Long Duk Dong Revisited on NPR

If we needed another reason to pitch in and not tune out during the next interminable on-air fundraising drive...

Hat's off to NPR's All Things Considered for its story this week, Long Duk Dong: Last of the Hollywood Stereotypes?, reported by Alison MacAdam.

Okay, maybe for most Villagers, the story will be preaching to the converted. But it's gratifying to hear the story explored in a more-or-less mainstream media forum like this, since most of us have long, long ago given bothering to try to explain to people, "What's wrong with the Donger". The story includes interviews with the ill-fated JA actor, Gedde Watanabe, and the publishers of Giant Robot.

Happily, NPR has also annotated the online version with both a discussion forum and a "Donger and Me" comic strip by one of the editors' old favorite artists, Adrian Tomine (see Tomine's Shortcomings).

Release: NAPAWF Denounces Ad Campaign for "Chinese Laundry" Fusion Restaurant

March 18, 2008

METRO WASHINGTON, DC - The National Asian Pacific American Women's
Forum (NAPAWF) joins community members and activists in expressing
deep objection to an ad campaign printed in February and March of this
year to publicize a new Asian fusion restaurant owned by Chow Fun Food
Group, Inc.

A print advertisement in last month's Providence Monthly magazine
signaled the upcoming opening of Chinese Laundry, an Asian fusion
restaurant in downtown Providence, RI, built on the site of a former
Chinese laundry business that closed six years ago. The advertisement
prominently featured a black and white image of a faceless nude female
torso with traditional Chinese characters tattooed down the side of
her body, and a black banner containing the text "see what you are
missing" across her breasts. A bar of text across the top of the
advertisement read, "good things come to those who wait." Earlier this
month, the advertisement was again printed in Providence Monthly, this
time with the words, "the wait is over." See www.napawf.org/blog to
view the actual advertisement.

In an apparent response to public objection to the advertisement led
by Asian American activists, Chow Fun Food Group owner John Elkhay
recently announced that the ad campaign will be pulled.

This is only a first step. NAPAWF denounces the Chow Fun Food Group
for leveraging, in this marketing campaign, the lowest common
denominators of Asian female exoticism and the commodification of a
generalized Asian culture. NAPAWF is also disturbed by the flippancy
with which the restaurant appropriated the name "Chinese Laundry"
without recognition of the significance that line of business played
in Chinese American history and oppression.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinese Americans were
largely forced to enter the laundering business due to intense
discrimination that closed the door of opportunity to most other forms
of work. Chinese Americans came to be associated with the laundry
business because, as with railroad work during the mid-19th century,
it was one of the few available industries that Chinese workers could
enter into to pursue a livelihood. Mr. Elkhay clearly missed the mark
in naming his restaurant "Chinese Laundry" to "honor the time honored
traditions of those before us," as Mr. Elkhay has stated.

Similarly, the advertisements' evocations of passive, faceless
hypersexuality resurrect the struggles that Asian American and Pacific
Islander women have historically fought against. For centuries, Asian
American and Pacific Islander women have been represented as objects
of submission, foreignness and sexual exoticism. The advertisement is
proof that this "orientalism" continues today.

NAPAWF calls on Mr. Elkhay to take seriously his own proclaimed desire
to respect the cultures that he seeks to profit from, by acknowledging
their histories and realities rather than by packaging them into
offensive and oppressive pop culture quips. We urge Mr. Elkhay, as a
successful business owner, to wield his powers of publicity in ways
that are constructive to dismantling, rather than propagating, culture
and gender oppression.

Send a message to the Chow Fun Food Group! Go to
http://www.petitiononline.com/providen/petition.html to sign a
petition calling on Mr. Elkhay to issue a formal apology and
discontinue this "business practice."

Please contact Bonnie at bchan@napawf.org for more info or if you would like to get involved in
local campaign efforts.

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex

Saturday, March 15, 2008, 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Michigan Union, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
For more information & to register online: http://www.woclockdown.org/

Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial Complex is a conference organized by undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan. Its aim is to promote dialogue on the politics of women of color scholarship in a post-Proposal 2 (anti-Affirmative Action) environment. Women scholars of color from universities across the country will participate in critical discussions of a host of issues relating to politics, pedagogy, and campus climate for women devoted to pubic scholarship. The conference is intended as an organized community forum space and all attendees are encouraged to contribute to the day's ongoing conversations.

Speakers:
Piya Chatterjee, University of California, Riverside
Angela Davis, University of California, Santa Cruz (via teleconference)
Rosa Linda Fregoso, University of Southern California
Ruthie Gilmore, University of Southern California
Fred Moten, Duke University
Clarissa Rojas, San Francisco State University
Haunani-Kay Trask, University of Hawai'I

CO-SPONSORS: University of Michigan Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program, Center for the Education of Women, Department of History of Art, Department of Women’s Studies, Division of Student Affairs, Michigan Student Assembly, Museum Studies Program, Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, Students of Color of Rackham Native Caucus, William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center, Women of Color in the Academy Project

"Asian-Pacific American Women's Wall of Fame"

It's back! Our annual Asian American Village Women's History Month commemoration of the APA women who have made history, these pages and a difference.

Help us keep this annual, ever-growing, Villager-built tradition alive by adding your own "brick".

Tell us:

Which APA women do you feel have made the most meaningful difference in shaping our lives, our community and nation -- and why?

This year, we're going to try taking nominations here through the blog, so please leave us a comment with your nomination. And PLEASE, don't just a send us a name that's already on the Wall -- instead, tell us why you nominate her and what is remarkable about her. Use purple prose, add links, whatever you like!

International Women's Day

http://womensvillage.blogspot.com/: "March 8 is International Women's Day


March 8 is International Women's Day

Visit the official IWD site to learn more, support it, get a logo link to display on your site.

Also added this week at IMDiversity.com:
Women's History Month Profile 2008
Annual Census release paints statistical portrait of U.S. women at work, school, home, business and beyond

More readings will be added to our Women's Village news section and in other villages throughout the month, including updates to the annual Asian Pacific American Wall of Fame at the Women's History Month @ Asian American Village and the Women's History Month - Latina Wall of Fame at Hispanic American Village, and more...

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on CTN TV

See our own Frances Kai-Hwa Wang moderating a book discussion group for William Poy Lee's The Eighth Promise as part of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds" on Community Television Network (CTN) Access Ann Arbor (Channel 17)
Airing February 24, 26, 27, 28, 29; March 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 2008

FILM: Passing Poston: An American Story

Following up on the Annual Day of Remembrance -- marking FDR's signing of Executive Order 9066 -- we feature a contribution by filmmaker Joe Fox, whose new film Passing Poston: An American Story, debuts in New York City tonight.

The filmmaker and writer discusses the inspiration behind the new film about Poston concentration camp, and about the film's exploration of connections between the Japanese Americans who labored there and the Colorado River Indian tribe, whose desert reservation served as its host.

As Fox states, "A filmmaker is nothing more than a storyteller. And one really searches high and low for those amazing stories to tell."

He and partner James Nubile have found an amazing story indeed. Learn more at http://www.passingposton.com/.

Noism08 UMS Debut

NINA materialize sacrifice, Noism08
Jo Kanamori, artistic director
Friday, February 15, 8 pm, Power Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

One of the most talked-about personalities on the Japanese contemporary dance scene, the 33-year-old choreographer and dancer Jo Kanamori is at the vanguard of Japan's new generation of dancemakers and serves as the artistic director of Noism08, the only residential contemporary dance company in Japan. He studied classical Ballet in Japan, then went to Europe where he discovered contemporary dance, working with Jirí Kylián and Maurice Béjart and achieving recognition as an important choreographer with a unique, polished, and sophisticated talent. His company makes its UMS debut with this single performance of NINA materialize sacrifice, which showcases dancers of amazing virtuosity performing outrageously difficult choreography with machine-like precision. This full-evening work is set to music by Vietnamese-French composer Ton That An.

University Musical Society

Happy Year of the Rat - Part 2

As I wrote in the previous Lunar New Year posting, the editors have been banging away at our Lunar New Year section, our archive of readings from (lunar) years past and present, with new readings to welcome the Year of the Rat. Rolling updates will continue throughout this week and deeper into the month.

Additionally, we've compiled just for fun a supplemental of package of AP stories on the theme, (Re)Consider the Rat. Anchored by a report on Chinese astrologers' predictions for the apparently "turbulent" rat-year ahead, the package is really more a journalistic improv on the actual -- not zodiacal -- rodent.

