Response: Attack on JA Woman in WI

This came in this week:

Anonymous has left a comment on your post: "Japanese American Woman, 58, Beaten While Canvassing in Wisconsin":

I feel bad for her, but she needs to know people are upset on both sides and she
has to take that risk when she goes canvassing in an area she's not familiar
with. she took the chance to root for Obama and has to be aware that that's part
of the territory;, there are many, including myself that don't trust Obama; and
I'm an Asian Pacific ; I also don't believe McCain is a racist at all; he and
his wife have adopted kids of different races, has Obama thought of adopting a
white disadvantaged European child if he's truly not racist himself.

The editors struggled with the decision of whether or not leave up this comment, recently posted to our item about the assault on Nancy Takehara earlier this month. We were sorry but unsurprised that the poster opted to remain "Anonymous". Finally, we determined to leave the post up, even though we fully and forcefully disagree with its logic and sentiments. But we have always tried to create a forum for our readers conducive to frank dialogue about Asian American community concerns, even when we don't share every view or, as in this case, when we oppose them.

Anonymous' logic aptly illustrates what we believe has gone so very wrong in the home stretch of this 2008 presidential campaign, where race is the elephant in the room that no one seems to want to address in the complexity it deserves.

We reject the argument that being physically assaulted is "part of the territory," to be an expected byproduct of "rooting" for a particular candidate. It stinks of "blaming the victim," similar to those who say a woman who is raped "brought it on herself" by being outside at night or dressing attractively. It is disgraceful.

We further refute the notion that violence should be an acceptable -- much less expected -- condition of civic engagement in a civilized society. Citizens should not have to endure assault for their political views, and for participating as citizens in the most important activity that is at the very root of what makes us Americans. This should be beneath us as a country, but apparently it's not in this most tense campaign fraught with racial anxiety.

We also don't understand the logic that views and dismisses this attack based upon John McCain's views about race, one way or the other. The fact of the McCain family's transracial adoption seems a singularly odd litmus test for determining racism; it's rather like people who say "I can't be a racist because I have a Black friend" (or "an Oriental wife"). More baffling still is implying that someone else might be a racist by virtue of having not-adopted a child (of any race).

More to the point, whether or not McCain has adopted an Asian child, or Obama has Asian brothers and sisters, is surely the most superficial possible way of judging their characters and trustworthiness as leaders, and it is also utterly irrelevant to the question at hand. The issue is not John McCain's racism or lack thereof; the issue is the attacker's sentiments, and the ugly, divisive rhetoric that drives them.

What did the attacker mean when he reportedly started screaming that the canvassers were "not his people," grabbed Takehara by the hair and began pounding on the back of her head? Let us venture a guess.

What Asian American has not had the experience of being challenged as foreign, different, alien, not belonging, not deserving, not "real American" enough. Or of people expressing surprise that you speak English, or grilling you about "where are you really from?" Who has not been told to "go back" where we came from?

In the same way that ex-Virginia George Allen sought to deride a Virginia-born, Indian American man at a campaign rally by referring to him as "macaca" and "welcom[ing] him to the 'real world' of Virginia and America," politicians try to score cheap points, stirring outrage among the mob, by casting Asians as essential foreigners. It was true in the late 1800s and remains true today.

And it will remain true as long as Asian Americans -- like "Anonymous" -- continue to kow-tow and make excuses for those who attack us.

See or respond to Anonymous' comment at the bottom of the Takehara posting here.

SAALT Webinar on South Asians and Election 2008

This notice came in from SAALT.org. As we've recently written elsewhere, the non-profit, non-partisan South Asian Americans Leading Together has emerged as one of the most vibrant, active and impressive national Asian-Pacific American organizations around, of any focus, with a ton of great programming going on this year.

SAALT has issued a release announcing a Pre-Elections Webinar on October 30th, with a call-in teleconference and online component that anyone can join. SAALT is doing a grat job, and the editors can't recommend them highly enough. Anyone interested in a serious, nonpartisan discussion of policy issues facing the diverse South Asian American commuity should consider participating. Here are the details:

When: Thursday, October 30th at 2pm EST/1pm CST/11am PST
(The Webinar should last an hour and 15 minutes)

Why: South Asian political involvement has been on the rise over the past decade, and the run-up to the November 2008 elections shows that South Asians have been increasingly engaged in the presidential campaigns, voter mobilization efforts, and bids for state and national office. What could South Asian voter turnout look like? What does South Asian involvement in the 2008 elections signify in terms of the community's political maturity?

• Who: South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), with special guests who will provide observations on South Asian political involvement, including:
• Vijay Prashad, Professor of International Studies at Trinity College; author of The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World
• Karthick Ramakrishnan, Associate Professor of Political Science at UC Riverside; principal investigator on the first large-scale national survey of Asian American politics (2008)
• Ali Najmi, Desis Vote (New York)
• South Asian Progressive Action Collective (Chicago)
• Seema Agnani, Chhaya CDC (New York)

To attend, you must register by Thursday, October 30th at 10am EST:

1. Please click the following link or copy into your browser:https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/684743079

2. You will then be asked to register for the webinar. After you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email from the webinar service which has a link; a call-in number; and a conference call-in code.

3. At the appointed time for the webinar (Thursday, October 30th at 2PM EST/1PM CST/12PM PST), please click the link provided in the confirmation email and call the dial-in number listed. When prompted on the call, enter the call-in code from the email. The computer-based portion may take a few moments to load so we ask you to go through this step at least ten minutes before the start of the webinar.

4. To ask questions during the webinar, simply type them into the "Questions and Answers" box on the right-hand side of the webinar interface on your computer screen. If you cannot attend the online visual portion of the webinar, you can still listen in to the audio portion by calling in to 616.883.8055 and entering 426-588-202 as the code.

Questions? Please contact SAALT at saalt@saalt.org.

Diwali Less Sweet in a Hard Year

A good pair of item from National Public Radio this morning reports on how recent bombings cast a pall over India's Diwali celebrations, with a terrific follow-up commentary bringing it home by New America Media editor and occasional featured contributor on Asian American Village, Sandip Roy.

In his audio commentary, Diwali Better Minus The Fireworks, Roy recalls celebrations of years past, both in India and in San Francisco, and how the fear of violence had cast a shadow them at times.

Adding to the gloom of this year's celebrations, a commentary on Reuters reports, is the shaky economic condition of the stock market.

"Diwali, the festival of lights, is here but do we see a pall of gloom with the
BSE Sensex crashing more than 50 percent since January 2008? Things have
come to such a pass that some people have simply stopped looking at their
portfolios. They think it’s too late now to cut losses."

Meanwhile, reports Gavin Rabinowitz of the Associated Press, it's another sign of the times that mithai -- the sticky sweet treats that are a traditional highlight of the festival of lights -- are also losing their allure.

In his article posted in the Asian American Village AP News Headlines section, Rabinowitz examines a heightened waist consciousness in an India whose "economy [is] booming, and its people's waistlines expanding."

"[Mithai] have long been central to this Hindu festival of lights -- sweet,
fudgy goodies rich with cardamon, pistachio and saffron, often coated with an
ethereal foil of pure silver. They are eagerly eaten, given as gifts, offered to
the gods. [But] increasingly, the nation's growing urban middle class wants
holiday presents that better reflect newfound wealth. And an explosion of
obesity and related health conditions has many Indians -- some 35 million of
whom are diabetic -- thinking twice about treats."

It's hard not salivate, though, over the accompanying sidebar recipe for Pista Badam Mithai (Pistachio Almond Sweets). The recipe, adapted from Tarla Dalal's Mithai, features a relatively modest dosage of honey, and promises a preparation time of 15 minutes start to finish.

A little sweetness may be just the thing to momentarily lift the spirits after what's been an anxious year everywhere.

Youmacon (Detroit, Michigan)

Youmacon: Detroit's Anime/Manga/Gaming/J-Music Convention
October 30–November 2, 2008
Hyatt Regency Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan

Start your engines. Metro Detroit's first and only anime convention is returning for its fourth year, and it's bigger and better than ever. Here at Youmacon, thousands of otaku from Michigan and beyond meet anime voice actors face to face, compete for masquerade and cosplay trophies, and shop for treasures of their favorite fandom. Youmacon's original events immerse you in the experience of becoming a Japanese chess piece in a game of shougi, leading a team to the Star in a live action Mario Party battle, and being served by maids in a relaxing cafe. And the fun keeps going, because Youmacon provides nonstop 24-hour gaming, anime music videos, and video programming.

