Magnetic North, Denizen Kane, Taiyo Na, VuDoo Soul, Geunjin, The AWCP, And Home For The Holla' Days

This sounds like a great event, so rather than talking about it myself - I'll just post up the bulletin:

What up fam!

This holiday season…[cue epic music] …. for the first time ever [music gets more epic]… Derek and I are teaming up with an amazing group of musicians, activists, and chefs (yes chefs!) to SAVE THE BABIES. How? How else? With an unforgettable benefit concert in our first home, THE BAY AREA.

Our aim is to raise funds for children at risk of sex trafficking in the poorest regions of Asia, so 100% of the concert proceeds will be donated to ACWP's (Aid for Children Without Parents) "Saving Children in Crisis" Program. Our other aim is to rock your socks off.

Derek and I are insanely excited about this event… not only do we get to give back for the holidays, but we get to do it in the bay! It's been forever since we've been back in Cali for a show, so we're going alllllllll out. We're debuting brand new songs off our upcoming album, and our entire set will be backed with live instrumentation from an amazing band that was assembled across the nation... just for this event.

So mark your calendars, call up your friends, and tell your momma!! This DECEMBER 19th @ the Smithwick Theatre in Los Altos, let's save some babies and make some beautiful music.

Hope to see you there ...and we especially hope to see the fans that grew up with us when we were in the Bay! We wouldn't be anywhere without your support!

Much Love,
-MN

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=217183088447&ref=nf#/event.php?eid=217183088447&ref=nf

HOME FOR THE HOLLA'DAYS
December 19th, 7-10PM
@ SMITHWICK THEATRE
12345 El Monte Road Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
$15 general admission, $50 VIP
Family Pack - 4 Tickets/$50
ALL PROCEEDS to : ACWP Saving Children in Crisis

Featuring:
Magnetic North
Denizen Kane (I Was Born With Two Tongues, HBO Def Poetry)
VuDoo Soul (American Idol, Kollaboration NY Grand Prize Winner)
Taiyo Na
Geunjin
and introducing… THE HOME:WORD HOUSE BAND

Do Van Du Goes Back

There's a good story down at the Mercury News about Do Van Du, a Vietnamese American who lost a leg and part of an arm when he was serving in the U.S. Special Forces (afterwards going on to become a successful software engineer), who's gone back to Vietnam to help disabled youth in the country by starting up a program teaching them software development:

For a small number of disabled young people enrolled in the tech training programs Du founded in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, that is changing. "IT allows them to connect to the outside world in a way they haven't before," said Andrew Wells-Dang, deputy country director for Catholic Relief Services. "It also demonstrates that people with disabilities can do all kinds of jobs, including high-tech ones."

In all, 175 students have received tech training over the past two years, including 75 as software engineers who earn international software engineering certificates. The others get six months' training in business process outsourcing — which includes image processing, data entry and general office IT work that companies outsource to countries like Vietnam.

Du's Information Technology Training Center, which receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, just expanded to Ho Chi Minh City, where more than 50 students are now attending daily classes at Van Lang University. They have been provided with brand-new PCs. Subsidized housing is available to those who need it. The program, which has a budget of about $200,000 a year, is free to the students.

Pretty damn cool huh?

Inaugural Asian American Golf Classic

This one's for all of you golfers out there (which still doesn't include me because I refuse to be tied down to something called a "rule" which involves me wearing clothes), but for anyone else that doesn't mind not being naked on the green - here ya go:

Asian American Federation, Chinatown YMCA, and Coalition for Asian American Children and Families cordially invite you to the:

Inaugural Asian American Golf Classic
Monday, June 22, 2009
At the Manhattan Woods Golf Club
One Ahlmeyer Drive
West Nyack, NY 10994

9:00 AM Arrival/Brunch
11:00 AM Shotgun Start/Best Ball Scramble
4:00 PM Cocktail Reception
5:00 PM Dinner/Award Ceremony

Golf Attire and Soft-Spike Shoes Required

Sponsorship Packages

Platinum (includes 2 foursomes and signs at 4 tees, cart, banner, tournament trophy sponsorship, & other special recognition) – $10,000

