NCVA REPORTER - October 6, 2004

In this NCVA Reporter:

Events

• CAPAL Annual Scholarship Dinner – Nov 17, 2004

Funding Opportunities

• CTCNet: Youth Visions for Stronger Neighborhoods
• Save Our History Award
• Nickelodeon Let’s Just Play Grants Program
• 2005 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence
• Partners in Education – Spring 2005

Jobs/Internships

• Gates Millennium Scholars – 2005-2006 Nomination Process
• VFW Announces New Scholarship Program

Tips/Resources

• How to Recognize Quality Youth Programs
• Young Children Use Computers More Than We Think
• The Local Initiative in California
• Are There Winners and Losers? Race, Ethnicity, and California's Initiative Process

News

• Monument to honor U.S. soldiers’ efforts during war in Vietnam (Houston Chronicle)
• Ballot provision may disenfranchise voters (Denver Post)
• OCA Announces 2004 OCA-AX Achievement Scholarship Winners (Press Release)
• Minorities are now the majority in O.C. (Orange County Register)
• Owens enters voting-rights case (Denver Post)
• North Korean Human Rights Act Passes House (Press Release)
• Task force targets human trafficking (The Argus)

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EVENTS

THE CAPAL ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP DINNER

You are cordially invited to attend The CAPAL Annual Scholarship Dinner, our annual event to raise support for and awareness of the CAPAL scholarship programs:

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 6:30pm

Chinatown Garden
618 H Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

We will be presenting CAPAL Public Service Awards to Hung Nguyen and Ron Nerida, both past CAPAL board members.  Speakers include Doua Thor, recipient of the first Asha Jaini Memorial Graduate Leadership Fellowship.

Tickets are $40 ($25 for students).

Please RSVP with Jennifer Na at jennifer.na@gmail.com or (703) 981-3416.

ABOUT CAPAL’S SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS:
The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) offers a minimum of four scholarship stipends for one graduate or graduating senior fellow and three outstanding undergraduate students. These scholarships are financed by memorial funds established in honor of APA public servants who have since passed away.  The Asha Jaini Graduate Fellowship, the Asha Jaini Emerging Leader Award, the Senator Paul Simon Scholarship, and the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) Awards were awarded to outstanding Asian Pacific American undergraduates, graduating seniors and graduate students for public or non-profit sector internships in Washington DC for the summer of 2004.

The $2000 scholarships are intended to enable outstanding college students with the potential for leadership to work full-time and learn about ways to effect public policy in order to better benefit and serve Asian Pacific American communities.  Thus far, CAPAL has awarded $25,000 in scholarships over the past fourteen years, funded by civic-minded donors, both private and public.

(www.capal.org)

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

CTCNET: YOUTH VISIONS FOR STRONGER NEIGHBORHOODS

CTCNet has announced the 2005 Youth Visions for Stronger Neighborhoods Grants program, sponsored by the Corporation for National Service's Learn and Serve America. Youth Visions Grants are designed to give youth and community technology programs the opportunity to use multimedia tools and training to engage in community decision-making to strengthen their neighborhoods. The application deadline is October 27, 2004.

(http://www.ctcnet.org/youthvisions/index.htm)

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SAVE OUR HISTORY AWARD

As part of it’s commitment to history education and historic preservation, The History Channel has announced the creation of The Save Our History Grants Program, a national history education and preservation initiative that raises awareness and support for preserving local heritage. The company has committed $250,000 in funds to be dispersed to qualifying historical societies and preservation organizations that engage in Save Our History projects in collaboration with schools in their communities. The company highly recommends that applications be submitted online. The application deadline is December 3, 2004.

(Announced September 2004)

(http://www.saveourhistory.com/home.htm)

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NICKELODEON LET’S JUST PLAY GRANTS PROGRAM

The Let’s Just Play Grants Program, a program of Nickelodeon, provides support to create or expand opportunities for physical play in schools and after-school community-based organizations. The program is committed to reaching the broadest and most diverse group of funding candidates possible. Applications are encouraged from urban, rural and suburban areas, and from small and large community-based organizations serving all ethnicities. Applications are due November 1, 2004.

