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Judy Lei, the Conference Chair for 5 College Pan Asian Network (5PAN), contacted us about their 3rd Annual APIA Spring Issues/Leadership Conference. See information below:

Over the course of 2 years, 5PAN hosted three conferences:

  • Embrace. Empower. Emerge, Spring Issues/Leadership Conference at UMass Amherst, March 10, 2007
  • Listen Up! Act Now! Fall Issues Conference at Amherst College, October 27, 2007
  • Spring into Leadership, Spring Issues/Leadership Conference at Smith College, March 1, 2008
This year, our theme is "L.E.A.D-Learn, Educate, Act, Demonstrate!" Basically asking for our audience to first learn about APIA issues, educate others, and act upon the issues to truly demonstrate their knowledge in APIA Issues.

Keynote Speaker: Phil Yu, also known as, Angry Asian Man
Location: Mount Holyoke College
Date/Time: Saturday, March 7, 2009/10am-5pm
To register, go to: www.fivepan.com/registration
To RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=45194703867&ref=ts

All of our workshop presenters are leaders within their communities. They all promote APIA Activism through Education, Art, or
Community Service.

Workshops presented by faculty members from the 5 Colleges:
  • Floyd Cheung (Smith College)- Asian American Activism through Poetry
  • Karen Cardozo (UMass Commonwealth College)- "But My Parents Want Me to Be a Doctor! When the Model Minority Myth Hits Home"
  • Robert Hayashi (Amherst), Iyko Day (Mount Holyoke), Sus (WWII Veteran), and Ms. Yasumoto - Internment and Relocation of Japanese Americans
  • CN. Le (UMass Amherst)- "Globalization: Economic and Cultural Development and How it affects the Asian/Asian American identity"
  • Kimberly Chang (Hampshire) - "Stories my father told me: Growing up as a Second Generation American.. Writing in the Cracks between History and Fiction"
  • Sujani Reddy (Amherst) and Diana Yoon (UMass Amherst)- Immigrant rights and Social movements.

Workshop Presenters beyond the 5 College Area:

  • NYC's Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund- Voting Rights in the Asian American Community.
  • Nate James Bae Kupel (Sticky Rice Project from Boston/President of Boston Korean Adoptees)- Korean/Asian Adoptees: Exploring issues of Transnationalism
  • Qing Jian Shi (Asian Task Force)- Domestic Violence in the Asian American community
  • Tyson Rose (UMass Amherst, UALRC Director) - Liberation and Development of Youth Leadership
  • Asian Americans and Greek Life (UMass Amherst SYZ, LPE, PDP, and KPL)- Powerpoint Presentation and Student Panel Discussion
  • Yoojin Janice Lee- What is Leadership and how do you become a leader? (Leadership Workshop)
  • Eric Byler and Annabel Park (Independent Asian American Film Director/Screenwriter/Political Activist)- New Media Activism and the American Democracy
What is the 5 College Pan Asian Network (5PAN!)?

The Five-College Pan Asian Network (5PAN) was established in Fall 2006 and is a collaboration of students, faculty, and staff from Amherst College, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College,
Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Through a grassroots approach, 5PAN was conceived to address the lack of communication between the Five-College Asian Pacific American populations. In its starting year, the organization began by rallying student interest from the five colleges and culminated with its inaugural First 5 College APA Leadership Conference, held at
University of Massachusetts Amherst. With expanding interest and membership, 5PAN continued to connect students and promote awareness by hosting a Fall Issues Conference in the Fall of 2007 and its 2nd Annual Spring Leadership Conference in the Spring of 2008, and now planning a Spring Issues and Leadership Conference in the Spring of 2009.

The Five-College Pan Asian Network aims to create a diverse network of individuals that will facilitate communication between the five colleges and utilize the resources of the consortium. 5PAN aspires to inspire APA
student activism and provide a support system for enacting change on the college campuses. It also seeks to promote awareness of APA issues within the Five-Colleges and greater Pioneer Valley community through conferences and other events.

If you have any questions about the conference, please feel free to contact Judy Lei at
jlei@smith.edu.

JWBS is still going strong! Read more.

So don't forget! RSVP on Facebook.

