The Student Life Center Ballroom was transformed into a grand reception hall as the Asian American Students Association presented its annual Asian New Year Festival. Two life-sized, inflated Chinese balloons greeted the guests as they entered a dimly lit room with flickering candlelight and Asian music playing softly in the background.
“What Lies Beneath, a New Beginning,” was the theme of the evening as the Year of the Rat marks the first of the Zodiac cycle. The festival highlighted its ideals through a series of comedic skits that presented the ideas of renewal.
The event started as members of the audience filed through a buffet consisting of more than 20 different Asian dishes. Demand for the dinner was remarkably high, as dinner tickets had sold out earlier that day.
At around 7 p.m., Ribbon Dance Fusion opened the show. Their routine blended the edgy movements of a modern genre and the dainty features of traditional Chinese dancing through a display of silk ribbons.
The East Coast Asian Student Union (ECASU) has been one of the largest unifying forces for Asian Pacific American students on campuses across the United States. One of the largest completely student-run Asian organizations in the United States, the aim of this organization is to build and strengthen the Asian American student organizations so that they can meet the social, political and educational needs of Asian and Asian American students. They have four major principles
Thousands of U.S troops arrived in Philippines on the occasion to take part in joint military exercises aimed at community building. The launching ceremony was done at the armed forces headquarters in Manila.
Both countries U.S and Filipino troops will be taking part in medical missions, building roads, artesian wells and day care centers
Due to poverty and underdevelopment the US government is providing economic aid as well as military training to Filipino troops
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) today celebrated the unveiling of the non-profit’s new state of the art solar energy system.
PG&E and JCCCNC is the first non-profit and located in San Francisco’s Japan Town to reap the environmental benefits of a photovoltaic installation.” The solar systems will save JCCCNC almost $10,000 in energy costs in the first year and hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the system.
Paul Osaki is the Executive Director of JCCCNC. His aim is to save the environment, preserving the community, and our planet.
PG&E has the potential to provide $950 million in solar incentives.
JCCCNC is the foundation of Japanese American ancestry, cultural heritage, histories and traditions.
On February 8, 2008, CNN aired a 2 minute segment that seemed to
insinuate that the overwhelming Asian American support for Sen. Clinton
were owing to two major causes — fearful of a black presidential candidate
and/or fearful of change.
80-20 is outraged. It is therefore supporting a petition originated
by Mr. Samson Fu. We urge you to visit the site and sign a petition to CNN
urging it to
(1) take this video off their website, and
(2) do another segment with balanced reporting and include the
rise of Asian American political influence.
In many ways, this is a very serious matter. It could cause racial
disharmony between the black community and ours. Please sign
the petition now! We salute Samson Fu and thank you.
Sue Carcieri made this remark on 1/22/08 to a columnist for The Providence Journal in response to students who had called the governer’s decision to lay off three Southeast Asian-language interpreters “racist.”
“First of all, I think they have mentors who are much older than them who are training them up. You know _ how those terrorists have kids blow up, you know, Benazir Bhutto and so forth? You think the kids thought of it? I don’t think so,” Carcieri was quoted as saying.
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
MAYOR’S OFFICE OF ADULT EDUCATION
The City is creating a new educational TV show to help immigrants improve their English while learning more about important City services and resources. The show will feature stories from across the City’s diverse immigrant communities while modeling effective English language communication strategies. Each of the 10 episodes of the show will focus on a different topic (e.g., health, workers’ rights, education, etc.) and together will serve as an outstanding ESL and civics curriculum from the perspective of immigrant New Yorkers.
We are looking for smart, high energy, bilingual interns to conduct outreach to identify small ESL programs in different immigrant neighborhoods around New York City. Interns would work in a team under the supervision of the Director of Outreach.
Responsibilities include going to different neighborhoods to find as many ESL programs as possible - using word of mouth, asking local residents and business people, combing the ethnic press, and pounding the pavement. Information gathered by interns will be used to create a directory of community based organizations where immigrants can go for ESL classes led by volunteers using the TV show as the curriculum.
Interns would work a minimum of 15 hours a week and must speak languages other than English to find the programs and interact with their staff.
Please send your resume, including names and contact information of two references, with a short cover letter to:
Anthony Tassi
Director, Adult Education
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
212-788-9561 tel
212-788-3224 fax
atassi@cityhall.nyc.gov
I know, it is the end of January already, but it’s not too late to implement this as your 2008 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION!
It’s no secret that we’re addicted to media content that’s produced by greedy, ignorant, money grubbing racists. They produce it because we keep buying it. So, if you’re among those who consume such diversity-negligent media, you have no right to complain. Instead of whining about it, you should stop feeding the monster, and do your part to fight it.
Print the following and post it on your refrigerator. Follow these four steps, and we’ll be on our way to media empowerment.
