#Richmond lam

[kaleidoscopiccc]

love/hate relationship w how on the nose/stereotypical Jacob Richmond’s character names are

her parents are hippies? name her ocean that would be hilarious. 2 siblings on the lam? do I have a choice OTHER than naming them lamb? oh and she’s the luckiest girl in too? perfect, penny lamb it is. are Nordic girls named anything other than Astrid? oh wait remember that Christmas nativity scene we wrote? what if we named him, and hear me out here, noel. okok this one is gonna be wild, yk how he’s Ukrainian? what if. misha. but spelled wrong. write that down write that down. and his lover? idk talia or something. no I don’t care that that’s not an actual Ukrainian name

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.23. (before 1940)

1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. 1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 1568 – The Peace of Longjumeau is signed, ending the second phase of the French Wars of Religion. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – "Give me liberty, or give me death!" – at St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle. 1806 – After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home. 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Battle and fall of city of Kalamata. 1839 – A massive earthquake destroys the former capital Inwa of the Konbaung dynasty, present-day Myanmar. 1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded. 1857 – Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City. 1862 – American Civil War: The First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, marks the start of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Although a Confederate defeat, the engagement distracts Federal efforts to capture Richmond. 1868 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law. 1879 – War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. 1885 – Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Phu Lam Tao near Hưng Hóa, northern Vietnam. 1888 – In England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, meets for the first time. 1889 – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, British India. 1901 – Emilio Aguinaldo, only President of the First Philippine Republic, is captured at Palanan, Isabela by the forces of American General Frederick Funston. 1905 – Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece, and begins what is to be known as the Theriso revolt. 1909 – Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. 1913 – A tornado outbreak kills more than 240 people in the central United States, while an ongoing flood in the Ohio River watershed was killing 650 people. 1918 – First World War: On the third day of the German Spring Offensive, the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment is annihilated with many of the men becoming prisoners of war 1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. 1931 – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar are hanged for the killing of a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian independence movement. 1933 – The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. 1935 – Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. 1939 – The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force in Spišská Nová Ves, killing 13 people and beginning the Slovak–Hungarian War.

[rickchung]

Summer Daze: July 2023

Metro Vancouver Events Calendar:

Now-July 2: Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Now-July 23: Frida Kahlo: The Immersive Experience @ PNE Agrodome

Now-Aug. 6: Million Dollar Quartet @ Granville Island Stage

Now-Aug. 19: Tall Tales: The Quest is Up to You! @ The Improv Centre

Now-Aug. 31: Back to the ‘80s @ VIFF Centre

Now-Sept. 15: Shipyards Night Market (Fridays)

Now-Sept. 24: Jeremy Shaw: Phase Shifting Index @ Polygon Gallery

Now-Sept. 30: Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival @ Vanier Park

Now-Oct. 9: Richmond Night Market

Now-Oct. 28: Riley Park Farmers Market / Trout Lake Farmers Market / West End Farmers Market @ 1100 Comox (Saturdays)

Now-Oct. 29: Mount Pleasant Famers Market @ Dude Chilling Park / Kitsilano Farmers Market @ Kitsilano Community Centre (Sundays)

Now-Nov. 29: Downtown Farmers Market @ 750 Hornby (Wednesdays)

July 1: Steveston Salmon Festival / Seven Samurai (Open House) @ The Cinematheque

July 3-4: Le Tigre @ Commodore Ballroom

July 6-15: Dancing on the Edge Festival

July 6-16: Indian Summer Festival

July 6-Aug. 26: Theatre Under the Stars @ Malkin Bowl

July 8: Khatsahlano Street Party / Luxury & Supercar Weekend @ Richmond Olympic Oval

July 8-9: Carnival del Sol @ David Lam Park

July 9: Brewery and the Beast @ Concord Pacific Place

July 9 & 23: Ladner Village Market

July 9-Aug. 6: Music on the Plaza @ Brentwood Plaza (weekends)

July 12: Gastown Grand Prix

July 13: Tropic Thunder @ Odd Society Spirits

July 14-16: Vancouver Folk Music Festival @ Jericho Beach Park

July 15-16: Vancouver Chinatown Festival

July 16: Nuba 20th Anniversary Block Party @ Mount Pleasant

July 22: The Cup @ Hastings Racecourse

July 22-23: Create! Arts Festival @ Strathcona Park

July 25-30: Broadway Across Canada: Disney’s Aladdin @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

July 27-Aug. 5: Early Music Summer Festival

July 28: Boygenius @ PNE Amphitheatre

July 28-30: East by Northwest (EXNW) Global Summit @ JW Marriott Parq

July 28-Aug. 6: Vancouver Pride Festival

[jminter]

Picks of the Week - May 3, 2023

Did those April Showers bring May Flowers? A line up of activities certainly bloomed in this picks of the week Musical:  Royal City Musical Theatre presents its 31st Season bringing the Gershwin comedy musical Crazy for You, starring Todd Talbot (Love it or List it-Vancouver) to the Massey Theatre from April 27 – May 14.

Todd Talbot in RCMT's Crazy For You Photo: Moonrider Productions, Mark Halliday Blooms: The Fraser Valley’s annual cavalcade of colour continues to bloom for the next few weeks, the 17th annual edition of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival covers acres of flowers Festival: Continuing until May 28th, Urban Ink and The Cultch welcome new works and past favourites to a free, all-digital TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival focuses on empowering Indigenous artists and encouraging collaboration with non-Indigenous artists. Legend: When an Elvis impersonator finds career troubles, he finds a new way to make ends meet, The Legend of Georgia McBride brings a banquet of fabulous outfits, fierce performances, and epic drag anthems to the Arts Club Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage until May 21st Opera: Closing out its 2022-23 season, Vancouver Opera brings Wagner’s epic opera, The Flying Dutchman with two more performances, May 4 and May 7, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Improvise: The Improv Centre on Granville Island debuts its spring show, Bring Back The ‘90s!, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm until May 27 Femme: The Cultch’s continuing Femme Festival, features seven performances from women in music, theatre, dance, comedy, and circus, on its three stages with Body Parts and útszan (to make better) coming to the stage this week. Choir: Chor Leoni and its star ensemble The Leonids prepare for a busy month of music, beginning with its May 5th Schubertiad collaboration with Early Music Vancouver.  

The Leonids in The Turning (left to right):Eric Alatorre, Jacob Perry Jr., Steven Soph, Enrico Lagasca, Erick Lichte, Steven Caldicott Wilson, Dann Coakwell, Jonathan Woody, Andrew Fuchs, Sam Kreidenweis. Photo: David Cooper. Project: Pi Theatre, adds a touch of intrigue to its next production. Continuing its Provocateurs Series with the next presentation, Untitled Peter Tripp Project, running from May 4 - 6 at a secret location which will be announced to ticket holders days before the performance. Balls: Hoping to make it an unbeaten in 8 MLS matched, Whitecaps FC take the field at BC Place to host Minnesota United FC, Saturday at 7:30pm Futures: Until January 14, 2024, 25 years since the artist’s passing, the Bill Reid Gallery presents the Canadian premiere exhibition of Bright Futures, co-curated by Bill Reid Gallery Curator Beth Carter, Assistant Curator Aliya Boubard, and in consultation with Jordan Wilson (Musqueam).  Quintet: Saturday May 6th, New Westminster's Anvil Centre presents Huu Bac Quintet's, Mekong Waters, a skilful fusing of the traditional sounds of his Vietnamese and Chinese heritages with North-American jazz. Huu Bac Quartet at Anvil Centre Saturday May 6th. Photo: Johanna Katrina Comedy: Running to May 7, The Firehall Arts Centre and Savage Society present the remount of Taran Kootenhayoo’s White Noise, a comedy about two families who have dinner together for the first time during Truth and Reconciliation week. Exhibition: On display until June 11, Richmond Art Gallery, in partnership with the Richmond Public Library, presents A Small but Comfy House and Maybe a Dog the first major solo exhibition by Amy Ching-Yan Lam, guest curated by Su-Ying Lee, featuring sculptures made in collaboration with HaeAhn Woo Kwon, with objects from the collections of the Gallery and the neighbouring Richmond Public Library. Gallery: On display until May 14, Polygon Gallery presents As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic Curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition is organized by Aperture and features more than 100 photographs from the Wedge Collection — Canada’s largest privately owned collection committed to championing Black artists. Read the full article

[nullnvoid911]

Newly graduated State Police trooper Scott Lam (C) is joined by 107 other new officers as the Virginia State Police graduated its largest class of new officers in its 80 year history at Meadow Event Park.

Joe Mahoney / Richmond Times, March 2, 2012

[theeleventhsignofthezodiac]

Richmond Lam - Sam, Raelian

[evethomas]

Feeling nostalgic, this Canada Day, about this issue of Naked Eye magazine. My name’s not on the byline for this cover story, but, as is so often the case, I wrote most of it. The assigned writer's piece wasn’t quite what we were looking for, so I had to mix a few quotes from that, my art director’s observations from overseeing two photoshoots with the cast, and my own childhood memories and research. I haven’t read the story in a while, but remember being quite pleased with it, all considered. And it really is a wild story – how this creative, queer-positive, totally unmatched comedy troupe got skits like ‘Chicken Lady’ and ‘Sex Girl Patrol’ on our public broadcasting channel at 8 p.m. on weeknights, shaping an entire generation of Canadians. 

[richmondlam]

We’re half way through 2017 already! 

I have been trying to push myself creatively this year, taking a few more risk here and there.

Sometimes it pays off.

Like this image we made with The Dears earlier this year which I love dearly.

Check out the new tunes. <3

[evethomastravels]

Galapagos, Ecuador

Say a prayer for surf boy... (Photo c/o Richmond Lam)

[frankiefellinlove]

Happy Birthday to Phantom Danny Federici <3

Farewell To Danny:

"Let me start with the stories.

Back in the days of miracles, the frontier days when "Mad Dog" Lopez and his temper struck fear into the band, small club owners, innocent civilians and all women, children and small animals.

Back in the days when you could still sign your life away on the hood of a parked car in New York City.

Back shortly after a young red-headed accordionist struck gold on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and he and his mama were sent to Switzerland to show them how it's really done.

Back before beach bums were featured on the cover of Time magazine.

I'm talking about back when the E Street Band was a communist organization! My pal, quiet, shy Dan Federici, was a one-man creator of some of the hairiest circumstances of our 40 year career… And that wasn't easy to do. He had "Mad Dog" Lopez to compete with… Danny just outlasted him. Maybe it was the "police riot" in Middletown, New Jersey. A show we were doing to raise bail money for "Mad Dog" Lopez who was in jail in Richmond, Virginia, for having an altercation with police officers who we'd aggravated by playing too long. Danny allegedly knocked over our huge Marshall stacks on some of Middletown's finest who had rushed the stage because we broke the law by…playing too long. As I stood there watching, several police oficers crawled out from underneath the speaker cabinets and rushed away to seek medical attention. Another nice young officer stood in front of me onstage waving his nightstick, poking and calling me nasty names. I looked over to see Danny with a beefy police officer pulling on one arm while Flo Federici, his first wife, pulled on the other, assisting her man in resisting arrest. A kid leapt from the audience onto the stage, momentarily distracting the beefy officer with the insults of the day. Forever thereafter, "Phantom" Dan Federici slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

A warrant out for his arrest and one month on the lam later, he still hadn't been brought to justice. We hid him in various places but now we had a problem. We had a show coming at Monmouth College. We needed the money and we had to do the gig. We tried a replacement but it didn't work out. So Danny, to all of our admiration, stepped up and said he'd risk his freedom, take the chance and play.

