If you’ve seen the recent Intel ads, you’ve probably noticed the one featuring Ajay Bhatt, an Intel employee and founder of the USB cable. Other Intel employees are treating him like a bonafide rock star, drooling and weeping as he walks by. It’s one of the funnier and more innovative ads on tv right now, and it both lampoons the idea that an Asian American computer nerd can’t be a rock star while highlighting the company’s intense dedication to talent.

Except that the “Ajay Bhatt” in the ad isn’t really Ajay Bhatt, but rather a mustachioed actor.

Bad show.

For me, part of the appeal of the ad lies in its implied authenticity and the willingness of Intel employees to go on camera to promote their company. If the crux of the campaign is based on highlighting Intel’s overlooked employees and talent at all levels versus Sprint’s terribly ineffective ads featuring their nondescript CEO using their phones, then the it undercuts its basic premise (one that I had really enjoyed.) It was novel and fresh and memorable.

Now I feel strangely disappointed, and the goodwill that the ads had generated have dissipated.

–Caroline

Caroline | No Comments »

On June 3, 2009, nationwide vigils for Asian American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee will be held. The two U.S. journalists, who work for San Francisco-based Current TV – a media venture founded by former Vice President Al Gore, were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while reporting on refugees living in China. Both women, accused by North Korea of crossing into the country illegally from China and committing “hostile acts,” will be tried on criminal charges on June 4th.

The organizers of the vigils hope to help influence a positive outcome for Laura and Euna. Please show your support and join us in their fight for freedom!

Please bring candles for the vigils. We hope you can make it.

National Organizer
Brendan Creamer
215.699.4338
Blove73@msn.com

NATIONWIDE VIGILS
JUNE 3rd 2009

Washington, D.C
Freedom Plaza
14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
6:00 pm -8:00 pm

New York, NY
Washington Square Park (The Fountain)
6:00 pm -8:00 pm

Chicago, IL
Chinatown Square Plaza
Cermack and Wentworth Streets
7:30 pm-8:30 pm

Birmingham, AL
Linn Park (tentatively)
223 Carrington Lane
7:00 pm-10:00 pm

Portland, OR
South Park Blocks
SW Park Avenue from Salmon Street to Jackson Street
6:30 pm-8:00 pm

San Francisco, CA
Front Steps of San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
6:00 pm-8:00 pm

Santa Monica, CA
Wokcano
1413 5th Street
7:00 pm-9:00 pm

Join Facebook group!

Foreign Affairs, Media | 1 Comment »

Here’s an excellent perspective on statistics and educational success. These stats are both a traditional measure of academic success, but recounted in narrative format, and adjusted for real life.

Adjusted for gunshots, my student retention rate for this semester is 81 percent, my all-time high. I teach College Writing 1, an entry-level course. . . By “adjusted for gunshots,” here’s what I mean. I did not count in the starting total Cedirick Steele, who was shot and killed in Dorchester on Thursday of spring break 2007. I did count the mother this semester, who could not complete an assignment about a month ago because her son was shot.

I did count the 20-year-old man whose work and home life barely give him time to read the assignments. I spent an hour with him this morning. “I’ve had a bad weekend. Thursday, a week ago, there was a shootout in front of my house,” he said. “Then, Saturday night, one of my friends was shot in the face. I think he’s going to be eating through a tube for the rest of his life.” This student and I revised his plan for completing the semester. He and the mother agreed to complete the assignments over the summer. Both have the ability, given time, for a least a “B.” For now, I counted them as having completed the course with a “C.” I have not asked for a ruling from IPEDS, the federal education database. In the spirit of transparency, I am disclosing my data-quality standards.

It’s a thought-provoking piece and it take a common measurement and re-evaluates its value. He sounds like a wonderful teacher who learns from his students.

–Caroline

Caroline | No Comments »

Or so says Mark Krikorian of the anti-immigrant Center on Immigration Studies. H/t Think Progress:

Deferring to people’s own pronunciation of their names should obviously be our first inclination, but there ought to be limits. Putting the emphasis on the final syllable of Sotomayor is unnatural in English (which is why the president stopped doing it after the first time at his press conference), unlike my correspondent’s simple preference for a monophthong over a diphthong, and insisting on an unnatural pronunciation is something we shouldn’t be giving in to.

