Daily Dose 12/16/08

December 16, 2008

» AsianWeek Market Report
» Presidential Inaugural Committee Invites AAPI Groups to Perform in 56th Inaugural Parade
» City Council considers Open Government Proposals
» Commemorating the End of Chinese Exclusion Act
» Lieu Honors California Vietnam War Veterans
» The Castro Theatre New Year’s Eve
» Juwan Chung’s ‘Baby’ in San Francisco
» Manny Pacquiao Celebrates Birthday
» Manny Pacquiao Eyeing Quezon City Congress Seat
» Asian Americans Remain Rare in Men’s College Basketball
» Auto Dealer O.C. Welch Apologizes for ‘Rice’ Radio Ad
» Hasbro Withdraws Suit Against Indian Scrabulous Creator
» South Korean Parents Fined over Rape
» Fresh Bird Flu Outbreak in India

Compiled by Adrienne Aguirre and Connie Zheng

AsianWeek Market Report

AsianWeek Market Report
Asian Stock Indexes
NIKKEI 225	Tokyo	8,568.02	-96.64	-1.12%%
HANG SENG	Hong Kong	15,130.21	83.26	0.55%
KRX	Busan	2,454.30	1.24	0.05%
SSE IX	Shanghai	7,250.32	148.90	2.10%
BSE	Bombay	9,976.98	144.59	1.47%
HOSE	Ho Chi Minh	296.42	-11.86	-3.85%
SET	Bangkok	315.26	6.50	2.11%
Asian American Market Report
Yahoo!	YHOO	13.13	0.40	(3.14%)
Citigroup	C	7.74	0.34	(4.59%)
Amkor Technology, Inc	AMKR	2.33	-0.12	(-4.90%)
Sybase	SY	23.60	0.81	(3.55%)
East West Bank corp,Inc	EWBC	15.50	0.97	(6.68%)

NATION

Presidential Inaugural Committee Invites AAPI Groups to Perform in 56th Inaugural Parade

WASHINGTON — Today, in keeping with its commitment to hold inaugural events that celebrate our common values and reflect the diversity and history of our great nation, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee officially extended an offer to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Wong People Kung-Fu Association, and the Punahou School Marching Band and JROTC Marching Unit to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade.

Members of these Asian American and Pacific Islander groups will join representatives from across the country and our Armed Forces in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

“I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to participate in the Inaugural Parade,” said President-elect Obama. “These organizations embody the best of our nation’s history, diversity and commitment to service.”

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City Council considers Open Government Proposals

BOSTON — Boston City Council is poised to act this week on proposals by Councilor at Large Sam Yoon to make city government more open and accountable to Boston citizens.

Yoon has introduced two measures. One would require all city commissions and boards to list their members’ names, meeting schedules, agendas and minutes on the City website. Currently, the Liquor Licensing Board and other panels do not list members’ names or meeting information on the Internet. The other proposal by Yoon aims to improve the City Council’s minutes by having them written in plain language so they can actually be understood by the public.

BAY/CALIFORNIA

Commemorating the End of Chinese Exclusion Act

SAN FRANCISCO — President Roosevelt terminated the Chinese Exclusion Act on Dec. 17, 1943, which had been enforced for 61 years since 1882. San Francisco Human Rights Commissioner Faye Woo Lee and San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu proposed making Dec. 17 an annual commemoration day to remember and learn from history, reports the China Press.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first U.S. law to discriminate against a single ethnic group. The act forbade Chinese workers from entering the country, and prohibited Chinese who were already in the United States from applying for citizenship, which worked to separate families.

— New America Media

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Lieu Honors California Vietnam War Veterans

SACRAMENTO — Assembly member Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) will honor California veterans of the Vietnam War for their service to their country at a dinner recognizing the 20th Anniversary of the Dedication of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“This memorial pays tribute to the 5,822 servicemen and servicewomen from California who were either killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War,” said Assembly member Lieu. “More than 350,000 California veterans served in Vietnam, and I am proud to be a part of this anniversary to honor them for their service and sacrifice.”

“Assembly member Lieu has a terrific record on veterans affairs issues,” said Jerry Yamamoto, President of the 20th Anniversary California Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee. “We are grateful for his decision to carry ACR 64 to recognize the anniversary of this memorial, which means so much to California’s Vietnam veterans.”

Assembly member Lieu served on active duty for four years as a member of the JAG Corps in the U.S. Air Force. During his tenure, Lieu received numerous awards and medals for his service to the men and women in our Armed Forces, both abroad and locally.

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

The Castro Theatre New Year’s Eve

EVENT: Joy Behar with special guest Wing Han Tsang
DESCRIPTION: The View’s co-host and stand up comedian Joy Behar will host a special solo show joined by popular singer Wing
DETAILS: New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec 31., 10:30 PM, The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., SF, $39-$100
CONTACT: (415) 392-4400, cityboxoffice.com or therrazzroom.com

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Juwan Chung’s ‘Baby’ in San Francisco

EVENT: Juwan Chung’s feature film Baby
DESCRIPTION: A tragic gangster drama of an Asian youth trapped in the seedy world of the hostess bars, pool halls and drug dens that characterize East LA gang life.
DETAILS: 4 Star Movie Theatre, 2200 Clement St.,
CONTACT: (415) 666-3706, lntsf.com

SPORTS

Manny Pacquiao Celebrates Birthday

Popular boxers Marco Antonio Barrera, David Diaz and Edwin Valero are joining Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines for his 30th birthday celebration.

The affair is a double celebration as Pacquiao is also celebrating his recent victory over the popular boxer Oscar de la Hoya.

Other than the three popular boxers, boxing trainer and future hall of famer Freddie Roach and Top Rank’s Bob Arum are also coming to celebrate with Pacquiao.

Politicians lead by cabinet members Lito Atienza and Chavit Singson are attending the party. Film celebrities and other national and local officials are likewise gracing the occasion. The president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is the special guest of honor.

Oscar de la Hoya was earlier invited by Pacquiao but he declined the invitation as he had to go to Puerto Rico to attend to his family and to take a rest.

— DigitalJournal.com

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Manny Pacquiao Eyeing Quezon City Congress Seat

MANILA — Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is giving politics another shot in 2010, but this time for the congressional seat of Quezon City’s second district, incumbent Representative Mary Ann Susano.

Susano said a group of businessmen and politicians arranged a meeting between her and Pacquiao before the boxer left for the US to train for his Dream Match with Oscar de la Hoya.

At the meeting, Pacquiao was asked if he was interested in running for Congress. Asked if Pacquiao appeared inclined to accept the offer, Susano said yes.

She said Pacquiao will confirm up his decision when he returns to the country.

Pacquiao ran for Congress in General Santos City in 2007, but lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio. He is a member of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi, Partner of the Filipino People), the party of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

— Inquirer.net

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Asian Americans Remain Rare in Men’s College Basketball

Of 4,814 Division I men’s basketball players in 2006-07, there were 19 Asian Americans according to the most recent NCAA Student-Athlete Race and Ethnicity Report. That’s 0.4 percent.

Players, coaches and sociologists cite stereotypes and cultural factors as reasons that percentage might not rise very much in the foreseeable future.

In the NCAA’s eight-year ethnic-background survey, the smallest total of Asian Americans in Division I men’s basketball was 10 (2003-04) and the largest was 27 (2005-06).

Professor Henry Yu offers two factors why the odds are against Asian Americans.

The first is Asian American families putting pressure on young males to earn a paycheck, which is very difficult to do as an athlete.

The second factor is the difficulty for Asian Americans to break into established sports networks like into the AAU web, college programs and the coaching scene.

Number of Asian Americans in NCAA men’s college basketball, according to the NCAA:
Year DI DII DIII
1999-00 15 17 45
2000-01 12 18 54
2001-02 11 19 48
2002-03 11 20 54
2003-04 10 27 53
2004-05 20 31 46
2005-06 27 27 61
2006-07 19 35 38

From 1999 to 2007, the number of Asian American Division I women’s basketball players has gone up in six years. In 2005-06, there were 76, the most ever recorded.

— SF Chronicle

COMMERCE

Auto Dealer O.C. Welch Apologizes for ‘Rice’ Radio Ad

Hardeeville car dealer O.C. Welch apologized for remarks he made in a controversial radio advertisement that played last week on a dozen Savannah stations.

The apology came after Floyd Mori, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, told the Gazette on Thursday the league was considering action against Welch and his dealerships for a commercial in which the dealer referred to Japanese-made vehicles as “rice-ready.”

Welch owns Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in Hardeeville and Savannah. He formerly owned dealerships in Beaufort and Bluffton.

In his ad, Welch railed against foreign cars and the Americans buying them.

“On them Japanese cars, even when they’re brand new, how come they don’t smell like a new car?,” Welch asked in the ad. “All those cars are rice-ready, they’re not road-ready. When you gonna wake up?”

— Beaufort Gazette

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Hasbro Withdraws Suit Against Indian Scrabulous Creator

NEW YORK — Hasbro agreed to withdraw a lawsuit against Scrabulous creator RJ Softwares, after the Indian information technology firm made changes to its Lexulous and Wordscraper online games.

Hasbro had filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York earlier this year, saying Scrabulous infringed on the intellectual property rights of the popular board game Scrabble, to which Hasbro owns the rights in North America.

Hasbro, which had also sent a note to Facebook earlier this year asking it to remove the Scrabulous application, decided to file the lawsuit after launching a version of Scrabble on the social networking site.

Scrabulous was removed from Facebook, but its creators launched Lexulous, which Hasbro said still had similarities to Scrabble.

Hasbro’s suit had named Scrabulous creators and brothers Rajat Agarwalla and Jayant Agarwalla, as well as their company RJ Softwares, as defendants.

— Reuters

GLOBAL

South Korean Parents Fined over Rape

A South Korean court has fined the parents of a teenage rapist more than $60,000 for failing to supervise their son.

The 18-year-old, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, raped a local seven-year-old girl in 2006.

The court said the boy had grown up watching pornography and had imitated a film he had seen, during the attack.

It said his parents could have prevented the crime with appropriate education, but neglected their duty.

The teenager is serving a 10-year sentence for the rape, but a court in Seoul ruled that his parents were also liable for his crime.

The girl’s parents were seeking 225m won ($165,000; £111,000) in damages.

The identities of all the parties involved in the case have been withheld.

Analysts say the case raises many questions about the extent to which parents can be held responsible for the actions of their children.

— BBC News

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Fresh Bird Flu Outbreak in India

Tests on poultry from two villages around Englishbazar town in the Maldah district have returned positive results.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu is regarded as highly pathogenic and can also cause disease and death in humans.

Separately, authorities in the north-eastern state of Assam say they have finished culling of more than 300,000 chickens and ducks to control the spread of bird flu in the state.

Poultry in seven districts in the state have turned up cases of bird flu.

Nearly 100 people had reported fever and respiratory tract infections in the districts affected by bird flu.

Bird flu was first detected in Assam in a poultry farm outside the state’s capital Guwahati late in November.

Since then it has spread to seven districts - from Goalpara in the western border with Bangladesh to Dibrugarh in the far north of the state.

Daily Dose 12/16/08

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