NCVA eREPORTER
- May 10, 2005
In this NCVA eReporter:
EVENTS
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
TIPS/RESOURCES
NEWS
******************
EVENTS
1ST ANNUAL ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER AMERICAN (APIA)
SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) in
conjunction with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
will be hosting the very first Asian Pacific Islander American
Summit on Tuesday,
May 17, 2005.
If you are in Washington, D.C. next week, we encourage you to
join us for the summit and the White House briefings.
1st Annual Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Summit in
Washington, D.C.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) in
conjunction with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
will be hosting the very first Asian Pacific Islander American
Summit on Tuesday,
May 17, 2005. This is the first year that the APIA Summit
will gather and provide a platform for Members of Congress,
state and local elected officials, educators, researchers,
community leaders, students, business professionals, advocates,
activists, and government agencies to share and exchange ideas
regarding the most significant legislative issues affecting the
Asian Pacific Islander American community. This year, the
Summit will feature panelists from the policy, academic, and non
profit areas to discuss and debate issues, such as Social
Security, education, and economic development.
Following is a schedule for the Summit.
May 17, 2005
8:30 am -
2:00 pm
PROGRAM
8:30 a.m.: Continental Breakfast (HC-5)
9:00 a.m.: Welcome (HC-5)
Congressman Mike Honda, Chair of Congressional Asian Pacific
American Caucus Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies (APAICS)
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
9:30 am -
10:30 am:
"Impact of Social Security and Medicaid on APIAs" (HC-5)
· Congressman Neil Abercrombie (HI-1)
· Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-31)
· Jeff Caballero, Executive Director, Association of Asian
Pacific Community Health Organizations
· Gem Daus, Policy Director, Asian and Pacific Islander American
Health Forum
10:40 am -
11:40 am:
"Our Kids, Our Schools, Education and APIAs" (HC-5)
· The Hon. Maile Shimabukuro, Hawaii State Representative
· Kevin Kumashiro, Senior Program Specialist, Office of Human
and Civil Rights, National Education Association
· Khin Mai Aung, Staff Attorney, Asian American Legal Defense
and Education Fund
· Debbie Wei, Curriculum Specialist, Philadelphia School
District
Noon - 1:00 p.m.: Luncheon (Dirksen 106)
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: "Economic Development - APIAs Share of
the Pie" (Dirksen 106)
· Sandy Dang, Executive Director, Asian American Leadership,
Empowerment and Development for Youth and Families (AALEAD)
· Betty Wu, Chair, White House Initiatives on Asian American and
Pacific Islander
· The Hon. Gary Yamauchi, Alhambra City Council
· Marissa Castro, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Southern
California Edison
Please RSVP by Thursday, May 12, 2005 to: Daphne Kwok at
dkwok@apaics.org at
202-296-9200 or Christine Chen,
cchen@ocanatl.org at
202-223-5500.
APAICS White House Briefing
Join us for a White House Briefing for APAICS Gala participants
and guests. Come meet and hear from Administration officials
about issues pertaining to the
APA community.
Tuesday,
May
17, 2005
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(must arrive by 2:30 p.m. for security clearance)
Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Room 450
(Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street entrance)
Washington, DC
GOVERNMENT ISSUED PHOTO ID REQUIRED
Please fill out one form per person attending. Please fax back
to
202-296-9236
by Wednesday, May 11. (Please print clearly)
Last Name _____________________________________________
First Name _____________________________________________
Middle Initial___________________________________________
Date of Birth mm/dd/yyyy)________________________________
Social Security #________________________________________
U.S. Citizen _____Yes____No
If "no", Country of Origin___________________________________
Please provide a contact # and email in case there are any
changes:
Email address_______________________
Cell #_____________________________
******************
NEW PBS DOCUMENTARY: “VIETNAM: THE
NEXT
GENERATION”
Americans remember the Vietnam War. But what do we know of those
Vietnamese born in its aftermath? That's what Sandy Northrop
sets out to answer in her new documentary for PBS, "Vietnam:
The Next Generation." The hour-long film will be broadcast
in mid-May.
Northrop profiles eight young Vietnamese-entrepreneurs and
streets kids, farmers and students, artists and engineers-who
were born in the final days of the war or in the troubled decade
that followed. They embody the hopes, dreams and challenges of a
new Vietnam and their stories represent the face of modern-day
Vietnam, where a marriage of communism and capitalism is
providing opportunity unimagined in their parents' time.
"Vietnam:
The Next Generation" is hosted by Susan Sarandon and is part
of PBS' Independent Lens series. It is the third film in
Northrop's groundbreaking trilogy of post-war Vietnam, of which
the New York Times commented: "This surprising and affecting
series is a vivid reminder that Vietnam didn't end 30 years ago.
The War did."
Most PBS stations will premiere the film the week of May 15.
Check your local listings. You can determine when it will be
aired in your area by signing on to
www.itvs.org and clicking "Program
Search" at top. Then type in "Vietnam:
The Next Generation" and click broadcast. Here are the dates
in some major U.S. markets:
Boston WGBX Sun
May
15 10:00 pm
Chicago WTTW Tue May 17 10:00 pm
Hartford WEDH Tue May 17 11:00 pm
Houston KUHT Tue May 17 10:30 pm
Los Angeles KCET Sat May 28 11:30 pm
Miami WPBT Tue May 17 11:00 pm
Minneapolis KAWB Tue May 17 9:00 pm
New York
WNET Tue
May 17 10:00 pm
New Orleans WYES Tue May 17
9:00 pm
Pittsburgh WQED Tue May 17 10:00 pm
Portland, OR KOPB Tue May 17 11:00 pm
San Diego KPBS Sun May 22 11:00 pm
San Francisco KQED Tue May 17 11:00 pm
Washington DC WETA Sat May 21 01:00 am
To learn more about the country of Vietnam and the documentary
sign onto the website
www.pbs.org/independentlens/vietnam.
Find local show times (http://www.itvs.org/search/broadcast.htm?showID=1021)
******************
COALITION OF ASIAN & PACIFIC AMERICANS OF VIRGINIA HAPPY HOUR
Dear Asian & Pacific Community Member:
We, the Coalition of Asian & Pacific Americans of Virginia,
along with the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, the
Korean American Coalition, OCA along with other APA
organizations in northern Virginia are hosting a pan-Asian Asian
Heritage month celebration on May 19th, 6-8 p.m. at Cafe Asia,
1550 Wilson Blvd, in Rosslyn, Virginia.
We are having finger food and a cash-bar.
In Virginia, our
APA
population is growing and as a community, we are becoming more
involved in policy and politics. Our communities have many
needs for state services that are yet unmet. However, as a
community, we have made major contributions to the economy and
to the family fabric of the Commonwealth.
May is celebrated as Asian & Pacific American Heritage Month.
We would like to invite you to come and join Congressman Mike
Honda and the northern Virginia Asian & Pacific American
community organizations for the celebration.
The Smithsonian is giving us a sneak preview of their APA public
Television series entitled: "Look"; Jackie Bong Wright is
performing a traditional ethnic dance; and the Asian American
Legal Defense and Education Fund will preview their Virginia
voter turnout report for the 2000 election.
If you wish to donate funds to defray the costs for this event
or wish to rsvp, please do not hesitate to contact me at:
eljensen@comcast.net or call me at my numbers below.
If you have any questions about what the Coalition of Asian &
Pacific Americans are planning for this upcoming year--we are
jointly co-sponsoring a candidate's forum for officials running
for the Governor's, Lt. Governor's, Attorney General's, and
delegate's offices for August 20th or 27th-- please go to our
website at:
www.capava.org. We welcome any individual who wishes to
join CAPAVA to do so. (go to the website or contact JT Kaaihue
at
jtk330@yahoo.com to join).
With Best Regards,
Eric Jensen
Chairman
Coalition of Asian & Pacific Americans of Virginia (CAPAVA)
(www.capava.org)
******************
UNWILLING, UNPAID, UNSEEN: UNCOVERING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE
NATION’S CAPITAL
A free conference brought to you by Ayuda, Inc., Boat
People
SOS, and the Georgetown University Law Center’s Office of Public
Interest and Community Service
June 9th-10th, 2005
Georgetown University Law Center
Washington, D.C.
This two-day conference is designed to increase your capacity,
as a service provider or anti-trafficking professional, to serve
victims of human trafficking in the DC Metropolitan area
(spanning forced labor and sexual exploitation). Objectives
include: (1) deepening your understanding of human trafficking,
(2) providing a broader perspective to place human trafficking
in relation to overlapping issues, such as labor exploitation
and domestic violence, and (3) providing opportunities for
strengthening collaborations and collective problem-solving for
local area agencies.
Conference Registration Deadline
Registration Deadline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . Thursday,
May 26, 2005
Cost (including breakfast & lunch for both days) . . . . . . . .
