnegie Hall premises seeking perhaps to stretch beyond the realm of music itself.  Take for example, Mingmei Yip’s performance of both qin music and calligraphy at the China Institute on October 22nd.³

The aesthetics shared by qin musicians and Chinese calligraphers are discussed and demonstrated. The linear quality of calligraphy and the melodic lines of the qin (seven-stringed zither) embody the interplay between yin and yang, sound and space. The ancient Chinese philosophy of nurturing life and the quest for longevity by harnessing breath and qi (chi) are aspired to through qin playing and calligraphic brush strokes.

Indeed, the festival is a welcome surprise not only for its antithetical content but also its more open approach.  As Mr. Ostereich writes, “If Chinese music has opened up in recent decades, so has Carnegie Hall, particularly in Mr. Gillinson’s festivals, which have been studiedly multidisciplinary and multi-institutional.”

¹James R. Oestreich, “A Path to China, Through Carnegie Hall”, The New York Times, Oct. 11, 2009
²carnegiehall.org
³chinainstitute.org

Jila Baniyaghoob: Fearless Iranian Reporter and Advocate for Women

The International Women's Media Foundation¹ will honor three female journalists who have put their lives at stake in pursuit of truth. One of the recipients of the 2009 Courage in Journalism Awards is Jila Baniyaghoob of Iran.

Jila Baniyaghoob, 38, freelance reporter and editor-in-chief of the website Kanoon Zanan Irani (Focus on Iranian Women), Iran. Baniyaghoob works in one of the most restrictive environments for both journalists and women in the world. Still, she has fearlessly reported on government and social oppression, particularly as they affect women. She has been fired from several jobs because she refuses to censor the subject matter of her reporting and several of her media outlets have been closed by the government. She has travelled throughout the Middle East, writing accounts of the lives of women and refugees during times of conflict. The topics of her reporting make her a target of the Iranian government. She has been beaten, arrested and imprisoned numerous times.²

Iryna Khalip (Belarus) and Agnès Tallé (Cameroon) are the other two women who will be receiving similar awards, while Amira Hass (Israel) will get the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Presenting the awards are Christiane Amanpour (CNN), David Gregory (Meet the Press), Irshad Manji (NYU), and David Westin (ABC News).  The ceremonies will be held at The Waldorf-Astoria in NYC on Tuesday, October 20th.

¹iwmf.org
²iranian.com

1.57 Billion Muslims Worldwide: "Asia Predominates"

The Pew Forum recently released the results of their comprehensive research on Muslims worldwide.¹  The study provides the size and distribution of the Muslim population across the world. The Forum, a project of the Pew Research Center, seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.²

The study brings the total estimate to over 1.57 billion Muslims in the world.

There are more Muslims in the Asia-Pacific region than anywhere else in the world combined.  The countries with the largest number of Muslims in that region are Indonesia, Pakistan and India, which together accounts for more than a third (34%) of the world’s Muslim population.  Indonesia alone houses 202.9M Muslims, just a few percent shy of the entire Sub-Saharan African region’s Muslim population of 240.6M.  In fact, the Muslim population in Indonesia and Pakistan combined (376.9M) outranks the region known to be the center of Islam, the Middle East-North Africa (315.2M).

Together, Europe (38.1M) and the Americas (4.6M) have less than a two-digit share of the total count of Muslims in the world.  The United States has an estimated 2.5M, followed by Argentina and Canada respectively who each have less than a million Muslim residents.

The 2.5M count for the U.S.A rests within the wide range of previous estimates of 1M to 7M made over the past decade.³ Various sources also indicate that the largest group of Muslims in the country identify themselves as African American and that many reside in California—although New York has a larger share of Muslims based on total state population.

In New York City, the 24th United American Muslim Day Parade is expected to draw crowds on Sunday, October 18th.⁴  The parade will be along Madison Avenue starting at 41st Street and ending at 23rd Street where there will be a Food Festival and Bazaar.  Spearheaded by The Muslim Foundation of America and supported by several other organizations, the annual parade began to achieve their objective:  “to provide a platform to the Muslim community in the Tri-State to get together and join the main stream political arena of this country as we have adopted it as our homeland”.  The parade’s theme this year is “Understanding-Tolerance-Love”, lofty ideals that hopefully translate well both within our diverse U.S. communities and the rest of our conflict-ridden world.

