Secret Identities: "Peril" - Preview 8 of 8

Sweet. This is the final installment of the previews for Secret Identities which basically means that the wait is almost over (April 15th).

An Quick Letter To The Oregon Commission On Asian Affairs

Dear Peoples:

I learned last week that you, the OCAA, took funding away from the Asian American Youth Leadership Conference (AAYLC) because you decided that you couldn't give money to an event where the keynote speaker was from a band called The Slants (who were also going to be playing the event) because you found the name offensive towards Asian Americans.

Now far be it from me to disagree with such a wise commission as yourself from the great state of Oregon (which I also sometimes refer to as Crazy White Militia Country), but I just don't understand how you came to that conclusion because this is an Asian American band, with Asian American fans, who in addition to playing clubtastic Asian American music, also have a song or two addressing Asian American stereotypes - and haven't they also been written up and interviewed by Asian American media as well as play Asian and Asian American themed shows and events?

I could be wrong on this, but it doesn't really sound like people are all that offended to me (but then again, they probably get that it's about empowerment, pride, and taking it back).

Slanty

P.S.
I'm probably a little biased on this one.

MetroDad On T.V.? And Is He Going To Be A White Guy?

I caught news that blogger MetroDad has a potential book deal as well as a TV series in the works right which is pretty damn cool, but one of the more interesting notes about this is whether or not he should be pushing for an Asian American lead versus a White Male lead:

Currently, I'm in discussions with several production companies to turn MetroDad into a network television sitcom. All three companies are major players in the entertainment industry and their interest has resulted in my getting agency representation and a potential book deal. Right now, it all looks very encouraging so I'm crossing my fingers and keeping my expectations in check.

Here's the dilemma...

How strong am I willing to push in order to keep the main character Asian-American? Am I willing to jeopardize any potential deal? Would I walk away from the opportunity on principle? As I mentioned above, I feel very strongly about the need for the media to portray a better representation of Asian-American men.

The sad reality is that no network is likely to pick up the sitcom if the lead character is Asian-American. That's a factor beyond my control. Let's face it. America probably isn't ready for a comedy centered around an Asian-American father raising his daughter in New York City.

On the other hand, someone's got to be the first to try, right? How do we know America won't accept an Asian-American lead character in a sitcom if nobody even tries? I'd like to think that if the material is funny enough, people won't even notice that the character is Asian-American. Is that realistic? I hope so, my friends. I hope so.

I'll just tell you right now that I wouldn't want to be in his shoes because there really is that question of what to push for, when, and in the end, what will make the most impact.

It's kind of like asking yourself the question that if you want to make a difference in social justice do you set on down and work for a NPO, or kick it corporate, make a ton of money, and then take those $$$ and use it for good?

Take a look at this weekend's box office where the Justin Lin directed pic (#4 in The Fast and Furious line) took the top spot at the box office. With the film pulling some serious weight, it should give Lin even more leverage behind the scenes in bringing Asian American talent to the forefront on all levels (something he's already done).

So having an Asian American behind the scenes definitely isn't a bad thing.

But when will we have a T.V. sitcom with an Asian American male lead? And if you have the chance to push for it, do you do it if it means the sitcom and any power an Asian American has behind the scenes goes with it?

It's a tough question.

Don Wakamatsu, Baseball, And Internment

This is just a really good article on Don Wakamatsu at the The Seattle Times that talks about how Wakamatsu (the first Asian American manager in the game) came to know more about his heritage and history and the family members around him who had to endure the Japanese Internment Camps:

The family never discussed their internment along with other Japanese Americans during World War II. Leland's parents didn't bring it up to him, so he didn't bring it up to his children. The silence ended sometime in the late 1980s when a 20-something Don observed his father's reaction to opening a government check.

Leland, who was born in the Tule Lake internment camp in California, realized it was a reparations check. He flipped it to the side and muttered something in disgust. It piqued Don's curiosity.

"If you didn't live it, you have to do some digging to find out what happened," Don said. "I didn't learn about internment in history class, that's for sure."

