Filipina American actress leaves legacy for actors

SUMI HARU - not exactly a household name in America - is one of those actresses who (behind the scenes) fought long and hard for more roles - substantive roles - for Asian actors and paved the way for a new generation of Asian actors to get better roles.

Sumi Sevilla Haru

Born Mildred Sevilla in New Jersey, she died in Los Angeles Oct. 16 at the age of 75.

It seems she spent more time as an activist than she did in front of the camera. In her leadership role with the Screen Actors Guild or marching in picket lines protesting the stereotypical roles handed out to Asian American actors, she was adamant about not settling for the stereotypical roles Hollywood envisioned for her and other Asian actors.  

Here's the story that appeared in the Los Angeles Times about her passing.

I remember interviewing Sumi Haru for an article for the San Francisco-based Philippine News in the late 1970s. She told me then that she took on the name Sumi Haru to make sure the casting directors and producers knew they were hiring an Asian actress. With the name of Sevilla, it would have been easy to be mistaken for a Latina actress. Besides, she said with a smile letting me in on the joke, there were zero roles for Fililpinas.

Here's a video of her explaining why she changed her name from Mildred (Mimi) Sevilla to the more exotic Sumi Haru. 

Ironically, through the Internet, we have a lot of footage of her. We're fortunate to have her work placed on Youtube for historical purposes, particularly this month which is Filipino American Historical Month. Even after all of her advocacy, it is still difficult for Hollywood to see Asian Americans as fully-fleshed out individuals with interesting, significant, heart-rending or action-pounding stories of their own.

Later in her career, she added back her maiden name so she became Sumi Sevilla Haru.

For all you budding Asian American actors and actresses, you are indebted to her. It would be to your benefit to hear Haru's story - her Filipina American story. 

RIP, Mimi SEVILLA. Thank you!

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Asians are part of America's immigration debate

Pew graphic

WHILE MUCH has been written about our country's "immigration problem," most of our attention has been focused on the United State's southern border and the immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

A large part of Asian America are of the mindset that our country's immigration dilemma  has nothing to do with them. Well, let me tellya...


In recent years, the immigration of undocumented has taken a new twist. A study released this summer has found that the U.S. has seen a higher level of Asian immigration --surpassing the immigration of Latinos.

About 430,000 Asians, or 36 percent of all new immigrants, arrived in the U.S. in 2010, according the latest census data. Hispanics are up 31 percent, or 370,000.
Department of Homeland Security, 12 percent of the undocumented, or 1.2 million, are from Asia; 40,000 of these are under 30; under the Obama administration, over 250,000 undocumented immigrants have been deported to their Asian home countries.

Asian 'Dreamers' speak out

THE VIDEO "Why We Rise" is new documentary short featuring three brave young Asian New Yorkers who reveal what it's like to grow up without having legal immigration status. Their struggles and their strength are on full display as they come out of the shadows and into the light.

"Why We Rise," which provides a unique glimpse into the lives of real individuals affected by immigration reform, will remind you why the immigration movement is so important, not only for Latinos, but for the Asian American community as well.

The video was taped by Brian Redondo and Corinne Manabat with the support of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Why We Rise features members of AALDEF's undocumented youth group RAISE (Revolutionizing Asian American Immigrant Stories on the East Coast).

Join these RAISE members in their fight for change at raiseourstory.tumblr.com.

Antonio Antonio Vargas

Oscar consideration?

ONE OF the most visible undocumented immigrants is Filipno American Jose Antonio Vargas. His story about how he came to this country, went to college and eventually became a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter was turned into a documentary which may get an Oscar nomination according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The film, "Documented" is reportedly being promoted by Silicon Valley's Mark Zuckerberg to push for amnesty legislation. 

He moved out of the shadows in 2011 with an essay in The New York Times Magazine and ever since then, has worked towards immigration reform and amnesty for people like him who didn't discover his immigration status until he was a teenager.

Vargas' next film will "tackle quote-unquote 'whiteness' in America -- what it means to be young and white in post-Obama America." 

Media's double standard flares up when covering violence

MAINSTREAM MEDIA likes to see itself as the Public Watchdog, the Fourth Estate and enjoys "exposing" corruption, malfeasance, government officials, and the like but they most enjoy exposing hypocrisy. But who watches the watchdog?