¹Erik Gorski, ”Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion”, Associated Press, Oct. 8, 2009
²pewforum.org
³islam101.com
⁴muslimdayparade.com

A Call From the Deep: Lower Carbon Emissions

The Maldives government will hold a special cabinet meeting on October 17th to call on world governments to reduce carbon emissions.¹  The ministers will need scuba gear to participate in conjunction with plans to conduct the meeting underwater.  As the lowest-lying nation on earth, the Maldives have much at stake in the threat of global warming, which potentially can bring much of the nation below sea level.

In fact, as precursor to looming future disasters, this tiny nation in the North Indian Ocean, Southwest of Sri Lanka was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami causing 82 lives and significantly damaging its major industries.²  Fortunately, the Maldives have been spared of the catastrophic natural disasters that have recently struck Asia and the Pacific.

Hopefully, their important message does not land on philosophically waterlogged ears.  Regardless whether we caused global warming directly or not, it should not stop the world’s governments from addressing this very real issue.

1Associated Press, "Maldives: Bring the Waterproof Pens", The New York Times, Oct. 8, 2009
2U.S. Department of State, “Background Note: Maldives”

Mao and Deng: Now and Then

“So on this 60th anniversary, we should join in the celebration of the Deng revolution and not be distracted by the portrait of Mao hanging in Tiananmen Square”, concludes Ezra Vogel in her op-ed today in The New York Times.¹  Mr. Vogel argues that while Mao Zedong should be credited for laying the base for his successors’ accomplishments, “The true revolution belongs to Deng Xiaoping.”

Mr. Vogel views the leader’s major achievements in further opening the country’s door to foreign trade and investment, triggering massive infrastructure and industrial development and thereby raising millions of his countrymen from poverty.  Still, he does not ignore the many challenges China faces now since Deng’s assumption into power: “corruption, crackdowns on dissidents, environmental degradation, unequal educational opportunities and a failing rural health system”.

Should Deng Xiaoping then be held in higher stature in commemorating China’s revolution now and in future?  Absolutely!  Will Deng replace Mao as the iconic symbol of China’s turning point in its history?  I doubt it.

¹Ezra F. Vogel, “... But Deng Is the Leader to Celebrate”, The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2009

A Bollywood Film with No Production Numbers?

Yes, says film critic Rachel Saltz of The New York Times.¹ Today, in her film review of “Wake Up Sid”, Miss Saltz is appreciative of the character portrayal (“credible”) and directorial style (“quiet) that she gleans from this romantic comedy.

Ms. Sharma has made a specialty of characters like Aisha: independent urban women, whose dreams involve careers as well as love. Her Aisha is a nuanced creation — ambitious, sympathetic, believable — and Mr. Mukerji, making his directing debut, is right to let her run away with the film. Mr. Kapoor, who in his short career has played variations on the cute cad, does well to keep up.

But, no productions numbers? Here’s a trailer for you to judge for yourself. It opened yesterday in theaters nationwide.

¹Rachel Saltz, ”Career Woman Helps a Man-Child Grow Up”, The New York Times, Oct. 3, 2009

Trifecta of Natural Disasters in SEA and Pacific: How to Help

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake devastated Indonesia yesterday bringing down buildings, bridges and setting off landslides.  Local officials have thus far reported 200 bodies found but more casualties are expected as relief efforts pick up.¹

The Indonesian tremor occurred just shortly in the aftermath of Samoa’s 8.0 magnitude earthquake that precipitated a tsunami resulting in 150 deaths at last count.²

Meanwhile, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia, still recovering from the havoc Typhoon Ketsana has wrought just days ago, face a potentially destructive new storm heading their way.  Already, the death toll has risen to over 400 in the area, including 277 from the capital of the Philippines alone.³

Social networks have been helpful at least in providing comfort to those who learn that family and friends overseas are safe—that is, if lines aren’t down to begin with.  API organizations have yet to mobilize to assist in relief efforts, but many in Twitter space are pointing to the Red Cross with local and overseas chapters soliciting donations to support such efforts.

