Asians in America : Magazine

Like Asian Soaps? Get set for DramaFever.com!

News Release | July 29, 2009

DramaFever.com has been in testing and design all year long and it's
finally going live in August. DramaFever will be launching with over
50 Korean Dramas, adding Chinese and Japanese dramas later in 2009.

All videos are legally licensed, subtitled and streaming in high def.
Viewers can watch for free with a handful of overlay ads per episode.
In the near future, DramaFever plans to offer an ad-free subscription
model.

To celebrate, DramaFever will host a launch party in NYC on Thurs, Aug
6 from 7-9pm at Circle Nightclub. Guests will receive gift bags from
sponsors Ito En, Theme Magazine, TimeOutNY magazine, mark. cosmetics,
MiN New York, and La Vie Zen Spa. The event is free admission and 21+

There will also be special performances by Asian American artists
Magnetic North (hip hop), Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai (spoken word artist from
HBO Def Poetry) and Taiyo Na (hip hop).

Location: Circle Nightclub, 135 West 41st St, New York, NY
Age 21+

Full details are here: http://www.dramafever.com/blog/?p=382

Fil-Am Group Leads Multi-sector Meetings in DC

By Momar G. Visaya for Asian Journal | July 23 2009

Options offered to prevent further foreclosures.

In yet another historic moment for the Filipino-American community, a pan-Asian group led by Faith Bautista, executive director of San Diego-based non-profit Mabuhay Alliance, met with top officials of various government offices in an effort to offer alternatives to solve the current housing crisis.Bautista and her group, which also included leaders in the Hispanic and African American communities, met with key leaders in the administration who are working with each other to solve the foreclosure crisis. These community leaders met with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair, Chairman of the Financial Services Committee Barney Frank, among others.

"I am very happy and privileged to lead this group because this is the first time that a Filipino-American organization is spearheading something as big as this, and we are hoping that they get to listen to what we have to say," Bautista told the Asian Journal.

The group is espousing a "Tenant to Homeowner" program because "none of the government efforts seem to be working."

"Despite the massive reorganization of the Obama administration’s home ownership priorities, the number of foreclosures will continue to accelerate, and no end is in sight as declining home values and increasing unemployment continue unabated," wrote Bautista and Marcia Griffin, president of HomeFree-USA, at American Banker.

Check out the complete article by clicking here.

California Apologizes to Chinese Americans

By Ling Woo Lui for TIME | July 23 2009

A local government recognizes its mistakes of the past and seeks to make amends.

What's in an apology? Some expressions of remorse are commonplace — we hear them on the playground when kids smack each other on the head, or they land in your inbox after a friend forgets your birthday. It's the grand-scale apologies, it seems, that are harder to come by.

On July 17, the California legislature quietly approved a landmark bill to apologize to the state's Chinese-American community for racist laws enacted as far back as the mid–19th century Gold Rush, which attracted about 25,000 Chinese from 1849 to 1852. The laws, some of which were not repealed until the 1940s, barred Chinese from owning land or property, marrying whites, working in the public sector and testifying against whites in court. The new bill also recognizes the contributions Chinese immigrants have made to the state, particularly their work on the Transcontinental Railroad.

The apology is the latest in a wave of official acts of remorse around the globe. In 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a similar apology, expressing regret to Chinese Canadians for unequal taxes imposed on them in the late 19th century. Last February, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to his country's Aborigines for racist laws of the past, including the forced separation of children from their parents. Five months later, the U.S. Congress formally apologized to black Americans for slavery and the later Jim Crow laws, which were not repealed until the 1960s. And most notably, in 1988 the U.S. government decided to pay $20,000 to each of the surviving 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned in camps during World War II. Says Donald Tamaki, a San Francisco–based attorney who helped overturn wrongful WWII-era convictions of Japanese Americans: "Part of what a humane society does is recognize past injustices and address them."

To continue reading the full article, visit TIME.

Listen to an Interview with the First Chinese-American Woman to Enter Congress

By NPR | July 23 2009

Making history after coming a long way, Judy Chu sits down with National Public Radio to discuss the long road now behind and in front of her.

California Democrat Judy Chu last week became the first Chinese-American woman to enter Congress. Chu, 56, was sworn in Thursday and represents the 32nd Congressional District of California. In a special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by Labor Secretary Labor Hilda Solis, Chu won with nearly 62 percent of the vote.

The newly-minted Congresswoman talks about her journey from school board member to Capitol Hill and winning a district of majority Hispanic voters.

To listen to the full interview, visit NPR's site.

Inside the 32nd Asian American International Film Festival

By Michelle Geslani for Asians in America magazine | July 23 2009

Running over the course of three decades, this festival is one impassioned and shaped as much by its historical past, as by its contemporary progressiveness. With an unwavering eye for activism and the power of storytelling, Asian CineVision is prepared to showcase its best and most dynamic collection. How so? Read on.

“We are the center,” said Liliana Chen, the Executive Director of the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), when describing both the longevity of the festival and its influence on the other 16-20 similar events scattered throughout the country who have “emulated” its original model.

The center, indeed, because as it stands, the AAIFF, which is produced by Asian CineVision, a nonprofit media-arts organization whose roots are in activism, is the longest running festival of its kind with this year being its 32nd.

Beginning today, July 23, and running throughout the weekend here in New York City,
the AAIFF will be showcasing some of the best independent feature and short films done by Asian Americans and about the Asian American community.

After scouring far and wide for submissions, and then going through a rigorous screening and selection process, AAIFF’s lineup over the next four days is brimming with unbridled talent and an almost boundless list of topics such as education, gentrification, unemployment and even outsourcing. Underlying many of the selected films is a characteristic so central to each one’s impact and message.