Sure, maybe the success of the Disney-Pixar Ratatouille has helped raise the rodent's rep a notch, but they've got a long way to go before they are embraced as cuddly. (Hard to imagine something like March of the Rats... taking America by storm.)

But, as the AP reports, the much-maligned lunar symbol of the year has definitely made in-roads with a diverse fan-base, from rights activists to scientists, pet owners to ... umm ... chefs.

So, this New Year's Day, don't forget to hug a rat, and stop by the Village for more this week!

Also, a shout out: The image here is from one of our past New Year's articles, Chinese Lunar Calendar and Zodiac, by and courtesy of the SF Chinese Culture Center, which is planning a bunch of great New Year's programming for all ages this year, including a free, Pre-Party exhibit at the Center, 750 Kearny Street, starting the 21st, and a reading by Oliver Chin from his book for kids, Year of the Rat.

AALDEF Poll: APAs Favored Clinton, McCain in NY.NJ

Sent in from the good folks at Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), who did poll monitoring in the area yesterday:

ASIAN AMERICAN VOTERS FAVOR CLINTON AND McCAIN IN
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
***********************************
New York … Asian American voters in New York and New Jersey, two states with the largest Asian American populations in the Northeast, gave overwhelming support to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in the "Super Tuesday" presidential primary elections.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) today released preliminary findings from its multilingual, nonpartisan exit poll of 700 Asian American voters at 9 polling places in New York City and 6 polling places in Palisades Park, Fort Lee and Edison, New Jersey.

AALDEF Executive Director Margaret Fung said: "Asian American voters have demonstrated strong interest in the Presidential elections, and they made their voices heard on Super Tuesday."

A summary of the preliminary results appears below:

NEW YORK

Over 530 Asian American voters were polled in New York City: Manhattan's Chinatown; Flushing, Elmhurst, and Bayside, Queens; and Sunset Park and Midwood, Brooklyn. 61% were Chinese Americans, 21% Korean Americans, and 12% South Asian Americans.

-Among Asian American voters polled, 95% were Democrats and 5% were Republicans.
-Asian American female and male voters polled were split 50%-50%.
-30% of Asian Americans polled were 70 years and over, followed by voters aged 60-69 (19%), ages 50 to 59 (16%), ages 40 to 49 (13%), and 11% each for voters aged 30 to 39 and aged 18 to 29.

Democratic Primary
-86% of Asian American Democrats--women and men of all age groups--supported Clinton, with Obama receiving 14% of the Asian American vote.
-Among Asian ethnic groups, the greatest support for Clinton came from Chinese American voters (90%); followed by Korean Americans (81%) and South Asian Americans (70%).
-91% of Asian American women voted for Clinton and 9% voted for Obama; Asian American men also favored Clinton (80%) over Obama (20%).
-Asian Americans in all age groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 and over) preferred Clinton. Obama did best among younger Asian Americans, receiving 29% of voters aged 19-29, as compared to 9% of Asian American voters 70 and over.

Republican Primary
-68% of Asian American Republicans voted for Sen. John McCain, followed by 12% for Mike Huckabee. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney each received 8% of the Asian American vote.
-Asian American women and men in all age groups favored McCain over the other candidates.

NEW JERSEY

Almost 170 Asian American voters were surveyed in New Jersey. 75% were Korean American, 15% South Asian American, 9% Chinese American, and 1% Other Asian American. Voters were surveyed at 6 poll sites in Palisades Park, Fort Lee, and Edison.
Democratic Primary -Clinton won 73% of the Asian American vote, with 22% supporting Obama.
-Korean American voters, the largest Asian ethnic group polled in New Jersey, favored Clinton by 80%, with 16% for Obama.
Republican Primary -McCain won 56% of Asian American Republicans polled, followed by Giuliani (20%), Romney (16%) and Huckabee (4%).

* * *

AALDEF coordinated the 2008 exit poll of Asian American voters with the assistance of co-sponsors Korean American Voters’ Council of NY/NJ and YKASEC: Empowering the Korean American Community.

The exit poll questionnaire was available in English, Chinese, and Korean. More than 100 attorneys, law students, and community volunteers conducted the poll and spoke seven Asian languages or dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi, Urdu, and Gujarati.

AALDEF’s multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns regularly overlooked in mainstream voter surveys and provide a snapshot of Asian American voter preferences on candidates, political parties, and policy issues of concern to Asian Americans.