MY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
DETOX: I HEREBY RESOLVE TO KICK THE HABIT NOW, AND STOP CONSUMING (LEGIT) COPIES OF DIVERSITY-NEGLIGENT CONTENT.That diversity-negligent GENOCIDAL media content we’re all addicted to? It’s like crack. Actually, more like OPIUM. Those Hollywood bastards know it’s genocidal, yet they still peddle it to us cuz it makes them gobs of money. It’s the Opium War of the 21st Century.
THE “PATCH”: IF I MUST CONSUME DIVERSITY-NEGLIGENT CONTENT, I WILL CONSUME IT IN A WAY THAT DOES NOT BENEFIT THE PRODUCERS OF SUCH CONTENT, BECAUSE THEY DON’T DESERVE MY MONEY.I know it’s a tough habit to kick, but if you absolutely just have to get your fix of Desperate Housewives, The O.C. or white people in romantic comedies, get it from an “alternative source” in Chinatown. A friend of mine also likes to go to thepiratebay [dot] org, but the last time we checked, that was illegal, so our Fallout Central stance on that is to NOT go to thepiratebay [dot] org.
FILL THE VOID: I PROMISE TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT ASIAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS, ACTORS, AND PRODUCERS.Just cuz you’ve kicked the habit doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything worth watching. On the contrary, there’s a LOT of good content out there. Support Asian films and filmmakers. If you live in New York or L.A., go see what’s playing at the ImaginAsian. In New York, attend performances by NAATCO, MaYi or DiverseCity Theater. They put on lots of dynamic shows featuring talented, yet under-appreciated, Asian actors. The more you support these actors, the stronger they will be, and as you know: In America, we have to work twice as hard to be half as good.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE: I RESOLVE TO FACILITATE THE DIVERSITY-ORIENTED EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION.Keep track of how much money you’re saving by NOT consuming diversity-negligent content. Why? Because we need to use that money to help inoculate the next generation from the filth in today’s media content. You should donate the money to diversity-oriented educational programs for children. If you don’t know of any such programs, here’s a good place to start: The RiceDaddies.com Empowerment in Diversity Challenge. Here’s another: APEX - dedicated to promoting the development of inner-city Asian American youth by providing them with adult role models, educational programs, social services, and career guidance.
If everyone did the things on this list, we’d be well on our way to true Asian-American empowerment through the media.
Listen to the Silence 2008
12th Annual Asian American Issues Conference
Saturday, January 26th
Workshops: 9:30am - 5:30pm
Concert: 7:30pm
The day begins with an introduction from our prestigious keynote speaker, then continues with various workshops hosted by student organizations and other professionals. During lunch there will be an opportunity to network with the speakers attending the conference as well as a research forum on various Asian American Issues. After dinner, the conference concludes with a concert in which various Asian American artists will perform. All meals are provided and housing is available for those who request it! Everything is FREE!
In the 2006 remake of “The Pink Panther”, Kevin Kline plays a detective who, upon learning that a suspect in a high profile murder case may have been Chinese, states something to the effect of: “go to China and round up and question every Chinaman there.”
Understand:
- It’s a lighthearted comedy
- It’s not meant to be taken seriously
- It was designed to make the detective (Kline) look moronic
- It was an isolated incident (within that particular movie)
Do the points above make you feel any better about it?
In Rush Hour 3, a conversation between Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan goes something like:
Tucker: “I’m half Chinese.”
Chan: “YOU’RE half Chinese?”
<Tucker then looks down at his crotch>
Tucker: “From the waist up”
Why a martial artist would let some clown disrespect him throughout 3 consecutive films is another topic altogether.
Understand:
- It’s a lighthearted comedy
- It’s not meant to be taken seriously
- The topic wasn’t a focal point of the film
- Interracial jokes are an integral part of the Rush hour series
Again, do the points above make you feel any better about it?
AGREE OR DISAGREE?
When a blatant racist attack is launched (E.G. Sarah Silverman/Conan O’Brian, O’Shea Jackson (aka “Ice Cube”), Eddie Murphy, The Bloodhound Gang, et al) there is an obvious argument against it and a reason (for those who have a sack) to stand up to it.
However, when the degradation is subtle and in passing (as in the aforementioned examples), it is as effective (if not more so), yet more difficult to defend against as there is less proverbial meat to grab a hold of.
ARE APA FILMS OVERLY PASSIVE?
With all this Asian stereotyping, racism, etc. in the media, an APA rapper or film really has “carte blanche” to produce “no holds barred” recordings/films.
Where David Chang (creator of Ghettopoly) made his mistake was using a different medium. In other words, he couldn’t use the “defense” that “other board games degrade Asians”.
But since nothing’s been off limits against APAs (our culture, our physical features, our language, our names, our countries of origin, etc.) in film or music, shouldn’t we be justified in “returning the favor”?
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY