Daily Dose & Announcements: 04/01/09

April 2, 2009

»Hofstra Honors Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
»Former U.S. Official John C. Yoo Arrested in Italy
»Hello Kitty and Friends to Visit 2009 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
»NCAABA Partners to ‘Stimulate Change’ and Brings Delegation to President Barack Obama’s California Town Hall Meetings
»Ling, Lee to Be Tried by N. Korea for ‘Hostile Acts’

Compiled by Lian Qiu

Nation

Hofstra Honors Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - New York City Councilman John C. Liu will deliver the keynote address at a reception marking the start of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Hofstra University on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the Rochelle and Irwin A. Lowenfeld Conference and Exhibition Hall, 10th Floor, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.

Councilman Liu was a newcomer to politics when he was elected to the City Council in 2001, the first Asian-American ever elected to legislative office in New York. Since then he has proudly represented the Northeast Queens communities of Auburndale, Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Linden Hill, Queensborough Hills and Whitestone.

“Throughout the month of April there will be numerous opportunities to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans. This year we were very pleased and honored to have Councilman John C. Liu as our keynote speaker,” said Assistant Director of Multicultural and International Student Programs Pam Phayme. “From a compelling conversation about the “Model Minority” stereotype to a “Bollywood” movie night, there’s truly something for everyone to attend this month. I encourage everyone to come out, learn something new, and most importantly, have fun during Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2009!”

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Bay/California

Former U.S. Official John C. Yoo Arrested in Italy

John C. Yoo, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States, was arrested on Tuesday in Milan, Italy, and is being held for possible extradition to Spain, where he and five other retired officials who served under former President George W.

Bush are expected to be indicted by a Spanish court for violations of the Geneva Conventions, the Convention Against Torture, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Yoo, 41, is a visiting professor of Law at the Chapman University School of Law in Orange County, California, on leave from the University of California Berkeley, School of Law. He served in the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice from 2001 to 2003. Yoo authored memos permitting the use of torture. Torture is banned by both U.S. law and international conventions. Milan prosecutor Andrea Spolini released a statement indicating that Yoo can be held for up to 90 days awaiting an indictment in Spain under the international standard of “Rompi Testiculo.”

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Arts/Entertainments

Hello Kitty and Friends to Visit 2009 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival

Highlighting the celebration of this year’s 42nd annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival will be a visit by Hello Kitty, My Melody and Badtz-Maru from Sanrio’s Puroland theme park in Tokyo, Japan. The scheduled featured activities include:

Event: Hello Kitty & Friends Festival
Description: There will be a KIDS CORNER located on Post Street in front of the Kinokuniya Building which will feature special Hello Kitty crafts and games.
Details: Ticket books will be available at the KIDS CORNER for $10 Crafts will be from $2-$4 per craft which includes cost of materials and games at $2 per game; April 11, 12 and 18, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 1825A Post Street & Webster Street, San Francisco

Events: Special Hello Kitty & Friends Stage Show
Description: This show will feature live performances on stage by Hello Kitty & Friends, a movie and an interactive game with the audience.
Details: $15.00 per person (includes a free gift), April 18, 2009, 1:30 p.m., Sundance Kabuki Theatre, 1881 Post Street & Fillmore Street, San Francisco
Contact: Tickets can be purchased from the following shops in Japantown: Dentoh (415-359-9570), Kinokuniya Bookstore (415-567-7625) or Sanrio Boutique-Japantown (415-614-2700)

Event: Hello Kitty & Friends Mini Dance Show
Details: Free, April 18, 2009, 5:00 p.m., Peace Plaza-Japan Center, 22 Peace Plaza at Post & Buchanan Streets

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Commerce

NCAABA Partners to ‘Stimulate Change’ and Brings Delegation to President Barack Obama’s California Town Hall Meetings

The National Council of Asian American Business Associations (NCAABA) is wrapping up an eventful first quarter of 2009 by moving the agenda for Asian American business forward.

The White House extended an exclusive invitation to NCAABA to represent the Asian American business community in Southern California as President Obama visited the region within his first 100 days in office in a series of town hall meetings.

NCAABA brought a collaborative delegation of Asian American business leaders to the town meetings. Delegation participants included Jamie Borromeo (NCAABA - Executive Director, Linda Sarno (NCAABA - Vice President, Gordon Eng (Asian Business Association - Los Angeles, Chairman), Dennis Huang (Asian Business Association - Los Angeles, Executive Director), Bill Imada (Asian Business Association - Los Angeles, Board Member), Mohammed Islam (South Asian Business Network, Executive Director), Edith Andres (Filipino Chamber of Commerce - Orange County, President), Kim-Yen Huynh (Orange County President’s Council, President).

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Globe

Ling, Lee to Be Tried by N. Korea for ‘Hostile Acts’

American journalists detained at North Korea’s border with China two weeks ago will be indicted and tried, “their suspected hostile acts” already confirmed, Pyongyang’s state-run news agency said Tuesday.

The Korean Central News Agency report did not say when a trial might take place, but said preparations to indict the Americans were under way as the investigation continues.

“The illegal entry of U.S. reporters into the DPRK and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements,” the report said, referring to the country by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The report did not elaborate on what “hostile acts” the journalists allegedly committed.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV media venture, were detained by North Korean border guards March 17.

Daily Dose & Announcements: 04/01/09

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