Nonito Donaire Jr.: "I am Filipino!"

NONITO DONAIRE Jr. (AKA The Filipno Flash) is a champion boxer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Next to Manny Pacquiao, he is probably the best known contemporary Filipino pugilist, holding multiple crowns in various weight divisions.

Like many men who have taken up the sport professionally, he's full of self-confidence to the point of being overconfident. He's brash, outspoken and proud to be a Filipino. The commercial for Cobra Energy Drink combines his confidence and pride to send a powerful positive message about being Filipino (its implied that comes with drinking Cobra, of course.)

Forget the drink, when I first saw the commercial, my reaction was "Oh, yeah!!!" It is one of the most positive and powerful messages about being Filipino that I've seen. Warrior, Perseverance, Power, Against all odds. Good stuff.

He has a fight this coming Saturday against up-and-coming fighter Nicholas Walters, a powerful puncher who hasn't been defeated in his 24-fight career. The fight in Carson, Calif. is for the featherweight WBA crown.

Donaire, at 31, may be on the downside of his spectacular career. Since he lost to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Donaire hasn't been the same. However, the "Flash" is no slouch either sporting a 33-2 record with 21 KOs.

It's a big fight for Walters to legitimize his quest for a world championship. The stakes are just as high for Donaire to regain the respect of the fight world but more importantly, to regain his swagger.

UPDATE: Nonito Donaire lost to Nicholas Walter by TKO in the 6th round. Donaire was overmatched by size, weight and reach. He should stay in the lower weight divisions.

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Columbus: Hero or Villain?

What is Christopher Columbus smiling about?

AHH! SEATTLE. Love that city. Seattle is named after a Duwamish chieftain so its no surprise that instead of celebrating Christopher Columbus, they dubbed the second Monday of October as Indigenous People's Day. 

Seattle joins Berkeley and Minneapolis in switching from Columbus Day to celebrating the original  inhabitants of this continent. South Dakota marks the day as Native American Day. 

Columbus is revered as the man who claims to have "discovered" America, even though he really thought it was India; even though Vikings landed on North America 500 years earlier; even though millions of people were already living here for eons minding their own business before the Italian navigator set foot in Hispaniola and claimed it for Spain.

Depending on your point of view, Columbus Day marks the beginning, or the end. 

The beginning of an era of European conquest, the beginning of the exploitation of the land and resources; the beginning of the extermination of civilizations and enslavement of peoples; the beginning of lies and broken treaties that took the lands away from people who were living there first; the beginning of our great United States of America.

Or ... It is the end of a way of life, the end of the civilizations that were taking root in Peru, the Yucatan, Mexico and the Confederacies of Indian tribes on the Eastern Seaboard; the end of great forests of North America that spanned from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, the end of the nomadic tribes of the Great Plains, the end of the hunter-gatherer people of the West;

Or ... You can sum it all up to say it was the beginning of the end of the great native peoples.

I remember the history taught in school: "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue ..."

that painted the Italian explorer as the great navigator, the savior of the "savages," who brought Christianity to these shores; brought riches of gold and silver back to Spain. It wasn't until college did I realize those history books told only half the story.

Some cities still have parades and it has become a day of pride among Italian Americans, even though it was Spain that allowed and financed the expedition that changed the way the world was viewed and challenged the perspective of man's place in the Universe.

In "The Population of the Americas in 1492" by William M. Denevan, he writes: "The discovery of America was followed by possibly the greatest demographic disaster in the history of the world." Pre-Colombus population estimates by scholars runs from eight million to 112 million. In any case, by 1650 the native population was down to less than six million. That's a wide range, but no matter which number you choose, the decimation of the native people can be called nothing less than a holocaust.

That was the sad beginning and it got worse from there. Cities were ransacked, villages burned, temples destroyed, people enslaved, and treaties were broken time and time again. On top of all that, European diseases, against which the native population had no defense, took a tremendous toll.

"The Trail of Tears" as painted by Robert Lindneux in 1942. 

Their traditional land stolen from them, native Americans were forced to move to desolate reservations that couldn't support their farms or provide them any game to hunt. So they became wards of the state, forced to live off government handouts.