In the 2004 Presidential election, AALDEF polled almost 11,000 Asian American voters in 23 cities in eight states. AALDEF’s exit poll reports from the 2006 midterm elections and 2004 presidential elections are available online at www.aaldef.org/voting.php

###

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

Happy New Year from Asian-American Village!

On February 7, the traditional Chinese calendar rolls into year 4706, and we roll with it with a new feature, Chinese New Year, Los Angeles Style, by frequent Village contributor Susie Ling of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Her feature provides a succinct look at area events planned to welcome the Year of the Rat, with a historical twist.

Although our Lunar New Year section has become more of an archive of (lots of) collected readings from years past than a regular annual feature, we will continue to add small news items and other features related to theme as they come.

Now, an important announcement:

Lunar New Year Is Not Synonymous with Chinese New Year

Let's repeat that, for emphasis:

Lunar New Year Is Not Synonymous with Chinese New Year

While we're on the topic, every year we get a few complainers coming by and flaming us (probably without having actually read the section) and accusing us of conflating Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year, or misrepresenting Lunar New Year as an exclusively Chinese thing.

Why don't you say anything about Tet or Têt for that matter!

Why don't you say that Korean Lunar New is Sol, celebrated on the first day of the first month of Lunar New Year?

Why don't you write about Losar, the Tibetan Lunar New Year, which is usually close to, but not necessarily the same day as, Chinese New Year?

Well, the answer is, we do (or at least, have done).

But, we also admit that after years of this, we lack the editorial wherewithal and frankly interest in tracking and in many cases regurgitating stuff about this crazy array of always-moving, never-quite-synchronized, sort-of-similar-but-not-really, moving-target holidays. Now, being honest, we know that it can be hard sometimes to keep track of our own ethnic holidays on a lunar calendar, much less every other ethnic group's.

That said, we do make small updates and run seasonal features about LNY every year, in January or February or March or whenever the heck it is this time around. When we get in submissions related to other aspects of the lunar holidays (not just New Year), we often run them. This can include features, reader letters, events listings, or news items related to theme from around the country and the world from the AP or other sources we subscribe to. But, we have to say, that in general, we get a lot more stuff sent our way about Chinese New Year than others -- whether from contributor pitches or newswires or readers, as well as through mainstream media. We don't know why. Maybe it's becasue there are more Chinese Americans than other groups who bother with a lunar calendar. Or, maybe it's just that Chinese Americans are more "party people"? (I'm not Korean, but I've noticed that over many years now, I'm usually the one my Korean American friends here in the Midwest have come to rely on to remind them when Sol is approaching -- like the seasonal products aisle at Walgreen's.)

So, this year, before you write to berate us for thinking that Lunar New Year is Chinese New Year, we say: Put up or shut up! You have something of interest to say or announce or report on for your New Year, then send it in or, for more time-sensitive stuff, post it here!

;-)

Meanwhile, happy new year/tet/losar/sol, etc., etc. to everyone -- the point being, may the year just starting bring health, happiness, and good fortune to us all!

Chinese New Year's with Frances Wang

Community Chinese New Year's Celebration
Saturday, February 9, 2008, 2:00-3:30pm
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds"
Ann Arbor District Library, Main/Downtown branch
343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Chinese Lunar New Year's Day signifies the beginning of spring and is celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese in many countries around the world, including Taiwan, China, Singapore, and America! Come celebrate the Year of the Mouse with Frances Kai-Hwa Wang and Ann Arbor's own Chinese American community with dance, music, martial arts, stories, crafts, and Yo-Yo! with performances by Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan, Ann Arbor Chinese Dancing School, Ann Arbor Traditional Chinese Orchestra and Ann Hua Chinese School.

Wu Man, pipa, and the Bay Area Shawm Band UMS Debut

Sunday, February 10, 4 pm, Rackham Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Wu Man is an internationally renowned virtuoso of the pipa, a lute-like Chinese instrument whose history dates back more than 2,000 years. Born in Hangzhou, China and now living in San Diego, she is recognized as an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire as well as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music by today’s most prominent composers, including Bright Sheng (she created the original Goddess Weaver in Silver River, which UMS presented last season), Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Chen Yi, and others. A frequent participant in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, Wu Man makes her UMS debut as part of the season’s global focus on artists from Asia, and as part of the U-M China Theme Year. She is joined by the Chinese Shawm Band, among the most exhilarating of the gypsy bands in China. Shawm Bands, which feature distinctive long reed instruments and percussion, are an integral part of village ceremonies and provide an extreme contrast to the refined world of the pipa. Shawm music dates back to the 16th century, with a gutsy, blues-like, improvisatory feel.