Gold (includes 2 foursomes and signs at 3 tees, cart, banner, and tournament trophy sponsorship) – $7,500

Silver (includes 1 foursomes and signs at 2 tees & banner recognition) – $5,000
Bronze (includes 1 foursomes and signs at 1 tees) – $3,500

Individual and Foursome Prices
Single Player – $500
Foursome – $2,000
Single Non-Golfer – $200 (driving range, brunch, cocktail hour, and dinner)

Features & Amenities
All individual and sponsorship packages include:
- Full country club amenities: locker rooms & shower facility
- Driving range and balls
- Fore Caddy
- Golf Cart
- VIP Gift Pack
- Buffet brunch, grill on turn, cocktail hour, dinner, and open bar

Maybe I'll have to rethink my stance seeing as they have an open bar.

P.S.

The funds will benefit, in part, the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families. Check here for more information.

Granted: Asian Women Giving Circle

Definitely love getting these types of release because what's better than showcasing organizations in the community giving to other organizations?

ASIAN WOMEN DONORS GRANT $70,000 TO NEW YORK CITY NON-PROFITS COMMITTED TO ARTS AND ACTIVISM

A documentary film about Anna May Wong, an artists’ collaborative that hopes to launch the first-ever gay and lesbian-themed float in NYC Chinatown’s 2010 Lunar Year Parade, and large-scale installation about ‘comfort women’ during World War II are among the ten local non-profit Asian American women-led projects in New York City that received $70,000 in grants from the Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC). These outstanding organizations and projects were chosen for their excellence in using the tools of culture, the arts and education to raise awareness and catalyze action around critical issues that impact Asian American communities. Grant checks will be distributed at a garden party at the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, during the evening of June 17th (media are invited).

In its four years of raising resources and philanthropists, the AWGC has raised and distributed $270,000 in New York City to thirty individual artists and community-based organizations. “Given the extraordinary economic circumstances of this year, we felt it is more important than ever to support Asian American artists and arts projects because they are under-represented as grant recipients,” said Hali Lee, founder of the Asian American Women Giving Circle. “Because so many of our grantees are experiencing intense difficulty with fundraising, we felt a special obligation to stretch our giving by making more grants, for slightly smaller amounts.”

Year 2009 Grant recipients are individual artists (with fiscal sponsorship) as well as community based organizations: Adhikaar, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, Chang-Jin Lee, Esther Chae, New York Asian Women’s Center, Q-Wave, Rising Circle Theater Collective, Third World Newsreel and Yunah Hong.

More information about each project follows:

Adhikaar - Hamro Katha, Hamrai Aawaz “Our Stories, Our Own Voices”

Founded by four women in 2005, Adhikaar, which means rights in Nepali, is a New York-based women-led organization working with the Nepali speaking community to promote human rights and social justice. This project is a multi-media storytelling project for young women (ages 16-25) of Nepali descent. They will be mentored by two South Asian artist activists who will lead workshops in a variety of media to explore youth relevant themes, such as migration, home, gender, sexuality, race, love, family. For more information, please visit www.adhikaar.org.

Asian American Writers’ Workshop - Talk Story: Sharing Stories Across

GenerationsFounded in 1991, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop is the largest non-profit devoted to creating, publishing, developing and disseminating creative writing by Asian Americans. Talk Story: Sharing Stories Across Generations is an oral history project pairing elderly and young Asian American women to share the stories of their lives. It aims to bridge inter-generational gaps as well as create a historical archive of personal narrative by Asian American women. The project will take place in Flushing, Queens and in Brooklyn’s Chinatown, and it will be led by women writers who reside in those neighborhoods. Stories will be recorded in bilingual self-made chapbooks, on the Workshop’s website and podcasting – for which the Workshop has approached Story Corps. For more information, please visit www.aaww.org

The Center for Traditional Music & Dance - Chinese Women’s Music Initiative

The Center for Traditional Music & Dance is one of the nation’s pioneering music arts
organizations, dedicated to preserving and presenting the performing arts traditions of New York’s immigrant and ethnic communities since 1968. This Initiative will provide a forum for young women (ages 12-18) in New York’s Chinatown to meet and study with established female master musicians on selected Chinese instruments that are prestigious yet have not been traditionally accessible to women and girls. Weekly classes will culminate in a public performance of Chinese opera scenes, with all roles and instruments played by girls. For more
information, please visit www.ctmd.org