. . . [O]ne of the areas where conformity is appropriate is how your new countrymen say your name, since that’s not something the rest of us can just ignore, unlike what church you go to or what you eat for lunch. And there are basically two options — the newcomer adapts to us, or we adapt to him. And multiculturalism means there’s a lot more of the latter going on than there should be.

Hahaha. Sorry, I can’t stop laughing. It’s a name – someone’s GIVEN name. It’s normal that they would like for it to be pronounced properly. This would be true if your name was Sonia Sotomayor, Rod Blagojevich, Gai Waterhouse, Pádraig Rynne, Goran Visnjic or Mathangi Arulpragasam. But just so you know, Krikorian isn’t the easiest name to pronounce either, yet I’m not insisting that it’s *unnatural.*

PS: If you want to find a community of folks commiserating over their names, here ya go.

– Caroline

Caroline | No Comments »

On Tuesday, May 26th, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors discussed a study on special elections and Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).

The study examines how the cost and frequency of special elections continue to rise. Furthermore, the County ends up paying for up to 80 percent of the costs. The upcoming July 14 runoff for CA’s 32nd Congressional District will cost taxpayers a total of $1.5 million. Of that amount, LA County will only be reimbursed $300,000 — leaving the brunt of the bill with Los Angeles County and its taxpayers.

While speaking to the Board of Supervisors, Registrar Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan testified how low voter turnout and high costs have plagued our special elections. Logan urged the County to seriously consider anything that would reduce voter fatigue and save tax dollars.

In the past two years alone, $9.3 million of taxpayer dollars have been spent on special elections in Southern California. Of that amount, over $3.6 million dollars were spent on special runoff elections (counting the upcoming July 14 runoff in CA’s 32nd Congressional District).

If IRV had been used instead of special runoff elections, taxpayers could have saved up to $3.6 million.

– Gautam Dutta

California, Gautam Dutta, Grassroots Activism, Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), Political Reform | 2 Comments »

NYC Councilmember John Liu is picking up the Queens County Democratic endorsement for Comptroller, as is his chief of staff, John Choe — to serve as a Councilmember for the seat that Liu’s vacating. (It should be noted that CM Liu voted against term limits and stuck to his pledge, serving only a two year term, unlike some other city councilors who voted no, or said they would vote no, and chose to run again.) Liu has also been sweeping the Democratic club endorsements, with 14 of 16 nominations including recent nods from the Downtown political clubs. Much has been made of the Comptroller race, with it being promoted to front-tier status by amNY.

Liu also picked up the Working Families Party endorsement, while WFP (a strong third party in NYS) endorsed SJ Jung for District 20. (I also reported on this earlier, just a refresher for folks who haven’t been tracking the race.)

So the question shifts to who will replace Liu in a district that is heavily Asian American. There are now 10 candidates for the seat, including 9 Dems and 1 Republican, with Yen Chou leading the way in fund-raising with $164,205. Including Yen Chou, there are 5 Asian American candidates running – John Choe, Yen Chou, SJ Jung, Ron Kim, and James Wu.

District residents will attempt to distinguish amongst candidates, who will have to make their case in a crowded field. It is encouraging that so many have decided to run for public office, and that there are so many who wish to serve their communities. It can no longer be said that the Asian American community is apathetic, given how many people are willing to spend time talking to voters and listening to the community’s concerns. I have no doubt that Asian American voting will increase this year, and that our voices will matter at the ballot box.

–Caroline

Caroline, New York | No Comments »

The AAA-Fund endorsed Mark Keam as candidate for the Virginia Delegate in District 35 (Fairfax). The below is from his campaign.

On June 9 — just a few days away — voters will go to the polls to elect Mark Keam as our next Delegate. We need your help to ensure that we contact as many voters between now and next Tue (6/9). What can you do to help Mark?

