Daily Dose: 03/28/08

» AsianWeek Market Report
» Paek Reappointed to S.F. Taxi Commission
» All Nippon Airways Contributes $1,000 to JCCCNC Youth Programs
» Youth Speaks at the S.F. Opera House
» Hawai‘i Superdelegates Split on Role
» Charlie Woo, Ted Lieu Receive S. California Lawyers Awards
» Norm Macdonald Apologizes for Racial Slur
» Pacquiao Hits ‘Crab Mentality’

AsianWeek Market Report

BAY:

Paek Reappointed to S.F. Taxi Commission

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Gavin Newsom recently announced the reappointment of Min Paek to the Taxi Commission.

Paek, who has served on the Taxicab Commission as the general public representative since 2003, is executive director of the Korean American Women Artists and Writers Association. Paek’s past experience includes being a lecturer for “Asian American Art and Culture/Contemporary Korean American Community” at San Francisco State University; CEO and founder, Artist in Art Graphic Design Company; lecturer, “Macintosh, Graphic Design and Printing,” City College of San Francisco; and host and producer of KTVU Ch. 2 Asians Now and KTSF Ch. 26 Korean Journal.

Paek holds an M.A. in inter-art and B.A. in conceptual art from

San Francisco State University. She received her second M.A. in Korean studies at the Intercultural Institute of California,

San Francisco. Paek is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Korean studies at

Hamburg University, Germany.

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Nippon Airways Contributes $1,000 to JCCCNC Youth Programs

SAN FRANCISCO — Norihito Mori, vice president and Northwestern Region general manager of All Nippon Airways, presented $1,000 from the 2007 ANA Corporate Ekiden Relay to Paul Osaki, executive director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, to support their youth programs on March 6.

The ANA Corporate Ekiden Relay took place at Lindley Meadows in

Golden Gate Park last November. Participants were treated to a BBQ chicken lunch, and great ANA air travel prizes were raffled off to qualified company running teams. The race began with the thunderous drumbeats of the youth students of Gen Taiko, JCCCNC’s resident taiko group, led by Melody Takata. Part of ANA’s donation will go directly to Gen Taiko to help support their efforts in teaching and sharing the art of taiko with the youth in our community.

. . . . . . . . . .
Youth Speaks at the S.F. Opera House

SAN FRANCISCO — The S.F. Opera House was packed last Saturday for the grand finals of the Youth Speaks Teen Poetry

Jam.

Teen poets competed for a chance to be a part of the team representing the

S.F. Bay Area at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in

Washington, D.C.

Jacqulyn Whang, an 18-year-old from Orange County with Korean roots, placed second and is on her way to “rep the Bay” in D.C. Whang said: “I just got love for my people — all of us with slanted eyes, from Filipinos to Cambodians to Indians to Chinese to my Koreans, both North and South side. … My poetry enables me to use the mic to vocalize, or even more so, rewrite our history books.”

NATION:

Hawai‘i Superdelegates Split on Role

HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said he would counsel Hawai‘i’s undecided superdelegates to trust their own initiative and experience when choosing which Democratic presidential candidate to support. U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai‘i, a superdelegate who has endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, said superdelegates are free to choose, but he does not see how they could put aside Obama’s overwhelming victory in the February caucuses.

Inouye and Abercrombie reflect the split within the Democratic Party over what criteria superdelegates should use if they are ultimately called on to resolve a deadlocked nomination campaign.

Obama won 14 of Hawai‘i’s 29 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August through the caucuses, while

Clinton took six.

Obama leads

Clinton among delegates whose convention votes were determined by primaries or caucuses at 1,404 to 1,249. Superdelegates could decide the outcome.

—

Honolulu Advertiser

COMMERCE:

Charlie Woo, Ted Lieu Receive

S. California Lawyers Awards

PASADENA, Calif. — The Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association will honor Charlie Woo, board chair and a founder of Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment, with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its 33rd annual Installation and Awards Dinner.

Woo was selected for the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award — an award of distinction given to some of California’s top leaders who have dedicated their lives for the betterment of the Asian Pacific American community — because of his concurrent leadership and founding of CAUSE in 1993.

Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, will receive the Delbert Wong Distinguished Service Award in recognition for his continued support and representation of the Asian and Pacific Islander American community in the state Legislature.

ARTS:

Norm Macdonald Apologizes for Racial Slur

LOS ANGELES — Three weeks after former Saturday Night Live cast member Norm MacDonald used the offensive racial slur “gooks” on an appearance on the syndicated radio program The Adam Carolla Show, he apologized to Media Action Network for Asian Americans, an organization solely dedicated to monitoring the media and its depiction of Asian Americans.

On March 5, MacDonald, Carolla and co-host Teresa Strasser were analyzing the lyrics of the 1969 Kenny Rogers and the First Edition hit “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” MacDonald commented by saying, “He’s killed strange gooks.”

Macdonald explained himself by saying, “I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I will be more vigilant in the future to avoid this. I hope you keep up your good work and accept my humblest apology.”

GLOBAL:

Pacquiao Hits ‘Crab Mentality’

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao could not hide his dismay during a news conference when he was asked about doubts on his latest ring victory.

Some boxing analysts have called Pacquiao’s victory a sham, claiming that he lost to the Mexican boxer on their scorecards and did not deserve the World Boxing Council super featherweight crown.

“That’s what hurts,” Pacquiao said in Filipino, describing the carping as “crab mentality.”

“It’s our fellow Filipinos who doubt my win, and someone is even calling for an investigation. What kind of investigation is that, by the Senate or Congress?” he asked.

First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was at the Palace to congratulate Pacquiao: “It’s a good thing what he’s doing for the country. He’s a uniting factor for the country.”

Pacquiao said he would be ready to meet Marquez a third time. “It’s my job to look for fights inside the ring. It depends if the price is right,” he said.

— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Compiled by Irene Aranya and Bradford Low