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Many U.S. Immigrants’ Children are going abroad.

In growing numbers, experts say (there is always an experts somewhere) a highly educated children of immigrants to the United States are uprooting themselves and moving to their ancestral countries. They are embracing homelands that their parents once spurned but that are now economic powers.

Some, like Mr. Kapadia, had arrived in the United States as young children, becoming citizens, while others were born in the United States to immigrant parents.

Enterprising Americans have always sought opportunities abroad. But this new wave underscores the evolving nature of global migration, and the challenges to American economic supremacy and competitiveness.

In interviews, many of these Americans said they did not know how long they would live abroad; some said it was possible that they would remain expatriates for many years, if not for the rest of their lives.

Their decisions to leave have, in many cases, troubled their immigrant parents. Yet most said they had been pushed by the dismal hiring climate in the United States or pulled by prospects abroad.

China gives Hollywood more opportunities

Disney's announcement on Monday that it will make Iron Man 3 in partnership with a Chinese company is the latest sign that movie studios are warming to China's new openness.

For decades, China has capped the number of foreign films it allows into the country. Until recently, the limit was 20, but in February Chinese officials announced that they are increasing the quota to 34.

China said it will also allow foreign studios to garner a greater share of box office revenue. Foreign companies can now expect to earn 25 percent of their movies' ticket sales in China, up from between 13.5 and 17.5 percent.

The changes are a significant move for a bureaucracy that is leery of outside cultural influences and competition from foreign films. The change could affect everyone from action movie fans in Guangzhou to Hollywood's most powerful filmmakers.

The relaxing of China's strict rules comes at a price for US studios. The world's most populous nation wants foreign studios to bring their movie making know-how to China by forming joint ventures with Chinese studios.

Can an Asian American be the next American Idol?

BOSTON — Perhaps you've heard of Heejun Han, the 22-year-old Korean American from Flushing, Queens, who also happens to be a semi-finalist on American Idol Season 11.

To many, he may seem an unlikely star. He's known for his likable personality, but also for shaking his arms before each performance to get the nerves out. Idol judge and Aerosmith leading man Steven Tyler said Han's song selection on Tuesday night — Robbie Williams' "Angel" — was a miss.

But when he opens his mouth to sing — that’s when US pop star Jennifer Lopez gets a little teary. His voice on Tuesday was "smooth as silk," J Lo said. His initial performance “really impressed and shocked” another judge, music producer Randy Jackson. Even Tyler said previously he thought Han “could be the next American Idol.”

Han isn’t the first Asian American to be on American Idol, but the overwhelming love and attention he’s getting on camera and off makes it seem that way.

LOST YEARS: A People's Struggle for Justice - Best Documentary (History & Culture) Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, Dec 5, 2011

LOST YEARS is an epic documentary mini-series touching on the largest exodus in humankind, covering over 150 years of history of the Chinese in Canada and abroad.

An epoch that delivers an important message, namely, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (Spanish philosopher, George Santayana (1863-1952), in Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason.)

We witness how man's inhumanity to man continually plays out in world history and affairs, in part through the advances of new media and the vastness of our global village.

The journey in Lost Years begins in old China in 1910 and concludes with the movement to embrace redress as a concept of social justice in the modern world of Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, exactly one century later.

Upcoming Community/Non-Profit Screenings

CBC TV National Telecast (PREMIERE)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012
Episode 1 (of 2) - The Loh Wah Kiu - Absolutely Canadian

Asian Pacific American Vanessa Hudgens & Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

New York, NY – Feb 07, 2012— Two of Hollywood’s top Asian Pacific American actors star in the follow-up film to the 2008 hit, “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Chinese-Filipino American actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens (Disney’s “High School Musical” series) and Samoan American Dwayne Johnson (“Fast Five”) take center stage in this year’s anticipated family adventure film, JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. The 3D movie is a New Line Cinema presentation of a Contrafilm production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film will be released in IMAX® theaters worldwide on February 10, 2012. For more information about the film, visit http://www.themysteriousisland.com.

