THE APPA Newsletter

June 13, 2006

See 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. (substitute in your Enterprise and company, etc…)

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ed. by Douglas Ikemi

(dkikemi@pacbell.net)

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Back issues of the newsletter for all of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 are available at http://www.ikemi.info/APPA/newsletters.html if you want to look up some past event. The website www.apa-pro.org no longer exists. This newsletter was originally published under the auspices of the Hughes Asian Pacific Professional Association (no longer extant). It currently has no affiliation and is available to anyone who is interested in downloading it.

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Please send in information on cultural events and news items to dkikemi@pacbell.net or dkikemi@mac.com . 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

Los Angeles Public Library Celebrates our DiverseCity

http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography

Exhibition at UCLA June 11 - September 10, 2006

In 1996, artist/writer Mary Heebner and her husband, photographer Macduff Everton, traveled to the walled Kingdom of Lo in Nepal’s Mustang district to visit Heebner’s daughter, Sienna Craig, an anthropologist and writer who lived in Nepal intermittently from 1993–2005. They rode horses and trekked, stopping at villages along the way. In 2004, Heebner and Everton returned again to visit Craig, who was then working as a medical anthropologist in Lhasa, Tibet.

“Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography” — on view at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History from June 11 through Sept. 10 — is the result of a creative collaboration by Heebner, Craig and Everton, inspired by the landscape of these regions and the wall of painted boulders etched with Tibetan prayers (mani) that they encountered in Nepal.

In 2003, Heebner made individually pulp-painted sheets of paper, using variations of the ochre, gray and white stripes of the mani walls, to frame a collection of 12 sonnets that Craig had written about the Himalaya and Tibet. These sheets of paper became the loose-leaf pages of the elegant, limited-edition book, “A Sacred Geography: Sonnets of the Himalaya and Tibet,” which will be displayed at the Fowler in its entirety.

Heebner later used the same hues to create the “Mani Wall” series of paintings, also on display. Interspersed along the gallery walls will be a selection of 14 panoramic photographs of Nepal by Everton. Together, the words and images from this family project create a loving and personal tribute to this sacred region.

About the artists

Mary Heebner’s collages, paintings, works on paper and artist’s books are exhibited throughout the United States. A version of her artist’s book, “On the Blue Shore of Silence: Poems of the Sea by Pablo Neruda,” was published in 2004. She also writes travel articles for several magazines including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Life and National Geographic Traveler.

Macduff Everton’s widely published photographs are exhibited and collected around the world. He is a contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler and Islands Magazine, as well as a correspondent for Virtuoso Life. Currently he is updating his seminal book, “The Modern Maya.”

Sienna Craig is completing a Ph.D. in medical and cultural anthropology from Cornell University. In 1998–99, Craig and her husband, Kenneth Bauer, founded DROKPA, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to form partnerships with pastoral communities in the Himalaya and Central Asia to implement grass-roots development and catalyze social entrepreneurship. In addition to her dissertation research, since 2002 she has been an ethnographer and research coordinator with a National Institutes of Health/Global Network for Women’s Health project based in Lhasa, Tibet. Her memoir, “Horses Like Lightning: A Passage Through Mustang,” will be published in 2007.

Visiting the Fowler

“Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography” is presented in conjunction with the debut of a major, traveling exhibition, “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” and will be on view in the Fowler Museum’s Goldenberg Galleria. The Fowler Museum, part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, is located in the north part of the UCLA campus.

Related event: 1–4 p.m., Saturday, June 24, A World of Art Family Workshop: Books of Place

Write original poems about a special place — real or imagined — and combine them with watercolor paintings to create your own artist’s book based on the exhibition “Mani Wall and A Sacred Geography.” The cost is $10 for members; $15 for non-members. Reservations are required; call (310) 825-7325.

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

UCLA Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, CA 90095

The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama

Exhibition at UCLA June 11 - September 10, 2006

UCLA Fowler Museum to Premiere the Traveling Exhibition    Seventy-seven contemporary artists from 25 countries have contributed artworks for an exhibition inspired by the messages, vision and values of the Dalai Lama. “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama” — on view at the UCLA Fowler Museum from June 11-Sept. 10 — explores themes of peace, compassion, patience and tolerance. Participating artists have considered the Dalai Lama in a broad array of new and existing works made in a variety of media expressing their personal interpretations of and reflections on his philosophies and ideals.