In one of the most egregious examples, through the Indian Removal Act of 1838, the "Five Civilized Tribes" of Cherokees, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Seminole and Creeks were forced from their traditional homes in the southeast U.S. so cotton growers could have their land. The native Americans then had to undertake the long trek to Oklahoma, Thousands died on the "Trail of Tears."

Is it any wonder that they don't do a champagne toast to Columbus?

If we were taught the truth in those grade-school history texts, people wouldn't be so shocked at Seattle's action.

St. Louis Cardinals' Kolten Wong talks tattoos

ITS HARD not to like Kolten Wong, even though he's a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, who are playing the Giants this week for the National League championship; even tough he hit the game-winning home run against my team in Game 2 of the series; even though he is playing at another level during the post-season.

He's one of the few Asian-American ballplayers in the Big Leagues so even though he plays for a rival, I'll be rooting for him (except when he plays against the Giants.)

Ladies will enjoy this video (OK, and some guys, too). Listen to the native of Hilo, Hawaii explain his tattoos - Pacific Islander design, of course - representing strength and family. His pride for his mixed heritage - Chinese and Hawaiian - is evident.

The palm tree represents protection. The overlapping lattice of palm leaves – woven like a rug represents the importance and strength of "ohana" (family). The tattoo is on his right arm because, as Wong told the reporter, “it’s my strongest arm.” It’s his throwing arm.

Wong's newest tattoos are in tribute to his mother.

Since the video was taken, he's extended the tattoos to his right forearm in honor of his mother, who died late last year. "Cancer ribbon," he explained to a reporter. "A tribute to her so I'll always have her with me." Are your eyes watering?

One way or the other, Wong is leaving his mark on the current post-season.

He attended Kamehameha High School in Hilo and the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Besides baseball, he played football and trains at a gym run by mixed-martial artist and UFC star B.J. Penn, who has become a friend.

Although he is only 5 foot-nine inches in a sport where someone 5'11" is described as a "little guy," Wong packs a wallop in his muscular frame - as the Giants have learned.

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9 Best Things About Being Filipino American

WITH ABOUT 800,000 hits on YouTube in a month, this video could be classified as  a niche hit. It's been bouncing around a bit longer on BuzzFeed so who knows how many people have clicked on it? 

Even though I'm not among the first to share the video, I'd like to make sure you have a chance to view it incase you haven't run across it earlier.

Go on YouTube and do a search for Filipino American and you'll get a lot of videos. Filipinos - Asians, in general - have taken to the Internet in a big way. The problem is that no one outside of those communities ever do a search on those topics so a lot of the jokes and references are the type where outsiders might not understand because they lack the necessary context.

But, hey! Since you're reading this blog you must be somewhat familiar with some of the context. Enjoy!

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Two Asians win Nobel Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai

TWO ADVOCATES for children were chosen this morning (Oct. 11) as this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners and they are both Asians from two countries with tense relations with each other. 

Most noteworthy is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was shot by the Taliban for her support of education for  girls. At the age of just 17, she becomes the youngest recipient ever of the prestigious prize.

She shares the award with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights champion.

Malala said she was "honored" to receive the award, saying it made her feel "more powerful and courageous".

She revealed she found out the news after being called out of her chemistry class at her school in Birmingham, England.

"I'm really happy to be sharing this award with a person from India," she said at a news conference, before joking that she couldn't pronounce Mr Satyarthi's surname.

Satyarthi reacts to the news of his award.

For Malala's amazing acceptance speech (its hard to believe she is only 17 years old), link to the Nobel's YouTube page.

The award was announced in Oslo by Thorbjorn Jagland, the Nobel Committee's chairman, who said: "The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism."

e reading the main story

Reacting to the news, Satyarthi told the BBC: "It's a great honor for all the Indians, it's an honour for all those children who have been still living in slavery despite of all the advancement in technology, market and economy.

