Hi everyone,

Census materials in Lao now available for your organization or just to be downloaded. Please see if your state is represented and contact your state representative.

If you would like your organization to have their logo on the hand outs, please contact Darastieglitz@aol.com or Dara@lana-usa.org

The logos from your organization will be posted online with links and contact person. LANA will have at least two phone calls regarding Census in the upcoming months culminating in our correct count for New Year 2553. Your count is our future!

Available:
1. Introduction to Census
2. What is Census.
3. Frequently Asked Questions about Census
4. LANA Census talking points english only for now.

Ms. Soumary Vongrassamy, Education Advocate at www.SEARAC.org shares this Appeal below with us:
---------------------------------------------
DATE: Oct. 27, 2008
TO: Media outlets
FROM: Helen Gym, Asian Americans United
215-808-1400 ; hgbf@aol.com
aau@aaunited.org
RE: Asian communities raise concerns about casinos' predatory practices

Background

Media attention about gambling and Asian communities has tended to focus on gambling as a "hidden addiction" for Asians, but much less attention has been paid to the fact that casinos have been shockingly aggressive and unregulated in their successful efforts to target Asian clientele. Casinos hold a significant advantage from the outset. Asians are a vulnerable and underserved group within the U.S. Immigrants, particularly those with limited English, are often lonely and isolated and lack social or culturally and linguistically responsive outlets. Asian immigrants also have minimal access to bilingual and culturally appropriate health and mental health services for their addictions (practically "non-existent" according to one Philadelphia medical expert).

Casinos recognize the vulnerability and exploitability of this market. They have expanded their marketing departments to target Asians, engage in practices like direct mail invitations to zip codes with high Asian populations, aggressively solicit Asian clients through charter bus operators, and, while the market is going soft on casino clientele overall, have forged ahead with Asian themed expansion to boost their Asian outreach.

Recently, a number of communities have begun raising concerns across the country about these practices, including:

Sacramento, CA: In the wake of a tragic fatal bus crash involving dozens of Southeast Asian seniors, members of the Southeast Asian community there express concern and outrage that casino bus operators prey upon Asian seniors who are often lonely and isolated in the U.S. "They are actually going into low income neighborhoods and picking people out," said a Democratic Assemblyman investigating the crash. Sacramento Bee: http://www.sacbee.com/403/story/1293831.html; Associated Press: http://www.newsmax.com/us/bus_crash_seniors_at_the_slots/2008/10/08/138692.html

Philadelphia, PA: Chinatown community members say that a proposed casino on their borders directly targets Asians, esp. because the operator, Foxwoods has been particularly open about its overt solicitation of Asian clientele and that city and casino officials boast that the benefit of the location of the casino is its accessibility to walkers and public transit riders. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20081010_Center_City_casino_plan_sparks_heated_hearing__elicits_tears_from_pol.html; http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080929_Chinatown_residents_fear_lure_of_gaming.html; Video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRL02QE36j0
http://www.vimeo.com/1974982 http://www.planphilly.com/node/4068

SEARAC, Washington DC: Southeast Asian Resource Action Center lists one of its 2008 California Priorities as "support legislation to make illegal the targeted solicitation and transportation of elders to the casino for the sole purpose of gambling as it can be interpreted as elder abuse." The Center charges that casinos target "lonely and isolated" seniors for their marketing and advertising and transportation efforts. http://www.searac.org/ai-ca2008policypriorities.pdf

We have spoken with a number of health experts and Asian community leaders nationwide who are concerned that casinos are engaging in practices which might classify them as a predatory industry. Although it's a new area, both Philadelphia and Sacramento are pushing this issue to the forefront, especially as gaming continues to expand across the nation often with serious political muscle behind it (as it is here in Philadelphia).

Below is a summary of our concerns and research into this issue. We are happy to provide you with a list of media contacts who are willing to talk about this issue. Thanks for looking into this and please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Helen Gym

Asian Americans United
Philadelphia, PA
215-808-1400

Practices

Marketing

Harrah's Rincon Resort and Casino in Valley Center, CA has said that Asian Americans are the one group for which the casino has a specific marketing strategy8.

Casinos run ads in Asian-language print and broadcast media and conduct direct mailing campaigns to zip codes with high numbers of Asian residents6.

