Wednesday 22nd May 2013,
The credibility of a tech company founder who claimed she was forced into a Chinese Labor Camp as a child is being questioned, reports Forbes.
Ping Fu wrote about her story in her new book, Bend, Not Break. The founder of tech company Geomagic said she was tortured and raped during China’s Cultural Revolution and eventually deported to the US after spending time in a Chinese labor camp.
Commenters on Forbes where an article on Fu was published and also in the Chinese bloggersphere are questioning the validity of Fu’s story.
Wrote one person, “I experienced Culture Revolution and know a lot horrific stories happened in that era in person…. However, most of the stories listed in article are faked.”
When asked about this, Fu responded: “In the beginning of the book I said the Chinese government quietly deported me,” she says. “We could say that was a literary interpretation. I was asked to leave. My father helped me to find a visa to the US. I was told not to talk about it or to file for political asylum. My interpretation was I involuntary left China….If someone wants to say this is not deportation, fine. That’s my interpretation.” Who asked her to leave? “The police,” she says.
Her publicist also is doing some backtracking. ” Even though Ping was asked to leave China, she had to wait for an official passport to be issued.”
May 22, 2013
The Bravo Network has removed a racist anti-Japanese slur from a new show following a protest from an Asian American member of the US Civil Rights Commission, reports SF Gate. Commissioner Michael Yaki heard the slur j*p during a commercial used to promote the new show, “Princesses: Long Island.” The term was meant as an acronym to refer to a spoiled Jewish women as a Jewish American princess.
May 21, 2013
When NBC unceremoniously tossed Ann Curry from the Today Show set, Angelina Jolie vowed no one from NBC would ever interview her again except Ann. The two have struck a close relationship after Ann interviewed the Hollywood celebrity several times. Now the Daily Mail is reporting that the network is putting pressure on Ann to get the first interview with Angelina since she announced she underwent a double mastectomy rather than risk getting cancer.
May 21, 2013
All kind of rumors have been published lately about Charice. There have been so many that I’ve chosen to ignore most of them, especially those that seem to be based on innuendo and not fact. Here’s what we do know.
May 21, 2013
Perhaps nothing exemplifies the diversity of the Asian American community than this fact. Asian-Americans have the highest income and education levels of any racial group in the country. Yet they also have a higher poverty rate than non-Hispanic Whites, 12.
May 21, 2013
CSN Houston’s Howard Chen continues his 1-1 interview with Jeremy Lin. Today he talks to Lin about being a role model. “It’s different.
May 21, 2013
18-year old Eesha Khare says she’s still in a daze after being recognized by Intel for inventing a cell phone battery charger that works in 20 to 30 seconds. The Indian American teenager received a check for $50,000 as one of just two runner ups at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. She beat out 16-hundred finalists from 70 countries, according to CBS SF.
May 20, 2013
Digital Spy is reporting that an animated version of the popular film franchise Harold & Kumar starring John Cho and Kal Penn has been written. According to Cho, the pilot has already been written and now the producers are moving on to Episode 1. “Right now there’s a deal that was struck for an animated show on Adult Swim, and to my knowledge they’re writing episode one at the moment.
May 20, 2013
The city of Rancho Cucamonga near Los Angeles is fighting efforts by preservationists to save the last remaining remnants of Chinatown in Southern California’s Inland Empire, reports the Daily Bulletin. The Cucamonga Valley Water District says it plans to appeal a decision by the Planning Department to the put the demolition of the house on hold pending an environmental impact review. The District says the home is unstable and a danger to public safety.
May 20, 2013
In just 13 years, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) has grown from an organization with just a handful of members to one with 2,000. The group has been at the forefront of protests advocating for the rights of Muslims and immigrants in Queens. “Our community, the South Asian immigrant community, needed an organization of our own, especially one where immigrant and low-income immigrant mothers, daughters, families can have a voice in the city,” says Monami Maulik, founder of DRUM, told NY1.
May 20, 2013
Racism is felt at all levels of society, and according to a new book, the church is no exception, reports the Christian Post. The book “Aliens in the Promised Land: Why Minority Leadership is Overlooked in White Christian Churches and Institutions” is edited by Anthony Bradley and includes writings from 9 evangelical theologians. One of those is Amos Yong, an American Pentecostal theologian born in Malaysia.
May 20, 2013
If the playoffs are any indication, putting the ball in the hands of a superstar does not take you very far, according to a blog by Greg in Sportige. Greg called the Knick’s decision to let Jeremy Lin walk to the Houston Rockets one about the “egos of James Dolan (Knick’s owner) and Carmelo Anthony, and deciding to build a team around a superstar.” But as the Knicks found out in the playoffs, it doesn’t always work.
May 20, 2013
The National Transportation Safety Board is denying accusations that it used faulty data to justify the shutting down of 26 Chinatown bus lines for safety violations, reports Bloomberg. The study concluded that most Chinatown bus companies are seven times more likely to have passenger fatalities than traditional bus companies that use terminals. The report is significant because the Chinatown companies and other curbside buses are popular with students and others looking for an inexpensive form of travel.
