About a month ago, my fishing mentor on Maui passed away. Uncle Ogi taught me the simple lessons of tying a fishing line, where to cast your bait in the surf, and what speed to reel the line. In fact, he even provided me with his own fishing lead, which he would produce after retrieving […]
RABBIT RAMBLINGS: Interest in wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans continues
October 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
As time goes by, I am struck by the enduring interest in the WWII Japanese American concentration camp experience. I am still writing an occasional book review for an Asian American newspaper in Seattle, the International Examiner, and the books usually have some connection to the camps. For instance, the last two books I’ve been […]
Florin and Sacramento JACL denounce swastika on Sacramento Kings mural
October 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
SACRAMENTO — A hateful Nazi swastika twice defaced NBA player Omri Casspi’s picture on a downtown Sacramento Kings mural on Sept. 8 and 16 and twice met with widespread local condemnation, including from the local Sacramento and Florin Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) chapters. Casspi, who hails from Israel, debuted with the Kings in 2009 […]
Reflections on the push for Asian American studies at UIC
October 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
It has been quite some time since I last walked through the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus. There are distinct memories I carry with me about my time in college. For instance, the gigantic cement structures, the time Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman filmed “Stranger than Fiction” at UIC, and eating pizza puffs […]
LETTERS: San Francisco’s Japantown and Boy Scouts Troop 58
September 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Many experiences of the past are stored in our minds. Being able to “recall and relive the past” is a precious and emotional experience when it comes our way. An example is meeting an old friend and finding moments of joy in talking about the “old days.” These experiences are usually personal and passers-by usually […]
LETTERS: Support Muslim Americans’ effort to build a community center near Ground Zero
September 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Dear Editor: As Japanese Americans whose families were targeted by the hysteria over national security during World War II, we are deeply disturbed by the irrational fear and opposition toward the Muslim Americans who plan to build a community center near Ground Zero. America was founded on the principle of religious freedom. Muslim Americans have […]
EDITORIAL: Happy Birthday … to … us!
September 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
With this week’s issue, we have reached a milestone that was probably somewhat unthinkable, at least unimaginable, in the early days of our struggle to rebuild as a nonprofit newspaper. Today, it’s our first anniversary, so to speak. The first edition of the Nichi Bei Weekly rolled off the presses in its innovative and groundbreaking […]
Commentary: Three generations visit former Granada camp
August 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Recently in July I visited the Amache (formally known as Granada) internment camp in Granada, Colo., along with 12 other family members. We represented three generations (Sansei, Yonsei and Gosei) coming from multiple cities (Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco). Three people in our group were former internees — including both my parents and my […]
RABBIT RAMBLING: Save the turtles
August 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
I guess we can call this the summer of the great oil spill. Of course, it isn’t really a spill, but an accident of monumental import, because it is all man-caused and seemingly of a nature that humans can’t much control. It is really unbearable seeing pictures of the pelicans covered in oil, dying before […]
The Power of Words resolution, three months later
It has been over three months since the National Council of the JACL passed the Power of Words (POW) resolution at the July 2010 National Convention in Chicago. It was amazing to have 80 chapters voting for the resolution with only two chapters voting against. As a devoted proponent of the proposal from its inception […]