Vicente M. Diaz “When Vessels Collide: The Revitalization of Traditional Canoes and Postcolonial Commemorations in the Pacific Islands”

University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities presents:
Remaking Heritage
Vicente M. Diaz
“When Vessels Collide: The Revitalization of Traditional Canoes and Postcolonial Commemorations in the Pacific Islands”
Tuesday, October 28, 12 PM, 202 South Thayer Washington Street, Room 2022, Ann Arbor, MI

This talk on the revitalization of traditional canoes in the Pacific Islands is part of series of brown bag talks on Remaking Heritage.

Vicente M. Diaz is Pohnpeian and Filipino, born and raised on Guam. He taught Pacific History and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam from 1991 to 2001, before joining the faculty at the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies unit, Program in American Culture, The University of Michigan. Diaz's research and teaching interests include Native Pacific Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies of Sports, Traditional Voyaging, and Pacific Film and Video Production and Studies.

Free and open to the public

Hula Soundings! A Lecture/Performance by Amy Ku’uleialoha Stillman

U-M Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments presents

Hula Soundings! A Lecture/Performance by Amy Ku’uleialoha Stillman
Sunday, October 26, 2-3:30 pm: Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave at William ▪ Ann Arbor

Witness and enjoy the richness of the Hawaiian hula tradition that few visitors to Hawai’i are privileged to see. This presentation includes performances with rarely-seen instruments such as ‘uli’uli, ‘ili’ili, ipu heke, and the most sacred instrument, the pahu drum.

Dr. Amy Ku’uleialoha Stillman is Associate Professor of American Culture and Music at University of Michigan. Born and raised in Hawai’i, she is a dedicated scholar of Hawaiian music and culture, and the author of Sacred Hula (1998) as well as numerous articles in international academic journals. Dr. Stillman is also Director of Great Lakes Hula Academy based in Ann Arbor.

Asian University for Women Launched; Seeks Inaugural Faculty

This just came up on the IMDiversity.com Asian American Village Jobs Center. The editors thought it of interest both as a major development in international women's education access and for scholars/educators possibly interested in participating in the enterprise from the ground-floor:

The Asian University for Women is inviting applications for its inaugural faculty of 16 positions to begin in Bangladesh in July 2009.

The AUW is being established as a leading institution of higher education for women across South and Southeast Asia. While international in its vision and scope, the University will remain rooted in a context unique to the diverse cultural, religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds of South and South East Asia. The civic and academic goal of the AUW is to better prepare disadvantaged women of high ability and potential through a world-class education that will encompass both the progressive liberal arts & sciences and requisite professional training in order to further the intellectual and professional development of eligible young women.

The AUW is currently advertising calls for faculty applications in three areas:

• Four opportunities for Social Science faculty
• Four opportunities for Humanities faculty
• Four opportunities for Quantitative Reasoning faculty

Review of applications begins this week. The AUW is being supported in the U.S. by a Boston/Cambridge-based Foundation.

The IMDiversity.com Asian American Village Jobs Center periodically highlights a shortlist of featured opportunities of particular interest to Asian American Village readers, culled from among the tens of thousands of job postings at the IMDiversity.com Career Center Job Bank.

‘NEW YORK-BOMBAY: Evening with Mira Nair and Suketu Mehta’

PRESENTED BY MOVING IMAGE AND INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL
New York
November 7, 2008

Film director Mira Nair and author Suketu Mehta, two of the most prominent Indo-American cultural figures, will discuss their work and their perspectives on contemporary Bombay and New York City, in a special program presented in collaboration between Museum of the Moving Image and the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival. The event, New York-Bombay: An Evening with Mira Nair and Suketu Mehta, will take place on Friday, November 7, 2008 at The Times Center in Manhattan. The evening will include a conversation moderated by the Museum’s Chief Curator David Schwartz.

The program is part of the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, November 5-9, presented by the Indo-American Arts Council. The festival features New York and US premieres of independent Indian and diaspora films, panel discussions, and special events. For more information and a full schedule, visit http://www.iaac.us.

AALDEF APA Election Protection and Polling Project Underway

AALDEF Announces Plans for Asian American Election Protection Project and 11-State Multilingual Exit Poll for November 2008 Elections
*******************
New Web Campaign Launched on Facebook and YouTube
Multilingual Voter Hotline: 800-966-5946
***********

New York City...The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 34-year old national civil rights organization, announced details of its Asian American Election Protection Project
and nonpartisan multilingual exit poll for the November 4, 2008 elections. Attorneys, law students, and community volunteers will cover 200 poll sites in 11 states with these characteristics: 1) areas with a surge in newly-registered Asian American voters; 2) jurisdictions in which Asian-language assistance is provided; or 3) polling places where Asian Americans have reported voting barriers or intimidation in recent elections.

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director, said: “We want to ensure that all eligible Asian Americans can participate in the electoral process and have their votes counted in this critical Presidential election.”

She said that AALDEF plans to poll 15,000 Asian American voters on Election Day in 11 states with large Asian American populations: New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.

POLL MONITORING

AALDEF will monitor 200 poll sites for compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act. Volunteer attorneys check to see whether Asian-language voting assistance is provided (such as ballots, interpreters, signs and voting materials), whether voter identification requirements are implemented in a non-discriminatory manner, and whether provisional ballots are offered to voters whose names are not in voter lists. Attorneys will also monitor settlements in recent lawsuits against New York, Boston, and Philadelphia for past violations of the Voting Rights Act. AALDEF will offer 25 volunteer trainings in 15 cities. Volunteers can sign up to attend workshops at www.aaldef.org/vote2008.

Glenn D. Magpantay, AALDEF staff attorney, said, “In the 2006 midterm elections, Asian Americans had to overcome numerous obstacles to exercise their right to vote. AALDEF volunteers identified mistranslated ballots, interpreter shortages that led to Asian American voters being turned away, and poll workers who made hostile and racist remarks about Asian American voters. AALDEF will guard against the disenfranchisement of new citizens and limited English proficient voters.”

MULTILINGUAL EXIT POLL

AALDEF will conduct a nonpartisan exit poll of Asian American voters in 10 languages: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Khmer, Hmong, Bengali, Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati. Voters will be asked their preferences in the Presidential and local races, top reasons for their choices, party affiliations, whether they are first-time voters, use of Asian-language voting assistance, and specific problems encountered at the polls. The AALDEF exit poll reveals vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. In the 2004 Presidential election, AALDEF polled 10,789 Asian American voters in 8 states--the largest survey of its kind in the nation. AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988, noting the steadily increasing numbers of new citizen and first-time voters.

MULTILINGUAL VOTER HOTLINE

Multilingual volunteers will be at poll sites to take complaints from voters about election irregularities and other barriers to voting. Voters can also report Election Day problems to AALDEF’s toll-free Election Day Hotline at 800-966-5946, or by e-mail at votingcomplaints@aaldef.org.

ELECTION PROTECTION WEB CAMPAIGN

AALDEF has launched a new web campaign with tools to encourage voter participation and to recruit volunteers across the country to serve as nonpartisan voting rights monitors in AALDEF's Asian American Election Protection Project.

Visit our new Asian American Election Protection homepage: http://www.aaldef.org/vote2008
See our videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aaldef
Join our new Facebook group: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23872961251
Get updates from our new election blog: http://aaldef.blogspot.com

AALDEF voting rights coordinator Bryan Lee said: "AALDEF will be updating all of these new web services with more information about our Asian American Election Protection project throughout the month of October."

AALDEF is partnering with several groups to mobilize volunteer attorneys, law students, college students and community activists on Election Day:
****************************************************************
****************************************************************
AALDEF VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSIONS
Asian American Election Protection Project
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 – Chicago, IL
12 Noon – McDermott Will & Emery LLP, 227 West Monroe St., between Wells and Franklin
6:00 PM – Loyola University School of Law, 25 East Peterson St., at North Michigan Ave.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 – Detroit, Bloomington Hills and Ann Arbor, MI
12 Noon – Dickenson Wright LLP, 500 Woodward Ave., at Lamed St., Detroit
3:00 PM – Dickenson Wright LLP, 38525 Woodward Ave. (Route 1) at Lone Pine Rd., Bloomfield Hills
6:00 PM – University of Michigan, Michigan Union, 530 S. State St., Ann Arbor

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008 –Princeton, NJ
6:30 PM – Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, 502 Carnegie Center

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 – New York
6:30 PM - Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 620 8th Ave., between 40th and 41st Strs.