Show night. 2,000 screaming fans in the Monmouth College gym. We had it worked out so Danny would not appear onstage until the moment we started playing. We figured the police who were there to arrest him wouldn't do so onstage during the show and risk starting another riot.

Let me set the scene for you. Danny is hiding, hunkered down in the backseat of a car in the parking lot. At five minutes to eight, our scheduled start time, I go out to whisk him in. I tap on the window.

"Danny, come on, it's time."

I hear back, "I'm not going."

Me: "What do you mean you're not going?"

Danny: "The cops are on the roof of the gym. I've seen them and they're going to nail me the minute I step out of this car."

As I open the door, I realize that Danny has been smoking a little something and had grown rather paranoid. I said, "Dan, there are no cops on the roof."

He says, "Yes, I saw them, I tell you. I'm not coming in."

So I used a procedure I'd call on often over the next forty years in dealing with my old pal's concerns. I threatened him…and cajoled. Finally, out he came. Across the parking lot and into the gym we swept for a rapturous concert during which we laughted like thieves at our excellent dodge of the local cops.

At the end of the evening, during the last song, I pulled the entire crowd up onto the stage and Danny slipped into the audience and out the front door. Once again, "Phantom" Dan had made his exit. (I still get the occasional card from the old Chief of Police of Middletown wishing us well. Our histories are forever intertwined.) And that, my friends, was only the beginning.

There was the time Danny quit the band during a rough period at Max's Kansas City, explaining to me that he was leaving to fix televisions. I asked him to think about that and come back later.

Or Danny, in the band rental car, bouncing off several parked cars after a night of entertainment, smashing out the windshield with his head but saved from severe injury by the huge hard cowboy hat he bought in Texas on our last Western swing.

Or Danny, leaving a large marijuana plant on the front seat of his car in a tow away zone. The car was promptly towed. He said, "Bruce, I'm going to go down and report that it was stolen." I said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Down he went and straight into the slammer without passing go.

Or Danny, the only member of the E Street Band to be physically thrown out of the Stone Pony. Considering all the money we made them, that wasn't easy to do.

Or Danny receiving and surviving a "cautionary assault" from an enraged but restrained "Big Man" Clarence Clemons while they were living together and Danny finally drove the "Big Man" over the big top.

Or Danny assisting me in removing my foot from his stereo speaker after being the only band member ever to drive me into a violent rage.

And through it all, Danny played his beautiful, soulful B3 organ for me and our love grew. And continued to grow. Life is funny like that. He was my homeboy, and great, and for that you make considerations… And he was much more tolerant of my failures than I was of his.

When Danny wasn't causing chaos, he was a sweet, talented, unassuming, unpretentious good-hearted guy who simply had an unchecked ability to make good fortune and things in general go fabulously wrong. But beyond all of that, he also had a mountain of the right stuff. He had the heart and soul of an engineer. He learned to fly. He was always up on the latest technology and would explain it to you patiently and in enormous detail. He was always "souping" something up, his car, his stereo, his B3. When Patti joined the band, he was the most welcoming, thoughtful, kindest friend to the first woman entering our "boys club." He loved his kids, always bragging about Jason, Harley, and Madison, and he loved his wife Maya for the new things she brought into his life. And then there was his artistry. He was the most intuitive player I've ever seen. His style was slippery and fluid, drawn to the spaces the other musicians in the E Street Band left. He wasn't an assertive player, he was a complementary player. A true accompanist. He naturally supplied the glue that bound the band's sound together. In doing so, he created for himself a very specific style. When you hear Dan Federici, you don't hear a blanket of sound, you hear a riff, packed with energy, flying above everything else for a few moments and then gone back in the track. "Phantom" Dan Federici. Now you hear him, now you don't. Offstage, Danny couldn't recite a lyric or a chord progression for one of my songs. Onstage, his ears opened up. He listened, he felt, he played, finding the perfect hole and placement for a chord or a flurry of notes. This style created a tremendous feeling of spontaneity in our ensemble playing. In the studio, if I wanted to loosen up the track we were recording, I'd put Danny on it and not tell him what to play. I'd just set him loose. He brought with him the sound of the carnival, the amusements, the boardwalk, the beach, the geography of our youth and the heart and soul of the birthplace of the E Street Band.

Then we grew up. Very slowly. We stood together through a lot of trials and tribulations. Danny's response to a mistake onstage, hard times, catastrophic events was usually a shrug and a smile. Sort of an "I am but one man in a raging sea, but I'm still afloat. And we're all still here." I watched Danny fight and conquer some tough addictions. I watched him struggle to put his life together and in the last decade when the band reunited, thrive on sitting in his seat behind that big B3, filled with life and, yes, a new maturity, passion for his job, his family and his home in the brother and sisterhood of our band. Finally, I watched him fight his cancer without complaint and with great courage and spirit. When I asked him how things looked, he just said, "what are you going to do? I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Danny, the sunny side up fatalist. He never gave up right to the end.