A photograph of the Dalai Lama taken in India in 1998 by the late Richard Avedon was among the first works contributed to “The Missing Peace.” Many artists, including Bill Viola, Mike and Doug Starn, Sylvie Fleury, El Anatsui, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Michal Rovner and Chuck Close, have created new works for the exhibition. For example, Viola recently traveled to India to meet with the Dalai Lama to create a new work that will debut at the Fowler.

All works in the exhibition have been donated by the artists and will be auctioned to raise funds for the peace initiatives of the Dalai Lama Foundation and the Committee of 100 for Tibet, the co-sponsoring organizations. The Dalai Lama, who has met with “The Missing Peace” organizers on several occasions, supports the project and will be lending a work of art from his personal collection.

Darlene Markovich, president of the Committee of 100 for Tibet, is executive director of “The Missing Peace,” leading a team of more than 20 individuals and 17 international advisers who have been organizing the exhibition for more than two years.

“Our goal is to use art as inspiration and a catalyst to shift attention towards peace. We hope the exhibition will inspire others to explore and embrace these ideals,” Markovich said. “Peace may be elusive in our world, but the Dalai Lama consistently shows us that dedicating oneself to peace can have widespread positive impact.”

Randy Rosenberg, curator of “The Missing Peace,” formerly served as curator for the art collections of The World Bank and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The exhibition’s 77 artists bring their individual stories and experiences as well as a rich and diverse array of media and styles,” Rosenberg said, “but together their works speak eloquently to the Dalai Lama's vision of compassion, peace and the unity of all things.”

The exhibition and associated educational programs endeavor to make an enduring contribution to the global dialogue about peace. Extensive public programming planned in conjunction with the exhibition, from artists’ panels to family workshops that will encourage dialogue about peace and ethics, will be announced in the spring.

The Dalai Lama Foundation, founded in 2002, supports the development of our shared global capacity for ethics and peace. The Dalai Lama Foundation runs three initiatives: a free study guide and study circles on ethics and peace based on the Dalai Lama’s book “Ethics for a New Millennium,” online courses on ethics and peace topics, and curricula for “The Missing Peace.” Visit http://www.dalailamafoundation.org/.

Visiting the Fowler

The Fowler Museum is open from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays; and from noon until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The Fowler Museum, part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, is located in the north part of the UCLA campus. Admission is free. Campus parking is available for $8 in Lot 4.

For more information, please visit http://www.dlportrait.org

Time: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

UCLA Fowler Museum Los Angeles, CA 90095

Cost: Free

www. fowler.ucla.edu

Reflections of Beauty: Women from Japan’s Floating World

Exhibition at Pacific Asia Museum Through June 18, 2006

This exhibition explores notions of feminine beauty as reflected in Japanese art of the Edo period (1603-1868) depicting the courtesans (oiran) and entertainers (geisha) of the pleasure quarters or “floating world.”

Date: Friday, June 09, 2006

Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Pacific Asia Museum 46 N Robles Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Tel: (626) 449-2742

Merging: The Art of Diana Shui-Iu Wong March 18, 2006 – October 15, 2006

Merging features a collection of work that spans four decades, from Wong’s early impressionistic portraits and landscapes to recent abstract compositions inspired by the Chinese philosophy of the I Ching or The Book of Changes.

While Wong’s classical training in both Chinese and Western painting form the basis for her techniques, her study of the I-Ching offered her a decisive break from traditional modes as well as new creative directions. In 1962, Wong began to experiment beyond the conventions of her formal art training to explore the liberating complexity of abstraction. Discovering that she could express pride for her heritage and culture through her work, Wong has also found self- empowerment through her art making. Wong’s most recent work ventures boldly into abstraction while grounded in nature and the elements. Her striking images, like color-flooded snapshots of the cosmos, explore universal questions about being and balance.

