china

However the rebellion in Libya began, it was both inevitable and entirely predictable that it would quickly become an opening for imperialist intervention and counterrevolution in the oil-rich North African country.

The fact that the “rebellion” received sympathetic, screaming headlines, ferociously hostile to the government of Moammar Gadhafi from the very beginning, should have been sufficient to put the entire anti-imperialist movement on guard. The boiler-plate propaganda about “massacres,” without the slightest evidence, was repeated as if it were the gospel truth. That should have been further evidence of the plans for “great power” intervention (“great” in their oppression, as Vladimir Lenin pointed out long ago).

As white Americans move into the minority, some are claiming they're the ones now subject to racial oppression. Do they have a case?

For a small, nerdy cluster of folk -- social science and cultural studies wonks, market researchers, armchair political pundits -- this month is the Super Bowl, Oscars and Olympics rolled into one. That's because the next few weeks will see the gradual, yet grand unveiling of data from the 2010 U.S. Census, an event literally 10 years in the making.

President Barack Obama plans to nominate Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to be the next U.S. ambassador to China, replacing Jon Huntsman, an administration official said.

Locke, 61, who is of Chinese ancestry, is a former two-term governor of Washington and has led annual trade talks between the U.S. and China. Obama may name Locke as soon as today, the official said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn’t been made. Huntsman, 50, is set to vacate the ambassador’s post on April 30.

If confirmed by the Senate, Locke would take over the diplomatic mission in a country that is a linchpin in Obama’s trade policy. China’s economy passed Japan’s to become the world’s second-largest last year, and the Asian nation is the second-biggest U.S. trading partner after Canada.

Chinese New Year: Background

Louis Vuitton finally has given a nod to its most important demographic in Asia: Chinese men.

Last week, the French luxury brand unveiled a new advertising campaign featuring Godfrey Gao, a Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model — the first time the company has used an Asian man to showcase its products.

Mr. Gao, a Vancouver native, has appeared in a number of Taiwanese television dramas, including “Volleyball Lover” and “I Want to Become a Hard Persimmon.” His celebrity is prominent enough in Asia to attract Hong Kong paparazzi — in December they caught him canoodling with a local starlet, though one could argue it was because of the starlet that he got snapped.

 "I was born on January 13 1906, so I suppose I am 103," he chuckles. "But you can call me 104 because that's what I am in the Chinese way."

Throughout the long interview Zhou displayed an unflagging modesty. Perhaps it is because he is currently writing about Confucius, for whom humility was such a key trait.
"Yes, I visited Einstein a couple of times," he says matter-of-factly. "But I didn't understand relativity at all so we just chatted about everyday things."

Maclean's article sparked overdue rebellion against powerful voices claiming racial discrimination is not a problem

Maclean's magazine has struck a match. Now a firestorm of criticism is headed its way. Canada may never be the same.

On Nov. 25, Victoria city council unanimously adopted a motion, submitted by veteran councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, criticizing Maclean's for their article 'Too Asian' in their widely read special university rankings feature edition (Nov. 2010). The motion, unanimously adopted, described the title of the Maclean's article as "offensive and intolerant" and criticized its contents for "propagating a litany of racial stereotypes."

I agree and Thornton-George and the council deserve credit for speaking out against a media giant. Their action demonstrates how far we have come from the bad old days.

A Recap on the past news about "Too Asian" in Maclean's publication that triggered off public anger over it's racist content targeting Asian Canadians in higher education.

CCNC Statement on Dialogue with Maclean’s
Monday November 22, 2010

The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) held a media briefing today to report back on the dialogue with Maclean’s magazine on their article entitled “Too Asian”?

Toronto, ON – The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) held a media briefing today to report back on the dialogue with Maclean’s magazine on their article entitled “Too Asian”?