A few weeks back we ended up onstage in Indianapolis for what would be the last time. Before we went on I asked him what he wanted to play and he said, "Sandy." He wanted to strap on the accordion and revisit the boardwalk of our youth during the summer nights when we'd walk along the boards with all the time in the world. So what if we just smashed into three parked cars, it's a beautiful night! So what if we're on the lam from the entire Middletown police department, let's go take a swim! He wanted to play once more the song that is of course about the end of something wonderful and the beginning of something unknown and new. Let's go back to the days of miracles. Pete Townshend said, "a rock and roll band is a crazy thing. You meet some people when you're a kid and unlike any other occupation in the whole world, you're stuck with them your whole life no matter who they are or what crazy things they do."

If we didn't play together, the E Street Band at this point would probably not know one another. We wouldn't be in this room together. But we do… We do play together. And every night at 8 p.m., we walk out on stage together and that, my friends, is a place where miracles occur…old and new miracles. And those you are with, in the presence of miracles, you never forget. Life does not separate you. Time does not separate you. Animosities do not separate you. Death does not separate you. Those you are with who create miracles for you, like Danny did for me every night, you are honored to be amongst.

Of course we all grow up and we know "it's only rock and roll"…but it's not. After a lifetime of watching a man perform his miracle for you, night after night, it feels an awful lot like love.

So today, making another one of his mysterious exits, we say farewell to Danny, "Phantom" Dan, Federici. Father, husband, my brother, my friend, my mystery, my thorn, my rose, my keyboard player, my miracle man and lifelong member in good standing of the house rockin', pants droppin', earth shockin', hard rockin', booty shakin', love makin', heart breakin', soul cryin'… and, yes, death defyin' legendary E Street Band."

Bruce at the memorial service for Danny

[sleepysera]

3.21.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Ukraine: Rejects Russian demand for surrender in Mariupol (AP)

“Ukrainian officials defiantly rejected a Russian demand that their forces in Mariupol lay down their arms and raise white flags Monday in exchange for safe passage out of the besieged port city. As Russia intensified its effort to pound Mariupol into submission, its ground offensive in other parts of Ukraine has become bogged down. Western officials and analysts say the conflict is turning into a grinding war of attrition, with Russia bombarding cities.”

China: Airliner crashes with 132 aboard in country’s south (AP)

“A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in a remote mountainous area of southern China on Monday, officials said, setting off a forest fire visible from space in the country’s worst air disaster in nearly a decade. More than seven hours after communication was lost with the plane, there was still no word of survivors.”

Hong Kong: Lifts flight bans, cuts quarantine to ‘relaunch’ economy (CNN)

“Hong Kong announced Monday that it would lift flight bans and shorten quarantine requirements after two years of tough Covid restrictions that have hurt the city's economy and standing among global business. In a press conference Monday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that residents of nine countries, including India, the United Kingdom and the United States would be allowed to return home starting April 1. The other nations are Australia, Canada, France, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines.”

US NEWS

Myanmar: US says Myanmar repression of Muslim Rohingya is genocide (AP)

“Violent repression of the largely Muslim Rohingya population in Myanmar amounts to genocide, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, a declaration intended to both generate international pressure and lay the groundwork for potential legal action. Authorities made the determination based on confirmed accounts of mass atrocities on civilians by Myanmar’s military in a widespread and systematic campaign against the ethnic minority, Blinken said in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.”

Economy: Workers go on strike at California refinery owned by Chevron (AP)

“More than 500 workers at a Chevron Corp. refinery in the San Francisco Bay Area went on strike early Monday over safety concerns and to demand a salary increase to keep up with inflation and the area’s high cost of living. The strike affecting the refinery in the city of Richmond began at 12:01 a.m. It came after workers voted down Chevron’s most recent contract offer and the company refused to return to the bargaining table, the United Steelworkers union said.”

Election: Pence distances himself from Trump as he eyes 2024 campaign (AP)

“But after years of being a subservient sidekick, Pence is beginning to distance himself from Trump as he takes increasingly overt steps toward a White House bid of his own. Last month, Pence called out Trump by name, saying his former boss was “wrong” to insist that he had the power to unilaterally overturn the results of the 2020 election — a power vice presidents do not possess. In a separate speech before top Republican donors, Pence urged the GOP to move on from Trump’s 2020 grievances and declared “there is no room in this party for apologists” for Vladimir Putin after Trump praised the Russian leader’s maneuvering as “genius” before his brutal invasion of Ukraine.”

[chsamuseum]

CHSA Interns Respond: What does AAPI Heritage mean to us?

This month, we asked our interns to share their reflections on AAPI Heritage, answering the question, “What does AAPI Heritage mean to you?” Here’s what they wrote: 

AAPI Heritage Is…

...a living history 

Shou Zhang, Research Intern (We Are Bruce Lee) 

I am a 1.5 generation Han Chinese American.

I believe our communities' diverse and beautiful history lives through us like water flowing from the past into the present and onwards to the future. Our very existence in this country is a testament to the resilience of those who came before us. When I can go to a Chinese grocery store and buy goods that satisfy my taste for the Chinese Lu culinary cooking style, that experience is the legacy of our lived history. When I cook the dishes that my family taught me, the very act of it is a celebration of my Han Chinese culture. 

Examples of China’s Lu cuisine, originating in Shandong. (PC: China & Asia Cultural Travel).

To me, the AAPI history of my community is a lived experience. I recognize that the Han Chinese and Han Chinese American community in America are members of a wider community whose struggles and experiences intersect with our own. So for me, AAPI History Month means going beyond protecting, sustaining, and sharing the history of the culture of my community – it means finding the emotional space to listen to the stories of other AAPI communities.