. . . . $ 0 (free)
E-mail or fax the enclosed form to:
lory.nguyen@bpsos.org
(301)
439-6644
Venue
Georgetown University Law Center
600 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
METRO DC ACTS is a joint project of Boat People
SOS and Ayuda. This project was supported by Grant
No. 2003-VT-BX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime,
Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. We work
to bring the metropolitan Washington DC community together to
combat human trafficking. Our goals are to increase the
identification of victims and provide comprehensive services to
them once found. To accomplish these goals we: EDUCATE
AND
RAISE AWARENESS
by
offering workshops and conferences for law enforcement, service
providers, faith and community-based organizations, and the
community at large. PROVIDE LEGAL & CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES,
helping survivors obtain food, housing, clothing, medical car,
counseling, employment training and legal immigration
assistance. CREATE A NETWORK OF SERVICE PROVIDERS to
support and build the regions capacity to service trafficking
survivors.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
DAY 1: THURSDAY, JUNE 9
8:45 –
9:30 AM
REGISTRATION
Breakfast
Networking
Exhibitors/Vendors
9:30 –
9:45 AM
WELCOME
9:45 –
10:30 AM
MORNING PLENARY
10:30 –
10:45 AM BREAK
10:45 –
12:30 PM SESSION I
12:30 –
1:30 PM LUNCH
Trafficking Film Presentation
1:30 –
2:45 PM
SESSION II
2:45 –
3:00 PM
BREAK
3:00 –
4:15 PM
SESSION III
4:15 –
4:30 PM
CLOSING COMMENTS
DAY 2: FRIDAY, JUNE 10
8:45 –
9:30 AM
BREAKFAST
9:30 –
9:45 AM
OPENING REMARKS
Task commission for lunch break
9:45 –
11:30 AM
SESSION IV
11:30 –
12:00 PM BREAK
12:00 –
2:00 PM SMALL GROUP WORKING
LUNCH
2:00 –
2:15 PM
BREAK
2:15 –
4:00 PM
CLOSING PLENARY
4:00 – END
CONCLUDING REMARKS
CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
SESSION I:
DAY 1, 10:45 –
12:30 PM
1. Trafficking 101 Training
This workshop provides introductory training to the issue of
human trafficking. The presentation will answer the questions:
What is trafficking? What is the difference between trafficking
versus smuggling? What is the actual occurrence of trafficking?
How can I tell if someone’s been trafficked? What are the laws
protecting victims? What services are needed by victims? What
are the available benefits to victims?
2. Workers’ Rights and Human Trafficking
This workshop will examine trafficking as an issue of workers’
rights. Participants will learn about the extent to which U.S.
employment laws apply to categories of workers that are
particularly vulnerable to forced labor, such as migrant
domestic workers. We will discuss the challenge of determining
where the line is drawn between “mere” labor exploitation and
“trafficking” (or “voluntary” and “involuntary” employment), the
role of federal agencies (such as Department of Labor and
Department of State) in enforcing the law, and how to vindicate
rights in the face of barriers such as diplomatic immunity.
SESSION II: 1:30 –
2:45 PM
3. Identifying & Assisting Victims Training
An in-depth training into three issues: (1) the process of
identification through case study, Q & A, examples and concerns
over specific cases, (2) general needs of victims, including:
housing concerns, language, and school; available services, both
pre and post certification, and (3) mental health issues for
clients. This training will touch upon trauma, mental health
services available for victims, and what to be vigilant about
concerning mental health services for victims.
4. A Dialogue on Domestic Violence & Human Trafficking
Intersections
This interactive panel addresses the similarities of violence to
women who have been in trafficking or DV situations and explores
the intersection of providing services (social and legal) to
both types of clients. The panel will also discuss the “push”
factors that lead survivors from one type of victimization into
the other and vice-versa. Panelists will explore this
phenomenon from the perspectives of International Marriage
Brokering, Domestic Violence Advocacy, and Law Enforcement.
SESSION
III: 3:00 – 4:15 PM
5. Working with Victims Training
This panel will address the main issues relevant to service
providers who may work with victims of human trafficking.
Panelists will discuss the main issues regarding confidentiality
(keeping records, working with
LEA,
etc.), the process of referral and the information that the
referring agency could provide, how trafficking agencies respond
to referrals, and the process of handling a client’s case once
the referral is made. A law enforcement agent will speak to the
subsequent action of law enforcement, what it means to work with
them, the benefits of collaboration, the ultimate goal of the
partnership, and the special concerns involved for both the
client and the service provider.
6. A Dialogue on Victim Extraction
An exploration of the experiences and concerns of local
non-profit and law enforcement personnel who have helped
trafficked persons escape their enslavement. The panelists will
give a brief presentation, then engage the audience in a
conversation about what has been learned from these experiences,
what concerns and safety precautions are presented, and what
questions remain unanswered.
SESSION IV:
DAY 2, 9:45 – 11:30 AM
7. Trafficked Immigrant Children
An examination of the various factors encountered when working
with trafficked immigrant children. This panel will address the
current state of trafficked children in the U.S, provide
training on the legal and case management issues unique to
working with immigrant minors, as well as provide an exploration
of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program and its implication
to service provision for this group of trafficked clients.
8. A Dialogue on Working with Trafficked U.S. Citizens
Human trafficking is not just a problem involving foreigners
brought into the US. This tragic phenomenon affects vulnerable
US citizens within our states and within or communities as
well. This panel examines trafficking of US citizens in the DC
region, the dynamics of pimp-controlled sex trafficking in DC’s
massage parlors, brothels, and street prostitution—including the
perspective of working with minors, and the challenges of
working with this group of clients. Panelists will also share
their experiences in aiding U.S. citizens and the services
available to them.
TOPICAL
AREA SMALL GROUPS:
DAY 2, WORKING LUNCH PERIOD
Please select the small group focus in which you would like to
participate:
A. Mental Health & Medical Providers
B. Shelter/Housing Providers
C. Attorneys/Legal Advocates
D. Law Enforcement (Multi-jurisdictional)
E. Case Managers/Social Workers
F. Outreach & Community Organizers
(www.metrodcacts.org)
******************
NAPAWF LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
AND
MEMBERSHIP GATHERING
How can public advocacy strengthen your mission?
Come learn about this and much more at the National Asian
Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) Leadership Institute and
Membership Gathering!
July 22 - 23, 2005
University of Washington Women's Center
Seattle, Washington
Chapter leaders, members, and activists around the country will
convene on the UW campus to attend skills-building and
substantive issue-based trainings, share strategies and project
ideas, and more importantly, discuss the direction of NAPAWF.
Discussions and workshops will center around NAPAWF’s advocacy
work, building strong chapters and members, and the direction
and future of NAPAWF. We encourage all members and activists to
join us for this exciting event!
Child care services will be provided.
Download a Registration Form and Agenda from NAPAWF's website at
www.napawf.org or contact Tong Lee at
Tlee@napawf.org or
(202)
293-2688.
Build Power!
(www.napawf.org)
******************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 9, 2005
SEARAC'S 8TH ANNUAL SOUTHEAST ASIAN AMERICAN NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
TRAINING
Link:
http://www.searac.org/pr-2005lat.html
Contact:
Bach Pham
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
bach@searac.org or
(202)
667-4690
Washington, DC - SEARAC is pleased to announce its Eighth Annual
Southeast Asian American National Leadership-Advocacy Training
for 2005 to be held in Washington, DC on September 17 to 20,
2005. The training provides a forum where Southeast Asian
American community leaders from across the nation have the
opportunity to discuss, interact, and network with their peers.
Leaders will participate in four days of advocacy education,
leadership strategizing, collaborative networking, and
communication with lawmakers.
Past participants have found the training to be rewarding and a
life changing experience. Samnang Phou said, "The training was
valuable and motivating. It reassures my position in the world
of politics and advocacy in that we, as new immigrants in the
past two decades, must move from the socio-economic aspect into
the role of advocacy.
Chivy Sok, former Deputy Director of University of Iowa Center
for Human Rights said, "The training I participated in provided
one of the most valuable opportunities for young leaders to come
together to not only learn about advocacy skills and strategies,
but to apply it in the nation's capital. To be an effective
leader within our communities, we have to know how to access
those in power. SEARAC's training is extremely valuable for
facilitating such knowledge and coalition building. It was also
a treasured opportunity to meet others working on similar issues
across the nation."
The application process is open to all community members.
Participants residing outside of the DC Metropolitan area will
receive financial support which covers travel and lodging. The
deadline date for receipt of applications is July 1, 2005.
This year applicants can apply online at
http://www.searac.org/2005latform.html. For a hard copy of
the application and more information about SEARAC's Eighth
Annual Southeast Asian American National Leadership-Advocacy
Training for 2005, please go to
http://www.searac.org/pr-2005lat.html or contact Bach Pham.
This training is made possible through generous support from
State Farm Insurance.
(http://www.searac.org/pr-2005lat.html)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE
DAY (NYSD) PROJECT FUNDING
Win up to $1,000 in start-up funds for sustainable NYSD projects
by becoming a YSA Youth Venturer!
Want to help your community or change the world? Need some
funds and support to help get things going? Youth Service
America (YSA) and Youth Venture can help! YSA and Youth Venture
are teaming up again to make everyday National Youth Service Day
(NYSD).
In conjunction with NYSD we’re offering funding to enable young
people to engage in community service and make a difference in
their world. Turn your NYSD 2005 project into a sustainable
community service venture or create new sustainable projects for
NYSD 2006, April 21st-23rd. Twenty awards of up to $1,000 in
start-up funds are available to young people (ages 12-20) who
want to create sustainable new, civic-minded organizations,
clubs or businesses (“Ventures”). These Ventures must be created
by youth, youth-led and designed to be a lasting asset to the
community. YSA Youth Venturers are required to host a NYSD
event.
Applications are available at
www.youthventure.org/ysa. Applications must be received by
12:00 noon on June 13, 2005. Email
myoung@youthventure.org or call 202.296.2992 ext 17 with
questions.
What's your passion? You DREAM IT and we'll help you DO IT.
Youth Venture is a movement of young people who are changing
their communities through youth social entrepreneurship. Youth
Venture provides access to scholarships, awards, special
conference invitations, media opportunities, workshop training,
and a national network of active young people. In addition YSA
Youth Venturers have access to all NYSD planning materials and
tip sheets through YSA to plan your National Youth Service Day
event.
YSA Youth Venture teams have done everything from using a
theatre to provide a positive activity for urban youth to
running park clean-ups. Our Venturers have been featured in
Forbes, Teen People and Urban Teen Scene
(www.youthventure.org/ysa)
******************
GRANTS TO PROTECT
CHILDREN
RadioShack StreetSentz Community Grant Program
The RadioShack StreetSentz Community Grant Program is dedicated
to strengthening the American way of life by helping families
protect their children from abduction, violence and abuse. The
program provides grants of up to $500 to nonprofit
organizations, local municipalities, and schools that offer
solutions to help prevent family violence/abuse and/or child
abduction in RadioShack communities. The remaining application
deadlines for 2005 are June 15, September 15, and December 15.
