Berkeley, California 

Memories of Sweet Caroline,

and of Oakland’s Chinatown 

by Ben Fong-Torres

Caroline Chin was a neighbor and classmate of mine when we grew up in Chinatown, Oakland, in the ‘50s. We went to Lincoln Elementary, Westlake Jr High, and Chinese school together.

She went on to become a teacher, an administrator and, finally, principal at (full circle) Lincoln School, in the early 2000’s, just before retiring. Under her leadership, it became a California Distinguished School, and would go on to become a National Blue Ribbon School. At her various stops, she encouraged kids and teachers alike to "work hard; learn a lot."

A large, overflow crowd--maybe 750 or 800--learned a lot about Caroline Chin Yee, who passed away last month, at her services at the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.

Caroline had what appeared to have been a full and perfectly balanced life. She and her husband since 1968, Gary Yee, were devoted to their church – and to traveling the world. She even combined globetrotting with teaching, once in Zhongshan; another time, in Edinburgh, Scotland.  She had wonderful siblings, two children, grandkids and in-laws. One niece, Terri Lee, introduced herself as “the oldest of her nieces. So I’m guessing I was her favorite.” 

She and others, family and friends, told of Caroline’s dedication to them, and to children in general, and to the wider community.

Sokha is one of nine girls featured in GIRL RISING. She was a Cambodian child of the dump, orphaned and forced to pick through garbage to survive. Through a series of miracles she finds her way to a school and has risen to become a star student with a promising future. Photo credit: GIRL RISING

April 19-26, 2013 GIRL RISING is screening nationwide in selected Regal Cinemas.

“No one is more vulnerable than an uneducated girl, and this film is a wake-up call to the world that it’s time to educate girls,” actress Freida Pinto said in a statement to India-Times.com. “Right now, 66 million girls are not in school, and 14 million girls under 18 will be married this year — that’s 38,000 girls married today, and 13 girls married in the last 30 seconds."

Sometimes it only takes a single person to start a revolution. This time, its a documentary film. GIRL RISING is the centerpiece of a campaign for girls' education. The film's message: "Educate Girls and you will change the world." A simple notion, yes, but in reality - not so simple.

Millions of girls in developing countries face barriers to education that boys do not encounter.

Our AAJA-LA.org board has a great slate of programs this year. Don't miss this event this Sunday April 21 - but hurry! RSVP by April 18 on Eventbrite.

Presented by Asian American Journalists Association – Los Angeles chapter, in partnership with KPCC, Southern California Public Radio  

When: 10:00 a.m. to noon Sun April 21, 2013

Where: Crawford Family Forum at KPCC, 474 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena

LIMITED SEATING + RSVP required by Thursday, April 18 on Eventbrite

What: Please join us for a session for community groups to learn how to pitch stories to the media and to get news covered.

Meet with journalists and trainers in print, broadcast, online media and public relations.

Step by step, how does the press select stories to cover?

What’s a pitch, and what kind of pitches catch the attention of decision-makers?

How do you make a local story appeal to national media?

How can you help journalists gain access to and understand diverse communities, diverse issues?

The workshop will include specific examples, case studies as well as allow participants to break into small groups, with a trainer guiding a conversation in each group.

Attendees may want to bring specific ideas and issues to brainstorm within your group and with our speakers.

SPEAKERS:

- Ashley Dunn, Los Angeles Times

- Jay Eckstein, KABC Channel 7 

- Oscar Garza, KPCC

- Rachanee Srisavasdi, VENG Group 

Eddy Li, former ABC News Video Editor 1971 to 2009, now retired and healthy Photo credit: Eddy Li

Hong Kong

May 13, 2013

Eddy Li globe-trotted the world for ABC News in a high-stress non-stop news video editing job from 1971 to 2009.

When a sudden diagnosis of cancer changed his life, Li wrote his personal account on how he entered into the darkest tunnel of his life and emerged, a more vigilant and environmentally aware individual.

Today, as a cancer survivor and a retiree who now enjoys a healthier and more fulfilling life, Eddy shares what he has learned about our world's increasingly hazardous environment and how you can protect yourself from its toxicity.  

AsianConnections' Suzanne Joe Kai chatted with Eddy about his new book, "From A Great Escape to a New Beginning - My Journey Through Cancer." 

Suzanne: Congratulations on beating your Stage 3 cancer. When you were a news video editor with a busy globe-trotting life for years, can you share with our readers what your life was like, and how and why you have changed your lifestyle? 

Nicole Wong Photo credit: Bart Nagel

Washington, D.C.

May 8, 2013

President Barack Obama has reportedly selected Nicole Wong as the White House's first Chief Privacy Officer. Wong received her law degree and a master's degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She was a partner at Perkins Coie law firm. After working for Google for eight years as a vice president and deputy general counsel overseeing censorship issues for products such as YouTube.com, she joined Twitter as its legal director in November, 2012. 

Wong's new role will be to advise the Obama administration on matters involving Internet Privacy. She will reportedly be a senior advisor to Todd Y. Park who was appointed in March, 2012 as the United States Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President.

Todd Y. Park Photo credit: WhiteHouse.gov   Prior to Todd Y. Park's latest White House post as the United States Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President, he was appointed in 2009 by President Obama as the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Park is a graduate of Harvard, and co-founder of two health information technology companies.

Related sources:

White House Blog profile on Todd Y. Park
Wikipedia on Todd Park
Wikipedia on Nicole Wong