In my journey as someone who grew up and emigrated from the People's Republic of China, I have been particularly invested this month in learning more about the lived experiences of other ethnic and indigenous communities who emigrated from mainland China, who have had a drastically different experience than my own.

...a way to understand my identity

Samantha Vasquez, Research Intern (Chinese in the Richmond) 

Being Asian American is integral to my identity, as I have spent almost twenty-one years attempting to understand what it meant to be Asian and American. I am a Chinese adoptee with a third-generation Chinese American mom and a first-generation Mexican American dad. I learned about the term "third-culture kid" in a Multiracial Americans course in college, and I found it to describe my experiences almost perfectly. This experience is defined as the phenomenon in which a child grows up with their parents' culture and the culture of the place they grew up.  Both of my parents grew up in the U.S. and have navigated what it means to be American. For me, I have my Chinese heritage, through which I participate in traditions and cuisine, and I also have my Mexican culture, through which I understand Spanish phrases and attend religious ceremonies.

There are so many nuances with my identity that I had trouble understanding when I was younger, but I embrace being Asian American because it can encompass these nuances. I want to give my children the tools to begin to understand their identities, no matter what their culture is. I want them to know my parents and their cultures' influence on my upbringing. I want them to embrace all cultures and realize how interconnected we all are.

...a source of political strength

Katherine Xiong, Community Programs Intern 

I have to admit that I struggle a lot with the term “AAPI.” Doubtless, the lived experience of individuals grouped together under the AAPI umbrella are extremely disparate -- even within ethnicities, there’s so much diversity that it’s hard to say that people belong ‘together.’ Take the term “Chinese” for example: It’s fuzzily defined. It can (or can not) include diaspora from the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc., many of whom chafe under the label “Chinese American” because of political connotations in their countries of origin. It can include descendants of the first railroad workers, migrant workers, and communities facing gentrification, but can also include some of the richest people in America, many of whom have become the gentrifiers. We don’t all have the same history, or the same political issues, either. Questions of affirmative action that my conservative parents are thinking about and questions of media representation my friends are thinking about are not the same problems that massage workers or Chinese American elders in large cities are facing. Zoom out to all of the ‘AAPI’ umbrella, and the differences grow still vaster. Yet outsiders often read us as “all the same.” 

A protestor displays her support for solidarity between the Black and AAPI communities. (PC: NBC News). 

As I interpret it, the power of the term “AAPI” has less to do with identity and more to do with politics. And it’s not about having the same political ‘issues’ or racial/ethnic stereotypes. It’s about coalition-building and solidarity in spite of difference -- building from communities up, across ethnic and class lines. It’s about recognizing the ways in which we all get ‘read’ as one people from the outside and leveraging those misconceptions to say, ‘If you treat us all as one people, fine. Then we’ll face our problems together, and support each other in each other’s problems, no matter how different we are. We are not the same, but our communities do not have to form around divisions and differences. We can borrow each other’s strength. We can -- and will -- make change.” 

...the past (and the people) who shaped our present 

Samantha Lam, Development Intern 

As Asian Americans, we have been taught to believe that we are the model minority, and thus a greater ‘proximity to whiteness.’ AAPI history tells us the exact opposite. For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first immigration ban towards a specific ethnic group, and was only fully repealed with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which abolished the National Origins Formula. Discrimination towards Asian Americans is not as much a “thing of the past,” as some people like to think. 

I cannot stress how important it is to know about how we as Asian Americans have reached our current status, thanks to the sacrifices of people like early Chinese laborers, who came to the U.S. hoping to find work, and Asian American activists who fought for our civil rights. I know more about this thanks to heritage museums and cultural institutions like CHSA. I am so grateful to CHSA for filling in the blanks for me and many other young Asian Americans who may not have been taught Asian American history in school. 

High school students in Oakland at Black Panther Party funeral rally for Bobby Hutton. (PC: Asian American Movement 1968). 

AAPI Month this year has been far sadder than I think anyone anticipated with increasing reports of hate crimes towards Asians. However, I can see a silver lining in the uptick in Asian American activism and with more resources being made available online discussing topics like intersectionality and the history behind the model minority myth. I believe learning and connecting with Asian American history has allowed me to better understand the struggles other minority groups have faced here in the U.S., and I know I need to do more with the privileges I have.

…a diverse community with many voices

Kimberly Szeto, Education & Research Intern 

Real talk: I am not the biggest fan of umbrella labels like AAPI, API, etc. There is so much to being Asian American or being Pacific Islander that just gets bunched up into one monolithic category. As people, we are more than what labels and stereotypes define us to be. 

But what the labels such as “AAPI” and “API” do instead is bring together a community of people with similar but different backgrounds and give a space to embrace and celebrate who we are, as well as giving us a voice. Yes, May is the month to celebrate AAPI, but why don’t we celebrate all year round? As Asian Americans, we should not have to conform to what “societal norms” in the U.S. constrain us to be, for us to stay quiet and not rock the boat in fear of backlash. Furthermore, we must debunk the model minority myth stereotype, where Asians are seen as uniformly more prosperous, well-educated, and successful than other groups of people. This is a dangerous generalization of vastly different groups of people, one that allows the white majority of America to avoid responsibility for racist policies and beliefs. We need to embrace who we are and educate those who may not know or are less aware.

I started hearing the term AAPI more prominently when I got to college and found a place in the AAPI community at UC Santa Cruz. I think this is where I started to feel more comfortable and began to champion my Asian American identity because I felt like my community was a safe space. I was no longer embarrassed by my family out in public and the customs of our culture that others may have found foreign. 

