Daily Dose & Announcements: 07/02/09
July 2, 2009
>> Immigrants Have Growing Role in Virginia Politics
>>Call for Nominations: Outstanding Woman of the Year Award
>>2nd Annual Safe Fest
>>16th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival
>> OCA-OC’s Backpack and School Supplies Drive and BBQ Picnic
>> Stand Up for APAture (Co-presented with hoboFish Improv)
>> Present Tense Biennial
>>2009 Filipino American Jazz Festival Kickoff Concert
>> Closer Than Ever
>> Karaoke Idol Fundraiser
>> Sacramento Monarchs Filipino Heritage Game 2009
>> Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert
Compiled by Melissa He
NATION
Immigrants Have Growing Role in Virginia Politics
New Americans – naturalized citizens and the US-born children of immigrants – now make up about 6.4% of the total voting population in Virginia, according to research by the Immigration Policy Center that was published recently. That figure is even higher in Northern Virginia: about 12.5 to 18.5% of the voting-age population.
Candidates do seem to be getting the message. Both gubernatorial candidates in this year’s state races say they are reaching out to immigrant communities.
Most of the immigrant voters in Virginia are tending toward the Democratic Party now, according to exit poll data from the November 2008 presidential elections. Data also finds Vietnamese-Americans and older Koreans tend to be the most conservative. Indians vote almost exclusively Democratic, while Chinese tend to be swing voters.
Candidates who try to use illegal immigration policy as a wedge issue, typically Republicans, tend to lose both in the immigrant communities and the election overall, according to America’s Voice.
With proper outreach, it is possible for either party to gain the immigrant vote, experts say.
-Loudoun Times
Call for nominations: Outstanding Woman of the Year Award
Boston – Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence (ASPIRE) is proud to present the 2nd Annual Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, recognizing young Asian American women who are leaders and role models in their communities. ASPIRE is looking for a female high school or college student of Asian American descent who is a proven leader with the initiative and determination to make a change for their community.
The Grand Prize winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to Boston to attend the AAWIL Conference where she will receive the award from ASPIRE’s high-profile keynote speaker, the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a day with an Asian American female mentor of her choice from ASPIRE’s network, and a featured profile in ASPIRE’s website, with the chance to tell her story to Asian American women everywhere.
For more information or to submit a nomination, visit www.girlsaspire.org/award. All entries must be received by July 31, 2009.
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BAY/CAL
EVENT: 2nd Annual Safe Fest
DESCRIPTION: Join for children’s arts & crafts and games, safety workshops, Porto-Loteria (Bingo), free raffle prizes and a SFFD fire truck!
DETAILS: Free, Sat. 7/18, 1-4pm, Parlega Park Rec Center, 500 Felton St. San Francisco
CONTACT: Shirley, (415) 504-5675 or email Shirley.pnsc@gmail.com
EVENT: 16th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival
DESCRIPTION: The largest celebration of Filipino Americans in San Francisco is back and bigger than ever, featuring the return of the popular Adobo Cook-off and balut eating contests, delectable Filipino cuisine and desserts, cultural exhibits, and the 2nd annual SF Filipino American Jazz Festival. The Pistahan Parade will take place 8/8.
DETAILS: Free, Sat. & Sun. 8/8-8/9, 11-5pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission (btwn 3rd & 4th St.), San Francisco
CONTACT: Angela Pang, (415) 321-5894 or visit www.pistahan.net
EVENT: OCA-OC’s Backpack and School Supplies Drive and BBQ Picnic
DESCRIPTION: Please join OCA-OC in giving children in need the tools to succeed!
DETAILS: Free admission for kids 12 & under or with donation; $15 without, Sat. 8/11, 11-3pm, 4 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA
CONTACT: www.oca-oc.org
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ARTS
EVENT: Stand Up for APAture (Co-presented with hoboFish Improv)
DESCRIPTION: Come to Stand Up for APAture, featuring hoboFish improve, Kamikaze Theory, stand-up comedians Josef Anolin and Edwin Li, plus musical parodies by Alexander Shen. Proceeds benefit Kearny Street Workshop’s 11th Annual APAture Festival.
DETAILS: $5-15, Sat, 7/11, 7-9pm, 1436 Howard St, San Francisco
CONTACT: www.kearnystreet.org
EVENT: Present Tense Biennial: Panel Discussion Contemporary Art, Community and Public Space
DESCRIPTION: Join Present Tense artists, community partner organizations and exhibition curators for a casual and lively discussion about the goals, inspirations and challenges of the nine Chinatown storefront installations that are part of the exhibition.
DETAILS: Free, Sat. 7/25, 1-3pm, Chinese Culture Center (Hilton Hotel, 3rd floor), 750 Kearny St. San Francisco
CONTACT: (415) 503-0520
EVENT: 2009 Filipino American Jazz Festival Kickoff Concert
DESCRIPTION: Kickoff “sneak preview” concert for the 2nd Annual Filipino American Jazz Festival featuring Charmaine Clamor and Mon David among others.
DETAILS: Free, Thurs. 7/16, Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcardero W., Oakland, CA
CONTACT: www.sfpinoyjazzfest.com
EVENT: Closer Than Ever
DESCRIPTION: An all Asian American revival of Closer Than Ever, the classic 1989 musical revue featuring self-contained songs which deal with aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages and unrequited love that won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical.
DETAILS: $12-20, 8/8-8/30, GTC Burbank, 1111-B W. Olive Ave Burbank, CA
CONTACT: (323) 993-7245 to RSVP or visit www.gtc.org
EVENT: Karaoke Idol Fundraiser
DESCRIPTION: A fundraiser to support Lodeston’s 10th season and the production of Closer Than Ever. Come out to sing and compete for cool prizes. Don’t want to sing? Cheer on your favorites while enjoying free appetizers, raffle prizes, drink specials and great friends to hang with.
DETAILS: $10-25, Sun. 7/19, 6pm-midnight, Café Bleu 3470 W 6th St. Los Angeles, CA
CONTACT: (323) 993-7245 to RSVP or visit www.gtc.org
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SPORTS
EVENT: Sacramento Monarchs Filipino Heritage Game 2009
DESCRIPTION: Tickets to the Monarchs vs. Storm game include Monarchs Special Edition Filipino Heritage Game T-shirt with a portion of the proceeds from ticket package sales benefiting a local Filipino community organization.
DETAILS: $20/ticket
CONTACT: Michael Ramos, (916) 928-3634
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GLOBAL
Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert
DUNHUANG, China — As the U.S. takes its first steps toward mandating that power companies generate more electricity from renewable sources, China already has a similar requirement and is investing billions to remake itself into a green energy superpower.
Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is starting to change how this country generates energy. Although coal remains the biggest source of energy and is almost certain to stay that way, the rise of renewable energy, especially wind power, is helping to slow China’s steep growth in emissions of global warming gases.
This year China is on track to pass the U.S. as the world’s largest market for wind turbines — after doubling wind power capacity in each of the last four years. Other green energy projects, like burning farm waste to generate electricity, are sprouting up all over the country.
This oasis town deep in the Gobi Desert along the famed Silk Road and the surrounding wilderness of beige sand dunes and vast gravel wastelands has become a center of China’s drive to lead the world in wind and solar energy.
-nytimes.com
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