(See related post, "Historic NYC Primaries for Asian Americans")
1 Erin Einhorn, Celeste Katz and Adam Lisberg, "John Liu & Bill de Blasio win runoff elections for city controller & public advocate - respectively", Daily News, Sept. 30 2009« August 2009 | Main | October 2009 »
(See related post, "Historic NYC Primaries for Asian Americans")
1 Erin Einhorn, Celeste Katz and Adam Lisberg, "John Liu & Bill de Blasio win runoff elections for city controller & public advocate - respectively", Daily News, Sept. 30 2009in Local, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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
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Anton Chekov’s comedy ‘The Seagull’ is presented by the National Asian American Theater Company4 featuring an all Asian American cast, living up to its broad mission of asserting the presence and significance of Asian American theatre in the United States and demonstrating its vital contributions to the fabric of American culture.
‘Bahu-Beti-Biwi’ is a dance-theater solo created and performed by Sheetal Gandhi. Below is a video clip taken from her previous performance.
Bahu-Beti-Biwi (Daughter-in-law, Daughter, Wife) (2008) from Sheetal Gandhi on Vimeo.
*Forming a consortium is a really good idea! I wish that other Asian American organizations would follow the CAATA’s lead on this. I wish them great success in their upcoming festival and other future projects. For tickets or more information, go to naatlf.org.
1 naatf.org
2 theaterforthenewcity.net
3 womensproject.org
4 naatco.org
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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.
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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
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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.in Advocacy, History, World | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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
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All of us in this room have four things in common. Our parents told us to study hard, get a good education and play by the rules. They also told us not to get involved with politics. But the last eight years has taught us that the American Dream is slipping away.There is comfort for some, including our more senior Asian Americans, in keeping with traditional tenets, but those are not enough to sustain us and succeed in the broader American landscape. It is a difficult balancing act for some, but a necessary one, which our forefathers facing more severe circumstances in our history have more heavily invested in. Speak up!
1www.aahoa.com
2Valerie Whitney, “Association director: Asian hoteliers must be more visible”, Daytona Beach News Journal, September 19, 2009
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The San Diego Union-Tribune assembled a panel of
accomplished high school golfers who follow closely the professional ranks
especially with this week's Samsung World Championship at hand. Tod Leonard1 conducted the interview of the
group, which included Spenser Krut (15), Joyce Kim (16), Georgiana Salant (17)
and Annie McSorley (16). Georgiana,
Joyce, and Spenser are among the top players in their division of the SDJGA.
The subject of Asian golfers came quickly in the heart of
the discussion. When the moderator
touched on the need for a strong American player to make the LPGA successful,
one commented appropriately that the LPGA is Asian-dominated. He then turned to Joyce, an Asian American,
to ask how she felt when the subject of Asians on the LPGA comes up.
Well, obviously, I'm Asian-American. (She was born in North Carolina.) I feel like there are a lot of great Korean players who have spent their whole lives on golf. A girl I met from Korea who played in Junior World has dedicated her whole life to it. She does school maybe three hours a day because it's required, and other than that, it's golf. In America, education is a priority, and there are so many ways you can go without golf. In Korea, where it's not as economically prosperous, golf is a way to make a good living.
Later, asked whether she was offended that the discussion
turns to Asians' strong presence being a negative for the LPGA, she dismissed
the notion.
I don't mind people talking about it. I do see what they mean. If you have an interview and need a translator, and you can't find one, it's like, ‘Oh, thank you very much for the gift,’ and leave. (Laughs). But it's not really that bad that they can't speak English. They work so hard for it, they deserve to win.
Finally, the interviewer asked the panel which American they
would rather see as the world's number one player, Michelle Wie or Paula
Creamer. Everyone else singled out
Paula Creamer, but interestingly enough, Kim waffled on this one. After all, Michelle Wie, like Kim, is Asian
American.
I'm kind of in between. Paula Creamer is dedicated and has a passion for her sport. But I feel bad if I don't say Michelle Wie. It's hard for me to go against her.
It is very enlightening and refreshing to hear these words of a young, bright and talented Asian American woman whose perspectives on our differences can be both pragmatic and constructive. While our differences do matter sometimes, at the end of the day it is by our deeds that we are to be judged. It is also encouraging to know that Kim sees nothing wrong in expressing our inherent connection with those who share our background. If only the older (and more mature?) among us would carry the same outlook as Kim's, we'd be living in a better world.
