UpFront News Briefs
November 28, 2003
OVERHEARD
“I deeply regret using an antiquated and inappropriate term to refer to Chinese Americans. That it was a slip of the tongue does not make it any more excusable. I sincerely apologized to anyone I might have offended.”
— Democratic presidential contender Gen. Wesley Clark apologizing on Nov. 21 for the inappropriate use of “Chinaman” on a Nov. 3 radio interview. Read more
Claiming Democracy
November 28, 2003
Seeking to address a perceived “democracy deficit” in this country, over 500 people from 30 states, the District of Columbia, Ireland, New Zealand and other nations took part in a Claim Democracy conference at the new Washington Convention Center last weekend. Read more
Muslim Chaplain from Guantanamo Released: Yousef Yee charged with adultery and storing pornography
November 28, 2003
A Muslim chaplain accused of taking classified material from the U.S. prison for terrorist suspects in Cuba was charged Nov. 25 by the military with adultery and storing pornography on a government computer.
The military released Army Capt. James Yee from custody and will allow him to return to duty at a base in Georgia, said Raul Duany, a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command. Read more
Rash of Shootings have Sikh Cabbies Living on the Edge
November 28, 2003
Editor’s note: Sikh cab drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area fear the night shift, since three Sikh cabbies were shot in the last two months. PNS contributor Raj Jayadev (svdebug@pacificnews.org) is the editor of www.siliconvalleydebug.com, the voice of young workers, writers and artists in Silicon Valley and a PNS project. Read more
Neighborhood Schools and the Politics of Betrayal
November 28, 2003
At the San Francisco Board of Education’s meeting on Nov. 12, Commissioner Eric Mar voted to table a modest resolution by his colleague Eddie Chin to convene a task force to reexamine and, if necessary, modify the San Francisco Unified School District’s controversial diversity index. By rejecting the task force, Mar shamefully betrayed fundamental interests of Chinese American and all families and jeopardized the cause of neighborhood schools. Read more
So Long, Farewell
November 28, 2003
Doug Overton, who played briefly for the Los Angeles Clippers two years ago, has signed a contract with the team.
To make room for him, the Clippers released Wang Zhizhi. Read more
Golf’s Youngest Darling: But will Wie wear out the welcome mat?
November 28, 2003
The drawback to being a child star is that most have nowhere to go but down. That’s not likely to happen to Michelle Wie, a 14-year-old already blessed with poise, a 100-watt smile and a picture-perfect golf swing. Then again, the last thing a young girl with designs on playing the men’s tour one day and already burdened by comparisons to Tiger Woods needs is a sense of entitlement. Read more
Dirty Kicks: Taekwondo union accuses USOC of racial discrimination
November 28, 2003
U.S. Taekwondo Union (USTU) officials are accusing the U.S. Olympic Committee of racism, saying anti-Korean sentiment was behind the move to strip the group of its certification. Read more
Banned for Life: Jailed at 17, Kim Ho Ma Can Never Live in America
November 21, 2003
Even before he was born, Kim Ho Ma was in prison. His first of many, in 1977, was in the killing fields of Cambodia. Kim’s mother, eight months pregnant, was sentenced to dig holes in one of Pol Pot’s work camps. The holes served no purpose other than to teach her humility. Read more
Industry profile: Kaiser Hwang
November 21, 2003
Kaiser Hwang
Age: 24
Title: Editor, IGN Xbox
Current Favorite Games: Crimson Skies, Project Gotham Racing 2, Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six 3
UpFront News Briefs
November 21, 2003
OVERHEARD
“Dear President Clinton, with whom I share an Arkansas boyhood. Live long and prosper.” Read more
Courting the Candidates
November 21, 2003
On Nov. 17, over 400 exuberant Asian Pacific Americans, from students to senior citizens, attended the first ever APA Presidential Candidate Town Hall Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Capital Hilton Hotel’s Senate and Congressional Rooms were overflowing, with many visitors standing in the aisles to see the political coming of age of the APA community. Read more