Brooklyn seafood dealer guilty of trafficking American eels to Asia

AN ASIAN/AMERICAN businessman pleaded guilty to illegally selling or purchasing American eels. 

American eels are in danger of being overfished. Eels are considered a delicacy in Asian cuisines.

Tommy Water Zhou pled guilty April 5 in federal district court in Norfolk, Virginia, to trafficking more than $150,361 worth of juvenile American eels, aka “elvers” or “glass eels,” in violation of the Lacey Act. 

Zhou used his Brooklyn-based seafood distribution business as a cover for his illegal activities, according to court documents.

“We will not allow illegal wildlife traffickers to undermine managed fish species like the American eel,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood. “In this operation, we are actively partnering with states all along the East Coast to enforce the law and protect our nation's waterways from further exploitation.”

Eels are highly valued in east Asia for human consumption. Historically, Japanese and European eels were harvested to meet this demand; however, overfishing has led to a decline in the population of these eels. As a result, harvesters have turned to the American eel to fill the void resulting from the decreased number of Japanese and European eels.

Harvesters and exporters of American eels in the U.S. can sell elvers to east Asia for more than $2000 per pound. The eels can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 17 pounds.

Because of the threat of overfishing, elver harvesting is prohibited in the U.S. in all but two states: Maine and South Carolina. Maine and South Carolina heavily regulate elver fisheries, requiring that individuals be licensed and report all quantities of harvested eels to state authorities.

The offense in this case is a felony under the Lacey Act, each carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or up to twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, or both.

Sentencing is set for July 12. 

This plea was the result of “Operation Broken Glass,” a multi-jurisdiction U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) investigation into the illegal trafficking of American eels. To date, the investigation has resulted in guilty pleas for eleven individuals whose combined conduct resulted in the illegal trafficking of more than $2.75 million worth of elvers. 

“Illegal harvesting and trafficking of wildlife represents a dire threat to our critical ecosystems,” said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente. 

Airbnb dumps host who wouldn't accept Asian/American guests

SCREEN CAPTURE/YOUTUBE

Dyne Suh tearfully relates the racist incident on a Youtube video that went viral.

WHAT WAS supposed to have been a fun weekend at a popular southern California ski resort went downhill fast once the host discovered that her guest was Asian.

For all you Trump-loving Asian/Americans, look what your guy has spawned - blatant racism is now OK to express. More and more people have tossed civility and common decency out the window.

RELATED: Trump inspires hate, says SPLC report

Law student Dyne Suh made reservations through Airbnb at a cabin in Running Springs, Calif. Minutes from the cabin, the host texted Suh a message that the reservations were canceled.

“One word says it all,” the host wrote in a text message to the would-be guest. “Asian.”

“It stings that after living in the U.S. for over 23 years, this is what happens,” Suh said in the video. “No matter if I follow the law, if I’m kind to people, no matter how well I treat others–it doesn’t matter. If you’re Asian, then you’re less than human. and people can treat you like trash.”

In a statement to NBC4, Airbnb called the host's behavior "abhorrent and unacceptable."

"We have worked to provide the guest with our full support and in line with our non-discrimination policy, this host has been permanently removed from the Airbnb platform," said Christopher Nulty, spokesman for the short-term rental site. Airbnb also stated the company works to identify and prevent discrimination on its platform.

In screenshots of the texts, which were included in the video, the host wrote, “And I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners. It’s why we have Trump.”

Ironically, Suh is a student at UCLA Law School and studying race relations.

Watch the video, get mad, then remember to vote in 2018's midterm elections.

###

Gemma Chan cast in 'Crazy Rich Asians' movie

British actress Gemma Chan cast in 'Crazy Rich Asians.'

MORE AND MORE people are going to discover Gemma Chan. The Asian/British actress has just been picked to play Astrid Leong in the movie adaptation of Keven Kwan's novel "Crazy Rich Asians."

Up to now, Chan was best known only to a narrow sci-fi audience from her role as a artifcial being in the British television series Humans.

It has been rumored that Chan was going to play Astrid, the beautiful cousin of Nick Leong in the novel, because she fits the physical description of the character, a woman who causes heads to turn when she walks into the room. Plus - growing up just outside of London, she speaks with that British accent that director Jon Chu was seeking.