May 20, 2013
Much has been made of the playoff performance of Jeremy Lin (photo by Howard Chen). The injury and what Lin himself describes as a “subpar performance” was the talk of the bloggersphere during the Houston Rockets brief run in the playoffs. CSN Houston’s Howard Chen (seen here) recently sat down for a 1-1 interview with Jeremy Lin.
May 19, 2013
American Idol runner up Jessica Sanchez will be appearing on the season finale of Dancing with the Stars this Tuesday on ABC, reports Carter Jessica is expected to appear in a duet with Pitbull and perform “Feel this Moment,” his hit he normally performs with Christina Aguilera. Pitbull is also scheduled to appear on the DWTS finales and its widely assumed that Sanchez will take on the part of Aguillera. It’s been a month of finales for the songstress.
May 19, 2013
The story of undocumented Asian Americans has rarely been told. But a new theater group debuting Monday hopes to change that. The NY Daily News reports a group known as RAISE–Revolutionizing Asian American Immigrant Stories on the East Coast- is kicking off the new theater group, UndocuAsians.
May 19, 2013
First Lady Michelle Obama has made healthy living a cornerstone of her stint as America’s first lady. As part of the first lady’s initiative, a White House chef joined together with fellow chef Ming Tsai and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to release a video on healthy eating and Asian cuisine, reports KC Infozine. One easy tip is to mix brown rice with white rice.
May 19, 2013
The NBA’s first Filipino American head coach can’t get any love. It has less to do with him being Filipino American and more to do with him being surrounded by some superstar talent. The Sun Sentinel reports its the same thing Phil Jackson went through when he coached such players as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant –despite winning 11 titles.
May 19, 2013
There’s a glimmer of hope today for Korean American Kenneth Bae who was recently sent to a special prison camp in North Korea after being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, reports Fox News. People familiar with the North Korean prison system say a sentence like that received by Bae could mean the inmate could be dead within three years of entering prison. But the prison Bae was sent to is a “special prison,” a significant difference..
May 19, 2013
Perhaps no one has been credited more with catapulting Charice’s career than Oprah Winfrey. But according to a report in the International Business Times, the songtress’ Godfather told TV 5 the controversy over Charice’s new look and tattoos has forced Oprah Winfrey to drop Charice from her preferred talent list. Robert Ybera made the remarks to both TV 5 and Pep.
May 19, 2013
Separate compromises have been reached in both the House and Senate in the behind the scenes negotiations in the immigration reform debate, according to two separate news accounts. The Times Ledger reports that Rep Grace Meng (D-NY) has signed on to a bill authored in part by Sen Charles Schumer (D- NY) just a week after Meng was publicly being critical of it. Meng wrote in a letter last week that the Schumer bill would hurt the chance of Asian American families from reuniting and bringing their adult siblings to the United States.
May 19, 2013
An 81-year old Sikh man nearly beaten to death in a suspected hate crime in Fresno is speaking about his ordeal for the first time. Piara Singh (pictured here) told KFSN the attack came out of no where without any warning. “He did not say a single thing, I did not say anything,” said Singh.
May 18, 2013
It’s a story so powerful that Hollywood producers are negotiating for the rights to tell Mike Kim’s story, reports NBC Washington. It was in 2003 when Kim met a North Korean refugee during his visit to China. She was just 16-years old and had escaped North Korea into China in search for food, only to be abducted by human sex traffickers.
May 18, 2013
Steve Padilla was with his father at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans when he witnessed something that absolutely floored him. Padilla wrote about it in the LA Times. “You see him?
May 18, 2013
Actor John Cho says he’s down for Harold & Kumar 4, reports the Hereford Times. This time Cho sees the zany pot smoking pair as having children, but being as irresponsible as the first three movies. The Korean American actor has played Harold Lee with his sidekick Kal Penn as Kumar Patel in three installments of the Harold & Kumar serial.
May 18, 2013
Grace Park who plays Kono Kalakaua on Hawaii Five-O is the only female cast member of the crime fighting team who regularly kicks butt. There’s no waiting for some guy to come rescue Kono. This anti-crime tech expert can take care of herself, thank you.
May 18, 2013
The capital of the Philippines is home to a booming sex trade. Among the prostitutes walking the streets of Manilla are children catering to the sexual needs of tourists Cecilia Flores-Oeband set up the Visayan Project in 1991 specifically to stop the human trafficking of children. Her project received a big boost over the last year when it recruited the help of boxing champion and Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, reports Mail Online ‘During my visit to the Visayan Forum I talked to children as young as 9-years-old who are trafficked for prostitution,’ Pacquiao told Congress.
May 18, 2013
Endings can often be bitter sweet, and that’s how Maggie Q is feeling as she now knows the end is coming for her television series, Nikita. The CW announced Nikita will return next season for a limited six episode run for what the network says will be the show’s final season. “My dream was four seasons.