What's wrong with Freida Pinto's pictures from the March issue of Vanity Fair? Oh, nothing, except it looks like something we've seen before:

Whitewash!

And in a unsurprisingly similar turn of events, Jezebel reports that Hong Kong is pressuring women to have lighter skin.

Miley sued

From Shanghaiist:

Some woman in Southern California was so upset by Miley Cyrus' “chink-eye” pose that she decided to file a class action suit... for $4 billion. Because that's the number of Asian Pacific Islanders who live in L.A. County (a little more than 1 million) times the minimum damages for a civil rights violation ($4000 USD - about 27,340 yuan).
Did you see that last bit? "$4 billion. Because that's the number of Asian Pacific Islanders who live in L.A. County (a little more than 1 million) times the minimum damages for a civil rights violation ($4000 USD - about 27,340 yuan)." HARDCORE.

CSC Lunar Gala

Lunar Gala 2009: Can't Stop Won't Stop

Saturday, February 21, 2009
Roone Arledge Auditorium - Lerner Hall

6:00 PM-7:00 PM VIP Dinner
7:00 PM-10:00 PM Show

VIP Tickets - $15 (includes pre-show dinner in C555 included with pre-selected priority seating)
General Tickets - $10

Come join CSC in celebrating the Chinese New Year with CSC's most anticipated event of the year-Lunar Gala! In celebration of the year of the ox, CSC presents to you, LUNAR GALA 2009: CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP. This year's culture show features Radiance as well as breathtaking performances from Lion Dance, Chinese Yo Yo, LG Hip Hop, Kung Fu, and much more.

This year, a special guest performance by RHYTHMOLOGY, the THIRD PLACE WINNER OF PRELUDE EC 2008, the largest and most competitive hip hop face-off in the East Coast. Watch here.

As always, the Lunar Gala Fashion Show is unique and distinctive as it is stunning, showcasing the newest designs of the most prominent designers including Blanc de Chine, Rebecca Taylor, Jill Stuart, Yoana Baraschi, Nicole Miller, Cloak & Dagger & Cosabella!

Tickets come with awesome raffle prizes that will be raffled off throughout the show including:

  • CBS Passes to go behind-the-scenes for News at Noon and meet the news anchors!
  • Two pairs of New Jersey Nets Tickets
  • Gold Pass for two ($500 value) to the Asian American Film Festival by AsianCinevision for this July!
**NOTE ON LG TICKETS - If you have friends or family coming from outside of Columbia (Non-CUID) coming to LG, they must email csc-lunargala@columbia.edu with their names in order to be put on the guestlist and buy tickets. If they wish to purchase VIP seating, please also send their seating requests, and number of people in the party. After receiving confirmation that they are on the guestlist, they may buy tickets ($10 for Regular, $15 for VIP) at the ticket center in the 48 hours preceding the show.

For more information, check out CSC's website and promo video.

Co-Sponsored by CUArts, CAO, ESC, CCSC

OCA, a national organization dedicated to ensuring social justice for Asian Pacific American (APA), is now accepting applications for the 2009 Summer Internship Program.

Celebrating its 20th year, the OCA Internship Program seeks to cultivate future leadership by providing students an opportunity to be involved in the political process through a national organization. The success of the internship program has led to past interns going on to become more active on their college campus, increasing the presence of the APA community in local, state and federal governments, and become leaders in the APA community and stay engage with the APA community in their respective fields.

The OCA Summer Internship Program engages interns with numerous activities to bring to life all that Washington, DC has to offer. In addition, OCA will bring the interns to our annual national convention, the largest APA conference in the country. The convention will feature speakers, entertainment and engage the entire community on pertinent issues. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make sure they are able to attend this signature event.

Summer interns will be placed at a federal agency, non-profit, or congressional office that matches their interest and work full-time. Interns can also be placed at the OCA National Center and work first hand with one of the largest APA organizations in the country. In addition to their placement, summer interns will be highly engaged in many OCA activities and be involved with grassroots organizing.

For the summer session, the internship will last approximately ten weeks and a stipend will be provided. Internships are also available during the winter, spring and fall sessions at the OCA National Center. Applications will be reviewed by the Internship Committee and a telephone interview may be scheduled.