As an Asian American, I think it is very important to keep history and customs alive. That includes our lives here in America as well as the history of those who came before us, and all the triumphs, struggles, and little things in between. These are the experiences that should form the narratives of any human being, no matter where you are from and who you are. 

I invite you to celebrate AAPI Month with me, and to encourage you to embrace your own heritage and to educate and support yourselves and others. 

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.23

1400 – The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed, after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule, by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official. 1540 – Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 1568 – The Peace of Longjumeau is signed, ending the second phase of the French Wars of Religion. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patrick Henry delivers his speech – "Give me liberty, or give me death!" – at St. John's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle. 1806 – After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home. 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Battle and fall of city of Kalamata. 1839 – A massive earthquake destroys the former capital Inwa of the Konbaung dynasty, present-day Myanmar. 1848 – The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand. Otago province is founded. 1857 – Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City. 1862 – American Civil War: The First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, marks the start of Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign. Although a Confederate defeat, the engagement distracts Federal efforts to capture Richmond. 1868 – The University of California is founded in Oakland, California when the Organic Act is signed into law. 1879 – War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. 1885 – Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Phu Lam Tao near Hưng Hóa, northern Vietnam. 1888 – In England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, meets for the first time. 1889 – The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, British India. 1901 – Emilio Aguinaldo, only President of the First Philippine Republic, is captured at Palanan, Isabela by the forces of General Frederick Funston. 1905 – Eleftherios Venizelos calls for Crete's union with Greece, and begins what is to be known as the Theriso revolt. 1909 – Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. 1913 – A tornado outbreak kills more than 240 people in the central United States, while an ongoing flood in the Ohio River watershed was killing 650 people. 1918 – First World War: On the third day of the German Spring Offensive, the 10th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment is annihilated with many of the men becoming prisoners of war 1919 – In Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini founds his Fascist political movement. 1931 – Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar are hanged for the killing of a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian independence movement. 1933 – The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. 1935 – Signing of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. 1939 – The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force in Spišská Nová Ves, killing 13 people and beginning the Slovak–Hungarian War. 1940 – The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan or Qarardad-e-Lahore) is put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All-India Muslim League. 1956 – Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world. This date is now celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan. 1965 – NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young). 1977 – The first of The Nixon Interviews (12 will be recorded over four weeks) is videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former United States President Richard Nixon about the Watergate scandal and the Nixon tapes. 1978 – The first UNIFIL troops arrived in Lebanon for peacekeeping mission along the Blue Line. 1980 – Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans. 1982 – Guatemala's government, headed by Fernando Romeo Lucas García is overthrown in a military coup by right-wing General Efraín Ríos Montt. 1983 – Strategic Defense Initiative: President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. 1988 – Angolan and Cuban forces defeat South Africa in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. 1991 – The Revolutionary United Front, with support from the special forces of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia, invades Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow Joseph Saidu Momoh, sparking the 11-year Sierra Leone Civil War. 1994 – At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez. 1994 – A United States Air Force (USAF) F-16 aircraft collides with a USAF C-130 at Pope Air Force Base and then crashes, killing 24 United States Army soldiers on the ground. This later became known as the Green Ramp disaster. 1994 – Aeroflot Flight 593 crashed into the Kuznetsk Alatau mountain, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, killing 75. 1996 – Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President. 1999 – Gunmen assassinate Paraguay's Vice President Luis María Argaña. 2001 – The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji. 2003 – Battle of Nasiriyah, first major conflict during the invasion of Iraq. 2008 – Official opening of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India 2009 – FedEx Express Flight 80: A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from Guangzhou, China crashes at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, killing both the captain and the co-pilot. 2010 – The Affordable Care Act becomes law in the United States. 2018 – President of Peru Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigns from the presidency amid a mass corruption scandal before certain impeachment by the opposition-majority Congress of Peru. 2019 – The Kazakh capital of Astana was renamed to Nur-Sultan. 2019 – The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces capture the town of Baghuz in Eastern Syria, declaring military victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant after four years of fighting, although the group maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq. 2020 – Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19. 2021 – A container ship runs aground and obstructs the Suez Canal for six days.

[yellowsugarwords]

Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “Put Up”

Title: Put Up Characters: Clementine, Kenny, Kate Summary: In Richmond, Kenny notices that a boy is being rather persistent when it comes to bullying Clementine. So, Kenny takes on the responsibility of teaching her how to fight. Author's Note: I’m so happy with how with one turned out AHHHH YAY Requested By: simply_psychopathic on Wattpad support me with ko-fi ♡ ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

Clementine seldom ever cried. She had seen so much in her short, fragile life that not a lot phased her. So, when she did cry, that’s when Kenny knew something terrible had happened. So, it explained why he felt his blood run cold as Clem entered their building in Richmond, sniffling and rubbing at her cheeks.

“Clementine?”

“Hi Kenny.” She said, muffled through her coat.

He swivelled from the opposite direction he’d been facing, hoping that turning toward her could give him a better glimpse of what was going on, but she refused to face him. She was extremely focused on unbuttoning her coat and sliding her shoes off; too much so to face him.

Kenny frowned, squinting, trying his best to read her despite only seeing her back. “Clem, are you okay?”

She hesitated. He could practically hear her nervous gulp. “I’m fine.”

He squinted. “You don’t look fine.”

Clementine groaned, starting for an unused chair. She set down her bag, popped it open, and began rifling through it. “I’m just having a disagreement with another kid, that’s all.”

Kenny frowned. “Disagreement? As in how?”

“We just don’t get along.” Clementine responded, her tone wearing thin. “It’s fine. It’s not a big deal.”