Han Chinese have 'drinking gene'

In western culture, many social animals like to associate drinking to social skill and ability, more particulary in males who measure theier masculinities with one's alcoholic tolerance ie. holding down their drink.

With this in mind, many Asians have long been on the subjected to stereotypes and made fun of when they preduce a flush reaction to their alcoholic drink.

These stereotypes can easily be debunked, as people become more clued in with a fact that the assumption is not a race matter. To imply asians are weak simply because they turn red is nothing more than ignorance and social racism, many of us do not flush.

Here is the story:

New Shanghai-based research reverses the stereotypical Western notion that Chinese people cannot hold their liquor – at least, when it comes to pounding back grain-based alcohols like baijiu.

OneVietnam Network Presents Street Eats: September 18th at 6PM in San Francisco

We're throwing a charity event with a cool concept: gourmet chefs cooking street foods from around the world. Three Michelin-starred chefs, Slanted Door's Charles Phan, and 18 more will be cooking live. To top it off, the event will be at the historic Ferry Building, right on the waterfront!

This is OneVietnam's first charity gala and I would love your help getting the word out. Here are some details:

- Street Eats: September 18th at 6PM in San Francisco, CA
- 22 chefs including Michelin-starred chefs of Ame, Terra, Aziza
- 16 wineries from Napa & Sonoma
- Bottomless plates & open bar


Message from Charles Phan

Executive Chef, The Slanted Door | OneVietnam Board Member and Gala Chef Chair

Yao Ming retires, he's more than basketball.

As Yao makes exits from the American Basketball association, most of us would have already seen some of the 

signs surrounding his injuries, though most of us would have hoped he would return to see him take the Rockets to the finals.
It was unfortunately that he had to end his career and move on to something else. Nonetheless, he has already made history.  

"The NBA can survive without Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets can survive without Yao Ming, but we cannot survive without Yao Ming," read a comment on a Chinese Twitter-like tribute page that received 1.5 million entries within hours."

US Senate confirms Gary Locke as ambassador to China

WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as ambassador to China, making him the first Chinese-American ever to take the post.

Locke, 61, won unanimous confirmation in the Senate voice vote. He succeeds Jon Huntsman, a Republican who has resigned to run for the White House in 2012.

US President Barack Obama tapped Locke for the post on March 9, saying that no one is better qualified for the diplomatic post than Locke.

At a May 26 Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on his nomination, Locke called "a sign of the importance of the bilateral relationship" between US and China. Obama's nomination of a current member of his cabinet to serve in the new post vacated when Huntsman left for home in April.

Asia Pacific Arts presents “A Celebration of Asian American Soul,” featuring Judith Hill and Dawen

On July 29, 2011, Asia Pacific Arts online magazine is hosting “A Celebration of Asian American Soul” at the Far Bar Lounge in Little Tokyo -- featuring performances by special guest singer Judith Hill (from Michael Jackson’s This is It), and singer/songwriter Dawen. DJ O-Dub will be spinning sets around the musical acts.

The Asia Pacific Arts fundraiser is co-hosted by InVenture, a non-profit organization that supports women entrepreneurs in developing countries to help them lift their communities out of poverty.

This will be a celebration of the spirit of creation and entrepreneurship, from Asia to the United States.  By harnessing the soul of those whose music touches the hearts of their audiences -- Judith Hill with her sultry blues and Dawen with his awakening jams -- both organizations hope to inspire the community to empower themselves and support each other.

American "Propa-Panda 2" movie stirs controversy.

 

A Hollywood movie was met with an awkward situation on Saturday in China. While fans are standing in long queues to watch the first show, others are advocating a boycott on the American movie with Chinese story elements.

After "Kung Fu Panda", a cartoon movie telling a story about a panda' s Kung Fu master journey, hit China's silver screens in 2008, its sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, was released in China just ahead of International Children's Day, adding more Chinese elements such as shadow play and lion dancing.

However, some Chinese artists and scholars argue that the movie, produced by DreamWorks, has twisted Chinese culture and serves as a tool to "kidnap" the mind of the Chinese people.

Stop the Bombing! Libya and the era of imperialist reconquest.