CCNC and CCNCTO and a number of community organizations met with Maclean’s on November 12th and again on November 17th for hour each time. Maclean’s had offered to publish a letter from CCNC in a future edition. CCNC and CCNCTO, after consulting with various community organizations responded with a 4 point proposal:

Just five gold medals were presented Saturday at the Asian Games in a rather rather slow-paced denouement for an event the Olympic Council of Asia president referred to as “one of the best ever.”

Zhou Chunxiu won the women’s marathon in the morning, giving China its 198th gold medal of the games, one shy of its eventual record total, and Myanmar took its first two—in the men’s and women’s doubles finals in sepaktakraw.

OCA chief Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah told a closing news conference that even a military conflict on the Korean peninsula during the games could not damage its image.

North and South Korean “athletes stood shoulder-to-shoulder to compete even though there had been some problems in their countries,” Al-Sabah said.

The closing ceremony on Saturday evening began with an impressive display of fireworks from the 600-meter (2,000-foot) Canton Tower and along the Pearl River, the focal point of China’s third-largest city of 10 million.

BEIJING - Chinese analysts have refuted criticism that China is not acting responsibly enough to address the recent increase in tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

It is evident that China is actively making diplomatic efforts to ease the tensions and pushing for contacts and talks among relevant parties, they said, adding that these facts should not be ignored.

John McCain, a senior U.S. senator said China "is not behaving as a responsible world power" in dealing with the Korean Peninsula situation.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Armed Services Committee has called on China to suspend economic and energy assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to show the DPRK consequences for its "aggression."

China does not control the DPRK, and China's actions are made out of a respect for other sovereign states and humanitarian considerations, said Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University's School of International Studies.

This post does not imply, excuse or justify the recent North Korean attack on Yeonpyeong but instead we hope to present a clearer understanding of the situation at hand and to put pressure on both Korea to find a peaceful resolution, with or (even better) without U.S intervention.

The primary concern that needs to be addressed here is ensuring the situation does not deteriorate and avoid an unnecessary escalation of war. Thinking back to Professor Chomsky lectures, it would be enough to give us reason to not support irrational "eye for an eye" resolution or even possibly a strategically orchestrated war.

We, as responsible moral human beings should set a better example and do what it takes to inform others well on how to avoid another Vietnam, Iraq,  Afghanistan and again Korean war.

Harvard Business - Business leadership is at the core of Asian economic development, says HBS professor D. Quinn Mills. As he explained recently in Kuala Lumpur, the American and Asian leadership styles, while very different, also share important similarities.

Editor's Note: Political connections and family control are more common in Asian businesses than in the United States. In addition, says HBS professor D. Quinn Mills, American CEOs tend to use one of five leadership styles: directive, participative, empowering, charismatic, or celebrity. Which styles have Asian business leaders adopted already, and which styles are likely to be most successful in the future?

In a talk in Kuala Lumpur on June 15 at the invitation of The Star/BizWeek publication and the Harvard Club of Malaysia, Mills explained the differences and similarities between American and Asian leadership. Below is the transcript of his talk, "Leadership Styles in the United States: How Different are They from Asia?"

Join VisualizAsian TONIGHT: Meet Jeff Yang and Bernard Chang! Editor of “Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology” & Bernard Chang, “Superman” Artitst.

Two experts in Asian American pop culture and comics. You'll hear the history of (or lack of) Asian superheroes in comic books, and what it's like to be drawing the Superman comic book! You can learn more about Jeff and Bernard

There has been some recent discussion surrounding a racist piece of media that had recently surfaced on the Maclean's website about the increasing number of Asian students in their academic institutions (racist...ahem).

Not only has this article unnecessarily making an issue of race but also implying that Universities and colleges are "too Asian" for their liking, a very racist emitting but also at the same time hideous at a glance.

Although the original article has been edited the original version can be found here "Too Asian" (Thanks to Angry Asian Man's post).

So you might ask should Chinese Canadians be concerned? of course not, because we are not the ones complaining. Obviously all those who are enrolled in higher education is obviously there to study and nothing else.

OAKLAND, Calif.—Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou might have some words of advice for this city's first Asian-American mayor-elect, Jean Quan.

