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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

What Drives White House Cabinet Sec. Chris Lu

As White House Cabinet Secretary, Chris Lu acts as a liaison between the White House and the cabinet.  Previously, he has been legislative director for Barack Obama in the Senate.  He has known the president since law school in Harvard.  They have remained friends since Obama first hired him as Senate staff.  He is a New Jersey-born Chinese American who has never been to China until last summer on an official White House assignment.

In her recent interview with White House Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu, The Washington Post’s Lois Romano gives us a glimpse on what it feels being one the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the White House, being off on a mission to China for the first time, and working for President Obama.¹

What it means to be one of the most senior Asian Americans in the White House
Mr. Lu acknowledges that it means a great deal to him, but he attributes his success not only to himself but also to his Chinese immigrant parents.

There is not a day that goes by that, as I park my car by the West Wing and walk into my office in the West Wing, that I don't think about my parents and how fortunate I am and how this incredible opportunity that I have is not only the result of what I've accomplished, but all that they've accomplished, as well as all that other Asian-Americans before me.

Recalling the time that it really hit him that he now works in the White House and then later brining his mother over to visit his office, Mr. Lu becomes emotional—uncharacteristically so, from his own perspective—regretting that his father did not live to see such a moment.

I think she was awed too that her son was here, and my mom and I are very close. We're not emotional people, but, you know, she said, "Your dad would have been very proud of you, if he could have seen that." And I think we kind of both teared up a little bit.

What it’s like meeting with Chinese government officials
Mr. Lu has never been to China until last summer as part of an official delegation.  Meeting with Chinese officials, he confesses that while he was speechless he felt a connection with them.  It helped that he could understand some Chinese.

I think they felt a--they felt a kinship to us. All three of us are Chinese-Americans. We all obviously represent the American government. That's obviously our first priority. But they felt a kinship. The fact that to varying degrees we all understand some Chinese, we can all say some words of Chinese I think made the conversation and made the meetings a little bit more personal.

Mr. Lu felt that, even though he is not an expert on China policy, it did matter that the administration sent over their top three Asian Americans for such a mission.

In Chinese culture, relationships are very important. And having Chinese-Americans come over as the representatives of the government I think was important.

What he thinks about his friend, his boss, our president
Chris Lu spoke of the president with fondness and respect, reflecting on the personal relationship they have molded together over the years, and highlighting not only the chief’s charismatic presence but also his ideals, which resonate strongly across various groups. 

We have a very close relationship. It's a playful relationship. I'm very comfortable making fun of him. He's very comfortable making fun of me. I guess the only difference now is I can't call him Barack anymore.

I think he really embodies a lot of the hopes of all kinds of people in this country. People who are liberal see liberal qualities of him. People who are conservative see conservative qualities of him. He's multi-racial, so he embodies the spirit of different ethnic and racial groups. He really is, in many ways, the embodiment of the American dream.

Too bad the White House website does not carry any profile for the Cabinet Secretary.  There are other online sources² describing Mr. Lu accomplishments, but they serve no more than an expanded Linked In profile, which definitely fall short of what Miss Romano has effectively captured in her interview.

What drives Chris Lu
Mr. Chris Lu’s regard for the value of relationships is apparent in his reflections of family and friends.  This extends to his appreciation of opportunities in connecting with other notwithstanding possible differences.

¹Lois Romano, “Voices of Power: Interviews with Washington's power players—An old classmate in a key role”, The Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2009
²whorunsgov.com

Alternative Count Yields 7M+ More Living in Poverty in America

An alternative estimate based on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)¹ brings the poverty level up to 47.4M—or 18.5% of the total U.S. population, as reported yesterday at The Washington Post by Hope Yen².  That's 7.6M more than what the U.S. Census reported earlier at just 39.8M—or 13.2% of the total population. That government estimate does not include other factors such as medical care, transportation, childcare or geographical differences in the cost of living, nor does it include non-cash government aid in their income calculations.
The NAS figures are higher than the original government estimates across racial groups except for Afrian Americans where it remains flat at 24.7%.  Hope Yen’s report underscores the gravity of the situation, which hopefully should weigh in more strongly on how the federal stimulus program is being managed to impact directly on those in dire need.