Chinese American Museum

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

125 Paseo de la Plaza

Los Angeles, California 90012

www.camla.org, (213) 485-8567

Cancelled MOTTY-CHON By Perry Miyake, Directed by Alberto Isaac May 10 – June 4, 2006

Martin is 48-years old, single, works a dead-end job and lives at home with his aging Nisei parents Mits and Helen. His bachelor status is the perfect target for his meddling parents and their gossip-hungry friends. Then Gina, a white, 24-year old pierced and tattooed punker chick enters Martin’s life. What’s a parent to do? MOTTY-CHON is a comedy that shatters stereotypes about parental expectations and the search for love from the playwright of VISITORS FROM NAGASAKI and DOUGHBALL.

Preview Performances May 4-7, 2006 Thursday-Saturday @ 8 pm, Sunday @ 2 pm $20 all seats $10 all seats w/ student ID

Opening Night Wednesday, May 10, 2006 @ 8 pm $60 all seats Includes pre-show hosted bar and post-show reception.

Regular Performances May 11 – June 4, 2006 Thursday- Saturday @ 8 pm, Saturday & Sunday @ 2 pm (no matinee on 5/13) $35 Orchestra $30 Balcony

American Sign Language-interpreted performance May 27, 2006 @ 2 pm. Tickets $20 for deaf and hard of hearing patrons.

http://www.eastwestplayers.org/motty.htm

June 16, 2006

Friday - 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Taiko and Tsugaru Shamisen w/ Tom Kurai & Mike Penny

Riverside Plaza Shopping Center

Central Ave and 91 Freeway

Saturday, June 17, 10am-12:45pm

Wearable Beauty: Pacific Asia Museum

Celebrates Clothing & Costumes

On the closing weekend of the Reflections of Beauty exhibition, join us for a narrated fashion show and demonstrations of ethnic costumes and textiles, presented by the museum’s Chinese, Himalayan, Japanese, Korean, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippine and Thai Arts Councils and the Service Council. Free with museum admission.

Seating is limited, reservations required, call ext. 31. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742

June 17 Asia America Symphony and Ahn Trio perform at the Aratani Japan America Theatre, 8pm

$75 VIP & Reception, $35 Premiere, $25 General Seating

Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9

"From the New World"

Concert sponsored by George and Sakaye Aratani

For more information please call the Asia America Symphony Association (310) 377-8977 www.asiaamericasymphony.org

4th Annual Deaf Asia Festival Celebrates

"Asian Deaf Cultural Awareness" Everyone & You are invited!

What: Deaf Asia Festival 2006 at LA (Little Tokyo)

When: Saturday, June 17, 2006

Where: (JACCC) Japanese American Cultural Community Center at 244 South San Pedro Street (between 2nd & 3rd Streets), Los Angeles, CA 90012

Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Activities:

Exhibit & Conference

Asian Food Festival & Social Gatherings

Benefit Shows on Stage

Cultural Games & More Fun! Prizes! Shopping!

http://www.deafasia.org

June 18 Little Tokyo Concert and Food Fair 11AM-7PM JACCC Plaza 244 S. San Pedro St., Downtown LA. Free Admission to see Hiroshima’s June Kuramoto and Friends, Kiyoshi Graves, DJ Hideo, Miyuki Matsunaga, Soul Sacrifice, Opus, and more. Call 818-906-2161

June 25 Re-creation of Tang period tea ceremony, New Oani Hotel, Little Tokyo, 1PM and 3:30PM. Call Okamura at 323-728-1990 or Kichimi at 818-547-1122

June 24 & 25 at the Valley Japanese Community Center, Obon festival located at 8850 Lankershim Blvd., Sun Valley, CA. 91352. The hours are from 5-10 p.m. Ondo dancing will start at 7 p.m. on both evenings. Karate and Kendo demonstration on June 24 starts at 6 p.m. Judo demonstration on June 25 starts at 6 p.m. For those who want learn the ondo dances, practice sessions (every Tuesday and Friday night) are scheduled for June 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, and 20. Practices will begin at 7 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. Ondo, Odori Chairperson: Christine Inouye-Udo, (818) 825-9583. Carnival Chairperson: Shiro Musha, (818) 997-6080.

July 1 West Covina Obon

July 1-4 AnimeExpo, http://www.anime-expo.org/

July 8th and 9th40th Annual Obon Carnival Next Month!