(http://www.radioshackcorporation.com/cc/contributions.html)
******************
GRANTS TARGET HUNGER
ISSUES
Presbyterian Hunger Program
The Presbyterian Hunger Program provides grants to programs
addressing hunger and its causes in the United States and around
the world. Grants support efforts in the following five program
areas: Direct Hunger Relief, Development Assistance, Public
Policy Advocacy, Lifestyle Integrity, and Hunger Education.
Eligible requests should benefit poor people, especially women,
racial-ethnic persons or other disadvantaged groups. Those
benefiting should be involved in the planning and implementation
of funded activities. The next application deadline is July 31,
2005. Visit the website listed above for detailed funding
guidelines.
(http://www.pcusa.org/pcusa/wmd/hunger/apply.htm)
******************
FUNDING FOR
NONPROFIT THEATRES
Theatre Communications Group: New Generations Program
The New Generations Program, administered by the Theatre
Communications Group, addresses major concerns about the future
of the nonprofit theatre. Grants are provided to nonprofit
theatres in the U.S. through the following two programs: The
Future Leaders program provides support for theatres to offer
mentorships and international fellowships. The Future Audiences
program provides matching grants to theatres to strengthen
relationships with young, culturally specific, disabled and/or
underserved audiences. Eligible theatres must have been in
existence for a minimum of three years as a nonprofit
professional theatre organization and submit intent to apply
forms by June 10, 2005 and a preliminary proposal by July 11,
2005.
(http://www.tcg.org/frames/programs/fs_ap_ind.htm)
******************
GRANTS
FOCUS ON ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY
Tides Death Penalty Mobilization Fund: Rapid Response Grants
The Tides Death Penalty Mobilization Fund is an initiative
supporting strategic collaborations of local, regional or
national nonprofits working on the abolition of the death
penalty in individual states and as a national policy. Rapid
Response grants support short-term, concrete projects, including
media campaigns, polling leading to a larger community education
and organizing strategy, components of legislative campaigns,
and public education campaigns and speaking tours at the local,
state or national levels. Up to $5,000 is generally given, but
there is no absolute maximum grant size. The application
deadline is the first business day of each month.
(http://www.tidesfoundation.org/dpmf_rapidresp_rfp.cfm)
******************
FINANCIAL MARKETS LITERACY PROGRAMS FUNDED
Nasdaq Stock Market Educational Foundation
The mission of the Nasdaq Stock Market Educational Foundation is
to promote learning about capital formation, financial markets
and entrepreneurship through innovative educational programs.
The Foundation offers the following types of grants: Academic
Study or Research, Ph.D. Dissertation Fellowships, Curriculum
Development, and Educational Programs. Target audiences include
college/university students, high school students, and adults.
Pre-high school audiences may be included in proposals that
also serve an older audience; however, programs designed solely
or predominantly for a pre-high school audience will not likely
receive funding. Interested applicants must submit a one-page
letter of inquiry. Invited proposals are due September 1, 2005.
Visit the website listed above for more information.
(http://www.nasdaq.com/services/education_initiatives.stm)
******************
ACF – COMPASSION CAPITAL FUND TARGETED CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAM
The Health and Human Services - Administration for Children and
Families announced that applications will be accepted for new
grants to help build the capacity of faith-based and community
organizations that address the needs of distressed communities.
Priority areas for the Targeted Capacity-Building Program
include: at-risk youth, the homeless, healthy marriage, and
rural communities. Application is due May 31, 2005.
(http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2005-ACF-OCS-IJ-0036.html)
******************
THE PETER F. DRUCKER AWARD FOR NONPROFIT INNOVATION
Applications and guidelines are now available for the 2005 Peter
Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation. The Award is presented
annually to three nonprofit organizations in recognition of
innovative, existing programs that have made a difference in the
lives of the people served. The application deadline is August
12, 2005.
(http://www.cgu.edu/pages/2420.asp)
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
EVENTS –
FINDING CORPORATE UNDERWRITING
Organizations seeking to maximize fundraising on large events
might find a good source of support from corporate sponsors. At
a recent fundraising conference, several tips were offered for
finding the sponsors with the deep pockets.
It should also be kept in mind obtaining sponsorship from a
national company means an event will draw at least 2,500 people
and corporate sponsors will want demographics of those
attending.
The good sources for information on finding these corporate
sponsors are:
* Look up the names of companies on the Internet or at the
library. Major corporate directories, such as Standard and
Poor's, provide a lot of information.
* If you are planning a large-scale search, the International
Events Group compiles a sponsorship directory that contains the
names of 1,800 top sponsors and what they fund. It comes on
floppy disk and CD-ROM or on a rotating card file with cards. It
may be pricey for some organizations but is worth checking into.
* Offerings from the International Events Group (IEG) include
indexes to various types of properties, who likes to donate to
opera, fine arts or car racing, how to find the most active
sponsors in your market, and a free template that allows you to
customize a proposal for sponsorship. The company also publishes
a magazine that profiles companies and how they decide which
causes to support.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/specialevent.html)
******************
FINANCE –
GETTING A RETURN ON INVESTMENT
As the fundraising environment becomes more competitive,
activities meant to bring in revenue must be effective.
One way to make sure an organization's fundraising activities
are doing the best job possible of maximizing income, is to
evaluate on organizations return on nvestment (ROI).
Calculating an organization's ROI is a four-step process, each
step of which requires careful consideration. The four steps
are:
* Track and analyze data on funds raised through direct mail,
special events, major individual gifts, foundationa and
corporations by setting up specific campaigns, appeals, events
and mailings.
* Compare fundraising results by type of activity for a specific
period of time (three years or more). See which generates the
largest share, which are the most reliable sources of income,
which are the least reliable and which have the greatest
potential for growth.
* Once you have seen which types of activities have increased,
decreased or remained stable, ask yourself to which areas you
should allocate more time, which you should eliminate, where you
should involve more volunteers and in which you would invest
more, given a larger budget.
* Evaluate your performance using participants, income and
expense. According to the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving
Alliance, fundraising costs should not exceed 35 percent of
related contributions and total fundraising and administrative
costs should not exceed 50 percent of total income.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/finance.html)
******************
FUNDRAISING – INCORPORATING MOVES MANAGEMENT
Moves Management is a strategic approach to fundraising and
communications; it is a proven method of coordinating solicitor
activities, streamlining day-to-day operations, and ultimately
improving bottom line results.
According to Anthony J. Powell, CFRE, vice president of
consulting services for Blackbaud in Charleston, S.C., every
organization is unique, and there are a number of different --
and equally effective -- approaches to donor and prospect
management. Regardless, there are a few key elements to an
effective Moves Management program:
* Program and pipeline management: Like every nonprofit, your
organization wants to turn prospects into donors. Do you have a
formal process for managing the identification, qualification,
cultivation, and solicitation of key donors? How do you identify
your best prospects and ensure they are being engaged
appropriately?
* Information management: If you don't already do so, start with
a single system of record for tracking and managing contacts and
activities with donors. Often referred to as a constituent
relationship management (CRM) system, this alone will help
coordinate activities between different departments and
solicitors within your organization and can provide the platform
you need to collect, analyze, and report on results.
* Strategic analysis: Evaluating your programs in light of
specific, quantifiable goals and success criteria can help to
measure progress and identify opportunities for improvement.
This information is critical to making smart decisions about
your fundraising strategy and improving results over time.
According to Powell, this all s ounds great in theory, but how
do you get started? Begin by assessing your organization in each
of the three areas above, What is working well? Where do you
have room for improvement? Do you have the staff, training, and
tools necessary to move donors through your pipeline
effectively? Every organization is different, and the process
and activities you employ to move donors through your pipeline
must be closely aligned with your specific goals, objectives,
and mission.
A successful Moves Management program increases the success rate
of every solicitor action, communication, and appeal and can
help your organization provide excellence in terms of
responsiveness to donors, internal efficiency, and bottom-line
results.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/fundraise.html)
******************
FREE ELECTRONIC
FILING OF IRS FORM 990
The California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) strongly supports
efforts to improve access to information on nonprofit
organizations. Having accurate and complete Form 990s means that
we can all do our jobs better -- with more understanding of the
sector and more information for policymakers as well as
nonprofit managers.
Electronic filing of Form 990 can reduce errors and omissions to
less than one percent. It is an important step toward improving
the image of nonprofit accountability.
Now, nonprofits and professional preparers can use the FREE
IRS-APPROVED WEBSITE --
http://efile.form990.org -- offered by the nonprofit
National Center for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute
to complete IRS Form 990, Form 990-EZ, or Form 8868 (Request for
Extension). Features include:
* Calculates totals and checks for missing items and errors
* Easy to use with context-sensitive help and tips
* Imports attachments from Excel
* Creates a PDF for printing or, if you wish, posting to
GuideStar or your website
* Works with popular web browsers
* Free electronic filing with the IRS
We encourage you to use this new tool to help improve the
accuracy of information available about the nonprofit sector.
(http://efile.form99.org)
******************
MY MENTOR & ME SERIES
The My Mentor & Me series is designed to help mentors and
mentees share in a mutually rewarding experience and contains
week-by-week activities with lessons that extend far beyond the
school year. Available in both elementary school and high school
editions.
This compilation of activities was published by The Governor's
Prevention Partnership for The Connecticut Mentoring
Partnership, and authored by national mentoring authority Dr.