May 18, 2013
They risked their lives fighting for a country that won’t give them recognition for their service. But they fight on, hopeful that one day their country will believe them. That hope comes in the form of a new bipartisan bill from Rep Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV), reports ABS CBN.
May 18, 2013
An Indian American software magnate has bought the Sacramento Kings. The New York Daily News reports that Vivek Ranadive hopes to build the Kings into a global brand. Ranidive dipped his toes into the NBA a few seasons ago when he became a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors.
May 17, 2013
The life of an undocumented immigrant in the Asian community can be a lonely existence, according to the The Atlantic. Asian American lack the numbers of Hispanics and thus lack the support network that Hispanic undocumented immigrants find in their communities. There are also fewer undocumented immigrants from the Asian community out in the open, Jose Antonio Vargas, notwithstanding.
May 17, 2013
OWN television host Lisa Ling is showing off her new baby girl, Jett, to US Weekly. Ling suffered two miscarriages in 2010 and 2011, so she consider Jett her miracle baby. The 39-year old Ling says she and her husband weren’t even trying.
May 17, 2013
Karina Kainth has been named a recipient a Fullbright Scholar for 2013-2014, according to Seton Hall. Kainth was born in the United States to Sikh Indian American parents. She’s an honor student and senior at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
May 17, 2013
Seven months after stepping down as head of Citigroup, Vikram Pandit has bought a 50 percent stake in a subsidiary of JM Financial, reports Forbes. The new partnership will open up many new opportunities for the ousted Citgroup Chief Executive. Along with his partner Hari Aiyer, Pandit plans to open a new bank in India.
May 17, 2013
Six months ago, the Kulessa family home in Jersey Shore, New Jersey was three feet underwater following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. “At 11:10 on the night of the 29th we got hit with what was essentially a tsunami. I’ve never seen anything like it,” homeowner Rob Kulessa told ABS CBN.
May 17, 2013
A new report from the American Council on Education finds Asian Americans are likely to graduate at a “traditional age” after enrolling in college, but may face tougher prospects after entering the job market. According to the report, Diversity Matters in US Higher Education, Asian Americans had the lowest rate of continuous employments at 27 percent. Pacific Islander had the highest rate at 50 percent.
May 17, 2013
Lucy Liu is known for her ass-kicking sassy roles on Ally McBeal, Charlie’s Angels & Elementary. But few knew she was an accomplished artist as well. My Daily reports that the actress has been holding exhibitions under the name of Yu Ling for 20 years.
May 17, 2013
A Sikh man beaten outside his temple while he volunteered there remains in a Fresno, California hospital ten days after the horrendous crime, reports Sikh 24. 81-year old Piara Singh (pictured here) suffered injuries to his head and a punctured lung after being beaten with a steel rod. The suspected was arrested a short time later and charged with attempted murder.
May 16, 2013
Former NFL player Dat Nguyen (pictured here) led a panel of Asian American pioneers who each distinguished themselves in careers that go against stereotypes of Asian Americans, reports the Dallas Morning News. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big,” said the ESPN sportscaster. “But you have to put time and effort in order to gain an edge.
May 16, 2013
The Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan as a judge to the DC Circuit Court, reports the Business Standard. If confirmed by the full senate, Srinivasan would be the first Indian American judge ever to serve on the federal bench. “Sri is widely regarded as one of the best legal minds in the country, and his breadth of experience makes him extremely well-qualified for the appointment to one of our country’s most important courts.
May 16, 2013
The CW has announced that it will bring back Nikita for one final season in 2013 – 2014, reports RTE. The series starring Maggie Q as a rogue spy has been renewed for just 6 more episodes. No word on when those episodes will run.
May 16, 2013
The Los Angeles School District voted today to name a school after Korean American legendary US Olympian Sammy Lee, reports New American Media. The new elementary school’s name will be the “Dr. Sammy Lee Medical and Health Science Magnet Elementary School,” Lee competed in the 1948 London Olympics and the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.
May 16, 2013
September 11 sent many Southeast Asian American into a panic. Many still have vivid memories of the Vietnam War and suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. When the planes hit, they feared they would have to live in a war zone all over again, according to NewsTimes.
May 16, 2013
The comments made by the Mayor of Osaka that comfort women forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military “were necessary are contemptible and repulsive,” said Rep Mike Honda. (D-California) “Mayor Hashimoto’s comments demonstrate why a formal acknowledgement, apology, and acceptance of historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner by the Government of Japan is still necessary.” said Honda.
May 16, 2013
The Koran American Association of New Jersey is asking school districts to use text books that “correctly” refer to the Sea of Japan as the East Sea, reports NorthJersey.com. “We knew it as East Sea, and we want our children to learn the correct term,” said association Vice President Sonny Kim.
May 16, 2013
Charice’s mother, Raquel Pempengco, is prepared to let her daughter do things her way in her own time, according to AceShowBiz. In an interview with ABS-CBN, Pempengco says when her daughter decides to “confirm her real identity.” she’ll support her the way only a mother can.