Zenshuji Soto Mission Obon Carnival The festivities will run from 11am to 8pm . 123 S. Hewitt Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 624-8658 info@zenshuji.org

http://www.zenshuji.org/

July 9, 2006 Bridge USA Magazine Summer Japanese Festival Sunday - 5:00 pm, Torrance Cultural Center, Torrance Blvd & Madrona Ave, Torrance, Admission Required

Call: (310) 532-5921 for more information

July 8-9 Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple - pm Tel. (213) 680-9130, Fax (213) 680-2110 815 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

July 15,16 Pasadena Buddhist Church Obon (626) 798-4781

1993 Glen Ave

Pasadena, CA 91103

July 16, 2006 Sozenji Community Obon Festival Sunday - 12 noon - 7:00 pm

Sozenji Buddhist Temple, 3020 W. Beverly Blvd, Montebello, CA 90640. Free and open to the public. For information, call (323) 724-6866

The San Fernando Valley Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple will hold its Obon Festival on July 22 and 23. It will be held at the SFV Japanese-American Community Center, 12953 Branford St., Pacoima, CA 91331. Ondo dance practices will start on July 6 and will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.

July 29-30 Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple Obon Carnival, 505 E. 3^rd Street.,

July 29-Aug 20 The Fox Lantern, a family puppet theatre production set in feudal Japan. World premiere at Triumirate Pi Theatre, Sat 11AM & 2PM, Sun 2 &4PM. (no 2PM show Aug 5, no performances Aug 13. Centenary United Methodist Church Social Hall, 300 S. Central Ave., (3^rd & Central in Little Tokyo). $10 adults, $5 children, For reservations call 213-617-9097, email cumcshotokyo@aol.com.

Aug 12-20 Nisei Week, Downtown LA Little Tokyo

Parade Aug 13

Ondo Aug 20

http://www.niseiweek.org/

Aug 12-13 Tofu Festival, Downtown LA Little Tokyo

September 1st, 2nd, & 3^rd E Hula Mau 2006 E Hula Mau is Southern California's only Hula and Chant competition, staged annually every Labor Day weekend since 1995 by Na Mamo, a non-profit organization based in Southern California.

Our goal is to blend honored traditions with innovative ideas, and to present for everyone from participating halau to special friends and guests, a wonderful experience from the Hawaiian people.

For halau, we strive to give them a setting where their artistry can be presented at its best. For the audience, an opportunity to experience the kinetic poetry that is hula. We wish for all that they have the feeling of being welcomed as `ohana, or family.

E Hula Mau is three days of hula, mele, arts, crafts, food, and fellowship. It is held in the beautiful Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California. Participating halau come from all over the mainland United States.

E Hula Mau is Not Only a Competition...

E Hula Mau has cultural workshops to share the Hawaiian heritage. It also has associated events such as the E Hula Mau Kanikapila Jam, featuring live entertainment, hula show, `ono foods, local snacks (crackseeds), and beautiful arts and crafts. Bring your guitar or `ukulele and jam with us Saturday night after the competition at the host hotel in the courtyard. Check our website periodically for additional information.

To top off the weekend, the Mahalo Bash is held Sunday night after the competition, always featuring the best in contemporary Hawaiian entertainment.

The heritage lives on through you.

It's official, E Hula Mau 2006, the 12th annual edition of the event, is scheduled, so mark your calendar now. The specifics are:

Labor Day Weekend, September 1st, 2nd, & 3rd, 2006

Terrace Theater

Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center www.longbeachcc.com/maps.htm

namamo.org

September 16, 2006 Queen Mary Asian Heritage Festival Saturday - 5:00 pm Queen Mary Special Events Park, Long Beach, CA

October 7 34^th Annual Akimatsuri Fall Festival 12-8PM East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center,

1203 West Puente Avenue

West Covina, California 91790

http://esgvjcc.741.com/home.htm

SAVE YOUR SATURDAY NIGHTS FOR COLD TOFU!

AND NOW - WATCH VIDEOS ONLINE!

Join us for our monthly improv shows at Maryknoll!

Upcoming shows in 2006!