PHONE BANKS AND CANVASSING

Talking to voters in the 35th district is the best thing you can do to help Mark win. From now until the election, we will be calling and canvassing every day:

Canvassing: Weekdays 5pm-8pm, Sat 10am & 3pm, Sun 12pm & 3pmPhone Banking: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 12pm-8pm

All canvassing will be run out of our office in Vienna (407 Church St, Unit J, corner of Beulah Rd). If you do not have a car, please let us know. We would be happy to pick you up at the Vienna or Dunn Loring Metro stations. Phone banking may be done in our office or online with training. Email Irene Lin (irenehlin AT gmail.com) as soon as possible if you can help out. And don’t forget to bring your friends!

YARD SIGNS

The Keam for Delegate yard signs are here! If you live in the district, please come by and pick one up for your yard today! Additionally, we need help putting up signs around the district. If you have time, let us know and we’ll send you out with yard signs to certain parts of the district.

ELECTION DAY

Finally, we need lots of volunteers on Election Day (June 9) to make sure that voters know to vote for Mark as they enter the polls. We’ll need people at each of the 18 precincts from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., as well as volunteers to make calls and knock on doors to make sure that every single possible vote is cast for Mark that day. Please respond to this email to let us when you are able to help us on June 9!

As always, thank you so much for your support. With your help, we can ensure that Mark Keam wins the Democratic Nomination on Tuesday, June 9.

Bridgit Donnelly, Field Director

703-350-7377

P.S. If you can, please make a donation to help us with the final Get Out The Vote push. Go to our website to make your contribution today!

Paid for by Keam for Delegate
P.O. Box 1134
Vienna, VA 22183

Campaign Update, Grassroots Activism, The Editors | No Comments »

Wanna adopt (or eat) five goats?

On Tuesday I attended a hearing of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors.  Along the way, the “Supes” considered a domestic animal dispute.

Two longtime LA County residents, a mother and her son, had gotten a permit to keep 10 goats, one emu, one horse, and a llama.  The problem:  their he and she-goats got busy — and begat (I’ve always wanted to use that word) five more.

After the neighbors complained, LA County had to get involved.  The planning commission ruled that five goats had to go; the mother and son then appealed the decision to the LA Board of Supervisors.

In a Solomonic decision, the Supes didn’t split the baby.  But they did split up the male and female goats (to keep them from making more goats).  In addition, they ordered five goats to go (to leave, not to be eaten).  The emu, the horse and the llama were allowed to stay.

Your tax dollars at work.

– Gautam Dutta

California, Gautam Dutta, Humor | No Comments »

Ed. Note: Our friend Francey Lim Youngberg passes along this invitation in support of Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe.  While AAA-Fund will not make an endorsement in this race, we encourage everyone to learn about the candidates and vote on June 9.

Dear friends: I am helping Long and Kimmy Nguyen to invite people to meet with Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. He leads the Democratic primary race against Brian Moran and R. Creigh Deeds. Dr. Nguyen has been a great supporter of Sen. Jim Webb, Gov. Mark Warner and Gov. Tim Kaine, he has picked the winners each time!

Some of you may have gotten to know Terry during the Clinton Administration and his tenure at the DNC as Chair. He has robust plans for the continued economic vitality of Virginia and he will follow the two great Democratic governors, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. He has also been a longtime friend of the Asian Pacific American community so I encourage all of you to support him if you have not done so already.

Here is the link to the Richmond Daily Dispatch recent poll which shows him 10 points ahead of the other 2 contenders. His website is http://www.terrymcauliffe.com/ . His bio and investor report are also attached.

Where: Tower Club, 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, 17th floor, Vienna, VA (directions from Google Maps or the Tower Club)

When: June 2, 2009, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

RSVP to me and eric.dillon@terrymcauliffe.com. See attached invitation. Please give as generously as you can because he deserves our support. Especially for those of you who recently fought with me to keep the Mayor’s Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs office open in DC, you know what it means for our community to have representation. AND WE SHOWED THAT WE COULD WIN THE OFFICE BACK AND GET EVEN MORE FUNDING. Did you know that in the Greater Washington area, VA is the only one without a state constituent office for Asian Pacific Americans? Maryland and DC both have one. Isn’t it time to ask Terry to have such an office?

Hope some of you can come in as sponsors or co-hosts of this event. Let me know ASAP so we can revise the flyer.