"And I dedicate this award to all those children in the world."
(News feeds from BBC and the New York Times)

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Rock The Vote Presents: #TURNOUTFORWHAT

NOVEMBER 4 is just a few weeks away and to its time for a political commercial. I know its kinda cool in some circles to complain how ineffective our government is. So MTV for several years now have had the Rock The Vote campaign to make voting cool among young people.

This video featuring a bevy of personalities popular with young adults has been attracting a lot of attention.

Do young people still watch MTV? That's another matter. But the message is to take part in our democratic process. 

Democracy is messy, noisy and sometimes confusing but it allows you to take part in a bloodless revolution every few years. If you wish to not vote, not participate in the democracy ... that's your choice and that's fine ... but shut the hell up! You don't deserve to complain about the government, the politicians or the process.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. In order for it to work, it requires your participation. President Lincoln said it best in the most famous American speech ever, the Gettysburg Address: 

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

...OF the people ... BY the people ... OF ... BY! Get it?

Cringeworthy moment: Filipinos get mentioned on TV

IF YOU'RE NOT watching a boxing match featuring Manny Pacquiao or talking about Typhoon Haiyan, it is super rare that the Philippines and Filipinos get mentioned on American television. So when those rare moment occur and we are mentioned, its a big deal.

Bill Maher and Ben Affleck engaged in a heated debate over radical Islam and Islamophobia on Maher's HBO-TV sho
w last week. It was rare that these two noted liberals disagree with each other, but Affleck 

Ben Affleck, left, and Bill Maher, right, are still friends despite debate.

vehemently (and rightly) objected to Maher painting the entire Muslim world with a broad brushstroke.

Near the end of the heated debate, Maher brought up an example to make a point that made me cringe. Following is that portion of the debate, which starts with a statement from conservative pundit Nicholas Kristof.

***

NICHOLAS KRISTOF: This is such a caricature of Indonesia, of Malaysia, of so much of the world. And this does have a tinge a little bit of how white racists talk about African-American and define blacks by --

MAHER: What you're saying is because they are a minority, we shouldn't criticize.

AFFLECK: It's not a minority, it's the second biggest religion in the world.

MAHER: Exactly, but you're treating them like a minority. I mean if Filipinos were capturing teenagers and sending them into white slavery, we would criticize that. We wouldn't say, oh, well, they're Filipinos.

AFFLECK: You would criticize the people who are doing it, not the Philippines. A Filipino kid who lives on the streets has nothing to do with that. These are different things.

***

Great, just great! Horrible example, terrible example, from my admittedly biased point of view. Am I oversensitive? Probably. 

Maher must have Filipinos on his mind. The last time he mentioned Filipinos on his show was when he talked about the Taguba report written by Gen. Anthony Taguba, who investigated  the Abu Graib prison interrogation techniques (also known as torture). Maher badly mispronounced his name. How difficult is it to say "Tah-goo-bah"? Well, I could see how someone could switch the two vowels. It came out "Too-gah-boo."

For someone seeking more visibility and acceptance in this country, it was a moment of mixed emotions -- cringeworthy. Thanks, but, no thanks, Bill.

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Here's the debate video but if you want to read the words, click here.

'Almost' everything you need to know about Asian & Pacific Islander Americans

PEW graphic

PRESIDENT OBAMA was born and raised in Hawaii with a couple of years in Indonesia. He is related to Asian Americans including his sister who is half-Indonesian. So he's no stranger to the Asian American experience.

In October of 20009, less than a year after taking office, he revived the White House Initiative on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans putting together a task force of highly respected members of those communities.

"It can be tempting ... for people to buy into the myth of the 'model minority' and glance over the challenges that this community still faces." said President Obama. "But we have to remember there are still educational disparities like higher dropout rates in certain groups, lower college enrollment rates in others. There are still economic disparities like  higher rates of poverty and obstacles to employment. There are health disparities like higher rates of diabetes and cancer and Hepatitis B.

"Of those who are new to America, many still face language barriers. Others, like Vincent Chin whom we lost three decades ago, have been victims of horrible hate crimes, driven b the kinds of ignorance and prejudice that are an affront to everything America stands for. So those are real problems, and we can't ignore them."