The completed application package should be sent in one package and should include:

  • Application form
  • Resume including extracurricular activities
  • Academic transcript (copy is fine)
  • One-page essay on your interest in participating in the
  • Two Letters of Reference
For more information on OCA's internship programs and application, you may go to OCA's website at www.ocanational.org. Applications for internships need to be postmarked or submitted online by March 15, 2009 for the summer session.

Eligible applicants for the internship program will be notified of selection as soon as sponsors and funding can be secured. A firm commitment will be required at that time to secure admission.

Please contact the OCA National Center at (202)223-5500 or dlee@ocanational.org if you have any questions.

Douglas Lee
OCA - Senior Program Manager
1322 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
t 202.223.5500
f 202.296.0540
c 202.536.7512
email: dlee@ocanational.org
web: www.ocanational.org

Check out these available grants (that give up to $3,000). Lowered stress levels made possible by the Asian American Journalists Association.


According to Hyphen Blog:

Apparently, your friend and mine Senator Daniel Inouye slipped a provision into the recently passed stimulus package awarding the $15,000 each the US promised to Filipino veterans last year (if they're US citizens; only $9000 if they're not). Now, all it has to do is survive the committee reconciling the differing House and Senate bills.
... yay?

Save Floridita!

Event alert!

The Student Coalition on Expansion and Gentrification in partnership with the Black Heritage Month Political/Education Committee invite you to come learn about a local Harlem restaurant owner's experiences in negotiating with Columbia, and what the difficulties will mean for the restaurant's long-term future.

Free Food will be provided.

The event will be followed by walking tours of West Harlem by Dr. Vicky Gholson, longtime community activist, and Nellie Bailey, from Coalition to Preserve Community (CPC).

Meet at the Gates at 12:00 pm, or at Floridita (126th and Broadway) at 12:30.

NOTE: The event's on Valentine's Day (February 14), so remember to wear fitting colors (red, white, pink). Cupid costumes are encouraged.

For more information, visit the Facebook event.
**If you'd like to help plan the event, there should be a meeting Wednesday, Feb 11 at 9:00 in the IRC.

Kollaboration is organizing their 9th annual API talent show in NYC (one of the biggest around here), and they're looking for some fresh Columbia talent to perform for the masses. Check out this flyer for one of the non-New York Kollaboration events:

Think about it - if you go onstage, you'll possibly rub shoulders with celebrities like Kaba Modern and Fanny Pak.

Charlyne Yi

I hear from Hyphen Blog that comic / actress Charlyne Yi received a Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the increasingly commercialized Sundance Film Festival this year. Her film is called Paper Heart, and it "follows 23-year-old Yi as she interviews a diverse group of couples and seeks advice on how to deal with her own love skepticism. The fictional element of the film kicks in when she meets and falls for actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) -- rumored to be her real-life beau."


Charlyne Yi's short, "The Cave"

I'm devoting an entire entry to Charlyne Yi, partly because I've loved her since before she got semi-famous, partly because of the George Michael connection (most of The Blaaag staff is obsessed with Arrested Development), and partly because a friend once said that I remind him of Charlyne Yi's stoner girlfriend character in Knocked Up. Go figure.

Global Cultural Studies at Columbia University Presents: Margaret
Garner and the Daughters of Ishmael

Assia Djebar has long been fascinated with the figure of Fatima, the
Prophet Mohammed's daughter. In the opera "The Daughters of Ishmael in
Wind and Storm," she relies on Arab chronicles to dramatize Fatima's
role immediately after the Prophet's death. What would the future of
Islam have been if this spirited daughter could have inherited the
prophetship? We will couple extracts from Djebar's opera with extracts
from Toni Morrison's "Margaret Garner," also based on the historical
record, revisiting the events that inspired her 1987 Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel Beloved. Daring to imagine the past otherwise,
these two ambitious compositions place the lives of women at the
center stage of history. The performance will be accompanied by a
discussion with Djebar, Morrison, Leila Ahmed (Harvard Divinity
School), and Angela Davis (University of California, Santa Cruz),
opening questions of feminism, femininity, slavery, and Islam.

Please join us on March 28, at 8 PM, at Columbia's Miller Theatre.
Tickets will be available soon at the Miller Theater Box Office.
For more information, please contact Inr2101@columbia.edu.