Susan Weinberger, president of the Mentoring Consulting Group.
http://www.preventionworksct.org/gpp_prodserv.html#Anchor-Mentorin-61663
Publication date: 2001
Source: The Governor's Prevention Partnership
30 Arbor Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Phone 860-523-8042
Fax 860-236-9412
(http://www.preventionworksct.org/gpp_prodserv.html#Anchor-Mentorin-61663)
******************
NEWS
April 21, 2005
IT’S IN THE CARDS
By Bao Ong
Nguoi Viet
He came to the United States in 1977 after leaving Việt Nam by
boat, then spending time in a refugee camp. He could have
thought he was living the American Dream, escaping Communism,
settling in Los Angeles, finding steady work as a machinist.
But for Mến Nguyễn, there was something more. Something he found
in 1984, when a friend asked him to come along on a trip to Las
Vegas.
He found poker. Just by watching, he knew it was a game he could
master.
And now, the world knows him as Mến “The Master” Nguyễn, one of
the most well-known professional poker players, thanks to the
game’s regular appearances on cable television. Since winning
his first tournament in 1987 — 10 years after landing on U.S.
soil — this player has pocketed more than $4 million from his
expertise.
“It’s just a gift from God,” said Nguyễn, of Bell Gardens,
Calif., who said he never read a book showing him how to profit
from poker. “I can read people. I can tell if he has a good hand
or not. Then I use my strategy to win. It just instantly comes
to me.”
Among Vietnamese Americans, he isn’t alone. Immigrants from this
group are becoming a force on the professional poker tour, acing
tournament after tournament, earning tens of thousands of
dollars. For example, Vietnam-born John Phan of Long Beach,
Calif., currently is second in Card Player magazine’s
player-of-the-year rankings, snaring more than $450,000 so far
in 2005.
Such an emergence has not gone unnoticed.
David G. Schwartz, an assistant professor at the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas, and coordinator of the Gaming Studies
Research Center, said there are two reasons for the group’s
ascendancy: Gambling is not looked down upon in Asian cultures
and immigrant groups often strive for success.
“Poker isn’t a game you can’t improve in because every time you
play it, you’re getting better,” he said. Moreover, “when they
came to America, that was a gamble.”
Schwartz said a $500 bet at the poker table can seem minuscule
compared to men and women who leave everything behind to start
new lives in a new country.
At most big competitions, Vietnamese Americans make up as much
as 10 percent of the tournament fields but they always do well,
Mến Nguyễn said.
In the 2004 World Series of Poker, which featured a lineup of
different games, Vietnamese Americans won three events.
Californians Minh Nguyễn, John Nguyễn and Crystal Đòan each
scored a title, taking home nearly $400,000 combined. And in a
January tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., little known Nghi Văn
Trần, born in Việt Nam and now living in Toronto, walked away
victorious. Mimi Trần, of Torrance, Calif., came in fourth
place. Combined, the two earned nearly $1 million.
Nolan Dalla, media director of the World Series of Poker and an
industry insider, isn’t surprised by the success of so many
Vietnam-born players. For one thing, poker isn’t a game that has
a language or education requirement, he said.
“It’s a game anybody can pick up,” said Dalla, a former
competitive player. “There isn’t quite so much intimidation to
try the game.”
He said he has noticed that many Vietnamese American competitors
have the most important skill to succeed at poker: discipline.
“They seem to have patience and can suppress natural tendencies
to overreact like most people do,” Dalla added. “You can be the
best player in the world but if you have no discipline, then
you’ll never win.”
Mến Nguyễn agreed.
“You cannot win this game without patience,” he noted.
He learned to play the same way, slowly, step by step. He didn’t
start off placing five-figure bets as he regularly does today.
He started off small, practicing and perfecting his instinct
every weekend in Las Vegas. It took three years of doing so to
sweep a tournament, and he took home $23,000.
Nguyễn now mentors other Vietnamese Americans.
“In this game, you can begin at the lowest level and go to the
top very quickly,” he said. “When I teach others, I tell them to
be patient, learn, and then take your chances.”
Still, why does a high-stakes game of poker appeal to so many
Vietnamese Americans?
It’s because it’s not like slot machines or blackjack, where the
chances are against most players, Nguyễn said. “The game
involves a lot of skill and strategy that you can use to win,”
he added. “It’s not all about the cards.”
The Vietnamese players also teach each other their best
approaches as well as support each other, Nguyễn said.
Dalla said he didn’t want to stereotype Vietnamese Americans as
especially adept at mathematics but believes that a knack for
numbers is key to their achievement. The ability to understand
human psychology also was a winning trait.
“A lot of people can get very nervous in this game but the
Vietnamese players are very difficult to read,” Dalla added.
“They control their emotions well. That’s one of the most
important things.”
He also notices that many immigrants tend to be more aggressive
compared to other challengers. They put constant pressure on
their opponents, he said, but have their own boosters as well.
“The Vietnamese tend to be tighter as a group,” he explained. “A
lot of people are free agents and don’t have anyone to turn to.”
In Mến the Master’s case, he never lacks a following. He is
known for his entourage of fans. He has a Godfather-like
reputation among many Vietnamese poker players.
But things weren’t always so bright for one of the game’s most
respected competitors.
After spending about six months in a Malaysian refugee camp in
1977, Nguyễn came to America. One of his first jobs delivering
furniture paid him $10 a day. In one night, he can win more
money than a year’s salary at one of his old stints.
Now, he figures he’ll retire in five years.
“When you sit down at the table, focus,” he urges himself. “But
if it’s not my day, I go just home and come back.”
To read an exclusive interview with Mến “The Master” Nguyễn,
please see the Người Việt Trẻ section this Saturday.
(http://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=22395&z=9)
******************
April 30, 2005
VIETNAMESE-AMERICANS, IN SEARCH OF
WORK, TRANSFORMING THE FACE OF MIDDLE AMERICA
By Truong Phuoc Khánh
Mercury News
MOBILE, Ala. - Twenty years ago in this city draped in
Spanish moss and 300 years of history, a professional manicure
was an expensive, pampering affair, beyond the reach of most
women. Then the Vietnamese-Americans arrived.
Where once upscale boutiques charged $65 by appointment, now the
manicure business is a walk-in $10 to $20 service, affordable to
every maid, homemaker and working woman. Paralleling this
dramatic change is an astounding statistic: Of Mobile's 66 nail
salons, 57 are owned by Vietnamese.
Small and midsize cities in America's heartland are attracting a
growing number of Vietnamese-Americans who are leaving the
traditional U.S. strongholds such as San Jose and Orange County.
These Vietnamese are searching for economic and lifestyle
opportunities in places not yet saturated with nail salons and
pho noodle houses.
As a result, America's heartland is being transformed by a
people who think all food tastes better with a little fish
sauce.
Going nationwide
In Mobile, Duc Vo, a translator for the district attorney's
office, has been selected Mobile's PTA mother of the year --
twice. Real estate agent Van Pham sells homes to whites and
African-Americans.
The downtown Ramada Inn is owned by 32-year-old Hong Nguyen,
known as ``Jackie.'' If you're a Republican, Jackie might pull
from his desk drawer a large autographed picture from President
Bush and the first lady, thanking him for being a ``charter
member,'' a euphemism for ``big donor,'' of the Bush 2004
campaign.
On Sundays, the Rev. Duong Minh Cu of St. Monica's Church leads
Vietnamese Mass at 9 a.m. and an English version at 11 a.m.
``They have become part of the fabric of the country,'' said
Lynn Huntley, president of the Southern Education Foundation in
Atlanta.
The reasons behind this new Vietnamese diaspora are clear:
economics, entrepreneurial ambition and opportunity.
``Silicon Valley for a long time was attracting individuals in
high-tech and assembly-line work,'' said Minh-Hoa Ta,
co-director of the Vietnamese American Studies Center at San
Francisco State University.
With the dot-com downturn in 2000, ``The Vietnamese-Americans
realize that maybe they should spread out to smaller communities
or rural areas where competition is not that high,'' said Ta.
With a little investment, little training, little English, but
armed with a manicure license, immigrants find that they can
rent a booth or ``station'' inside a beauty parlor and start
taking walk-ins.
``The industry has grown immeasurably in the last 15, 20
years,'' said Hannah Lee, executive editor of Nails magazine,
which keeps track of industry statistics.
Growth has been in the Midwest and Southern states. Creation of
new businesses in California, which was ground zero for the
nail-salon business in the 1980s, appears to have leveled off.
Vietnamese nail technicians make up 40 percent of all licensed
manicurists in the nation and 70 percent in California,
according to Lee. From 2001 to 2004, the total number of
technicians in California declined by 7 percent, from 89,836 to
82,870. In that same period, the number of nail technicians in
the United States rose nearly 8 percent, from 364,561 to
393,226.
Offering discounted prices, the immigrants took an upscale
service and made it affordable to the masses in Middle America.
``They've ruined it,'' said Kathy Morris, one of the few
non-Vietnamese nail operators in Mobile. ``My business has been
hurt. They've driven down the prices.''
Morris, 47, started her salon 20 years ago when she could charge
$60 for a manicure. Today, her prices range from $30 to $50.
Some resentment
Whatever professional resentment she feels toward the
competition, Morris had kind words for the people themselves.
Her daughter has many Vietnamese friends, Morris said, who are
valedictorians raised by ``wonderful parents.''
Between 1990 and 2000, Mobile's Vietnamese population doubled
from almost 600 to nearly 1,300, reflecting a larger demographic
shift in the Midwest and Southern regions of the country,
according to U.S. census figures.
The first Vietnamese who came to Mobile did not land there by
choice. They were mixed-race orphans sponsored by the Catholic
Social Services Refugee Resettlement Program in the 1980s. Soon,
through word of mouth, families with a background in fishing
discovered Mobile and nearby Bayou La Batre, the seafood capital
of Alabama.
``They didn't find a very friendly atmosphere,'' said Pam White,
a case manager for the refugee resettlement service. ``White
people didn't want to hire them. People didn't want to live by
them.''
Over time, attitudes changed, and proximity has bred
familiarity.