To contribute to the American Red Cross in their efforts, please donate to the International Response Fund.  Call 1-800-733-2767 or go to redcross.org.

¹ News Service, ”Powerful Quakes Upend Lives of Thousands”, The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2009
² Rod McGuirk and Audry McAvoy of The Associated Press “Death toll in Samoas tsunami reaches 150, The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2009
³ Nguyen Van Vinh of Reuters, “Philippines braces for second stronger typhoon”, The Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2009

The Philippine’s Worst Flood Disaster in 40 Years: Help Red Cross Relief Efforts

A month’s rainfall packed in just a few hours renders at least 140 dead thus far in the Philippine’s worst flood disaster in 40 years.  As Vietnam braces for the onslaught of the same storm, even as another one heads its way to the Philippines.¹

The Red Cross is providing relief to thousands of flood victims in the Philippines, from rescuing people stranded on rooftops to providing hot food and temporary shelter to many displaced communities.

To help the American Red Cross in their efforts, go to the International Response Fund at 1-800-733-2767 or go to redcross.org.

To donate directly to the Philippine National Red Cross relief projects, go to redcross.org.ph.

¹ Teresa Cerojano of The Associated Press, "140 die in Philippine storm, toll expected to rise", Yahoo! News, Sept. 28, 2009

'Two Stage Sisters': Xie Jin’s 1965 Drama in 2009 NYFF

The New York Film Festival¹ opened yesterday at the Lincoln Center offering a wide variety of films in exhibition including a handful from Asia:

Independencia
Raya Martin, 2009, Philippines/France/Germany/Netherlands, 77m
Sun. Oct. 4: 3PM

Mother
Bong Joon-Ho, 2009, South Korea, 129m
Fri. Oct. 9: 6 | Sat. Oct. 10: NOON

Kanikosen
Sabu, 2009, Japan, 109m
Sun. Sep. 27: 11:30AM | Mon. Sep. 28: 6PM

Ghost Town
Zhao Dayong, 2008, China, 169m
Sun. Sep. 27: 2:15PM

Crossroads of Youth
An Jong-hwa, 1934, Korea, 74m
Sat. Oct. 3: 11AM

In conjunction with the film festival is “Masterworks: (Re)Inventing China A New Cinema for a New Society, 1949-1966”, a series of 20 films from China released at the time between the Communist victory and the start of the Cultural Revolution.

In his column today in the New York Times, Mike Hale focuses on the main attraction of the series, Two Stage Sisters (Wutai Jiemei).²

Some of the films available for preview were as heavy-handed as you might expect of work made under rigid state control. But “Two Stage Sisters,” which is being shown on Saturday and on Oct. 6, is unexpectedly fluid and subtle, with emotions that ring true. It’s also a sweeping, ambitious narrative that moves from the provinces to the theater district of Shanghai and back again. Some cramped staging may reflect a lack of resources, but Mr. Xie’s technical assurance and the overall level of the acting are the equal of at least a modest Hollywood drama of the 1950s or ’60s.

While the 1965 film is laced with latent Communist propaganda, the Cultural Revolution landed filmmaker Xie Jin in jail and his film was banned for its "bourgeois" content.  That by itself makes it worth seeing, and how artistic expression has survived the political turmoil and pressures of that time.

¹The Film Society of Lincoln Center
²Mike Hale, “Two ‘Sisters’ From Time of Mao Star Again”, The New York Times, Sept. 26, 2009

Jim Yong Kim: First Asian American Ivy League Leader

President Jim Yong Kim was inaugurated last Tuesday to become the first Asian American leader of Ivy League school.¹ Dr. Kim co-founded Partners in Health, a Harvard-affiliated nonprofit organization that provided health services in Haiti. He also served as Director of HIV/AIDS in the World Health Organization, a program that significantly raised global AIDS awareness and changed the life prospects of thousands who are currently in treatment.² In his inaugural address, President Jim Yong Kim imparted his wisdom to the student body and bequeathed upon them a greater calling ahead.

