Daily Dose: 9/5/08
September 5, 2008
» D.C. statue of King Kamehameha moved
» Wounded Iraq vet Duckworth rips Bush, McCain
» Some garment factories scheme to evade monitors
» PA exec pleads guilty to minority contracting fraud
» Hawaiian convention delayed
» Report: Myanmar refugees waiting months for aid
» Nevada student wins Hong Kong male beauty contest
» Asian Americans For Obama: Web Site New Design
» Chinese Teachers on the Job in West Va.
» JCCCNC Honors Executive Director Paul Osaki
» PG&E Celebrates Moon Festivals With Asian Communities
» Fil-Am Bay Area Indie Band Heads South to Rock Out
» Cambodian Rock Band Plays West Coast Tour
» LPGA Backs Down on English Requirement
» Study: NFL has slightly more Asian, Latino players
» Olympic gold medalist Kai returns to islands
» U.N. Agency Increases Aid to Southern Philippine
» Thai Prime Minister Refuses to Stand Down
Compiled by Carlos Militante, Justine Rivero, and Sye-Ok Sato
AsianWeek Market Report
| AsianWeek Market Report | ||||
| Asian Stock Indexes | ||||
| NIKKEI 225 | Tokyo | 12,212.23 | -345.43 | -2.75% |
| HANG SENG | Hong Kong | 19,993.28 | -456.20 | -2.24% |
| KRX | Busan | 2,923.03 | -47.49 | -1.60% |
| SSE IX | Shanghai | 7,264.20 | -209.40 | -2.80% |
| BSE | Bombay | 14,483.83 | -415.27 | -2.79% |
| HOSE | Ho Chi Minh | 546.66 | -11.90 | -2.13% |
| SET | Bangkok | 453.18 | -9.05 | -1.38% |
| Asian American Market Report | ||||
| Yahoo! | YHOO | 18.13 | 0.38 | (2.25%) |
| Citigroup | C | 18.77 | 0.47 | (2.57%) |
| Amkor Technology, Inc | AMKR | 7.18 | 0.09 | (1.27%) |
| Sybase | SY | 32.88 | -0.18 | (-0.54%) |
| UnionBancal Corp | UB | 73.19 | 0.08 | (0.11%) |
| East West Bank corp,Inc | EWBC | 13.40 | 0.42 | (3.24%) |
NATION
D.C. statue of King Kamehameha moved
HONOLULU — Since the end of August, the King Kamehameha statue in Washington has a new home at the U.S. Capitol.
The statue was moved from Statuary Hall to Emancipation Hall in the Capitol’s new visitor center, which opens Dec. 2., U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, said in a news release issued by his Washington office.
Abercrombie signed a letter in 2003 asking the Architect of the Capitol to move the statue out of a dark, back row of Statuary Hall and into a more visible location.
The letter stemmed from a videotaped comment by a Capitol tour guide who said the statue was placed in a back corner of Statuary Hall because Congress was upset that Kamehameha "wasn’t that decently dressed."
The Architect of the Capitol had explained that the six-ton statue, one of the heaviest in the Capitol’s collection, had to be placed on a spot in Statuary Hall where the building’s structure could support it.
— Associated Press
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Wounded Iraq vet Duckworth rips Bush, McCain
DENVER — Tammy Duckworth , an Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq, told the Democratic convention last week that Republican John McCain has unfailingly backed a Bush administration that "let our warriors down."
"Our troops are courageous, strong, fierce. This administration has redeployed them until they are overstretched, stressed and strained," said Duckworth, now director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
She berated McCain for backing President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, calling it a diversion from the true battle — fighting in Afghanistan to destroy al Qaeda. And Bush has failed to give adequate care to the soldiers injured in that war, she charged.
"Too often they get bureaucracy, not benefits. They find inadequate access, inferior facilities and infuriating paperwork," Duckworth said.
She accused McCain, a Navy veteran who spent more than five years as a prisoner in Vietnam, of backing a plan that would worsen the problem.
— Associated Press
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Some garment factories scheme to evade monitors
NEW YORK — Like other garment factories in New York, Jin Shun Inc. was a small enterprise on the city’s margins, staffed by Chinese-speaking immigrants and tucked away in an industrial corner that few outsiders see.