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).

Jeff Yang writes on "Is white the new black"?

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.

Locke to Replace Huntsman as China Envoy

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.

Macleans Racism (Part II) - A letter to Maclean's calling for end to "anti-Asian racism"

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:

Bloomberg to America: Lay Off The Chinese

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.

Balikbayan: Schema Magazine's 1st travel-writing contest

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?”

Anti-Chinese Propaganda in the U.S. has stepped up.

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 

Chomsky: "What is challenging the US is not China’s development, but its independence."

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.

Asian CineVision and TECO Showcase New Taiwanese Cinema at 33rd Asian American International Film Festival

New York (June 14, 2010) --- Asian CineVision (ACV) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO) have announced a special presentation on New Taiwanese Cinema. The program will be presented during the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival from July 15 through July 24, 2010 throughout various venues in New York City. This unique showcase consists of four feature length films and two short film programs that bring together the works of Taiwan's new generation of filmmakers. TECO continues its commitment to promoting cross-cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the United States by joining ACV in presenting a program that highlights Taiwan's burgeoning independent film community.

Park Jae-beom Signs with Online Media Company DMW

Korean singer Park Jae-beom, former leader of popular boy band 2PM, has signed with U.S. online media company Digital Media Wire (DMW) to manage his career.

DMW announced on its official website (www.dmwmedia.com) Friday (U.S. time) that its CEO and entertainment lawyer Ned Sherman will be "representing artist Jay Park with respect to his global entertainment career."

"We are thrilled to be working with Jay," said Mr. Sherman in the post. "He is incredibly talented and has the work ethic, talent, charisma and fan support to have a big career on a global level."

He went onto say that it is "rare that you come across an artist like Jay. He really loves and cares about his fans and it shows. We are working on a number of big projects which we will be announcing soon.”

The Asian-Jewish connection: Is it really kosher to call Asians the "new Jews"?

By Jeff Yang, Special to SF Gate
Thursday, February 25, 2010

The notion that Asians and Jews are two shoots from the same cultural rootstock is an old but evergreen meme.

You see it in fringe theories about the Lost Tribes of Israel -- there's an entire body of cryptoarchaeological canon that uses similarities between customs, language and naming convention to "prove" that the ancient vanished Jewish clans ended up in China, India or Japan. (Japan's 50,000-member Makuya sect, which has as its central dogma that the Japanese are descendants of a lost Jewish tribe, keep kosher, speak Hebrew and use the seven-armed menorah as their symbol.)

Happy 'Fear Mongering' New Year - The States of Combustion

In this new year of 2010 I hope everyone can continue to be optimistic as this ever struggling economy still has a heart beat, although we have been told our economies have recovered our wages are still just as terrible ( I think not ). There is still no excuse for not making the best of what we have and we should continue to strive for new heights.

In the past, this website had primarily worked on with publishing Asian related content, intelligent opinions, informative articles and any positive Asian media.

This year there will be a slight adjustment to the style of posting, usually we would publish news without actual commentary but as of today we will be adding in our 2 cents worth to everything post. Ideally would like to throw topics in the air and have people take it upon themselves to think about issues. 

We'll try to remain objective about each issue.

The first fear mongering article I've come across since the beginning of this new year sums up all the forecasts of "experts" panic stricken and fear mongering media who can only see this world burning in hell.

China is not the racist as depicted

Some thing's are better as never said and when words are spoken people should be accountable for what they say. Given that as responsibility, it could also be seen at another angle that there is also the responsibility for not saying what needs to be said.

Much could be said about the media little racist scheme during the U.S president's visit to China to improve economic ties and collaboration between the U.S and China.

Obama was on business trying to look for ways to fix up his bankrupt economy that was left to him in the worst state.

Firstly the white media tried painting China as anti-black racists and claims China disliked "chocolate coloured skin". Though this was not something that came from the Chinese mouths it was indeed straight out the mouth of white media who thought that they could make racists statements without taking responsibility by using China as a scapegoat.