Find your passion, be persistent in achieving mastery, pursue knowledge in the way that works best for you and embrace the planet’s problems, because no one will be more prepared to fix them than you.

¹Holly Ramer of The Associated Press, “1st Asian-American to lead Ivy League school inaugurated”, Nashua Telegraph, Sept. 23, 2009
²Global Health Champions, PBS.org

Kallash Kher: Sufi-infused funk and rock

In anticipation of the release of their new CD of both re-recorded remixed and new material on the world music-famous Cumbancha Records label, Kallash Kher¹ performs at 9 o’clock tonight, September 22, at the (Le) Poisson Rouge² at 158 Bleecker Street, New York. Expect a meld of Sufi-folk and rock from Kallash infused with his brothers’ modern rock, electronic and funk influences. Indian superstar Kallash Kher, classically trained and of Bollywood fame, brings refreshing unique but accessible delightful music right into our international village. Music blogger Richard Marcus³ in his review of Kallash’s recent recording says listeners will be swept off their feet by the music’s splendor, amazed by the virtuosity of Kher’s vocals, and fascinated by its unique quality—“different from almost anything you've ever heard before.”

1kallashkher.com
2lelepoissonrouge.com
3blogcritics.org

JACL honors Japanese American Veterans

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) paid tribute to the Japanese American veterans who served in the armed forces during World War II and the Korean War.  In the organization’s 3rd Annual Gala Awards Dinner held last Tuesday in Washington D.C., the JACL bestowed their appreciation to veterans of all conflicts and persons who are currently serving in the military, and particularly veterans of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and others who served in regular units during World War II, and veterans of the Korean War.

The honorees include Senator Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii, a World War II veteran and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and several distinguished organizations, including:  The Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) which was started by World War II veterans, The Japanese American Korean War Veterans (JAKWR) which honors veterans of the Korean War, The Go for Broke National Education Center which keeps alive the history of the Japanese Americans, and The National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS) which is heavily involved with honoring the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) with a proposed center at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Among Asian American leaders who participated in the affair were Congressman Mike Honda, Senator Daniel Inouye, and Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., among other dignitaries.

Founded in 1929, the JACL commemorates its 80th anniversary this year.  The JACL continues its work today as the oldest and largest Asian American civil and human rights organization in the nation.  Its leaders include National JACL Executive Director, Floyd Mori, National President Larry Oda and Vice President Sheldon Arakaki.

Yura Yura Teikoku Rocks Williamsburg Again Tonight

Yura Yura Teikoku a psychedelic band from Toyko headlines their own show tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg¹ in Brooklyn, NY after opening for Yo La Tengo last Tuesday and Wednesday. The trio consists of vocalist/guitarist Shintaro Sakamoto, bassist Chiyo Kamekawa and drummer Ichiro Shibata. Critics are raving of their recent performances and their new CD.

Warming up the stage with a lean blast of angular guitar rock, Japanese trio Yura Yura Teikoku was a fitting opener, just as interested in its music's fringes as the headliners so obviously were. - Boston Globe²

But for me -- and several bewildered folks I spoke with during and after the show -- the night belonged to Yura Yura Teikoku, a Tokyo-based psych-rock trio that opened the show. Sweet holy hell. They might be my new favorite band. I even bought a CD at the show, which I rarely do -- mostly because I typically already have CDs sent to me from bands playing shows at HG. And also 'cuz I'm cheap. - Solid State³

In its native Tokyo, the psychedelically inclined Yura Yura Teikoku is a known quantity, its roots winding back to 1989. In New York, where the trio didn’t bother to perform until recent years, it still registers as an exotic blip. Yet America may be closing this blind spot: Yura’s latest album, Hollow Me, was just released by the chic Manhattan label DFA; now, on the heels of New England shows with Yo La Tengo, the band headlines Music Hall of Williamsburg. Though renowned for its big guitars and wild aura, the trio sounds compressed and brainy in its new work. Hollow Me and its accompanying EP, Beautiful, evoke Brian Eno’s pop albums and the hermetic motion inherent to krautrock, with unlikely shoots of soft rock deliberately sprouting through the cracks. The band becomes at once sleek and strange—psychedelic in its very tidiness. - Time Out New York⁴

Here’s a video clip from the group’s hefty performance last year at the same venue. Rock on!