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008 – Washington, DC
6:00 PM – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, 1152 15th St., N.W. at M St.

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 – Falls Church, VA
6:30 PM – Reed Smith LLP, 3110 Fairview Park Drive

For an updated list of training workshops, go to www.aaldef.org/vote2008.

Japanese American Woman, 58, Beaten While Canvassing in WI

This past weekend, WISN News in Wisconsin reported that Nancy Takehara, 58, was assaulted by a homeowner while canvassing for Barack Obama in the town of Caledonia, WI.

Takehara, a Japanese American from Chicago who had volunteered to canvass in the neighboring state, told WISN that the homeowner first became verbally abusive before the incident escalated to physical violence.

“The next thing I know he’s telling us we’re not his people, we’re probably with ACORN, and he started screaming and raving,” Takehara said. “He grabbed me by the back of the neck. I thought he was going to rip my hair out of my head. He was pounding on my head and screaming. The man terrified me.”

Takehara refused medical treatment, but the police were called in and have reported they are investigating the incident.

The attack comes at a time when the McCain/Palin campaign was been facing increasing criticism for using rhetoric that some see as coded race-baiting, inspiring xenophobic sentiments in its base. The repetition of phrases such as "Real Americans" and attempts to associate Obama with "terrorists" in the waning days of the campaign have recalled for many Asian Americans the 2006 midterms, when VA Senator George Allen similarly hailed "Real Virginians" in the "Real America" before losing his re-election bid after referring to an man of South Asian descent as "macaca" at a campaign rally.

“This negative stuff has to stop,” Takehara told WISN. “We’re all Americans. This is all about protecting our democracy, not about attacking each other.”

Takehara said she was comforted to have received a personal phone call from Barack Obama after the incident. “Senator Obama understood…," WISN quoted her as saying. "It was wonderful. It made me feel wonderful. It made me feel connected to this government again.”

On the Web

WISN Coverage of Assault

Google News Coverage: q=nancy+takehara

Vivien and The Shadows: Ong Keng Sen/Theatreworks World Premiere

Vivien and The Shadows: Ong Keng Sen/ Theatreworks (World Premiere)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 7:30pm
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Memorial Hall

A soul-stimulating, post-modern spectacle, Vivien and The Shadows melds film/performance, race, gender and sexuality. Internationally lauded Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen gathers some of the best talents in global performing arts and transports us into the fantasy world of Vivien Leigh’s Blanche DuBois, inspired by the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire.

With new texts by acclaimed Asian-American playwright Chay Yew; soundscapes by pioneering London electronica artist Kaffe Matthews; sizzling videos by CalArts media artist Brian Gothong Tan; and three virtuoso performers who witness, impersonate and accompany Vivien Leigh-Blanche DuBois to her transcendence: multiple Obie-winner Karen Kandel, art-burlesque star of the New York underground Julie Atlas Muz, and the charismatic Charlotte Engelkes from Sweden.

Vivien and The Shadows is commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts.

"Ong Keng Sen is one of Singapore's...cultural jewels."
- The Guardian, UK

WAYNE WANG'S "THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA"

CAAM'S PRODUCTION of WAYNE WANG'S "THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA"
PREMIERES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 AT 9:00PM PST
ON YOUTUBE'S® NEW SCREENING ROOM
www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom


Acclaimed filmmaker Wayne Wang's new film THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA will make its world premiere on YouTube® on Friday, October 17, 2008. The free release will go live on YouTube's recently launched Screening Room, www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom, a channel dedicated to premium film content.

In THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA, Sasha (Ling Li) is a foreign exchange student who finds herself pregnant. She's the new generation of China, unmoored to traditions and history. As she says, "In America I learned a new phrase, 'moving on.' Tomorrow I can start a new page." She travels from Nebraska to San Francisco to get an abortion, but in her exploration of the city in the next 24 hours she learns that turning a new page doesn't necessarily mean turning your back on the past.

THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA is adapted from a collection of short stories by award winning author Yiyun Li.

To learn more about the film, visit:
http://mediafund.asianamericanmedia.org/supported-projects/princess-of-nebraska/

Please use the link below to view/embed the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJISq4MyfKg

To download hi-res images please visit:
http://www.magpictures.com/presskits.aspx

NCAPA Platform for Asian Pacific Americans - National Policy Priorities for 2008

Once again, the nebulous but important National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), a consortium comprising at least 26 major nonpartisan organizations representing widely diverse AA and PI communities, has issued the nation's most comprehensive AA/PI policy platform in advance of the national election.

This coalition regularly undertakes an enormous and often thankless "herding of cats" to compile and distill an accessible listing of the most significant, bottom-line legislative issues of concern to its participants, including most of the largest pan-Asian and ethnic-specific nonprofit and civil rights groups in the country. But this document serves as a vital community blueprint for current and aspiring officeholders, including the next President.

While there are scores of specific recommendations contained in the full document relevant to individual ethnic communities as well as women, LGBT, and other subgroups, a number of these are organized into main sections of general concern: civil rights, economic justice, education, health care reform, and immigration.

An excerpt from the introduction to the Executive Summary stresses some additional key issues "that are relevant to all of the public policy concerns and recommendations that are included in the main body of the Platform:"

1. Data: More accurate data about Asian Americans (AAs), Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders (PIs) must be collected and disseminated.

2. Access: All community members must have equal access to publicly supported Programs and services, regardless of English language ability and other
factors.

3. Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Congress must enact, and the President must sign into law, sensible comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together, provides and path to citizenship, and is fair and humane.

4. White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: The next Administration must support and further develop the Initiative and the Commission, which have worked to ensure that AAs and PIs can fully participate in all aspects of the federal government’s operation.

5. AA and PI Organizations as Resources for the Federal Government: The
next President must direct his or her Administration to partner more fully with
national and local organizations that are rooted in the AA and PI communities in order to most effectively formulate and pursue policies that are in the communities’ interest. NCAPA members stand ready to pursue this course of action with the next Administration.

Read the Executive Sumary and download the full NCAPA Call To Action: Platform for Asian Pacific Americans - National Policy Priorities 2008.

SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Goes Into Effect

Bipartisan Act Began October 1; However, Implementation Process Still Needs to Be Put in Place

Release by SERAC: Southeast Asia Resource Action Center

October 6, 2008

Washington, DC – On September 30, 2008, the President signed the Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act which provides an additional two years of SSI for elderly and disabled refugees who have been cut off
from their SSI benefits because of the seven year time limit for refugees and other
humanitarian immigrants. This two-year SSI extension is set to expire in 2011.

The law was effective starting on October 1, 2008. However, please note that there is
not yet a process in place to implement this two year extension. This means that eligible
individuals will not yet be able to immediately receive this extension, but SEARAC will
be sure to announce when a process is in place and what eligible individuals need to do.

For many elderly and disabled refugees and other humanitarian immigrants, including
Hmong and Montagnards who fought honorably alongside American soldiers in times of
war, SSI provides the very basic means for survival. The SSI program pays minimal
monthly benefits to elderly and disabled adults and children who are low income and
have limited resources to maintain self sufficiency.

“This extension is a positive step to ensuring that elderly and disabled refugees are not
thrown into destitution, due in large part, to the barriers that they experience in attaining
their citizenship and ultimately losing their SSI after seven years,” states Doua Thor,
Executive Director of Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC).

SEARAC commends the advocacy efforts of numerous national advocacy organizations,
local community partners and congressional offices, including sponsors, Senator Smith
(R-OR), Senator Kohl (D-WI), Congressmen McDermott (D-WA) and Congressman
Weller (R-IL) as well as their staff in leading this cause.

For more information, please contact Helly Lee at 202-667-4690 or helly@searac.org.

Much to Celebrate at TexAsia - Oct. 11 and 12

After surviving "Ike," we were thrilled to hear, the Houston-based crew from TexAsia are going full-steam ahead with their planned pan-Asian festival on October 11 and 12.