MAY 20, 7:30 pm

JUNE 17, 7:30 pm

JULY 22, 7:30 pm

AUGUST 19, 7:30 pm

SEPTEMBER 23, 7:30 pm

OCTOBER 21, 7:30 pm

NOVEMBER 18, 7:30 pm

DECEMBER 16, 7:30 pm

Maryknoll Catholic Center

222 S. Hewitt St., LA 90012 (Located east of Alameda, between 2nd & 3rd Streets) Admission: Pay-What-You-Can

Make your reservations by calling (213) 739-4142 or e-mail us at coldtofu@hotmail.com. Email for details. www.coldtofu.com

See LA Library DiverseCity events at http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/events/diversecity/index.html

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This Weekend (and earlier)

June 15, 2006 El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Park, the Chinese American Museum (CAM), Asian Pacific Americans for Progress (APAP) and the Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater LA (OCA-GLA) cordially invite you to:

Asian Americans and Immigration Reform: Where Do We Stand? An Educational/Discussion Forum on Issues of Concern for the Asian Pacific Islander Community

Thursday, 6:00 - 7:00 PM Reception and check-in 7:00 - 8:30 PM Panel discussion

Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles CA 90012

Complimentary food and refreshments will be provided.

This event is free, but space is limited. Reservations are highly encouraged. To RSVP, send your name and number of guests to: apafp@apaforprogress.org

Speakers include: Mike Eng, Monterey Park City Councilmember and Former Mayor, Immigration Law Attorney

Anna Prasad, Executive Director, US-Asia Business Forum

Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, Executive Director, Pilipino Workers' Center

John Trasviña, Interim President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Center for Labor Research

Su Yon Yi, Director of Special Projects, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium

APAP is a national network of progressive Asian Americans. Additional immigration forums are planned for San Francisco (July 5) and San Diego (July 15). For more info, go to: apaforprogress.org

OCA is dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. For more info, go to: oca-gla.org

Driving In L.A. by Henrietta Chico Nofre

June 15, 2006 A Staged Reading by East West Players Writers Gallery 7:30pm

A Los Angeles native, Henrietta Chico Nofre is an alumnus of the East West Players' David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. Nofre's short stories are included in the anthology Going Home to a Landscape: Writing by Filipinas. Driving In L.A. is the second place winner of the East West Players Got Laughs? 2005 competition.

Developing new works and introducing new talent is vital to the creative process at East West Players. Promising new scripts are presented to the public as staged readings offering a tantalizing glimpse of works, which may be developed for the main stage.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 369 East First Street Los Angeles, California 90012, phone: (213) 625-0414, fax: (213) 625-1770

June 16, 2006

Friday - 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Taiko and Tsugaru Shamisen w/ Tom Kurai & Mike Penny

Riverside Plaza Shopping Center

Central Ave and 91 Freeway

Saturday, June 17, 10am-12:45pm

Wearable Beauty: Pacific Asia Museum

Celebrates Clothing & Costumes

Seating is limited, reservations required, call ext. 31. Pacific Asia Museum, 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626)449-2742

June 17 Asia America Symphony and Ahn Trio perform at the Aratani Japan America Theatre, 8pm

$75 VIP & Reception, $35 Premiere, $25 General Seating

Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9

"From the New World"

Concert sponsored by George and Sakaye Aratani

For more information please call the Asia America Symphony Association (310) 377-8977 www.asiaamericasymphony.org

4th Annual Deaf Asia Festival Celebrates

"Asian Deaf Cultural Awareness" Everyone & You are invited!

What: Deaf Asia Festival 2006 at LA (Little Tokyo)

When: Saturday, June 17, 2006

Where: (JACCC) Japanese American Cultural Community Center at 244 South San Pedro Street (between 2nd & 3rd Streets), Los Angeles, CA 90012

Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Activities:

Exhibit & Conference

Asian Food Festival & Social Gatherings

Benefit Shows on Stage

Cultural Games & More Fun! Prizes! Shopping!

http://www.deafasia.org

June 17, 2006 Exposition - India Contemporary

At Pacific Asia Museum

One day only exposition of brand new works from some of India’s leading contemporary artists.

Works by ten artists in the auditorium; reception with refreshments in the courtyard.

Saturday, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Pacific Asia Museum 46 N Robles Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

Cost: Free

www.pacificasiamuseum.org

June 17, Little Tokyo Walking Tour

10:15am, 12:15pm

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents on this historic walking tour.