May 16, 2013
Filmmaker Justin Lin reviewed in an interview with ComingSoon.net that the character played by Sung Kang in Better Luck Tomorrow is really the inspiration for Han, the part played by the same actor in Fast & Furious. When I did “Better Luck Tomorrow,” the ending was so dark and open-ended.
May 15, 2013
Author Amy Chua of “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” fame must feel like a hunted woman. Kim Wong Keltner published her new book, “Tiger Babies Strike Back,” just weeks ago. The non-fiction book is considered by some the antithesis of Chua’s book.
May 15, 2013
The San Gabriel Valley is the new home of Asian American internet sensations, the Fung Brothers, reports the LA Weekly. The pair’s video 626, named after the Valley’s area code, has generated a half million views on You Tube. They have their own show on You Tube’s the Hungry Channel.
May 15, 2013
Jesuit High in Tampa Bay,Florida is on a roll. Not only did the Tigers win the state basketball championship this season, but on Tuesday the team got to scrimmage for 90 minutes with Jeremy Lin. The Tampa Bay Times reports Lin agreed to the scrimmage on the condition that no media be allowed.
May 15, 2013
Exciting news–all signs are pointing toward a Spring 2014 Broadway debut for Allegiance, The Musical. No official announcement has been made. But Playbill reports a representative of the production confirms it’s going to happen.
May 15, 2013
The San Francisco District Attorneys Office will launch a new public awareness campaign today warning the Chinese American community of a crime targeting its elderly, reports ABC7/KGO. The new campaign continues a year long effort and builds on the momentum of recent prosecution of several suspects in the so called blessing scam. According to the DA’s office, San Francisco remains the only city in the nation to successfully prosecute the crime which has spread nationwide.
May 15, 2013
A predominantly Asian American crowd packed Macy’s in San Francisco for a special appearance and performance by Far East Movement, reports 8 Asians, It was the second stop of six city Macy’s tour which continues Sunday in Houston as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The group just returned from performing in Norway. They looked back at their first performance ten years ago at a small cafe in Koreatown before a packed house of 15 people.
May 15, 2013
Tufts Medical Center is located in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown. Boston Magazine reports the hospital has seen an inordinate number of rare cancer cases of late. Doctors there have found cancer in the upper part of the throat, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, in more than 1 out of ten cancer screenings.
May 15, 2013
It’s a taboo in mainstream media to publicize the names of rape and sexual assault victims. The thinking is that the victims have gone through enough. Unless they choose to go public, their identity, even their faces, are usually never shown or revealed.
May 15, 2013
A blog in Jezebel by Dodai Stewart raises a touchy subject. Why does Mindy Kaling only date white men on her show, more specifically white blonde men? Stewart praises Kaling for her body positive message, for breaking barriers for Indian Americans and South Asian Americans, and for her sometimes feminist message on the Mindy Project.
May 14, 2013
Thursday’s final episode of American Idol will feature a performance by Psy. The You Tube K-Pop sensation will sing his new single, Gentleman, according to Wet Paint. Wet Paint also reports Jennifer Lopez and Phillip Phillips will also perform in the star studded finale.
May 14, 2013
John Cho will once again star as Sulu when “Star Trek into Darkness” opens nationwide on Thursday. If another movie is made, Cho would like to take the controls himself “It was fun to sit in the captain’s chair,” said Cho referring to a scene in the next movie. “Sulu, not in our movies but in the previous iterations, does get his own chair (and ship), so I hope that that is the case in ours as well …
May 14, 2013
A settlement has been reached between the Department of Justice and a school district in Atlanta, GA over the constant harassment and bullying of a Sikh middle school student, reports Sikh 24. It’s the first federal settlement ever involving bullying of a Sikh student. The district was accused of doing little to stop it.
May 14, 2013
As rising seniors begin to look toward their final year in high school and their new life in college, parents too are sorting out their kid’s choices. According to a blog by Allison Singh for the Huffington Post, Asian American parents are making their list and checking it twice. One type of college you may not find on that list is a good liberal art college.
May 14, 2013
A study from Media Matters For America found guests on Cable News Programs are overwhelmingly white and male, with Asian Americans making up just three percent of the guests on the liberal MSNBC and two percent on the conservative Fox. Of the three big cable news networks, only CNN invited Asian Americans at a rate equal to their population, with 6 percent of the guests on CNN Asian Americans. In fact, CNN invited a greater percentage of Asian Americans than African Americans at just 5 percent.
May 14, 2013
13-year old Vicky Tran is celebrating her first birthday–her first birthday since receiving a life-saving bone marrow transplant at UC San Francisco hospital Her gift was getting to meet her bone marrow donor for the first time, reports ABC7 News “He saved my life and if he hadn’t, I would still be in the hospital and not feeling better,” she said. “He” happens to be Vincent Pan, well-known in the Asian American community as executive director of the civil rights organization, Chinese for Affirmative Action. “It’s interesting we’re connected in this way yet on the other hand, were still complete strangers.