(http://www.nick.com/all_nick/everything_nick/)

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2005 RUDY BRUNER AWARD FOR URBAN EXCELLENCE

The Rudy Bruner Foundation is seeking applications for their 2005 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence from persons involved in the planning, development, or operation of an urban project. The award program recognizes one Gold Medal Winner, awarded $50,000, and four Silver Medal winners, each awarded $10,000, in each biennial cycle. Note: Projects from the City of Atlanta, Georgia are not eligible for the 2005 Award cycle due to the participation of Mayor Franklin on the 2005 Selection Committee. The application deadline is December 13, 2004.

(http://www.brunerfoundation.org/)

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PARTNERS IN EDUCATION - SPRING 2005

The Partners in Education Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is designed to assist arts and cultural organizations throughout the nation develop and/or expand educational partnerships with their local school systems. The purpose of the partnerships is the establishment or expansion of professional development programs in the arts for all teachers. Applications must be postmarked no later than October 30, 2004.

(http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/partners/app.html)

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JOBS/INTERNSHIPS

GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS – 2005-2006 NOMINATION PROCESS

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is pleased to announce the launching of its 2005-2006 Nomination Process. General information on the program, as well as the nomination forms, can be found at https://www.gmsp.org.  Materials may be submitted either on-line by January 14, 2005 12:00 midnight EST, or postmarked no later than January 14, 2005.

There are three components of the GMS scholarship nomination process:

(1) A Nominee Personal Information Form to be completed by the student,
(2) A Nominator form to be completed by a principal, teacher, guidance counselor or other professional educator, and
(3) A Recommender Form to be completed by an adult who is familiar with the Nominee's community service and leadership activities.

Nominations and recommendations from relatives will not be accepted.

We hope to identify students with outstanding academic promise, particularly (but not exclusively) those with potential for success in the fields of mathematics, science, engineering, education or library science.  Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS scholarship if they:

* Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American
* Are a citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States
* Have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (un-weighted)
* Will be entering a U.S. accredited college or university as full time, degree-seeking freshmen in the fall
* Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities
* Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria. (Eligibility for Federal Pell Grant can only be determined through the submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Programs).

Gates Millennium Scholars selects one thousand students per year.  The scholarship supports the cost of attendance and can be renewed each year throughout the Scholars undergraduate program, and on to graduate school for those Scholars who enter one of five eligible graduate fields: mathematics, science, engineering, education, or library science.

If you have any questions about the program, please visit the GMS website: https://www.gmsp.org
or contact GMS/APIA Outreach Coordinator, at gmspinfo@ocanatl.org.

Gates Millennium Scholars / OCA
Asian Pacific Islander Americans
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 725
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-530-8894, Toll free: 866-274-4677
Fax: 202-530-0643

(https://www.gmsp.org)

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VFW ANNOUNCES NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) now offers a new scholarship contest for the sons and daughters (ages 16-18 at the time of their entry) of all veterans and those in uniform.  "The VFW Veterans Tribute Scholarship Program," provides a $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 scholarship annually.  Entry forms are available on-line at www.vfw.org under Programs - Youth Development or by calling 816-756-3390, ext. 220.  Students can receive up to 1,500 points based on their grade point average, community service, participation in VFW programs and the status of the sponsoring veteran.  Documentation verifying all information on the entry form must accompany the entry and must be verifiable from the documents provided.  For the purposes of this scholarship program the sponsoring veteran may be a legal guardian, adoptive parent or grandparent as well as birth parent.  Entries are accepted throughout the year until midnight December 31st.  E-mail or fax entries will not be accepted. All entries should be submitted directly to the following address:

VFW National Headquarters Department of Programs
Attn: Veterans Tribute Scholarship
406 West 34th St.
Kansas City, MO 64111

Entries are judged in January for the previous year and the winners notified in February

(www.vfw.org)

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TIPS/RESOURCES

HOW TO RECOGNIZE QUALITY YOUTH PROGRAMS

A new study by Public/Private Ventures proposes benchmarks for quality youth programs, and highlights strategies for overcoming common challenges in such programs. The two-year study assessed the grantmaking program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, which funds services to promote the emotional and behavioral health of preteens.  For more information, visit:

(http://www.lpfch.org/grantmaking/evals.html)