The choice of words is important. See the difference how how the media handled Ferguson and the violence that broke out during a pumpkin festival in Keene, New Hampshire held last weekend (Oct. 18). The difference is - of course - the protesters in Ferguson were black "thugs." The rioters in Keene were "rowdy" white college students.

Don't think it wasn't noticed. The Twitterverse was ... uh, ... atwitter at the obvious discrepancies in how the two events were reported.

News.Mic collected a lot of the tweets about the Keene pumpkin riot. Most were of the sarcastic variety: 

The above photo looks more than harmless kids just being kids.

The article pointed out the obvious: 

"They deftly point out a sad truth: The media discusses acts of violence and vandalism by primarily white college students in a starkly different manner than black youths." 

"Michael Brown — the unarmed black teenager killed by a police officer in August — was 'no angel.' He was a 'criminal and a thug.' He flashed gang signs. But the white teenagers involved in Saturday's riots? They were just a "rowdy crowd." They were 'unruly.' People simply 'got too drunk.'" 

In Keene there were few arrests. Police referred the kids to their parents. The police - who were mocked on national TV by John Oliver for purchasing an armored vehicle - overreacted. But they did get to use their armored truck and other cool stuff they got from the military. 

The media is not solely to blame. The public itself showed their true colors (pun intended) as described in this article from Salon, which also referred to tweeters.

The problem with the boys-will-be-boys news coverage is the editors, reporters and publishers were blind to their own inherent bias. Some might call that "institutional racism," a buzz word sure to generate a defensive response. What say you, media folks?

The the long term solution is a bit more daunting. It's well known about the diversity problem in our country's newsrooms.  It is more prevalent in the print media since TV is a visual medium, in areas where there is great diversity, it only makes sense to have your anchors and reporters look like the people they are reporting on.

Harried reporters, pressured to produce more and more stories, find it easier and faster to do the majority of their work on the Internet or the phone. Most of the time, their readers  don't know what they look like.

When I worked for the Bob Maynard-owned Oakland Tribune, the news staff was truly integrated, from the copy kids to upper management.  Maynard hired the best reporters and editors, no matter what color. Men and women of color had management positions, their concerns were taken seriously and they reflected the people of Oakland. It was my first experience in mainstream media and for a journalist of color, it was the best and most stimulating working experience I had ever had. Little did I know that the diverse newsroom  was an aberration, not the norm.

For the few years he owned the Trib before his death, Maynard's conviction on hiring the best and brightest demonstrated that the quality of the staff. They were as good as any in the country - eventually resulting in a Pulitzer for their coverage of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Publishers are well aware of the diversity problem and for years have talked a good game about their concern, but any progress towards achieving a more diverse news staff seem to be moving backwards.  Unfortunately, as the country grows more diverse, the newsrooms are cutting their news staff because of the economic woes caused by the growth of the Interenet. And so it goes: the most recently hired - you know the reporters and editors of color - are the first to be fired. So the problem gets even worse. 

As the news coverage of Ferguson and Keene shows, it's one step forward and two steps back. It is disturbing that the editors didn't catch the double standard themselves. Instead, it took tweeters to expose the mainstream media's shortcomings.

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Baseball's newest baseball hero is an Asian American

Giants left fielder Travis Ishikawa interviewed by Erin Rogers after
 hitting the winning home run in the NLCS, 2014.

YES! YES! YES!

After featuring Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals, it is only fitting that we say something about the other Asian American in the National League Championship Series - the Giant's first baseman/left fielder Travis Ishikawa.

He just hit the home run to win the game sending the Giants to the World Series. With the score tied 3-3 in the 9th inning, Ishikawa, hitting in the 7th spot in the batting order - not a place in the lineup from which you'd expect a home run - Ishikawa hit it over the right field wall, jets of water shoot up in the air, fog horns blare, fireworks and cheers from 41,000 delirious fans as Ishikawa pumping his fists, yelling at no one in particular, as he runs around the bases.

I think I saw this scene in a movie. I love this game.

Ishikawa, who was drafted by the Giants out of high school in Federal Way, Washington, an Army town just south of Seattle, never reached the heights he dreamed about as a youth. He bounced around eight different teams and finally was resigned by the Giants earlier this  year and played for the Triple A team, the Fresno Grizzlies. He wasn't' even a starter.

This year, at the age of 31, he called a childhood friend and with tears in his eyes, pondered what he could do next to earn a living. He thought his playing days were over. In a bit of prescience, USA TODAY did a feature on Ishikawa a day before this final game.