Chang-Jin Lee - Comfort Women Wanted

Chang-Jin Lee is a Korean-born visual artist who lives in NYC. Her large-scale public art project, “Homeland Security Garden” at the World Financial Center Winter Garden explored our political and psychological insecurity in the post 9-11 world. The grant will help Chang-Jin develop “Comfort Women Wanted,” a large-scale, interactive public artwork to be placed in a major transportation hub such as Grand Central Station. The piece aims to increase awareness of the 200,000 women who were sexually enslaved in Asia during World War II, connecting this historical atrocity to the continuing sexual exploitation and trafficking of Asian women today. For
more information, please visit www.changjinlee.net

Esther Chae - So the Arrow Flies

With only a turn of the chair, Esther Chae portrays four strong women of Korean descent. This theatrical, one-woman show explores the ramifications of the War on Terror, identity, national pride and allegiance, through the lens of Asian women characters’ and their love for one another. Esther was selected as a TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference) Fellow this year for this play. She was mentored by Anna Deavere Smith at NYU. Esther
requests funds to premiere her play in NYC. For more information, please visit
www.estherchae.com or www.myspace.com/sothearrowflies

New York Asian Women’s Center – Workplace

Founded in 1982, the New York Asian Women’s Center helps battered Asian women to
overcome violence and govern their own lives, free of abuse. Workplace is an interactive multimedia installation based on the stories of Asian American women survivors of domestic violence – exploring how domestic violence affects women in the workplace. Collaborators include musicians and artists Woody Pak, Heather Greer and Liubo Borissov. The installation will simulate a workplace environment, including a telephone where visitors may leave their own stories or comments. For more information, please visit www.nyawc.org

Q-Wave - Lunar New Year for All

Q-Wave, founded in 2004, is dedicated to strengthening the voices of lesbian/ bisexual/ queer women and transgender/ gender variant people of Asian descent. This is a collaborative community art project championing LGBT equality at the 2010 Lunar New Year Parade in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The spectacle may incorporate a float, giant puppets, mobile murals, stiltwalkers, dancers and musicians. It will be designed in collaboration with local community organizations. Q-Wave will also host art and education workshops, hold a press conference and sponsor a Lunar New Year for All poster contest. For more information please visit www.q-
wave.org

Rising Circle Theater Collective – Q Up

Rising Circle Theater Collective, founded in 2000, is led by theater artists of color committed to producing work that reflects the diversity of the world in which we live. Q Up is a pilot program aimed at Asian American high school girls in Queens. It is a four-day workshop with professional
Asian American women artists in which the girls will build skills and produce their own work. The workshops will take place in the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadow Park. For more information, please visit www.risingcircle.org

Third World Newsreel - Asian Girls Empowerment Through Media

Third World Newsreel, founded in 1967, fosters alternative social, cultural and artistic visions in media, particularly visions by and about communities of color, marginalized communities and that address social justice issues. This project is a summer-fall workshop series for young Asian women (age 14-21) who will be trained in multimedia production while exploring media literacy and activism in the context of race, class and gender. The goal is to equip young Asian women with the ability to deconstruct the layers of mainstream media messages with which they are bombarded, while empowering them to create their own. The series will culminate in a public
screening at Anthology Film Archives and at the Newsreel’s 40th anniversary conference at Hunter. It will be included in the educational distribution that the Newsreel provides to thousands of schools and colleges nationwide. For more information, please visit www.twn.org

Yunah Hong - “Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words”

Yunah Hong is a Korean American documentary filmmaker. Her documentary film’s subject is Anna May Wong (1905-1961), a laundryman’s daughter who became an international moviestar, an activist and artist despite the limitations of the day. She achieved worldwide popularity in the 1920s and 30s. The grant will help Yunah distribute her film, launch a website, and implement an outreach program to schools and community groups. The Center for Asian American Media is helping Yunah prepare her film for a possible PBS broadcast, and will broadcast it via its own satellites to local stations. For more information, please contact yuhah@earthlink.net

About the Asian Women Giving Circle

The Asian Women Giving Circle is a group of Asian American women pooling their money to fund other Asian women in NYC who use the tools of art to further a social equity goal. We work together to raise resources to support Asian American serving, Asian American women-led social change organizations in New York City’s under-served communities. We raise resources and philanthropists. AWGC is a donor advised fund of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (www.aapip.org).