There were still plenty of eyes on the factory: government regulators and monitors hired by big-name retailers to look for labor violations. Yet state labor officials who raided the shop in July said all those people who had been watching missed something — that its owners had shortchanged workers of $3 million in wages since 2005.
Monitoring programs created in the 1990s to counteract the public’s outrage over sweatshops led to a new breed of scofflaws — schemers who learned to deceive their monitors in a more sophisticated fashion.
"We’ve heard about folks floating around China, giving courses on how to beat the inspection programs," said Judy Gearhart, program director for Social Accountability International, a group that certifies monitoring groups worldwide.
— Associated Press
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PA exec pleads guilty to minority contracting fraud
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A third man pleaded guilty for his role in defrauding a federal program designed to increase minority and small business participation in government contracts.
Romeo P. Cruz , 59, pleaded guilty in late August to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and Pennsylvania governments and contractors.
Cruz, a naturalized American citizen of Filipino descent, is president and owner of Marikina Construction Corp. and a related business, both run out of the basement of his home in West Haven, Conn. He admitted that Marikina actually was a front company for a Pennsylvania firm, Schuylkill Products Inc., and its subsidiary CDS Engineers Inc. Cruz admitted his company existed solely to qualify the two other firms for contracts meant for small and disadvantaged businesses, prosecutors said.
From 1994 through 2007, Cruz’s company obtained over $121 million in enterprise contracts for disadvantaged businesses. It passed all the work on to the Pennsylvania companies, and in return was paid a fixed fee, prosecutors said.
— Associated Press
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Hawaiian convention delayed
HONOLULU — A proposed Native Hawaiian constitutional convention won’t take place in September as some had envisioned.
Hawaiian rights activist Dennis Puuhonua "Bumpy" Kanahele says he’s still gathering support from Native Hawaiians for the effort, which would attempt to unify the fractured Hawaiian independence movement.
Kanahele says he wants a minimum of 50,000 signatures supporting a constitutional convention before he moves forward.
Former partners of Kanehele had said they wanted the convention to be held Sept. 2-3, but no one committed to those dates.
A Native Hawaiian constitutional convention would be separate from a question on November’s ballot asking voters whether they want a convention to amend the state Constitution.
— Associated Press
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Report: Myanmar refugees waiting months for aid
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Myanmar refugees resettling in Fort Wayne are waiting months to receive Medicaid, food stamps and other welfare benefits that used to take an average of just two weeks.
Some advocates and agency officials blamed the delays on changes to the state’s welfare eligibility system that arrived in the Fort Wayne area in mid-May, The News-Sentinel said.
The delays have prompted Mayor Tom Henry to question whether Fort Wayne can continue to resettle large numbers of refugees from overseas, his spokeswoman said.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend now is trying to line up emergency cash assistance for some of the hundreds of Myanmar refugees arriving in the city, said the agency’s executive director, Debbie Schmidt.
A Family and Social Services Administration secretary said the real reason for the delay in benefits was the sudden, large influx of refugees, many of whom do not speak English, rather than the welfare changes.
— Associated Press
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Nevada student wins Hong Kong male beauty contest
ELKO, Nevada — A U.S. college student was crowned Mr. Hong Kong but is choosing education over fame.
Michael Tsu , a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, was crowned Mr. Hong Kong 2008 last month.
"It was an amazing time," said Tsu, 23, who was elected in front of a television studio packed with 700 screaming women and broadcast to millions.
The contest, organized by Hong Kong television station TVB, interviewed as many as 300 applicants in Los Angeles before narrowing the field down to 12 — including Tsu.
After winning the competition, Tsu said he made the difficult decision to turn down a contract with the television station, a cruise, monetary commissions and other perks to return to college and finish his degree.
— Associated Press
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Asian Americans For Obama: Web Site New Design
As part of its major 60-day grassroots campaign before November 4, Asian Americans for Obama is launching a new design for its web site. The new features include social networking tools such as Digg, Facebook, del.icio.us and StumbleUpon; an updated color scheme and appearance, including the incorporation of the official Obama campaign logo; a page of endorsements from prominent AAPI political and community leaders.
