» AsianWeek Market Report
» Obama naming Nobel Prize winner from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as energy secretary
» Mr. Cao goes to Washington
» Ad Calls Japanese Cars ‘Rice Ready, Not Road Ready.’
» Orange County’s Vietnamese American Political Scene Comes of Age
» APA Blogs: Creating Societal Change in the Blogsphere
» San Francisco Botanical Garden Society Announces the Annual Lunar New Year Flower Market
» Bad Start for Feng & Yu
» Phillies Close to Signing Chan Ho Park
» Bankers From China, Japan, South Korea Agree to Meet Annually
» AAJA: Diversity is Good Business
» Hong Kong Confirms Outbreak of H5N1 Bird Flu
Compiled by Ellis Song and Andrew Lee
AsianWeek Market Report
AsianWeek Market Report
| AsianWeek Market Report | ||||
| Asian Stock Indexes | ||||
| NIKKEI 225 | Tokyo | 8,720.55 | 60.31 | 0.70% |
| HANG SENG | Hong Kong | 15,613.90 | 36.16 | 0.23% |
| KRX | Busan | 2,469.50 | 16.59 | 0.68% |
| SSE IX | Shanghai | 6,364.03 | 247.36 | 4.04% |
| BSE | Bombay | 9,645.46 | -9.44 | -0.10% |
| HOSE | Ho Chi Minh | 288.93 | 2.08 | 0.73% |
| SET | Bangkok | 299.32 | 1.07 | 0.36% |
| Asian American Market Report | ||||
| Yahoo! | YHOO | 12.73 | -0.67 | (-5.00%) |
| Citigroup | C | 7.57 | -0.73 | (-8.80%) |
| Amkor Technology, Inc | AMKR | 2.25 | 0.01 | (0.45%) |
| Sybase | SY | 23.00 | -0.89 | (-3.73%) |
| East West Bank corp,Inc | EWBC | 14.78 | -1.11 | (-6.99%) |
NATION
Obama Naming Nobel Prize Winner as Energy Secretary
Steven Chu, one of the nation’s top physicists and director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is Barack Obama’s choice for energy secretary, a clear signal that science and not politics will guide the new administration in its effort to develop environmentally friendly energy sources.
The announcement will be made today in Chicago, according to several media reports.
The Nobel Prize-winning physicist and former chairman of Stanford University’s physics department is described as a hard-core scientist who understands the urgency of global warming. At Stanford and now as head of the Energy Department’s Berkeley research lab, Chu has been a major supporter of developing alternative fuels and renewable energy research, helping turn the lab into a world-recognized leader in the field of biofuels and solar energy.
Chu, the son of Chinese immigrants, becomes the second Asian American selected for an Obama Cabinet position. Earlier this week, Obama named Eric Shinseki, a Japanese American, as his secretary of veterans affairs.
— San Jose Mercury News
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Mr. Cao Goes to Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Anh “Joseph” Cao arrived in Washington on Wednesday to the praise of congressional Republicans and began his metamorphosis from unlikely hero to Congress’ most junior — and politically vulnerable — member.
Cao, who at 5 feet 2 inches might become the smallest man in the House, received a thunderous standing ovation at a meeting of the House Republican Conference, where he was introduced by Republican House Leader John Boehner of Ohio. Since Cao’s election Saturday, Boehner has proclaimed him the future of the party.
In their prayer, the Republican members of the House thanked God for Cao, and at a reception Wednesday evening at the Republican National Committee, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Jefferson) introduced Cao as the man who had “lifted the cloud hanging over the 2nd Congressional District.”
Cao, the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress, said he plans to accept an invitation from Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) to join the Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus that Honda leads. He said he also would like to join the Congressional Black Caucus, to which he has not been invited.
— The Times-Picayune
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Ad Calls Japanese Cars ‘Rice Ready, Not Road Ready’
JACL leaders are condemning a new South Carolina car radio advertisement that blasts consumers for driving Japanese cars of evoking racism and anti-Asian sentiments.
On Dec. 6 — a day before the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor — dealer O.C. Welch began airing ads that blame the nation’s sour economy on Congress and consumers who buy Japanese cars, which Welch calls “rice ready, not road ready.”
“All you people that buy all your Toyotas and send that money to Japan, you know, when you don’t have a job to make your Toyota car payment, don’t come crying to me,” Welch says in the ad.
JACL National Director Floyd Mori called Welch’s remarks a “blatant, ignorant, racist remark from somebody who should know better.”
Mori said the ad is reminiscent of anti-Asian sentiments often aimed at Japanese and Chinese immigrants to the United States from the 1930s through World War II.
But Welch, who owns a Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealership in Hardeeville, is not apologizing for his controversial remarks.
— AP
BAY/CALIFORNIA
Orange County’s Vietnamese American Political Scene Comes of Age
There are now 10 Vietnamese Americans from Orange County who have been elected to school boards, city councils, the county Board of Supervisors and the state Assembly.
And this week, after the last of the absentee ballots had been counted, Westminster — a blue-collar town that recoiled when the first waves of refugees moved in 33 years ago — became the first city in the nation with a majority Vietnamese American city council.
The political muscle of Vietnamese Americans has been building for years. They vote with gusto, are increasingly running for office and, in a county with a reputation for political conservatism, have been faithfully Republican.