They write:

YOU and yours are invited to Celebrate ‘surviving Ike’ at our FREE Event
Oct. 11th & 12th at Houston City Hall!

TEXASIA magically transforms City Hall’s shimmering pond to a rare
reflection of the Enchanted Orient.

EXPLORE the colorful traditions of Opulent Opera, Lavish Lion Dances,
Taste-Tempting Cuisines & more!

ENJOY Dazzling Dance, Mesmerizing Music and Utterly Awesome Martial
Arts. Delicious delectables by Kim Son’s Sidewalk Café and luscious
libations of Pearl Teas, Tiger Beer and distinctive spirits by Martell Cognac
are offered to refresh.

PLAY Bungee Basketball & Pop-A-Shot with The Houston Rockets.
Houston’s American Diabetes Association hosts Pick-Up Ping Pong Games for fun
and prizes

DISCOVER mystical Tibetan temple Dzi beads, blessed by lamas, finding
their “ destined owners ” at TEXASIA. Intricate hand fans, masks,
hand-made jewelry of semi-precious gems and hand crafts will delight the
discerning collector.

EXPERIENCE Fun’s Cantonese Opera and Lion Dances of Texas with the arts
of Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, The Philippines, India, Thailand and the
Pacific Islands in this whirlwind tour of the Orient in The Bayou City.

ADMISSION IS FREE. Join us for this sparkling celebration!

From Deep in the Heart of Asian Art- TEXASIA Visit us online at http://www.texasia.net

Our long-time readers may recall that a couple of years ago, the future of Houston Asian American Festival (HAAF) seemed shaky when its host backed out. But by all appearances, the festival seems to be stronger than ever in its new space, and with a new brand and website and wider regional draw. Area residents and visitors should definitely check out this free event with a great line up of acts and attractions!

Report: The State of Asian America: Trajectory of Civic and Political Engagement

The nonprofit organization, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. has released its 5th public policy report: The State of Asian America: Trajectory of Civic and Political Engagement, and is backing it up with a series of roundtable events now traveling cross-country. The next two events are being held in:

Los Angeles October 7
San Francisco October 8

Through the report, LEAP seeks to provide community activists, policymakers and researchers with "a road map for Asian American civic engagement in two crucial ways: first, help readers understand what the future might hold for Asian American civic engagement; and second, stimulate and focus discussion on possible ways to intervene to take advantage of potential opportunities and to meet new challenges."

For a free electronic download of the book, click here.

Ashwin Madia Spars in Debate with MN 3rd Candidates

One of the season's big buzzes in House races has been the "improbable rise" and growing momentum of Ashwin Madia, an Indian American attorney and Iraq veteran seeking to replace retiring Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad in MN's 3rd District. It is widely viewed as an at-risk seat for the GOP, and Madia -- himself a former Republican who switched parties over the Bush Iraq policy -- has garnered support from a number of national networks among Asian Americans and progressive circles, and a good deal of attention from the national party.

In this week's debate reported on by MN Public Radio, Madia squared off against Republican Erik Paulsen, and Independence Party candidate David Dillon over taxes and foreign policy, and Madia's Iraq experience lent weight to his arguments on topics such as how to deal with Iran and the U.S. relationship with Israel.

He spoke frankly and at length in an interview for Rediff News this month about his background, family, the war, his policy views and the reception by Indian Americans to his candidacy.

Win or lose, Madia's made a strong performance in the race, and is emerging as one of the young Asian American politcians to watch this year and beyond.

Learn more about him at the Ashwin Madia for Congress website.

Image: Ashwin Madia at the Democratic National Convention with former Cabinet Secretary Norman Mineta.

Study: Asian American Undecideds May Play Key Role Nov. 4

The 2008 National Asian American Survey, released at a Washington, D.C., press conference this morning, paints a portrait of an Asian American electorate still largely "up for grabs" due to an uncommonly high proportion of "non-partisan," undecided likely voters.

While the findings show that the continuation of a decade-long leftward trend among Asian Americans, with 41 percent likely to favor Obama versus 24 percent supporting John McCain, researchers point out that a key finding of their study is the high numbers of undecided Asian American likely voters: 34 percent, compared with 8 percent among the general population reported in national, post-convention polls.

The researchers suggest that Asian American voters stand to play "a significant role" in not only those battleground states such as Virginia, Nevada and Washington where they account for 5 percent or more of the population, but even in states such as Colorado, Ohio and Florida, where they can still theoretically provide the margin of victory.

The study was conducted by researchers from four leading universities: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley); University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside); and University of Southern California (USC).

For the complete release details, see the posting, Study: APA Undecideds May Play Key Role Nov. 4

S.D. Asian Film Festival Coming Up in October

RELEASE: SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL BACK FOR ITS NINTH YEAR

(2008-09-15)

The San Diego Asian Film Festival presented by Toyota Matrix has announced its ninth season, taking place at the Mission Valley UltraStar Cinema at Hazard Center, OCTOBER 9-16, 2008. As San Diego’s largest Pan Asian cultural event, more than 20,000 attendees will experience over 130 short and feature films from a record 17 countries including the Canada, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong , Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S. The complete program schedule will be released in September online at www.sdaff.org

Highlights include:

Opening night film on Thursday, October 9 with the theatrical premiere of Academy Award Winning director Jessica Yu’s first narrative feature, PING PONG PLAYA, a hilarious comedy about a young man trying to fight for his family’s ping pong dynasty

Closing night film on Thursday, October 16 - ALWAYS 2: SUNSET ON THIRD STREET, directed by Yamazaki Takashi, sequel to a heartwarming post-war Japanese film that swept Japan’s version of the Academy Awards.

U.S. premiere of the most sought-after martial arts froms from Thailand, CHOCOLATE, directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who also directed “Ong Bak”; plus Premiere of Korean thriller hit PUBLIC ENEMY RETURNS directed by Woo-Suk Kang

Controversial documentary, DIRTY HANDS: THE ART AND CRIMES OF DAVID CHOE directed by Harry Kim

Free Films at Four series, offering free films to public at 4PM October 13-16

Twelve short film programs including the popular all-animation program ANIMATION: THE ILLUSION OF LIFE and REEL VOICES, a free short documentary showcase by local high school students


Film festival organizers will also encourage attendees to register to vote through a REEL IN THE VOTE campaign to address why Asian Pacific Islanders have the lowest voter turnout and lowest political participation.

Along with screening PSAs encouraging voter participation, the festival will present a free REEL IN THE VOTE films program on Tuesday, October 14 at the Hazard Center UltraStar.

Boat People SOS Calls Seeks Aid for Ike Survivors

Are you in the Gulf Coast? Have time or language skills to donate to a good cause? Consider this plea from organization, Boat People SOS:

Boat People SOS Meeting Urgent Needs Today, Empowering Vietnamese Communities for Tomorrow:

"Urgent! BPSOS Seeks Houston-Area Volunteers to Help Hurricane Survivors

September 19, 2008: The Gulf Coast's Vietnamese Americans need your help! Ike and Gustav hit the Gulf Coast even harder than Katrina, and we are working to connect evacuees to urgently-need services. On Thursday and Friday alone, BPSOS-Houston staff and our fantastic volunteers helped 226 people deal with the disaster!

You can make a difference, especially if you are bilingual. Join us at the office to record people's needs and contact information, and refer them to the right services! Houston is the focus now, but we are collecting information about areas that are safe to deploy volunteers.

To volunteer in Houston, or at locations to be determined, call (281) 530-6888, or email info@bpsos.org."

No Joke: George 'Macaca' Allen Featured in Minority Outreach Rally

Yes, that's what we said...

In the "What Were They Thinking?" category, the Washington Post reports that none other than ex-Virginia Senator George Allen was tapped by Northern Virginia Republicans to be a headliner at this weekend's "ethnic unity rally" ostensibly planned to " to increase their appeal with Northern Virginia's large minority population."

And yes, it's that George Allen, who was just two short years ago ousted from his Senate seat by Jim Webb during the 2006 midterms, in no small part because of the backlash to his videotaped use of the macaca ethnic slur, and follow-up investigations of his pattern of such racial attitudes, not to mention his controversial fondness for the Confederate flag.

The rally was held at Edison High School in Alexandria, and was reported to have attracted several hundred supporters -- falling short by about half of the expected turnout.

View the full report at The Washington Post.