The movie takes place mostly in Singapore and will have an all-Asian cast, a rarity for a Hollywood studio.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Crazy Rich Asians” follows a Chinese/American economics professor Rachel Chu and her boyfriend Nick Young — the heir to an extremely wealthy family living in Singapore.

Chan will join Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) playing Rachel, Malaysian actor Henry Golding as Nick Young and international star Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who plays Nick's mother who is not crazy about her son's ABC (American Born Chinese) girlfriend. 

Chan, 33, studied law at Oxford University and volunteered working in Syria helping refugees.

Although Humans has given her some notice, she knows she's the exception when it comes to getting roles.

“I’ve been fortunate in my career,” she told The Telegraph, “but, yes, there have been many times when I have been told my audition has been cancelled because they’re only going to see white people.

"The statistics are really depressing," she laments. "I remember reading something that made me think, ‘Oh, you are more likely to see an alien in a Hollywood film than an Asian woman.'"

TGIF FEATURE: Hit series, 'Master of None,' returning, May 12

'MASTER OF NONE,' the award-winning TV series that peeked  into the lives of young Asian/American adults surviving in New York released its official trailer for the second season this week.

The brilliant Netflix series, which we described as Friends with people of color, inspired by the experiences of executive producers Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang will be returning for its second season next month after an 18 month hiatus.

Why so long?

"This show isn't the type of show where we're going to be able to just turn around and turn it in right away," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "We covered so much stuff in season one and wanted to make sure the ideas we had in season two were equally interesting and the episodes were just as ambitious. So we took a long break, and that's why season two hasn't come out yet.

"The show was so personalized, we dumped our heads into this, we just needed to be people and live our actual life," Ansari said.

The first season, which garnered Yang and Ansari writing awards, was most noteworthy when it explored the relationship the main characters had with their immigrant parents, something that struck a sensitive nerve with the AAPI viewers and hopefully, opened the eyes of none immigrants. Thankfully, Ansari's real parents who played his TV parents will be returning.

Based on the trailer, after traveling abroad, Dev (Ansari) returns to New York to take on challenges in his personal and family life, a new career opportunity, and a complex, developing relationship with someone very meaningful to him.

It looks as though Dev is living La Dolce Vita in Italy (an apparent tribute to Frederico Fellini?)  before returning to New York. We also don't see Rachel, played by Noel Wells, who was living with Dev before leaving for adventures in Japan. So it appears Dev is single again and he'll be going through the dating scene again. Most likely, he will be drawing from his book, Modern Romance, which explored the topic in detail from a comedian's perspective. 

Circle it on your calendar, Master of None's second season will start May 12 on Netflix.

###

AAPI senators opposed Gorsuch nomination; Harris lists reason for her 'nay' vote

SCREEN CAPTURE/CSPAN

California's Sen. Kamala Harris speaks against Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

IT IS MORE THAN LIKELY that the U.S. Senate will approve the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch Friday (April 6) for the the Supreme Court after the Republican majority invoked the so-called nuclear option that requires only a majority vote instead of 60 votes for passage.

However, the expected approval for Gorsuch doesn't change the fact that the super-conservative judge will probably be put in position to alter the direction of the United States law for decades to come, perhaps undoing the precedents set into law since the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

UPDATE: As expected, Gorsuch was confirmed Friday morning, 54 to 45. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) were the only Democrats who voted with Republicans to support President Donald Trump’s court pick. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) missed the vote.

“Today, Senate Republicans destroyed a process that has been in place for years to accomplish their goal of confirming a far-right Supreme Court Justice,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

“Last year, they wouldn’t even give President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland a hearing. And today, they changed the rules in order to ram through a nominee who cannot garner even 60 votes to sit on the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court. Judge Gorsuch would preserve the 5-4 conservative majority on the Roberts Court that favors corporate interests over individual rights.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said in a statement she had shared concerns with Gorsuch’s “predilection for putting corporate profits ahead of people time and again,” and called his history on civil, disability and reproductive rights—as well as other issues—“troubling.”

“Judge Gorsuch had several opportunities to explain himself, his past positions and his judicial philosophy, but he did not. Earning a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court requires much more than a genial demeanor and an ability to artfully dodge even the most pointed of questions. In his four days of confirmation hearings, Judge Gorsuch did not show any ability to alleviate my concerns. I cannot vote to confirm him,” Duckworth’s statement reads.