Last week the initiative launched a website with almost everything you need to know about Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Data.gov/AAPI is pretty comprehensive since it draws from about 2,000 datasets and reports from all federal, state, county and city sources. Hopefully policymakers, marketers and advertisers can use this data to improve the quality of life of so many AAPI individuals. 

With the good things will come some bad things, too. It will also bring a host of ads, commercials, junk mail and those annoying phone calls to your mailboxes and landlines. (Hint: use voicemail as a filter if you don't want to hear this scripted sales pitches to buy this and or subscribe to that.)

The good - hopefully - will outweigh the bad. 

Here are some findings to whet your curiosity:

-Asian Americans is the fastest growing ethnic group in the country.

-By 2050, AAPIs, together, are expected to number 40.6 million people, or one in 10 persons in the U.S.

-Asian  American and black students have highest enrollment rates in remedial education in the first year of college.

-In just 5 years, the number of small businesses owned by Asian Americans grew up 4- percent.

-Asian Americans make up the fastest growing voting bloc in the South.

PEW

Listen to Obama in this video about the new website.

Champion eats 40 balut in 5 minutes

Balut is a duck egg with a partially formed fetus inside.

IF YOU WATCH "Fear Factor" or "Survivor," there's always an eating challenge that normally features balut, a fertilized duck egg with the embryo partially formed. 

I have to admit, I've never eaten balut. a street food favorite in the Philippines. Depending on how far the fetus has formed, you might have to pick the bones and feathers out of from between your teeth. 

The proper way to attack the egg, is to make a small opening first at the top of balut. Then, you're supposed to suck out the juices first before peeling off the rest of the eggshell and dining on the rest of it.

It doesn't sound or look appetizing does it? Unfortunately, to the vast majority of non-Filipino Americans, this is the only exposure they have to Filipino food.

This posting is in honor of Filipino American History Month which is October, commemorating the first arrival of Filipinos on America's soil. It is also in honor of my sister whose favorite memory of her childhood was a balut vendor walking through her Santo Tomas neighborhood in Manila yelling out, "Bah-lu-u-ut! Bah-lu-u-ut!" His cry would bring out the neighbors to purchase the warm duck egg.

A lot of the Filipino food stores in America now offer the Filipino ... er ... delicacy for its customers craving for a bit of homeland authenticity. Besides testing your intestinal fortitude and gag reflex, balut is also supposed to have restorative powers to the male ego.

Wayne Algenio, champion balut eater

Oftentimes, it is eaten as a beer appetizer -- lots of beer -- the way some bars have pickled hard-boiled eggs as a munchie.

Last month, two Filipino restaurants in New York, Jeepney and Maharlika, combined forces to sponsor the Third Annual Balut-Eating Contest at the Hester Street Fair. You can read about it at the NBC news site.

Filipino-American Wayne Algenio from Queens, N.Y. won the contest downing 40 balut in five minutes. He's won the eating contest three years straight. It tastes like boiled eggs, he says.

Sponsor Nicole Ponseca of Maharlika recalls her embarrassment eating Filipino food during school lunchtime. She wants to promote Filipino cuisine to the American palate, says, "If I can make Filipino food accessible to non-Filipinos, it will help garner self-esteem for young Filipnos growing up."

Below, watch the champion in action.

Filipino American History Month: The first recorded landing of an Asian on American shores

A NONDESCRIPT BOULDER on the beach facing Morro Rock in Morro Bay, California has a brass plaque embedded onto the flat face of the rock.

Filipino American history began on this spit of sand 427 years ago. On October 18, 1587, Filipino crew members of the Manila Galleon Nuestra Señora de Esperanza were part of the landing party on what was to become part of the United States. That was 33 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 20 years before the founding of Jamestown in the colony of Virginia. 

The plaque reads:

Historic Site

During the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade era from 1565 to 1815 Spanish galleons crossed the pacific between the Philippines and Mexico. On October 18, 1587, the Manila Galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza commanded by Pedro de Unamuno entered Morro Bay near here. A landing party was sent to shore which included Luzon Indios, marking the first landing of Filipinos in the continental United States. The landing party took official possession of the area for Spain by putting up a cross made of branches. The group was attacked by native Indians two days later, and one of the Filipinos was killed. Unamuno and his crew gave up further exploration of this part of the coast.