For a beat, Kenny was silent, staring at the stick he was whittling as his current project. He hesitated, turning it over in his fingers, before speaking again. “So, what? He fights with you for chores? Turns kids against you?”

“Kenny, can you please just drop it?” She begged, turning around, shoulders sagging. He could tell her eyes were puffy; clearly dishevelled and sore.

“Fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” He turned back to what he was working on, running his knife over his stick once more. “It’s that fuckin prick Seth, isn’t it?”

“Kenny.”

He slapped his stick down, fed-up with the task. “I can’t just drop this, Clementine. This isn’t something I can just let go of.”

“It isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Some little shit is bothering you to the point of tears. That’s a fucking big deal.”

Clementine scowled as she turned half-way to face him, giving up on trying to organize her bag as a distraction. There was no use now. They were down the rabbit hole. The conversation was happening whether she liked it or not. “There’s nothing that can be done to stop it, so I might as well just accept it.”

Before he had a chance to offer any other change of debate — before he could carry the conversation any further — she stormed to her room, sealing the door behind her. He knew, just based on her tone and frustration, that that was the last he’d see her that day.

Dishevelled, he tossed his stick onto one of the nearby counters, pocketed his knife, and sunk his head into his hands. It was moments like these where he missed Sarita and Katjaa the most; moments where Clementine needed a mother.

By the time they two of them awoke the next morning, Kenny was already out the door, making his way to the mess hall as he’d volunteered to assist with breakfast for the week.

He hadn’t been working for long when he emerged, ready to start knocking on Richmond doors, notifying people that the mess hall was ready. As he neared their small home, he spotted the door creeping open.

There emerged Clementine, peeking her head out the door and glancing both ways before sliding out. Then, as she shut the door behind her, Kenny saw the litters of bruises coating her arms; the ones that she then hid by sliding her jacket over her shoulders.

Horrified, jaw agape, Kenny darted toward the door. “Clementine?”

Hearing the panic in his voice, Clem paused. Kenny could see her shoulders tense — as though she knew exactly what he was going to say — before turning around slowly. The moment their eyes locked, they both knew.

They knew that the other knew.

“Clem, where did you get all those?”

Sheepishly, she adjusted her sleeves, making sure they were pulled down as much as possible. “They were accidents.”

“Clementine.”

She flinched at his voice. He was serious. He was angry. She knew it wasn’t directed at her — it was directed at whoever had inflicted the bruises- but she still refused to meet his gaze.

“Clementine, who did that to you?”

She gulped, shoulders hunched and body cowering until, finally: “It was Seth.”

“I fucking knew it.”

Clementine glanced up, eyes wide and frantic, terrified of what this meant Kenny was going to do. “Please don’t do anything.” She said, reaching out to clutch his arms, pleading with him. “I’m just ignoring him. He’ll stop. It’s fine.”

“He’s coating your arms in bruises, Clem.” He said, brows furrowed and confused. “What the hell has he been doing to you?”

Clementine released her grip, shifting uncomfortably. “He punches my arms whenever I do or say something he doesn’t like.” She immediately shrugged, as though attempting to play it off. “I think he’s just trying to be playful. It’s easy to fix.”

“So, why hasn’t it been fixed then?”

Clementine hesitated, staring at the ground once again, knowing he was right. It wasn’t fixed, and it wasn’t going to be fixed because nothing was going to stop Seth. There was no reason she should waste her breath.

Kenny scoffed, cracking his knuckles and glancing around. Clementine opened her mouth, ready to start protesting and begging that he leave it alone and let her handle it, God, let anyone else handle it. “I’m teaching you how to fight.” He said before she had the chance.

Clem blinked, wondering if she had heard him correctly. “What?”

“Come with me,” he finally said, placing a hand on her back and guiding her away. The entire time, he kept his eye out. He knew the chances of encountering Seth was slim, but he couldn’t help but be aware. If he saw the kid, he knew he’d deck him.

“Kenny--”

He stopped her, pausing in a chunk of empty land. It was several feet away from one of Richmond’s parks where two moms were sitting, chatting peacefully, killing time while their kids played. “Hit me.” He said.

Clementine practically choked. “What?”

“Hit me.” He shrugged. “Don’t act like I can’t take it.”

“That’s not why I’m shocked.”

“Good. Then you can hit me.”

“Kenny--”

“Clem.” Kenny said. His gaze was stern and fierce. “Hit me.”

Clem held her hands together, nervously squeezing and twisted them. Finally, she took a deep breath — in through her nose and out through her mouth — and swung, smacking Kenny on the arm.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he raised a brow as she recoiled. “That’s it?”

“I never fight with my fists!” Clem protested. “I always use a weapon.”

“You could use that on Seth.” Clem glared, so Kenny dropped the only-partially-joking suggestion. “Let me help you with your stance.” He said, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders. “You need to position yourself properly to give some power to your swing.”

Clementine let Kenny get her into the proper position, adjusting her arms, legs, and head.

“Now,” he began again, “focus on me. Look me dead in the eyes, then swing.”

Clem, despite being terrified, did it.

For the remainder of the morning, Kenny worked with her, then they split up during the afternoon to focus on their usual chores. As much as Kenny wanted the remainder of the day to be him guiding Clementine to kick Seth’s ass, he knew he couldn’t do that for a number of reasons. No matter how badly he wanted that.

But, by the time dinner rolled around, Kenny knew something was building. Clementine confessed that she wasn’t hungry, and after a terrifying day of unloading what was happening to her, Kenny didn’t blame her. Instead, he insisted she get something to drink, then go relax.

Clementine obeyed, albeit hesitantly. She felt tired, heavy, and emotionally exhausted. Her day had been a lot for her to handle. Maybe even too much.