With her work uniform still on, Priscilla Witherspoon stepped
inside Nails Today and took a seat at Linh Vo's station,
extending her hands for inspection.
Witherspoon, 42, works in housekeeping at nearby Providence
Hospital.
``It makes you feel pretty,'' she said, eyeing the acrylic
pearl-tips that would soon adorn her fingertips.
Though she had been in before, Witherspoon had always thought Vo
was from China.
``How do you tell the difference between a person from China or
Vietnam?'' she asked Vo. The eyes, the manicurist told her.
Head bent, a protective mask over her face, Linh captivated her
customer with her family's tale of multiple attempts to escape
by sea in the 1980s, how her mother sold all their possessions,
even the rice cooker. It was her biggest regret, Vo said, that
her mother died shortly after arriving in America.
Witherspoon nodded her head, understanding fully. She showed a
visitor her upper left arm, on which she had tattooed the names
of her deceased parents: Juanita and Benjamin.
``I miss them,'' she said.
It was well past 7 p.m. and someone switched off the neon
``Open'' sign. Vo turned back to Witherspoon, and the
conversation between a black grandmother and a war refugee
continued.
Contact Truong Phuoc Khánh at
tkhanh@mercurynews.com or
(408) 920-2729.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/11531508.htm)
******************
May 2, 2005
WHERE THE EAST MEETS
THE WEST
Vietnamese-Americans prosper by serving Houston's diversity
By Purva Patel
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
 Vican
Tan's small grocery store catered mostly to Asian shoppers when
he opened 22 years ago.
Today, his Viet Hoa International Foods supermarket peddles
processed American cheese and Heineken beer along with Asian
imports.
"We think this location is where the East meets the West," Tan
said.
That statement could very well describe southwest Houston, which
touts a growing Vietnamese business community that's starting to
blur the lines between East and West. They're no longer
marketing strictly to each other, but targeting the mainstream
consumer as well.
At last count, well over 130,000 Vietnamese lived in Texas, 41
percent of them in the Houston metropolitan area.
Thousands of Vietnamese refugees fled after the fall of Saigon
in 1975 and found themselves in Texas. Many were drawn to the
Gulf Coast by the chance to work as shrimpers as they did in
Vietnam. Others worked in factory assembly lines or other blue
collar jobs. Scores eventually saved enough to open their own
small businesses.
Assimilation hasn't always been easy. Tensions between the Ku
Klux Klan and shrimpers hurt race relations. So did the response
to a series of shootings of Asian store clerks in the 1990s.
When the clerks began to fight back by arming themselves,
African-Americans became concerned that the Asian store owners,
many of them Vietnamese, were using the guns to intimidate
customers.
Leaders from both communities helped allay worries by holding
town hall meetings and even distributing a free manual on the
difference between Asian and American cultures to all Asian
convenience store owners.
"It still happens once in a while," said Dan Nip, who helped
lead talks between the communities. "There's always someone who
might not have the knowledge as new people arrive."
Bellaire Boulevard
Most Vietnamese stores, salons and restaurants first
concentrated in Midtown, in what was called "Little Saigon." But
higher rents and street construction from redevelopment in the
late 1990s forced many of the businesses to move. Many relocated
to the Bellaire Boulevard corridor west of Sharpstown in what's
known as the city's New Chinatown.
Their business presence is unmistakable and growing.
Although immigration has leveled since the 1970s, Houston is
still attracting Vietnamese from other U.S. cities.
The city's low cost of living, warm weather and diversity have
made it a profitable and attractive place to do business
compared with other American cities, said Thuy Vu, co-owner of
Radio Saigon. She had reservations about the city when she
followed her sister to Houston from San Diego in 1997.
"In California, you don't see that kind of diversity in
customers," she said. "When you serve just one community, sooner
or later there will be too many. When you have a city like
Houston where people tend to enter each other's stores freely,
it really attracts the Vietnamese from California because they
have more of a chance to grow their business."
Sharing a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit,
Vietnamese-Americans own nearly one-third of the 25,000
Asian-owned businesses in the Houston area, generating total
annual revenues of $1.23 billion, according to the latest
economic census released in 1997. That figure has likely climbed
significantly as the city's Asian population has grown.
Tri La, the owner of the Kim Son chain, has restaurants
throughout the city. And Hai Du Duong, an ethnic Chinese raised
in Vietnam, put his mark on Chinatown with the creation of the
Hong Kong City Mall and continues to play a major role in
developing the area. Vican Tan, also an ethnic Chinese raised in
Vietnam, is expanding his Viet Hoa Center and also runs a
wholesale food distribution center and chinese restaurant.
Like thousands of other refugees who came to the United States,
Tan faced a language barrier as he searched to restart his life
in a foreign land.
He had fled Vietnam at 16 with a passport his parents had bought
so he could study abroad. But after the fall of Saigon, he used
it to get to Paris, where he held part-time dishwashing and
busboy jobs as he studied to be an electrical technician. In
1982, he reunited in Houston with his parents and five sisters.
`Excited and amazed'
"I was excited and amazed at how big this country was. I feel
extremely fortunate the whole family was able to leave the
country safely," he said. "But at the same time, I was
handicapped because I didn't know English and didn't know how to
drive a car."
But he wasn't scared. He considered himself lucky, crediting his
years in Paris for teaching him to adapt quickly.
With the help of his parents, who had been grocers in Vietnam,
he secured a loan from an Asian-owned bank and bought a 4,000
square-foot store on Wilcrest in Alief.
After three relocations and five expansions, the store evolved
into a 100,000-square foot supermarket in a shopping plaza that
Tan, 45, hopes will become a landmark in Southwest Houston.
His customers are more diverse now, he said, because his
location at the West Sam Houston Parkway and Beechnut Street
draws in shoppers already headed to H-E-B or other western
retailers in the area.
Shoppers can find groceries hailing from China to Malaysia, as
well as American, African and Latin American products.
"The customer base has changed a lot," Tan said.
He also opened A-F Import & Wholesale Co. in the 1990s to
distribute imported groceries to smaller stores, restaurants and
walk-in customers who want to buy in bulk. His development
company, Tansco, is focused on expanding the Beltway Plaza
Center that houses Viet Hoa.
The entire family dedicated itself to growing the business. Even
today his parents can be found walking the aisles of the grocery
store, and his sisters handle some part of the family business,
a common practice carried over from Vietnam.
He already has his four teen-age sons helping with paperwork and
stocking shelves.
"The Vietnamese people have done a great job settling in
Houston," Tan said. "But their greatest job is to build the next
generation."
The first generation spent years working and focused on sending
its kids to college.
Now, some of those children are returning home to help grow the
family business, as they would have in Vietnam. They're also
helping assimilate the businesses into the mainstream.
Duc Doan, 55, started an insurance agency in Houston 12 years
ago that sold strictly to Asians. Although he fled Vietnam in
1979, and moved to Houston after a stint at a refugee camp in
Malaysia, he sold just to first-generation Asians.
Daughter now helps
Today, his 26-year-old American-born daughter, Thy, is helping
him target other markets.
"The first generation I sold to had simple needs I could help
fulfill," Doan said. "The second generation, like Americans, has
more complicated needs. My daughter can communicate with them
better."
Much of the second generation is also starting businesses of its
own, venturing into real estate, financial planning, medicine
and publishing.
"The younger generation comes out of college and has a more
mainstream approach to doing business," said Nghi Ho, a
financial planner who has more non-Asian clients than Asian.
A lot of businesses do stillcater just to Vietnamese-Americans,
he said, and some even thrive on it.
"But I can't," said Ho, who was 8 when his family left Vietnam
for Houston. "If I just
did the Vietnamese, I'd starve."
purva.patel@chron.com
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3159422)
******************
May 6, 2005
VIETNAMESE
ACTOR STARTS OVER IN S.J.
MOVIE OPENING TODAY STARS
MAN WHO WAS MATINEE IDOL AT HOME
By Mark de la Viña
Mercury News
After meeting Vietnamese film star Don Duong, it comes as no
surprise that he made a career there playing soft-spoken
everymen fighting the good fight.
The actor, whose ``Me Thao (Once Upon a Time)'' opens today at
the Camera 12 Cinema, is a picture of quiet dignity as he sits
in the suburban living room of his sister Susie Bui's San Jose
home.
Just two years ago, Duong was a matinee idol in Ho Chi Minh City
who wore a hat and sunglasses on the street to avoid being
recognized. The winner of his homeland's equivalent of the Oscar
for best actor in 1993 was dubbed the Vietnamese Mel Gibson by
People magazine. Today, after two years of unemployment, he and
several Vietnamese businessmen talk about starting a film
production company where he can direct movies.
Duong, 47, was forced to leave Vietnam in 2003 after the
government branded him a traitor for appearing in ``We Were
Soldiers,'' with Gibson, and ``Green Dragon,'' with Patrick
Swayze. State-run newspapers claimed those movies hurt the
country's image and distorted its history.
Adjusting to life in San Jose hasn't been easy. His marriage did
not survive the transition -- he and his wife have separated. He
struggles with his English. To work through bouts of depression,
he tackles yard work at his sister's home, Bui said.
But Duong becomes animated as he speaks about ``Me Thao,'' the
movie he believes could resuscitate his career. It was banned in
Vietnam before he left with his wife and two sons, he said.
``I never thought this would be shown in the United States,''
Duong said through an interpreter, friend David Phan. ``I'm very
emotional because this is the last movie I made there.''
In ``Once Upon a Time,'' Duong plays Tam, a musician linked to a
murder. Unjustly persecuted, he stands firm in the belief that
he can find salvation through his art.
``Do you believe in fate?'' Duong asked. ``Because it feels like
I'm living the role in the movie.''
The actor is no stranger to San Jose moviegoers, said Ron
Regalia, office manager for the Camera Cinema. Duong starred in
two hits at the theater, ``Three Seasons'' in 1999 and ``Green
Dragon'' in 2002.