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We've seen them in grocery stores, playgrounds and at our children's schools - little Asian girls with their loving white parents. Of the 1.5 million adopted children in the United States, international adoptees are the fastest growing segment, of which most are Asian girls. While many of their stories are heartwarming and reflect our image of American compassion and generosity, the realities are much more complex. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, adoptees have significantly more behavioral problems than non-adopted children.
Adopted reveals the grit rather than the glamor of transracial adoption. First-time director Barb Lee goes deep into the intimate lives of two well-meaning families and shows us the subtle challenges they face. One family is just beginning the process of adopting a baby from China and is filled with hope and possibility. The other family's adopted Korean daughter is now 32 years old. Prompted by her adoptive mother's terminal illness, she tries to create the bond they never had. The results are riveting, unpredictable and telling. While the two families are at opposite ends of the journey, their stories converge to show us that love isn't always enough.
The event will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2009, at the Theater in the Ossining Public Library4 (53 Croton Avenue, Ossining, New York, 10562). Registration opens at 1:15 pm; the film starts promptly at 1:30PM. The fee is $10 per ticket. For more information, go to www.fccny.org. Here’s the movie trailer:
1www.fwcc.org
2www.fccny.org
3www.adoptedthemovie.com
4www.ossininglibrary.org
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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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It promises to be a very interesting presentation. What’s more, other distinguished personalities will be there. Dr. Franklin Odo, Director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program2, will be moderating the Q&A session that follows. Rep. Mike Honda3 (D-CA) will also grace the affair.
1http://www.amnh.org/
2http://apa.si.edu/
3http://honda.house.gov/
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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
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In her NY Times column, Laurie Goodstein does a good job describing the background and theme of Wajahat’s play. It seems as far-reaching in its goals as its content is deeply personal, culled directly from the playwright’s own family drama.1
Very few dramas about the contemporary Muslim experience in America have made it to the stage. Muslims from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have been slow to embrace writing and acting, which was not considered a viable profession by the older immigrant generation. Mr. Ali and the actors in “The Domestic Crusaders” are among a younger group interested in mining their experiences for theater. These are dramas not about terrorism or war, but about the cultural cacophony that ensues when you drop three generations of a Pakistani family into Silicon Valley.
Hopefully, his play which opened last Friday, September 11, at the Nuyorican Poets Café2 in New York City, does some healing especially of the virulence that still pervades among us and brings together families caught in a similar cultural cross-fire.
1Laurie Goodstein, "A Pakistani-American Family Is Caught in Some Cultural Cross-Fire", New York Times
2Nuyorican Poets Café, New York City
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Sacrimony is the best defense for people like you. It stings, doesn't it? Mama's boy does his thing, day in and day out, and all the immortality he gets is a good night's sleep. You always did buy that crap from Mother. The Chinko-American dream. Family, respect, diligence, prestige. S**t.Reading this, what really strikes me is the author’s characterization of what the Chinese American dream may be. Is it family, respect, diligence, and prestige? The younger sibling believes Emerson fits the mold that their mother has set for him. But that is not the case. In fact, Emerson is deeply broken by his mother’s nagging pronouncements that he marries a Chinese woman instead of the one that he truly loved.
The old argument between us had never been laid to rest; it ran like groundwater under every word and gesture. You can have American friends, my mother would say, and American neighbors, and American boss, but when it counts, for the family, you marry a Chinese. What does the foreigner know about love? she would ask. What means love to them? What means marriage? No amount of reason would shake her faith in the unbridgeable distance between the ways of loving. If I argued that, at least, the Americans were happy, her response was always one of great scorn: "Happiness! If all you want is happiness! If you want to settle for happiness!" But what else was there?Can someone truly live a meaningful and fulfilling life without the pursuit of happiness? What else is there? Perhaps, for Emerson’s mother it is simply finding a Chinese woman to marry his son. For his brother, it could be running away to Taiwan. For Emerson…for Emerson…maybe it’s trying to find that delicate balance between his American soul and his Chinese blood—the latter of which he could not shake off, even with his mother’s death and his brother’s rejection.
Of course, this newfound fan of Francie Lin may be over-reading all this! But, I am as I am.
*Note: The book cover image shown is courtesy of and used with permission from The Greenburgh Public Library of New York.
