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An email from my friend, Gene. He says, "APAICS is now accepting applications for their 2009 Summer Internships. As a former APAICS intern and Fellow, I would highly recommend this program for anyone who wants to come to DC and learn more about our government and what it means to have a career in the public sector."

--

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) invites college students to apply to the 2009 Summer Internship Program in Washington, DC. The term of the internship will be from June 8 to July 31, 2009.

APAICS is a non-partisan, non-profit, educational organization whose mission is to promote the participation of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the political process. Through our internship program, APAICS hopes to encourage the political and civic involvement of young people, to foster their interest in political and public policy-related careers, and to develop their leadership skills.

APAICS places our interns in the U.S. Congress, federal agencies and institutions that further APAICS' mission. Interns attending continental U.S. schools will receive a stipend. Interns attending Hawaii schools, or who live in Hawaii or any of our Pacific Islands, will also receive a stipend and a small amount to help cover additional transportation costs. All interns will be required to complete weekly journals, and a program evaluation at the end of the internship. A schedule of intern activities, which will also be sent to the supervisors, will be provided upon arrival to Washington, DC.

This in from The New York Times, former prostitutes from South Korea are blaming their government for "encouraging them to have sex with the American soldiers who protected South Korea from North Korea. They also accuse past South Korean governments, and the United States military, of taking a direct hand in the sex trade from the 1960s through the 1980s, working together to build a testing and treatment system to ensure that prostitutes were disease-free for American troops."

The scandal of it all is that both South Korea and the United States are publicly against "illegal activities of human trafficking and prostitution" (South Korea even has a Ministry of Gender Equality), so this whole ordeal makes them look like big fat hypocrites. Oops! Better think twice before you use sex to regulate military and diplomacy.

(Thanks for the tip, Linda)

Yay Sanjay


"Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has been tapped to join the Obama administration as Surgeon General." Read more at Racewire.

I'm a sucker for authenticity (pirated software and cheap knockoff bags excluded), which is why movies sometimes infuriate me, because they always prove that such a thing doesn't exist. We've seen it happen with movies that are "inspired" or "based on" TV shows, comic books, and earlier films that are already classics (and, in my opinion, should not be touched again). Random example: When Disturbia, I found out, was supposed to be a modern, updated version of Hitchock's Rear Window, you should've seen the shit fly in my living room. But what can you do? Everything is inspired in some way or another. Can I even say that Hitchcock is foundational and "untouchable", or is this equally ignorant because I haven't looked further enough into his own influences?

Anyway, enough of that college-essay talk. I'll do a cheap lead-in here and discuss Hollywood's most recent example of its violating that which is authentic or has already been institutionally established. This is its decision to "remake" earlier and probably better films that became cult hits in Asia. Ringu (The Ring), My Sassy Girl (the remake for this one didn't even hit theaters), and Dragonball Z instantly come to mind. Oh, and the Infernal Affairs series, but everyone argues over that one (and, admittedly, The Departed was pretty kickass). Basically, remakes suck.

So if this is a pattern of Hollywood, and bicultural kids like myself who know the originals are condemning Hollywood, tell me WHY things like this still happen:


According to IMDB, The Ramen Girl goes like this: "An American woman is stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. Searching for direction in life, she trains to be a râmen chef under a tyrannical Japanese master." Tofugu, who wrote the entry "'The Ramen Girl' Makes Me Want to Cry", outed the movie as a remake/rip-off of Tampopo (タンポポ).


Setting aside the facts that there are a lot of marketing issues involved, that ownership over a story or idea is really hard to claim, and that maybe remakes are actually a twisted form of flattery, I think this is bullshit. You can argue that remakes are a re-imagining of an earlier story, or a new "spin" of it, so it shouldn't be held to the earlier piece. But everybody compares a remake to the original, once the fact that it's a remake is made public. The really crazy part of me wants to map this pattern onto a history of colonialism and the West's idea that it can take ownership of things that aren't its own (museum artifacts, anybody?), but I won't even go there.

