A shameless appeal: The Olympics from an AAPI lens; follow me on Twitter and at my blog, Views From the Edge

Tennis star Naomi Osaka was chosen to light the Olympic Flame to begin the Games.

FRIENDS,

If you haven't read these stories about AAPI Olympians, you haven't been following "Views From the Edge", my blog with an Asian American & Pacific Islander spin.

A wrapup of the Tokyo Olympics where AAPI left their mark.:

Sky is the limit for 13-year old skateboarder

For karateka, the journey is as important as the quest for a medal

Libero is unsung hero of the U.S. women's volleyball; men disappointed in showing

Taiwanese American fencers lead U.S. team to a bronze medal

Asian Canadian swimmers secure medals for their country

Hmong American Suni Lee wins gold for women''s all-around gymnast

Japanese American swimmer wins silver in 1,500m freestyle 

Paige McPherson battles her way to fourth in taekwando

Filipino American cyclist pedals her way to seventh in road race

Surfing super star Carissa Moore brings medal home to Hawaii

Huge upset as Naomi Osaka beaten on Olympic tennis

With Simone Biles out, all eyes turn to Suni Lee

Filipino American fencer Lee Kiefer wins gold and makes history

Despite surge of hate, AAPI athletes proud to represent United States

Volleyball bonds Shoji brothers with other AAPI teammates

Naomi Osaka lights torch at Olympic stadium

U.S. fencing team has led by Asian Americans

Hawaiian skateboarder jumping and rolling towards an Olympic medal

U.S. AAPI shuttlers hope for first medal in badminton

British Golf Open champion Colin Morikawa flying to Tokyo

Asian Americans form nucleus of US. table tennis team

That's a lot of articles on one event, but they all have the local community angle; and for me, that community is the AAPI community. 

I'm a former journalist and government employee based in California. I've written movie scripts and was an editorial writer and had a column in a local mainstream newspaper (the good old days) after years as the editor of one of the most widely distributed ethnic newspapers in the United States. One thing I learned while writing those editorials and opinion pieces is that my opinion is as valid as anybody else's.

Besides sports, I also cover politics, pop culture, history, architecture, social and educational issues, and, once in a while, offer my personal view of what-the-hell is going on in the U.S. during these trying times. I don't want to sound like a braggart because normally, I'm very modest (if I don't say so, myself), but even if I don't have the fancy degrees or mega-platforms of other pundits, my focused voice is still a voice not often heard among the major media outlets.

I'm Filipino American so my coverage might appear to skew towards Filipino Americans, (thanks to Google metrics) but I try to give all the AAPI ethnicities and nationalities as much coverage as my one-man operation can allow and it all depends on the breaking news of the day or the issues boiling to the fore.

My No. 1 goal is to disseminate pertinent information in plain everyday language and try to avoid the esoteric rhetoric of "officialese" or "government-speak" so better resourced organizations and individuals can choose to act on the news -- or not. The choice is up to you.

So I'm asking for your help. If you like what I'm trying to do, follow me. Please no monetary donations. I don't have the bandwidth to deal with money. My payment is just for you to "follow" me, and if you like, retweet my postings. My articles are free and available for reprints.

If I've managed to pique your interest, stay current and follow me on Twitter or go directly to my blog, Views From the Edge. for more in-depth postings.