Via myFDL: “… Many immigrants, such as Cuban-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans, vote strongly Republican. There is a very simple explanation for why this is so, an explanation that requires merely one word: Communism. [...] There are a lot of Chinese Americans in the United States. Many of them constitute immigrants who suffered tremendously under communism, through the Great Leap Forward and then the Cultural Revolution. Yet Chinese-Americans are also a highly, highly Democratic constituency. One exit poll put 73% of Chinese-Americans as voting Democratic. Why does the Schwarzenegger experience not resonate with Chinese immigrants?”
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When I saw the trailer for Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen and Donnie Yen jumped in front of the camera as the legendary Chen Zhen, I thought, “Awesome! Donnie Yen! Aww…That little black eye mask is kinda cheesy.”
Shopping With GASP!
Some baby carriers are bulky, heavy, and just not cute. The new Pognae Baby Carrier ($89) from PognaeUSA, however, comes in your choice of four patterns and three solids. The carriers are made in South Korea, and thanks to the new APA businesswoman-owned PognaeUSA they are now available in America. As part of the company’s grand opening, all carriers are just $89–but hurry, the normal prices will be $110-$120 depending on which style you prefer.
Special Offer: PognaeUSA is offering a free set of drool pads for GASP! readers with the purchase of any carrier, while supplies last. All you need to do is comment on their Facebook page or Tweet them (@PognaeUSA), and say which color or style you like best!
Yeah, we know. It’s been a long week, from discussions on immigration politics and the past ten years after 9/11 to racist party themes. But what else is on your mind? Share your thoughts with us. Did you see that crazy asteroid that flew through the Southwestern sky? Are you excited for Gears of War 3 to be released? Where do babies come from? Have at it. It’s all yours.
Remember Ronnie Woo, the chef aspiring to be the Next Food Network Star? Well, he’s back with two new recipes: a leek and wild mushroom risotto and a broiled hangar steak with a layered potato cake. Mmm, potato cake. Those are like mooncakes, right?
Our internal e-mail lists have us discussing all kinds of stuff: Asian American identity, representation in the media, the experiences of activism in an academia setting and its progression as we transition to the working, adult world. And sometimes, we talk about WTF happened in this article about a Chinese man who had an eel surgically removed from his bladder after it swam up his penis during a beauty spa treatment.
While it may seem contradictory to the news that more Asian Americans are declaring bankruptcy and had an increase in unemployment rates, it turns out less Asian Americans are at or below the poverty level. Some of the reasoning behind why the U.S. Census bureau’s numbers show Asian American poverty rates dropping to 12.1% in 2010 from 12.5% in 2009, may have to do with higher income levels in Asian American families, some of which can be attributed to the creation of more extended families in the Asian American community. Whatever the reason for the discrepancy, as the International Business Times says, “some Asian Americans are becoming wealthier and more politically powerful, while many (perhaps most) of their peers are concurrently also becoming poorer with decreasing political clout.”
Donnie Yen has been offered a “tailor-made” role in The Expendables 2. The original installment of this action film was just fun in the action hero sun. Anyone who’s anybody in the old school muscle-bound, beat-up-bad-guys world was in it, and having Yen join the ranks for the sequel would just complete the collection. It’s nice to see Yen recognized for his long work in the martial arts action film genre. I can’t wait to hear what awesome one-liners were written up for him.
TAKE THE ROLE! TAKE THE ROLE!
By 8Asians reader Halls
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Nintama Rantaro (Ninja Kids!!) has garnered some interest from Hollywood. Ninja Kids, directed by prolific director Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), is a live-action adaptation of a Japanese TV show about…ninja kids. The film was released in Japan in last month.
Within the past year, our sister site 8Asians has posted about recent racial events: Wesley Yang’s Paper Tigers article, Alexandra Wallace’s “Asians in the Library” video (and Jimmy Wong’s response), and Amy Chua’s book. Sometimes it is helpful to take a step back and read about the issues from an academic point of view. Frank Wu’s Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White ($12.37) gives a good overview of where Asian Americans stand in the current racial climate of America. As the review on Amazon notes,
Yellow by Frank H. Wu is an eclectic, incisive investigation-cum-meditation that, though focusing on Asian Americans, recasts the United States’ ongoing debate about racial identity in all forms. Wu suggests that the widespread stereotyping of Asian Americans, while “superficially positive,” is inherently damaging. Mixing personal anecdotes, current events, academic studies, and court cases, Wu not only debunks the myth of a “model minority” but also makes discomfiting observations about attitudes toward affirmative action, what he calls “rational” discrimination, mixed marriages, racial profiling, and the “false divisions” of integration versus pluralism and assimilation versus multiculturalism. Though its conclusions are unremarkable, Yellow is thought provoking. The book’s strength–besides its clarity and thoughtfulness–is a lack of tendentiousness. Wu prefers to suggest, not posit; muse, not shout; and ask questions, not necessarily answer them.
Whatever your views on where the APA community stands today, we recommend this book as a good starting place for framing the current issues.
APA Spotlight is a weekly interview of Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) community leaders. It is a spotlight on individuals who have dedicated their careers to issues surrounding the APIA community with the goal of bringing much deserved recognition to their work and cause(s).
Doua Thor is the Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
(SEARAC). She and her family were among the many thousands of Hmong refugees who were resettled in the United States after supporting and fighting alongside the U.S. during the Vietnam War. The Thor family was resettled in Detroit, Michigan in 1979 where Doua spent much of her youth volunteering and working with Southeast Asian American communities. Over the years, Doua has gained a wealth of experience working with national and grassroots Southeast Asian American and refugee serving organizations.
This summer, Sangim Han and Rose Kim reported on Bloomberg Businessweek that South Korea plans to cut Saturday school, something that’s common practice in most Asian countries. Han and Kim pointed out that although President Lee Myung Bak’s intent is to wean South Koreans off of standardized tests and boost consumer activity with free weekends, not having Saturday school will simply mean more time for other tutoring, cram school, and private education. I know what a lot of people are thinking. Those evil Asian Tiger Moms strike again.
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Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) East West Players presents THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) OR (Orphan Relief): China Care Bruin’s 4th Annual Awareness Night
Feb 10: (Los Angeles, CA) CAUSE: Women in Power Annual Luncheon
Feb 15: (Seattle, WA) Pork Filled Players Enter The Year of the Dragon Spam*O*Rama
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
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Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
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