Check out http://www.asianwomengivingcircle.org/ for more information and to support on up.

You Got Remix: Mike Shinoda Teams With DC Shoes To Benefit Scholarship Program

Just reprinting up from the press release:

Mike Shinoda, co-frontman for two-time Grammy winning, multiplatinum rock band LINKIN PARK, has re-teamed with DC Shoes for the release of the Xander, his third project for DC’s Remix Series™, and fourth overall for the popular footwear brand.

"We got an incredible response to the Xander Remix, a shoe I designed last year,” says Shinoda. “I felt that a 'summer version' would be exciting; it’s new, with lighter colors and patterns, but retains the comfort and durability of the last shoe. I wanted them to be worn every day yet still look and feel great, so I tested them personally. I wore them while on tour, in countries all around the world and they performed great.”

The limited-edition shoe was inspired in part by Shinoda’s Japanese heritage. He chose traditional Japanese patterns and koi scale textures for the shoe and packaging. The sole features custom fish scale tooling created just for this project and artwork sublimated underneath. His art is found on the shoe’s upper, insole and the outsole; his signature is on the heel and the words “limited edition” are embroidered in Japanese on the shoe’s tongue.”

“As a kid, I used to fold paper samurai helmets as part of the tradition for Japanese Boys' Day, a national Japanese holiday that falls in early May and celebrates children,” he says. “It's kinda funny that the holiday coincides with the release of the shoe, which has origami-inspired patterns."

Proceeds from the Xander will go to the Michael K. Shinoda Endowed Scholarship, helping students at the Art Center College of Design in California. The school is regarded by most as one of the top art colleges in the world. The excellence in education comes at a sometimes-challenging price: on average, roughly 76% of the students are on financial aid. Shinoda’s DC Remix Series™ shoe benefits those students so they can follow their passions and meet their educational needs.

Shinoda was the youngest of his graduating class from Art Center College of Design in 1998, with a B.A. in Illustration. He’s had a hand in most artistic facets of Linkin Park’s imagery, including album artwork, band merchandise, web design and on-stage production art. In 2004, he broke through with his first show, Gallery 1988, in Los Angeles. The show, entitled “Diamonds, Spades, Hearts, and Clubs,” featured collaborative artwork with Gary Baseman, graffiti artist SEEN, DALEK, Greg “Craola” Simkins, and Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn. Last July, he debuted a new art show titled “Glorious Excess Born,” to a sold-out crowd at the Japanese American National Museum. Fans lined up around the block to see Shinoda’s art, and the venue saw its highest one-day store sales in history. This August see Shinoda continuing that theme with a new show, Glorious Excess (Dies), at the Japanese American National Museum.

One of the most successful rock bands to emerge this decade, Linkin Park has amassed more than 45 million worldwide sales, a remarkable string of chart-topping hit singles, a pair of Grammy wins, and an international fanbase whose members number in the millions. The band (vocalists Shinoda and Chester Bennington, drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, DJ Joe Hahn and bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell) is currently working on the follow-up to blockbuster hit MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT (Machine Shop Recordings/Warner Bros. Records), which sold more than 6 million copies.

Linkin Park will embark on an international tour this summer that will see them headlining stadiums and festivals in 8 countries, including their 2nd stint in China, where they are widely regarding as the biggest western rock band.

Cool.

Team Matthew: See If You're A Match

If you come to this site regularly (or even if not) you can't really help but not see the Asian American Donor Program's logo on the sidebar. It's something I think is important to do because even if you aren't a match - you could be - and that's what really matters.