Since December 2006, Asian Americans for Obama has mobilized AAPI grassroots efforts by providing comprehensive organizing resources, news, information and media of relevance to AAPIs and the Obama campaign. Asian Americans have rallied both online and in person, traveling from all over the nation to battleground states such as Iowa, Nevada and Texas, with Asian Americans for Obama playing an unprecedented role in this year’s convention, a reflection of Senator Barack Obama’s innovative, bottom-up campaign philosophy. By moving from Type pad to a self-hosted version of Word press, Asian Americans for Obama is taking advantage of the most advanced blogging platform on the planet.
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Chinese Teachers on the Job in West Va.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Chinese guest teachers are instructing students at Winfield Middle School and Winfield and South Charleston high schools this year. Putnam County will host Guanya Chen , 47, of Zhengzhou, China, and Kanawha County will host Tan Ying Hua, 40, of Shandong, China. This exchange is meant to further interest in Chinese language and culture.
Chen normally teaches English and comparative literature to Chinese students at Zhengzhou University. She said the exchange benefits her because she gets to immerse herself in American culture and English. It also benefits Putnam County students because this is the first time many have had the opportunity to learn the Mandarin language. Penny Fisher, Putnam County’s director of secondary education, said the program gives students an opportunity to pick up a credit in a language that the county is not able to provide. French and Spanish classes are the only two languages that the county can routinely provide—and not every school in the county has French programs.
— Charleston Daily Mail
BAY/CALIFORNIA
JCCCNC Honors Executive Director Paul Osaki
SAN FRANCISCO — On September 13, in celebration of its 35th Anniversary, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) presents “Salute to a Vision” in recognition of Executive Director Paul Osaki ’s 30 years of service to the community, including 20 years of vision and leadership at the JCCCNC.
Since 1978, Mr. Osaki has worked and volunteered with community-based non-profit organizations, beginning with the Japanese Community Youth Council, and later the Buchanan YMCA, Pine United Methodist Church, the Korean Community Center, Asian American Recovery Services (AARS) and the Northern California Japanese Christian Churches Federation (Domei).
Recognizing his dedication to the Center and accomplishments in such a short period of time, the Board of Directors hired Mr. Osaki as executive director in 1990. He was immediately handed his first big challenge: the construction of the Nisei Community Hall/Gymnasium in April 1991, followed shortly thereafter by the need to raise millions of dollars to retire the building mortgage in 1996.
— JCCCNC.org
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PG&E CELEBRATES MOON FESTIVALS WITH ASIAN COMMUNITIES
SAN FRANCISCO — To recognize the cultures of the diverse communities it serves, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is participating in two San Francisco events: the Chinatown Moon Festival (September 6—7) and the Sunset Moon Festival (September 13).
PG&E will participate by showing customers simple steps to fight global warming, such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), stopping standby power, investing in solar power and joining PG&E’s ClimateSmart™ program.
Members of PG&E’s Asian Employees Association at the event booths will share information about energy conservation, discuss ways to lower gas and electricity bills and distribute rebate forms for home appliances.
PG&E has served California’s Asian communities for more than 100 years. The Asian communities have in turn played a major role in determining how the company delivers services to its customers. PG&E recognized the importance of in-language services a century ago when it opened its first payment office in San Francisco Chinatown in 1905.
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
Fil-Am Bay Area Indie Band Heads South to Rock Out
SAN FRANCISCO—The Autonomous Region , a Bay Area Filipino American band of urban roots, will be featured in the San Diego Asian Film Festival in October for their award-winning video “I-Hotel.”
The San Francisco-based indie rock band fuses original music and the dynamic Bay Area experience through a blend of metal, hip hop, punk, funk, R&B and jazz. Recognized internationally as the “2008 Best Music Video Winners” of the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival , the video wraps history and culture into a visual saga of when the Filipino and Asian Ameican community tried to prevent the demolition of the International Hotel in San Francisco in 1968-77.
Already a musical force in the Northern California music scene, the screening in San Diego hopes to impart a distinct Asian American experience to a broader audience to generate understanding and awareness through art.
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Cambodian Rock Band Plays West Coast Tour
Cambodian rock band Dengue Fever announced a series of West Coast tour dates this October that will include a stop in San Francisco’s Bimbo 365 Club on Oct 17.