In MA, casinos advertise in Asian-language newspapers and send direct -mail "invitations" with coupons to Asian households3.

Mohegan Sun in Connecticut has a 25-person Asian American marketing department that is four times larger than the entire staff at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling4.

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun target Asian customers with a Mandarin version of its website (launched in 2007)3 , ads in ethnic media, and sponsorship of community activities such as the Boston Dragon Boat Festival , the Toronto Asian Beauty Pageant, and the Southeast Asian Water Festival in Lowell, MA5.

In 2004, New Orleans metro area casinos received complaints about their Vietnamese language billboards targeting one of the nation's largest Vietnamese communities9

Transportation

A CA Democratic Assemblyman accuses casino bus operators of "going into low income neighborhoods and picking people out." http://www.newsmax.com/us/bus_crash_seniors_at_the_slots/2008/10/08/138692.html

In Seattle, WA, health experts complain that casino buses park outside senior homes and in Chinatowns4.

In Connecticut, Foxwoods Casino and its rival Mohegan Sun run 100 buses a day between Boston and New York Chinatowns. That number doubles on Chinese New Year and assorted holidays5. For Foxwoods alone the bus trips bring in 750,000 Asian patrons each year4.

Foxwoods offers perks through its bus service but return trips are six hours after drop-off4.

Employment

Most casinos have an Asian marketing director, whose job is to create ways to expand the Asian market.

One in seven employees at Mohegan Sun and one in six employees at Foxwoods (both in CT) are of Asian descent.4

At Foxwoods, 80 percent of the dealers who work in the "Asian pit" speak an Asian language3.

Expansion

Despite a shrinking market and hundreds of layoffs, Foxwoods went through with the spring 2008 opening of a $17 million expansion called The Shrine, an Asian-themed entertainment complex.

Although it pulled back on a later expansion, in 2007, CT's Mohegan Sun opened a $15 million Asian themed Casino of the Earth geared specifically toward Asians3.

Clientele

Foxwoods boasts that one-third of its 40,000 daily customers are Asian5 even though the 2000 census shows that Connecticut's Asian population is around 3.4% total statewide.

Conneticut's Foxwoods Resort and Casino claims that its Asian clientele has grown by 17% over the last four years, "in large part because of Foxwoods' efforts to cater to an Asian population." (Aaron Todd, "Understanding Cultural Differences", http://aarontodd.casinocitytimes.com/articles/33199.html)

A 2007 Boston Globe story said one of Foxwoods clients, Ming Chen, was given a $20,000 line of credit and plied with free food, drinks, lodging, and limo rides, despite owing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Foxwoods officials declined to give details, but acknowledged that regular customers receive special rewards3.

Quotes

"It's no secret in the casino business Asians' love for gambling and so we all have our own ways for going after that market." Richard Slack, Pechanga Resort & Casino VIP host8 (2005) "Our Asian blood love to feel the luck. We call it entertainment, we don't say it's 'gambling'." Ernie Wu, Foxwoods director of Asian Marketing5 (2006)
"We're not here to be a social service agency." Sandra Rios, Foxwoods spokeswoman4 (2006).


Reading/Source Background

1. Magagnini, Stephen. "Casinos a Big Draw for Local Asians," Sacramento Bee, Oct. 19, 2008. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1325420-p2.html
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, "2008 California Priority Policies: Protection of Vulnerable Southeast Asian Elder Communities: Increase Problem Gambling Outreach." SEARAC, Feb. 208; http://www.searac.org/ai-ca2008policypriorities.pdf
English, Bella. "Out of Luck: Gambling is big in Asian American culture. A new initiative aims to combat it." Boston Globe, May 8, 2007; http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/05/08/out_of_luck/
Smith, Adam. "Casinos Aggressively Market to Asian Americans, But Few Services Help Addicts." New American Media, Oct. 1, 2006; http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=c2e681fe5962fd168dfe1f3b92afa4af
Liu, Ling. "Casinos Winning Big by Betting on Asians." Associated Press, July 29, 2006; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/29/AR2006072900276.html.
6. Glionna, John. "Gambling Seen as No-Win Situation for Some Asians: Community leaders and social workers are putting pressure on casinos and legislators to help those who may be addicted face their problem." Los Angeles Times, January 16, 2006.
Pesca, Mike. "Casinos and Asian Americans: Targeting or Marketing?" National Public Radio, "On Gambling With Mike Pesca," Nov. 28, 2005; http://www.fluctu8.com/media/113/2618/
Bennett, William. "Casinos Target Asian Americans," North County San Diego Times, Nov. 19, 2005.
Roberts, Deon. "Casinos Target Asian Gamers With Outdoor Ad Campaigns," New Orleans City Business, Jan. 26, 2004. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4200/is_/ai_n10174549