May 14, 2013
Chai Ying Moua served in the CIA-funded guerilla army of General Vang Pao (pictured here courtesy Oregon State) and escaped into the jungle of Laos after the communist victory in April 1975. Moua and his wife Maivang Her have been hiding out there, surviving on anything that was edible. Moua believed that General Pao would someday come back and liberate his country to restore democracy.
May 14, 2013
The mayor of Osaka, Japan defended the practice during World War II of forcing women into prostitution for Japanese enlisted men, reports the NY Times. Some estimate as many as 200,000 women known as comfort women were rounded up from Korea and other Asian countries. Mayor Toru Hashimoto also suggested that American soldiers in Okinawa should take more advantage of the adult entertainment industry to reduce rapes and sexual assaults on local women.
May 14, 2013
Asian Americans blasted a taxpayer funded video of non-Asian actors playing geishas at the Los Angeles City Council meeting Monday, reports CBS LA. The video was produced by the City’s Public Works Department to promote the city’s water conservation efforts at a Japanese garden. It was widely condemned as racist for not only featuring non-Asians in geisha-styled make up, but for the character’s bad Asian accents.
May 13, 2013
Imprisoned Korean American Kenneth Bae who is serving 15 years of hard labor has called his family and urged them to plead to Washington to push for his amnesty, reports ABC. According to section chief of the North Korea Academy of Social Sciences Institution of Law, Bae also told his family he is unable to appeal the sentence handed down April 30. North Korea has so far not allowed Bae to make a public statement, but the communist government say the Washington state man is guilty of trying to establish an anti-government base in Pyongyang.
May 13, 2013
A philanthropic project to feed the hungry in India by five Indian American freshman at UCLA is up for a $1 million dollar prize, reports India West. Aditya Aggarwal, Anushka Bhatia, Varadh Jain, Sajal Khanter and Sagar Patel are still in contention for the Hult Prize, which provides $1 million in seed funding for a student project aimed at solving the global food crisis. The five are developing an idea to buy grain in bulk in India, package them into family packs along with other staples and then sell then to the needy at cost.
May 13, 2013
Die hard fans of Jeremy Lin are quick to jump to his defense, but actually there’s no tougher critic of Lin than Lin himself. In a 1 on 1 interview with CSN’s Howard Chen, Lin critiques his playoff performance and sets high goals for improvement next season. “I’d say I’ll definitely remember a lot more my subpar performance and my injury,” Lin said about his playoff performance.
May 13, 2013
The boycott of Israeli Education Institutions by the Association of Asian American Studies received some support from a well known scientist, but was condemned by the American Association of University Professors, according to Inside Higher Ed. Last week, noted scientist Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge said he would not attend a major conference in Israel in support of the boycott. In San Francisco last month at its convention, the Association of Asian American Studies passed a resolution endorsing the boycott.
May 13, 2013
K-Pop viral sensation Psy took his act to the Ivory tower of Harvard University, not to perform a concert, but to give a lecture at one of the most prestigious academic university’s in the world, reports First Post. Psy described his appearance at Harvard as weird. joking his nickname as a student used to be WWF, which he said didn’t stand for World Wrestling Federation but “withdrawal, withdrawal, fail.
May 13, 2013
A new exhibition of photographs of a Chinese American family in the 70′s depicts a part of American society that most people miss, according to Stephen Wirtz of Stephen Wirtz Gallery in San Francisco where the exhibition is being held. The photos, reports the China Daily, were take of Michael Jang’s family by Michael himself (seen here in a self portrait courtesy Stephen Wirtz Gallery) , as part of a class assignment in 1973 when he attended the City College of San Francisco. Jang went on to gain fame shooting such notables as Ronald Reagan and Jimi Hendrix while the negatives of the photos he shot in ’73 sat in a box.
May 13, 2013
Filipino American blogger Emil Guillermo wonders aloud if Asian American Pacific Islander History Month is still needed, particularly on college campuses. The month which happens every year in May, laments Guillermo, is an “afterthought” on many college campuses where finals take precedence over recognizing Asian American history. In his blog published in Diversity Through Higher Education, he does offer one consolation to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders At least Asians aren’t shortchanged like blacks, he jokes.
May 13, 2013
Secretary of Interior Sally Jewel reiterated the National Park Service’s commitment to documenting the rich history and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, reports the Marianas Variety. “From Angel Island (pictured here courtesy California State Parks) where more than one million Asian immigrants arrived on these shores, to the Chinese immigrants who helped build the railroads across the country, to the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, these stories are all important threads in the great American tapestry.” Jewel said in a statement.
May 12, 2013
15 percent of the marriages in the United States these days are multi-racial and inter-ethnic, according to NPR. The family of Larry Bright is becoming more of a norm. He is African American.
May 12, 2013
John Cho who plays Sulu in the Star Trek movie was warned. ” I was fearful of them,” he told Fan Share. ” People worked me into a frenzy about how the fans might take a dislike to the things I did, but they’ve been very warm.
May 12, 2013
For Mee Moua, Mother’s Day is not only a time to spend with her children, but her grandparents, aunts and uncles as well. But thousands of other mothers won’t be able to be with their children today, according to a blog written for the Huffington Post by Moua, the executive director of the Asian American Justice Center. They are separated from them by a long visa backlog and immigrations laws which make it difficult to reunite.
