» Obama Campaign Announces Asian American Finance Committee
» Pinay Boxers Fight at Planet Hollywood in Vegas
» Jest Jammin’ Celebrating 40th Anniversary
» Lakers Renew Sponsorship With East West Bank for Season of Giving and Go Green Programs
» Kung Fu Panda Kicks Up Controversy in China
» Anime Expo 2008 Announced the 2008 SPJA Award Winners
» Prestigious Asian International Schools Use Interactive Language Tools
» Project Seeks to Lure Vietnamese Scientists Back Home
» Japanese Man, 45, Died of Overwork
Compiled by Ivan Natividad and Michelle-Linh Thuy Nguyen
| AsianWeek Market Report | ||||
| Asian Stock Indexes | ||||
| NIKKEL_225 | Tokyo | 13,067.21 | 15.08 | 0.12% |
| HANG SENG | Hong Kong | 21,821.78 | 15.97 | 0.07% |
| KRX | Busan | 3,185.70 | 21.59 | 0.68% |
| SSE IX | Shanghai | 9,429.50 | -395.77 | -4.03% |
| BSE | Bombay | 13,926.24 | -38.02 | -0.27% |
| HOSE | Ho Chi Minh | 446.60 | 7.05 | 1.60% |
| SET | Bangkok | 721.86 | 0.73 | 0.10% |
| Asian American Market Report | ||||
| Yahoo! | YHOO | 23.41 | -0.40 | (-1.68%) |
| Citigroup | C | 16.37 | -0.06 | (-0.30%) |
| Amkor Technology, Inc | AMKR | 9.41 | 0.45 | (5.02%) |
| Sybase | SY | 29.79 | 0.07 | (0.24%) |
| UnionBancal Corp | UB | 40.22 | 0.62 | (1.57%) |
| East West Bank corp,Inc | EWBC | 8.00 | 0.00 | (0.00%) |
NATION
Obama Campaign Announces Asian American Finance Committee
CHICAGO - The Obama campaign recently announced the launch of the Asian American Finance Committee. The committee is comprised of diverse American communities of supporters, including those from Asian American, South Asian American, and Pacific Islander background, who will raise funds to elect Senator Barack Obama as President and to strengthen and expand the Democratic Party.
“We look forward to doing everything we can to elect Senator Obama in November,” National Co-Chair Vinod Khosla said. “Senator Obama has consistently shown that he is the right choice not just for Asian Americans but for all Americans.”
The leadership of the Asian American Finance Committee includes national co-chairs: Sohaib Abbasi (Silicon Valley, CA); Nasser Ahmad and Romita Shetty (New York, NY); Cyrus Amir-Mokri (New York); Swadesh Chatterjee (Cary, NC); Vinod Khosla (Silicon Valley, CA); Bel Leong-Hong (Gaithersburg, MD); Scott Oki (Seattle, WA); Mahinder Tak (Bethesda, MD); and Stan Toy (Los Angeles, CA).
Grassroots Co-Chairs include Curtis Chin (Los Angeles); Hrishi Karthikeyan (New York); Dave Kumar (Washington, D.C.); and Reshma Saujani (New York).
Preeta Bansal (New York) will serve as national Co-Chair and Senior Policy Advisor.
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Pinay Boxers Fight at Planet Hollywood in Vegas
Two Filipino boxers fought in the under card feature at the Planet Hollywood resort and Casino in Las Vegas on July 5.
After her knock out victory over Rita Valentini of Canada, Ana Julaton went back into the ring to fight 18-year-old Johanna Mendez of Houston, Texas.
“Everyone keeps asking me about the pressure. I have Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddy Roach coming in here and he is with me in every fight. Everyone is always billing it as if I was the female Manny Pacquiao,” said Julaton.
The two undefeated female fighters fought six rounds in the Super Bantamweight Women’s Division.
Julaton relied on body shots, right punches and a skillful defense, but in the second round she suffered a head butt.
Despite the bleeding on her right eye, Julaton was determined to finish the six-round fight.
But Mendez found several openings for her uppercuts.
The fight ended in a draw with a split decision from the three judges.
BAY
Jest Jammin’ Celebrating 40th Anniversary
OAKLAND, Calif. - Jest Jammin‘, also known as the San Francisco “Chinatown Soul Band,” is celebrating 40 years of playing together on July 12 at the Just Dance Ballroom in Oakland from 8 p.m. to midnight. Advance tickets are $20, and light refreshments will be served.
“Our band has stuck together for 40 years mostly because of friendship and always serving the community & our friends. I believe we are one of the oldest Asian American bands in the country, and our roots began right here in SF Chinatown,” said Norman Fong, a leading member of the band.
In 1968 Norman Fong, Brad Lum and Ed Toy got together with a couple of other friends and formed a band that was nameless until 1971. At this time, they added more members and officially named themselves Jest Jammin’. They are the last of the “local Chinatown bands” from the 60s and 70s and are still enjoying popularity from an enthusiastic public.
For tickets, nfong99@yahoo.com.
COMMERCE
Lakers Renew Sponsorship With East West Bank for Season of Giving and Go Green Programs
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The Los Angeles Lakers announced on July 2 that East West Bank will renew their sponsorship for the 2008-09 season. East West Bank will expand their involvement to incorporate the Lakers community and environmental initiatives.
