Daily Dose: 10/10/08
October 10, 2008
» AsianWeek Market Report
» Obama Releases Comprehensive Plan for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders
» Survey Shows Asian Americans Could Play Key Role in Election
» Plans for Vietnamese American Community Center Move Forward
» Santa Clara County TB Rates High in Asian American Communities
» Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and ‘King of Comedy,’ Is Dead
» Korean Actress Song Hye-kyo Unveils U.S. Indie Film
» Japan Tries to Discourage Amateurs From Playing in MLB With Ban
» DICE-K Gets the Nod for Game 1
» Climber Trying to Break Record
Compiled by Carlos Militante and Justine Rivero
AsianWeek Market Report
| AsianWeek Market Report | ||||
| Asian Stock Indexes | ||||
| NIKKEI 225 | Tokyo | 8,276.43 | -881.06 | -9.62% |
| HANG SENG | Hong Kong | 14,796.87 | -1,146.37 | -7.19% |
| KRX | Busan | 2,623.50 | -106.82 | -3.91% |
| SSE IX | Shanghai | 6,385.35 | -372.86 | -5.52% |
| BSE | Bombay | 10,527.85 | -800.51 | -7.07% |
| HOSE | Ho Chi Minh | 379.06 | -18.62 | -4.68% |
| SET | Bangkok | 331.16 | -36.98 | -10.62% |
| Asian American Market Report | ||||
| Yahoo! | YHOO | 12.21 | -0.44 | (-3.48%) |
| Citigroup | C | 13.78 | 0.85 | (6.57%) |
| Amkor Technology, Inc | AMKR | 3.98 | -0.48 | (-10.76%) |
| Sybase | SY | 24.15 | -1.65 | (-6.40%) |
| UnionBancal Corp | UB | 73.38 | -0.01 | -(0.01%) |
| East West Bank corp,Inc | EWBC | 12.04 | 0.04 | (0.33%) |
NATION
Obama Releases Comprehensive Plan for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders
CHICAGO — Senator Barack Obama released his “Blueprint for the Change We Need for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders.” The document identifies the issues affecting the AAPI community and describes Senator Obama’s plans to address the issues and his record on addressing those issues.
The Blueprint is the most comprehensive planning document for the AAPI community from a presidential campaign. It addresses a wide range of issues, including economic opportunity, education, immigration, health care, home ownership, seniors, women, civil rights, foreign policy, veterans and faith.
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Survey Shows Asian Americans Could Play Key Role in Election
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Among Asian American voters, many are supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama, but another sizable portion remains undecided—a development that could set the stage for Asian Americans to play a pivotal role in the outcome of the election, according to a new national survey released today.
Researchers point out that a key finding of the study is the high proportion of undecided Asian American likely voters: 34 percent. The researchers’ 2008 National Asian American Survey (NAAS) shows that 41 percent of Asian Americans are likely to favor Obama, while 24 percent support John McCain. In battleground states, where either candidate could win on Election Day, Obama leads with 43 percent of Asian Americans supporting him and 22 percent favoring McCain.
The multi-ethnic, multi-lingual survey of more than 4,000 Asian Americans likely to vote in the election is the most comprehensive survey to date of the political views of Asian Americans, with interviews conducted in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
BAY/CALIFORNIA
Plans for Vietnamese American Community Center Move Forward
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose is moving forward with a plan to create a $2.7 million Vietnamese American community center to honor the contributions and heritage of the city’s largest émigré population.
The plan calls for a center to open inside the George Shirakawa Center on Lucretia Avenue. Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, who has been working on the project for more than two years, is leading the charge to build the center. The center would serve one of San Jose’s largest and most politically active groups. One in 10 of the city’s nearly 1 million residents is Vietnamese.
She is hopeful that the center will have three main components: a reading room with Vietnamese newspapers and publications; a nutrition area where seniors would be served healthy Vietnamese cuisine; and an after-school program. The company plans to hold at least three major meetings over the next several months and then return with final recommendations for the center in June.
— San Jose Mercury News
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Santa Clara County TB Rates High in Asian American Communities
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dr. Julie Higashi, the deputy health officer and TB controller for the Santa Clara County Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Program, said the rise of TB cases is of particular concern in residents from Asian countries such as Vietnam, India, the Philippines and China.
County residents in these populations have TB case rates that are nearly 10 times the national average. “It is critically important for people in these higher risk groups to be screened for TB,” said Dr. Julie Higashi.