To read the Tofugu entry, which is much less convoluted, go here.

As Nhu-Y says, "looks like a good opportunity if you want to be in DC, work for progressive causes... and be paid!"

On the heels of an historic election, in which young people organized, got involved and voted in record numbers, we're excited about a critical opportunity to build on this momentum and activate a new generation of progressive leaders.

CPL's New Leaders Program connects talented and diverse youth to paid positions at leading progressive organizations and provides training, mentorship, coaching, and networking to help jump start life-long careers in progressive politics.

Each summer, CPL's New Leaders Internship Program brings 50 passionate young people from underrepresented communities to Washington DC for paid, on-the-job experience in a top progressive organization, as well as leadership training, coaching, networking and community building.

CPL's New Leaders Program is looking for young people who have demonstrated their passion for progressive change and are interested in a paid summer internship in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about the 2009 CPL New Leaders Internship

"What I appreciated the most about interning as a CPL New Leader is that it has opened doors that would otherwise be closed to Washington 'outsiders.' I will be forever grateful to CPL for giving me a chance to pursue meaningful work that will lay the foundation for a successful career in social justice work."

- Kesia Brown, 2007 New Leaders Intern and now full-time staff at National Partnership for Women and Families

And if you are a recent graduate or no longer in school, we also offer a training program for young leaders starting or seeking full-time, entry-level positions with progressive organizations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

Read about the 2009 CPL New Leaders Program in OH, PA and DC

Help us maintain the momentum for change in this country by identifying, training and supporting the next generation of progressive leaders.

Applications are open for the 2009 CPL New Leaders Internship

If you know a passionate young leader who is committed to progressive change and wants to start a career in politics, then nominate them today!

Over the past few months, I have been involved with the movement to create a United States Public Service Academy. At its basic level, this academy would be the civilian counterpart to the military academies. Students would attend this new university (most likely built in D.C.) tuition-free for four years and in exchange give a minimum of five years of civilian service (federal, state, or local level).

There are two pieces of legislation in Congress right now to make this academy happen (in the House and Senate, respectively), but we need more support. One of the best things about this initiative is that it has been very grassroots, especially with young people pushing these bills through.

We have set up a National Youth Council and Youth Advisory Councils in all 50 state as a mechanism to get more students involved and help to influence organizations and policy makers in their respective states.

If you would like to get more involved or know anyone who would be interested, please visit the USPSA's website at http://uspublicserviceacademy.org.

Some specific things you can do now to support the USPSA:

--Sign the Petition: http://uspublicserviceacademy.org/take-action/student-petition
--Contact your Representatives and Senators: Let your voice be heard by emailing/calling/snail-mailing your state's Congressional delegation and telling them to support S. 960 and H.R. 1671, The U.S. Public Service Academy Acts.
--And as mentioned earlier, you can join your state's Youth Advisory Council and help build the Academy through youth mobilization, political action, and Academy-blueprint feedback.

Also, USPSA and one of its co-founders, Chris Myers Asch, was featured in the New York Times Today. Check it out.

You can also join the Facebook group.

I do sincerely hope those reading get involved. It is a great way to engage young people and send a message that public service is truly valued.

Well, I guess I can safely say that when it comes to sending e-mails about internship opportunities, AALDEF is guilty of this:


I kid (sort of). AALDEF is great, their people are great, which is why we work with them so much, and they obviously have a ton of opportunities. So if you are really into what AALDEF does, or have four hours to kill, then read the rest of this entry.

2009 SUMMER LEGAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is the first organization on the East Coast to protect and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, and community education. For more information about AALDEF, please visit our website at www.aaldef.org.