Brown Bag: Wu Man and the World of Chinese Music
Tuesday, Feb 12,12-1 pm, Center for Chinese Studies, School of Social Work Building, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join world-renowned pipa virtuoso Wu Man as she discusses the world of Chinese Music, both traditional and contemporary.

University Musical Society
Wu Man's Website

Denver Conference: “Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”

This sent announcement of early-bird registration sent in by friends at the Japanese American National Museum and by filmmaker Satsuka Ina:

“Whose America? Who’s American? Diversity, Civil Liberties, and Social Justice”
July 3-6, 2008
(Early bird registration closes on January 31, 2008 – Save up to 35%! )
Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center

The conference speakers include:

• Anan Ameri, PhD, Director, Arab American National Museum
• Sybil Jordan Hampton, EdD, Former President, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
• The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator, State of Hawai`i
• Patty Limerick, PhD, Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado
• Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, Medal of Honor Recipient
• Federico Peña, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
• George Sakato, Medal of Honor Recipient
• George Takei, Actor

To learn more about the program, to download a registration packet, to learn how to purchase tickets to the Rockies baseball game on July 4, and to see the ever-growing list of people who have already registered for the conference, please visit our Web site at janm.org/projects/ec/conference/.

Additional updates are available through the project blog at janm.org/ec/blog/7.
If you have any questions, please email ec@janm.org.

Looking forward to seeing you in Denver!

– Enduring Communities Project Team

Major support has been generously provided by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Aratani Foundation.

MSNBC Dem Debate Tonight on Minority Issues

Watch, Witness, and Weigh In!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters Impact on Nevada Caucus Unprecedented but Undervalued; Historic Presidential Debate to Address AAPI Issues

NATIONWIDE—APIAVote invites you to tune into your MSNBC channel or online to watch the Presidential Democratic Debate on minority issues. The MSNBC debate will directly address Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community issues.

Through intense lobbying by local and national AAPI leaders, the Nevada debate will now include discussion of AAPI-specific issues. In addition, the debate comes hot on the heels of efforts by APIAVote and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Las Vegas chapter to increase AAPI participation and to maximize the visibility of the AAPI electorate in local and ethnic media (see links below for media and blog coverage).

"We've conducted outreach to both the Democratic and Republican parties to make them aware of the AAPI community's presence and growing political participation," said Vida Benavides, chair of APIAVote. "The Nevada caucuses are historic in that the unprecedented AAPI vote could sway the caucus outcome, and it is important for parties to understand that we are not going away—our voice as a community will only get stronger."

"AAPIs have electoral impact," said Daphne Kwok, APIAVote board member. "In Nevada, for the 2004 election, 63 percent of eligible voters registered to vote and 77 percent of registered voters turned out to vote. In Clark County, 35,321 AAPIs registered to vote; 26,464 cast ballots - voter turnout reached 75%."

APIAVote's involvement in Nevada dates back to 2004, when many did not realize the electoral significance of Nevada's growing AAPI communities. Now, a once emerging AAPI community is a key electorate in Nevada. AAPIs are the fastest growing population in the state's Clark County. Asian Americans comprise 8% of the county's population, while Pacific Islanders are now 1% of the county's population.

The Nevada debate leads up to the Nevada caucus on January 19, which is the first caucus in the West, as well as the first caucus in which AAPI participation will have significant impact. With Nevada having the 3rd highest Pacific Islander population and the 6th highest Asian American population, AAPIs from across the United States will be watching this debate, particularly AAPIs in the West headed into Super Tuesday. APIAVote encourages all communities to continue watching upcoming Republican and Democratic debates in order to be an informed voter during this primary season.

