Newsbytes

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Some news from around the way:

US Mint offers special coin collection to Asian American Communities

To celebrate the ostentatious event of the date 8-8-08, the United States Mint released a new set of gold coins targeted primarily for the Asian American community. US Mint Director Edmund C. Moy, the 38th director of the US Mint and the first Asian American to hold the post, discussed the significance of this new set of gold coins, saying, "The 8-8-08 Double Prosperity Set presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for coin collectors and the general public.” The sets go on sale August 8, 2008 or "08-08-08." This date was chosen since the number "8" is traditionally associated with prosperity in many Asian cultures. A date with the "triple 8" only occurs once every 100 years. To mark this occasion, this is also the first time the United States Mint has paired two gold coins in custom-designed packaging, making this set a unique product for the Asian-American community. The sets will be priced at $1298.95. There is no production limit placed on the sets.
History of Asians in the San Gabriel Valley

As an Asian American, I love the San Gabriel Valley. An area with many suburban cities just east of Los Angeles, it’s an Asian Pacific American phenomenon. There are other concentrations of Asian people throughout the United States, but nothing is like the San Gabriel Valley.

Of the ten cities in the United States with the highest proportions of Chinese Americans, the first eight are located in the San Gabriel Valley.
Governor Howard Dean Announces DNC South Asian American Leadership Council

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean last night announced the appointment of four Co-Chairs for the DNC's South Asian American Leadership Council.

arag Saxena of Rye, NY, Romita Shetty of New York, NY, Dilawar Syed of Palo Alto, CA, and Kashif Zafar of Scarsdale, NY will serve as National Co-Chairs for the Council. All four have been appointed by Governor Dean to lead the Council through the 2008 election cycle. The Council will lead the Party's efforts to recognize the loyalty, dedication, and generous contributions of the South Asian American community to the Democratic Party, and to provide a platform for political engagement and a forum for the exchange of ideas for South Asian American Democrats.
An Olympic lift to US-China relations

The attention generated by the Olympics could create a better understanding of modern China. Many observers have noticed that Cold War perceptions of China still persist in the US, despite the fact that China as a nation has changed profoundly. As Chinese Americans, we have a high stake in Americans' perception of China. Fear of China may lead to suspicion of Chinese Americans. In the most infamous case, a Chinese American named Vincent Chin was beaten to death by auto workers in Detroit in 1982, because the attackers apparently believed he was Japanese and blamed him for the success of imported cars.
Keeping Tradition Alive

One of the nation’s longest-running ethnic festivals unfolds in Downtown’s Little Tokyo Aug. 16-24. Ondo dancers, taiko drummers, a parade and even a gyoza eating competition are part of the 68th annual Nisei Week.

“The festival is a celebration of our culture, the Japanese and Japanese-American cultures, as well as the Japanese-American community as a whole,” said Helen Ota, president of the nonprofit Nisei Week Foundation that organizes the event.
ADL Unveils New Curriculum About Japanese-American Internment During World War II

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) unveiled a new online curriculum that teaches students about the dangers of stereotyping, prejudice and racial profiling, and how those fears led the United States government to intern more than 120,000 people from the Japanese-American community during World War II.