8 Asians

Inspiration is rarity these days. But when I read about these incredible women who are truly making a difference in their communities,  both locally and globally, I get super excited…and hopeful, which is also somewhat elusive these days. The White House has nominated 15 AAPI women are making waves with their dedication and hard work. “These fifteen women represent the strength and diversity of the AAPI community. These leaders–in business, advocacy, philanthropy, the arts and academia—are [...] Continue »

From the Daily Caller: Two chinese girls were killed Thursday after eating poisoned yogurt that had been planted by the owner of a rival kindergarten. The owner confessed to adding rat poison to the yogurt before leaving it on the side of the road along with school notebooks, reports the BBC.  It doesn’t really need to said or pointed out that this is horrible. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. When reputation or [...] Continue »

From AP: “An American detained for nearly six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of labor for crimes against the state, the North’s state media said Thursday… Analysts say Pyongyang could use Bae as a bargaining chip as it seeks dialogue with Washington.” It seems really difficult to read into North Korea’s motives right now especially with this latest sentence. Are they seeking leverage? Are they trying to construct a certain [...] Continue »

From Time: “A 15-year-old high schooler, only identified by his surname Choi, jumped out of his apartment home in the southeastern city of Gyeongsan last Monday after being bullied for roughly two years. His death — the second youth suicide in South Korea this month — has shocked the nation and called into question the government’s efforts to stop school violence.” South Korea is known for its high suicide rates especially among young people. It [...] Continue »

From Korea Times: “Yang stood atop the podium after nailing an excellent pair of vaults including one judged to be the most difficult of the competition, which is even called ‘Yang Hak-seon’ after him. The three-twist front somersault was invented by the Korean and he is the only gymnast to currently execute it in the world. “As I was the last man to compete in the final, I planned to use the Yang Hak-seon when competitors posted [...] Continue »

Written by Pauline Chen — a resident of Oberlin, Ohio, with a doctorate in Chinese literature from Princeton (N.J.) University — The Red Chamber is a hefty 400 pages of an intriguing love story somewhere along the lines of Romeo and Juliet and Gone with the Wind with the complexity of Anna Karenina. In a season where the likes of Fifty Shades of Grey (which I will not waste my time on) and The Hunger Games (which I admittedly did [...] Continue »

Growing up in the US, and specifically in a Christian community, I recall doing very little in the way of volunteerism, service, or even mission projects (loosely defined as going out and working with another community). It’s ironic since the example set by Jesus largely has to do with compassionate works and self-sacrifice. It wasn’t until late college I discovered that for me to truly engage in my faith it would mean engaging in social [...] Continue »

There are some strange things in the world. The story of this little 6-year old in China who has a “rare condition that causes her to grow hair on more than 60% of her body, including the left side of her face and her left arm,” seems like one of those strange things. Sad, in some ways, but she is so freaking cute, too.

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the question. I happen to be with Asian American friends, whether in church or at a restaurant. An acquaintance, or even a perfect stranger will ask: Are you related? Once I was sitting with friends visiting one of the churches I was serving as a pastor. They all happened to be Chinese American – one guy, two girls. Afterwards, my colleague and at least a handful of [...] Continue »

From USA Today: ”For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S,” The Associated Press writes. News from the Census Bureau is “a sign of how swiftly the USA is becoming a nation of younger minorities and older whites.” Census estimates, USA Today says, that: “Hispanics, blacks, Asians and other minorities in 2011 accounted for 50.4% of births, 49.7% of all children under 5 and slightly more [...] Continue »

From the Korea Herald: “South Korea and China are starting discussions toward reaching a free-trade agreement and want to establish the accord as early as possible, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said. The first round of talks will take place this month, Chen said at a briefing in Beijing today with South Korean Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho. The two countries’ goal is to lift trade to $300 billion in 2016, Chen said.” Clearly, the relationship between [...] Continue »

There have been a number of school shootings in the news lately, with the most recent including an elementary school in the Pacific Northwest and a middle school in in Texas in 2012. I can think of few things more heartbreaking, particularly because of my work with youth, I feel deeply invested in the mental and spiritual health of young people. When it hits close to “home,” for instance, with Korean American Seung-Hui Cho and the [...] Continue »