9-year-old girl sexually assaulted in chinatown library

In New York, police are searching for a man they say sexually assaulted a a child inside the Seward Park Public Library on East Broadway in Chinatown two weeks ago, on May 6: Girl, 9, Sexually Assaulted Inside NYC Library.

The 9-year-old Asian girl, who is not being identifed to protect her identity, says she left her mother for a moment to grab a book off a shelf. She knelt down in the aisle to read the book when a man approached her:

don't get a divorce; get a donut

A local commercial for Donut Prince? I kind of love it. And how cute are Tek and Betty? ("Baby, I love you when you talk donut.") With a special cameo from none other than George Lopez:

more on that angry asian man play

The other day I posted a casting call for this play 3 Days, 3 Girls and an Angry Asian Man (no relation to me) that's currently in the works to go up this summer. A couple of readers who have encountered the project sent in a few more details. Here's part of the synopsis:

a3m presents california lol:) comedy jam 2010

If you're in Los Angeles and looking for some laughs, you're in invited to CALIFORNIA LOL :), a one-night-only comedy showcase benefiting Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, featuring Dat PHan, Danny Cho, Tina Kim, Paul Ogata, PK and Room to Improv. It's happening this Friday, May 21 at the Aratani/Japan American Theater in Little Tokyo. Here the details:

steven chu is trying to save the world

The Atlantic has a nerdy but awesome interview with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, whose team advised BP to use high-energy gamma ray imaging technology to assess the extent of the damage to the leaking oil well in the Gulf: Exclusive: How Steven Chu Used Gamma Rays to Save the Planet.

glee's "other asian" speaks

Check out this cool Vanity Fair interview with Harry Shum Jr., who plays Mike Chang (aka "Other Asian") on the hit Fox show Glee. You know him as the glee club's phenomenally talented dancer who gets no dialogue (if memory serves correctly, I've heard him speak exactly once): Glee's Harry Shum Jr. Speaks! (And He Wants His Gaga Costume).

thanks for nothing, bp

The Daily Beast has another story on Vietnamese fishermen whose lives have been rocked by BP's catastrophic oil spill: BP Leaves Immigrants High and Dry. A third of the fishers affected by the spill are Vietnamese, and they don't have equal access to restitution payments and other aid:

hawaii five-0: behind-the-scenes/opening credits

Awwww yeah. Lost is ending, but you will not have to miss Daniel Dae Kim for long. As you know, he is starring in CBS' remake of the old cop show, alongside Grace Park and Alex O'Loughlin. Here's a preview:

japan prefers robots over immigrant workers?

The headline alone got me clicking this one: Japan may pick robots over immigrants. Japane, like many countries across the globe, is facing huge challenges in caring for its aging population. They just don't have enough health care workers to go around:

The low birth rate there means foreign workers need to be recruited but there is a widespread opposition to immigration in the country as many Japanese value an ethnically homogenous society.

For some, robots may be preferable to allowing foreigners to work there.

Wow. There are people in Japan who hate foreign workers so much, they'd actually prefer robots -- Japanese robots, of course -- over living, breathing human health care help? I sure hope nobody from the Arizona legislature sees this story and gets any ideas.

ktown cowboys episode three

Behold! The third installment of the comedy webseries Ktown Cowboys. Directed by Daniel DPD Park and written by Danny Cho, it tells the story of one guy's epic crash-course introduction to Los Angeles' Koreatown over the course of one fateful evening. Here's episode three:

petition: asian americans and pacific islanders against sb 1070

A concerned group of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Arizona are trying educate folks locally and nationally about the SB 1070 immigration law, requiring law enforcement to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. This extreme law seems impossible to enforce without racial profiling.

Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Against SB 1070 are asking for national support from the AAPI community to send Arizona Governor Brewer and the state legislature a message this kind of law is unacceptable. Here is the online petition they're circulating:

available now: david choi's by my side

David Choi's sophomore album, By My Side, is finally out. A year in the making, and entirely self-produced -- written, performed, mixed, and recorded -- by David, it's twelve solid songs from your favorite YouTube crooner. Here's a special message from David regarding the release:

national api hiv/aids awareness day, may 19

Today, May 19, is National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The Banyan Tree Project, which raises awareness about sexual health in API communities by addressing the silence and shame surrounding HIV, has produced a public service announcement. Take a look:

3rd annual verizon apahm concert tour

Asian people! Performing music! To celebrate Asian American culture and entertainment, Verizon Wireless is bringing some of the biggest Chinese and Taiwanese musical names to fans in the U.S. during APA Heritage Month. Who are these artists? Check it out:

the zombie combat manual by roger ma

Do you know what to do in the event of a zombie attack? Are you ready for the undead apocalypse? No? Then I have the book for you: The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead by Roger Ma.

Oh, you think you're ready, but you're not. This book is your comprehensive, practical guide to kicking zombie ass and surviving the inevitable battle against the living dead. Here's the book's description:

man arrested in brutal attack on woman in queens

Yesterday in New York, a 23-year-old Chinese woman was left brain dead after an assailant slammed her in the head with a pipe, dragged her into an alley and sexually abused her: Qns. attack leaves woman brain dead.

Carloz Salazar Cruz has been charged with attempted murder, assault, aggravated sex abuse and criminal possession of a weapon:

new asian pop group: umamiya

Move over Wonder Girls. The latest Asian girl group poised for world pop domination is Umamiya -- Kim Min Jung, Kitty Karaoke, Winnie Wu (a.k.a. WWII), mari.kris.am.i, and Cathedral Leung -- assembled together and powered by S-Cube Entertainment. Get a taste of their slammin' debut single, "Hot Sour Spicy and Sweet":

open call to apa artists for portraiture

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program are partnering to create an exhibition of work for NPG's "Portraiture Now" series, featuring contemporary artists exploring issues of cultural hybridity and APA identity through the art of portraiture.

You are invited to submit information about your work for the NPG's curators to evaluate before they make their final decisions about artists to include in the exhibition. The exhibition will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC from August 12, 2011 through October 14, 2012. Here are some details on how to submit:

you can call her 'dr. kwan'

Last week, decorated figure skating champion -- now a grad student -- Michelle Kwan received an honorary degree when she gave the commencement speech at Southern Vermont College: Michelle Kwan receives honorary degree. She's still working on her master's degree at Tufts:

vote ken watanabe for california attorney general

This February 3 post from SF Weekly's The Snitch blog says that Assemblyman Ted Lieu has been trailing San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris in polls for California's Attorney General race.

Why is Ted Lieu polling low? I don't know. But maybe it has something to do with the fact that people are confusing him for Ken Watanabe. Yes, the photo accompanying the post is of none other than Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, of Last Samurai fame.

Who are you voting for? "Beats me. The Asian guy, I guess." Perhaps putting Ken Watanabe's photo on his campaign materials might actually help Ted Lieu get a leg up in those polls. Quick, take a look at the erroneous photo here before they change it. (Thanks, Eugenia.)