When he was elected president in 2008, at a time of great economic hardship and political instability, Ying-jeou famously said, “One day of excitement is enough.”

Quan should remember those words, says Kai Ping Liu, the veteran reporter who covered her mayoral campaign for the World Journal. Quan was declared Oakland’s next mayor on Wednesday, after a week of nail-biting suspense in one of the city’s tightest electoral races in recent years.

For Quan, “there is not much time to take the victory lap,” says Vincent Pan, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “She has to hit the ground running.”

Oakland’s unemployment rate hit 17.3 percent in September, much higher than the state average of 12.4 percent. A series of robberies and assaults this year have heightened racial tensions and suspicions, especially between African Americans and Asian Americans.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on a visit to Hong Kong and the neighboring city of Shenzhen, had some harsh criticism for his own fellow Americans: Stop blaming the Chinese for their problems.

As the debate rages over China’s trade and currencies policies, the 68-year-old Bloomberg, now in his third term as mayor of New York, was tough on China’s critics in the U.S. He spoke to reporters Saturday in Hong Kong after addressing a meeting of leaders from top cities around the world, dubbed the C40, focused on climate change and environment.

“I think in America, we’ve got to stop blaming the Chinese and blaming everybody else and take a look at ourselves,” he said.

A day earlier, Mr. Bloomberg visited several businesses (incluing a solar panel maker) in Shenzhen, a manufacturing hub that borders Hong Kong.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — On Nov. 7, 125 years ago, the residents of what would one day be Bellingham gathered in celebration.
They marched in a torchlight parade, listened to speakers that included the mayor, heard songs by the glee club, and watched a fireworks display.
The reason for their merriment was noted in the Nov. 6, 1885, edition of the Whatcom Reveille, which had invited residents to the Nov. 7 gathering.
“The Chinese are gone. We rejoice. Every person who rejoices in the exit of the Mongolian serfs and coolies is cordially invited,” read that edition of the weekly newspaper.
The Reveille’s publishers, with the help of civic leaders, had successfully launched in its pages a campaign to push all Chinese out of Whatcom County through a combination of threats, boycotts, vitriol, and insistence that the immigrants were taking jobs away from white residents in the midst of an economic downturn.

The Chinese were given until Nov. 1, 1885, to leave.

C.I.V Blog - The following is a letter of complaint we received over the weekend. It reminds us of how racism against the Chinese in North America (especially when at a time so many US politicians are playing the anti-China card in the mid-term election).

I am beginning to think that racism and racial hatred cannot be abolished. I used to think we could. I treat others well, I respect others, and living here in Vancouver, I was confident that here we tend to look past the colour of one’s skin.

Now, I am fighting against racism as I experienced it in Vegas. But fighting racism once you experience it so blatantly is more difficult since your sense of objectivism and your ability to identify what is right and wrong and your ability to move past bad experiences become very very limited.

As technology advances and the world becomes smaller, we are becoming as a nation, increasingly sophisticated and diverse. In this
new global landscape, few understand this international perspective as much as Schema Magazine. As one of Canada’s premiere sources for “ethnic cool,” Schema has been making waves with its coverage of pop culture news, feature interviews, and perspectives that speak to the minds of the new multicultural generation of Canadians. With its popular in-depth feature series, “But Where Are You Really From?” Schema asked readers to describe their experiences defining their identities. Now, Schema seeks to probe further into the quest for cultural definition, by hosting Balikbayan, Schema’s first-ever travel writing contest!

In partnership with Dot Asia, Schema invites its Canadian readers to answer this thought-provoking question:

“As a second or third generation Canadian, how has international travel to your
country of cultural origin changed your worldview?”

Here is some interesting news that was passed to me recently.

to my surprise this article was on the Wallstreet Journal website, wallstreet is probably the heart of Corporate America and it would probably be the last place that cares about the dignity of the Chinese people; let alone expose any political propaganda on anti-China campaigns.