For those of you who can contribute LESS than the minimum on the flyer, let me know too since Dr. Nguyen has made an exception so we can have more people have a chance to meet with Terry.

Many thanks, Francey

PS DON’T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE JUNE 9 VIRGINIA PRIMARY!

Democratic Party, Running for Office | No Comments »

The following is a message from AAA Fund endorsee and former board member Mark Keam who is running for the Virginia House of Delegates. Keam picked up the endorsement of the Sierra Club today:

The Democratic primary election is only 13 days away, and our campaign is making the most of every minute. I’ve been walking through our neighborhoods everyday, knocking on doors and personally meeting thousands of voters. Our highly motivated and experienced staff is continuing to organize, recruiting dozens of volunteers to spread our positive message of progressive change.

Our campaign has received important endorsements, including an endorsement from NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, The Sierra Club, and several local and state elected officials. We were even mentioned in the Washington Post this week as an example of how we are continuing Barack Obama’s grassroots movement for change.

Your support is the reason our campaign has gotten off to such a strong start. Now, I need your continued financial help to make sure we finish first on June 9.

My opponents are also working hard. Like so many campaigns, this race is becoming nastier as primary day draws near. One of my opponents has already launched multiple false attacks against me. We’ve made numerous attempts to correct his assertions, but he persists in making outrageous claims. These smear tactics don’t belong in a Democratic primary contest.

I need your contribution to ensure their false charges do not go unanswered.

To fight back, we will need to pay for direct mail that is so critical to reach the thousands of voters I won’t be able to meet personally. Please consider a donation of $50, $100, $500, $1,000 or more by May 31st so we receive it in time to fund the final push.

We can accept contributions in any amount from individuals, corporations, non-profit groups and most organizations. You can donate online or by mailing checks to “Keam for Delegate,” PO Box 1134, Vienna, VA 22183.

I am so grateful for your friendship and support. If you have any questions, please call me at 703-350-7377 or email me at info@markkeam.com. Thanks again for all you’re doing to help our campaign.

Mark Keam

Democrat for Delegate

Caroline, Running for Office | 1 Comment »

The below is a Asian Pacific American Legal Center Communities of Color statement regarding Proposition 8. The Asian American Action Fund of California is a signatory on the statement.

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR STATEMENT REGARDING PROPOSITION 8
May 27, 2009

As organizations that represent or work with diverse racial and ethnic communities in California, or allies of such organizations, we issue the following statement in response to the California Supreme Court’s decision in the lawsuits to stop the implementation of Proposition 8:

We are extremely saddened that the Supreme Court chose to uphold Proposition 8 and allow blatant discrimination to be written into the state Constitution. As people of color, we are disturbed that the highest court in our state would abandon its responsibility to ensure that all groups are treated equally under the state Constitution. Despite the structural protections that should prevent the initiative power from being used this way, the Supreme Court has allowed a simple majority vote to strip away the rights of a protected minority group. We fear not only for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of our communities, but for all people of color and other vulnerable minority groups regardless of sexual orientation. We vow to restore marriage equality to California and to make our state a place that guarantees equality and justice for all.

However, we applaud the Supreme Court for ruling that the marriages entered into by the November 4th vote remain valid. Many of our community members are among the 18,000 couples who were able to marry in California between June and November 2008, and we are thrilled that they will continue to be treated equally to all other married couples in this state. We believe it is important that the Court understood that married lesbian and gay couples relied upon the rule of law, and that basic rights must not be granted temporarily and then retroactively taken away. However, it is bittersweet to uphold the 18,000 existing marriages while treating all other same-sex couples unequally.

Read a translated statement in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

California, Civil Rts/Liberties, LGBT | No Comments »

I last week denounced religious vigilantes who promote a ultra-conservative fundamentalist extremism whose extremity is the offense, not the general spirit of their ideas. But enough talk about politics hijacking religion. It’s now more important to know how politics can not just breed hate and mis-placed passions but, rather, how politics can better a society.