¹Music Hall of Williamsburg
²James Reed, "Popular or not, Yo La Tengo still thrills", Boston Globe, Sept. 18, 2009
³Dan Bolles, "Turning Japanese", Seven Days, Sept. 16, 2009
⁴Jay Ruttenberg, "Yura Yura Teikoku", Time Out New York, Sept. 17-23, 2009

The Real Gun-Slinging Death Squads: “Engkwentro”

The Filipino film “Engkwentro” (Clash) which portrays the life within a real-life vigilante group supposedly backed by a politically powerful figure is named as Best Debut Film in the Orizzonti competition of the 66th Venice Film Festival that has just ended.¹ The film by 22-year director Pepe Diokno has also won the Luigi de Laurentiis Award for a debut film. Here’s a video clip from the producer’s website.²

This year’s Venice Film Festival is dominated by political themes, according to Reuters, reporting also today that video artist Shirin Neshat from Iran is best director Silver Lion for "Women Without Men". The film is about the experience of four women in Iran's 1953 coup, which draws clear parallels to recent protests that have caught the headlines.³

¹Ricky Lo, “RP film wins in Venice”, The Philippine Star
²EngkwentroMovieMultiply.com
³Mike Collett-White and Silvia Aloisi, “Political passions run high at Venice film festival”, Reuters India

Let Blind Pigs Fly

“Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” opens today at MOMA’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters in New York City as part of their ongoing film exhibition, “Contemporasian”.¹ The movie, written and directed by a one-named Indonesian filmmaker, Edwin, portrays the lives of several loosely related characters in a series of vignettes. The backdrop is last year in Jakarta when it was commemorating the 10th anniversary of the ethnic violence that rocked the city in 1998. According to film critic Mike Hale in his New York Times column today:²

American audiences may find “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,” the debut feature of the one-named Indonesian director Edwin, a bit slow and cryptic for a dark comedy about feeling out of place in one’s own country. But given censorship — relaxed since the 1990s, but still there — and a national reluctance to confront the ethnic scapegoating that occasionally results in the murders of large numbers of Indonesian Chinese, it’s a sign of changing times that the film could be made at all.

Consider the setting and how these characters seek to be someone or somewhere else: a young ethnic Chinese woman who has started calling his grandpa by a Dutch word instead of Indonesian; a friend who wishes he were Japanese instead, having been beaten up as child for being a “Chinese brat”; and, an affluent gay Indonesian who wants to engage in a particular sex act with his apprehensive lover. The theme of the film should resonate as strongly here as in Jakarta, even if the ethnic and cultural background of the characters may be altogether different.

Here is the trailer of the movie when it was first released by Filmmuseum Distribution last July:

¹Museum of Modern Art, New York City
²Mike Hale, “Feeling Like Aliens in Their Own Land”, The New York Times

Two Asian Americans in List of World’s Most Powerful Women

Indira Nooyi, chief executive at PepsiCo, ranks third in Forbes Magazine’s 2009 list of the world’s most powerful women.  Only one other Asian American makes it to the top 100; Andrea Jung, Avon’s chief executive, ranks 25th.¹

Indira Nooyi
Though 2008 revenues grew 10% from the year before and snack sales are holding, Nooyi has been struggling to revamp falling profits in PepsiCo's core beverage business. Focusing on innovation instead of acquisition, the company is debuting new product lines, targeted marketing and repackaging efforts in 2009. A re-launch of the energy drink Propel will advance Nooyi's plan to offer more healthful products to serve consumer demand. The group also launched a "Refresh Everything" campaign, featuring Pepsi Natural, made with all-natural ingredients, and Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, inspired by designs of the 1960s and '70s. —Jenna Goudreau