Still, he tiptoed around the topic until about five years ago. He befriended baseball historian Kerry Nakagawa and learned about Japanese Americans who played baseball in the internment camps.

Don knew his education wouldn't be complete until he questioned his grandparents about it. So he cornered his grandmother two years ago. After a few hours of listening, he left with anger, pride and compassion coursing through him.

It's articles like this that I think truly show why it's so important to Asian American faces - and just diversity - in the spotlight. It brings stories like this to a broader audience where in a way they think to themselves "This happened to one of our own?" and it makes people realize history on a more personal level - they connect with history in way they never would have before and I think become better because of it.

Quick Pic: Midwest Asian American Student Union Conference

Grabbed the pic above from the Wong Fu Productions blog from the MAASU Conference where they spoke to students from Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio and more.

Interview: Keiko Agena And Ming Doyle

Forget the fact that there's a site out there called gilmoregirlsnews.com - because I thought that show went off the air quite some time ago - they do have a good interview with Keiko Agena and Ming Doyle about their Secret Identities strip "Learn to Share":

Keiko Agena was paired up with Ming Doyle for their story, ‘Learn to Share’. This was their first time working together, which Ming calls an “honor” and Keiko saying Ming was “amazing throughout this experience.”

GilmoreGirlsNews.com - How did you get involved with the ‘Secret Identities’ anthology?

Keiko Agena: I’m good friends with Parry Shen who is one of the editors of the book. He approached me a few months ago and asked me if I was interested in submitting anything.

GilmoreGirlsNews.com - What was your inspiration behind writing Learn to Share?

Keiko Agena: When I first heard about the project this image of a young girl isolated from the rest of the world came to mind. I was attracted to this sense of her lonliness and separation.

For the full interview see GGN dot com.

Asian American Communities and Health: Context, Research, Policy and Action

Whether or not it's the first of it's kind I can't really tell you, but I do think it's great that we have more books and studies out there specifically taking a look at health, and the different factors out there pertaining to our community.

"This book is the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the contextual factors that affect the health and well-being of Asian Americans," says Mariano Jose Rey, M.D., the Senior Associate Dean for Community Health Affairs, founding director of the NYU Institute of Community Health and Research and one of the book’s authors. "From now on, public health professionals will have a unique and invaluable resource when addressing the health of Asian American communities."

NYU Langone Medical Center's Institute of Community Health and Researchers Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DRPH, and Nadia Shilpi Islam, PhD are co-authors with Rey.

The book is called "Asian American Communities and Health" and you can learn more about it down at healthnewsdigest.com.

Angry Asian Man: 30 Under 30

Just in case you don't know, Angry Asian Man is doing a feature for the month of May which is looking to spotlight Asian Americans under the age of 30 making an impact in their communities and around the globe - so get on out and help spotlight those folks that are making a difference:

Looking ahead to the month of May, I'm putting together a feature called The 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30. Over thirty days, I'll be profiling thirty young individuals who are making an impact in their respective fields, in their communities, and the world at large.

I'm still sort of figuring out how to do this. The now-defunct APA political website politicalcircus.com put together a list like this many, many years ago, and I always thought it was a pretty good idea. So I'm bringing it back. But I need your help.

I'm putting the call out. I already have several people in mind who are going to make the cut, but this list won't be very good unless I get some suggestions from you. It could be anyone -- artists, activists, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs -- as long as they're 30 years old or younger. It could be someone you're aware of on a national level, someone in your own community, or someone you know personally.

To nominate someone, email me (with "30 UNDER 30" in the subject line) with the person's name, age, what they do, and in a hundred words or less, why you think they are one of the 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30. I'll be accepting nominations through the end of April.

To whittle down the list to thirty, I'll be conferring with a select team of (not yet determined) editorial consultants. If your nominee is under consideration, I might contact you with some follow-up questions. For the sake of my sanity, one nomination per person please. So make it a good one. And please, spread the word.