Hey readers, so I know that we (David, I) haven't been great at updating you on events (heck, I can barely recall what day it is anymore). But please mind the calendar sidebar on our home page! It's been updated and there are a lot of interesting events posted, which you definitely want to check out. There is usually free food at these things too. Yayyy.

Interested in being a part of Asian Pacific American Awareness Month (APAAM)?

APAAM, held in April at Columbia, is an annual celebration which allows for members of diverse backgrounds to come together to learn, share, and grow with each other and the Columbia community as a whole. If you're interested in bringing notable Asian Americans to campus, collaborating with Asian interest groups and other groups on campus, bringing the APA community together, working with city organizations, planning great events that reflect the whole diversity of our community, and much, much more, please apply! For more information about APAAM, check out last year's website at http://www.cuapaam.com/

We are currently interviewing for the position of WEBMASTER/WEBMISTRESS

The APAAM webmaster will be in charge of maintaining and updating of the official APAAM website. Candidates should definitely be well versed in HTML and preferably also Flash and PHP. For those interested, the current site is located at
http://www.cuapaam.com/

TO APPLY:
Please email apaam2009@gmail.com with the following:
1) Name
2) School/Year
3) Phone Number
4) E-mail
5) Any prior experience working with student groups at Columbia (None required!)
6) A few sentence
s describing why you are interested in joining APAAM.


All applications will be due by 11:59PM on Tuesday, Feb 17th!

Sorry Miley, but this doesn't really change how much you (and your hairdo) suck.

The American Red Cross in Greater New York is hosting its first ever benefit concert!!! Being held in the SECOND LARGEST auditorium in the city at Brooklyn Tech High School on Saturday, March 7th 6:00-9:00pm.

Admission:
Tickets are $10 (in advance) only because this is a charity event.
At the door $12

PERFORMING GROUPS:

AJ Rafael
Vocals, keys, ukulele, guitars, drums, and song writer. Music that touches your heart.
http://www.myspace.com/ajrafael
http://www.youtube.com/ilajil
#78 - Most Subscribed (All Time) - Musicians
#99 - Most Viewed (This Month) - Musicians

Jay Legaspi
Guitars, drums, singing. A sweet guy and "sensitive to a T and the rest of the alphabet"
http://www.myspace.com/JayLegaspi

Keating Underground

R&B, funk, blues and jazz

Ft. Mark "ong bak" Consolacion (bass guitar), Felipe "Maki" Cruz (lead guitar), Kevin "ka-i boy" Francisco (drums), Gemini "the gem" Quintos (vocals), Emil "sax" Tangco (saxophonist)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keating-Underground/6393196935

Magnetic North

Ft Derek Kan (aka Direct) and Theresa Vu (aka T-Minus, TVu)
Hip Hop/ Rap.

Debut Hit Album "Drift Away" OUT OF PRINT!
Produced by Sketchbook Media and Wong Fu Productions
New Album "Within the Rhythm"

Performed at International Secret Agents Concert 2008, hosted by Wong Fu Productions and Far East Movement.

Performed at Charity Cirque Masquerade, sponsored by Rival Entertainment.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magnetic-North/29777375832
http://www.myspace.com/magnetichiphop

Stone Forest Ensemble

Ft. Jie-Song (Emcee and Electric Violinist), Krussia Kalnev (Beatboxer), Varuni Tiruchelvam (Cellist), and Joshua Benson (multi-faceted percussionist)

Kollaboration Grand Champion as crowned in 2006

Jie-Song took 2nd place at Amateur Night at Legendary APOLLO THEATER of Harlem

http://www.myspace.com/sfenyc

*Pre-show from 6:30-7:00PM

DIRECTIONS: Take B, Q, R, M to DeKalb Ave (closest) OR N, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic- Pacific St
(Only one stop away from Manhattan)

For more information, visit the Facebook event.

Yay! This event isn't over like I thought it was! It's actually going to be this Friday 2/13, so, uh, mark your calendars, because you obviously want to beat Turk and J.D. as the hottest couple. Oh, and it's a game show that requires you to know "everything" about your significant other in order to win an iPod shuffle. Not a shot at commercializing love at all.


 

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