THE APPA Newsletter

June 26, 2002

President Bush Proclaims June "Black Music Month" in USA, http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/af/a2053101.htm

Obon

Events this weekend

MISSION STATEMENT:

Promote full utilization of the capabilities of the Enterprise's employees and champion the betterment of the company and community. Promote interest in Asian Pacific issues and culture and act as a bridge to all groups within our community.

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ed. by Douglas Ikemi

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The internet site is back at:

www.apa-pro.org

Our own domain name, apa-pro.org, stands for Asian Pacific American Professionals. www.apa-pro.org/ gives you a menu of AP organization websites.

Back issues of the newsletter for all of 2000, 2001, and 2002 are available on the website if you want to look up some past event.

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APPA Board Meeting Schedule for 2002:

Evening meetings will be at the Hilton Garden Inn, 2100 Mariposa Ave.(corner of Nash)310/726-0100. Noon time meetings will be on Raytheon premises

Schedule for 2002:

July 10 (W) at 6 pm

Aug. 13 (Tu) at 12 pm

Sept. 11 (W) at 6 pm

Oct. 10 (Th) at 12 pm

Nov. 13 (W) at 6 pm

Detailed calendar is attached this week and is available on the internet at www.apa-pro.org in Acrobat and Excel formats. Events go into the calendar that I don't mention here. Please send in information on cultural events and news items. Thanks to those who have.

Long range calendar items:

July 4-7 Anime Expo 2002 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The biggest Anime convention in the US. www.anime-expo.org

July 6 West Covina Buddhist Temple Obon Festival, 12-9:30PM. Kendo, karate, judo, classical Japanese dance, taiko, bonsai, ikebana, gardening, kimekomi dolls, and obon dancing in the evening, 1203 W. Puente Ave., West Covina, 91790 626-913-0622

July 7 Bridge USA Summer Festival at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, $3, 10AM-7PM

July 13-14 2002 Lotus Festival 12:00 noon - 9:30 PM (Saturday & Sunday)
Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles Phone: (213) 485-1310;
www.laparks.org/grifmet/lotus.htm

July 13 Una Storia Segreta: A Discussion About the Italian American Internment and Evacuation During World War II. Lecture and Book Signing at the JANM. 1:30 PM

July 14 First Rate Anime at the JA CCC Japan America Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., Downtown Little Tokyo. Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" in both English (1PM) and the original Japanese (5PM). This was the movie Disney didn't know how to market, but it was the top selling film in Japan until "Titanic" came along. Miyazaki's latest film, "Spirited Away" has since blown away Titanic.

July 21 Samurai films at the JACCC Japan America Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St., Downtown Little Tokyo. "Zatoichi meets Yojimbo" at 1PM and "Lone Wolf & Cub" at 5PM, $8 each.

July 27-Oct. 13 Passports to Friendship: Celebrating 75 Years of US-Japan Friendship Doll Exchange, JANM

July 28 Nisei Week Fashion Show and Luncheon featuring Tadashi with K-Broadway Dance Group, Omni Los Angeles Hotel, 251 S. Olive St., LA, Boutique opens 10AM, Luncheon 12noon. $50, call Shigeko at 310-551-1225

August 4 Cuban Japanese Women: From a Nisei and Sansei Perspective, panel discussion at the JANM, 1:30PM

August 10-11 L.A. Tofu Festival 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Saturday) 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Sunday) Little Tokyo, 237 San Pedro Street, Los Angeles Phone: (213) 473-1602; www.tofufest.org

August 10 APEX Short Hiking Trip Saturday. Please R.S.V.P. with Hua Ling, Director of Cultural Affairs one week before the event. Hua Ling (hua@apex.org) will send out detail information and direction the Wednesday before the event via e-mail. If you would like to carpool with someone, please give me your contact information and I will help you out one week before the event. Thank you and I will see you soon. Members: Free, Non-Members: $5.00 per person

August 11 Cowboy Bebop the Movie at the Eqyptian Theater in Hollywood, 5PM. Japanese with English Subtitles. Preview of Sony Pictures release. Based on one of the more important anime series. Also Ghost in the Shell and X on Aug. 16, 9:45, and Spriggan on Aug. 23 at 10:15PM. www.egyptiantheatre.com

August 17 4th Annual APPA, A3M, and WRAP Golf Tournament, Los Verdes Golf Course, 700 West Los Verdes Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275. 75.00 (partial tax deductible donation) Includes Lunch, Tee Bag, and Prizes, Golf Carts Not Included. 1st Tee Time at 11:00am (consecutive tee times thereafter). Last group to finish by 6:30pm. 4 Person Scramble Format (prizes will be awarded). For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact Todd Kawai at email: toddk@spep.com or by phone: (310) 802-5773 (E-mail preferred)

August 17 "Dreaming of You" Nisei Week Benefit Dinner Dance, Silent Auction/Raffle. The Belmont Room at the Quiet Cannon, Montebello Municipal Golf Course, 901 N. Via San Clemente, Montebello 323-724-4500. 6PM-Midnight, DJ, dressy casual attire, full course dinner and no host bar. $45 before July 25, $50 afterwards. All proceeds benefit Nisei Week Festival Committee and Keiro Senior Health Care. Contact Peggy 323-727-9989 or Laura 626-333-5604.