Indo-American Arts Council NYC Playwrights' Week

Release

INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL AND THE LARK PRESENT PLAYWRIGHTS’ WEEK 2008

NEW YORK, NY – The 15th Annual Playwrights’ Week as presented by the Indo-American Arts Council and the Lark Play Development Center will take place from September 22nd – 28th at the Lark Studio in midtown. This year’s writers include: Mark Borkowski, Kathleen Cahill, Steven Gridley, David Jenkins, Lila Rose Kaplan, Ismail Khalidi, Motti Lerner, Dano Madden, James McLindon, Allison Moore, and Lina Patel.

In addition to the readings of these new plays, there will be three events to help celebrate Playwrights’ Week 2008. To start off the festival will be Meet The Writers with host Morgan Jenness (Abrams Artists) on Monday, September 22 at 8pm, where each writer will talk a bit about themselves and read an excerpt from their play.

On Tuesday, September 23, following the reading of Motti Lerner’s BENEDICTUS, there will be a panel moderated by Catherine Coray (hotINK International Festival Director) entitled “A Discussion About Intercultural Collaboration” with the playwright and his collaborators Dr. Mahmood Karimi-Hakak, Roberta Levitow, Torange Yeghiazarian, and Daniella Topol (Director).

To celebrate the close of the Playwrights’ Week 2008 on Sunday, September 28th, the Indo-American Arts Council will host a celebration following the reading of Lina Patel’s SANKALPAN (Desire), which will also feature the announcement of the 2008-09 Indo-American Arts Council - Lark Playwright-in-Residence. All Playwrights’ Week 2008 readings and events are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule and reservation information, please visit: www.larktheatre.org.

The Playwrights’ Week selection process started in November of 2007. Hundreds of scripts were submitted through the Lark s open submission policy. Finalists were chosen through a rigorous process involving the Lark’s Literary Wing, comprised of dozens of theatre artists and community members. The final eleven playwrights were selected by a group of esteemed industry professionals including: Catherine Coray, John Clinton Eisner (Lark Producing Director), Suzy Fay (Lark Associate Program Director), Daniel Jaquez (Calpulli Danza Mexicana), Morgan Jenness , Katori Hall (playwright, HOODOO LOVE), Miles Lott (Lark LitWing Chair), Aroon Shivdasani (Indo-American Arts Council), and Rob Urbinati (Queens Theatre in the Park), and Jose Zayas (Immediate Theater Company).

Playwrights Week 2008 is generously supported, in part, with public funds by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and with major support from Jerome Foundation, NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Time Warner’s Diverse Voices Fund and MetLife Foundation. Playwright fees are supported by The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation.

A laboratory for new voices and new ideas, the LARK PLAY DEVELOPMENT CENTER provides playwrights with indispensable resources to develop their work. The Lark brings together actors, directors, playwrights and the community to allow writers to learn about their own work by seeing and hearing it, and by receiving feedback from a dedicated and supportive community. The company reaches into untapped local populations and across international boundaries to seek out and embrace unheard voices and diverse perspectives, celebrating differences in language and worldviews. The Lark also plays a leading role in advancing unknown writers and their works to audiences through carefully stewarded partnerships with a host of theaters, universities, community-based organizations, and NGOs, locally, nationally and globally. The Lark is led by Producing Director, John Clinton Eisner and Managing Director, Michael Robertson. For more information, www.larktheatre.org or www.iaac.us.

Plays developed at the Lark regularly go on to full productions at theaters across the country. This past year Theresa Rebeck’s MAURITIUS was produced on Broadway by Manhattan Theatre Club, and David Henry Hwang’s YELLOW FACE premiered at Center Theatre Group and at the Public Theater. Rajiv Joseph’s BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO will be presented at Center Theatre Group this spring.

INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL is a registered 501(c) 3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America: in the performing, visual, literary and folk arts. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. IAAC works cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. IAAC’s focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here. The IAAC presents annual festivals of Art, Dance, Playwrights & Film as well as several book launches and individual concerts and readings. For more information on the Indo-American Arts Council, visit: www.iaac.us.

All events take place at The Lark Studio
939 8th Avenue (btw 55 & 56) 2nd Floor
1, A, B, C, D, to Columbus Circle
N, Q, R, W to 57th Street

For information: visit www.larktheatre.org or call 212-246-2676, x24

BECAUSE OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL NATURE OF THIS WORK, THESE PRESENTATONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW. FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE, VISIT
WWW.LARKTHEATRE.ORG

A Disappearing Number at University of Michigan

A Disappearing Number
Complicite
Conceived and Directed by Simon McBurney
September 10 to 14, Power Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
University Musical Society

How often are you going to find a play about both an Indian character abroad and Math? Not that we APAs are all Math geeks, but, well, you know...

Following its triumphant production of The Elephant Vanishes in 2004, the theater company Complicite (pronounced kum-PLIH-si-tay) returns to Ann Arbor for the exclusive US presentation of its award-winning hit, A Disappearing Number.

In the chilly English surroundings of Cambridge on the cusp of the First World War, the English mathematician GH Hardy unexpectedly receives a letter filled with mathematical theorems from a young Indian visionary, Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose idiosyncratic and creative approach to mathematics ultimately led to some of the most complex and beautiful mathematical patterns of all time.

Complicite’s innovative, multimedia approach frames past, present, and future simultaneously, with the Hardy/Ramanujan collaboration serving not only as a central aspect of the narrative, but more so as a window into a larger world of ideas: about the awesomeness of infinity and its relationship to human mortality, about the beauty of science and our quest for meaning and knowledge, about who we are and how we connect to one another — and ultimately about what is permanent and what disappears forever.

“With touching emotion and unnerving disquietude, A Disappearing Number forces the spectator to consider the facts of love, death, and belonging, within the space of his or her own personal universe.” (New Statesman)

Related Activity: UMS Book Club: The Indian Clerk
Sept. 8, 7 pm, Ann Arbor District Library (343 S Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, MI)

In David Leavitt’s The Indian Clerk, the English mathematician G.H. Hardy unexpectedly receives a letter filled with mathematical theorems from a young Indian visionary, Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose idiosyncratic and creative approach to mathematics ultimately led to some of the most complex and beautiful mathematical patterns of all time. UMS is assembling U-M experts on math and literature to explore the themes in David Leavitt’s breathtaking novel. This event is an excellent primer for those attending the UMS presentation of the theater company Complicite’s A Disappearing Number, which draws on the relationship between Hardy and Ramanujan as a central story line in the play.

University Musical Society www.ums.org.

Michigan APA Leadership Summit

Asian Pacific American Leadership Summit VI, Michigan

Saturday, September 13, 2008 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
East Lansing Hannah Community Center
819 Abbott Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823

Council of Asian Pacific Americans' (CAPA's) annual APA Leadership Summit focuses on building bridges and fostering growth within the Asian Pacific American community and with other communities to bring about positive social change. With a united voice, we can improve the lives of APAs in Michigan. Online registration and payment at www.capa-mi.org

Keynote Speaker: Ms. Mee Moua, Minnesota State Senator
State Senator Mee Moua was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in a special election in January 2002. She is the nation's first Hmong American elected to a state legislature. Senator Moua chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary and is a member of the Tax Committee, Public Safety Budget Division, and the Transportation Budget and Policy Committee.

Workshops: Economic Growth, Healthcare Access, Justice and Advancement, Civil Rights, and Voter Empowerment of Asians

Sponsored by Council of Asian Pacific Americans (CAPA) in collaboration with Governor's Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs, Asian American Center for Justice/American Citizens for Justice, Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, APIAVote-Michigan, Asian Professionals Organization, Asian Victims Relief Fund, Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Asian Indian Women's Association, Association of Chinese Americans, Filipino American Community Council, Great Lakes Hmong Association, India League of America.

Also, join APIAVote and special out-of-state guests Senator Mee Moua (invited) and Glenn Magpantay (confirmed) at a special reception following the conference, beginning at 5:30 pm at Soup to Nutz Bistro, 123 E. Kalamazoo, Lansing!

check out apiavote.org and capa-mi.org for more info.

Added for the Weekend at the Village

After a somewhat quiet summer working on other things, the editors have been back at work on the Village, and will resume updating the homepage, departments and blog with new features.