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YOUNG CHILDREN USE COMPUTERS MORE THAN WE THINK

Young children are no strangers to computers.  According to Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers, a study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Children's Digital Media Center, 48 percent of all children age six and under have used a computer.  By the time they are four to six years old, seven out of ten have used a computer.  Of this age group, 56 percent have used a computer by themselves without sitting in a parent's lap; 37 percent have turned a computer on by themselves; 64 percent know how to use a mouse to point and click; and 40 percent can load a CD-ROM by themselves.  Seventeen percent have sent e-mail with help from a parent.  Many children are becoming acquainted with computers at an even earlier age: 27 percent of those three and younger have used a computer without sitting on a parent's lap.  For more information about this report, visit:

(www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/uploaded_files/102803_kff_kids_report.pdf)

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THE LOCAL INITIATIVE IN CALIFORNIA
Tracy M. Gordon

September 2004, 96 pp.

ISBN 1-58213-085-X

In The Local Initiative in California, PPIC research fellow Tracy Gordon provides the most comprehensive evaluation of the local initiative to date. Drawing on previously unexplored data, her report examines trends and patterns in local initiatives and investigates their causes and policy consequences. Gordon finds that local initiatives are more numerous, more likely to qualify, and more likely to become law than statewide initiatives. The major criticisms of the statewide initiative—for example, that it benefits special interests, depresses turnout, or tramples minority rights—do not seem to apply to the local initiative. Instead, local voters appear to use this process to tackle issues that are not adequately resolved by their elected representatives or by state policy.

Summary (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/RB_904TGRB.pdf)

Full Report (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/R_904TGR.pdf)

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Are There Winners and Losers? Race, Ethnicity, and California's Initiative Process
Zoltan Hajnal and Hugh Louch

October 2001, 100 pp.
ISBN 1-58213-037-X

California’s reliance on direct democracy has raised concerns about the role of race and ethnicity in the initiative process. Critics point to initiatives on restricting bilingual education, ending affirmative action, and cutting services to illegal immigrants as a sign that the white electoral majority is using direct democracy to target the state’s growing nonwhite population. This study analyzes voting patterns over the last 20 years to determine how often voters from each racial and ethnic group end up on the winning side of the initiative vote. It also measures the degree to which the interests of white and nonwhite voters differed and the level of unity within each group. The study concludes that nonwhite voters, especially Latinos, fared poorly compared to whites only when race or ethnicity itself was an important part of an initiative.

Summary (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/RB_1001ZHRB.pdf)

Full Report (http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/R_1001ZHR.pdf)

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NEWS

September 28, 2004

MONUMENT TO HONOR U.S. SOLDIERS’ EFFORTS DURING WAR IN VIETNAM
Cy-Fair artist is the creative mind behind 27-foot statues

By Kim Hughes
Chronicle Correspondent

Cy-Fair resident Thong Pham, 61, who is originally from Vietnam, has been working 10-hour days on a monument dedicated to Americans.

"We think American people and the American country is the number one country in the world, because they have freedom," Pham said. "We can do anything we want here. In Vietnam, if you do something the government doesn't like, you go to jail."

Pham's monument includes two 27-foot-tall copper statues of two soldiers, one Vietnamese, the other American.

"We want to do something to thank the American people and the American soldiers," Pham said. "58,000 American men died in my country. It's time I think we do something to remember them."

Pham originally is from Hanoi, North Vietnam. In 1954, when the communists took over, he said his family moved to South Vietnam to escape them.

But in 1975, he said communism made its way to South Vietnam. That's when Pham moved his mother, wife and five children to Kansas City, Mo. Pham became a U.S. citizen in 1981.

While in Kansas City, Pham said he had an art studio where he taught painting and sculpting. In 1987, after moving to Houston, he opened a studio at Town & Country Mall. Now, Pham has a studio on Louetta in northwest Houston, but he's no longer teaching.

Instead, he's spending time creating the two statues, which will be placed at the Universal Shopping Center, 11300 Bellaire Boulevard, in Sharpstown.

"These statues will go next to statues I did four years ago," Pham said. "Those ones are smaller, about 15-feet-tall. I did them for refugees — for hope and freedom."

The five statues represent refugees from different Asian countries.

As with his last project, Pham is donating his time to create the two statues.