We’ve seen the GOP seek party purification for its ideology and followers, which will either marginalize the GOP and/or create a purer party unwilling to bend ideologies to suit newcomers or outsiders as it reaches ideological perfection. Republicans willing to super-charge and hate and divide and burn in their quest for pure power and to force that belief upon others will harm namely themselves. That type of ideologue is willing to pursue violence (verbal and personal kinds) and not-so-civil disobedience and perhaps even illegality to achieve a goal, regardless of obstacles. The issue of abortion will strangle the Republicans, and good riddens, beacuse for their lack of understanding is the most offensive to not just Christians of good faith but all Americans who must put up with Republican hate speech.

Now for the good news.

We progressives can learn from those narrowing minds and, instead, talk with those who disagree with competence and respect to achieve results. Does the GOP Christian proclaim respect and love for all, or only those who are obedient to their political-religious ideologies? Progressives can include far more than those similar minded folk as we seek an goal greater than political purity. Does the GOP Christian truly honor and love all in God’s name or just those who march to the most controversial tests of church loyalty (hate abortion and gays and you’re in the Christian camp)? Progressives can incorporate more of society than just their most loyal folk. Progressives can include moderates who may disagree but who still have the competence and faith to better society through political compromise and enterprise. These high hopes should be encouraged especially as GOP extremists promote anti-liberal hate in the quest for pure, unforgiving loyalty to almighty conservatism.

The Asian American Fund exists to promote Asian American political involvement. Political involvement for all Asian Americans comes more easily when the promotion is inclusion and competence, not loyalty tests and hateful vengeance. I urge you to beware of hate speech threatening to divide instead of better America.

- Richard Chen

Religion, Republicans, Richard Chen | No Comments »

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2009

Statement by the President on Aung San Suu Kyi’s House Arrest and Detention

I call on the Burmese government to release National League for Democracy Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from detention immediately and unconditionally. I strongly condemn her house arrest and detention, which have also been condemned around the world. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued opinions affirming that the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi dating back to 2003 is arbitrary, unjustified, and in contravention of Burma’s own law, and the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed on May 22 their concern about the situation and called for the release of all political prisoners.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt on the Burmese regime’s willingness to be a responsible member of the international community. This is an important opportunity for the government in Burma to demonstrate that it respects its own laws and its own people, is ready to work with the National League for Democracy and other ethnic and opposition groups, and is prepared to move toward reconciliation.

By her actions, Aung San Suu Kyi has represented profound patriotism, sacrifice, and the vision of a democratic and prosperous Burma. It is time for the Burmese government to drop all charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and unconditionally release her and her fellow political prisoners. Such an action would be an affirmative and significant step on Burma’s part to begin to restore its standing in the eyes of the United States and the world community and to move toward a better future for its people.

Civil Rts/Liberties, Foreign Affairs, Obama Administration | No Comments »

After losing to AAA-Fund SoCal endorsee Carmen Trutanich, departing City Councilmember Jack Weiss might end up staying in City Hall after all.

Rumor has it that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may appoint his close ally to a plum position:  as Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security (the position opened up when Arif Alikhan was snatched up by the Obama Administration).

Will Weiss continue in public service, or instead join a whiteshoe law firm?  We’ll find out shortly.

– Gautam Dutta

California, Gautam Dutta | No Comments »

From Los Angeles City Attorney-Elect (and AAA-Fund SoCal endorsee) Carmen Trutanich:

Dear friends,

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. On May 19th, the citizens of Los Angeles took a gigantic leap toward changing Los Angeles. I am humbled and honored to the voters for putting your trust and faith in me. I will not let you down. I am excited to begin working with our best and brightest legal professionals to reform the office of City Attorney and to bring honesty, integrity and transparency to City Hall. As my transition gets underway in earnest, I will keep you posted.

It’s a new day and I see a brighter tomorrow. I see a Los Angeles where we can measure our progress by the quality of our lives — the purity of our air and water, the safety of our streets, the quiet enjoyment of our neighborhoods, and the excellence of our schools. As your City Attorney, I will work with every fiber of my being to be the people’s lawyer — a true advocate for a better Los Angeles. Though I do not formally take office until July 1, my work for the people begins today.

Once again, I thank you.

Yours Tru-ly,
Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich

AAA Fund, California, Campaign Update, The Editors | No Comments »