¹The NAS-based tables are available at:  www.census.gov/hhes/www/povmeas/tables.html  (Select:
Alternative Poverty Estimates Based on National Academy of Sciences Recommendations, by Selected Demographic Characteristics and by Region (CE): 2008
²Hope Yen of The Associated Press, “Revised formula puts 1 in 6 Americans in poverty”, The Washington Post, Oct. 20, 2009

"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

2009 U.S. Math Tests: Racial/Ethnic Gaps Persist

The Department of Education released today the results of the 2009 math test, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, that was given to 329,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students.¹  Sam Dillon of the New York Times characterizes the results as sluggish and disappointing.²

Scores on the most important nationwide math test increased only marginally for eighth graders and not at all for fourth graders, continuing a six-year trend of sluggish results that suggest the nation will not come close to bringing all children to proficiency by 2014, a central goal of the Bush-era federal education law, No Child Left Behind.

According to Mr. Dillon, the fact that racial and ethnic gaps still persist even since 2007 makes it especially disappointing.  Here's a summary of the results by racial/ethnic group from the NCES.

Among Fourth-Graders
White and Asian/Pacific Islander students continued to score higher on average than Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native students in 2009.  Asian/Pacific Islander students also scored higher on average than White students.

Among Eight-Graders
In 2009, both White and Asian/Pacific Islander students scored higher on average than Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students.  The average score for Asian/Pacific Islander students was also 8 points higher than the score for White students.

1National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
2Sam Dillon, “Sluggish Results Seen in U.S. Math Scores”, The New York Times, Oct. 14, 2009

Dear Prudence Says: Enough with Obsession with Ethnic Identity

What would your own advice be to Miss Manila Dilemna whose White parents can’t get past seeing her husband as only Filipino?

Foster: Minority Bank Exemplar?

Foster Bank¹ is one of fifteen minority banks in Illinois that are on track to success.  Seven other banks in its minority status have posted losses in the first half of this year.  In her business column today, Chicago Tribune’s Becky Yerak² seeks to unravel what has driven Foster Bank to go against such odds.  (The FDIC defines minority banks as those where the majority of the institution’s stocks are owned by "Black American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American", and, additionally, where the bank’s board and the community it serves are as such.³)

According to Miss Yerak, the organization’s chief executive, Paul Byungtag Kim, attributes the bank’s positive status to the hefty portion of its loans going to commercial real estate that are owner-occupied hence less likely to become delinquent or fall into disrepair.  But, perhaps, it is also because the bank clearly embraces the diversity of the community it serves.  Miss Yerak writes:

More than 80 percent of Foster's customer base is Korean, but increasingly its main office at 5225 N. Kedzie Ave. serves Spanish-speaking and Arab customers. A branch on Devon caters to Pakistani and Indian consumers, while Russians heavily patronize its locations in Niles and Lincolnshire. Its Naperville office serves a Chinese population. To better serve its clientele, bank employees speak a dozen languages.

¹fosterbank.com
²Becky Yerak, “Foster Bank sees profits as other minority banks struggle”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 12, 2009
³fdic.gov

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

Hahn-Bin: Reviews Have Been Good

Violinist Hahn-Bin¹ receives positive reviews from music critics following his debut recital at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York City last Thursday.  In his New York Times column today, Allan Kozzin describes how the Mohawk-shorn, award-winning, 22-year old from South Korea handled his unusual program interspersing classics with more contemporary works.²

The constant gear-switching, from standard to novel and back, did not always work: several leaps produced a sort of musical whiplash. But you could not argue with the distinct characterizations Hahn-Bin brought to each score, and there was no resisting his rich, varied tone and his technical facility. And when his juxtapositions worked, they were inspired. Cage’s youthful Nocturne (1947), a meditative dreamscape, made a fascinating preface to Nathan Milstein’s quirky transcription of Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor.

