July 31, 2012

Its not over yet folks. Six more trials and one more sentencing remain. 

Yesterday, a jury acquitted Sergeant Adam M. Holcomb—one of eight soldiers charged in the hazing and death of Pvt. Danny Chen—of negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, communicating a threat and violations of a military statute that prohibits hazing. Based on the jury’s recommendation, Sgt. Holcomb, who was convicted of two counts of maltreatment and one count of assault consummated by battery, may only receive a sentence of 30 days in prison, reduction of one rank, to specialist, and a fine of $1,181.55.

Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, Tom Hayashi, executive director of OCA, and Elizabeth OuYang, OCA-NY president, issued the following statement.

Award-winning composer/lyricist Timothy Huang (The View from Here, And the Earth Moved) has launched a Rockethub.com crowd funding campaign for a workshop of his latest passion project, a new musical called Costs of Living.

Huang was inspired to create Costs of Living after reading Night and Day, an article which appeared in the New York Times in 2009, that tells the story of two immigrant cab drivers who take opposite shifts off the same medallion.

While the day shift driver (Eng) encounters successes, his night shift partner (Chin) continues to encounter obstacles until the two find themselves on opposite sides of an ever widening gap and in a dangerous escalation that leaves one dead and the other brutalized.

It is, at its heart, a human story, an American story and a cautionary tale lending voice to the unspoken dangers of freedom without social consciousness or oversight. It is a story of love and country, resilience and responsibility, the price of freedom and the costs of living.

“The last ten years of my career have been about finding ways to make the things that move me move other people,” said Huang. “And with tremendous support and feedback from the Asian American community and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop (where this project originated) I feel like Costs of Living has found a unique balance.

San Diego, CA

WORLD PREMIERE -

 Allegiance - A New American Musical headlines an all-star cast lead by George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paola Montalban September 7 - October 21, 2012 (Opening Night: Wednesday, September 19) on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre Center, Contrad Prebys Theatre Center, San Diego, California 

 Television and film icon George Takei, Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban lead the cast in the world premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical, a story of family, love and patriotism set during the Japanese American internment of World War II.

George Takei will play Sam Kimura, a former internee who revisits the ghosts of his past, and Ojii-san, the grandfather and pillar of strength of the Kimura family. 

Meeting George Takei and hearing his personal story inspired Allegiance creators Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione to bring the story of the Japanese American internment to the stage.

Best known for portraying Mr. Sulu in the “Star Trek” series, Takei’s acting career has spanned more than five decades with more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles to his credit.

Millions of viewers watched live online as robot spacecraft "Curiosity' landed on Mars and started transmitting images back. 

Its approximately 352 million mile (567 million kilometer), 36-week journey from Earth nearly complete, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft and its Curiosity rover are "all systems go" for touchdown in Mars.

Related links to follow this historic mission:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20120805.html

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/index.html

Are You Truly Free?

By Marilyn Tam