CSPAN

Judge Neil Gorsuch dodges questions during Senate hearings.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif, the first Indian/American woman elected to the upper chamber, was among the women who spoke against Gorsuch's nomination.

During her speech, she drew on her own personal experience as a beneficiary of affirmative action and blasted his positions in favor of corporations over ordinary Americans.

“You see, almost two decades after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, I was part of only the second class to integrate the Berkeley, California public schools," said the first-term Senator and former Attorney General for Calfironia. "If that Court had ruled differently, I likely would not have become a lawyer, or a prosecutor, or a district attorney, or the Attorney General of California. And I certainly would not be standing here today as a United States Senator.”

She cites the case of Grace Hwang, who sued her university for refusing to grant her medical leave even though she had cancer. Gorsuch voted in favor of the university.

A full transcript of her speech is below:

Mr. President, across the street from this chamber stands the United States Supreme Court. And above its doors are the words, “Equal Justice Under Law.”

As senators, we have a solemn responsibility to ensure that every man and woman who sits on that Court upholds our ideals and that ideal.

As a United States Senator, I take that responsibility extremely seriously.

You see, almost two decades after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, I was part of only the second class to integrate the Berkeley, California public schools.

If that Court had ruled differently, I likely would not have become a lawyer, or a prosecutor, or a district attorney, or the Attorney General of California. And I certainly would not be standing here today as a United States Senator.

I know from personal experience just how profoundly the Court’s decisions touch every aspect of Americans’ lives.

And for that reason, I rise to join my colleagues in strong opposition to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court.

RELATED: AAPI legal group deeply troubled by Gorsuch

As you know, Judge Gorsuch went through 4 days of hearings in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

And here’s what we learned.

We learned that Judge Gorsuch refused to answer the most basic of questions. He initially even refused to share his views on Brown v. Board of Education.

We learned that Judge Gorsuch has a deeply conservative worldview.

And we learned that Judge Gorsuch interprets the law in a theoretical bubble, completely detached from the real world. As he puts it, “focusing backward, not forward.”

If Judge Gorsuch joins the United States Supreme Court, his narrow approach would do real harm to real people—especially the women of America.

America deserves a Supreme Court Justice who will protect a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own health. Judge Gorsuch won’t.

Judge Gorsuch carefully avoided speaking about abortion. But he’s clearly demonstrated a hostility to women’s access to healthcare.

Last year, when the court he sits on sided with Planned Parenthood, Judge Gorsuch took the highly unusual step of asking the court to hear the case again.

Judge Gorsuch determined that a 13-thousand-person for-profit corporation was entitled to exercise the same religious beliefs as a person. That meant the company did not have to provide employees birth control coverage and could impose the company’s religious beliefs on all of its female employees.

I ask my colleagues: why does Judge Gorsuch seem to believe that corporations deserve full rights and protections, but women don’t?

As we mark Equal Pay Day today, Americans deserve a Supreme Court Justice who will protect the rights of women in the workplace. Judge Gorsuch won’t.

In employment discrimination cases, Judge Gorsuch has consistently sided with companies against their employees.

These employees include women like Betty Pinkerton. The facts of the case were undisputed. Her boss repeatedly asked her about her sexual habits and breast size and invited her to his home—then fired her when she reported his sexual harassment.

Judge Gorsuch ruled against Betty.

Why? Well part of this justification that he offered was that she waited two months before reporting the harassment.

Americans deserve a Supreme Court Justice who upholds the rights of all women—including transgender women. Judge Gorsuch won’t.

When a transgender inmate claimed that the prison’s practice of starting and stopping her hormone treatment was a violation of her rights, Judge Gorsuch disagreed.

As the National Women’s Law Center observed, “Judge Gorsuch’s record reveals a troubling pattern of narrowly approaching the legal principles upon which every day women across the nation rely.”

They write that his appointment, “would mean a serious setback for women in this country and for generations to come.”

But judging by his record, if Judge Gorsuch becomes Justice Gorsuch, women won’t be the only ones facing setbacks.

Take Luke, a young boy with autism, whose parents sought financial assistance after switching him from public school to a school specializing in autism education.

Judge Gorsuch ruled that the minimal support Luke received in public school was good enough.

People in the autism community were up in arms. And in the middle of his Senate hearing two weeks ago, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Judge Gorsuch was wrong on the law.