The cost of copper, building the bases and hiring a crane to help move them to their new home is expected to reach $325,000, said Nghiet Nguyen, chairman of the Vietnamese and Allied Defenders Memorial Foundation.

"We've raised most of the money over the last couple of years from several groups, including Vietnamese-Americans, business people and individuals," Nguyen said. "We still need to raise about $84,000. Right now, our ultimate goal is to try and complete the statues as soon as possible."

Nguyen, who formed the nonprofit foundation a couple of years ago to help Pham achieve his goal, said the statues should be completed and in place sometime in the next four to seven months.

Pham, who's been working on the statues since January, already has completed the Vietnamese soldier, and hopes to finish the American soldier by January 2005.

Thai Hoc Nguyen, a friend of Pham's who wants to promote freedom and democracy for Vietnam, said, "I have talked to many Vietnam veterans, and in my opinion, they did nothing but good in Vietnam. We want to thank Americans for welcoming Vietnamese here, and now we are citizens of this great country."

Details: To make a donation for the monument, call 281-330-4050.

(http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone14/news/2818820)

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September 29, 2004

BALLOT PROVISION MAY DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS

Editorial

Colorado's secretary of state has drafted a rule that would allow only presidential votes to count on some provisional ballots. The courts should throw out the rule.

A citizen's ability to vote is one of the most cherished rights in our democracy, but some Coloradans could see that right limited by a rule from the secretary of state's office.

The rule, drafted by Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, says that some voters who cast provisional ballots this November will have only their votes for president counted. No other votes will be counted - not even those for statewide races and ballot issues.

Provisional ballots are relatively new to the election scene and were first used in Colorado two years ago. They are given to voters who aren't on a precinct poll list or who don't provide identification. Such ballots aren't counted until after a voter's registration has been verified, which sometimes doesn't happen until days after an election.

Davidson's rule would apply only to voters who not only have ID problems but who also show up at the wrong polling place. If you cast a provisional ballot in your home precinct, all your votes will count once your status is checked.

The secretary of state's office has been vague about the reasons behind the rule, except to say that it's designed to implement at the state level a 2002 federal law that both required provisional ballots and guaranteed a person's right to vote for president.

State officials also are concerned about preventing voter fraud, such as someone voting for a candidate in a legislative district that the voter doesn't live in.

Preventing illegal votes such as that makes sense, but there seems no logical reason why a person who shows up in the wrong precinct shouldn't be able to vote in statewide races like the U.S. Senate.

This year's Senate race is a critical contest, generating intense interest across the state, as are campaigns for some statewide ballot measures.

The government watchdog group Colorado Common Cause is suing to stop the provisional ballot limitation from taking effect. The case is being watched closely by several other states that have similar rules.

So for now, the issue is up to the courts.

Lawyers for the state and Common Cause will make their arguments next Tuesday before Denver District Judge Jeffrey Bayless. Bayless noted during a hearing Monday that holding the arguments Oct. 5 would leave the losing side time to appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court. Time is running short - early voting starts Oct. 18.

We hope the rule is thrown out. There is no way to know how many voters might be disenfranchised if it's allowed to stand. But one disenfranchised voter is one too many.

(http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E73%257E2432773,00.html)

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September 30, 2004

For Immediate Release
Contact: Vana Tran 202-223-5500

OCA ANNOUNCES 2004 OCA-AXA ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Washington, DC - The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) civil rights advocacy and educational organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates nationwide, is pleased to announce the 6 winners of the 2004 OCA-AXA Achievement Scholarship.  The OCA-AXA Achievement Scholarship awards $2000 each to APA high school students demonstrating academic achievement, leadership ability and community service, and who will attend a higher education institution this fall.

"It is wonderful to be collaborating with AXA in 2004 in our brand new OCA-AXA Achievement Scholarship Program based on achievement," stated Raymond Wong, OCA National President.  "The scholarship will provide these students the necessary access to college and beyond."

"OCA-AXA Achievement Scholarship winners exemplify the kind of student we look for," said Pamela Gee, Program Director for the AXA Foundation, which underwrites AXA Achievement scholarships. "Our scholarship winners are young people who have accomplished something special, who show the determination to set and reach goals."