Andrea Jung
Despite the down economy, Jung's leadership led Avon to report over $10 million in revenues for 2009. In the past year, Jung and Avon have partnered with actor Patrick Dempsey to create and promote a men's fragrance called "Patrick Dempsey Unscripted." Avon donated more than $5 million for earthquake victims in the Sichuan Province in China. Last spring, Avon donated $1.5 million to establish the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School to help combat violence against women. Jung, a Princeton grad, speaks fluent Chinese. —Chelsea Platt

The list includes ten other women from other Asian countries:

Rank
 5 – Ho Ching, Chief executive, Temasek (Singapore)
13 – Sonia Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress Party (India)
20 – Chanda Kochhar, Chief executive, ICICI Bank (India)
44 – Gloria Arroyo, President (Philippines)
72 – Sri Indrawati, Coordinating Minister for the Economy & Minister of Finance (Indonesia)
79 – Hasina Wajed, Prime minister (Bangladesh)
80 – Hyun Jeong-eun, Chairman, Hyundai Group (South Korea)
86 – Deb Henretta, Group president, Asia, Procter & Gamble (Singapore)
92 – Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman, Biocon (India)
93 – Eva Cheng, Executive vice president, Amway Greater China & Southeast Asia (Hong Kong)

The Forbes list includes women with household names in their respective areas or industries.  The ranking is based on the extent of press coverage one gets and the overall significance of each in relation to the organization they are managing.  Hence it's more about influence rather than popularity.

¹“The World's 100 Most Powerful Women”, Edited by Mary Ellen Egan and Chana R. Schoenberge, Forbes.com

Imelda: The Musical

The Pan Asian Repertory Theater has a lofty mission statement including introducing Asian American theatre to the “differently-abled”. But not quite as lofty as their current project—to stage a musical about Imelda Marcos! Slated for a September 22 opening at the Julia Miles Theater in New York City, this project has the necessary elements for success given the esoteric appeal of the Imelda character.

Few have come close to capture the elusive mystic that surrounds Imelda. A source, requesting anonymity, volunteers this tidbit of information after rare close encounters with Imelda in his neighborhood.

"The neighborhood buzz was that she was using Doris Duke's apartment in the relatively new Dag Hammarskjold Plaza building. I used to see her shopping at the greengrocer's stand across Second Avenue, her bodyguard in attendance; and when I took up the collection during mass at the local Catholic church, she was a steady contributor. I was struck by her height—she was much taller and more beautiful than she appeared on television—and her immaculate, elegant style. Although I was never one of her admirers, I thought that she was a stunning woman to look at: flawless skin; luxuriant, glossy dark hair; and, a rather vacant gaze."

Attempts to portray her beyond-skin-deep character proliferated in media especially during fraud and racketeering charges were brought before her in Manhattan’s Federal Court— a helpless victim, a ruthless conspirator, a crazy woman, among others. Not one sticks to me; perhaps all is true.

New York City could not have been a more fitting stage to purse such attempts to scrutinize her up-close. The first wife of foreign head of state to stand in court in the U.S., Imelda was not repulsed by the theatrical spotlight; in fact, she seemed to have reveled in it. The trial itself included celebrities including Doris Duke who reputedly posted her $5 million bail, George Hamilton who posed as “star” witness to her defense, and—who can forget the antics of—her defense attorney Gerry Spence. Following her acquittal, Imelda’s encore was “shuffling up the aisle of New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral on her (padded) knees, clutching a rosary and praying”. Bravo!

Perhaps, beyond the thousand pairs of shoes, the lavish shopping sprees, and the extravagant galas associated with Imelda, the Pan Asian Repertory production would look further inside her self. A conniving partner to a crime wrought upon an entire nation? A lobotomized shell that is running on autopilot following a nervous breakdown? A survivor coping with an historic twist of fate? An innocent victim who only wanted wealth, fortune and fame but sans the necessary curse that comes with the pact her husband signed in her behalf? An enchanting diva who will haunt us forever, regardless.

Kudos to the Pan Asian Repertory for taking on this brave project! I wish them success and hope it turns out to be more than just, as Simon Cowell would say, a “karaoke” act. Here’s a video the theater released to promote this musical. It’s rather lengthy and choppy, but interesting notwithstanding.

President Kim Dae-jung: Rest in peace!

The former president of South Korea, Kim Dae-jung, died today at the age of 85, the Associated Press reports.