Fresh this week:

Unprecedented AAPI Presence at Democratic Convention

By Stewart David Ikeda

On a new prominence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders seen in Denver, from floor to podium. Part of an occasional series that will look at the position of AAPIs in the fall's elections.


Q&A: David Mura on Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire

By Alexs Pate

Interview with the noted author of Turning Japanese and Where the Body Meets Memory, on his new book and first novel, published in September


AAJC Urges LGPA Sponsors to Withdraw Support

Asian American Justice Center calls LPGA's policy requiring foreign players to speak English discriminatory. (Now that's a sporting way to get rid of unwanted competition!)


Other items from the AP: D.C. statue of King Kamehameha to be moved; Wounded Iraq vet Duckworth rips Bush, McCain; Dems support Native Hawaiian self-determination; Study: NFL has slightly more Asian, Latino players; Analysis: Dems' convention floor is ... democratic

Opportunities: Indo-American Arts Council Internship in NY; Tenure Track Position in History - Asian Studies, East Stroudsburg, PA; others.

Indo-American Arts Council (NY) Internship Opportunity

Release by IAAC about Internship Opportunities

Indo-American Arts Council is looking for skilled, dedicated, well organized individuals for fall internships. Interns will have the opportunity to work on our Eighth Annual MIAAC Film Festival, our Eighth Annual Playwrights Festival, preparations for our 2009 Erasing Borders Dance Festival and Art Exhibitions, and will also get involved with the day to day operations of the organization.

All internships require persons with initiative, dedication, and the ability to think outside the box. Internships are unpaid but come with university credit (if applicable)and the ability to learn event organization and management in a hands-on, exciting, stimulating atmosphere. If interested, please email your resume and cover letter to Nikita at admin@iaac.us immediately.
Our office is located at 146West 29th Street, Suite 7R3, New York City. Phone: 212 594 3685.

For information about the IAAC and our activities, please visit www.iaac.us.

The Indo-American Arts Council is a 501 ©3 not-for-profit arts organization passionately dedicated to promoting, showcasing and building an awareness of South Asian artists in the performing arts, visual arts, literary arts and folk arts. For information please visit www.iaac.us

Soetoro-Ng talks ohana in Denver | starbulletin.com | News | /2008/08/26/

Soetoro-Ng talks ohana starbulletin.com News /2008/08/26/:

Soetoro-Ng talks ohana
Sister weaves together family, dreams
STORY SUMMARY » DENVER » Hawaii teacher Maya Soetoro-Ng took center stage yesterday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, making the transition to sought-after political speaker.

The half sister of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, gave the Hawaii delegation a shaka yesterday at the Convention.

"In her speech, Soetoro-Ng repeatedly came back to Obama's central theme of wholesale change for the political system, saying that the upbringing provided by her and Barack's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, led the way."

Record APIAs to Participate in Dem Convention

With the general buzz surrounding the opening of the convention in Denver, some pretty big in-community news has been floating about that you won't see on CNN, but is still a good sign of a growing Asian American and Pacific Islander political engagement and clout. We thought we'd share this release for now, but expect views and analyses to follow, or feel free to leave your own here on the blog to get us started.

-- The Editors

-----------


RECORD NUMBERS OF ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICANS TO PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRST-TIME

Official Democratic APIA Communications Center To Get Party's Message Out To Asian and Pacific Islander American Communities

DENVER, COLO. - The Democratic National Convention's APIA Communications Center today announced details for Asian and Pacific Islander American events scheduled at this year's convention.

Thousands of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans will participate in this week's activities,
charting the community's greatest involvement in American political convention history.




DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

MONDAY, AUG. 25



9:15 a.m. - Democratic leaders brief media representatives covering the convention.

Colorado Convention Center Rm. 601, 700 14th St.

**NOTE: Listen-only dial-in phone number 866-847-7859.**



10 a.m. - Asian and Pacific Islander American Democratic leaders hold an

official party caucus to outline the campaign's strategy to reach voters.

Colorado Convention Center Four Seasons 4, 700 14th St.



2 p.m. - AAA-Fund holds a discussion with Asian and Pacific Islander

American Democratic activists called the "power hour."

Marriott Hotel City Center, 1701 California St.



2 p.m. - Indian American Leadership Initiative holds a news conference to

announce their community's plans to mobilize voters this year.

Denver Athletic Club, 1325 Glenarm Pl.



3:30 p.m. - Indian American Leadership Initiative holds a reception with

Indian American Democratic elected officials and political appointees.

Denver Athletic Club, 1325 Glenarm Pl.



8 p.m. - APIAVote holds a gala reception to celebrate Asian and Pacific

Islander political leadership.

Marriott City Center, Main Ballroom, 1701 California St.





TUESDAY, AUG. 26



9:15 a.m. - Democratic leaders brief media representatives covering the

convention.

Colorado Convention Center Rm. 601, 700 14th St.

**NOTE: Listen-only dial-in phone number 866-847-7859.**



2 p.m. - Asian and Pacific Islander American grassroots leaders hold a

training and strategy session.

Colorado Convention Center, Korbel Ballroom 3A, 700 14th St.





WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27



9:15 a.m. - Democratic leaders brief media representatives covering the

convention.

Colorado Convention Center Rm. 601, 700 14th St.

**NOTE: Listen-only dial-in phone number 866-847-7859.**



10 a.m. - Asian and Pacific Islander American Democratic leaders hold an

official party caucus to kick-off the largest mobilization of APIA voters in

history.

Colorado Convention Center Four Seasons 4, 700 14th St.



2 p.m. - APIAVote holds a briefing on grassroots strategies to engage Asian

and Pacific Islanders in the political process.

Marriott City Center, 1701 California St.





THURSDAY, AUG. 28



7:30 a.m. - Civil right leaders hold a breakfast commemorating 45th

anniversary of "I Have A Dream" speech.

Colorado Convention Center Korbel Ballroom, 700 14th St.



9:15 a.m. - Democratic leaders brief media representatives covering the convention.

Colorado Convention Center Rm. 601, 700 14th St.

**NOTE: Listen-only dial-in phone number 866-847-7859.**



# # #



**NOTE: Multimedia materials from Asian and Pacific Islander American events will be made available at www.demconvention.com

China Travel Series for the Olympic-Bound

Got the Olympic bug?

This week we're running a China Travel Focus Series, featuring special pieces from the AP Beijing bureau with tips on travel planning and (of course) food, including sightseeing, restaurant recommendations, a round-up of the best travel guides, and more. Just for fun, the section also includes a recipe of the day, with a new dish representing a different region and cooking style every day. In keeping with the general theme, the section will also highlight select jobs and employers from the IMDiversity Career Center database that are related to working in or travel to China, or where employers have specified that candidates with Chinese language skills or international experience are desirable for the post.

SF Chronicle Voting on Secret Asian Man

"Your vote on comics will count"

An exercise in democracy is underway at the San Francisco Chronicle, where the paper is asking its readers which of a series of new comic strips it's been testing out this week should be picked, and which ones should be "dumped".

It's a sign of the times, maybe, when a little-strip-that-could such as our own Secret Asian Man by Tak Toyoshima could conceivably oust old stalwarts like "Blondie," "Dennis the Menace," or even -- gasp -- Classic Peanuts!

But then, where does the country's most-beloved and first nationally syndicated Asian American cartoon star belong, if not in the major daily of America's most-Asian city?

Show SAM some love by voting for him in the Chronicle!

LA Times: ‘Dancing With the Stars’: Kristi Yamaguchi fulfills her destiny

This hyperbolic note from the L.A. Times:

‘Dancing With the Stars’: Kristi Yamaguchi fulfills her destiny : Show Tracker : LosAngeles Times:

"After 10 weeks, we’re all tired here, so let’s cut to the chase:
Kristi Yamaguchi and her partner Mark Ballas, the highest scorers in the history
of the show (or at least the U.S. version) took home the trophy. Jason Taylor and
Edyta were the runners-up"

Well, seems that becoming one of the premiere figures and most widely recognized, early ambassadors for her sport might have ranked somewhere on the chart of 'fulfilling her destiny,' but there's no doubt that Yamaguchi's gracefulness translates easily off the ice. She's a great athlete and, we know, also a terrific dancer.