Asian Americans United
1023 Callowhill Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215-925-1538 (o); aau@aaunited.org
www.aaunited.org

Asian Americans United exists so that people of Asian ancestry in Philadelphia exercise leadership to build their communities and unite to challenge oppression

Source of Appeal:

Soumary Vongrassamy
Education Advocate
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
1628 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009

P: 202.667.4690
F: 202.667.6449
E: soumary@searac.org
W: www.searac.org

Hello Friends and Supporters,

The Directors of the Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) are conducting our first national survey to include as many people in the development of our priority issues for 2009. We are currently building partnerships between all Americans of Laotian descent (Iu-Mien, Hmong, Khmu, Lahu, Lao, Lue, Taidam, and others from Laos) so we are seeking your opinion and insight to enhance our national advocacy work.

The Mission of LANA is to advocate for the social, economic and educational advancement of Laotian Americans.

We sincerely hope that you will contribute to the growth and success of LANA by filling out our anonymous survey in addition to passing along the link to others you know.

LANA’s 2009 National Survey Link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AlaySnlVadIhB3LISIpfQA_3d_3d
(ctrl+click on the link OR copy and paste the URL into your browser’s address bar)

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please contact Phoumy Sayavong at phoumy@lana-usa.org.

If you want more information about LANA, visit us at www.lana-usa.org <http://www.lana-usa.org/> .

Thank you for your continued support.

Sirch Chanthyasack
LANA President
(415) 680-4027 Sprint cell (PST)
Sourichanh@lana-usa.org

1628 16th Street NW
Washington DC 20009
Tel 202 370 7841
Fax 202 462 2774

For South Seattle, model minority myth is busted

By Ninette Cheng
Northwest Asian Weekly

What is there to do with $2.4 million dollars? South Seattle Community College has decided to improve the success and retention rates of its Asian Pacific Islander students. South Seattle Community College is one of six two- and four-year institutions that the U.S. Department of Education designated as Asian American/Native American/Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI).

The other schools named were City College of San Francisco; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Hawaii at Hilo; Foothill-DeAnza Community College; and Guam Community College. Each school had an Asian American/Pacific Islander population of 10 percent or more.

“What it means, first of all, is that we have been approved by the Department of Education to develop best practices to help underrepresented Asian Pacific Islander students successfully complete their degree and transfer to a four-year school,” said vice president of student services Mark Mitsui. “With that comes the funding for two years to develop the initiative.” South Seattle will receive $1.17 million its first year. After sending a progress report to the Department of Education, the school will receive an additional $1.24 million the second year. Mitsui says the funds will be allocated to four areas. South Seattle plans to improve the API freshman experience through culturally relevant, family-connected orientations.

They also plan to create clustered learning communities, increase transition from ESL/ELL classes to college courses and improve retention rates. Mitsui said he hoped to develop an Asian American studies program at the college. Kathie Pham, the Student Club Center coordinator and a former student, thinks this is a good idea. “I think it’s important because people identify themselves differently,” Pham said. “There are so many types of ethnicities in (the Asian race). Not only are Asian American students going to be affected by this. We can educate the larger population as well.”Pham was asked by Mitsui to come on board to offer a student’s perspective. She will suggest projects to be incorporated into the program. “(There should be) a lot of hands-on and interactive projects with the community at large, especially in Seattle, since we need to bridge the generations,” she said.

Mitsui proposes for South Seattle to utilize an API freshman experience program and a resource center to address the transition and retention rates. The freshman experience program will assist students in transferring from ESL to college courses.

Mitsui hopes this grant will break down some stereotypes of Asians and Pacific Islanders. “You probably have heard of the model minority myth, and the significance of the grant is the acknowledgment of the impact of the model minority myth on API students in higher education,” he said. “The stereotype is that API students don’t struggle in college when, in fact, we know that many API students do struggle if they get in at all.