Internships for the summer of 2009 are available in the following program areas:
  • Anti-Trafficking Initiative, legal research on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as well as outreach, community education, and advocacy on the rights of women and youth trafficking survivors.
  • Community Health Care Initiative, legal research, as well as community education and outreach in the areas of immigration, government benefits, language rights, and health care access;
  • Economic Justice for Workers, litigation on behalf of garment, restaurant, and other low wage workers;
  • Educational Equity and Youth Rights, legal services, policy work, community education, research and litigation concerning educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting;
  • Housing Justice Project, direct legal services, community outreach/education, and litigation on housing and land use issues affecting low-income Asian immigrant communities;
  • Immigrant Access to Justice, litigation, legal services, and organizing/outreach with communities impacted by 9-11, including special interest detainees, special registration, voluntary interviews by the government, the 9-11 absconder initiative, and local and state enforcement of immigration laws;
  • New Jersey Asian American Legal Project, community outreach, education, and legal services to Asian Americans in New Jersey, as well as community organizing and litigation on employment-related claims for Asian immigrant workers in New Jersey.
  • South Asian Workers Project, direct legal services on employment-related claims to South Asian immigrant workers, as well as community education and advocacy; and
  • Voting Rights, legal research and fact development under the Voting Rights Act and Equal Protection Clause challenging anti-Asian voter discrimination, advocacy on bilingual ballots, and state and local election reform; produce reports and organize public forums.
Description of Summer Internship Program:
The summer program is ten weeks, from approximately June 1st through August 7th. Interns work full time and are supervised by attorneys in specific program areas. Interns will work on litigation, particularly legal research and writing, legal and policy advocacy, community outreach and education, and client intakes. Each program area differs in emphasis. Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups. AALDEF also provides trainings in housing law, naturalization procedures, and immigration law. The position is unpaid. However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding. Academic credit can be arranged.

To Apply:
  • Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to be received by AALDEF on or before Friday, January 30, 2009 at the address below. Please indicate the top three program areas on which you would be interested in focusing. Fax or email applications are acceptable.
  • Any bilingual ability should be stated in the application. Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Gujarati, Hindi, Khmer, Korean, and Urdu-speaking applicants are especially urged to apply.
  • Applications will be reviewed upon receipt until the January 30, 2009 deadline. Interviewing will take place in February, however, some interviews may be conducted on a rolling basis prior to that time.

    Summer Internship Search (Legal)
    Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
    99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
    New York , New York 10013-2815
    Fax: 212-966-4303
    Email: info@aaldef.org
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932 x212 or jweng@aaldef.org
Ivy Suriyopas at 212-966-5932 x235 or isuriyopas@aaldef.org
*Please do not email applications to jweng@aaldef.org or isuriyopas@aaldef.org

SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIPS 2009

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is the first organization on the East Coast to protect and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy and community education. Current program priorities include economic justice for workers, immigrants’ rights, voting rights and civic participation, human trafficking, language rights, affirmative action, the elimination of anti-Asian violence and police brutality, youth rights and educational equity, and the assistance of low-income Chinatown residents and workers affected by 9-11. For more information about AALDEF, visit our website at www.aaldef.org.

Summer interns attend weekly brown bag lectures on a range of public interest legal topics along with interns from other legal defense funds and civil rights groups. AALDEF also provides trainings in housing law, naturalization procedures, and immigration law. The summer program is ten (10) weeks, beginning approximately June 1st through August 7th. The position is unpaid. However, in previous years many AALDEF interns have been successful at securing independent funding and work-study funds may also be available. Academic credit can be arranged.
  • Voting Rights Intern: Responsibilities include coordinating voter registration drives, researching the Voting Rights Act, anti-Asian voter discrimination, bilingual ballots, and Asian American political opinion; advocating on state and local election reform proposals; developing reports and organizing forums on the Asian American vote.
  • NJ Asian American Legal Project Intern: Responsibilities include conducting community outreach and presentations with Asian immigrant workers and community members in New Jersey ; performing client intake and legal interpretation, and; coordinating client referrals. Bilingual ability in Gujarati, Hindi, or Korean is highly preferred.
  • Youth Rights and Educational Equity Intern: Responsibilities include community outreach and presentations with Asian American youth groups, public education policy research, assistance with client intakes and general support for projects on educational equity, juvenile justice, affirmative action, and post 9-11 hate violence and racial targeting.
  • Office Assistant: Responsibilities include data entry, organizing press clippings, answering phones, doing mailings, assisting with fundraising and other events, and performing general clerical duties. Other responsibilities include providing support for community education and outreach projects and acting as an interpreter/translator. Computer experience with databases, graphics and web programs are helpful. Bilingual ability in an Asian language is desirable but not required.
Requirements:
  • Candidates must be detail-oriented and possess strong writing skills. Spoken and written knowledge of Korean, Bangla, Chinese, or another Asian language is a plus.
  • Qualified applicants should indicate which internship they are applying for and send a resume and cover letter by Friday, February 13 to:

    Summer Undergraduate Intern Search
    Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
    99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
    New York , New York 10013
    fax: 212.966.4303
    or email: info@aaldef.org
For more information, contact Jennifer Weng at 212-966-5932, ext. 212 or jweng@aaldef.org .

Pfizer Inc/AALDEF Corporate Legal Internship Program

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 35-year old New York-based civil rights organization, is collaborating with Pfizer Inc to seek qualified law students interested in obtaining a unique experience in a corporate legal environment.

Pfizer Inc, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, believes that an inclusive workplace leverages the diversity of its customers, markets and colleagues to the mutual advantage of the company and the individual. AALDEF is assisting Pfizer in the recruitment of highly qualified Asian American law students who are considering careers in corporate legal departments.

Student interns will work in a team environment on a wide range of summer projects in such areas as employment, intellectual property, commercial transactions, regulatory and international law. This summer internship will not lead to a permanent position at the completion of the program or immediately after graduation. Pfizer Inc., however, provides student interns with mentors who will provide professional guidance and career counseling.

Applicants must be enrolled as a first-year or second-year law student in an accredited law school and have a minimum college Grade Point Average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. This internship program runs for approximately 10-12 weeks with a stipend to be provided.

Students interested in being considered for the Pfizer Inc./AALDEF Corporate Legal Internship Program should send a cover letter, legal writing sample, and a resume with the names of two references, one of which must be an academic reference to the following address:

Pfizer Inc / AALDEF Corporate Legal Internship Program
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York , NY 10013-2815
Fax: 212.966.4303
Email: info@aaldef.org

AALDEF must receive all applications no later than Friday, January 30, 2009.

Applicants who would also like to be considered for a summer legal internship at AALDEF should so indicate in their cover letters.

Change.org recently sent this e-mail to Nhu-Y's friend Olga M., who forwarded it to Nhu-Y, who forwarded it to us:

Hello Olga,

We're happy to let you know that the final round of voting for the Ideas for Change in America competition begins today, and an idea you voted for – Pass the DREAM Act - Support Higher Education for All Students – qualified for the final round!

Voting has been reset to zero for the final round, so this idea needs your vote again. To vote, click on the following link:

www.change.org/ideas/view/pass_the_dream_act_now

You can further help support this idea by forwarding this link to friends, or posting it on your blog, Twitter account, or Facebook profile if you have one.

The final round of voting ends on January 15, and the following day we are co-hosting an event at the National Press Club with the Case Foundation to announce the top 10 rated ideas and present them to the Obama administration. We will then launch a national campaign in coordination with our nonprofit partners to ensure that each idea gets the full consideration of the administration and 111th Congress.

To select your "Top 10 Ideas for America," go to www.change.org/ideas today.

We look forward to seeing you on the site!

- The Change.org Team

This in from Feministing and The Christian Science Monitor:

China has the highest number of internet users in the world and many of them are "internet addicts"... China has the world's largest number of Internet users - 290 million and counting, with 70 percent under the age of 30. And a recent survey of Internet use by global market information group TNS found that Chinese spend the highest proportion of their leisure time online - 44 percent - out of users in 16 countries.
SURPRISE. Actually, no, this isn't surprising, since China is the country with the greatest population in the world. I'm kind of skeptical of this statment, because what counts as leisure anyway? Isn't that something that is culturally determined and varying from place to place? Who gathers these facts? The missionaries with a history of cultural ignorance? Anyway. Maybe I should warn my grandparents - they're clearly at a great risk, with their dial-up and all. Don't read too many e-mails, grandpa!