Or consider Alphonse Maddin. Maddin was a trucker who got stuck on the road in sub-zero temperatures—minus-27 degrees, as he recalls—and abandoned his trailer to seek help and save his life.

For leaving the trailer, he was fired. Judge Gorsuch wrote that the company was entitled to fire Maddin for not enduring the cold and for not staying in his freezing truck.

Then there’s Grace Hwang, a professor diagnosed with cancer. She sued when her university refused to provide the medical leave her doctor recommended.

Judge Gorsuch called the university’s decision “reasonable” and rejected her lawsuit. Sadly, Grace died last summer.

Mr. President, Judge Gorsuch has an Ivy League credential. But his record shows that he lacks sound judgment to uphold justice.

He ignores the complexities of human beings—the humiliating sting of harassment, the fear of a cancer patient or a worker who feels his life’s in danger. In short, his rulings lack a basic sense of empathy.

Judge Gorsuch understands the text of the law, to be sure.

But he has repeatedly failed to show that he fully understands those important words - “Equal Justice Under Law.”

For the highest court in the land, I say let’s find someone who does.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

###

Paramount admits that whitewashing hurt 'Ghost in the Shell'

INSTAGRAM

Michele Selene Ang posted this picture of herself.

EVERYBODY IS TALKING about whitewashing now -- now that a Paramount executive admits that the whitewashing controversy affected the box office.

Kyle Davies, Paramount Studio's domestic distribution chief, admitted to NextShark  that Ghost In The Shell's tanking was due to the casting of Scarlett Johansson in the role of Major Motoko Kusanagi, a Japanese character.

In its first weekend, the movie earned only $19 million, way below expectations. It did so badly that there is doubt the film will make up the $101 million it cost to make.

“We had hopes for better results domestically. I think the conversation regarding casting impacted the reviews,” said Davies who was quoted by CBC News.

“You’ve got a movie that is very important to the fanboys since it’s based on a Japanese anime movie,” he added. “So you’re always trying to thread that needle between honoring the source material and make a movie for a mass audience. That’s challenging, but clearly, the reviews didn’t help.”

REVIEW: Scarlett Johansson fails to save 'Ghost'

Most reviewers faulted the movie for simply not living up to the high expectations based on its source material. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received an approval rating of 45 percent based on 171 reviews.

Not even megastar Johansson could save the film from the fans' ire and intense social media criticism.

Scarlett Johansson got some unwanted notoriety by a t-shirt worn by Actress Michele Selene Ang, who plays Courtney Crimsen in the new Netflix series 13 Reasons Why,

Ang posted the picture on her Instagram account and it went viral.

In case you're not up to speed. These are the names of actors who have been accused of whitewashing in recent Hollywood-made movies.

At least Scarlett got top billing. The other names refer to Emma Stone, who played a Chinese/Hawaiian in Aloha; Tilda Swinton who played the old Tibetan monk in Dr. Strange, and Matt Damon, who plays a European who saves China (technically, no whitewashing but white savior.)

The shirt ($20) is available at AsianAFMerch.com, and proceeds go to benefit the Asian AF Show at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, an improv comedy institution in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, AAPI actors tell us in the video below what impact whitewashing has, not only on their careers, but on them personally, who grew up without seeing themselves in popular media.

###

The Voice 2017: FilAm teen rules the stage

 WaCalifornia teenager Anatalia Villaranda survives the 'Knockout Round' on The Voice.

FILIPINA/AMERICAN belter Anatalia Villaranda survived another round on The Voice reality competition.

“Anatalia, you surprised me again with this song choice. I think that’s great that you want to keep evolving and showing all sides of who you are,” her mentor Alicia Keys told the teenager.

Anatolia chose Carrie Underwood's "Two Black Cadillacs" to sing in the Knockout Round. She went up against fellow teen Dawson Coyle, who chose to perform "Demons" by Imagine Dragons.

RELATED: Watch Anatolia Villaranda's Blind Audition

Coaches Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton agreed with Keys, noting Villaranda's commanding stage presence during her performance.

“Anatalia, you have so much confidence and power. You were ruling the room. Wow,” said  Stefani.

After they both performed, Stefani said Coyle sounded like he was recording an album while Villaranda “ruled” the stage.

In the end, Anatolia's stage presence, which included shutting left and right, fist clenched to emphasize a lyric, gave her the edge.