What’s groundbreaking is that this is the very first time that the U.S. government has acknowledged this category of need in this type of college.

“We really are looking for first generation college attendees, which tend to be greater in number than 1.5 generation immigrant families,” Mitsui said. Mitsui also explained that while the grant uses “Native American” in its name, it does not refer to Native Americans of the United States. “I think that the term ‘Native American’ is incorporated because there’s a political movement among Pacific Islanders to associate with indigenous people,” he said. “It’s not really a Native American grant, but it’s an acknowledgement that the Pacific Islanders are the indigenous people of the Pacific islands. There’s another category for Native American serving institutions.”

“I’m really excited about this, especially being an Asian American and a former student,” Pham said. She said students on campus are not too aware of the grant yet.“It’s going to be huge,” she said. “I hope, first and foremost, they make the students knowledgeable (of this grant) on campus. I’m really excited about that.” (end)

Ninette Cheng can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.============ =========

Pandinlao Films presents: THE BETRAYAL (Nerakhoon)
Directed by Ellen Kuras
Co-directed by Thavisouk Phrasavath

http://www.thebetrayalmovie.com/

View 2:25 Minute Movie Trailer:

http://cinemaguild.com/betrayaltlink.html

Dear Community Leader,

We are writing on behalf of the Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC) at the University of California, Berkeley. SASC is working collaboratively with UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, CSU Fresno, University of the Pacific, Stanford and UVSA to plan a Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit that would work towards the SASC mission statement:

"To unite Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and political under representation that they face."

On behalf of our community, I would like to invite you, your organization, and your community to the Southeast Asian Intercollegiate Summit, "SEA Changes: Continuing the Dialogue, Igniting Action"

WHAT: A gathering of college students and/or young professionals who are community leaders and activists organizing on behalf of advancing Southeast Asian communities in the United States.
WHO: College students and/or young professionals from:

- Various regions of California (but also open to out-of-state participants)

- Various educational institutions: community colleges, state colleges, state universities, private school, etc.

- Various ethnic communities: Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Mien, Vietnamese, etc.

WHEN: Friday, 9 January 2009 to Sunday, 11 January 2009
WHERE: UC Berkeley campus

Please Register by 18 November 2008 at: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~sasc/registration.php


Some goals we'd like to accomplish are:
- Provide a space to share and update knowledge about Southeast Asians on college campuses and in our respective regions
- Develop a network of college students and organizers in the community
- Discuss issues and "problems" in our community
- Work together on an action plan to tackle some of these issues
- Institutionalize a similar summit for the future

For more information, questions, or opportunities to help/contribute, please email: sea.ics@gmail.com

In Solidarity,

Larry Bach & Nora Chandara
External Chairs
Intercollegiate Summit Planning Committee

--
Southeast Asian Student Coalition
University of California, Berkeley
Ethnic Studies Department
506 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-2570
sea.ics@gmail.com
SASC Mission Statement: "To unite Southeast Asian communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the social injustices, the economic inequalities, and political under representation that they face."

November 21, 2008
The Betrayal
www.thebetrayalmovie.com

THE BETRAYAL will premiere at the IFC Theater of New York on November 21st, and will be shown on PBS Spring 2009.

Please contact Dara at LANA-USA.ORG. Tickets available for the Laotian American National Alliance volunteers.

Movie is available for private screening.
Please contact Lindsay Dedo Director, Educational Programming www.cinemaguild.com

Filmed over the course of 23 years, THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON) documents the epic journey of a family torn apart by the CIA-financed secret war in Laos to the mean streets of New York. Thavisouk Phrasavath narrates his own story as a child surviving the Vietnam war and the hardships of immigrant life, while his mother relates her own astonishing tale of perseverance as a wife and a mother in war. Accompanied by a haunting score by Academy Award winning composer Howard Shore, renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras's directorial debut is a remarkable collaboration with co-director Phrasavath, a powerfully eloquent tribute to what it means to be in exile, and a testament to the resilient bonds of family.