Hahn-Bin made news last August when he lost his violin in a New York taxicab.  His Pressenda violin, worth about half a million dollars, was soon retrieved with the help of the city’s new GPS tracking system.  Here is a video clip of his appearance at "The Early Show" on CBS after that incident and just before his debut performance.

¹hahn-bin.com
²Allan Kozzin, "Back and Forth Between Old and New", The New York Times, Oct. 10, 2009

Asian American Art. Washington DC. This Weekend. Free.

Visit the Freer and Sackler Galleries at 1050 Independence Ave. SW. For more info, call (202) 633-1000 or go to http://www.asia.si.edu.  Two picks:

Moving Perspectives:  Shahzia Sikander / Sun Xun
Date:  July 18-November 8, 2009, 10 am to 5:30 pm
Categories:  Transforming paper and canvas to the video screen
Venue:  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Cost:  Free
Details: Trained in Pakistan and in the United States, Shahzia Sikander (b. 1969, Lahore, Pakistan) deftly reinterprets miniature painting by isolating and abstracting formal compositional elements often found in this densely layered and intricate art form. The dynamism of her paintings is set in motion in her video works, where the repetition of abstract forms becomes a buzzing hive, calligraphy whirls in and out of view, and imaginary curves morph into vivid landscapes. Similarly, Sun Xun (b. 1980, Fuxin, China) creates hundreds of paintings and drawings by using old newspapers or entire blank walls. Filming his hand-drawn images, he transforms clocks, magicians, words, and insects into animated symbols that flicker across the screen in dark allegories on the nature of historical consciousness and the passage of time.

You Don’t Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (2009 DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival)
Date:  Saturday, October 10, 2009, 2 pm
Categories:  Films
Venue:  Freer Gallery
Event Location:  Meyer Auditorium
Cost:  Free; first come, first served
Details: Featuring rare footage and interviews with co-stars and friends, including actors George Takei, Nancy Kwan, and Max Gail, comedians Steve Landesberg and Gary Austin, and producer Hal Kanter, this film by Jeff Adachi traces Jack Soo’s early beginnings as a nightclub singer and comedian to his breakthrough role as Sammy Fong in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Broadway play and the film version of The Flower Drum Song. The film also explores why Soo, a former internee who was actually born Goro Suzuki, was forced to change his name in the post-WWII era in order to perform in clubs in the Midwest. Due to his experiences, Soo refused to play film and television roles that were demeaning to Asian Americans, and he often spoke out against negative ethnic portrayals. United States / 2009 / 60 min. / English / video

Three things I didn’t know about Jack, among others: one, first Asian to be cast as a regular in a TV series; two, first non-African American to be signed to Motown Records, and; three, first male artist to record "For Once in My Life".

Below is a video clip of filmmaker Jeff Adachi: 

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”

The Most American City of All: Arlington?

Campaigning for the city’s bid to host the Olympics, the President portrayed Chicago’s diversity as that which lifts its stature above all other U.S. cities.¹

"You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot. And I never really had roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group," the president said. "Then I came to Chicago. And on those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and women who were black and white; Latino and Asian; people of every class and nationality and religion. I came to discover that Chicago is that most American of American cities, but one where citizens from more than 130 nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive neighborhoods."

But, is Chicago really the most diverse and thus the most American of our cities?