AAPI figure skaters shine at World's championships

Maia and Alex Shibutani won a bronze medal at the World Figure Skating Championship

BROTHER AND SISTER, Maia and Alex Shibutani, won the bronze medal in ice dance at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland last weekend.

They led a figure-skating team loaded with Asian American and Pacific Islander athletes.

Nathan Chen fell twice but four quaduple jumps impressed the judges enough to give him fourth in the men's competition. Combined with Xxxxx seventh-place finish, the U.S. men scored enough to give the U.S. three entries in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Sixteen-year old Karen Chen faltered in the short program but came through the free-skate phase to place fourth, out of the medal competition but good enough to qualify the U.S. three spots in next year's Olympics.

Madison La'akea Te-Lan Hall Chock and her partner Evan Bates made some mistakes in their final dance routine but still managed a seventh place finish, again assuring the U.S. three positions for the Olympics.

The World's competition determined the number of spots for each nation. The final Olympic figure skating team will be named after the U.S. Championships that will be held in San Jose, Calif. this December and next January. Watch their free-skate, below:

The Shibutani siblings pick up their third World medal after winning the silver medal in 2016 and another bronze medal in 2011. “We’re so proud with how we skated at this World Championships,” Maia Shibutani said. “Our programs have grown so much over the course of the season. The audience for both of the performances was fantastic and as athletes and people who are trying to put our creative souls into these programs, that means so much.”

The dance team of Chock and Bates had to overcome a loss of balance by Bates on Saturday during a twizzle. Despite that, Chock and Bates were proud of their accomplishments this season, which included five international medals.

“Every year that we compete together, we get stronger,” Chock said. “We’re now at the five-year mark and we still have a long way to go. We haven’t reached our potential yet. Things are going to be good for us this summer. We’re going to train really hard.”

The third dance team of Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue garnered a ninth-place finish and likely be one of the teams to compete for the three spots for the Olympics. 

In the men’s competition, the United States notched two top-10 finishes. Nathan Chen finished sixth while teammate Jason Brown finish seventh.

High-flying Nathan Chen (No relation to Karen Chen), who has taken the sport of figure skating by storm over the past four months with his daring athleticism that includes including a never-before attempted six quads in his routine, was disappointed in falling on two of his attempts.

“It’s a good step for me,” Nathan said. “It’s a good experience for me. I feel sorry for some (of the mistakes that I had), but it’s a good step. Whatever happened, happened, and I just have to put it behind me.”

Teenager Karen Chen came from behind to finish fourth, the best result among the American women skaters.

The pressure was intense for Karen Chen, who is competing in her first senior World Championships.

She saw that teammate three-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner had faltered in her free program in Helsinki finishing seventh.

“So I knew I needed to skate pretty close to clean,” Chen, from Fremont, Calif. told reporters afterward.

“At first, it was overwhelming,” Chen said. “Right when that thought came into my head my body felt tense all of a sudden. Because I wanted to prove to myself I can do it — I could skate very well under pressure.”

The poised teenager came through - she landed five triple jumps - by finishing fourth thereby giving the United States’ Olympic team a third slot for the Olympics Only a few minor miscues towards the end of her routine prevented her from medaling.

The U.S. Championships will be Dec. 29, 2017-Jan. 7, 2018 in San Jose, California to determine who will represent the United States in South Korea in February.

###

Equal Pay Day: AAPI women earn 85 cents for every dollar earned by white men

YESTERDAY, APRIL 4, was Equal Pay Day, which highlighted the wage gap between men and women. 

The good news is that the gap is narrowing. The bad news is that it will take 115 years for women to earn the same amount of money as a man doing the same work.

A month earlier on March 7 was AAPI Equal Pay Day when we posted an article on A Day Without Women with a title 'AAPI women suffer pay gap.'

“Fighting Invisibility, Closing the Wage Gap: An Equal Pay Agenda for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women” is a comprehensive report on pay discrimination and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women. Despite the myth that AAPI communities have universally achieved economic and professional success in the United States, the lives of AAPI women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people* paint a drastically different picture.
Read the entire report by National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum by clicking here.

America remembers Bataan's 75th anniversary

MY-RIGHT-EYE-PHOTO

Hundreds of marchers in White Sands, New Mexico trekked 26 miles (the Bataan Death March was 65 miles) last month to remember the thousands of American and Filipino POW's who were part of the infamous Bataan Death March. The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging march through the high desert terrain of the White Sands Missile Range. The memorial march is conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health, and, in many cases, their very lives.