A champion of human rights and a pro-democracy leader, he survived years of imprisonment and exile under the rule of two military juntas.  After a couple of futile attempts to serve as the nation’s top leader, Kim Dea-jung was elected president at age 72.  As president, he earned the Nobel Peace Prize following a summit with North Korea.  It opened the door for reconciliation and resulted in emotional reunions for many families separated by war between the two governments.  It also earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, the first and only for a South Korean.

Indian American Celebrations Underway in NYC

New York City’s 29th India Day Parade begins at noon today, August 16th, on Madison Avenue, from 41st to 27th Street. The celebration extends to a street fair at Madison Avenue, between 23rd and 27th Streets. Indian Americans celebrate their rich culture and history every year at this time. This year also marks India’s 63rd year of independence from colonial rule, with the theme of “communal harmony and peaceful co-existence towards progress” as appropriately expressed in this recently released video.

Senator Wins American's Release: Is Suu Kyi next?

Senator Webb won the release John Yettaw, the American who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment because of his attempt to meet with Myanmar’s political prisoner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  The senator also met with the country’s junta leader Senior General Than Shwe to request for Suu Kyi’s release.

Senator Webb Travels To Myanmar

The New York Times today reports that Virginia Senator Jim Webb is due in Myanmar this weekend to discuss with junta leaders the situation with pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  Aung San Suu Kyi has recently been tried and sentenced anew resulting in the extension of her house arrest that now spans several years, essentially because of her opposition to the current government.  (See related post, “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sentenced”.)

Senator Jim Webb is traveling independently, but State officials view it as an opportunity to opening communication lines between the two countries.  As chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, Mr. Webb is driven to re-engage with Southeast Asia at all levels.  Given his fine credentials, he is well qualified to lead this endeavor.  We join the global community‘s outcry against Aung San Suu Kyi’s unjust incarceration, and hope Mr. Webb’s efforts will lead to her release.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sentence: Shameful!

After 13 years under political detention, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to an additional 18 months for violating conditions of her house arrest.  Amnesty International calls for nothing but the immediate and unconditional release of the pro-democracy leader of Myanmar.

‘Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan described the verdict as ‘shameful’, adding that ‘her arrest and trial and now this guilty verdict are nothing more than legal and political theatre.’

A worldwide movement against human rights abuse, Amnesty International calls us to action by writing to Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and calling on them to secure the release of Myanmar's prisoners of conscience.

Universal Peace

The week-long commemoration of Universal Peace Day ends today in New York City with a tree-planting ceremony at the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew Courtyard and the final showing of the documentary “Gate/Atomic Flame” at the New York Buddhist Church.  The Universal Peace Day marks its 25th year anniversary in remembrance of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.  The commemoration seeks to transform our remembrance of horror into a re-dedication to life.

Ben Steele Sketches Our Dark History

In their article, “Witness to Bataan”, Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman of the American Heritage Magazine recount the horrifying experiences of Ben Steele surviving the infamous death march in Bataan.

In his first face-to-face encounter with his captors, Steele sensed the feelings of hate that the Japanese soldiers exuded.  Yet, in his first close encounters with death itself, he felt it would serve him better to just remain aloof.  “So many were dropping to the road, he thought, it was better not to get close to anyone.”  But Steele’s humanity could not easily be removed; he did not leave a fallen soldier even though he himself was wounded.

Following months of hard labor, and the death of one in three men in his work detail, Steele and the other ailing survivors were shipped to a makeshift hospital.  There, a chaplain administered him last rites as he again faced death this time battling various afflictions, including malaria, beriberi, bronchial pneumonia, dysentery, jaundice, and liver infection.   The writers described his tenuous grip on life at that time, “Some days he knew he was alive; some days not.”

After his condition turned around, Steele still remained on the brink.  “I’d better do something or I’ll go crazy.”  He began scratching figures on the floor then eventually sketched pictures in paper.  The object of his sketches would be the images of his comrades and his captors.  Through the final chapters of his internment in the labor camps in Japan, Steele continued to document via his sketches the many ordeals he would witness and endure.