Update and Correction: APIA Townhall Webcast Today

Here's a quick reminder that for those who can't attend today's First APIA National Presidential Townhall at UC Irvine or one of the many local simulcast parties today, IMDiversity.com Asian American Village and Punjabi Community Hour Inc. are scheduled to stream the main event at 4 PM Pacific Time.

The Asian American Village stream is at http://imdiversity.com/townhall.asp, and is Windows Media format. It should be viewable in most browsers that have the plug-in for Windows Media Player 9, but there is an additional link to play it on a local-machine Media Player as well.

We also need to make a correction: In our previous post of the email release for the event, there was an error in the link coding for Punjabi Community Hour Inc., whose streaming video site is: http://passionfortruthtv.com/ and NOT passionfortruth.com.

APIAVote.org has continued to post updates about the Townhall and other events for the weekend at its site, http://www.apiavote.org/, including a full schedule in PDF format of today's events in Irvine.

This Weekend: APIA Presidential Town Hall to be Simulcast Live on the Web

APIAVote Presidential Town Hall to be Simulcast Live on the Web

Historic Event to Stream from 15 Locations and on the Internet on May 17th

IRVINE , CA -APIAVote proudly announces that the Presidential Town Hall on May 17th will be streamed live on the Internet to 15 locations around the country, and will also be made available for viewing through media partners IMDiversity.com and Punjabi Community Hour Inc. and Passion For Truth.

We encourage everyone to attend one of these local sites for viewing. The cities that will host viewings are listed below, for information specific locations, click here.

(paste the following link to your internet browser if you are not automatically connected: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5321/t/1874/event/distributedEvent.jsp?distributed_event_KEY=13

The Presidential Town Hall, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time), will be shown at local venues live in the following cities.

Berkeley, CA
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX
Miami, FL
Minneapolis, MN
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Reno, NV
Santa Barbara, CA
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC

It will also be made available for live-streaming for individual viewing on the following websites:

• http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ps154vN7vg6rZO4luES0yvnelx37cf0s (the Asian American Village at IMDiversity.com)
• http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DDYWftSIPuurZO4luES0yvnelx37cf0s (Punjabi Community Hour Inc., at PassionForTruthTV.com)

"All politics is local and this historic Presidential Town Hall for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been able to take advantage of the internet and technology to really exemplify this in a groundbreaking way," said Vida Benavides, APIAVote Interim Executive Director. "While the center of the action will be in Southern California, we are working with a variety of local partners around the country to make this as widely accessible as possible. For individuals unable to make it to the actual event or any of the cities, we are glad to be able to make this available for individual live viewing thanks to our media partners."

The Presidential Town Hall will be held on May 17th, 2008, at the UC Irvine Bren Events Center. For more information on the event or how to access it via the Internet, please visit http://www.apiavote.org/.

###

APIAVote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels.

IMDiversity is dedicated to providing career and self-development information to all minorities, specifically African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and women. IMDiversity.com aims to provide you with access to the largest database of equal opportunity employers committed to workplace diversity.

Punjabi Community Hour Inc. and Passion for Truth produces two television channels with programming regarding Sikh issues.

Event: Lodestone Theater's "Trapezoid"

--- RELEASE ---

LODESTONE THEATER ENSEMBLE PRESENTS: Trapezoid

Trapezoid tells the story of a lovestruck Korean American poet hired to put the "art" in a robot's artificial intelligence. When the technological creation falls in love with its human creator, it's man-made versus mankind with comic and tragic results.

Trapezoid runs from April 19th - May 25th (Friday, Saturday - 8pm / Sunday - 2pm) **Low price $8.00 previews on April 17-18 at 8pm General Admission: $16.00 / Students & Seniors: $14.00 / Groups of 10+: $12.00 **April 19th - $25/Opening Night Gala **All Sunday shows (except May 25) are pay-what-you can ($1.00 min)

RSVP: 323-993-7245

Website: http://www.myspace.com/trapezoid2008

LOS ANGELES, CA Lodestone Theatre Ensemble presents the world premiere of Trapezoid, running April 19 - May 25, 2008 at the GTC Burbank (1111-B West Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91506) located inside George Izay Park. Following on the heels of one of its most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful seasons, the award-winning theatre company kicks off its ninth season with a new play by Lodestone Resident Producer Nic Cha Kim and directed by Scott Horstein.

Lodestone's first presentation of a play in the science-fiction genre, Trapezoid tells the story of a Korean American poet in love hired by a technology think tank to put the "art" in artificial intelligence. When the robot creation falls in love with the human creator, it's man-made versus mankind with sometimes comic and sometimes tragic results.

The cast includes Julia Cho, Antonia Grace Glenn, Alberto Isaac, Lanny Joon, Elaine Kao, Charles Kim, Ryan Mercado , Leonard Wu, Elpidio Ebuen, John Fukuda, Grace Kim, Stephanie Lincoln, Brian P. Nichols and Enoch Wu.

"Trapezoid is a loose adaptation of Pygmalion and Galatea but instead of sculpture, we use poetry," explains playwright Nic Cha Kim. "From Collodi's Pinocchio, Shelley's Frankenstein and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, artificial intelligence has been a fixture of science-fiction for centuries despite only being a science for the last 65 years. Trapezoid is my homage to scientists and science fiction writers alike."

Trapezoid playwright Nic Cha Kim is a Korean American writer, video artist and community activist. The recipient of numerous distinctions from the City of Los Angeles, Kim is best known for founding Gallery Row and leading the effort to create a gallery district in Downtown Los Angeles. As owner of Niche Video Art, his work curating cutting-edge digital and video art has been recognized in Art Forum, LA Times and the Downtown News. Kim was voted top 10 most influential Angeleno by LA Alternative Press and profiled on LA18 in the segment Our Role Models. This is Kim's first mainstage production at Lodestone.

Scott Horstein has directed workshops, readings and/or served as dramaturg at the Black Dahlia Theater, East West Players, the West Coast Ensemble, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, San Diego Rep and the Old Globe, where he dramaturged for Arthur Miller on his penultimate play Resurrection Blues.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm., April 19 May 25, with low-priced previews on April 17 and 18. Tickets are $16 for general admission, $14 for students/seniors. Group rates of $12 each are available for reservations of ten or more. Tickets for the April 19th Opening Night Gala with a post-show reception are $25. All Sunday matinees (except May 25) will be pay-what-you-can admission with a $1 minimum.

For more information, call the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble hotline at (323) 993-7245 or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.lodestonetheatre.org or http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/lodestonetheatre or www.myspace.com/trapezoid2008

Founded in 1999 by Philip W. Chung, Alexandra Chun, Chil Kong and Tim Lounibos, Lodestone is committed to providing a forum for Asian Pacific American artists in all aspects of the theatre arts. Lodestone seeks to challenge limited perceptions of Asian Pacific Americans through the creation of original theatrical productions as well as a fresh retelling of established works.
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a Company-in-Residence at GTC Burbank.

Historic APIA Presidential Town Hall in L.A. - May 17

Our reminder about a worthy, exciting event by the organization APIAVote.org:

Presidential Town Hall Just Around the Corner

APIAVote's national Presidential Town Hall is coming up! Mark May 17th in your calendars and plan on coming out to Irvine to join in the activity!

APIAVote is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels. APIAVote envisions a society in which all Asian Pacific Islander Americans fully participate in and have access to the democratic process.

With the support of various national Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations, we will be expecting 2000 community leaders, elected officials, voters, and students representing this diverse community from across the country to participate at the first National Presidential Town Hall hosted by our Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Development's (NCAPACD) Annual Convention is being held in conjunction with the Town Hall. Its Saturday activities will take place in the Bren Center, the APIA Vote Town Hall venue, as well. Among the activities on tap will be a "Voicing Our Votes" Forum and a discussion by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, the leading coalition of national Asian Pacific American organizations.

Join us for this historic event and learn about the candidates before voting in the general election in November, 2008.

DATE: May 17, 2008
TIME: 4 pm
PLACE: Bren Events Center at University of California, Irvine [More Info]
COMPLETE INFO: APIA Vote Townhall Info, Registration, etc.

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Also note: For those interested in getting involved with this nonpartisan community effort, APIAVote is currently accepting applications for executive and internship positions, posted as featured jobs during the month of May at the Asian American Village Jobs for US Center

Volunteer to Help Archeologists at Manazanar

From the National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/) via our friend Tom at densho.org :

Help Uncover History

You are invited to help the National Park Service conduct archeological investigations and stabilization at historic Merritt Park. Built by Japanese Americans while they were interned at Manzanar, Merritt Park is the largest single landscape feature at the Historic Site, and the largest remaining at any of the relocation centers. Numerous historic photographs reflect Merritt Park’s importance to the internees.