Looking at the U.S. Census'² estimated population of 244 U.S. cities by racial group and Hispanic origin, let’s see how Chicago compares to a typical U.S. city.  It looks like the white population is significantly underrepresented by at least minus 21-percentage points compared to the average city.  Conversely, African Americans and Latinos are overrepresented by 16- and 7-percentage points higher, respectively. Browsing through the U.S. Census list, we come across the Texas City of Arlington.  Its population profile looking at similar measures is in fact closer to what an average American city might look like.  Consider that the differences are at most only two-percentage points higher or lower than the typical city’s population proportions by racial group and Hispanic origin.  Likewise, the equivalent population shares of Arlington’s smaller communities, including Asian Americans, more closely resemble that of the average U.S. city than Chicago does.Comparing the data of these two cities, Arlington’s diversity is more reflective of the racial profile of a typical American city.  Should Arlington’s Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck have then sought to host the 2016 Olympics, he could have practically used the words used by the President to promote his very own city, which incidentally also shares a similar slogan that President Obama used in his last campaign:  “We can.”³

Understandably, mere population counts and their distribution based on racial and ethnic groups do not account for all the many complex parameters defining a city’s diverse profile nor, for that matter, its American character.  Along with other demographic hues such as gender, age and education, there’s a rich palette that one needs to use in order to paint a city’s true and real picture, like history, culture, economy, and politics, among others.  That’s what a true Chicago fan would argue, as does one avid blogger.⁴

But, just don’t forget the rest of us who live in all the other great cities of this nation—and, yes, including Arlington.

¹Kathy Bergen, “Flat pitch to IOC: 'Without the Obamas, Chicago had nothing,' Olympic historian says”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 3, 2009
²www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cc07_tabD2.xls
³http://www.arlingtontx.gov/
⁴Whet Moser, ”Chicago: ‘The most American of American cities’?”, Chicago Reader, Oct. 2, 2009

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

Muslim Punk: Through Kim Badawi's Lens

Photographer and journalist Kim Badawi's photographs from his book “The Taqwacores: Muslim Punk in the U.S.A." are currently on display at powerHouse Books¹ in Brooklyn, NY. The author will be on hand this Saturday to talk about the Muslim punk scene that has emerged since he first imagined it in an earlier novel he wrote.²

The film clip below features the very band members whom Mr. Badawi have inspired to start a Muslim punk movement. One motivation was to channel inner conflicts related to growing up Muslim in America. Basim Usmani, a Pakistan American and member of the punk band "The Kominas" spells that out succinctly.

Both my parents are Pakistani but both have very firm ideas of what they like wanted me to be like when i was growing up. They want their kids to do well in school, be part of the Math team, go to MIT, and become doctors. And, I wasn't having any of it because it just wasn't who I was.

The same motivation may have been what led Mr. Badawi to punk rock, to write about it and now to share his photographs of the very movement that he inspired.

I think it's just the sense that being American somehow makes you less Muslim, and being Muslim somehow makes you less American. So it’s just on the margins of the margins of the margins. Punk gave me the courage to be a Muslim, and I think in America today. Being Muslim itself is very punk rock, y’know.

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1powerhousebooks.com
2Nida Najar, “Taqwacore Documented: Images of Muslim American Punk”, The New York Times, Oct. 2, 2009

Not A Good Sign for Ensign: Ethics at Issue

Senator John Ensign (R-Nevada) made headlines last summer following the disclosure of his affair with a campaign aide, Cynthia Hampton.  His public apology—and, later, his criticisms of the President’s health care program—more or less quelled the scandal, even as the revelation caused the senator’s job as head of the Republican Senate Policy Committee and cut short any plans for the White House.  

Now, new allegations have surfaced involving Doug Hampton, a former campaign aide and the husband of his former mistress.¹  Eric Lichtblau and Eric Litpo of The New York Times report today on the two-term lawmaker’s purported involvement in lobbying activities that may have violated an ethics law that bars senior aides like Mr. Hampton from lobbying the Senate for a year after leaving their posts.  Senator Ensign denies any misdoing, but in his defense he can no longer characterize it as simply personal.  So far, there are no official calls to investigate into the senator's conduct.

(See related post, “First Chinese American Woman in Congress”)

¹Eric Lichtblau and Eric Litpo, ”Senator’s Aid After Affair Raises Flags Over Ethics”, The New York Times, Oct. 2, 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