Today, Vietnamese are the largest Asian ethnic group in Orange County, with about 150,000 residents. The county’s Asian American population has grown by more than two-thirds in the last few years, while whites, who once made up nearly 80 percent of the population, are now barely half.
— Los Angeles Times
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
San Francisco Botanical Garden Society Annual Lunar New Year Flower Market
EVENT: Lunar New Year Flower Market
DESCRIPTION: Community event celebrating the Lunar New Year with hands-on craft activities, entertainment and a sale of traditional flowers and plant used to welcome in the New Year.
DETAILS: Free, Saturday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park, 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way, San Francisco.
CONTACT: (415) 661-1316, sfbotanicalgarden.org
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APA Blogs: Creating Societal Change in the Blogsphere
As the media transitions into the cyber world, the means of personal expression also enters the online frontier. What used to be a personal diary hidden under the pillowcase can now be read by anyone with the increase in popularity of blogs and Web communities.
“I started the Alpha Asian Blog as a way to showcase the creativity and positive energy of Asians and Asian Americans,” said James Chan, creator and administrator of Alpha Asian Blog, which showcases original videos and forums by APAs. “I’ve observed lots of talented Asians representing the community in a positive manner and contributing to society. I wanted to compile these positive and talented role models and present them to the world.”
From community activism to concert reviews, like many non-Asian bloggers, APA bloggers write about everything from the presidential election to an up and coming new band.
One of the reasons why the APA “blogsphere” is expanding is due to linking sites to each other. Angry Asian Man, one of the most popular APA blogs out there, features other blogs or news related to the APA community by providing links with each post. In return, other blogs link Angry Asian Man on their posts, resulting in more traffic for all blogs that are linked to each other.
— Pacific Citizen
SPORTS
Bad Start for Feng & Yu
MACAU, China — World No. 6 Feng Tianwei’s hopes of ending the table tennis season on a positive note got off to a bad start at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals.
She and Yu Mengyu lost to South Koreans Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young 11-13, 5-11, 10-12, 8-11 in the women’s doubles quarter-finals on Thursday in Macau.
But Yu made the Under-21 girls’ singles semifinals. She lost to Japan’s Yuka Ishigaki in the round-robin phase. But wins over Russia’s Elena Troshneva and Romania’s Daniela Dodien were enough to seal a place in the last four.
Yu will meet Germany’s Zhenqi Barthel for a place in the final.
In the boys’ U-21 singles, Singapore’s Liu Zhongze and Ma Liang failed to get past the group phase.
— Straits Times
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Phillies Close to Signing Chan Ho Park
LAS VEGAS — Free-agent pitcher Chan Ho Park, who resurrected his career with a solid year as a Dodger middle reliever, is close to signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, a baseball source said Wednesday.
The Phillies might view Park as a starter, the source said, although the 35-year-old right-hander made only five starts last season in 54 appearances. He was 4-4 with 79 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA in 95 1/3 innings, mostly as a setup man.
Philadelphia has a strong bullpen, with right-handers Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson setting up closer Brad Lidge. However, the Phillies need a fifth starter if they don’t re-sign left-hander Jamie Moyer. Another Phillies pitcher, Kyle Kendrick, has been mentioned in the three- or four-team trade that would send Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres to the Chicago Cubs.
Park has been a starter for most of his 13-year career but hasn’t been especially effective in that role since 2001.
— Yahoo Sports
COMMERCE
Bankers From China, Japan, South Korea Agree to Meet Annually
Central bankers from China, Japan and South Korea have agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss regional economic and financial issues. This system aims at enhancing the dialogue mechanism among the financial policymakers of those countries, according to a statement jointly announced by the three central banks.
The meeting will be held annually and Beijing will host the first such meeting in 2009.
Central bank governors would exchange opinions on the regional financial situation and issues of common concern at the meeting.
“The enhanced communication would help promote currency and financial stability in the region,” said the statement.
— Domain-b
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AAJA: Diversity is Good Business
Amid a climate of deep cutbacks and consolidations, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) stressed the importance of diversity in today’s business climate. Recently announced layoffs, cutbacks and bankruptcies by major media companies prompted AAJA officials to urge industry leaders not to roll back the progress made in recent decades in diversifying America’s newsrooms, which is essential in ensuring fair and accurate coverage.
“Our nation’s demographics underscore the changes ahead, as we become more diverse than ever. As news organizations continue to seek relevance and resonance with readers and work to build new audiences, having a diverse newsroom better positions us to achieve these important goals — it’s critical to our industry’s success,” said Jeanne Mariani-Belding, AAJA’s national president.
GLOBAL
Hong Kong Confirms Outbreak of H5N1 Bird Flu
HONG KONG — Hong Kong yesterday confirmed an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a chicken farm, while pledging to investigate claims that smuggled eggs from mainland China might be the cause.
The H5N1 outbreak near the border with the mainland, which led to the culling of tens of thousands of chickens, was the city’s first farm outbreak in five years despite mass vaccination of the birds, raising fears that the virus may have mutated.
“It has been confirmed as H5N1,” said a government spokeswoman citing an Assistant Director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Thomas Sit.
Since the H5N1 virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003, it has killed more than 200 people in a dozen countries, according to the World Health Organization. Experts fear the constantly mutating H5N1 virus could change into a form easily transmitted from person to person and potentially kill millions worldwide.
— Taiwan News