"OCA is very proud of the achievements of the AXA Scholarship winners.  They were selected on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community service," said Jean Wood Chang, VP of Education and Culture for OCA. "We wish them success in their college studies and their future careers."

The 6 winners of the OCA-AXA Achievement Scholarship are:

Duy Minh Ha - Portland, OR
Duy Minh Ha's life experiences have led him to pursue a baccalaureate degree in biochemistry to become a neuroscientist. He is attending Harvard University (Cambridge, MA). He is already worked as a research assistant at the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He has also interned at the North Portland Library Computer Lab. While he's not working, Duy is the Portland Public Schools Student Representative at Multnomah County Health Department Health Council, volunteer at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry's Chemistry Lab and Providence Medical Hospital's Children Special Care Unit, among many other extracurricular activities. A couple of his many awards include Oregon State Winner for the Science Business and Technology and Summa Cum Laude Gold Medalist for the National Latin Exam.

Tania Elizabeth Laden - Inglewood, CA
Tania Elizabeth Laden attends Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Not only does Tania have many affiliations with clubs and organizations, she also has found time to be active athletically, receive awards for her achievement, work, and be involved in the community. In high school, Tania played softball, ran cross country and was on the cheerleading and drill team. Her awards include the Governor's Scholarship - awarded for superior scores on state tests - and the AP Scholar with Honor - awarded to students with excellent scores on their AP exams. Tania has volunteered at Gymnastics Los Angeles and Break the Cycle - an anti-domestic violence organization. Tania aspires to become a politically active social worker, a lobbyist for social issues or an executive director for a non-profit organization.

Dean Akira Sasaki - Fountain Valley, CA
Some of Dean Akira Sasaki's many pages of astounding accomplishments include awards for Parent Teacher Student Association Achievement, California Golden State Sealbearer, High School Senior of the Month, Regional Occupational Program Student of the Month, Principal's Honor Roll and Distinguished Club President for KIWIN's District of Key Club International. In addition to solid participation in Marching/Concert Band, Junior State of America, Yearbook, Japanese American Citizens League, and four packed years of Student Government and Key Club International, Dean holds a list of several work experiences and countless community service activities with 19 different organizations and committees. Dean is attending the University of California, San Diego.

Mazie Tsang - Honolulu, HI
Mazie Tsang holds a significantly substantive resume of awards, extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, and professional memberships. Some of her extracurricular activities within the past few years include Student Council, Band, Speech and Debate, Flag and Auxiliary Corps, Key Club, and Youth Advisory Council. Mazie has volunteered at the Hawaii State Library, Queen's Medical Center, Key Club and American Cancer Society. She's received awards for academic excellence, youth leadership, student services and essay contests. In her spare time, Mazie has taken art classes at the Academy of Arts Center and studies the Suzuki method for violin. She attends the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Jason Ve - Queens Village, NY
Jason Ve has received recognition in National Honor Society, the Yetta Lenz Science Achievement Award, the Buffalo State College Math/Science Award of Excellence, the Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with Honors. Among his outstanding leadership roles are founder of the Jacquelynn Young Inspiration Scholarship Fund, president of the Leo Community Club, editor-in-chief of the Mathesis Publication, and leader of the Outward Bound Urban Experience Program. Jason successfully raised $3000 for the Free the Children Organizations Campaign for Education. During his high school career, Jason found time to contribute 16 hours/week as a Document Controller's Assistant and a Financial Consultant's Assistant for Merrill Lynch Financial Center in New York. Jason attends New York University.

Jane Chen Vora - Bellaire, TX
Jane Chen Vora is entering Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA) with many hours of extracurricular activities from her high school years. She has been involved with the Bellaire Carillon Yearbook, Bellaire Cardinal Design, Student Concerns Standing Committee, Junior Achievement, Texas Buddhist Association Youth Group and Antares, the high school's service club. Her work experience includes full time experience at a technology company, where she created professional websites. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor rock climbing and photography.

The AXA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AXA Financial, directing the company's philanthropic and volunteer activities and working to improve the quality of life in communities across the country where AXA has a presence.  AXA Achievement is the AXA Foundation's innovative, long-term strategy to provide America's youth with the advice and access necessary to succeed in college and beyond.  For more information, please go to www.AXAonline.com/axafoundation.