But if you want an example of classic American xenophobia, racial profiling and even the "Yellow peril" it is all in this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM

From the original blog source Fear Mongering 101: Anti-China Campaign Ads 

On 13 August, Noam Chomsky delivered a speech at the Peking University in Beijing. Chomsky, one of the leading public intellectuals of our age, is famous for his political activism and contributions to linguistic and philosophy. The talk, titled Contours of World Order: Continuities and Changes, was mostly about two dominant threats facing humanity: nuclear wars and environmental degradation.

While Chomsky has re-emphasized his criticisms on the United States, he has also expressed his opinions on China. In Chomsky’s view, emerging countries like China and India still have a long way to go to challenge the America. Of particular concern is the environmental cost of China’s development model, and the many internal and social problems that China has to tackle. This week, the Southern Metropolitan Daily publishes an interview with Chomsky. An excerpt of the interview is translated below.

By Chen Xin (China Daily)

BEIJING - Eight years ago, Zhai Tiantian left China to pursue higher education in the United States. Three days ago, the doctoral candidate returned to his home country with a tag of "potential terrorist" on his head.

Zhai, 27, a former student at the New Jersey-based Stevens Institute of Technology, was doing his PhD when the university suspended him in March, citing major violations of the code of conduct for students as the reason. Zhai hit the headlines in the American and Chinese media following his arrest on April 15 on charge of terrorism.

The university reported to the police that Zhai made a phone call threatening to "burn down the university building" - an allegation Zhai vehemently denied.

"I never threatened to burn down the school building," Zhai, a native of Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, told China Daily in Beijing.

He said that a verbal dispute with Joseph Staley, the assistant vice-president of the university, led to the controversy.
"He questioned my financial situation and was looking for an excuse to kick me out of school," Zhai said.

The Chinese have seen the future of cost-effective public transport, and it looks not unlike a gigantic bus shaped like a compartmental tunnel that’s capable of ferrying around up to 1,200 passengers while two lanes of ordinary road traffic pass beneath it.

It may only be a concept at this point in time, but Chinese designers believe the aptly-named ‘tunnel bus’ is eco-friendly thanks to ‘relay charging’, its cutting-edge, roof-mounted electricity system. They hope it will also encourage vast sways of road users to leave their cars at home.

In terms of evaluating the placement and movement of the tunnel bus on the roads of China, current ideas are swaying back and forth between dedicated track lines splitting four-lane highways, or a combination of regular tyres and coloured directional road lines for the human driver to follow.

China Daily - BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhaunet) -- Looking good trumps health concerns as cosmetic lenses attract the eyes of the trendy, Todd Balazovic and Wang Wen report

Bruce Beresford's Mao's Last Dancer to Screen
at 33rd Asian American International Film Festival

NEW YORK (June 28, 2010) -- Oscar-nominated Australian director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, 1989) will showcase his most recent feature Mao's Last Dancer at the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF10) in New York City. The AAIFF10 is the longest running festival dedicated to showcasing the latest works created by filmmakers of Asian descent in addition to films that explore new constructs of Asian and Asian-American cinema.

Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent and Award Winning Actress/Director Elizabeth Sung and Producer Ken Choy Present Access Acting

A 6 week intensive Film acting course facilitating Access to artistic and business essentials Class limited to 10 max.

A FURORE has erupted over a new mini-series about the deadliest sniper at Gallipoli, Chinese-Australian Billy Sing, who is played by a white.

This portrayal in the The Legend of Billy Sing has been attacked by Australians of Chinese ancestry as a betrayal of their heritage, robbing them of a rare historic hero.

Director Geoff Davis has cast his son Josh in the lead role, while Sing's Chinese father is played by the veteran actor Tony Bonner, who came to prominence as a blond-haired helicopter pilot in the Skippy TV series.

Sing, born in 1886 at Clermont, Queensland, to a Shanghainese father and an English mother, moved as a young man to the canefields of Proserpine, where he became a keen cricketer, kangaroo hunter and a crack member of the local rifle club.