Just to make the point a little more clear, let me direct you to teamMATTHEW where you can find out about Matthew who's in need of a bone marrow transplant:

Matthew was like any other healthy vibrant 25 year-old, full of life and ready to take on the world, until he was unexpectedly diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in June 2007. He underwent chemotherapy for sixteen months, overcoming one complication after another, fighting for his life and ultimately reaching remission. Unfortunately, six months after his last round of chemotherapy, Matthew relapsed in February 2009. He is now 27 years old and in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

With the support of loving friends and family, Team Matthew is setting out to raise awareness of Leukemia, its impacts on the community, and how they can help increase the chances of finding a matching donor for blood cancer patients.

Doesn't mean you'll be a match - but you could be - and seriously - how could you at least not want to try when you could be helping out a guy like Matthew and others - who btw - are also probably better looking than you - and that means that jealousy would be the only thing stopping you - and that's not a great excuse.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Gets Some Perspective (At Least The DVD)

I missed the news about this last week, but you definitely need to give it up to the folks down at MANAA for helping and contributing to the 17 minute featurette "Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective" on the Centennial Collection’s version of the film - because it's pretty damn cool:

When producers began planning extra featurettes for the Centennial Collection’s version of the film, Eric Young of Sparkhill saw the opportunity to openly discuss the problem of Mr. Yunioshi.

“It was almost like the proverbial elephant in the room that needed commenting on,” said his brother Mark Young, who eventually produced the segment, Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s is such an iconic film and it just had this mistake right in the middle of it, this character, and here we are in a more contemporary era—it just begs to be addressed and discussed.”

Young knew that he wanted to interview a panel of experts for the featurette, so he started making phone calls to academics who studied representations of Asian Americans in the media. Since it was the beginning of the school year, they were too busy to participate in the project. That’s when he turned to MANAA, the Media Action Network for Asian Americans.

“When I was able to reach Phil Lee at MANAA it was like reaching pay dirt, he was so receptive and he invited me to a meeting,” said Young. “When I first met the group at MANAA’s meeting I knew I’d have a nice lively group of individuals to interview, each with a different personality. Everyone’s background was different so we had different voices in discussing the same topic.”

From MANAA, Young found President Phil Lee, Vice President Jeffery Mio, and Founding President Guy Aoki. Since they wanted to include a female perspective as well, they suggested Marilyn Tokuda, an actress who had a long history of acting in films and was currently involved with East West Players.

In the 17-minute segment, stories of reactions to the film and the character of Mr. Yunioshi eventually opened into wider territory. Lee, Mio, Aoki and Tokuda also discuss the Japanese American internment, activism toward redress for Japanese Americans, the perils of being an Asian American actor/actress, and the impact of George Takei’s role on Star Trek for the Asian American community, among other topics.

Too bad we can't get this on every edition of the DVD.

Save the DC Office of APIA Affairs

Got this sent on down via the folks at AAA-Fund Blog and wanted to post it on up in full here (thanks Gautam):

Dear DC AAPI Caucus,

If you have not heard already, we have incredibly disappointing news regarding the DC Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA). In Mayor Fenty’s 2010 budget proposal, the office will be eliminated completely with the budget zeroed out. The office’s services will be transferred within the Office of Community Affairs and at least 60% of the current OAPIA staff will be eliminated.

It is outrageous that the Mayor would decide to eliminate OAPIA, which has been in existence for over 20 years, currently serving over 20,000 API residents in the District. This office was implemented due to the needs of the DC API community over the past two decades and many API leaders fought hard to create and sustain this office. In addition, this is the only ethnic minority office that the Mayor has decided to cut.

This issue is now in the hands of the City Council. The budget hearing is set for April 24th. We are asking everyone to contact their City Council members and asking them to:

* Reinstate the Office of Asian Pacific Islander Affairs and maintain the office as an independent agency with its own budget chapter and cabinet-level position within the Mayor’s Office; and

* Maintain the office as the District’s point of contact for the API community.

Currently, other API leaders in DC have been working hard to meet with Councilmembers and reaching out to key people (other constituency organizations, national leaders, Commission on API Affairs, and the DC Democratic State Committee).

We will circulate sample petition letters and postcards ASAP.