Kenny took a seat at his usual table in the mess hall, cracking open a celebratory can of beer and taking a swig. It was a day well spent — successful and productive — and he deserved it. Clementine did too, and that was why she accepted that as her drink of choice to sit and relax with in the far corner of the room.

“Why is Clem sitting all the way over there?” Kate asked, easing herself into a seat beside Kenny. She didn’t touch her food, too distracted about Clem’s well-being to feel hungry.

Kenny shrugged. “Long day for her. She just wanted some alone time.”

Kate didn’t shift her glance from the child, nervously easing deeper into her seat, then using her fork to mix her food aimlessly.

But then, Kenny saw him; Seth, and he was making a beeline straight for Clem. Kenny held his breath. Noticing this, Kate turned to him with a raised brow before following his gaze.

Seth drew closer, smirking as his shadow came into Clem’s view, and she turned to see who it was. “Hey there ya dork.” he said, slapping at her shoulder. “Why are you sitting here all alone?”

Clem could feel herself cringe. Her arms were already entirely bruised, and feeling him smack her again only made everything that much more. “Seth, stop.”

Kate gawked, horrified. “Who’s that?” Kenny was too focused on watching the scene to bother answering. Besides, if he did, she might try to go over there and stop it. He definitely didn't want that.

Seth scoffed. “Why? You don’t know how to have any fun.”

Clementine glared, rubbing her arm irritably. Immediately, she regretted it. Seth eyed it, noticing that her arm was sore, and smacked it again. “Stop being so dramatic.” he said, and she couldn’t tell if he was trying to be playful or not.

“Seth, knock it off.”

“God Clem, you’re being so lam--”

Without a second thought, Clementine swung and socked him right in the nose, sending him spiralling to the ground, blood from his now-broken nose splatting on the floor.

Kate’s jaw dropped, especially when Clementine turned away, cracking her knuckles proudly, then taking a swing from her beer.

Kenny smirked, taking a sip of his own. “That’s my girl.” ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

[jminter]

Picks of the Week - April 19, 2023

These April showers are getting tedious so let's amuse ourselves some entertaining picks of the week. Tastes: Tonight, Vancouver Foodster and Tasting Plates YVR take patrons on an exploration of flavours around Vancouver on the Asian Eats Tasting Tour. Trailblazer: There's still a few days left to see Gateway Theatre's presentation of the critically-acclaimed musical Hey Viola! starring Krystle Dos Santos as Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond before it closes April 22.   Bloom: The Fraser Valley’s annual burst of spring colour returns today, Wednesday, April 19 with the 17th annual edition of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival bursting into bloom for the next few weeks.

17th Annual Chilliwack Tulip Festival opens today Festival: Continuing until May 28th, Urban Ink and The Cultch welcome new works and past favourites to a free, all-digital TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival focuses on empowering Indigenous artists and encouraging collaboration with non-Indigenous artists. Cabaret: At The Arts Club Granville Island Stage, until April 30, Rubaboo is a theatrical indigenous cabaret, guided by powerhouse Métis performer Andrea Menard, an acclaimed singer-songwriter and actor. Featuring the sounds of drums and guitar, this grand musical feast includes songs of reconciliation, unity, love, frustration, and resilience. Improvise: The Improv Centre on Granville Island debuts its spring show, Bring Back The ‘90s!, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm from April 21 to May 27, with a special opening night on Thursday, April 20 at 7:30pm. Concert: Friday at Christ Church Cathedral, Early Music Vancouver presents La Rêveuse in The Birds Concert, an association of birdsong with the music of the 17th and 18th centuries Dance: The April edition of The Dance Centre’s Discover Dance! series features Lamondance in a double bill of vibrant contemporary works on Thursday April 20th at 12 noon Scotiabank Dance Centre Laughs: Deconstructing a chef’s journey from food to comedy, Canadian Comedian Ali Hassan is bringing his hilarious show titled Does This Taste Funny?  to Anvil Theatre in New Westminster, April 19. 

Exhibition: From this Saturday, April 22 to June 11, Richmond Art Gallery, in partnership with the Richmond Public Library, presents A Small but Comfy House and Maybe a Dog the first major solo exhibition by Amy Ching-Yan Lam, guest curated by Su-Ying Lee, featuring sculptures made in collaboration with HaeAhn Woo Kwon, with objects from the collections of the Gallery and the neighbouring Richmond Public Library. Femme: The Cultch’s sixth annual Femme Festival features seven performances from women in music, theatre, dance, comedy, and circus, on its three stages continuing until May 14, 2023. Gallery: On display until May 14, Polygon Gallery presents As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic Curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition is organized by Aperture and features more than 100 photographs from the Wedge Collection — Canada’s largest privately owned collection committed to championing Black artists. Comedy: Running to May 7, The Firehall Arts Centre and Savage Society present the remount of Taran Kootenhayoo’s White Noise, a comedy about two families who have dinner together for the first time during Truth and Reconciliation week.

White Noise - Braiden Houle & Anais West photo from 2022 production, credit: Moonrider Productions Photography: Keep your eyes open until April 30 for the the Capture Photography Festival, Western Canada’s largest lens-based art festival, pops up at dozens of galleries and other venues throughout Metro Vancouver, also including an extensive Public Art Program, an Events Program including tours, films, artist talks, and community events as well as an educational partnership with Emily Carr University. Hawaii: You only have until April 23rd to take off to the sun as Hawaii From Above takes flight at Fly Over Canada, bringing its lush forests and flowing waterfalls to sandy beaches and dazzling shorelines to the Canada Place attraction Read the full article