It's a round up of the past year's distinctive Asian and Asian American happenings, a lot of which we talked about here. Like the custody case over Anna Mae He; the Dutch couple that ditched their adopted Korean daughter; the godawful rap of Singapore's MDA; the controversy over the Martin Luther King memorial's Chinese sculptor.
Jeff also compiles a list of notable Asian and Asian American personalities who passed away in 2007, including:
- Athlete Richard Tom, bronze medal winner in 1948's London Olympic games, weightlifting; first Asian American to win an Olympic medal.
- Jazz singer and Las Vegas standout Mary Kaye, born Mary Ka'aihue; the native Hawaiian performer was the grand-niece of Queen Liliuokalani, last monarch of Hawaii.
- Musician Lance Hahn, frontman and guitarist for influential punk band J Church.
- Legendary singer and cultural ambassador for the Aloha State Don Ho.
- Pioneering journalist Bill Hosokawa.
- Actress Miyoshi Umeki, first Asian American to be nominated for, and to win, an Oscar; created role of Mei Li for Broadway and film version of "Flower Drum Song."
- Animator Iwao Takamoto, creator of Scooby-Doo.
- Inventor of instant ramen Momofuku Ando.
- Supermodel Sayoko Yamaguchi; named as one of the top six models in the world by Newsweek in 1977.
- Journalist Ah Jook Ku, first Asian American to write for the Associated Press.
- Kihachiro Onitsuka, founder of the Asics shoe brand and namesake behind the Onitsuka Tiger brand made famous by Bruce Lee.
- Taiwanese cinematic auteur Edward Yang, whose works include "Yi Yi (A One and a Two" and "A Brighter Summer Day."
- Bill Sorro, Filipino American Bay Area activist who fought for the rebuilding of the International Hotel, the historic heart of San Francisco's Filipino community.