Author Archives: Jeff

About Jeff

Jeff lives in Silicon Valley, and attempts to juggle marriage, fatherhood, computer systems research, running, and writing.

The Joy Luck Club: Online Discussion with Author Amy Tan and Movie Cast on June 9

Before Crazy Rich Asians or Always be my Maybe, there was The Joy Luck Club in 1993.  Not many mainstream American movies before it and for a long time afterward had a majority Asian American cast.  Some Asian Americans really … Continue reading

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Filipino American Nurses and Medical Workers Hit Hard by Coronavirus

If you are a Filipino American, it is highly likely that you know lots of nurses and other medical workers.  It also is highly likely that news that that Filipino American nurses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic … Continue reading

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US Memorial Day: Remembering Hazel Ying Lee, WASP Pilot

Hazel Ying Lee  was one of two Chinese American women in United State’s Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) program during World War II (Maggie Gee was the other).  She learned to fly and later volunteered to fight the Japanese in … Continue reading

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Today is Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s Birthday

Today Google’s daily doodle celebrates Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwoʻole‘s birthday and includes the above video.  His version of Somewhere of the Rainbow is well known, and I personally think of it before Judy Garland’s.  It was said to have inspired the … Continue reading

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“Asian Americans” premieres on PBS on May 11, 2020

Asian Americans, a new PBS series, premieres on May 11 and 12. A quick synopsys: Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever. As America becomes … Continue reading

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Passing Pauses: Reflections on a Single Death in a New York City ER

When patient M.M. died during her shift, Emergency Room Nurse Laura Ng didn’t feel much at the moment.  Only after she had a day off did she have a chance to do some justice to that death. Of the accounts … Continue reading

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Extraordinary Runner takes Boston Marathon Postponement in Stride

72 year old Jeannie Rice is still motivated to run, even after the Boston Marathon, which she was scheduled to run, was postponed to September 14, 2020 because of the coronavirus.  While I am sure that many people were disappointed, … Continue reading

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Asian American Movies to Watch during the Coronavirus Lockdown

Northwest Asian Weekly suggested these “Asian American-y” movies to watch during the lockdown.  Author Stacy Nguyen says that some of them are good and some aren’t so good, but she got something out of them and put them into her … Continue reading

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The Darkness Has Not Overcome It: Jeremy Lin on the Coronavirus, Hate, and What he is Doing about It

When I saw an e-mail called titled “The Darkness Has Not Overcome It” this morning, I thought to myself, “some Players Tribune article, maybe I’ll read it later.”  I was surprised when I did read it later after seeing some … Continue reading

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Bay Area Town Hall on Coronavirus and Hate

You might think that a heavily Asian American area like the San Francisco Bay Area would be immune to coronavirus related racial harassment, but these days, the large Asian American population means a lot more targets to hate.  KGO, a … Continue reading

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Reporting Coronavirus Anti-Asian Racism Incidents

With Coronavirus anti-Asian racism incidents on the rise, such is this virus-inspired robbery in New York City, a website has been launched to document such incidents.  The Stop API Hate website will be used to record incidents for pushing for … Continue reading

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A Short Review: Wind

One of the few benefits of being forced to shelter in place is that I have the opportunity to see some films that I ordinarily would not have time to see. This situation (and The Daughter’s boyfriend’s Disney+ account) enabled … Continue reading

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