About OCA
The Organization of Chinese Americans, a national civil rights organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country, was founded in 1973 to ensure the civil rights of the Asian Pacific American community.  It maintains its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

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September 30, 2004

MINORITIES ARE NOW THE MAJORITY IN O.C.
Loss of white residents and gain of nonwhite residents tips the balance, according to census analysis.

By RYAN PEARSON
The Associated Press

GARDEN GROVE – Minorities now make up a majority of residents in Orange County, California's quintessential swath of white suburbia, newly released census data show.

Two other suburban counties – high-growth Riverside east of Los Angeles and wealthy San Mateo south of San Francisco – joined more than a dozen other California counties that as of 2000 had reached majority-minority status.

Two opposite trends tipped the balance in Orange County, which lost white residents as the number of nonwhite residents increased, according to an Associated Press analysis of 2003 Census Bureau estimates released today.

The same was true of San Mateo County, where the loss of white residents actually decreased the region's overall population to fewer than 700,000.

Statewide, 55 percent of California's 35.5 million residents were minorities, compared with 53 percent of 34 million residents in 2000.

One city that perhaps best illustrates the rapid changes in an area once known across the country as white, conservative and Republican is Garden Grove. The city near Disneyland noted for its tidy single-family homes was incorporated in 1956, at the height of the postwar population boom that transformed Orange County from a quiet rural area to a sprawling suburb.

"We do really have a real salad bowl here," says Mayor Bruce Broadwater, noting that 82 languages are spoken in the households of the Garden Grove school district. The city also is home to one of the country's largest mosques, located in what was once a Protestant church.

Each year Garden Grove plays host to a Korean Festival, a Tet Festival and an Arab Festival, as well as its enduring Strawberry Festival, which recalls its earlier agricultural days.

Broadwater, who has lived here for 33 years, says Garden Grove has taken pains to "make sure that everybody has a seat at the table." But some newer residents say fitting in hasn't always been easy.

Katelyn Nguyen, 22, recalls being called out of class as a child by concerned counselors who thought the red marks on her back were a sign of child abuse. They were actually caused by her mother's use of an Asian health technique that involved using coins to rub her body with oil.

Nguyen, who moved to Orange County from Vietnam when she was 9 months old, says she has been called derogatory names and that her mother in particular is looked down upon because of her limited English. She finds television's "The O.C.," which depicts a rich, white crowd living in Orange County's Newport Beach, as amusing in how far it differs from her own reality.

"It's nothing like that," she said. "There are a lot of minorities out there that have nothing."

Barber Steve Asciak, 41, who came to Orange County from Malta in 1988, said he has been snubbed in a different kind of way. Newly arrived Asian immigrants, he said, stay away from his shop because he doesn't speak Vietnamese.

"I think people shouldn't go to a business just because they speak their language," he said, adding that he's tried hiring Vietnamese barbers but they quit when business remained slow.

"But I am patient," said Asciak, who offers $8 haircuts. "We need to be patient with each other."

The county's increasingly diverse culture has surprised Kenny Win, who arrived from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in 1997.

"Orange County is a kaleidoscope," he said. "To our surprise, we found three Buddhist temples with monks from Burma."

The cul-de-sac he lives on includes three white families, as well as families from Jordan, China and elsewhere.

Terry Thomas, who has lived in Garden Grove since 1945, says the only complaint he has with the new arrivals is that large Asian families on his block tend to take up all the parking spaces.

"They're working hard like everybody else," he said of his neighbors. "My biggest complaint is they pack houses pretty big with relatives and everybody else.

"It does tend to make the street in the evening look like a used car lot," added the retired electronics engineer for Rockwell International.

But old-timers like Thomas and Broadwater, who is running for county supervisor, agree there is no reason to try to turn back change.

Broadwater dismissed as "silliness" an unsuccessful effort to require that business signs be printed in English.

"You can't do that," he said flatly.

As far as Thomas is concerned, everyone is welcome in "The New O.C."

"It's not white suburbia," he said. "It's suburbia, period. For all nationalities."