Historical Landmark Declared by the

Filipino American National Historical Society

California Central Coast Chapter

Dedicated October 21, 1995 

Ironically, when the monument was dedicated, part of the ceremonies included a Native American ceremony performed by Choi Slo, who is part Chumash Indian and part Filipino. His birth name was George Pagaling. The Filipino-American journey had come full circle.

The theme for this year, as chosen by the Filipino American National Historical Society, is tulay, bridging two countries and generations.

The San Francisco Bay Area is marking Filipino-American History month with a full slate of activities starting with a full day of presentations and performances of music, dances, songs and martial arts at the Asian Art Museum on Oct. 5.

The SF Pinoy Jazz Festival, Oct. 10-12 at the Manilatown Heritage Center has an impressive lineup. The center is located at the site of the famous International Hotel on Kearney Street, San Francisco, where many manongs (or, elderly) spent their retirement years before being forcibly evicted.


For a fresh, funny (and probably irreverent) "counter culture" interpretation of what has become a rite of passage for Filipino-American college students, you might be interested in the Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN}. Performed by Bindlestiff Studios on Oct. 2-4 in San Francisco.

There's more. From New York City to San Diego, Washington DC to San Francisco and Hawaii, a lot of local events are scheduled to mark the month's significance. Check out your local media to find an event near you.

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Epic underwater photoshoot - The secret to success

OTHER-WORLDLY, mythical, sensual, heavenly, hauntingly beautiful. Those are adjectives applied to the work of Canadian Asian photographer Benjamin Von Wong.

Benjamin Von Wong

Wong calls himself a visual engineer. He's a unique type of photographer because of the  unusual environments he places his subjects. The results, as you can see, are fantastic.

What got my attention was his series of striking underwater shots which he photographed in the waters near Bali, Indonesia. Some of the shots are reminiscent of the long flowing robes of the subjects in the paintings of Renaissance masters. Really amazing and beautiful. 

In the video below, he explains how he set up the shots with divers, oxygen tanks and underwater cameras.

For more of the work of this Montreal-based artist, go to his website.

Fall TV season is "revolutionary" for Asian Americans

Will the American public be able to relate to this Asian-American family in "Fresh Off the Boat?"

A LOT OF BUZZ has been given to "FOB: Fresh Off the Boat," a situation comedy TV show, because fit features an Asian-American family as its lead characters. There's a lot riding on the show: If its successful, great! But if it fails, it will be a long, long time before any television network takes a chance on a show focusing on Asians again.

The last time a network aired a show with Asian leads was the ill-fated Margaret Cho series "All-American Girl." That was 20 years ago.

Still, here's hoping that FOB is funny enough, that it's humor and situations are universal enough to appeal beyond the Asian-American community. A premier date has yet to be announced but it could be early 2015.

2014-2015 could very well be a watershed year for minorities on television. There will be more African Americans and Latinos too. In other words, TV producers have discovered the new America. Besides the big three networks, the other independent networks will feature Asian and other minority actors in roles that could help break down the stereotypes that television has forced down our throats.

As much as I'm pulling for FOB, the one show that I hope is a whopping success is "Selfie," a take-off on the Pygmalion story: how a mentor transforms a young woman into a more complete, less self-absorbed and interesting human being.  

John Cho takes on the Henry Higgins role as a marketing guru. He is best known for his role as the young Dr. Sulu in the new Star Trek movies and whose career really blasted off playing half of the Harold & Kumar stoner franchise.

If the Eliza Doolittle/Henry Higgins story plays out as it did in "My Fair Lady," then Cho and his co-star, played by Scottish actress Karen Gillan, eventually end up in a romantic relationship. That -- my friends -- would be truly historic. 

"Walking Dead's" Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohen,
 love lives on in the zombie apocalypse.

Romantic roles for Asian males are extremely rare and if -- and I emphasize "if" -- the relationship develops, he would be the first Asian male lead actor to kiss a non-Asian woman on American television.

