News From Around The Way

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Random news you may or may not want to know.



  • Chinatown: Dining With Strangers

    I went to eat dinner at Chinatown again with the lady for her family reunion over the weekend. Her ancestors have been in the states since the late 1800's and have deep roots in community service. Believe me, I was on my best behavior. I won't talk about my conversations, but I really enjoy hearing stories of proud family history. From my own knowledge, the Chinese Americans that have been here longer seem to be a lot more accepting of others. The recent immigrants, it's hit or miss. My best friend is a third-generation Chinese American engaged to a Mexican. You wouldn't be able to put an ironclad wall between him and a Latin woman. His dad actually served in Vietnam and was constantly asked which side he was on.

  • Staceyann Chin’s Babeh Quest

    Queer Chinese/Jamaican spoken word powerhouse Staceyann Chin recently wrote a piece for HuffPo about her mission to have a baby. It’s an excellent article, and she describes how factors of race, sexuality, and age made her driving desire for motherhood — an experience often taken for granted by many– a complex and protracted journey.

  • SAIGON ELECTRIC: A Vietnamese American’s Journey Back to the Motherland (Part I)

    I’ll be blogging about my first experience as a producer for a film called SAIGON ELECTRIC, a hip hop, coming-of-age film made in Vietnam. It was released in Vietnam in April and is set to be released in select U.S. cities on October 7th. We’re currently mounting an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for a small, but proper, theatrical release. So without further adieu, here’s Part I of the SAIGON ELECTRIC Journey [...]

  • APA Spotlight: Kathy Lim Ko, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

    Kathy Lim Ko is president and chief executive officer of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national health justice organization which influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Kathy has worked in senior management positions in community-based and philanthropic organizations throughout her 30 year career.

  • I’m a dick: Part 1

    For my next two unsolicited editorials, I’ll ask fairly rude questions. They’re not going to be popular. Let’s just say that I’m certain some will call me a dick, as well as other colorful descriptions. To be honest, though, in recent years I haven’t been the type of person who seeks out “Mr. Congeniality.” So, frankly I don’t care if people call me a dick after reading the following because I’m a firm believer in the right of each individual to question. To question is to be human. The point of the rude questions is to seek out some answers from a few adoptee heavyweights. In particular, I’d like to hear from Susan Cox, whom others have described as the poster adoptee for adoption agencies. Additionally, I would like to get some clarification from Jane Trenka, Tobias Hübinette, Tammy Ko Robinson, and Kim Stoker, four individuals involved in the most recent Korean adoption legislation.

  • Me Love You Long Tongue

    Though it might seem a bit strange, I LOVE that 19-year-old Rhiannon Brooksbank–Jones, a UK student, got her slightly-shorter-than-average tongue lengthened–in a parent-approved, 15-minute elective lingual frenectomy. All so that she could speak Korean without sounding “foreign.”


  • The Hyphen Lowdown on Filmmaker Marissa Aroy

    At Restaurant Peony in Oakland’s Chinatown, I met up with Emmy award-winning filmmaker Marissa Aroy. Named one of the most influential Filipina women by the Filipina Women’s Network in 2010, she and her husband Niall McKay run Media Factory, a production company whose clients include PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts, Wired magazine, The Chabot Space and Science Center, CEO Women, and the Independent Film Channel. In mid-October of this year, Marissa will be traveling to the Philippines for four months to work on a short fictional piece, funded by the Fulbright Scholar Program. Over shrimp har gow, siu mai, and rice noodle rolls, we discussed Aroy’s current projects and how she got into film.