Aug 24-25, 2nd Annual US Sumo Open at UCLA, www.usasumo.com, 310-288-3641, afreund@ucla.edu

Sept. 7 the TRW Travel Club visits both the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. $55. Call Anne Lopin 310-812-8270

Sept 8 Boyle Heights: The Power of Place opens at the JANM

September 21-22 Moon Festival 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Saturday & Sunday)
Los Angeles Chinatown, Downtown Phone: (213) 680-0243;
www.chinatownla.com

September 22 10th Annual Thai Cultural Day 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Sunday)
Barnsdall Art Park or Los Angeles City College Phone: (310) 827-2910;
www.thaiculturalcenter.org

September 26-29 29th Annual Los Angeles Korean Festival "Hangawee"
4:00 - 11:00 PM, (Thursday) 11:00 AM- 11:00 PM (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Seoul International Park, 3250 San Marino Street, Los Angeles
Phone: (213) 487-9696;
www.lakoreanfestival.org

Nov 30, Dec 1 Japan Expo, Downtown LA Convention Center, West Hall A, 310.515.5699 Website: http://www.japanexpo.tv/ Email: info@japanexpo.tv

Japanese Summer (Obon) festivals: www.jaccc.org/event_%20related/summerfestivals2001.html

The Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, 91101, 626-449-2742) Family Festival schedule for 2002, Saturdays, 1-4:

July 20 Origami Festival

Aug. 17 Flavors of India

Sept. 21 Lacquer Ware of Myanmar

Oct. 19 Pakistan Festival

Nov. 16 Buddha: Faces of Enlightenment

Dec. 14 Pasko Sa Nayon

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This Weekend (and earlier)

June 29 Shasta Taiko & On Ensemble, 8PM, at the JACCC, $20

June 29 Asian American Philharmonic, Hyung Sang Joo, conductor John Anson Ford Amphitheatre 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, 8PM, $18-32, 323-461-3673

June 29 Fighting Separate Wars: Heroes Abroad, Outsiders at Home, Film Screening and Discussion at the JANM, 1:30 PM, Following the screening of excerpts from Looking Like the Enemy, directed by Robert Nakamura and written and produced by Karen Ishizuka, a diverse panel of World War II veterans look back and reflect on the experience of choosing to serve in the armed forces of a country in which their own civil rights were not (always) protected.

June 29 Escencia Flamenco Dance Company at Sacred Grounds, 399 W. 6th St., San Pedro. $15 admission, call 562-981-8502

June 26-30 TOSHIKO AKIYOSHI & LEW TABAKIN TRIO at at Catalina Bar & Grill,1640 North Cahuenga Boulevard, Hollywood 90028 (323) 466-2210, $16 cover + dinner or 2 drinks, http://catalinajazzclub.com/

June 29-30 Valley Japanese Community Center festival, 5-10PM, 8850 Lankershim Blvd., Sun Valley. Taiko, judo, karate, kendo, ondo, carnival games, calligraphy, tea ceremony, ikebana, sumi-e. 818-767-1408

June 29-30 Long Beach Japanese Cultural Center festival, 1766 Seabright Ave, Long Beach, 5-10PM. In addition to the usual cultural things and food, alternative rock band Negative Zero will perform. 714-236-0335

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Last Weekend

Saturday I bought a rush ticket for the musical revue "The World Goes Round" at the EWP. It was okay and very competently performed. Still running this week.

Sunday I made a quick visit to the Gardena Japanese Center Carnival and bought a 3gal. Begonia.

Yesterday I went to a screening of the independent documentary "Japanese Devils" at the Eqyptian Theatre in Hollywood. This film, praised at the Berlin Film Festival, records interviews with 14 Japanese war criminals who take you on a 160 minute trip into hell as they describe what they did in Manchuria. The screening was followed by a Q&A with the film maker Minoru Matsui. See www.midnighteye.com/reviews/japdevil.shtml [sorry about this URL, but that's how they spelled it] and asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/07/japan.devils/ for reviews of the film.

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Well, it's Obon season again. Every Japanese Buddhist Temple or community cultural center is having some kind of festival or carnival. This is a uniquely American practice. Real Japanese (ones directly from Japan) have told me that Obon is not observed this way in Japan. Sort of like Cinco de Mayo--people I know from Mexico tell me it's not a big event in the old country. Probably the St. Patrick Day's celebration in Chicago is like none in Ireland. Immigrant or affinity groups in this country have a tendency to create special festivals and celebrations that help reinforce their identity. The result is many opportunities for free entertainment and eating junk food-one of the reasons I love living in LA. Obon, if you're into Joseph Campbell or James Fraser, is your typical summer solstice festival. It's purpose is to appease the spirits of the dead. As I've mentioned before, it has parallels in the Hispanic Day of the dead during the winter solstice. For more info on obon, start at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2286.html. My experience is that obon festivals in the US, are open to the public and a lot of the events really aren't religion specific. So, find out when your local Buddhist temple or church is having its obon festival and drop in for your helping of cultural entertainment and junk food. If you go, do respect the sacred areas of the temples and remember that the revelry is usually low key.

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Washington Post article links:

Immigration Hearings Case Goes to High Court
U.S. Wants Justices to Block Order Opening Sessions on Terror Probe Suspects
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26081-2002Jun21.html

N. Korean Refugees Leave China
Beijing's About-Face Ends Embarrassing Month-Long Standoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33376-2002Jun23.html