Cool.

Getting To Know You: Lally Ferro

I didn't know about Lally Ferro before this - and I still don't know a lot about her - but from this article that I just read down at jacksonville.com - she's seems pretty damn cool:

Now retired from the Jacksonville Port Authority, where she worked for 21 years as an accountant and ultimately as finance director, Ferro continues to be a familiar figure in Jacksonville's Filipino-American community, as well as in the Asian-American community.

Among other things, Ferro chairs the Mayor's Asian-American Advisory Board, a board that was established during the administration of former Mayor John Delaney, to focus on the needs of Asian-Americans, who make up nearly 3 percent of Jacksonville's population.

Ferro continues to play a huge role in organizing the annual World of Nations celebration, scheduled for Thursday, April 30, to Sunday, May 3, at Metropolitan Park, and in the Filipino-American Council, which is the umbrella group for all the area's Filipino associations. On top of that, Ferro still finds time to teach accounting to adult students enrolled in community education courses at Mandarin High School.

Read it in full here.

Mark Tran, Kristine Sa, And All About Dad

In a previous post you've heard me talk about the film All About Dad, and if you wanted to know more about the filmmaker Mark Tran check out the clips below from the "Kristine Sa Show".

The Kristine Sa Show - Episode #26 "Mark Tran" Part 1



The Kristine Sa Show - Episode #26 "Mark Tran" Part 2

Hot Track: DJ Komori "Flash" featuring CHiE & Emi Maria

Check our more from DJ Komori down at his blog.

Random Search Fun

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Thoughts On Jiverly Wong And The Binghamton Shootings At The American Civic Association

I think like a lot of people I'm filled with almost too many thoughts on the shooting, and over the last day I've been trying to verbalize all of them, just in my own head - and I still don't think I'm there - it's this blurred mix of anger and sadness that's not focused on any one thing necessarily, but on everything about it.

Victims In The Shooting

We know that a total of 13 people were killed yesterday on Friday at the American Civic Association, serving the immigrant and refugee community, and that during the time of the shootings that some there were taking a citizenship test and others for ESL classes.

While there's been some information on victims both deceased and alive, like members of Islamic Organization and a member of the Korean Baptist Church in Vestal news is still coming out, and it's expected that a full release of all the victims will be put out later on this evening.

All you can do is hope that the families and friends of everyone involved can find some strength in the others around them.

Confirmation Of Shooter



As of today, the shooter has been confirmed by major news outlets as being Vietnamese American Jiverly A. Wong (who changed his name from Voong), 41. Exactly why he was motivated to shoot 13 people and then turn the gun on himself we still don't really know. There's speculation that Wong was depressed and angry over losing his job, and still more speculation that he felt demeaned and angry because people in effect laughed at him because of the way he spoke English - all though are speculation - we don't really know - and we'll never really know.

Reactions

Maybe it's my own way of dealing with tragic news - and like I said above it's a blurred mix - but there's just that part of me, fresh as this is, that asks myself how this is going to play out for the South East Asian American community, the larger Asian American community, refugees and immigrants, and Asian American males - what's the effect and where will this lead us, good and bad.

One of the thoughts points me to a previous post where an Asian American High School student had this to say:

“People have made racist remarks at school that I would physically hurt them, or shoot up their school,” Kim said. “Or they think I’m too smart to care what they have to say.”

I can only wonder about the types of comments that he's going to get now especially when you already see comments like this (from NY Daily News):

26 to 2 Apr 4, 2009 12:14:38 PM Report Offensive Post
how does a piece of garbage like that get into our country? How does he get a gun? If anyone out there doesn't believe we need stricter gun laws then they should be shot. there is a crazy epidemic going on in the coutry with people of vietnamese decent: Va Tech, Michigan, now Binghampton: how can we be so ignorant as to let them get guns?

NY3878 Apr 4, 2009 1:00:01 PM Report Offensive Post
Stop the immigrant invasion by any means necessary.