Every member of the AAPI Caucus should:

1) Contact Councilmembers. Please reach out to your Councilmember by letter, phone and/or requesting a meeting, and reach out to any Councilmember with whom you have a relationship with. Please let us know if you secure a meeting with a Councilmember, and who you contact. We want to keep track so we can make sure we reach out to all Councilmembers. Key Councilmembers: Vincent Gray (Chairperson), Yvette Alexander (Chair of the Committee of jurisdiction), and other committee members of jurisdiction Mary Cheh, Michael Browne, Jim Graham, Harry Thomas, Jr. However, we do want to reach out to ALL Councilmembers.

2) Reach out to allies to help advocate for this effort. Ask key national and/or local leaders to write a letter in support of the office, or contact city council members.

3) Press outreach. If you have any contacts to media outlets, such as WaPo, please let us know. A number of people are already reaching out to contacts they have, but if you know of any journalists who would be interested in writing about this, please reach out to her/him.

4) Prepare a testimony for the council hearing on April 24th. Let me know if you would be available to testify before council for OAPIA.

We only have a few weeks to get the word out, so if you have any other ideas, please let us know. Mayor Fenty explained in the council hearing that he’s eliminating OAPIA, but not the Office of Latino Affairs or other offices such as African Affairs and LGBT because they have a “different” function. While we do not understand what he meant by this, we do not want to give the impression that the Asian community will not put up a fight to ensure equal footing with the other offices. Let’s make sure our voices are heard and our community is served, and we prevent this from happening!

We will keep you posted as things develop. Please contact Wylie at dcaapidems[at]gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to help.

–Caroline

Here's your chance to do some good...and you're waiting for?

Go Go MANAA Blog

Got some info sent out to me about the Media Action Network for Asian Americans Blog which started up a couple months ago (thanks Lori) and thought I'd post up on it and say that if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure to head on over and get their take on everything from the Oscars to the Last Airbender (and also make sure to head on down to the MANAA site too).

Word to the Aoki.

Film: Asian American Studies Now! Documentary (Short Version) Part 2

I posted up Part 1 of this in a previous post - here's part 2.

Film: Asian American Studies Now! And Getting A University To Listen

I caught this up on YouTube and while it's still a little raw, you definitely need to check out the teaser for this upcoming documentary on how the University of Maryland got their Asian American Studies Program.

Greater Chinatown Community Association Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

A little last moment, but caught this down at Asians in America and wanted to post this up here as well:

Something exciting has been happening at Greater Chinatown Community Association (GCCA)! A group of volunteers have chosen GCCA to be the recipient of a 10 day legacy project. Their Chinese New Year gift to GCCA: A new cosmetic makeover (paint job) as well as a resource library for our clients. Their goal was to raise 100% of the funds and materials for this project through fundraising. In addition, they only have 10 days to start and complete the project.

The community is invited to attend a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009: 3pm – 5pm at GCCA to celebrate the completion of this project.

Nice.

SFIAAFF: Call For Volunteers

Some of the 2008 SFIAAFF Volunteers

Saw this down at the Center For Asian American Media (CAAM) and wanted to post it on up as it's a great opportunity to get involved, do some good, have some fun, get a free t-shirt, and see some films (or at least work off a parking ticket).

Be a part of the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films! Every March, over 300 volunteers from around the Bay Area log almost 2,500 hours to make the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) a success! SFIAAFF volunteers serve in a variety of capacities across the festival, from the box office to galas and receptions, from ticket taking to driving festival guests.

Volunteer benefits include:

1. Vouchers for festival screenings
   
2. Meeting film industry professionals and fellow film enthusiasts
   
3. Official Festival T-shirt
   
4. Volunteer Appreciation Party
   
5. Working off parking or traffic tickets incurred at Bay Area cities through Project 20

We ask all volunteers to commit to a minimum of three shifts over the course of the festival (approx. 12 hours). New Volunteers need to attend one Volunteer Orientation (Dates and Times TBA).

To sign up, please register online: www.shiftboard.com/caam

For more information, contact LeRoid David, Volunteer Coordinator at ldavid [at] asianamericanmedia [dot] org or by phone at 415-863-0814 ext. 214.

Word to the Sessue and the Hayakawa.

