James Kim, a Father and a Hero

I don't know what it is, but, even after all these years, I feel a sense of pride when I see an Asian face in a prominent position in the media.

I was proud, then, to see James Kim's smiling alongside his many pieces on CNET's site, explaining and reviewing digital music products, making them understandable to geeks and non-geeks alike. He was a senior editor at CNET, specializing in reviews of mp.3 players. He also appeared on the site's online show, Crave, talking gadgets in an unassuming style. He had an easy laugh, and got others to laugh with him.

So it was a disturbing piece of news to hear, in late November, that he and his family were missing in the wintry woods of southern Oregon, where theyd gone on a Thanksgiving trip from their home in San Francisco.

James, 35, his wife Kati, 30, and their two daughters, four year-old Penelope and seven month-old Sabine, came from San Franciscofrom my own neighborhood, in fact: Noe Valley, where James and Kati owned an an apothecary shop. They also had a small clothing store in the Haight-Ashbury, and James worked full-time at CNET. This was a handsome, happy family, full of life and future.

And then they got lost in the Oregon wilderness. For agonizing days, there was no word of the family, which had traveled north in a station wagon. On December 4, a helicopter pilot spotted Kati and the girls, and they were rescued. We then learned that James had set off, in the snow and through unknown...

UNITY Exec. Director urges ABC's "The View" producer Barbara Walters to make a public statement acknowledging racial comments by Rosie O'Donnell are offensive and unacceptable

The offensive behavior displayed by "The View" co-host Rosie O'Donnell in attempting to mimic the Chinese language reflects poorly on ABC Daytime and the show's producer, ABC News correspondent Barbara Walters.

UNITY: Journalists of Color represents more than 10,000 journalists nationwide from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, including Chinese American.

In one brief action, O'Donnell and "The View" not only offended Chinese Americans, but all of UNITY's partner organizations: the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

"The View" offers robust commentary on issues of the day, which viewers tune in to learn what the show's high-profile women think about these topics. When one of the co-hosts demeans and mocks the language of an entire race of people on national television, it warrants an explanation by the show's producer at least, and by the network at most.

UNITY recognizes that while O'Donnell is an entertainer and not a broadcast journalist, her producer is one. As producer, Walters should publicly acknowledge that O'Donnell's remarks were patently offensive and that such insults should have no place on the public airwaves.

By allowing O'Donnell's...

National Bureau of Asian Research Announces "The Next Generation: Leadership in Asian Affairs" Fellowship for Graduate Students

SEATTLE-- (U.S. ASIAN WIRE)-- The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is pleased to announce The Next Generation: Leadership in Asian Affairs fellowship for 2007-2008, a post-master's degree program that is cultivating a new generation of Asia affairs specialists committed to and capable of bridging the gap between the best scholarly research and the pressing needs of American foreign policy toward a rapidly changing Asia.
NBR invites recent master's and professional degree holders (e.g., MA, MBA, LLM, JD, etc.) to apply for a year-long fellowship at NBRs headquarters in Seattle to collaborate with leading scholars to publish research, and to participate in the briefing of research findings to the policymaking community in Washington, D.C.

This one-year fellowship is designed to further the professional development of Asia specialists in the year just after the completion of their master's degree. Successful applicants will gain further knowledge of Asia and an understanding of the U.S. foreign policymaking process through the following: conducting research under the guidance of an NBR program director; collaborating with senior scholars on academic publications; and traveling to Washington, D.C. to participate in the briefing of research findings to relevant constituents within the policy community.
The application deadline is January 15,...

Former Washington State Governor Gary Locke was the first Chinese American Governor in the U.S. He is now nominated by President Obama to become U.S. Commerce Secretary.

February 25, 2009

President Obama Nominates Former Governor Gary Locke for Secretary of Commerce

President Barack Obama officially nominated former Washington Governor Gary Locke for Secretary of Commerce. In this key role on the administrations economic team, Locke will work to foster and promote the nations economic development at home, and serve as an influential ambassador for American industry abroad.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will save or create three and a half million jobs over the next two years, and 90 percent of these jobs will be created in the private sector. As Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Locke will ensure American workers can prosper, businesses can thrive, and the economy can grow.

Gary will be a trusted voice in my cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness, and an influential ambassador for American industry who will help us do everything we can especially now to promote it around the world, said President Obama. Im grateful hes agreed to leave one Washington for another, and I look forward to having him on my team as we continue the work of turning our economy around and bringing about a stronger, more prosperous future for all Americans.

Our nations economic success is tied directly to America continuing to lead in technology and...

TO LIE OR NOT TO LIE 

By Marilyn Tam

Scott Thompson, the four months old CEO of Yahoo, was forced to resign because he lied on his resume. Worse, he lied about his lying and was found out. He denied that he inserted an extra degree into his resume, and then he blamed the recruiting firm he worked with for doing so. The recruiting firm, wanting to maintain their reputation, showed that it was Mr. Thompson who lied. Net result is that Mr. Thompson now has much more time to contemplate the efficacy of lying. 

            The question is, what are we willing to tolerate in our leaders’ behavior and reflectively in our own? Lying is bad. We’ve been told that ever since we were little. Or have we? Haven’t we also been told, “don’t say that, it will make them feel bad”, and there are such things as “white lies”, as compared to I guess black lies, which are bad.

            So we have grown up with some sense of expediency in what we call lying. Why do people lie? Is it because there is a perception that one can get ahead faster by lying than by telling the truth? Why would someone who is already well credentialed and respected feel the need to embellish his or her story? Is it a basic human nature to try to appear more than we are?

            Insecurities and fear that we are not as good or confident...