Or this from ABC News:

you chose to immigrate here. Why should the government put any money for you or any immigrant support? My forefathers immigrated here and so was most citizens here in the USA. Through all the generations, we all worked hard for what we have today. I just ate Vietnamese food for lunch, and I see the restaurant (Pho 99 in Alhambra, CA) is a "Tax Cheat." They ring up only some orders and put the rest of the cash in the till. I see many Vietnamese business breaks the law by paying cash to it's workers and charge them 15% for the tax. You may not know English, but many of you know how to cheat on taxes, and ask the government for more aids. Posted by: The Soothsayer

If all these immigrants were not allowed in the US we would not have these problems. Posted by: skoonikki

And this is a part of that mix - that blur.

While I feel this grief and this sadness, as an individual - as an Asian American male - I also can't help but already be on the defensive because I know how some parts of society look at us and I know how an event like this makes that relationship even more tenuous.

Just As Long As He Wasn't One Of Us

I get it in some ways - like the same way I've already told you that I can't help but already be on the defensive - about why people on boards are going "He's not Vietnamese" or "He's ethnic Chinese from Vietnam" - everyone wants to distance themselves as much as they can - but I hope no one from the Viet community comes out and apologizes for this - because there's no need too. No one should have to do that, or be expected to do that, because one individual doesn't make a whole community, or nationality, or racial/ethnic group - which we all know - but always seems to get forgotten in times like this.

Yuna Ito: TY In JapaViet

A Quick Letter To The Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey

Wazzup Motherfuckers!

So I heard you lost the case which 11 of my people brought up against you, which basically called you out for systematically passing them over for promotions while at at the same time subjecting them to racial slurs, derogatory remarks, and charging them with false disciplinary actions (hindering any sort of promotion) even though they had the qualifications.

Now while I'm obviously glad you lost (even though I think the $1.6 million judgment was a little on the light side) I just had to ask how you discriminate against a 9/11 hero who was rescuing people from the North Tower of the WTC (see David Lim)?

How do you NOT give that guy a promotion?

I mean is your memory that short?

9/11 didn't mean that much to you?

Getting the reach around from Osama on the side?


Two words: You're Un-American.

Slanty

From The B.D. Of The Wong

You know what I like about this article that highlights actor B.D. Wong talking about being gay, Asian American, and an activist?

It's this:

"I always wanted to kind of be an actor, to tell stories, to learn my craft and all that corny stuff," he said. "But I didn't really like this other kind of stuff that came with it -- mainly the fame part of it -- until I started going on to the colleges and out around the country talking about what I care about talking about and saw that the combination of those two things was a sweet combination."

He's not just sitting on his ass using his fame and popularity for his own devices - he's out there, he's making a difference - and he's being heard.

For the full article (and B.D. Wong's take on Attorney General Eric Holder's "nation of cowards" speech) go here.

Campaign, CAAM, And Peabodys

If you were wandering around and thought to yourself "Hmmm - I wonder if the Center For Asian American Media produced anything that won a Peabody?" the answer would be Yes - for PBS's P.O.V - Campaign which gives an insider's view into Japanese electoral politics (for the full list of winners go here).

And for your next question - yes as well - you can in fact watch it online down at the PBS site.

It's Been Twelve Years - Give A Student A Minor In Asian Studies

Lord people. I mean I get the fact that the economy is tight and budgets need to be cut, but c'mon - every school should have at least some sort of Asian American studies program - and after twelve long years of advocating for it you'd think it would finally be a done deal now at Syracuse University - but not yet - still....making...it's....slow....ass.....way....

Updates: Euna Lee And Laura Ling

So the news just isn't getting any better out of North Korea where Euna Lee and Laura Ling are being held:

US reporters 'face up to 10 years' jail' in N. Korea

An international media freedom group urged North Korea Wednesday to drop plans to put two detained US reporters on trial, saying they face up to 10 years of forced labour if convicted. Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF, Reporters Without Borders) also said it was "by no means clear" that the two women were on North Korean territory when they were detained by the North's border guards on March 17.