  World War II's Battle of Bataan in the Philippines may be recorded as a defeat for the U.S. Armed Forces of the
Far East, but it was a victory for the human spirit. Thousands of POW's died in the one of WWII's greatest atrocities - the Bataan Death March.

THIS COMING WEEKEND, April 8 and 9, will be the 75th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. Ceremonies will be held in the Philippines and across the United States to remember one of the darkest events of WWII.

“It is particularly significant this year because very few people actually know the story of Bataan and being the 75th anniversary, there are very few survivors left to tell the story. This could be one of the last times that the community can honor these men and recognize their bravery,” says Lyn Rolf III, director of programs at the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

“It was perhaps the second most consequential event of World War II after Pearl Harbor, but even the people in the Philippines do not know the history of the Bataan. It is so important to educate people about Bataan and to honor those who survived,” says Robert Hansen, a member of the board of directors of the Bataan Legacy Historical Society and the grandson of a Bataan survivor.

In San Francisco, the Bataan Legacy Historical Society is partnering with the Presideo Trust, the National Park Service, and a host of other organizations to mark the somber occasion, to remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives, survived the brutalities of war and the few who still are alive from that battle where Filipino and American soldiers fought against the Japanese Imperial Army in the first major land battle of World War II that involved U.S. forces.

Click here for the program. Please note that you must RSVP to attend the indoor ceremonies. (See flyer for information.)

Legendary jazz musician Joe Bataan will be the guest of honor in Organgeburg, New York.

At the commemoration, Bataan told lohud.com he'll be singing a solo rendition of the Lord’s Prayer and will be part of the performance of the national anthem.

He said he'll be thinking of his father, Pio Nitollano, who came to the United States in the 1930s but never had an opportunity to return to the Philippines.

"I got a strange feeling that this is going to make me cry, because it will make me remember my father and what he went through," Bataan said. "He never got to go back."

OTHER OBSERVANCES (Some events may already have been held.):

• Los Angeles, California
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Orangeburg, New York
• Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Pittsburg, California

(Add to this list by emailing a link to an event at dioknoed@gmail.com.)

RELATED: 

Legacy of the 'Battling Bastards of Bataan'

Bataan to be included in California history textbooks

L.A. Times editorials are a must-read

Donald Trump

LET'S TAKE A MOMENT and give a belated high-five to the Los Angeles Times editorials that eviscerate Donald Trump and his presidency.

Editorials are usually staid "harumph-harumph" opinions arrived at after much careful parsing of words to express opinions but the L.A. Times, perhaps hurt because Trump hasn't directed any of his Tweets at the newspaper, made it clear what it thought of the man who calls himself president.

Even though the newspaper did not endorse Trump, "Still,nothing prepared us for the magnitude of this train wreck," read the opening lines of the first editorial titled "Our Dishonest President."

"What is most worrisome about Trump is Trump himself. He is a man so unpredictable, so reckless, so petulant, so full of blind self-regard, so untethered to reality that it is impossible to know where his presidency will lead or how much damage he will do to our nation." said the editorial. "His obsession with his own fame, wealth and success, his determination to vanquish enemies real and imagined, his craving for adulation — these traits were, of course, at the very heart of his scorched-earth outsider campaign; indeed, some of them helped get him elected. But in a real presidency in which he wields unimaginable power, they are nothing short of disastrous." 

Whew! Talk about not pulling any punches.

The series of editorials began Sunday and will conclude Wednesday. It is worth your time to read them.

###

California justice doubles down after rebuke from Trump officials

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye

ATTY. GEN. JEFF SESSIONS and Homeland Security chief John Kelly issued a strong response to California's Chief Justice in a letter made public Friday. 

The two Trump appointees mansplained the meaning of "stalking" to Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who used the term describing ICE agents who are making arrests at the state's courthouses.

"As the chief judicial officer of the State of California, your characterization of federal law enforcement officers is particularly troubling. As you are aware, stalking has a specific legal meaning in American law, which describes criminal activity involving repetitive following or harassment of the victim with the intent to produce fear of harm."

Cantil-Sakauye, a Republican, wrote a letter to the Attorney General and Homeland Security on March 16 because of instances where ICE agents made arrests at courthouses.