Unemployed? You fail at being Canadian - Restructure

 Are you currently unemployed? According to the new Canadian citizenship guidebook for prospective immigrants, over 8.6% of unemployed Canadians are not fulfilling the Canadian responsibility of having a job, which now comes with the rights of having a Canadian citizenship.

The new Canadian citizenship guidebook was unveiled last week, redefining what it means to be Canadian. After all, new Canadian immigrants are more likely to be unemployed, which must mean—according to the authors of the guidebook—that their economic difficulties are a result of their failure adopt Canadian values. In addition, the new guidebook tells prospective immigrants, “Canada’s openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, “honour killings,” female genital mutilation, or other gender-based violence.”

Japanese film ‘Looking for Anne’ Wins Top Prize at Asian First Film Festival

THE Asian Festival of First Films (AFFF), the world's premier film and documentary festival that celebreates the achievements of first-time film-makers, announced its winners last Friday at the Raffles Hotel Ballroom.

Japanese film Looking For Anne, directed by Takako Miyahira, took the top honours of Best Film and Best Director, the AFFF said in its press release.

The movie tells the story of a 17-year-old Japanese girl with a secret mission to find her recently deceased grandmother's first love.

First-time producer Sona Jain bagged four awards - including Best Producer - for her film, For Real, a story about a family seen through the eyes of a child.

Last Friday's event was the fifth instalment of the AFFF.

China vs. Disney: The Battle for Mulan

China is moving to take back one of its own — even if it is legend. Mulan is the Middle Kingdom's gender-bending heroine, its Joan of Arc. The character from folktale is a daughter who disguises herself as a male soldier to take her father's place in the conscription army. The problem for the Chinese is that, since 1998, the definitive version of the story has been Disney's.

Indeed, because of the animated Disney film, the character Mulan has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Chinese culture worldwide. Baby girls adopted from China have been named Mulan by their American parents. Disney has staged musical versions of the movie Mulan from Mexico to the Philippines. And posing for a photo with Mulan is a must for hordes of tourists at Hong Kong Disneyland. (See China's long road to prosperity.)

Obama and Hu announce comprehensive strategy for clean energy and climate change collaboration

The United States and China announced on Tuesday a package of cooperative agreements  on clean energy and climate change that are remarkable in both breadth and ambition.

The cluster of seven initiatives, partnerships, action plans, and research centers covers a range of low-carbon energy strategies from electric cars to energy efficiency technologies.

These agreements follow on the heels of last Sunday’s announcement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting that the United States has embraced the Danish proposal for finalizing an interim international climate agreement in Copenhagen in December. The U.S.-China summit help further signal a positive shift in expectations for Copenhagen between the two countries responsible for 40 percent of the planet’s anthropogenic carbon emissions.

Adoptions must stay in Korea, no Hollywood trend adoptions please.

Ever felt a little uncomfortable or weird when you see these types of pictures circulating in Hollywood? it seems rather too frequent that these western  celebrities have sudden decided to show off their new Asian babies.

Although we could never quite put the finger on it but if you were suspicious enough then perhaps your instincts could be enough to show that you care. The answer is YES it;s likely something is 'fishy' going on.

There is a possibility that these kids should not have been placed in their hands to begin with.

From a westerners perspective they are starting the "Happy Family with the odd Asian baby trend" or the stereotypical " I-Know-whats-good-for -Asian-people". While they parade around showing of their Asian babies these celebrities could just as well be quite ignorant. Sure at a glance some would say 'Oh they look so nice together' but in reality these kids were probably possessed through adoption exploits and scandals.

LUMINA JUMPS FROM THE LITTLE SCREEN TO THE BIG SCREEN AT THE CLOCKENFLAP MUSIC & MULTI-MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL

Hong Kong, SAR, China (Thursday, November 12, 2009).

Hong Kong’s original fantasy web series LUMINA jumps from the little screen to the big screen at this past weekend’s Clockenflap Music & Multi-Media Arts Festival held at Hong Kong’s Cyberport. An estimated 3,500 festival attendees had the opportunity to view the Saturday and Sunday screenings of the first LUMINA webisode, which to date has been available exclusively online.

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