$8 for National Museum members and $13 for non-members, includes Museum admission. Reservations along with comfortable walking shoes and clothes are recommended. Weather permitting.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 369 East First Street Los Angeles, California 90012, phone: (213) 625-0414, fax: (213) 625-1770

June 17, Film Screening & Discussion: Citizen Tanouye

2:00pm

In 2004, when the Ted Tanouye Memorial was dedicated in Torrance, California on the sixtieth anniversary of his heroic action on Hill 140, eight ethnically diverse high school students began to research and piece together his story and that of his family incarcerated in Jerome, Arkansas. What starts as a quest for the history of their local (and national) hero of the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team quickly develops into a universal story about how a people's struggle for acceptance as Americans and one man's action sixty years earlier can profoundly affect the lives of today's youth.

The National Museum presents a special screening of Citizen Tanouye, the award-winning documentary that follows the three-day journey of these eight students as they uncover the lost story of local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient Technical Sgt. Ted Tanouye. Following the screening students, veterans, and historians will share their experiences.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 369 East First Street Los Angeles, California 90012, phone: (213) 625-0414, fax: (213) 625-1770

June 17 Azuma School of Classical Japanese Dance Student Recital at Newbury Park High School Performing Arts Center 456 N. Reino Rd. in Newbury Park 1320 (101 North, go south on Borchard (1.8 mi), turn right onto Reino (0.4 mi)) at 1:30PM. $8 general admission, 636-484-2803, kikusue@azuma-us.com, http://www.azuma-us.com/

June 19 & 20, The Next Big Bang: Explosion of Asian American Theatre

Showcases: 8:30pm

Aratani Japan America Theatre

$10 Admission

East West Players hosts the first ever Asian American Theatre Conference and two showcase performances featuring some of the top Asian American theatre performance from across the nation.

For more information visit www.nextbigbang.org or call East West Players at (213) 625-7000. Registration is currently open online and performers of Asian American theatre, performance, and storytelling are urged to participate and make your voice heard. Attendance capacity is 200, so ealy registration is encouraged.

Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 South San Pedro Street, Suite 505, (between 2nd and 3rd Streets) Los Angeles (Little Tokyo), CA 90012, (213) 628-2725

Last weekend I went to:

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Links to selected articles from the LA Times. To actually access the articles, you may have to sign up for a free account.

China's Trade Surplus Hits a Record

Last month's record imbalance may increase pressure on Beijing to revalue its currency.

By Don Lee, Times Staff Writer

June 13, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chitrade13jun13,1,6266210.story

Mixed-Race Asians Find Pride as Hapas

A new book and an art exhibit in L.A. reflect an evolution in perceptions of a multiracial group historically made to feel like outsiders.

By Teresa Watanabe, Times Staff Writer

June 11, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hapas11jun11,1,7184776.story

Wealth, Poverty, Anger Live Together in Venice

By Martha Groves and Lisa Richardson, Times Staff Writers

June 9, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-venice9jun09,1,6448125.story

Inspiration From the Asian Screens

Japan's ultraviolent "Battle Royale" is headed for a remake. Here are other U.S. films first hatched in the East.

By Deborah Netburn, Times Staff Writer

June 8, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-spinoff-asianremake8jun08,1,5760714.story

SHOWBIZ SEVENS

Best Things About a Tokyo Shoot

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-spinoffs-sevens-lin13jun13,1,4177443.htmlstory

U.S. foot-dragging fuels global warming

By the time we get proof of climate change, it will be too late to reverse course.

By Elizabeth Kolbert, Elizabeth Kolbert, a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1999, is the author of "Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change," published earlier this year by Bloomsbury.

June 11, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-kolbert11jun11,1,3785359.story

Services for Japanese American Activist Sue Embrey Set for June 17

June 9, 2006

A memorial service for Sue Kunitomi Embrey, a former Manzanar internee and Japanese American activist who died May 15, will be held June 17.

The program — to include a Buddhist service, music, poetry and recollections from family and friends — is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. at Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, 505 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles.

Details: (323) 662-5102.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-embrey9jun09,1,1354817.story

Vietnamese Start-Up Bids for Online Sales Market

By Amy Kazmin, Financial Times

June 12, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-ft-vietnam12jun12,1,4166743.story