Instead of backing off, the Chief Justice doubled down on her original criticism. “Making arrests at courthouses, in my view, undermines public safety because victims and witnesses will fear coming to courthouses to help enforce the law,” said the Filipina/American justice. “I am disappointed that despite local and state public safety issues at stake, courthouses are not on ICE’s ‘sensitive areas’ list that includes schools, churches, and hospitals.”

“When others see that happening and even for that person themselves, it can absolutely feel like what we all would commonly call stalking,” said Stanford Professor Jayashri Srikantiah. “If you’re undocumented and you’re the victim of domestic violence, it may make you very reluctant to go to the courthouse at all, even if you have a very valid need for the legal system.”

Kelly and Sessions also made an obvious slap at California's top elected officials who have been opposed to many of Donald Trumps policies, especially in reference to immigration.

"We would encourage you to express your concerns to the Governor of California and local officials who have enacted policies that occasionally necessitate ICE officers and agents to make arrests at courthouses and other public places," concluded the letter from Sessions and Kelly.

Yesterday, April 3, the California Senate voted to make the state a sanctuary state. The bill goes to the state Assembly before going to Gov. Jerry Brown.

Scarlett Johansson fails to save 'Ghost In The Shell' from so-so reviews

Scarlett Johansson plays a Japanese woman who is "improved" by making her white.

THE REVIEWS are in and box office receipts have been counted after the first weekend of the Ghost in the Shell debuted on American theaters and it doesn't bode well for the sci-fi action feature.

First off, Scarlett Johansson has got playing an artificial being down pat. In case you didn't pick it up, I mean that with a note of sarcasm. After playing a 'bot in the movies Her and in Lucy, playing a cyborg was a sinch since the role calls for a minimum of emoting.

The casting brouhaha over whitewashing - casting a white woman in a Japanese role  - required an explanation that is not in the anime originals. Major Motoko Kusanagi  is in fact, Japanese but her new outer shell is a white female. Uh ... OK.

That raises another concern even more insidious than whitewashing. By making the Major white, is that considered an "improvement" over the original Japanese body? The idealization of Major's synthetic body serves to advance Eurocentric (white) standards of beauty, something that eye surgeons in Asian countries are already too familiar as their patients seek to emulate the round-eye look.

But, I digress. The lukewarm reception was reflected at the box office with Ghost garnering a weak $19 million in its domestic opening[ behind Boss Baby and Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Internationally, it fared much better, finishing No. 1 in 11 markets, including the Hong Kong,China and Japan markets. Despite that success, because of its poor showing in the American market, It is now expected that the movie will not recoup the $110 million cost of production.

What is the big difference between the U.S. audiences and overseas? Since the casting of Johansson was announced, the movie has been under a cloud of controversy over the whitewashing of the Major's role. The choice of box-office star Johansson in the lead role was an issue only on this side of the Pacific.

The criticism was recently and especially strong in social media where AAPI users have greater influence than on the pages of mainstream media. The one certain thing the criticism did, it raised the discussion of whitewashing beyond the AAPI community, which has struggled with the issue for decades.

“Many in Japan have been so brainwashed by Western culture that they’ve developed an inferiority complex about their own. They assume that in order for an American film to be successful, it has to star a white actor," Guy Aoki, founding president of Media Action Network for Asian American, told The Hollywood Reporter. "Tell that to Zhang Yimou, who spent $150 million directing The Great Wall starring Matt Damon only to see it flop worldwide and receive terrible reviews. He’s not going to make his money back.”

The anime version of the Ghost.

Johansson named the top grossing actor of 2016 by Forbes, tried to defend herself in the March issue of Marie Claire magazine.

"I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person," she said. "Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive." That's a good rationalization, but her defense wasn't good enough for the AAPI community.

Johansson, who facies herself a progressive politically, just didn't "get it." She couldn't put herself in the shoes of the Asian/American actresses who were not even considered for the role. How can AAPI actors ever become "bankable" if they are never given an opportunity to "break through" with a substantive role?

“Apparently, in Hollywood, Japanese people can’t play Japanese people anymore,” quips MANAA President Robert Chan. The whitewashing controversy wasn't the only reason the film got such poor reviews, but it did cast the project in a negative light even before the first frame was edited. By the time the project was ready to be seen, critics already had high expectations because of the questions raised by social media networkersParamount could tell by the Google searches it was monitoring that in the final week before the film opened, potential moviegoers were checking out reviews before making a decision in higher than usual numbers.