``He has a real classic quality on screen,'' Regalia said.
Duong was labeled a ``sellout'' for appearing as a Vietnamese
colonel fighting against outnumbered U.S. troops, led by Gibson,
in ``We Were Soldiers.'' He was also criticized for his
appearance in ``Green Dragon,'' a movie about refugee life in
the United States after the Vietnam War. In the film written and
directed by his nephews Timothy Linh Bui and Tony Bui, Duong
portrays a refugee camp manager, opposite Swayze and Forest
Whitaker.
The actor said he never wanted to leave his homeland, but in
spite of his stature in Vietnamese cinema, he was unable to work
there after the campaign against him. He was stripped of
membership in the actors' guild and had his passport seized by
the government. When his papers were returned, he moved with his
family to San Jose, where his sister Susie had settled three
decades earlier.
``He can never forget what he went through,'' Phan said.
Duong has tried to carry on as an actor here, but he recognizes
the limitations for Vietnamese performers in the United States,
especially a non-English speaker estranged from his homeland's
film community. Roles are rare.
He has been approached about working on a film for adventurer
and author Frederick ``Cork'' Graham and he has auditioned for
other parts, such as one in the Tom Hanks movie ``The
Ladykillers.''
``But they said I was too small and too young to play the role
of the general,'' he said.
The actor has been courted to appear in small film projects by
members of the Vietnamese community, but ``I didn't feel like
those roles justified my involvement,'' he said.
Duong is just beginning to feel comfortable in his new life. He
fills his time helping a Realtor friend prepare homes for the
market. However, his real desire is to follow Clint Eastwood and
Kevin Costner, actors who used their clout to become
producer-directors. Duong explains that he has linked up with
several friends and investors who hope to establish a production
company for him.
``Acting is my passion,'' he said. ``Not being able to do this
has been eating me alive. But if I cannot play the role in a
movie, this is what I will do.''
`Me Thao (Once Upon a Time)'
Where Camera 12 Cinema, 201 S. Second St., San Jose
Through May 19
Info (408) 998-3300,
www.cameracinemas.com
Contact Mark de la Viña at
mdelavina@mercurynews.com or
(408) 920-5914.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/11578799.htm)
******************
May 6, 2005
MEETING THE
NEEDS OF ETHNIC HOME BUYERS
AGENTS SATISFY CLIENT VALUES LIKE FENG SHUI
By K. Oanh Ha
Mercury News
In search of a new home, Tin Lai's requirements are clear. He
wants a good school district, a house that has a perfect square
or rectangular shape. And he absolutely will not look at a home
with a stairway facing the front door.
``All your luck and your wealth will go straight out the door,''
said Lai, a 36-year-old design engineer looking to upgrade his
San Jose home.
A decade ago, it might have been difficult for Lai to find a
real estate agent who was a fellow Vietnamese-American and
understood his belief in feng shui, which dictates how good
energy flows through a physical space.
These days, he can have his pick of agents who are well-versed
in feng shui. That change is further proof of the growing clout
of immigrant and minority consumers who are now hotly courted by
real estate agents, lenders and developers. Agents and lenders
are offering classes to help others in the industry understand
minority clients, while developers are changing home designs to
suit a different cultural sensibility.
``We're seeing the effect of a large immigrant population that
was formed in the early 1990s now beginning to achieve the
American dream of home ownership,'' said Derrick Hall, senior
vice president of communications for KB Home. ``Immigrants are a
very important part of our business as well as for all home
builders in the country.''
Half of buyers
Last year, immigrant home buyers bought nearly half of the
32,000 homes sold nationwide by KB, Hall said.
The Latino and Asian markets are equally strong for KB, he said.
Asian homeowners have the highest median home value in the
country -- $199,300 -- among all racial groups, according to the
U.S. Census.
Ethnic home buyers are increasingly repeat customers. Latino
repeat home buyers in California jumped to 13 percent in 2004,
from 10 percent in 2003, according to the California Association
of Realtors. Asian repeat buyers increased to 10 percent, up
from 7 percent.
Ethnic real estate agents are more visible these days, too.
Eighty percent of the agents who joined the Santa Clara County
Association of Realtors in 2003 had Asian surnames, said Jim
Myrick, the group's president.
``Immigrants are most comfortable in their own language,'' said
Yogendra Singh, who founded the Council of Indian-American
Realtors in 2003. ``The ethnic Realtors understand the culture
of their buyers, and that's very important because it increases
the buyer's comfort level.''
Recent efforts to reach immigrant home buyers include:
• The creation of several ethnic Realtors' organizations in the
past two years by the Santa Clara County Association of
Realtors, including ones for agents who are Filipino-American,
Vietnamese-Americans, Indian-Americans and Hispanic.
• First American Title rolled out a new marketing program to
reach minority real estate agents in Santa Clara County. This
year, it held several public seminars in Silicon Valley to
educate them about serving Hispanic home buyers and is planning
seminars that address the needs of Asian home buyers. It's
launching a Web site in June aimed at Asian consumers.
• KB Home, one of the top five home builders in the country,
last month launched a Web site for Spanish speakers. It also has
a hotline for Spanish speakers and is looking to offer hotlines
in Asian languages.
• Most developers, including Shea, KB and SummerHill Homes in
Palo Alto, employ Chinese feng shui principles in their home
design.
KB, for example, will design homes that meet feng shui
principles if it knows the market is dominated by an Asian
clientele, said KB's Hall.
One of the developer's signature features is homes that give a
view of the back yard from the front of the house -- which adds
to the spacious feel of the home. However, feng shui
practitioners believe that creates a straight line in which good
energy will fly out of the house. In response, KB will alter
that feature for homes that are selling in a market that's
predominantly Asian, Hall said.
Feng shui consultant
Marsha Golangco, an Alamo feng shui consultant, was used by
developers eight years ago to troubleshoot homes that weren't
selling because of feng shui problems. These days, most of the
top developers consult Golangco and others like her long before
a floor plan is finalized.
``The developers are now much more aware of feng shui and what
Asian customers want,'' Golangco said.
Several Asian countries practice some form of geomancy, and the
principles may not be the same. For Indians, it's called
vasthu sasthra, which assumes that certain navigational
directions of homes bring more harmony than others. Vietnamese
and Chinese care more about numerology and pay strict attention
to house numbers.
That's why having a real estate agent who understands the
culture of the buyer may be useful, real estate agents said.
Tin Lai's agent, Leon Le, who is also Vietnamese, carries a
compass in his car to check for clients like Lai whether
elements of a house face the proper direction. In the past, he
has had deals nixed at the last minute because the buyer noticed
a bad feng shui element.
Lai doesn't bother showing houses that sit at the middle of a
T-intersection or ones where the kitchens have sinks and stoves
facing each other. The water from the sink will extinguish the
warmth of the stove, which creates harmony for the home.
``I can't argue with them,'' said Le, of Realty World. ``They
really believe this will affect their fortune.''
Contact K. Oanh Ha at
kha@mercurynews.com or
(408) 278-3457.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/personal_finance/11578864.htm)
******************
May 8, 2005
THE
PRESSURES OF ‘GOOD’ CULTURAL STEREOTYPES
By Kimberly Blanton, Globe Staff
Asian-Americans are better educated than whites,
African-Americans, or Latinos. Asian-American women earn more
than their white and black counterparts. And, anecdotally, in
regions like Boston and Silicon Valley, Asian-Americans are
prominent among the high-tech community's successful
entrepreneurs and scientific innovators.
Facts such as these only feed stereotypes the white world holds
of Asian-Americans as industrious, smart, assimilated. According
to Jane Hyun in ''Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies
for Asians," pressure to be the ''model" minority is where the
difficulties often begin for Asian immigrants and
Asian-Americans trying to advance in today's more diverse, yet
still-evolving, workplaces.
Hyun reminds us Asian-Americans are of myriad origins and
cultures: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Hmong,
and Filipino, to name a few. According to US Census figures,
about 13.5 million people of Asian descent live in the United
States, and they make up 5 percent of the US population.
They ''have often experienced being the only Asian in the room,
and too often feel as if they represent every Asian in America,"
she writes. Colleagues may lump all Asian Americans ''into one
big group."
If only Hyun, a career consultant and diversity coach, had
delved more into cultural differences among Asians in her book,
which sometimes fails to get beyond the generic stereotypes.
Also, given the accomplishments of the Asian community, she
should have spent more time establishing, for example, their
scarcity at the top echelons of corporate America, despite a
lack of data. Or, to combat views that stem from higher pay
rates for Asian-American women, Hyun might have pointed out they
also have a higher poverty rate than white women.
The writer is at her best when conveying stories about workers'
experiences, the pressures put on some Asian-Americans by their
parents, or their hesitance to tap into networks or ask for
assistance. They do, indeed, suffer from ''good" stereotypes
laid on them. One man was hired, for example, as an analyst
because it was ''assumed he was good at math." He did not
succeed in the job, and his hiring was harmful to employee and
employer.
There is much the non-Asian world wouldn't understand. ''Mark Ly
is a dot-com entrepreneur who is still trying to convince his
parents that he is in a serious profession," said one case
study. His parents view business as a profession filled with
people who ''can't hack it in medicine, law, or engineering."
Asian-Americans often make the same mistake women make in the
corporate world. ''It's not enough to buckle down to work. You
need to map out a plan for promoting yourself," Hyun writes.
This advice comes in a chapter called On-The-Job Mobility
Strategies, which opens with a juxtaposition of boxer Muhammad
Ali's famous quote, ''I am the greatest," with an Asian-American
woman saying it had ''never occurred to me" to correct a teacher
who had mispronounced her family name, Zia, for years.
Kimberly Blanton can be reached at
blanton@globe.com.