In Washington, the State Department said Tuesday it is still working with Sweden, which represents US interests in Pyongyang, in a bid to win their release. Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, were detained before dawn on March 17 along the narrow Tumen River, which marks the border with China.

The pair, who work for Current TV in California, were working on a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist North. The North's state media announced Tuesday it would put them on trial for "hostile acts" and illegally entering the country, further straining relations with Washington ahead of a planned rocket launch by Pyongyang.

North Korea to Try U.S. Journalists

Pyongyang’s decision to put Laura Ling and Euna Lee on trial signaled that the regime has no intention of freeing them soon.

Their indictment comes amid heightening tension between Pyongyang and Washington over a North Korean plan to launch a rocket by Wednesday next week. United States officials consider a possible rocket launch a provocative test of the North’s long-range missile technology.

As much as I want to say this is going to turn out well, I'm not really that optimistic right now with everything that's going on with NK, the UN, and the missle tests, and while I think they will come back safe, the big question is simply when?

Film: Weekend Watching

A list of movies that are sitting next to me waiting to be watched, which I'll hopefully be able to get to this weekend (because it's couch potato time).

All About Women

All About Women (Chinese: 女人不坏), originally titled She Ain't Mean and Not All Women Are Bad, is a 2008 Chinese romantic comedy-drama film directed by Tsui Hark, who also edited the film, and co-wrote the story and screenplay with famed Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong. The film stars Kitty Zhang, Zhou Xun and Kwai Lun-mei, and tells a series of interwoven stories as it focuses on the lives of three women and their romantic relationships with the men that they encounter.

Originally set to be an updated version of Tsui's Peking Opera Blues, All About Women was shot in Beijing, China, and was released in China and Hong Kong on 11 December 2008. The film was later released in Singapore on 8 January 2009.

Look For A Star

Look for a Star (traditional Chinese: 游龍戲鳳; simplified Chinese: 游龙戏凤; pinyin: Yóu lóng xī fèng; Cantonese Yale: Yau lung hei fung) is a 2009 Hong Kong romantic comedy film that was produced and directed by Andrew Lau. Inspired by the relationship between Stanley Ho and his fourth wife, Angela Leong, the film stars Andy Lau as a millionaire, who falls in love with a feisty casino dealer played by Shu Qi. Look for a Star was shot at the MGM Grand in Macau, and was released in Hong Kong on 26 January 2009.

It is love at first sight when Sam chances upon a feisty, fast-talking woman with the odd name of Milan (Shu Qi) at a Macau casino. But the catch is, she is a part-time poker dealer and a full-time cabaret dancer, “careers” not exactly congruent with his station in life. Fallen in love against all odds, this mismatched couple soon makes headline in all media which turn Milan into an It girl overnight.

True Women For Sale

With a Chinese title that translates to “I don’t sell my body, I sell my uterus,” Herman Yau’s latest work courts as much attention and discussion as his acclaimed 2007 prostitute drama WHISPERS AND MOANS. A story that belongs uniquely to Hong Kong, the film frankly and sensitively portrays the lives of two women who chose to sell themselves - a drug-addicted madam who works the streets and a young pregnant woman from China who married an older man for the sake of Hong Kong residency.

Nana 2



Nana 2 is the sequel to the Japanese movie Nana, an adaptation of the manga by Ai Yazawa, directed by Kentarô Ôtani. Production for the movie began in mid-September and only 1 and a half month shootings finished the movie in time for the December 9, 2006 release.

Saawariya

From Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of India's most acclaimed directors, comes Saawariya, a timeless love story based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's "White Nights." Destiny weaves its magical spell when a shy musician's (Ranbir Kapoor) chance encounter with a beautiful young woman (Sonam Kapoor) leads to four unforgettable nights filled with music, passion and romance. Overflowing with colorful costumes, lavish sets and eye-popping song-and-dance numbers, Saawariya is Bollywood filmmaking at its best.