“East West Bank is very pleased to continue our Marketing Partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers. With the same commitment as last season, our community initiative continues to be the centerpiece of our group effort,” said Emily Wang, senior vice president and director of marketing of East West Bank.
East West Bank will continue to participate in the Lakers “A Season of Giving Program” as the presenting sponsor. Since 2000, it has been a Lakers tradition to celebrate the holidays with this annual campaign, providing thousands of children and families in the Los Angeles area with a happy holiday season. Last year’s campaign included a Thanksgiving celebration, fishing trip, holiday party and Christmas day game and lunch.
ARTS
Kung Fu Panda Kicks Up Controversy in China
SAN FRANCISCO - DreamWorks Animation’s cartoon comedy Kung Fu Panda made its premiere in China on June 20th, and its first day box office exceeded 10 million Yuan. Along with breaking ticket records in China the movie has drawn protests calling for a ban of its release, making Kung Fu Panda a source of controversy.
Artist Zhao Bandi was at the forefront of the movement against the release of the movie. He and other two men protested outside the offices of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television in Beijing last month firstly. In a blog, he mentions the reasons for the protest, ” the movie is making money by taking advantage of Kung Fu and the panda - both are Chinese national treasures and Chinese see it as a distortion of their culture.”
The protest was widely reported by the media in China.
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Anime Expo 2008 Announced the 2008 SPJA Award Winners
LOS ANGELES - On July 3, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Chief Executive Officer Trulee Karahashi announced the winners of the fan-voted SPJA Awards for 2008 at the Wachovia VIP Lounge at the Nokia Theatre live.
L.A. Anime Expo 2008 was held from July 3-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Winners of the 2008 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Awards are:
Best Voice Actor (Japanese)
Tomokazu Sugita - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Kyon
Best Voice Actor (English)
Alessandro Juliani - DEATHNOTE - L
Best Voice Actress (Japanese)
Aya Hirano - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Haruhi Suzumiya
Best Voice Actress (English)
Laura Bailey - Shin-chan - Shin-chan
Best Casting Director
Kaeko Sakamoto - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Best Character Design
Shoko Ikeda - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Best Mechanical Design
Eureka 7 - (Staff includes Shoji Kawamori)
Best Male Character
Ichigo Kurosaki - Bleach
Best Female Character
Haruhi Suzumiya - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Best Mascot Character
Mokona - Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Best Background Design
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Sunrise
Best Original Video
Hellsing Ultimate - Geneon Entertainment
Best Feature Film
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Bandai Entertainment
Best Television Series
DEATHNOTE - Viz Media
Best Original Score
Naruto - Toshio Masuda & Musashi Project - Aniplex
Best Original Song
“Hare Hare Yukai” (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) - Aya Hirano, Minori
Chihara, and Yuko Goto - Lantis
Best Director
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - Naruto
Best Manga - Action
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles - CLAMP - Del Rey Manga
Best Manga - Comedy
Negima! - Ken Akamatsu - Del Rey Manga
Best Manga - Drama
Eureka Seven - Jinsei Kataoka / Kazuma Kondou - Bandai Entertainment
Best Publication
Newtype - Kadokawa Shoten
For more information, anime-expo.org.
GLOBAL
Prestigious Asian International Schools Use Interactive Language Tools
SAN FRANCISCO - Over 500 international students in Shanghai and Singapore will now learn Mandarin Chinese using interactive multimedia tools pioneered by ActiveChinese, Inc., the San Francisco and Shanghai-based developer of innovative Mandarin language programs.
The four schools are the Shanghai American School, Dulwich College Shanghai, Concordia International School Shanghai and the United World College of Southeast Asia in Singapore.
ActiveChinese’s Kid’s and School Editions will be used in the classroom as a way to diversify the traditional curriculum and to provide online access to material from the student’s home. Larry Chen, CEO of ActiveChinese, is “especially proud that our products were chosen by these prestigious schools to help teach Chinese in countries where Mandarin Chinese is the native language. This is great recognition of our product quality and versatility.”
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Project Seeks to Lure Vietnamese Scientists Back Home
A project to attract overseas Vietnamese scientists to participate in research and technology transfer in educational establishments in Vietnam is being planned.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and will draw participants from many sectors. About 300,000 of the Vietnamese estimated to live and work abroad are university or post-university graduates and account for 10 to 15 percent of the total number of Vietnamese expatriates.
Dr. Hoang Ngoc Ha, director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, vowed to create favorable working and living conditions for overseas Vietnamese scientists should they return to their native country to work. The Ministry has been appointed as a focal point in the recruitment process and will aid applicants in completing all formalities that will enable their return to and work in the country.
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Japanese Man, 45, Died of Overwork
TOKYO - A Japanese labor bureau has ruled that one of Toyota’s top car engineers died from working too many hours.
The man who died was aged 45 and had been under severe pressure as the lead engineer in developing a hybrid version of Toyota’s blockbuster Camry line. The man’s identity is being withheld at the request of his family, who continue to live in Toyota City where the company is based.
In the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month. He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The man’s daughter found his body at their home.
The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from work insurance.
- Associated Press