The 2008 National Asian American Survey - A Post-Election Report in New York City

Press Release | July 21 2009

Looking at the role of Asian American voters in last year's election and understanding these results' larger implications.

Data on Asian American political behavior and policy preferences will be released in New York City on July 22, 2009. The National Asian American Survey, conducted in the fall of 2008, will be presenting new findings that highlight the importance of Asian Americans to the political process and to policy debates. They will discuss voter mobilization and turnout, political participation beyond voting, and also present findings on:

-civic engagement
-interracial attitudes and coalition polictics
-discrimination and hate crimes
-policy items like health care and immigration

The initial release in the fall of 2008 showed a majority of the Asian American eligible voters still undecided about their presidential pick. NAAS researchers documented the population's presidential preferences and the differences of opinion among its specific groups. The data also revealed the pivotal role Asian Americans could play in U.S. presidential races, given their significant presence in battleground states and swing states, and indications that, with a notable percentage of that population undecided, their vote was up for grabs.

DATE: Wednesday, July 22 , 2009
TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 20 Eighth Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10018-1405

For more information, visit www.apiavote.org.

Muslim Punk Band The Kominas Hit the Road for the Summer

News Release | July 21 2009

Punk music dealing with Islam and its culture could be taking the stage in your town.

The Kominas are a Punjabi Taqwacore band from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. Their music and lyrical imagery draws from anti-colonial and Moghul art, Moorish Science, Five Percenters (”9,000 Miles” is based on a line from the English Lesson C-1 in W.D. Fard’s Supreme Wisdom Lessons, the studied text of the Nation of Islam), Bhangra, Punjabi folklore, Sufi saints from Punjab (Bulleh Shah), Islam, Hinduism and Bollywood (”Dishoom, Baby!” was a tribute to the film Sholay).

The Kominas’ debut album, "Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay," was released in March of 2008, is available online from iTunes and CD Baby was cited by Boston Globe reviewer Siddhartha Mitter as on of the top ten CD’s of 2008.

Sample Lyrics:
“Lying in a ditch I hung my eyes off the crescent, I rubbed the bristles on my chin, where do I begin? Mere moments away from doomsday, I see the tipping of the scale, you knew how I would fare. So why did you test me if all you really wanted was to singe me?” from ‘9000 Miles’

From Lowell, Massachusetts to Austin, Texas, The Kominas might be bringing their aggressive live show to your city in the next few weeks! Here are a few of their upcoming dates:

7/22 - @ Fat Baby, New York, NY
7/23 - @ Kan Zaman, Cleveland, OH
7/24 - @ The End, Akron, OH
7/25 - @ Doomtheque, Chicago, IL
7/26 - @ The Frequency, Madison, WI

For the FULL tour schedule and band info visit www.myspace.com/thekominas.

China dismisses links to engineer convicted in US of economic espionage

By the Associated Press | July 21 2009

Passed on trade secrets said to be false.

China on Tuesday denied links to a Chinese-born engineer who was convicted in the U.S. last week of stealing trade secrets for China during his 30-year career at Boeing and Rockwell International.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief statement the charges against former Boeing Co. engineer Dongfan "Greg" Chung were "fabricated."

"The allegations about a Chinese person stealing trade secrets in the U.S. for China is purely fabricated out of ulterior motives," the statement said.

A federal judge in California found Chung guilty of six counts of economic espionage and other charges for hoarding 300,000 pages of sensitive documents in his home, including information about the U.S. space shuttle and a booster rocket.

Chung, 73, could face up to 90 years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for November. His defense attorney said he planned to appeal.

The full article can be found here.

Obama cautioned on talks with Philippine President

By Pia Lee-Brago for The Philippine Star | July 21 2009

Clarifying the terms of the ties between allies.

While President Arroyo’s meeting at the White House next week will be an opportunity for US President Barack Obama to reaffirm RP-US ties, a US think tank urged Obama to be “clear” about what he will say to his counterpart so it will not be interpreted as support for unconstitutional extension of her term or a change in the Constitution to allow her continued leadership.

Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at The Heritage Foundation, said in his analysis “Time for the Administration to Turn to Substance in Southeast Asia” that Thailand and the Philippines are democracies whose people have the freedom to change their governments through the ballot box.

Lohman said a continued leadership of Arroyo, who is savaged in the press on a daily basis and every year she is put through the paces of an impeachment vote, will have destabilizing impact on the Philippines.

He said several factors tie the US more closely to the Philippines than any other country in Southeast Asia: a long, shared history of struggle, the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, current cooperation against terrorists in Mindanao, and even extensive family connections.

“President Arroyo’s meeting at the White House will be an opportunity for President Obama to reaffirm these ties. He should also be clear, however, that his respect for President Arroyo is grounded in the constitutional order of the Philippines and the office she holds,” Lohman said.

Read the full article at www.philstar.com.

Toyota goes to the movies with Asian-American community

Press Release | July 21 2009

The car company reaches out to an untapped community through nationwide festivals.

Toyota is reaching out to the Asian-American community through film festivals held across the country, and expanding its presence in its second year of sponsorship. Last year, the automotive company was present at the festivals to promote the Toyota Matrix, but this year, the campaign is more about promoting Toyota overall, said Chad Harp, marketing communications strategist at Toyota.

"We see the Asian-American community as very media-savvy, very strong, and they are a good buyer base within the US for Toyota products," he said. "We're there supporting what they are interested in, and we're trying to support it in a way that doesn't take away from [the experience]."

At the festivals, which kicked off in San Francisco in March and will run through the San Diego festival in October, Toyota will provide free shuttle service to various screening sites, host parties and events, and offer freebies like popcorn and Toyota-branded key chains.

For more information on their campaign, click here.