May 12, 2013
The next big push for diversity on corporate boards may come from the South Asian Amerixan community and the LGBT community, reports Crain. “There are many more people like me. The South Asian community is putting down its philanthropic roots now.
May 12, 2013
Jessica Sanchez performance on Glee of Clarity was exactly what you might expect, reports Carter. According to Carter, Jessica excels in the music this generation of fans want. You can expect a big push of her new album this summer.
May 12, 2013
Once Upon a Time’s co-creator tweeted it. But Jamie Chung who stars in the recurring role of Mulan in the ABC series is mum about whether she’ll appear in the season finale of Once Upon a Time, according to Wetpaint. Nonetheless, she did tell Wetpaint this much.
May 12, 2013
A landmark documentary on race and civil liberties inspired by the injustices of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans is getting a wide airing on Comcast on Demand, reports Rafu Shimpo The film “Conscience and the Constitution.”debut in 2000 and focuses on 85 individuals who refused to be drafted to fight for the United States during World War II. Their defiance was based on their belief that they could not fight for a country that had denied them their civil liberties by imprisoning them for being Japanese American.
May 12, 2013
Twenty Hmong Americans, many who took part in a secret covert operation in Vietnam with US serviceman, remembered their dead during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary, reports the Fresno Bee. “We would like to remember our friends, who lost their lives defending freedom,” said Wangyee Vang, president of the Fresno-based Lao Veterans of America Institute. “When we were all alive, we promised to remember each other.
May 12, 2013
Reports out of the Philippines indicated that Charice would make an announcement about her sexual preference during an appearance on a talk show Sunday. Not only did Charice not make the announcement, she wasn’t even a guest on the show. The International Business Times was one of the publications which reported that.
May 11, 2013
A new Asian American theater group on the Harvard Campus hopes to open up more major roles for Asian American actors, reports UWire The Dis-Orient Player’s mission is to stimulate discussion about cultural awareness in the Asian American community while at the same time opening up more roles for AAPI actors. “I realized that there was no outlet for Asian-American specific performances,” Karoline Xu, the founder and director of the organization said. “There is so much talent in the Harvard community and I really wanted to harness that into an organization that promotes Asian American culture through theater and give performance opportunities to interested students without previous experience.
May 11, 2013
Filipino American immigration rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas was lauded as “an icon, a hero, a man that stands up for what he believes in, ” reports the Inquirer. Vargas received the Community Leadership Award May 8 in Washington, DC. “I come to you as Filipino, as gay, as undocumented, as American.
May 11, 2013
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings debut on PBS Friday night, according to the Channel Guide. The movie is described as “a compelling portrait of an inspiring and inventive musician whose virtuoso skills on the ukulele have transformed all previous notions of the instrument’s potential.” If you missed it, you can still enjoy a performance of Shimabukuro on You Tube.
May 11, 2013
In case you missed it, or want to see it again, Fox has posted Jessica Sanchez’ performance on Glee on You Tube. Her appearance caps months of promotional appearances for the young R&B/Pop singer to publicize her new album, You, Me & the Music. The album debut at number 26 on the charts.
May 11, 2013
President Obama got into hot water for calling California’s Kamala Harris “by far the best looking attorney general.” So far the editors of Maxim haven’t gotten into similar trouble. Harris ranked 54th in this year’s Maxim Top 100 list, according to Breitbart.
May 11, 2013
By Carissa Chu Guest Blogger When I was a child, I laughed every time my mother told me the story of how she came to America. It happened a few years after the second world war. My mom, then seven years old, boarded a large cruise ship with her parents and four brothers, and spent a month hanging out with really tall people with yellow hair.
May 11, 2013
A video from the city of Los Angeles featuring white actors made up to look like Geishas speaking in heavily accented English has been taken down, reports the LA Weekly. The You Tube video paid with tax dollars was uncovered by CBS Los Angeles and produced by the city’s Department of Public Works to publicize the city’s water conservation efforts in a Japanese garden. “They wouldn’t have the same actor put on make up to look black.
May 9, 2013
NBC correspondent Ann Curry has no plans to write a tell all book and rat out Matt Lauer and her colleagues at NBC, reports Radar. In Touch reported yesterday that publishers were offering Ann $8 million dollars to tell her story. But a source tells Radar its not going to happen.
May 9, 2013
The Asian American Alliance tonight released a statement signed by more than 50 student groups condemning a racially motivated attack on the Columbia University campus against an Asian male. NJ.com reports a football player from Columbia has been arrested and charged with a hate crime in the attack.
May 9, 2013
The White House has yet to publicly respond to the woman who wrote about what she considered a “racist encounter”at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Seema Jilani wrote about her experience in a blog for the Huffington Post. That blog has reportedly gone viral.
May 9, 2013
Amy Chua became a household name when her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother came out two years ago. According to Chua, the typical Asian mom puts emphasis on academic and musical accomplishment over sleepovers and play dates. In fact, sleepovers and play dates were banned in Chua’s household.