View the trailer at: www.cinemaguild.com/cinematheque_betrayal.html

Filmmaker in attendance

Title: Pierre-Pierrot*
Directed by Nith Lacroix

Running Time: 27 minutes
Year: 2007
Documentary
Language(s): French, Lao, Vietnamese w/ subtitles

Website: http://apafilm.org/2008/program_details.php?id=38

Two Laotian brothers long separated by war and revolution reflect on their separate fates and ponder a reunion in this moving documentary.

*Best Documentary Short

The film festival is taking place September 25-October 4, 2008. You can find the schedule and more information at: http://apafilm.org/2008/schedule.php <http://apafilm.org/2008/schedule.php>

***LANA has no further info***

5th Annual Youth Stopping Violence Summit
“Help our community ensure that the roots of change are defined by the
next generation of youth.”

Hosted by Southeast Asian Young Leaders (SEAYL) and the Southeast
Asian Youth & Family Alliance (SAYFA)

Date: October 25th, 2008

Time: 12:00pm-6:00pm

Where: Lovonya DeJean Middle School 3400 MacDonald Ave Richmond, CA
94805

This year marks our 5th annual youth summit. This is the 5th year that
SEAYL has been in existence. The 2008 youth summit is a milestone for
our youth and a huge achievement for the Richmond Community. Our
summit is recognized by the our community as a day where issues of
community violence, social injustice, deteriorating education,
disproportional minority contact, racism, sexism, gentrification,
etc., can be addressed through speakers, workshops, and performances
in a youth-led and youth-friendly environment.

For our 5th annual summit, SEAYL and SAYFA plan to go beyond the
limitations of past youth summits. In the past our youth summit has
focused on the Southeast Asian youth community. This year, SEAYL and
SAYFA are formally opening the event to broad youth and community
participation, and hope to attract 300-500 young people from West
County and throughout the Bay Area. The activities for the day will lead
up to a youth peace march ending at the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond. We
hope that the day’s events, speakers, performers, and activities will
inspire young people to get involved in their communities and advocate for
the changes that will make West County a safer, more positive place for
young people. At this summit youth will highlight their work and
demonstrate what they have learned about community and youth organizing.

For more information, please contact:

John Abella (Asian Pacific Psychological Services), Coordinator for
SEAYL: jabella@APPSWeb.org (510) 237-5777 x 22

Sean Kirkpatrick (Asian Pacific Psychological Services), Coordinator
for SAYFA: skirkpatrick@APPSWeb.org (510) 282-7550

Terrance Cheung, Chief of Staff, Supervisor John Gioia's office:
TCheu@bos.cccounty.us (510) 374-3231

Lao food is unique in flavor, ingredients, and preparation. It is a distinctive cuisine that you’ll never forget once tasted. The exotic flavor of Larb (Meat Salad),Tam Mark Hung (green papaya salad), Xine Savanh (heavenly beef jerky), and Keng Nor Mai ( bamboo shoots soup) are some of the classic Lao dish you will find in Visiting the Lao Kitchen: Authentic Lao Cuisine. Published by Lao-American Women Association of Washington D.C (LAWA), this very first bi-lingual Lao cook book is packed with a collection of authentic recipes for appetizer, main course, and dessert.

It is written especially for people cooking in a Western kitchen, using ingredients easily available in Asian grocery stores. Recipes are organized by the flavors indigenous to different regions of Laos, consisting of many combinations and blends of aromatic herbs, sauces, and peppers. The appetizing photographs accompanying the recipes give a strong sense of the Lao way of life. Here is a splendid cuisine that is truly delicious, a feast for the eye as well as the palate.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lao Cook Book Order Form

Price: $15.00 Name:___________________________

Quantity: x ______ Address:__________________________

Total Price: $_________ ___________________________

Shipping and Handling: $ 3.00 each – USA
$ 4.00 each – CANADA/FRANCE

Total Price + Shipping and Handling: $__________________

Please send this order form and check payable to LAWA to:

Lao American Women Association of Washington DC Metro Area
8106 Viola Street
Springfield, VA 22152

By Phone: Bounchanh (703) 913-1768; Pornkeo (703) 408-2644; Phayvanh (703) 368-6345;
Anola (571) 309-7702; Viengmone (301) 946-5378, or Kood (301) 260-1583.
bsenthavong@yahoo.com; TChinyavong@yahoo.com; Vicky_Sengkhyavong@yahoo.com; saonola@yahoo.com

Website: www.lawadc.org