NewsBytes

Monday, February 01, 2010

Info from around the way...

China from the Ground Up

I needed a haircut last week and called my barber, a Chinese American woman whom I shall call Joan (not her real name). She wasn't there, I was told. She was in China and would be back on Monday, January 25, 2010. So, on Monday, I got my haircut from Joan, who had just gotten back the day before. She didn't seem jet-lagged. Quite the contrary. She chatted more than she has in the previous times I've gotten a haircut from her. I enjoyed hearing her talk about China based on her three-week visit to Guangzhou, her hometown, and Shanghai. I don't often get to hear these kinds of stories about China.
Online Survey: Discrimination and Mental Health

My name is Nellie Tran, and I am a psychology doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I am conducting a study to understand experiences of discrimination, racial consciousness, and their effects on their mental health for Asian Americans. Your voice and experiences could contribute greatly to an understanding the experiences of different racial/ethnic groups and those of different generational statuses. If you are interested in completing the survey, please access the survey at the following link.
Asianspotting: Deborah Gibson Love Scene with Asian Guy



Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus: the title alone should have kept me away, but flipping through the channels to SyFy, my curiosity was piqued when I saw that it starred 80s teen sensation Debbie Gibson (who's all grown up and goes by Deborah now). I started watching and lo and behold, before I knew it, her character and a fellow scientist played by Vic Chao were making eyes for each other and heading to the closet for some, shall we say, intense research.
Mayor Villaraigosa joins API community leaders in mobilizing ahead of the 2010 census

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Islander 2010 Census Network staged a press conference Monday morning, to launch their campaign of outreach and education ahead of the upcoming national population count, which begins in March. The 13 representatives of various API communities were joined at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and APALC’s Stewart Kwoh, to discuss the difficulties involved in gathering accurate population data within their communities and the impact carried by the resulting census figures.
Filipino American Literary Mentorship: More Thoughts

There are a lot of good comments on my previous post on Fil Am YA lit and mentorship. I am also very interested in this linked blog post over at D.G. Quebada’s Word Alchemy, where she discusses writing and whiteness, and how as writers of color in North America, we continually confront such false universalisms about the superlative greatness of white European and American authored works in English.
Chi Am Circle Begins Scholarship Program

For over 25 years, the Chi Am Circle, an Asian American women’s club in Santa Clara Valley, has invested in the future by awarding scholarships to local high school seniors and community college students of Asian American descent who demonstrate academic excellence as well as involvement in the school and community. Scholarships are awarded for merit and service as well as financial need, according to Rose Tokugawa, chairwoman of the Scholarship Selection Committee.
Alexander Shen's "My First Time" EP

Alexander Shen, an illustrator who got his hands on a guitar and wrote some
silly, funny songs, has just released his first EP, aptly titled My First Time.
7-3 Center Max Zhang Growing in Berkeley

You might wonder how UC Berkeley 7-3 center Max Zhang could have room to grow, but he’s growing in many ways: Growing in size. How could a 7-3 man grow in size? Not in terms of height, but in bulk. His coaches say that he needs to add bulk and strength, as he arrived from China weighing only 208 pounds.
Through The Looking Glass: "Asian Men On A Roll" Revisited

I read this article under that headline almost ten years ago in a magazine some of you may be familiar with: A Magazine, the first mainstream Asian American magazine sold on the shelves of your local convenience stores, founded by Jeff Yang. I used to get mine off a bookshelf in the Navy Exchange store while stationed on a base in Yokosuka, Japan. You can't find it anywhere else except in print because there weren't any online editions of magazines then.
The Republican Response: Showcasing A Whole New Demographic!

Check out that well-framed crowd of patriotic, multi-generational, ethnically diverse folks cheering on newly-elected, popular and telegenic Virgina Governor Bob McDonnell!