In 2007, Santa Clara County experienced a 5.7 percecnt increase in active TB cases.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department has a TB Prevention and Control Program—a special division dedicated to preventing the development and spread of TB in county residents. The program is focusing outreach efforts in populations most affected in the county to provide treatment and testing. Raising awareness and educating residents about tuberculosis is a critical component of the program’s efforts.
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
Kim Chan, Who Had Roles in TV and ‘King of Comedy,’ Is Dead
Kim Chan, an actor who became a familiar face in a variety of Asian roles, died on Sunday in Brooklyn. His niece Judy Gee, who confirmed his death, said that he was probably 93 or 94.
One of his most notable roles is his part as Jerry Lewis’ butler in the Martin Scorsese film The King of Comedy, a character who had furious battle with an obsessed fan played by Robert De Niro,
Chan, who immigrated to the United States from the province of Canton, China, discovered show business while working in his family’s restaurant in the theater district of Manhattan. Playing bit parts as a houseboy or a Japanese soldier, Chan worked his way to bigger parts in films like Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, The Owl and the Pussycat, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Cadillac Man, the Thai fast-food vendor Mr. Kim in The Fifth Element, Uncle Benny Chan in Lethal Weapon 4 and Jackie Chan’s father in Shanghai Knights.
He was a producer of one of his final films, Zen Noir (2004). His survivors include a son, Michael Chandler, of Queens.
— The New York Times
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Korean Actress Song Hye-kyo Unveils U.S. Indie Film
Hallyu star Song Hye-kyo unveiled her new movie Make Yourself at Home,’ at the 13th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival over the weekend. Song, one of the best-known Korean actresses in Asia, surprised many when she chose to work on an independent film by first-time Korean American director, Sohn Soo-pum.
In this joint U.S.-Korea production, Song’s character in the film is something of a femme fatale, a role that is new to the actress who has played mostly sweet, innocent characters in popular Korean dramas like Full House and All In.
Song’s dialogue in the film is about 80 percent in English. Song admitted she hopes to make it in Hollywood, following in the steps of other Korean stars like Kim Yun-jin and Rain.
— The Korea Times
SPORTS
Japan Tries to Discourage Amateurs From Playing in MLB With Ban
TOKYO — Japan’s professional baseball teams have agreed to introduce a ban on players who return to Japan after opting out of the amateur draft in order to play for overseas pro teams.
The move comes after highly regarded amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa announced plans last month to negotiate with major league teams rather than make himself eligible for the Oct. 30 draft.
Executives of Japan’s 12 professional teams decided to ban players who had graduated from high school from entering professional Japanese teams for three years after returning to Japan from overseas stints and introduce a two-year ban for such players from university or company teams.
Through the move, Japanese baseball officials hope to discourage top amateur prospects from bypassing Japan’s pro leagues to play in the major leagues.
Players from Japan’s professional leagues must wait nine seasons before becoming free agents. Kazuhito Tadano and Mac Suzuki are the only Japanese players to have played in the majors without playing in Japanese pro baseball first.
Under the new rule, he would have to wait two years before signing with a Japanese professional team.
— ESPN
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DICE-K Gets the Nod for Game 1
ST PETERSBURG, Florida — Daisuke Matsuzaka will start for the Boston Red Sox when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays, who will counter with James Shields in Game One of the American League Championship Series on Friday, the teams said. Matsuzaka was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA during the regular season but was roughed up when he started Game Two of the A.L. Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels.
— The Washington Post
GLOBAL
Climber Trying to Break Record
Professional free climber Yuji Hirayama will be attempting to break the speed world record for free climbing The Nose (1,100 meters) of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, according to Japan Sports Marketing.
Hirayama suffered a mild injury to his heel while training in Yosemite early last week but has recovered and has resumed his training. His first climb was scheduled to take place on Oct. 8 and his second climb on Oct. 12.
He will attempt his climb with a trusted climbing partner, Hans Florine. Of the numerous routes that El Capitan offers, the two will be attempting a route called The Nose. The current record for this route is 2 hours, 43 minutes, 33 seconds, set last July by Hirayama and Florine. They hope to break the 2-hour, 15-minute barrier.
He cemented his status as the best climber in the world in 1998 and 2000 by winning the World Cup.
Hirayama succeeded in climbing the Quantum Mechanics Route of Washington Column in Yosemite National Park in 2002 and climbed Pata Negra in Rodeller, Spain, in 2007.
— Hokubei Mainichi
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