Now, Merritt Park is buried by sediments and overgrown with vegetation. Uncovering and restoring the park will help increase visitor understanding of the internee experience.

National Park Service Archeologist Jeff Burton is recruiting volunteers to assist with this project. Work will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, May 19 to May 31, July 21 to August 1, and August 30 to September 2, 2008. You may volunteer any number of days, and any number of hours, but a full day (and multiple days) is preferred. The work will be conducted outdoors, regardless of weather. Please be prepared.

If you are interested in participating and for local lodging options, please contact Manzanar Volunteer Program Manager, Carrie Andresen at 760-878-2194 x2714 or Carrie_Andresen@nps.gov.

See NPS info at http://www.nps.gov/manz/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm

[Image here by the National Park Service shows Earth Systems Science, Incorporated, a volunteer youth group that participated in past years' volunteer events at Manzanar.]

For Stats Junkies: Where APAs are the Largest Minority

A curious note came our way with the May release of the monthly Census Bureau update.


We're stats junkies at the Village, so we annually post the Bureau's Facts-for-Features when we update our http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/asian/history_heritage/asian_pacific_american_heritage_month.asp section.


It comes with their annually updated population projections, which this year carried the following highlights:

The Asian population rose by 2.9 percent, or 434,000, between 2006 and 2007.

California (5 million) had the largest Asian population on July 1, 2007, as well
as the largest numerical increase during the 2006 to 2007 period (106,000). New
York (1.4 million) and Texas (915,000) followed in population. Texas (44,000)
and New York (33,000) followed in numerical increase.

In Hawaii, Asians made up the highest proportion of the total population (55 percent), with California (14 percent), and New Jersey and Washington (8 percent each) next.

The single-race Asian population in 2007 had a median age of 35.4, compared with the population as a whole at 36.6.

This pretty reflects trends that have been reoprted in recent years past, only augmented. But this year, the Bureau slipped a really surprising one by us, burying the revelation in an entirely different release. We even thought it was a typo, but we followed through digging a little deeper into Census.gov and it seems legit. So before we report it, we thought we'd put it out there to those APIA Studies folks and demographers who think they really know their stuff.

QUESTION: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians are the largest minority group in which U.S. state(s)?

Think you know? Check it out.

Asian Pacific American Heritage (and History) Month @ AAV

The editors are now updating our annual section, Asian Pacific American Heritage (and History) Month @ AAV, with features, links, news, activities for kids, historical interest, books, and more.

This year, more than ever, the editors have opted to emphasize history over heritage per se. As we've written in years past, at IMDiversity Asian-American Village, EVERY month is "Asian American Heritage Month". We are all for celebrating / recalling / enacting traditional aspects stemming from our roots in Asia. We enjoy obon and lion dances and martial arts and mehendi etc., etc. as much as the next person. And we recognize that for many people -- especially those living in regions who do not have access to a large or vibrant AA/PI community -- taking a time out once a year to indulge, commemorate, celebrate and share those aspects of our heritage that we hold most dear is not only gratifying and important, but perhaps a rare luxury.

But at the same time, we at the Village have made an effort regard May as a chance to explore/recapture our pasts as people of Asian descent here, in America -- ala Black History Month or Women's History Month. Because we have the luxury of being fully expressive of our iterests as Asian Americans year-round, our editors have long felt that redirecting the month's emphasis onto history has led to a more meaningful, substantive commemoration of the contributions of APAs here, in this country, yesterday and today.

This year, we kick off our section with the usual updates -- the new Asian Pacific American Population Census Facts for Heritage Month 2008, the annually adjusted fun feature for stats junkies from Census; this year's Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Proclamation by the President of the United States of America; and new feature articles on historical themes.

This year, our top features to kick off may include "Vincent Who?" by Roland Hwang, President, American Citizens for Justice, recalling the historic importance of the Vincent Chin murder case of 26 years ago and the founding of ACJ.

We also spotlight and feature a clip from Passing Poston: An American Story. Filmmaker Joe Fox discusses the inspiration behind new film about Poston internment camp on an AZ reservation in WWII. The film nudges the usual internment story a little further, placing a fresh emphasis on the exploration of the internment's impact on both Japanese Americans and Native Americans.

History of Asians in the San Gabriel Valley, a new research essay by historian Susie Ling, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at Pasadena City College, provides a historical overview of one of America's "most Asian" regions.


From the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, A History of Chinese American Banking in Los Angeles includes illustrated excerpts from the Society's recent tribute to SoCal banking pioneers.

As always, we'll continue to post new items on themes of history and heritage throughout the month both on the section and here on the blog. We'll also be launching a prominent section of featured employment opportunities we've packaged just for the Asian American Village Jobs for Us Career Center, reloading our recently redesigned Secret Asian Man section with new comic strip series, and more.

Meanwhile, here's one of those greetings you probably won't hear elsewhere any time soon, but...Happy Asian Pacific American Month!

Misc Announcements for APA Heritage Month

File this in the things to do in May when you're Asian category...Boiled down from releases sent in to the Village --

2008 Asian Excellence Awards on E! Entertainment
Thursday, May 1 @ 6 pm EST/PST
Hosted by Bobby Lee (MADtv) and Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars)
Performances by JabbaWockeeZ, KABA Modern and Tia Carrere

Honorees, Winners and Presenters include:

Kristi Yamaguchi, Sonja Sohn, Rob Schneider, Steven Seagal, Quentin Tarantino, Kelly Hu, Lindsay Price, Steve Chen (co-founder of YOUtube), Verne Troyer, B.D. Wong, Andre Royo, Ian Ziering, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bobby Lee, Jack Yang, Daisy Fuentes, Roger Fan, Russell Peters, Devon Aoki, Sharon Leal, Tamlyn Tomita, Bai Ling, Cheryl Burke, Cristián de la Fuente, Se7en, Daisy Fuentes, Will Yun Lee, Michelle Krusiec, Michael Yo, Brenda Song, Rex Lee, Navi Rawat, Jack Yang, Michaela Conlin, James Saito, and Teresa Cheung.
Visit http://www.axawards.com/ for more info.
Red carpet and additional extras will be available on Comcast on Demand starting May 7.

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KCET Los Angeles and Union Bank of California Present
"Local Heroes of the Year" at Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration on Thursday, May 8, at KCET

Event Honors Southern Californians in Arts, Business, Community Activism, Education and Social Services; KCET Airs Honoree Video Profiles in May

Recognizing May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, KCET and Union Bank of California have teamed to present the 5th Annual "Local Hero of the Year" Awards at a special event for honorees and their guests on Thursday, May 8 at KCET. The awards are presented to individuals of Asian/Pacific heritage who have inspired others and enriched their communities, improving the quality of life for all. The festivities will also include a featured performance by Grammy® Award-winning artist Daniel Ho. This year's honorees are:

Community Activism, Curtis Chin, Writer/Producer and Volunteer for Asian Pacific Americans for Progress;
Social Services, Hemlata Momaya, Executive Director of Bal Jagat Children's World, Inc.;
Education: Bill H. Seki, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Go For Broke National Education Center;
Arts: Beau Sia, Poet; and
Business: Tony Yip, President of J.T. Bonn, Inc.

As part of KCET's Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month celebration, KCET will broadcast specials and programs that honor the cultural and historical heritage of Asian/ Pacific Americans. For in-depth episode descriptions of all Asian/Pacific Heritage Month programs, please visit http://www.kcet.org/.

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Asia Society "Callout Initiative" on YouTube
“What does being Asian American mean to you?”



Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! To celebrate, Asia Society has joined with YouTube in a callout initiative asking people everywhere: “What does being Asian American mean to you?” For today’s launch, we are the spotlight headlining YouTube’s News homepage à

To see our call-out video featuring Sandra Oh, Senator Daniel Inouye, Kal Penn, George Takei, and others, simply click on Sandra above. And help spread the word! Please encourage all Asian Americans to post their own response videos throughout the month at http://www.youtube.com/video_response_upload?v=hWey0hhi3Dw. This May, help Asian Americans come together!

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