A few months ago, we talked about a new animated movie based on Filipino folklore and culture, Forgotten Island. Today, Universal Pictures released a new Forgotten Island trailer. This one shows much more about the island itself and its inhabitants.

While I like seeing a new trailer which reveals more about the movie, I worry that it, combined with the previous trailer, shows maybe a little too much. This seems to be a problem these days. For example, I loved the Project Hail Mary book. Seeing the alien in the trailers for the movie spoils one of the book’s big reveals.

The Forgotten Island will be in theatres on September 25.

The post Universal Pictures Releases New Forgotten Island Trailer appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

What is ASPIRE?  It is a research program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute that seeks to understand cancer in Asian Americans.  It is lead by UCSF researchers working with researchers at UC Irvine, UC Davis, Cedars-Sinai, and Temple University.

Not everyone can qualify. The study specifically needs Asian Americans between 45-70 who live in the US or US territories and who have never had cancer. You can sign up here if interested.

The post How You Can Help Understand Asian American Cancer appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

We have written about corrupt Asian American mayors like Ed Balico and Sheng Thao. What is different about now former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang?  What exactly did being an illegal foreign agent entail?  Wang, at the behest of Chinese government officials, posted Pro-Beijing articles on her website without notifying US officials as required by law. Posts include denying humans rights abuse in Xinjiang. For her part, Wang says that she was duped by her former fiance, Mike Sun, who was convicted on similar charges. Wang faces up to a maximum of ten years in this case.

What particularly irritates me Wang’s case? Arcadia is an Asian American majority city in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley. Taiwanese make up some 6% of the population, many of whom are definitely not Pro-Beijing. “We cannot allow this moment to become an excuse for people to paint entire communities with one brush or weaponize ethnicity for political gain,” says acting Arcadia Mayor Paul Cheng. Wang’s (and Sun’s) actions help to do just that.  While we often acknowledge here the advances by Asian Americans in the US political system, her conviction helps undermine those.

The post Asians Behaving Badly: Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang was a Chinese Government Agent appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

• Top words to describe the US are great, prosperous, or powerful
• 64% of AAPI adults say the US used to be great for immigrants but isn’t any more
• 41% of of AAPI adults say that they started carrying proof of immigration status or citizenship or know someone who does (compared to 25% of the general population)
• A substantial proportion of Asian Americans do not support birthright citizenship in many cases (up to 50% for children born to people in the US illegally)

Rather sad about carrying identification for proof of citizenship or status. I have seen advice from other Asian Americans to do that, but I don’t. I don’t know anyone who says that they do. This could be the case because I live in the bubble of an Asian ethnoburb in the middle of Silicon Valley. I can imaging that AAPI in less heavily Asian areas would feel the pressure to do that these days. A separate poll a few months shows that more than half of AAPI have been treated like they are foreigners, regardless of place of birth.

The finding on birthright citizenship does not surprise me. Many Asian Americans don’t know Asian American history and the context and role of Asian Americans in establishing birthright citizenship.  Moreover, many Asian Americans have a sense of law and order that makes certain cases seem like cheating.

That’s a lot of other things in the poll results that may interest you. You can read a detailed report on the data here. AP-NORC and AAPI Data provide data and actual polling percentage numbers here.

The post AAPI Thoughts on the US 250th Anniversary appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

I saw this Expedia television ad while watching the NBA Finals Game 4 (what a game!):

“From vacation rentals to road trips, Expedia has every family getaway covered. The Evergreens’ family vacation started with Expedia. The one place you go to go places. When hockey season wrapped up and summer finally arrived, the Evergreen family knew it was time to recharge. Dad had one mission: find peace, quiet, and plenty of space for the whole crew to unwind. With Expedia, planning was effortless. They booked their flights, rental car, and a spacious vacation home all in one place. No stress. No juggling tabs. Just simple, seamless travel planning that made their summer getaway feel easy from the start. Whether your family is escaping after a busy school year or celebrating the start of summer break, Expedia helps you find everything you need in one spot. Nice job, Dad, and nice job, Expedia. If you’re dreaming of your next adventure, family trip, or summer vacation, Expedia is the one place you go to go places.”

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see this mixed race couple with an Asian Male and White Female, a pairing not often seen in TV commercials. The kids definitely look biracial, and the bickering in the back of the car seemed realistic to me!

There were some negative comments posted on the YouTube video, including:

• Why is the woman driving?
• Why does Expedia hate white couples?
• Why do commercials seems to make Men look like wimps, has it become a bad thing to be masculine? 

Plenty of idiots on the Internet…

The post Asian American Commercial Watch: Expedia’s ‘One Place for Summer Getaways’ appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

SF Supervisor Connie Chan Primary Results

I was going to blog about retiring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi endorsing San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan when this happened back in mid-May for California Congressional District 11, but never got around to it. Now, we see the results of Peosi’s endorsement for Chan. It was decisive in the California primary, which occurred this past week. Chan came in the top two in California’s “jungle” open primary, with California State Senator (and former San Francisco Supervisor) Scott Wiener:

“Wiener secured a runoff spot with about 41% of the vote, with Chan securing about 29%, per the AP. Chan celebrated her second place lead at an election party Tuesday evening after returns showed her doubling the votes of former congressional aide Saikat Chakrabarti — despite his self-funded $10 million campaign.
…
Pelosi’s late endorsement of Chan appears to have achieved its immediate goal: helping secure her place in the top two and preventing Chakrabarti from turning the race into a national proxy battle between Democratic establishment figures and the party’s progressive flank.