This in from RaceWire and Hyphen Blog - Asianweek fired all its employees and released its last paper edition on Friday, which means that it may become an online publication instead (that is, if its editor and publisher Ted Fang allows). This turn of events has something to do with - surprise - the dwindling economy (no thanks to guys like Madoff). Not really shocking, since even bigshot publications like The New York Times are changing its layout for the sake of financing, and everything is going digital anyway. With all due respect to our friends at smaller publications like Vent Mag, I think that people over at smaller, faltering paper publications should do as many have done and start up a professional blog. Instant gratification (sadly) is the message I'm getting about what people want in 2009.


According to Disgrasian:

Remember Edison Chen, the Hong Kong actor/singer who had his home-porn stash stolen in February '08, resulting in many awkward public apologies and the Triads wanting to cut off his hands and shit? Well, all that notoriety recently landed him a spot on Hong Kong's Person of the Year list. He came in #2, behind Barack Obama, which we would normally consider a dubious honor (or "First Loser," as Diana's family calls it). But think about it. Barack Obama had to get elected President to top that list. Edison Chen? He just had to know how to operate a camera and his dick. To make it to #2 on those creds...is nothing short of amazing.




Yep, definitely better than twenty page essays.

Mar is currently blogging from Sanya, Hainan, where there is a beach, sand, Crocs (barf), and lots of people in bikinis.

Got this sent our way by former AAA Chair and current AALDEF Voting Rights Coordinator Bryan Lee '07. Might coincide with some of the internships in our last AALDEF Internships post, so be warned:
SPRING 2009 INTERNSHIPS
DEFENDING ASIAN AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS
for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law Students

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy, and community education. Spring internships are available for college, graduate, and law students in AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program.

In prior elections, Asian Americans faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote; for example, ballots have been mistranslated listing Democratic candidates as Republicans and vice versa, lack of interpreters, denial of language assistance, rude and hostile poll workers. AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program aims to enhance the political participation of Asian Americans and guard against anti-Asian voter discrimination.

Voting Rights Interns work on the following:

  • Advocate for full compliance with the Voting Rights Act and federal Constitution, by analyzing election monitoring reports. The Voting Rights Act mandates Chinese and Korean language voting assistance and forbids anti-Asian voter discrimination. This includes legal research and writing, fact pattern development, and working with clients and witnesses for possible litigation.

  • Monitoring the Presidential Primary Elections in NY, NJ, MA, PA, MD and VA to document the use of bilingual ballots.

  • Assess local elections compliance with settlements reached in voting rights lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and other states.

  • Registering new voters after citizenship swearing-in ceremonies.

  • Conduct research and advocacy on local, state and federal election reform proposals.

Description of Spring Internships:

Supervision: Interns are supervised by attorneys through regular meetings and trainings.

Compensation: These internships are not paid positions, but academic credit can be arranged.

Hours: Interns work anywhere between 12 to 25 hours per week in the office.

Duration: Spring internships usually follows the spring semester, commencing with the start of classes (end of January) to the first or second week of May.

To Apply: Bilingual ability is helpful but not required. Students with language ability in Korean, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, or Chinese are especially welcome to apply and languages (if any) should be stated in the resume.

Applicants should also state the number of hours they can work per week and a possible schedule.

Send a resume and cover letter to:

    Voting Rights Spring Intern Search
    Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
    99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
    New York, New York 10013-2815
    Fax: 212-966-4303 Email: info@aaldef.org

For more information, contact Glenn D. Magpantay at 212-966-5932, ext. 206 or gmagpantay@aaldef.org.


 

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