In an interview in "The Star," Cho said: "Asians narratively in shows are insignificant. They're the cop, the waitress, or whatever it is. You see them in the background. So to be in this position ... is a bit of a landmark ... revolutionary." 

I don't mean to take anything away from the end-of-the-world relationship of Steven Yeun whose character Glenn is involved with Maggie, played by Lauren Cohen, in the "Walking Dead." The difference is but their "Walking Dead" characters are supporting roles in the ensemble drama, whereas Cho and Gillan are the the "stars." Besides, its not like there's a whole lot of choice for Maggie. Glenn is the only guy near her own age whose not a zombie. However, their devotion to each other is inspiring in the zombie apocalypse. (Get your keyboards ready social networkers because there are rumors flying about that the Glenn character - the last Asian American in the world - won't survive this season.) 

As mentioned before on this blog, American popular media has portrayed Asian males as emasculated, uninteresting, unattractive, comedic characters. In the few roles where Asian males are strong characters, they never get the girl in the end. Think about it: Jet Li, Jackie Chan and even the magnificent Bruce Lee -- all who had plenty of macho charisma -- failed to get even a sisterly peck on the cheek from the heroine.

Mindy Kaling has a hit with
"The Mindy Project"

I can't tell you how heavy that neutered caricature weighs on the psyche of Asian males.

"The Mindy Project," starring Mindy Kaling is back for a third season. Even though the show is known in some circles as "How To Date White Guys," it is enjoying critical and popular praise. It's funny, has good writing and has an appealing cast.

The beautiful Maggie Q's series "Nikita" ended last season. The good news is that she is back with a new series called "Stalkers." She plays a kick-ass detective seeking out - you guessed it -- stalkers.

Kal Penn, John Cho's partner in crime in Henry & Kumar, etc, also won a part in a series called "Battle Creek," where he is featured one of a cadre of detectives. Detectives are big this year, apparently.

"Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is returning for a second season, which is good news for, Ming Na-Wen and Chloe Bennett. They save the world.

Reggie Lee, who plays Sgt. Wu in "Grimm" was born in the Philippines and was responsible for having a Filipino storyline in one of their episodes last year. He helps save the world.

It's no surprise that the show with the most 
Asians is "Hawaii 5-0." With Asians, Pacific Islanders and Hapas (mixed race) comprising 70 percent of Hawaii's population, it would be a major blunder, not to mention "unconscionable," if Asians were not heavily represented in 5-0's cast. Thankfully, the producers agreed. That's why we have costars Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Masi Oki and Mark Descascos and recurring roles for Teila Tuli, Ian Anthony Dale, Brian Yang and Dennis Chun, not to mention a host of extras every week along with the the sugar cane fields, palm trees and beaches of Hawaii. That's a winning formula. They are detectives AND they save the world. 

And just for fun, check out "Amazing Race" which has two - count them - two Asian couples on the reality show. It is not unusual for reality shows like "Amazing Race" "Survivor" or the singing competitions to have an obligatory Asian but it is unusual to have two - count them - two entries to cheer for.

This is not a complete list, but you should be getting the picture. This is a comparatively good year for diversity on television.

Dino-Ray Ramos, who writes a TV blog, does a pretty good job listing all the Fall shows featuring Asians and Pacific Islanders. Those shows include "Glee," which may be in its last season, "The Good Wife," "Parks & Recreation," and "Beauty and the Beast."

We shouldn't be complacent and think that with more Asian representation on TV, diversity on television is no longer a problem. The number of minorities on television is so dismal - Asians being the most under-represented - is so abysmally tiny, that any increase of our presence on TV can be seen as an improvement (like this year). That doesn't mean we should sit back and relax. There is plenty of room for improvement. With the departure of Sandra Oh from "Grey's Anatomy," it means the Seattle hospital no longer has any Asian medical staff. How real is that? In fact, any hospital-based show without Asians should be a target of our social network wrath.

Hopefully, the network honchos who green light projects are getting the picture, too. More  diversity means more viewership. Advertisers like lots of viewers. It's a business, you know.