Dengue Fever is based in Los Angeles, Calif., and have been featured in a number of film and television shows. Their upcoming West Coast tour to promote their latest release, Venus on Earth, is part of the band’s immense performance schedule that includes European music festivals and tour dates in Britain, Ireland and Turkey.
Dengue Fever will also release a limited edition colored vinyl edition of their sophomore record, Escape From Dragon House.
SPORTS
LPGA Backs Down on English Requirement
Under increasing criticism, the LPGA Tour on Friday backed off a proposed policy that would have suspended players who could not proficiently speak English.
LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said she would announce a revised plan by the end of the year, although it would not include penalties.
Bivens disclosed the tour’s original plan in a meeting with South Korean players at the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., two weeks ago, which was reported by Golfweek magazine. The policy, which had not been completed, was widely criticized as discriminatory, particularly against Asian players, who won three majors this year.
Bivens said the tour will continue to help international players through a cultural program that has been in place for three years and offers tutors and translators.
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Study: NFL has slightly more Asian, Latino players
MIAMI — The NFL has kept a steady number of black head coaches, while slightly increasing the ranks of Asian and Latino players, earning a B+ in an annual diversity study released last month.
However, the league didn’t get a grade for gender diversity for the fourth year in a row. The NFL is the only U.S. pro sports organization that refuses to share its league office data with University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports, which also conducts annual studies on the NBA, Major League Baseball, WNBA, and Major League Soccer.
The last time the NFL shared its data, for the 2004 study, it received a D+ for gender hiring practices.
However, the report’s author gives the NFL credit for its own improvement initiatives, like the Rooney Rule. The change, approved in 2002, requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for each head coaching vacancy.
— Associated Press
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Olympic gold medalist Kai returns to islands
HONOLULU — Natasha Kai , the U.S. Olympic soccer gold medalist from Kahuku, has returned home to the islands.
The former University of Hawaii star entered the baggage claim area at Honolulu International Airport dressed in her navy-colored U.S. soccer uniform.
She wore her gold medal, or she described it, "my bling," around her neck.
Kai says she’s looking forward to a two-week break with family and friends.
She plans to load up on local food and work on her tan at the beach. She’s then due to join her teammates for a victory tour of 10 U.S. cities starting Sept. 13.
The team won gold with an overtime victory over heavily favored Brazil.
It was Kai’s goal in overtime against Canada in group play that got the U.S. into the medal round.
— Associated Press
GLOBAL
U.N. Agency Increases Aid to Southern Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — A U.N. official stated recently that his agency increased food supplies to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by fighting between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines.
The government disaster agency reported Friday that more than 500,000 people have been displaced or have lost their homes and livelihoods since violence erupted last month following the aborted signing of a preliminary accord between the government and the rebels on a Muslim homeland. Rice supplies for the refugees have been increased from 1,200 to 1,700 tons, enough for 410,000 people for one month, said Stephen Anderson, country director for the World Food Program in the Philippines.
The gunbattles have largely subsided since the start early September of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the military is using the lull in the fighting to deploy more troops and supplies to the south.
— AP
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Thai Prime Minister Refuses to Stand Down
Thailand’s prime minister refused to resign or bow to the demands of street protesters who, for the past months, have been running a campaign to force his government out of office.
Samak Sundaravej, in a radio address to the nation, said he saw no reason to dissolve parliament or for his government to quit. Calling his opponents, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a “freak cult,” he said they were seeking anarchy, and he would remain to “protect democracy.”
Thousands of anti-government protesters have defied the emergency decree and remained at his office compound, after the army declined to use force to remove them. Samak’s announcement of his decision to remain in office indicates that the standoff with his opponents was unlikely to be resolved soon.
— Aljazeera.net
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Wounded Iraq vet Duckworth rips Bush, McCain
DENVER — Tammy Duckworth, an Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq, told the Democratic convention last week that Republican John McCain has unfailingly backed a Bush administration that “let our warriors down.”
was there an asian american angle like this? Sounds like Obama’s campaign speech. When there’s 4 times as many casualties in Iraq as Afghantistan, and Al Queda is somewhere is Pakistan, where is the “real” threat to security??? These democrats seem to forget who decided to drive Al Queda and their Taliban hosts out of town - GW Bush.
I found your story exceptionally stimulating - I’m really waiting to reading more of your stuff