Asian American Society And VA

Caught this down at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and wanted to post it on up as it's always nice to heard about local groups giving out some awards:

The Asian American Society of Central Virginia recognized four area leaders during its second annual awards gala at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. About 250 people attended. Rumy Mohta, the organization's chairman, said the awards recognize the efforts of individuals and companies that make a difference in the entire community, not just the Asian-American community [...]

The Community Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Vicki Mirandah, a member of the Asian American Society of Central Virginia's board of trustees representing the Malaysian community. In addition to serving as chairwoman of the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, she has volunteered with the Susan G. Komen Richmond Race for the Cure, Run for Read, Richmond Folk Festival, Junior Achievement and Habitat for Humanity. She also teaches English as a second language to refugees and immigrants.

Founded in 1998, the nonprofit organization has members representing 16 Asian communities, said Malik Khan, its community-relations director. Khan said the society promotes cultural, civic, business and educational programs.

Read it in full here.

Best (Or Worst) "Burma: It Can't Wait" Video That Reminded Me Of Porn But Still Didn't Make Me Soil My Pants

Tila Tequila - Hot for Teacher



While the campaign itself didn't do so great as far as votes were concerned (I think they're still stuck around 52,000) you still have to give it up for what they were doing and the energy put in trying to get the word out, and while we all might have our own opinions about Tila Tequila - at least now there's over a million people who know where Burma is on a map.

Washington's Best: Asian American LEAD

It's always good to spread the word on Asian American non-profits getting some pub, like Asian American LEAD who got listed in the December issue of the Washingtonian as one of the DC area's 64 best charities (if you click on the pic above you'll get a larger image with the article).

At the same time - save the date - February 5, 2009 - as they'll be having their 10th Annual Dinner featuring DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee as their keynote speaker.

Check out both the site and the blog for more information.

NY Music For Charity: Sensitive Guys With Guitars

If these digital flyers don't suck you in to this event where you'll not only support Asian American music, but also good causes - I'm not sure what will.



I got sent an e-mail out from my man Jay Legaspi in NY who along with several other Asian American artists are putting on an event to help raise funds for two charities, and it should definitely be something you get out and support.

Here's some portions of the e-mail that Jay sent on over:

On December 12, several of my friends (all asian-american artists) and I are holding an event at a teashop in Chinatown to raise funds for charity.

We're taking a cheapshot at our genre and we called ourselves and the show "Sensitive Guys with Guitars". It honestly started when we decided to take pictures at a lakeside in Queens argyled out and it sprouted into the series of fundraising shows that we're having.

Our December shows are funding 2 charities. The first charity is GILAS, which is an initiative in the Philippines to fully wire all the public schools in the country with the Internet, so the kids will be able to connect with the world, and hopefully, become familiar with upcoming technology so that the next generation of graduates won't get left behind in the digital age.

The second charity we're donating to Team Kaila/Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The money we raise for the JDRF is actually being donated in honor of our friend Kaila, who is lives with Type 1 Diabetes. Team Kaila was the name of the walkathon team her mother formed.

The first event is being held here:

December 12, 2008
Silk Road Cafe
30 Mott St.
Chinatown, NYC
7:30PM
$10

We also have a second event in NJ:

December 20, 2008
PJ's Coffee
315 Raritan Ave
Highland Park, NJ
6PM
$5

If you're curious about the digital flier, Jay and his friends were going for the classic vinyl LP look - and I think they got it down.

Here's more "classic vinyl" video and what being sensitive really means from the SGWG crew:



So definitely get on out and support the cause - they've clearly put in a ton of work to make this go and make it fun for everyone. Feel free to grab the images from this post - or the whole post - and just promote it as much as you can.

Check out their site at http://www.sensitiveguyswithguitars.com.

See Your Favorite Bloggers: Beyond Brains and Boobs: Beauty in Asian American 2.0

Obviously I'm not talking about myself - because let's face it - I'm just a hack - but if you do want to check on out and see some of your favorite bloggers who've made waves around blogosphere and you're in the LA area, check out East West Players Presents: "Beyond Brains and Boobs: Beauty in Asian American 2.0" with Jen Wang, Diana Nguyen and Phil Yu.