May 8, 2013
Asian American Pacific Islander leaders met with President Obama at the White House this afternoon and described the meeting as “really productive.” reports the Washington Post. Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies president Floyd Mori (pictured here) and Deepa Iyer, executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together and the chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans were among those at the meeting.
May 8, 2013
Pop/R&B singer Jessica Sanchez promises fans will see her “strutting her stuff ” on the season finale of Glee, reports the Hollywood Reporter. A video released previewing Thursday’s Glee shows her doing a musical number accompanied by nearly a dozen men who fawn on the diva like she’s Britney Spears. The video includes a comment from fellow Filipino American Darren Criss.
May 7, 2013
The so called Gang of Eight is expected to turn over its immigration reform package to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, reports the Daily Sundial. The senate bill differs in many key areas from the White House plan. It puts a greater emphasis on border security and includes a guest worker program for low skilled and farm workers.
May 7, 2013
An elderly Sikh man has been beaten outside a Sikh temple in Fresno, CA with a steel rod. Sihk 24 reports one suspect is in custody and the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. It happened outside the Gurdwara Nanaksar where Piara Singh volunteers to perform daily chores.
May 6, 2013
Asian American students at the University of Washington are re-establishing on campus the Asian Coalition of Equality, a civil rights organization dating back to 1969, reports The Daily. The Coalition disbanded in 1972 after members went their separate ways. We have over 30 organizations that [the Asian Student Commission] oversees,” senior Tony Vo said, “but we really don’t have a unified political voice.
May 6, 2013
Houston Rocket and Taiwanese American Jeremy Lin will return for a visit to Taiwan in August, reports Focus Taiwan. The point guard will once again return to the role of basketball ambassador and is expected to hold several basketball promotional events with his fans. He’s also expected during the off season to work on his game coming off his full year in the NBA as a starter.
May 6, 2013
The first Asian American TV newscaster in Los Angeles and eight time Emmy winner Mario Machado is dead at the age of 78. His daughter confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter that he died Saturday in a convalescent home of complications of pneumonia An article posted last night on AsAmNews recapped his career as a TV newscaster beginning in 1967 at KHJ(now KCAL) and KNXT (Now CBS2) and his career as a television host and broadcaster in the North American Soccer League. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he also had a long career in Hollywood appearing in such movies portraying news reporters or anchors in three Robocop movies, Rocky III and Scarface.
May 6, 2013
Manny Pacquiao will fight Brandon Rios on November 23 (US Time/ November 24 China time)in Macao, China, according to Yahoo. Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz told Yahoo Sports the fight will take place at The Venetian and can be seen in the United States on HBO Pay Per View. “Rios isn’t going to get in there and dance around and run around,” Koncz said.
May 6, 2013
Charice’s Godfather has identified the other girl in recent photos of Charice that have had the social media world buzzing, reports ABS CBN. Bum Tenorio, who also happens to be a newspaper columnist, tweeted the girl is actually the girlfriend of his nephew, Nikko Tenorio. “For the record, the ‘girl’ the tabloids link to Charice today is actually the girlfriend of my nephew,” he said.
May 5, 2013
New York City Controller and candidate for mayor John Liu called police spying of Muslim Americans unconstitutional today at a forum on Muslim and Arab American issues, reports the Daily News. Liu became the most prominent of the candidates to take such a position. “No offense to you guys here – how can anybody think that it’s OK to surveil or spy on people just because they’re Muslim?
May 5, 2013
Los Angeles’ first Asian American newscaster is dead at the age of 78, announced CBS LA Mario Machado(pictured here courtesy CBS2) won eight emmy awards and was prominent in the nation’s number two television market beginning in the 1960′s. He was born in Shanghai and is of Chinese and Portuguese descent. According to CBS LA, Machado was the nation’s first Chinese American newscaster.
May 5, 2013
May 1 marked the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To celebrate, a Google Plus hang out was held with television host Lisa Ling; Angry Asian Man blogger Phil Yu; the director of the Smithsonian APA Center, Conrad Ng; and Kiran Ahuja, director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Lisa Ling admitted as a child she was ashamed of being Asian and was embarrassed when her friends came into her home and notice the distinct smells of Asian cooking.
May 5, 2013
Charice’s Grandma is the latest to chime in on the young singer’s new boyish haircut. According to ABS CBN, Tess Relicio told the Buzz the sudden change in Charice has hurt her. Relicio says she appealed to her Granddaughter to revert to her old look.
May 5, 2013
The story of Asian Americans in this country dates all the way back to the civil war, through the civil rights movement and beyond. It is spotlighted in a new traveling exhibit now at the Smithsonian American History Museum–I Want a Wide American Earth, the Asian Pacific American Story. Materials from the exhibition are also being distributed to 10.
May 5, 2013
To no one’s surprise, the Houston Rockets are out of the playoffs. The only two games they managed to win came after an injuries to Jeremy Lin and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. Lin came back for game six, but was limited to just 13 minutes and did not start.