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Rhyme and reason of climate change

THE UNITED NATIONS' CLIMATE TALKS are still going on in New York City but the stories out of the conference are being buried by U.S. media -- even after the Sunday march that drew over 400,000 people from all over the world to the city's streets.

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner and her daughter.

On Tuesday, Marshall Islands' Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner performed her poem in front of the 126 leaders assembled in New York. Her powerful poem was addressed to her 7-month-old daughter who makes an appearance at the end.

The Pacific islands will be among the first countries to be affected by our melting polar ice caps, some islands will disappear entirely. 

Climate change is blamed for the extreme weather events like Typhoon Haiyan that decimated  the central Philippines, the drought affecting the entire western United States, northern Africa, polar vortexes and a rash of more intense hurricanes.

President Obama spoke before the assembly and outlined the U.S. plan to reduce global warming. His main problem are those political leaders who will listen to one scientist who pooh-poohs the climate change theory and ignores the other 99% of scientists who attest to mankind's role in global warming.

Words can be powerful. Some in the audience were said to be moved to tears. Listen up.

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Adobo and lumpia in the White House

Christeta Comerford shares a laugh with First Lady Michele Obama in the White House kitchen.

FILIPINO CUISINE has always had a tough time breaking into America's food consciousness like the cuisines of China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. For unknown reasons, the food of the Philippines has not caught on despite praise from food critics and foodies who have tried it. It is not for lack of trying and it is not because Filipino chef's aren't any good. For anyone who watches the food scene closely, there can be no doubt that Filipinos can just plain-out cook.

My father-in-law, Francisco Arias, was a chef on board various vessels during his 20-year stint with the U.S. Navy. His Filipino friends were Navy cooks also, including my wife's godfather, Anatalio Santiago, who had a stint cooking for President Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace, both of whom loved Asian food.

On the TV show Top Chef, Filipinos and Filipinas have been among the finalists more than a half-dozen times, including season 8 winner Paul Qui.

 Christeta Comerford as a young child, front right.

Perhaps the most famous Filipino/ American chef is Christeta Comerford, who has been in charge of feeding the First Family and all the visiting foreign dignitaries visiting the White House. She has been the White House chef through three administrations.

CNN dedicated a major portion of its air time last Tuesday, Sept. 22, on "Leading Women" to Comerford. Lots of stories have been written about Comerford and her heritage. She even won the Iron Chef competition when teamed with Bobby Flay. 

As White House executive chef, she's pretty tight-lipped about the First Family's, particularly the President's, favorite dishes. In other interviews, however, she said adobo and lumpia are among the Obama favorites.

President Obama, who was born and raised in Hawaii where he most certainly was exposed to Asian cuisines - minus a few years in Indonesia - has sometimes been hailed as the first Asian/Amereican president because of his close personal and family ties with Asian/Americans and his openness towards developing closer political and economic ties to the Pacific Rim countries. 

Here's a portion of the article from the CNN website about her youth in Manila where she grew up with her 10 brothers and sisters.

Growing up as one of 11 children in Manila, Comerford remembers "everything pretty much revolved around the kitchen and kitchen table. There was always the smell of food, always the sound of food.

"As a third grader we were asked to start wrapping our first spring rolls."

The daughter of a school principal father and dressmaker mother ("she made my wedding gown"), she remembers visiting her grandparents' farm where everything from fresh meat to vegetables was sourced from the backyard.

For the entire article and the TV interview, click here.

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Washington football team totally punked

HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

The professional football team in Washington D.C. and the NFL got totally punked Sunday when during their televised football game  a commercial aired that was promoting the season premiere of the irreverent "South Park." The topic of the commercial made fun of the rationalizations that the team owner, Dan Snyder, has been using to continue using the racist mascot that demeans the First Americans. 

To pour more salt on the wound, the Washington team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The promo ran only in the Washington market so the rest of the country didn't get to see the commercial. For everybody else, enjoy the video.

I don't know if it was a deliberate slight or just a coincidence of bad timing, but it couldn't  have happened to a better football franchise. You won't get any sympathy from this corner.

More media abandoning the racist mascot. Read this article from the Columbia Journalism Review.