Here's the info from Disgrasian:

East West Players Presents: "Beyond Brains and Boobs: Beauty in Asian American 2.0" with Jen Wang, Diana Nguyen and Phil Yu

Saturday, December 6th, 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble Booksellers - The Grove at Farmers Market
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 Grove Drive Suite K 30
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-525-0270

Come say hi, pick our brains, and get Phil's autograph!

Tangy

More do-gooders in the world - and if you're at the University of Colorado at Boulder and are thinking about going abroad to China - then this news is for you:

A $1.2 million gift from the Tang Fund of New York to the University of Colorado at Boulder, the largest endowed gift ever made to the Center for Asian Studies, will allow students to experience China through a new study abroad program.

The Tang Fund donation to CU-Boulder will provide support for an annual summer program in China and cover expenses for one faculty member and about 12 students to study in China and neighboring countries. The program will be available to faculty and students in all disciplines, said Laurel Rodd, director of the Center for Asian Studies.

"Firsthand experience in China can enrich education across all disciplines," said Rodd. "It is our hope that by taking advantage of this program, students will gain new perspectives on their areas of study and a deeper understanding of China."

The program is unique because it is not restricted to students majoring in Asian Studies and seeks to expose a broad spectrum of students to Chinese culture, Rodd said, and will have a different curriculum and professor each year.

Topics covered by the program will include Chinese culture, history, religion, art, politics, environment and other disciplines. The program also differs from traditional study abroad programs in that expenses are covered by the endowed gift.

"This gift makes China and the study of Chinese cultures accessible to all CU-Boulder students," said Rodd. "By opening this opportunity to students of all economic backgrounds and in all fields of study, we can encourage more students to learn about one of the world's oldest, most populous and influential societies."

The program will also help CU-Boulder attain one of its major "Flagship 2030" goals of extending the university's educational reach around the world.

"This gift will help the university to realize one of our most important strategic goals -- establishing CU-Boulder as a global crossroads of education," said CU-Boulder Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson. "Under Flagship 2030, we envision a campus that is a true global destination for higher education, and a point of embarkation for our students to points around the world. We are grateful to The Tang Fund for helping us to move in this vital direction."

Rodd said the length of the study trips abroad will vary depending on the course, but would typically last 3 to 4 weeks. The destination of each course will be up to the faculty who are leading the trip, she said.

"One of the great things about The Tang Fund gift is that we're not restricted to working with a particular institution in China," said Rodd. "Students will go to sites that are relevant to the classes they are taking."

CU-Boulder offered similar opportunities in the past with a donation from the Freeman Foundation, Rodd said. One course addressed how Japan and China present their own pasts, taking students to museums in each country. Another course focused on food, exercise and the body and offered students the opportunity to visit sites related to health and exercise, martial arts and food production.

The new program will be launched during the summer of 2010.

Contact

Laurel Rasplica Rodd, 303-492-1138
Laurel.Rodd@colorado.edu
Kirsten Steinke, 303-541-1209
Oakland L. Childers, 303-492-3117

And yes - I couldn't help that title either - blame on it blogger crusties...

Seeking Houston-Area Volunteers to Help Hurricane Survivors

Even though Hurricane Ike and Gustav didn't make as much news as Katrina, they've affected a lot of people - including Asian Americans and the Vietnamese population in that area.

The group BPSOS is looking for volunteers that can help out, so if you or anyone else can lend a helping hand, make sure and get in touch with them:

September 19, 2008: The Gulf Coast's Vietnamese Americans need your help! Ike and Gustav hit the Gulf Coast even harder than Katrina, and we are working to connect evacuees to urgently-need services. On Thursday and Friday alone, BPSOS-Houston staff and our fantastic volunteers helped 226 people deal with the disaster!

You can make a difference, especially if you are bilingual. Join us at the office to record people's needs and contact information, and refer them to the right services! Houston is the focus now, but we are collecting information about areas that are safe to deploy volunteers.

To volunteer in Houston, or at locations to be determined, call (281) 530-6888, or email info@bpsos.org.

Go to the BPSOS site for more information.