The authors’ rendition of Steele’s story is a befitting tribute to the army private’s will to survive and his continued hope of achieving freedom.  Perhaps in sharing his personal accounts with his family and loved ones, Steele also discloses the complex confluence of emotions that still stir him to this very day.  Perhaps his sketches are sufficient enough.  Words do sometimes get in the way.  But with regards Michael and Elizabeth, their words make us reflect on the thin balance that binds and separates us all.  We remember the past to live the present with greater hope on what lies ahead.

Fly Away: Towards dreams left behind

This year’s Asian American International Film Festival in New York closes this Sunday with H. P. Mendoza’s award-winning “Fruit Fly”. Bethesda (played by L.A. Renigen) is in search of her biological parents. From the same people who brought us “Colma: the Musical”, it promises to be fun entertainment. And, yes, will Bethesda realize the fruits of her pursuit?

Dimple's Rallying Anthem For Us All: Break the silence!

Borne in Nepal, Dimple now lives in Cambodia/Kampuchea. A “world” musician, he writes and performs music that reflects social consciousness on global issues. “Break the Silence”, the song featured in this video, recorded in Kenya with local Swahili artists, addresses the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"Just come out! Don’t hide! Your coming out and standing up today can change the ways things can happen tomorrow. It will just make it, the whole thing, better."

Dimple’s lyrics readily serve as a rallying anthem both for those crying to be heard but whose mouths remain muffled and those lurking in invisibleness but whose hearts yearn for the limelight of greatness.

 

Undressing

A recent NY Times article has prompted me to see “The Seen and the Hidden: [Dis]Covering the Veil” at the Austrian Cultural Forum.  The exhibit features a collection of contemporary artwork about women donning the veil, especially though not exclusively in the context of Muslim faith.

In Deborah Sontag’s article, “The Intersection of Islam, America and Identity” (June 7, 2009), the author focuses on two artists based in the New York area—one with origins from Pakistani, Asma Ahmed Shikoh, and the other from Iran, Negar Ahkami.  The works of these two Asian Americans reveal issues of identity in deeper layers than what I would have imagined before my bare eyes touched them last week.  The forum’s official description brushes the surface, “The donning of the veil conveys conflicting ideas of faith, sexuality and public life and thus raises a host of questions and tensions between religion and identity.”

Miss Sontag writes about the parallel progression of the two artists’ personal lives and their art with their coming to America.  It is a very touching narrative that prompts one to wonder about how the stories of other women enfold here and overseas.  President Obama’s landmark speech in Cairo “at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world” encourages a wider a conversation addressing the many issues, including our policy “to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.”

There are also parallel perspectives from the 15 artists in the exhibition.  In Negar Ahkami’s “Persian Dolls”, eight nesting dolls are each painted to reflect the progression of a woman’s image from the stern-faced outer doll clad in black chador to the smiling unclad inner one.  (Interestingly enough, a photograph of the artwork in the forum’s official pamphlet shows—perhaps, a different version—only five dolls of which the inner doll is not completely naked but, in fact, draped partly by the American flag.)

It is difficult not to liken Miss Ahkami’s artwork to that of another exhibitor, Nilbar Güres, a Turkish Austrian.  Her video entitled “Undressing” shows a woman (Soyunma) gradually removing different layers of veil each owned by, or representing, female relatives.  Heavy tension is obviously laden with the initial shot where all layers of covering are still intact.  Upon the removal of the last veil that is preceded by a rather tentative pause, a genuine smile of relief and joy is finally revealed.

Like Miss Ahkami’s dolls which can also be viewed from right (inner) to left (outer doll), Miss Güres’ video can technically be played back in reverse order.  In many parts of the world, the rights of women still tread a backward track.  The veil itself is still a stinging symbol of oppression that can only be reclaimed over time.  Time alone is not enough.  We need more un-tethered discussions especially in societies where women’s rights are still trampled upon and even criminalized.  In freer societies, I deeply respect the women who decide to don the veil as a proud assertion of their beliefs and their freedoms.  However, they carry the burden of illuminating others of all the ills the wearing of the veil still represents to a vast number of women worldwide.