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The task is not small and demands strategies on all fronts, including a more diverse workforce, strengthened ethnic institutions, and improved evaluation and accountability measures. But we must do it quickly; the health of our nation and our economy depends on it. America deserves a health care system that enables everyone to live a healthier and happier life.For those who would rather challenge the government's efforts to reach a pragmatic solution toward this task, it may be just too overwhelming for them to fathom. For while what is the right thing to do is to face this challenge head-on, the opposition has taken the more politically expedient approach of wanton opposition. Is it too steep a bar to reach? Is it easier to brandish any language one can grasp ("death panel"), allude to any scapegoat one can route ("illegal immigrants"), rouse the irrational fears of the uninformed ("socialism"), or just shout as loudly as one can ("liar") to quiet any lucid conversation that needs to transpire.
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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
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Glenn D. Magpantay, Bryan Lee, or Julia Yang
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10013
800-966-5946
[email protected]
Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference!
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New York Times critic Ben Ratliff seems optimistic of their upcoming concert this week even with only nine drummers performing. "They'll find a way to make it work;" Ben writes, "few bands are as conceptually bold and smart as this one."2
Much of the amateur video coverage of those two live concerts focused more on such Guiness record-like feat rather on the very music itself. This studio recorded music video for "Vision Creation Newsun" best reflects what's beneath all the hype. The visuals are themselves distracting but nonetheless prove complementary with the crescendo in which the rather jazzy piece culminates.
Boredoms "Vision Creation Newsun"
1Terminal5nyc.com
2Ben Ratliff, "The Week Ahead: Pop", The New York Times
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Asian Americans experience a lower level of divorce compared to the general population.1
Studies estimate that 5 – 6% of Asian American adults were currently separated or divorced compared to 10-12% of the U.S. population.2
Kung (Kathyrn) Dickerson, an Asian American divorce attorney, says this may be a bad thing. In the video below, she talks about the disturbing realities surrounding women who may be seeking separation or divorce but who--even if victims of domestic violence--are discouraged to pursue legal recourse because of language barriers and traditional cultural pressures.
While the stigma surrounding divorce may vary across cultures, domestic violence is wrong regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and culture. The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224 provides language translations for callers, which hopefully helps overcome at least one barrier.
1U.S.Census
2Marc Silverstein, "Women Fear Divorce in Asian American Community", Onthemarcmedia.com
3National Domestic Violence Hotline
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I hope there are others then. In fact, in another Paige Wiser column today, she writes about an Asian American actor who is getting a lot of air time and following on the hit HBO series, "Entourage". Rex Lee plays Lloyd, the gay Asian assistant who is the object of "extremely creative slurs" from his boss Ari.2
Lee gives Lloyd an unsinkable ambition that will pay off during the next four episodes. Lloyd may be disrespected, but he never loses his dignity--or his impeccable argyle style.
We're yet to see what Lloyd's final pay off will be.3 Selecting positive roles makes better leading man qualifications to me. Coincidentally, Jeremy Piven also plays the verbally abusive boss of Llyod in "Entourage."
1Paige Wiser, "TVland of opportunity", Chicago Sun-Timesin Comedy, Film, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Above all be virtuous
One of Confucius' most important principles is the supremacy of virtue. He argues that acting ethically in all transactions is is paramount, more important than striving to make money. He would be shocked at the way unfettered greed has poisoned Wall Street. But he would not turn against commerce. Like most Americans, Confucius would be pro-business. He would simply insist that it be done ethically.
Rule wisely and fairly
Confucius laments throughout the Analects that too often leaders forget to take care of those under them. They spend too much time trying to grab glory and riches for themselves without thinking about others. In a time of crisis they behave even worse, fighting to preserve their positions at all costs. That is exactly the opposite of what they should do, for themselves and for their organizations.
Think--then act, decisivelyIn today's business climate where change and innovation are often declared buzz words for survival, it is comforting to know that Confucius' 2,500-year old teachings, sometimes reviled as ancient and backward, still translate into relevant and practical wisdom. The resiliency of his very teachings speaks for itself.
Think hard before doing something, but then take decisive steps. Wait too long and your advantage in the market disappears. Too often executives act without thinking through their actions, or they don't act at all and instead rely on the status quo to see them through. Confucius insists that thinking twice before action is smart. Look before you leap, but don't look for so long that you succumb to indecision.
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