May 5, 2013
The North Koreans say they have no plans to invite a high level American to negotiate the release of Korean American Kenneth Bae, reports the Bangkok Post. Bae (known in North Korea as Pae Jun Ho) has been held captive since November. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for “unspecified crimes against the state” earlier this month.
May 4, 2013
The Vietnamese-American Memorial Monument was unveiled at Veterans Park in Orlando, FL. The monument, which began construction last May, is the fourth of its kind built in the U.S.
May 4, 2013
Police are asking for help finding a missing Norwich, CT woman, reports The Day Jocelyn Butcher is a 5-foot 3-inch tall Pacific Islander weighing 150 pounds and having brown eyes. She also goes by the name of Jocelyn Velabutcher. She was last seen a week ago wearing a blue shirt and grey sweatpants.
May 4, 2013
Republicans in South Carolina are expressing outrage over a remark made by a Democrat that some perceive as a knock on her Indian American heritage, according to Mail Online Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian said his party would challenge Gov Nikki Haley in the next election and send ‘Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from.’ Haley was born in the United States, but her parents are from India. ’Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend coming from the South Carolina Democratic Party,’ Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey said.
May 4, 2013
One of Jeremy Lin’s biggest fan, a Taiwanese American, fears #Linsanity as we know it, may be over, he wrote in Slam Lin’s back up, Patrick Beverley played well while Lin was out of the playoffs with a chest contusion. He played so well that when Lin came back for game 6, Lin played just 13 minutes and did not start. Never mind, that Beverley Lin admitted to the Ultimate Rockets, I have a long way to go.
May 4, 2013
Asian American officials are demanding that the San Gabriel City Council allow an elected Chinese American to take office, reports KPCC. Chin-Ho Liao was elected in the March election, but a resident challenged the outcome saying Liao did not meet the residency requirement. The Council which is made up of two candidates Liao challenged for the open seat and two incumbents who supported candidates other than Liao has prevented him from being sworn into office.
May 4, 2013
A coalition of Asian American groups in Los Angeles has raised nearly $72,000 for the quake victims in China’s Sichuan province, reports CRI English. The magnitude 7.0 quake killed at least 196 people and left 13,000 others injured.
May 4, 2013
Two Filiipino Americans will be among the 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander women to be honored as Champions of Change at the White House Monday. reports the Asian Journal. Myrna Baldonado is a former domestic worker who has dedicated her life to helping household workers gain dignity and respect.
May 3, 2013
Fresh off a controversy over her routine poking fun of John Travolta’s sexuality, Margaret Cho is calling on all Gay celebrities to leave the closet. In her blog for the Huffington Post, Cho doesn’t bother to explain her routine calling Travolta out as a bisexual. She simply plays the video which you can see in the Huffington Post.
May 3, 2013
By Rizalyn Vargas, APA Legacy History brings us a series of events-often troublesome but sometimes triumphant. Whichever way it navigates, its stories are left behind from one generation of storytellers to another-ideally, anyway. I remember scanning my high school history textbook only to find a western ethnocentric presence.
April 30, 2013
Comedian and bi-sexual Margaret Cho current tour “Mother” is of course, about her mother. Cho’s mom has long been fodder for her comedy routine. But according to the blog, The Conversation, Cho also spends a lot of time on the show on the sexuality of John Travolta.
April 20, 2013
Several Asian Americans have been named to Time’s List of most influential people, including actress and comedian Mindy Kaling and Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen. According to Time, Mindy Kaling “embodies the trifecta of being brilliant, wonderful and hilarious.” and “simultaneously commands respect and affection.
January 7, 2013
Hines Ward is not used to losing. He has two Superbowl rings and a Dancing With The Stars Mirror Ball Trophy. So even though he admits knowing little about cooking, he’s out to beat 7 other celebrities in the second season of Rachel V Guy, Celebrity Cookoff on the Food Network.
rene astudillo said:
I don't know what anything new will come out of an interview with Jolie since she already said what needs to be said in ...
AsAmNews said:
Response to @AAModelMinority remark on Grace Park of Hawaii Five-O: "That doesn't mean Asian American men can' ...
AsAmNews said:
From @AAModelMinority via Twitter: on Grace Park of Hawaii Five-O; how so ? She still white man interest ...
AsAmNews said:
from @undocuasian via Twitter Re: Mindy Kaling Dating White Guys on Her Show: @mindykaling a racist rule exists amongst Asian ...
AsAmNews said:
From @CharicePost via Twitter: Re" @AAModelMinority on Charice's Mom Comes out in Support of Daughter: ":bcoz ...
AsAmNews said:
From @AAModelMinority via Twitter re: Charice's Mom Comes Out in Support of Daughter: "geeez who cares . Why media ...
jackass said:
Jackass re: GOP Push for Asian American Vote: What a joke, the $10M will go into the pockets of RNC friends and families of n ...
AsAmNews said:
From @realJesseWang on Mindy Kaling Making Out with Only White guys: "tell me about it!" ...