(http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/05/08/the_pressures_of_good_cultural_stereotypes/)
******************
May 8, 2005
VOTERS MEET HOPEFULS
AT FORUM
By Rodney Foo
Mercury News
Voter Johnny Rivers walked into the San Jose City Council
District 7 candidates forum on Saturday hoping it would help him
narrow down his choice. Three hours later, he emerged just as
undecided.
``To me, it made it even harder,'' said Rivers, a 70-year-old
retired electronics technician.
Maybe that's because no stark contrasts in positions arose among
the nine candidates who hope to replace former councilman Terry
Gregory, who resigned under pressure in January and was later
convicted in Santa Clara County Superior Court of 11 misdemeanor
counts of ethics violations.
As a whole, the candidates supported honesty in government,
after-school programs, accessibility to citizens, preserving
community and youth centers, and fighting for the district's
fair share of the budget.
Some in the audience were in the same boat as Rivers -- they
were focusing on a few preferred candidates but had not yet
decided whom they'd cast a ballot for in the June 7 special
election.
``There are three or four who do sound competent, and that's
giving me some hope,'' said Claire Boswell, 50, who decided to
see and hear the candidates rather than rely on media reports.
For some candidates, the forum at Yerba Buena High School was
the epilogue to a long day that began in the morning with a
meeting with mobile home park residents and an endorsement
session with the Latino Peace Officers Association.
In the race are: Bob Dhillon, San Jose planning commissioner;
Andrew A. Diaz, a perennial council candidate; Beth Gonzales, an
Oak Grove High School history teacher; Timothy Lauwers, a
general contractor; Mahealani, who works for the Silicon Valley
Workforce Investment Network; attorney Linda Nguyen; Madison
Nguyen, a Franklin-McKinley school board trustee; Rudy
Rodriguez, a public-affairs specialist for State Farm Insurance;
and Ed Voss, who was beaten by Gregory in the 2002 council
election.
The race is rife with subplots: Can Madison Nguyen or Linda
Nguyen become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the city
council? Can Voss still crank out the vote that supported him in
2002? Can Dhillon's write-in campaign muster enough votes to
make a run-off?
And it's highly likely, political observers predict, that given
the number of candidates and low turnout, a September run-off
will be necessary.
About 32,000 voters are registered in the district and about
3,000 to 5,000 are expected to cast ballots in the June 7
special election.
Despite their general agreement on many issues, the candidates'
opening statements provided some indication of their true
differences: how they view themselves and the issues.
Voss pointed out he was drafted to run by friends and supporters
and that he'd bring the same skills that have made the
McLaughlin Neighborhood Association an effective advocate across
the district to give residents a voice at San Jose City Hall.
Gonzales cited her work on the passage of the Children's Health
Initiative, which has enabled tens of thousands of children from
low-income families to obtain health insurance.
``I am a woman who will fight for social justice,'' said Madison
Nguyen.
Rodriguez emphasized restoring trust to the council office and
accessibility to residents.
Dhillon said he had the most experience in dealing with city
government.
And Linda Nguyen told voters she would ``make sure the city
works for us.''
Contact Rodney Foo at
rfoo@mercurynews.com or (408) 975-9346.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/11595136.htm)
******************
May 9, 2005
‘AIM
FOR THE B’ TARGETS NEED TO INCREASE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS FOR
CHRONIC HEPATITIS B
Public Education Program to Take Place During 'National
Hepatitis B Awareness Week'
PRINCETON, N.J., /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the need to
increase education and awareness for chronic hepatitis B, the
Hepatitis B Foundation and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company are
partnering to host "AIM for the B: Awareness, Involvement and
Mobilization for Chronic Hepatitis B," a public education
program designed to elevate the urgency for prioritizing chronic
hepatitis B as a serious health issue in the United States. As
part of the initiative, a series of local events will take place
May 9-16, to coincide with "National Hepatitis B Awareness
Week," as designated by the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives.
The "AIM for the B" program includes events held in four U.S.
cities where chronic hepatitis B prevalence is high --
Philadelphia, New York, San Jose (Calif.) and San Francisco.
During the events, local physicians, chronic hepatitis B
patients and third-party organizations will gather to share
their experiences with the disease, and discuss the importance
of early diagnosis and care. More than one million people in the
U.S. have developed chronic hepatitis B infection and an
estimated 5,000 Americans die from hepatitis B and hepatitis
B-related liver complications each year.
"There is a tremendous lack of awareness for chronic hepatitis B
in this country," said U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
"During 'National Hepatitis B Awareness Week,' programs such as
'AIM for the B' are important because they help raise awareness
for the disease and encourage Americans at risk to get tested
and physicians and patients to take an active approach to
managing chronic hepatitis B."
"We are grateful to Congress for recognizing the need to
prioritize chronic hepatitis B as a serious health issue in the
United States," said Molli Conti, the Hepatitis B Foundation's
vice president of outreach programs. "Less than 30 percent of
adults infected with hepatitis B experience symptoms of the
disease, which often leads them to think it is not serious and
does not require medical attention. As a result, it is estimated
that only a small percentage of patients are currently receiving
care for the disease. We created the 'AIM for the B' program to
educate Americans that this disease can be life-threatening and
to encourage screening for the disease if they are at risk and
to seek care from a knowledgeable physician."
As part of the "AIM for the B" local events held in
Philadelphia, New York, San Jose and San Francisco, Asian and
Pacific Islander (API) patients infected with the hepatitis B
virus and physicians will speak on their personal experiences
with the disease. In the United States, APIs make up more than
half of the population infected with the hepatitis B virus.
Depending on the country of origin, between five and 15 percent
of API immigrants to the United States are chronically infected,
and approximately 15 to 40 percent of chronically infected
hepatitis B patients will develop liver scarring (cirrhosis),
liver failure or liver cancer.
"The 'AIM for the B' program is making progress in helping the
U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander community understand the
severity of chronic hepatitis B," said Jeffrey Caballero,
executive director, Association of Asian Pacific Community
Health Organizations (AAPCHO). "We strongly believe increased
education and awareness on a national level is the right path to
helping providers and patients understand how they can prevent
the transmission of the hepatitis B virus and seek appropriate
care for the disease."
For more information about the "AIM for the B" program and local
events, contact the Hepatitis B Foundation at 215-489-4900 or
visit
http://www.hepb.org/.
About the Hepatitis B Foundation
The Hepatitis B Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure and
improving the quality of life for those affected by hepatitis B
through a comprehensive program of research, education, and
patient advocacy. The organization is committed to raising funds
for focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting
immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the
primary source of hepatitis B information for patients and their
families, the medical and scientific community, and the general
public. Visit the Hepatitis B Foundation at
http://www.hepb.org/.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related
health care products company whose mission is to extend and
enhance human life. Visit Bristol-Myers Squibb at
http://www.bms.com/.
CONTACT: Media, Eric Miller of Bristol-Myers Squibb,
+1-609-252-7981,
eric.miller@bms.com
Web site:
http://www.bms.com/
http://www.hepb.org/
(http://www.medadnews.com/News/Index.cfm?articleid=237625)
******************
April 10, 2005
STATELESS, STRANDED VIETNAMESE A CONCERN TO LOCAL COMMUNITY
Plight of 2,000 in the Philippines a sensitive issue
By Edward Hegstrom
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
While some local Vietnamese marked the 30th anniversary of the
fall of Saigon last month with protests and marches, attorney
Huy-Tuan Nguyen flew to the Philippines to help resolve one of
the war's forgotten legacies.
Nearly 2,000 Vietnamese "boat people" remain stateless and
stranded in the Philippines, and Nguyen joined a group of five
local attorneys who flew there to help them.
"They have a rough life," Huy-Tuan Nguyen said of the Vietnamese
in the Philippines. "I feel sorry for them."
Vietnamese from throughout America have banded together to help
the Vietnamese in the Philippines. A fund-raiser in Houston
sponsored by Radio Saigon Houston and LAVAS (Legal Assistance
for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers) raised more than $20,000 for the
effort, Nguyen notes.
Yet the campaign to help the remaining Vietnamese has come under
criticism. The U.S. State Department has made it clear it does
not need or welcome help from the Vietnamese attorneys in
resettling those who remain in the Philippines.
"My concern is that the people in Houston and other cities are
unknowingly participating," said Thang Dinh Nguyen, the director
of Boat People SOS, a Virginia-based organization devoted to
helping Vietnamese refugees. "Not only is there no need for
lawyers in the Philippines, but the State Department doesn't
allow it."
Thang Dinh Nguyen, one of the founders of LAVAS, noted that the
group is no longer registered with the Internal Revenue Service
as a tax-exempt corporation.
"Recently, I have seen the name used in the community to raise
funds," he said. "My concern is that my name is still listed as
the incorporator."
The organization is now run by Lan Nguyen, a California lawyer
not related to Thang Dinh Nguyen. In an interview, Lan Nguyen
conceded that LAVAS is no longer registered with the IRS, but he
said the group has registered as a nonprofit in the state of
California.
LAVAS is listed as a corporation in California, but it does not
have tax-exempt status, according to Denise Azimi of the
California Franchise Tax Board. Groups that collect donations
are usually tax-exempt.
"If they're telling people that they can donate to them and they
will get a tax exemption, that would be a problem," Azimi said.
Also, tax-exempt organizations are required to make their
financial records public. But the financial records of private
corporations such as LAVAS are confidential, she said.
Lan Nguyen downplayed the issue of the registration, saying the
more important thing is to help those left in the Philippines.
He argues that the people have been neglected.
"Everyone has dropped the ball, and I don't want to drop the
ball," Lan Nguyen said of the stateless Vietnamese. "I just want
to help these people. I don't care what the name (of the
organization) is."
Those who remain in the Philippines are the last of an exodus
from Vietnam following the end of the war in 1975. Nearly
840,000 people escaped by boat, crossing the South China Sea to
land in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Others drowned or were captured by Vietnamese police.
