From Flower Power to People Power: Ninoy Aquino and the Summer of Love
August 31, 2007
On Aug. 31, 1983, I was a young reporter standing among the 2 million people in Manila at the funeral procession for Sen. Benigno Aquino, the assassinated Filipino hero who inspired “people power” in the Philippines. Many years before on an August day in 1967, I was a Filipino American kid in San Francisco, trying to explain the term, “hee-pee,” to my immigrant parents. Read more
SF Native Wants to be Soap-ed Up
August 31, 2007
PROJECT RUNWAY’S KARA SAUN SAYS NO TO SWEAT, YES TO S.F. FASHION WEEK
San Francisco’s fashion elite came out on Aug. 22 at the Regency Center to welcome five fashion newcomers — including Asian American Michele Janezic — at Gen Art San Francisco’s fourth annual Fresh Faces in Fashion show. Project Runway season one designer Kara Saun was sophisticated in a belted dress and heels and smiled pleasantly to promote her new campaign against sweat. Not sweatshops, but severe underarm sweat, which can be fixed with a treatment from Botox, one of the night’s sponsors.
Partygoers stayed cool with complimentary fans, sipped cocktails at the Shu Uemura eyelash bar and marveled at the hefty swag bags, which carried gift sets from Botox, Tweezerman and I.D. Bare Escentuals. Though most of the boyfriends wondered aloud what to do with a coral-pink lace thong from Frederick’s of Hollywood. Tea cozy?
Skeptics Doubt Acupuncture’s Efficacy
August 31, 2007
Traditional Chinese medicine has fought a 30-year uphill battle to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the law, Western medical associations and the population at large.
But not everyone is sympathetic.
Hawai‘i Gathering Focuses on Native Peoples
August 31, 2007
HONOLULU — One thousand delegates attended a special joint convention of Asian American Pacific Islander advocacy groups the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement on Aug. 22 to 24.
Commerce Briefs
August 31, 2007
Advantages of Leading as an APA
Event: “Forefront of Globalism: Advantages of Multicultural Leadership”
Description: The Corporate Asian American Employee Network 2007 annual panel discussion with Wells Fargo’s Sanjiv Sanghvi, San Francisco International and Tourism Development Director William Lee, and Vitria Technology’s Elizabeth Xu.
Details: $20, Sept. 14, 5:30 p.m. (networking and reception), 7 p.m. (program), PG&E Auditorium, 245 Market St., 1st Floor, Conference Room A & G, San Francisco.
Contact: caeen.org Read more
Bay Briefs
August 31, 2007
Olympic Freedom Run
EVENT: Event aimed at helping China improve its dismal human rights record
DESCRIPTION: Route: Chinatown —Fisherman’s Wharf — Golden Gate Bridge (5+ miles). Walking or running OK. Bring water.
DETAILS: Donation voluntary, Sept. 2, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Portsmouth Square in Chinatown (start), San Francisco.
CONTACT: elecshadow@aol.com Read more
Arts Briefs
August 31, 2007
FilAm Bands in New York City
EVENT: Filipino American online music magazine Poptimes’ first anniversary Read more
Global Briefs
August 31, 2007
Repulsive Practices At Tableware Companies in China
GUANGZHOU, China — Few companies that claim to disinfect dining utensils are licensed, and diners may be exposed to dirty utensils at restaurants in China, according to an investigative report in the Chinese-language New Express Daily in Guangzhou. Read more
APAs and Asians Cause A Racket at U.S. Open
August 31, 2007
Keep an eye out for Asian American and Asian tennis players joining top-ranked players from around the world at the U.S. Open in New York through September 9.
Meilen Tu of Porter Ranch, Calif., ranked No. 35 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association, is playing in the main draw, while Lilia Osterloh (No. 81) of San Francisco is playing in the doubles competition.
Kevin Kim (No. 171) of Newport Coast, Calif., and Rajeev Ram (No. 205) from Carmel, Ind., recently played in New York for a qualifier spot, but both lost in the first round.
Singles-ranked No. 28 Ai Sugiyama from Japan, Zi Yan (No. 78) of China and India’s Leander Paes (doubles No. 8), head a group of 10 players from China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand .
Grooming the Next Generation Of Corporate Leadership
August 31, 2007
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Future Asian American corporate leaders graduated from a leadership program on Saturday, after a few hours of absorbing the wisdom of current and former Asian Pacific American executives. Read more
Minority Biz Group Honors Firms
August 30, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — A plush baby tiger’s head perched on a computer monitor confirms Shirley Tan’s instincts as she prepares to launch her new online baby product line. “All of these guys want one,” said Tan, referring to her sales staff in computer stations taking orders for Tan’s online company, American Bridal Accessories.
And posted on Tan’s computer screen is her mantra: passion + focus = results. In seven years, 140,000 brides have come through the company; a Web search for “wedding favors” or “bridesmaid gifts” finds American Bridal among the top three vendors. Ranging from engraved cufflinks to matching bathrobes, slippers embroidered with newlywed initials to Asian-themed cozies for wine bottles, American Bridal sells it.
Fighting a Higher Weight Class: Acupuncture Takes On Traditional Western Medicine
August 27, 2007
Part 2 in a 5-part series
Western medicine and acupuncture practitioners have eyed each other warily since traditional Chinese medicine first arrived on America’s shores with the early Chinese immigrants in the 1840s. Acupuncture gained wide popularity only after 1972, when the media reported that Secretary of State Henry Kissinger received acupuncture to relieve his pain after an emergency operation during a trip to China.