THE APPA Newsletter

THE APPA Newsletter

December 2, 2003

EDWARD DAY COHOTA, CIVIL WAR VETERAN

Chinese immigrant who fought for freedom in America

.http://www.rootsweb.com/~necherry/Cohota.htm

http://members.aol.com/gordonkwok/accsacw_link.html

See This Weekend

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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

(dkikemi@pacbell.net, dkikemi01@sprintpcs.com)

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The internet site is 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, 2002, and 2003 are available on the website if you want to look up some past event.

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APPA Board Meeting Schedule for 2003:

Evening meetings open to the public will be at the Hilton Garden Inn, 2100 Mariposa Ave.(corner of Nash)‎‎ 310/726-0100.

(finished for the year)

Detailed, updated calendar is available on the internet at www.apa-pro.org in Acrobat and Excel formats . Please send in information on cultural events and news items. Thanks to those who have.

Long range calendar items:

Chinatown Farmers Market Every Thursday, 3:00pm to 7:00pm Chinatown Business Improvement District http://www.ChinatownLA.com/ For Information (213)‎ 680-0243

Nov 1-Feb 1, Korean Costumes Exhibit at the Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles, Pasadena 91101, 626-449-2742.

Dec 11 Cultural Affairs - APEX Pages and Plates, Thursday. APEX is proud to host Pages & Plates, a Cultural Affairs series to celebrate Asian Pacific American heritage. Pages & Plates is a combination of a book club and a restaurant club. APEX members are invited to dine at a restaurant and to discuss the book of the month. By tying together the love for literature with the love for food, APEX hopes that Pages & Plates enables its members to

discover a new dimension of Asian Pacific American heritage. Pages and

Plates are held every first Thursday of the month. The book for December is "In Full Bloom" by Carolyn Hwang. We encourage members to finish the book and contribute to the discussion. However, folks who want to participate without having read the book are welcomed. 7pm-9pm at The Dragon, 966 S. Vermont Ave., Koreatown, LA, 213-387-8833. Free, RSVP required as seating is limited. APEX members get priority seating. Contact: Charles Ferrari, APEX Associate Chair of Cultural Affairs, at jcharlesferrari@mac.com

Dec 13 Craft Class with Ryosen Shibata 1:00pm Christmas Ornaments. Deck the halls with your own geometric ornaments (most ornaments will be crafted out of yarn). Class fees are $5 for National Museum members and $11 for non-members, includes Museum admission and supplies. At the JANM

Dec 13 A Taste for Strawberries: The Independent Journey of Nisei Farmer Manabi Hirasaki, by Manabi Hirasaki with Naomi Hirahara, 1:30pm BOOK SIGNING AND DISCUSSION A Taste for Strawberries: The Independent Journey of Nisei Farmer Manabi Hirasaki recounts one man's relationship with the world of commercially grown strawberries. Entrepreneur, philanthropist, veteran, and visionary, Hirasaki's memoir-style account of his journey through life as a strawberry farmer is certain to touch the lives of readers everywhere. Hirasaki and Naomi Hirahara will speak about the process of writing the biography.At the JANM, www.janm.org

Dec 20 Gallery Talk at the JANM 2:00-3:00pm The exhibition Object Lessons: Exploring the Permanent Collection features a wide range of artifacts that serve as concrete evidence of history. Join Associate Curator Sojin Kim and Assistant Curator Lisa Itagaki Assistant Curator as they share the stories behind the objects.

Dec 21 A Taste of Holiday Traditions at the JANM 1PM-4pm Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa. Learn the traditions of each of these festive holidays, including the art, crafts, food, and music that makes each unique and culturally important. You will also have an opportunity to create your own special gifts.

Dec 20, 21 "The Spirit of the Season" HIROSHIMA in Concert, Aratani/Japan America Theatre. In "The Spirit of the Season" join our favorite Asian American jazz band Hiroshima for our annual holiday concert. This is an opportunity to gather the family together, young and old, to celebrate and honor relationships, community and the Japanese American culture. Songs of the season from Hiroshima's CD "Spirit of the Season" and new songs from their latest release, "The Bridge" will be featured. A J-TOWN BEAT Event. $30, $25 JACCC Members, $35 orchestra, $30 balcony, Holiday Family Special $30, $25 (Groups of 6 or more) For information and tickets call the box office at 213.680.3700. www.jaccc.org

Dec 28 Little Tokyo Community Mochitsuki, JACCC Plaza. Join in the Japanese tradition of making mochi, pounded rice cakes, for the new year. Traditionally in rural areas, families would pound their own mochi for the New Year ozoni, or good luck soup. Participants can purchase mochi to take home. To register to particpate.call Miles Hamada at 213.628.2725, ext 114 or email at hamada@jaccc.org. Free to the public

Dec China Expo, LA Convention Center [ I have not heard anything more about this.]

March 21, 2004 Live at the Armstrong - George Takei. 4:00 pm Tickets $30.

As part of the American Perspectives Series ...Salute to Liberty

Recognized worldwide as a member of the original Star Trek cast, Los Angeles native, George Takei is an actor, community and political activist, author, long distance runner and lecturer. Mr. Takei spent most of his childhood behind the barbed-wire enclosures of United States internment camps during World War II. His optimistic vision is a world where people from all backgrounds work together to overcome problems. Armstrong Theatre at 3330 Civic Center Drive in Torrance. Questions: 310-738-8011. Box Office: 310-781-7171

April 3, 2004 Also the Peanut Gallery Series which is especially popular with children two to six years of age is featuring Korean Classical Dance, Saturday Morning 10 am. Tickets $5.50 - $8.00, Armstrong Theatre. The Company performs graceful and elegant ceremonial and social dances that present a stunning vision of traditional Korean art. A thrilling drum dance is featured in a rich and vaired repertoire of exciting dances that are an integral part of the Korean culture.

The Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, 91101, 626-449-2742) Family Festival schedule for 2003, Saturdays, 1-4:

Dec 13 Pasko Sa Nayon

From: "Kristine Minami" <dc@jacl.org>

Subject: Fw: cover story honoring JA vets

This month's issue of Soldiers (the official publication of the US Army) magazine's cover story is "Go for Broke!" honoring the Japanese American WWII vets. The 9-page feature does a pretty good job of telling the story of several HI vets and the context in which they fought. The editor introduces the story with: "THIS month's issue of Soldiers is dedicated to veterans - both past and present - who have answered our nation's call. Perhaps no group of veterans has shown more patriotism, valor and fidelity than the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion. These Japanese-Americans, many of whom had loved ones in U.S. government detention camps, fought courageously in some of the most horrific battles of World War II. " The issue is available on-line at http://www.army.mil/soldiers/ and I have attached the PDF file of the story for your convenience. Please forward to anyone who might be interested.

Kristine Minami

Japanese American Citizens League

1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 730

Washington, DC 20036

ph: (202) 223-1240

fax: (202) 296-8082

Please visit our website at www.jacl.org

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This Weekend (and earlier)

Dec 6 Fine Arts - Flowers in Harmony: The Japanese Art of Ikebana At the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, World of Art Family Workshop. Hisoko Shohara, president of the LA chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana, will teach participants how to create their elegant arrangements while learning the design elements key to this art form. $5 material fee for Fowler members; $10 for non-members. Reservations required; call 310-825-8655. Not intended for young children. 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA Campus, Los Angeles, CA 90095, Free, $5 material fee for Fowler members; $10 for non-members. Reservations required; call 310-825-8655. For more information please contact UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History Tel: 310-825-8655, fowlerws@arts.ucla.edu, www.fowler.ucla.edu

Dec 7 Music of Edo Concert at the JACCC Garden Room, 2PM, $20. Japanese Traditional Performing Arts Organization, 310-378-3550

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Doug - Please include in your next APPA publication

DAY OF INDEPENDENCE

This is a "docudrama" about a Japanese American family in the internment camps of the World War II era. For those attending, please look for my cousin, Lisa Joe, who sings the National Anthem in the opening scenes and also is the "choir director". As piece of "inside information", Lisa plays the part of a young woman named "Frances", in memory of her later mother (my aunt) Sue Okabe (Frances was Sue's "real" first name). I encourage all of you to go see this docudrama, both to learn about an aspect of Asian American Heritage, and to support a production from an Asian American company starring an Asian American cast. This is playing in limited release in public theaters to qualify for Academy Award nomination.

http://www.cedargroveproductions.com/doipostproduction.htm

Jeff Dohzen

[The film is showing again this Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 and 11:30AM at the Redondo Beach Cinema 3, 1509 Hawthorne Blvd, adjacent to the South Bay Bowl. ]

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Last Weekend

I returned for a more leisurely viewing of the Manjiro exhibit at the JANM. The journey, from whaling around the world to making a fortune in the California Goldrush, are the stuff of fiction.

I did see the short Day of Independence mentioned above.

I saw Masha no Home at the East West Players. This uneven play is another installment in the dysfunctional Asian American family genre. The scenes that revolve around Masha and her brother are kind of unconvincing, although the side story of Felix and his father rings truer and has some real drama. Also, the final scenes with the wife Annabelle are hilarious and almost worth the price of admission.

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LA Times: (The Times are requiring registration again, but you might as well sign up for the free on-line access to their articles. This week they may even be accessible without registration)

Nov 30 THE NATION

Generous to a Fault or Faulty Generosity?

Zell Kravinsky gave away millions, then a kidney. He's tempted to give away his other one.

By Jerry Schwartz, Associated Press Writer

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-adna-giver30nov30,1,3425419.story

Nov 29 N BRIEF / SAN FRANCISCO

Japan's Princess Sayako Tours Asian Museum

From Times Wire Reports

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sbriefs29nov29,1,323158.story

Nov 27 HE NATION

HIV Infection Among Gay Men Jumps 17%

U.S. data, which exclude California and New York, show a steeper increase for Latinos.

From Times Wire Services

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-aids27nov27,1,6920661.story

Nov 28 Wealth Is the Driver as Golf Soars in Popularity in China

Developers plan next year to double, to 400, the number of courses in the country. One club expects to have a record 180 holes, some designed by top player Annika Sorenstam.

From Bloomberg News

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chigolf28nov28,1,248371.story

Nov 27 EDITORIAL

Holiday Fund Inspires Hope

I've been in WRAP Family Services for about two years," wrote Leeza, a 13-year-old from a troubled Long Beach family.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-timesfund27nov27,1,7818733.story

Dec 2 In Japan, a Significant Product Liability Suit

By Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mitsubishi2dec02,1,970530.story

Nov 29 OBITUARIES

Albert Nozaki, 91; Art Director for Movie 'War of the Worlds'

By Dennis McLellan, Times Staff Writer