Initially, the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score rose as high as 71 percent positive reviews, based on the first enthusiastic fanboy reactions and critiques from Europe. But as the week progressed and more reviews poured in, the movie’s score began to plummet, eventually falling to 42 percent. Ghost’s tracking, which initially suggested the film might open in the high-$20 million range, maybe even cross over into low-$30 million territory, hit a wall.

“It was very Rotten Tomatoes-sensitive. Lots of people were seeking out information about the film,” says Colligan. “And we got hit pretty hard by the print journalists.”

The reviews have not been that good. Get a load of this sampling

This is smart, hard-lacquered entertainment that may just trump the original films for galloping storytelling momentum and sheer, coruscating visual excitement. Full review
- Guy Lodge, Variety

... a heavily computer-generated enterprise with more body than brains, more visuals than ideas, as if the original movie’s hard drive had been wiped clean of all that was dark, poetic and mystifying.
- Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

Enjoy the credits because they offer some of the more arresting, inventive images in this visually cluttered yet often disappointingly drab movie. Full review
- Manohla Dargis, NYTimes

So heavily derivative it doesn’t feel like anything new, and there’s little depth beneath that slick surface. But it’s solid and attractive, at least, with a retro appeal to its cyberpunk stylings. Full review
- Dan Jolin, Empire

"Ghost in the Shell" struggles to dig below the surface of its thought-provoking concepts and bring real depth to its striking visuals. Full review
- Sandy Schaefer, Screen Rant

The filmmakers think little of the emotional and intellectual connection fans already have with this property, and have put all their chips on the aesthetic. Full review
- Emily Yoshida, Vulture

One can hardly blame cyborgs for not coming across like flesh-and-blood characters but it’s not easy to care what happens to any of the protagonists since they so rarely generate moments of human emotion.
- Lisa Nesselson, Screen International

First Filipino deported as ICE ramps up arrests

Rey Galleon

REY GALLEON had just dropped off his 9-year old child off at school not knowing that later that day he would become the first Filipino to be deported since Donald Trump took office.

Galleon, a former crewman, had lived in the U.S. for seven years without the proper papers. His wife and children eventually joined him. 

Galleon came home to discover strangers interviewing his apartment neighbors trying to find the whereabouts of Galleon and his wife. Not knowing they were ICE agents, Galleon allowed himself to be questioned. 

He was arrested but they allowed him to go into his apartment to change his clothes. While inside, he warned his wife. His wife and younger child were able to slip out the back door to escape being arrested.

The immigration agents took Galleon to their office in Long Beach where they gave him an ultimatum: detention or deportation.

He was then escorted to Los Angeles International Airport, forced to use his own money to purchase a ticket and by 10 p.m. he was on a Philippine-bound plane.

It wasn't until he reached Manila was he able to call his wife and the Los Angeles-based Pilipino Workers Center (PWC).

PWC said the nonprofit could have helped Galleon if he had taken the proper steps.  With two US citizen children and no criminal record, they said he may have had a chance to fight off the deportation orders.

ICE agents intentionally intimidate their targets and never tell them their rights, PWC said.

“ICE, if you interact with them, are trying to get you to sign your own voluntary departure. He was asking for legal assistance and they were ignoring that and in the end they gave him false options," said Aqui Soriano Versoza of the Pilipino Workers Center.

"There was a bond process. If he was able to connect to legal services like here at PWC, we could've galvanized legal support and community support so that he could've gotten out on bond,” she added.

Galleon's deportation brings attention to an often-overlooked demographic: one of an estimated 1.5 million Asian immigrants in the U.S. without the proper documentation. Most of the attention has been directed to immigrants from Mexico and Central America. There are about 416,000 Asians without legal status in California.

Undocumented Asians prefer to keep a low profile, hoping that ICE continue to focus their actions on Latinos. But Galleon's arrest and deportation might signal a change in that thinking.

Galleon is not the first Asian to be deported since Trump became president, nor will he be the last. But the fear that makes them reluctant to speak out or join protests, is no less real in the Asian community. Added to this is the shame associated with being deported and makes Asians shy away from any legal aid such as offered by PWC and other legal groups.

Maybe this will force the AAPI community to seek alliances with other ethnic groups, not only over immigration but on other issues that may affect employment, housingm education, justice and inequality.