As fate would have it, the Giants' regular left fielder suffered an injury and the team needed someone who could play right away. In 2010 he was with the Giants as a bench player as the Giants won their first World Series so Ishikawa's experience made him the perfect choice to be called up to the Bigs once more.

But the regular first baseman, Brandon Belt, also returned from an injury leaving Ishikawa the odd man out. He was relegated to the bench again.

Manager Bruce Bochy, going with his gut, asked Ishikawa to play left field, a position he's never played. Eager to stay in the majors, the athletic Ishikawa agreed, even though he had never played the position in his life. After a few games in left field, he found himself playing in October.

Earlier in tonight's game, he misplayed a fly ball to left field, eventually leading to a run and a temporary Cardinal lead. It looked like Ishikawa might become the goat.

Then came the moment when he redeemed himself.

Consider this:

If the Cardinals had won the NLCS, Hawaii-born Kolten Wong would have been a serious candidate as MVP.

Travis Ishikawa should have won the MVP. With one swing of the bat, he added his name to the legendary lore of the Giants. He became a hero to Giants fans, among which I count myself.

Years from now, when people talk about the great series between the Cards and Giants, I'll remember this: Two Asian Americans stood out playing "America's Pastime" on the country's biggest stage; one more swipe at the stereotype of the unathletic Asian male.

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TIME: The Real Problem When It Comes to Diversity and Asian Americans

The lack of Asian leadership in tech sheds light on a larger issue: Asians are excluded from the idea of diversity

Magazine cover, August 31, 1987

THIS WEEK'S Time Magazine (Oct. 14) has an article by Jack Linshi about the lack of Asians in the leadership ranks of Silicon Valley tech firms. Let me pique your interest with the opening paragraphs:

"Years ago ... they used to think you were Fu Manchu or Charlie Chan. Then they thought you must own a laundry or restaurant. Now they think all we know how to do is sit in front of a computer."

It was 1987 when Virginia Kee, then a 55-year-old high school teacher in New York's Chinatown, said the above words. She was one of several Asian-Americans who discussed the perception of their race for TIME's cover story, "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids." The cover story would elicit small-scale Asian boycotts of the magazine from those who found offensive the portrait of textbook-clutching, big-glasses braniacs. To them, the images codified  hurtful beliefs that Asians and Asian-Americans were one-dimensional: that they were robots of success, worshippers of the alphabet's first letter, study mules branded with their signature eyes. 

Today, Kee is 82 ... And yet Kee, who still recalls the words she told TIME nearly 30 years ago, maintains that not much has changed.  ... Read more, my friends.

And check out TIME's fun graphic that clearly shows the disparity between workforce and leadership: (If you cannot see it, click here.)

This topic generated a lot of conversation in the San Francisco Bay Area, the home of Silicon Valley and is the center of the world for techies and the venture capitalists who turn dreams into multi-billion dollar companies. Unfortunately, whenever you talk about inequalities or anything resembling affirmative action, it brings out the racists hiding underneath their hoodies.

Several news outlets have written about this topic, also known in the Asian community as the Bamboo Ceiling. For more articles, read Read Bloomberg's "The color of money in Silicon Valley" and a great piece by Mother Jones: Silicon Valley firms are even whiter and more male than you think. 

Whenever Americans talk about race, the vast majority often think only in terms of black and white. This myopic view is evidently not limited to the less educated. Through sheer numbers and the media focus on the border issue, Latinos have nudged their way into the conversation. The TIME article asserts that Asians are overlooked.

Why? I think Asians are saddled with the "model minority" stereotype. Asians are already successful. 

Asian men, who make up a larger portion of the workforce, also must also overcome the non-leadership qualities often associated with Asian males: being unassertive, too meek  and not being self-promoting. 

Asian women have one other hurdle to overcome  -- no matter how talented and intelligent they are -- their gender. Despite the rise of Carly Fiorina, Marissa Meyer and Sheryl Sandberg, technology is still a male-dominated field.

One other gargantuan barrier stands in the way for both Asian men and women: not being "one of the guys." You know, the back-slapping, drink-after-work, golf-buddy, trash-talking, take-home-for-dinner, be-my-wingman, share-an-off-color-joke, type of guys.  

The over-riding lesson here: When you are always looking for the next Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs, you keep coming up with people who look like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs.

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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.