Watch, Witness, and Weigh in!: MSNBC Debate Information

What: MSNBC's Democratic Debate in Las Vegas
Who: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, former Sen. John Edwards, Democratic Presidential Candidates
When: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm PST /// 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm EST
Watch: Your MSNBC Channel, www.msnbc.com
Who: Tim Russert (Meet the Press), Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News), Natalie Morales (The Today Show)

1. WATCH the presidential candidates debate and offer solutions to minority issues!

2. WITNESS AAPI history in the making! Our AAPI leaders will be in the debate spin room to respond to the candidates' answers to our questions.

3. WEIGH IN on the debate! How has the candidates' debate answers impacted your decision on who is the best candidate for our AAPI communities? Will the debate have the same effect on your friends, colleagues, and families? Discuss the first presidential debate that directly addresses AAPIs.

###

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang Talk

"On Becoming Chinese American" Talk by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 7:00-8:30 pm
Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads "China and America: Bridging Two Worlds"
Ann Arbor District Library, Main/Downtown branch
343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Growing up the child of immigrants, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang grew up both part of and slightly outside of Chinese culture and mainstream American culture. What does it mean to be Chinese? What does it mean to be Chinese American? How does one who does not "look the part" become fully American? Who am I in spite of all these labels? As acting editor of IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, Ms. Wang has written extensively on issues of identity and culture as process rather than simply one "Aha" moment in time. She will offer a brief introduction to Asian American history and share the stories of the many different ways she has wrestled with identity and culture--as a child, as a young adult, as a parent, etc.--bringing some of the themes of The Eighth Promise straight to life in today's Ann Arbor.

Check out Frances' website for more events.

Yuja Wang makes UMS Debut

Sunday, January 20, 4 pm, Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

“The current young lions among Chinese-born pianists, Lang Lang and Yundi Li, had better start looking over their shoulders,” noted The New York Times more than a year ago in an article about the rise of the young Chinese pianist Yuja Wang. Born in Beijing in 1987, Wang offers audiences the opportunity to be part of the dawn of an exciting career. She graduated from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music last spring, received the 2006 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and has already made milestone debuts with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Boston Symphony, where she stepped in at the last moment for an ailing Martha Argerich. Her San Francisco Symphony debut in April led to an ecstatic review from the San Francisco Chronicle: "At 20, Wang has both the energetic, fearless imagination of youth and the probing sensitivity that in most artists comes only with maturity - as well as the keyboard technique to put all her ideas flawlessly into action...extravagantly gifted on every front...."

University Musical Society
Yuja Wang's Website

Benazir Bhutto killed in Suicide Attack

Newswires this morning are reporting that Benazir Bhutto, 54, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has died following a shooting and suicide bombing that also killed at least 15 other people at the rally where the attack took place.

Bhutto had only recently returned to Pakistan in advance of January parliamentary elections elections, surviving another attempted assassination in Karachi on Oct. 19.

Educated in America and England, Bhutto was the eldest daughter of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was himself assassinated following a 1977 coup.

More reportage:

International Herald Tribune
Bloomberg
BBC
ABC News
Top News India

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang on Michigan TV?

Professional Journalist at Work: We are not sure, but you might possibly be able to see our own Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (or perhaps just her hand) on Michigan TV running/holding the microphone for the Q&A on this Public TV broadcast of University of Michigan Professor Nicholas Howson's UM ChinaNOW Theme Year Center for Chinese Studies Public Lecture of December 7, 2007, "China's Stock Exchanges and Domestic Capital Markets--Boom, Bust, and Bellwether?"
Michigan TV Channel 22 (Comcast cable channel 22)
Friday, December 21, 2007, 9:00 pm
Saturday, December 22, 2007, 2:00pm
or click here.

To see Frances Kai-Hwa Wang's calendar of REAL upcoming public appearances, check out her website, franceskaihwawang.com.

What is the top story of 2007 in Asian America?

Musings, as we read on the newswires the calls for editorial voting on the top news stories of the year for the papers' year-end editions...

What would be the top story in Asian America? A lot of our news was pretty bleak this year.

Northwoods or Virginia Tech shootings? Clinton campaign embarrassed by Norman Hsu? Tila Tequila gets her own show?


Maybe these were leavened by some other positive moments, too...

Bobby Jindal? PepsiCo Elects Indra K. Nooyi as Chairman of the Board? Hung Huynh wins Top Chef?

We're throwing it out there to some friends on our email lists, anyway, and may come back and write about it again for our ow wrap-up. But, we would also welcome any ideas you might care to drop here as well.