Pelosi endorsed Chan just weeks before the election, praising her record and elevating her candidacy after largely staying out of the succession contest.

“Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement absolutely turned the tide for us,” Chan told Axios Tuesday night. “We knew it … but we have also been building momentum.””

Ironically, for someone who has been blogging about Asian Americans involved in politics, I don’t know Connie Chan. I’ve seen her at one or two events in San Francisco, but have never really spoken to her in person. I live about 35 miles south of San Francisco.

Saikat Chakrabarti in Third Place

I had met Saikat Chakrabarti last year at a “meet & greet” via a friend who lived in San Francisco who knew one of the organizers of the event. Chakrabarti seemed to be well intentioned. But Chakrabarti, after striking gold as being the first or second employee at Stripe, left the Bay Area to get involved in politics and eventually becoming Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (“AOC”) original campaign manager back in 2018 and her Chief-of-Staff. AOC refused to officially endorse him which I think caused great harm for his campaign. Chakrabarti often referenced his time with AOC to back his progressive credentials.

He was painted as a carpetbagger for moving back in the Bay Area only a few years ago I believe. Chakrabarti, who has an estimated net worth of approximately $150 million, self-financed his campaign up to $10 million for the primary. Crazy! Money can only go so far. In politics, especially local politics, name recognition and previous public service can go a long way in overcoming any financial advantage. I have known other examples where money can “buy” elections, though.

Friends and acquaintances have often asked me when I am going to run for public office. My usual response is when I win the lottery or when I’m retired! Personally, I’d hate to dial for cash to fundraise to run for public office and would rather self finance. I don’t think I would initially run for a seat like Congress but would start at the local level. I think fundamentally, people want to vote for people who have paid their dues and shown commitment to public service. Of course, Trump is the greatest counter example of all time, but he did have massive name recognition.

Scott Wiener:  Connie Chan’s Opponent in the General Election

I’ve also met California State Senator Scott Wiener (and fellow Duke alum) on a few occasions. Personally, if I lived in San Francisco and could vote for either Wiener or Chan, I’m not sure who I would choose. I would probably choose Wiener given his lengthier time in pubic service and his experience as a state legislator. That he is a fellow Duke alum doesn’t hurt either! I don’t believe in voting on pure “identity politics.” I’d rather commit suicide than vote for Trump even if Trump were Taiwanese American.

Identity politics might come into play for the general election, as Wiener is openly gay Approximately up to 7% of San Francisco adults identify as LGBT with the active electorate between 15% to 23%. Chan is an Asian American. She is originally from Hong Kong with a stint in Taiwan (between the ages of 5 to 13) before arriving as a child in San Francisco. Around 22% of San Francisco is of Chinese decent, and overall, 37.2% Asian.

I suspect that Wiener will prevail in the general election. Still, if Chan wins, I will certainly be happy that Chan would be the first Asian American to represent San Francisco in Congress!

The post SF Supervisor Connie Chan Moves Forward to the General Election with the Help of Retiring Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi Endorsement appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

For those of you who don’t know, Gestational Diabetes Mellitis (GDM) is diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, usually between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. The cause is unknown. Women who develop GDM have a 50% chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Unmanaged GDM increases the odds of preeclampsia, premature birth, and other problems. Children of women with GDM have a higher risk of issues.

As the Atlantic article points out, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have been tracking a GDM increase in Chinese American populations faster than that of the general population. No one seems to know why. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends glucose screen for Asian American women with BMI greater than 23.

(photo credit:  Jessica Merz  licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

The post Asian American Medical Hazard: Gestational Diabetes appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

Recently, I had an opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet for 39-year-old Massachusetts State Representative Tram Nguyen, who is running for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. Having been born-and-raised in Western Massachusetts (where there were very few Asians in the 70s and 80s), I was excited to learn that if Tram Nguyen wins her Congressional race, she would make history as the first Massachusetts Asian American Representative.

Nguyen is the daughter of a Vietnamese political refugee. Her father had spent something like eight years in prison having worked for the United States during the Vietnam War. She came over to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. Nguyen is the first in her family to attend college (Tufts University (BA), Northeastern University (JD), and Harvard University (MPA)). She worked as a staff attorney for legal aide non-profits before deciding to run for public office.

Nguyen impressed me when I learned that in her first run for Massachusetts Representative back in 2018, she beat a MAGA Republican 8 year incumbent – by 10 points! Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American woman to be elected to office in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts primary is in September, and she’s running against a few self-funded candidates. Nguyen is the only candidate currently holding public office. According to the Cook Partisan Voter Index, the 6th Congressional District of Massachusetts is currently D+11, so as a Democrat. If Nguyen makes it through the primary, she’s likely to be elected into office in November.

If you want to learn more about Tram Nguyen and/or donate, you can check out her official website at https://www.tramforcongress.com/

The post Tram Nguyen Running for Congress – 6th Congressional District of Massachusetts appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.