The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees supervised
refugee camps, and most of the Vietnamese eventually were
resettled in the United States and other countries.
But the boat people kept fleeing, even more than a decade after
the end of the war. In 1989, representatives from the United
Nations, the United States and governments in the region met and
agreed that those who continued to escape were economic rather
than war refugees and that some of them should be forced to
return home. The Vietnamese government promised to treat the
returnees fairly.
More than 110,000 boat people have been repatriated.
The decision to return the boat people remains highly
controversial, particularly among overseas Vietnamese who still
fight against communism in their former homeland. Though Vietnam
has opened its economy and ended most persecution, these critics
continue to see it as unconscionable to force someone to return.
"Vietnam has changed, but it hasn't changed that much," said Huy-Tuan
Nguyen, the Houston attorney.
The 2,000 Vietnamese who remain in the Philippines were
interviewed and failed to qualify as war refugees. A State
Department official who wished to remain anonymous said most of
them are under age 35, meaning they were either not born or were
no older than 5 at the end of the war.
Under continued pressure from Vietnamese-Americans, the State
Department announced last year that it will conduct another
round of interviews, scheduled to begin in July, with the
stateless Vietnamese. Though local Vietnamese continue to raise
money for attorneys, the State Department says that is
unnecessary.
"There is no place for private attorneys to be involved in this
process," said the State Department official.
Lan Nguyen said attorneys can help locate the boat people and
get them back to Manila for the interview. They can also help
them locate important documents to bolster their case.
The State Department "worries we're coaching people," he said.
"But we're just helping them retell their story in a coherent
way."
edward.hegstrom@chron.com
(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3174372)
******************
May 10, 2005
LESSONS OF VIETNAM WAR GETTING LITTLE SCRUTINY IN SCHOOLS
Michael Fuoco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Perhaps fittingly for a war as controversial as that in Vietnam,
the last iconic images from the bitter conflict show the chaos,
fear and confusion as helicopters evacuate Americans and South
Vietnamese from the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy and other
locations in Saigon.
Four hours after the last evacuees were lifted to safety
offshore, the South Vietnamese government announced its
unconditional surrender to the Viet Cong. The long, costly war
had ended.
That was 30 years ago Saturday, but it is understandable that
such an ignominious end to such a divisive war won't be marked
with large-scale remembrances.
Less comprehensible, some educators say, is why the lessons of a
war that had profound political, societal and cultural effects
on America aren't being examined enough, if at all, in the
nation's schools.
And, they say, that lack of knowledge among America's young
about the sacrifices, successes and mistakes in Vietnam could
make them vulnerable.
That's Steve Jackson's fear.
Jackson, a professor of political science at Indiana University
of Pennsylvania, said students in his Introduction to American
Politics course have little if any knowledge about the Vietnam
War and its lessons. He finds that appalling, especially in
light of the current U.S. involvement in Iraq.
"Oftentimes, in world-history courses, high-school teachers only
get to World War II and then the school year's over," Jackson
said. "Unfortunately, high-school curriculums are taught in a
fairly black-and-white manner, which is what school boards
demand. They don't want nuanced positions, they want right and
wrong, and World War II is a great story of right and wrong.
"Vietnam is a much more complicated thing to teach, and
high-school teachers tend to shy away from it."
What Jackson has found in the courses he teaches is that young
people who have little or no knowledge about Vietnam become
fascinated by the conflict and all of its nuances.
That's the same reaction George Esper gets at West Virginia
University, where the former Associated Press correspondent who
covered the Vietnam War teaches a course in the History of
Journalism.
A large segment of the course is coverage of all wars since
World War I, but Esper said Vietnam by far provokes the most
interest among students, who previously knew little about it.
He said students may choose any topic for an oral presentation
and a research project, but most choose Vietnam.
"They're deeply interested in war coverage. The Vietnam War for
them is something fresher. There's a huge interest in Vietnam if
you lay it out for them. They're more interested in Vietnam than
anything else," said Esper.
He was one of the last American journalists to leave the
country, departing five weeks after the mass evacuation.
Esper augments his class with guest speakers such as former
war-correspondent colleagues Peter Arnett, David Halberstam and
Harold G. Moore, author of "We Were Soldiers Once and Young."
"What I teach is that the Vietnam War was the most open (for
news media coverage) in world history, and if you had the
energy, the stamina and the courage, you could go anywhere you
wanted.
"What made us so successful in covering Vietnam was the access
and the fact we were the first generation of reporters ... to
hold the government accountable. There's been a big change and
now it's gone in the opposite direction," said Esper.
While the United States and Vietnam continue to forge
educational, economic and cultural ties, he said, the war "has
left so many lingering pains and memories, more so than any
other war ... that 30 years later it remains an ugly chapter in
history and some people choose to forget it."
On Saturday, the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation will
launch an interactive online journal_
www.VietnamViews.org _ to capture the personal experiences
of soldiers, families, friends and others who were involved in
and affected by the war.
And the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has
installed a new permanent exhibition, "The Price of Freedom:
Americans at War."
The Vietnam section fittingly has televisions from the era
broadcasting the actual images and words that reported the
conflict to a divided America.
The Vietnam exhibit also includes a Huey helicopter, the
workhorse that rescued the wounded from the battlefield.
And the Huey was there at the end, 30 years ago, evacuating
Americans from a city about to be overrun, from a war that
shouldn't be forgotten.
(Michael A. Fuoco can be reached at
mfuoco@post-gazette.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service,
www.shns.com.)
(http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/education_news.asp?articleid=2013&zoneid=23)
******************
May 10, 2005
RIGHTS GROUP OPPOSES
TASERS
By Crystal Carreon
Mercury News
A prominent grass-roots group that initially supported calls for
Tasers after the controversial police shooting death of a
Vietnamese woman now says the use of the stun guns is like
playing Russian roulette with the public's safety.
The Coalition for Justice and Accountability on Monday called
for a ban of the controversial weapons on the same day the San
Jose Police Department released a study on Tasers. According to
the report, police use of Tasers decreased by 42 percent in the
past six months, attributing the drop to better training and
more public cooperation in the face of officers armed with the
50,000-volt weapons.
But the police report comes amid growing concerns across the
country on the dangers associated with Tasers, and instances
where suspects have died after being shot with the electro-stun
guns.
``We want them banned, completely,'' said Richard Konda, of the
coalition. ``They are just dangerous.''
The coalition cited the questionable safety record of the
weapons manufactured by Taser International, the growing number
of deaths and injuries across the country incurred after a Taser
was used, and the relative ease in which San Jose police have
reached for the devices in cases where, the coalition claims,
other tactics might have been applied.
Position reversed
Konda said the organization, which was formed after the 2003
fatal shooting of Bich Cau Tran by a police officer, reversed
its position after following how local officers have used Tasers
in the past year and instances where unarmed people and
juveniles were zapped to gain compliance.
He also believed San Jose police brought Tasers to the
department as an alternative to lethal force, but he has come to
question that claim. The department experienced a near-record
five deadly officer-involved shootings last year, including two
cases in which duty pistols were fired after Tasers failed.
Police Chief Rob Davis, who became the first in the Bay Area to
arm every officer with Tasers in April 2004, said he has no
plans to ban Taser use. While he also acknowledges Tasers are
not a panacea to officer-involved shootings, he believes that
they have saved lives and have prevented injuries.
``I understand there are questions,'' Davis said. ``But how do
you tell the officers who have prevented a shooting, the
officers who have saved lives, that they can no longer have
access to a tool because of question marks?''
Davis said the 820 officers equipped with the Taser X-26 model
are required to report every time they fire a Taser, and
suspects are also brought to a hospital for medical clearance.
A study of the first year of Taser use -- from May 1, 2004, to
April 30 -- showed that officers fired the stun guns 110 times
during the first six months and 64 times in the second six
months.
Davis attributed the decrease to officers' increasing
familiarity with the device's limitations: Tasers were
ineffective in 21 percent of the cases, usually when the suspect
was running or was dressed in heavier clothing. He also said the
public is more aware of Tasers, and he has heard several
accounts in which suspects surrendered when faced with being
zapped.
San Jose police fired Tasers on five juveniles, nine women and
163 men, according to the police study. In 64 percent of the
Taser cases, the suspects were mentally ill or were on drugs.
Ten percent of those who were shot with the stun guns were
African-American, 26 percent were white, and 52 percent were
Latino -- numbers that are in proportion to the number of
arrests by race, according to the study.
Auditor opposes ban
San Jose's Independent Police Auditor Barbara Attard said a ban
on police Tasers is premature. Her office is investigating two
Taser-related complaints this year.
``I don't think the evidence at this point warrants a ban,'' she
said.
The Taser X-26 fires wired barbs at a speed of 180 feet per
second that can temporarily disable a person by scrambling the
impulses sent by the brain to the rest of the body. The
50,000-volt jolts can incapacitate someone in a quarter of a
second.
The community coalition's study concludes that if officers
continue to use Tasers, the police department is setting the
stage for liability lawsuits and wrongful death claims should
someone be injured or killed as a result of a police Taser.
In Santa Clara County, no deaths have been reported after a
Taser was used. But in Northern California, seven people have
died in the past eight months after use of a police Taser. Last
month, Greg Saulsbury's family filed a $30 million federal suit
against the Pacifica Police Department. His death remains under
investigation.
Amnesty International, which has called on police to suspend --
not ban -- Tasers, applauded the coalition's awareness and
agreed that more independent studies on Taser safety need to be
completed.
``We're not anti-Taser. We just think it's important for police
forces to find less lethal ways to do their jobs,''' said Mona
Cadena, of Amnesty International. ``We're not convinced Taser is
the answer.''
Contact Crystal Carreon at
ccarreon@mercurynews.com or
(408) 920-5460.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/11608750.htm)
******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy
organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese
Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum –
by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens
engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil
liberties.
Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for
research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. section 107
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