(http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/09/30/sections/breaking_news/article_258951.php)

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October 1, 2004

OWENS ENTERS VOTING-RIGHTS CASE
Governor supports secretary of state in lawsuit over provisional ballots and IDs

By Susan Greene
Denver Post Staff Writer

Gov. Bill Owens weighed in on a legal battle over new voting policies Thursday, defending Secretary of State Donetta Davidson for preserving the integrity of Colorado's elections.

Voting-rights advocates, in response, accused the second-term Republican of playing partisan politics by trying to limit Coloradans' right to vote.

"By inserting himself in this lawsuit, it appears that Bill Owens is merely throwing his political weight around," said Mark Eddy, spokesman for Fair Vote Colorado, a nonpartisan voter watchdog group.

"This is not a partisan issue. We are fighting to ensure that every eligible Coloradan can cast a ballot and that their vote will count," said Eddy, who was the spokesman for Democrat Rollie Heath's gubernatorial campaign against Owens in 2002.

Owens filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Davidson in her legal battle with Colorado Common Cause. The nonpartisan group sued her last week over a law requiring identification to vote and two rules making it tougher to cast provisional ballots.

A Denver district judge is scheduled to hear the case Tuesday.

Owens was not available Thursday to comment on his brief.

"The notion of having to show a picture ID when you vote - which is no more than you have to do to cash a check at a local bank - doesn't seem to be an excessive burden," said Owens' deputy, Sean Duffy.

Also filing on Davidson's behalf Thursday was Republican state Rep. Rob Fairbank of Littleton, who pushed the new policies requiring IDs and prohibiting giving emergency, or provisional, ballots to voters who asked to vote by mail but lost, never received or improperly filled out their absentee ballots.

"It was my way of standing up for the intent of the legislation, which was largely to prevent fraud," Fairbank said.

Activists, in turn, questioned why Owens felt the need to weigh in on the case, given that Colorado's executive branch already is represented in court by Davidson and her lawyer.

The case comes as thousands of new voters are expected to turn out in the Nov. 2 election. Experts expect many of the newcomers to vote Democratic. And because they're new to the system, they're likely not to know about the new ID and provisional ballot rules.

Fair Vote Colorado, along with representatives of Colorado Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union, LARASA and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, on Thursday asked Davidson to clarify the new rules, which they say are confusing and contradictory.

Specifically, watchdogs want set guidelines for handling provisional ballots - emergency ballots cast by voters without identification or whose names don't appear on registration rolls. Further, they object to Davidson's policy that voters who cast provisional ballots in the wrong precinct will have only their vote for president count.

With less than five weeks before Election Day, Davidson still is in the process of revising the details of those policies. Her office said she will hold off on finalizing her new rules until the judge decides the Common Cause case.

Staff writer Susan Greene can be reached at 303-820-1589 or sgreene@denverpost.com .

(http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E64%257E2438362,00.html)

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[NOTE: NCVA does not endorse any campaigns or candidates for public office.  The following is listed since it relates to the issue of human rights in Asia.]

For Immediate Release
October 5, 2004

Contact: Julianne Lignelli
(202) 225-4111

NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACT PASSES HOUSE

Legislation heads to President's desk

WASHINGTON, D.C.  - - In an effort to promote human rights in North Korea and protect North Korean refugees, the House unanimously passed the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 [H.R. 4011.]  U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA-40) is an original cosponsor of this important legislation, which now heads to the President's desk.

"This bill is an important statement of how the United States Congress views the situation in North Korea.  It is also the moral policy given the horrendous human rights condition north of the border," said Royce.

Among other things, the bill will support funding for private, non-profit human rights and democracy programs; work to secure transparency for humanitarian aid delivered inside North Korea; and urge the U.N. High Commission for Refugees to gain access and provide assistance to North Korean refugees in China.  It will also increase the availability of non-state-controlled sources of information to North Koreans and enhance U.S. broadcasting into North Korea through Radio Free Asia.

Royce noted that this legislation has been years in the making and was a result of Congressional hearings he called for, which featured North Korean defectors who described the horrendous humanitarian situation in North Korea.

"I have met with defectors and heard first-hand accounts of the brutal conditions that face the average North Korean.  The North Korean regime withholds food based on perceived citizen loyalty to Kim Jong Il," said Royce, who chairs of the US-Republic of Korea Interparliamentary Exchange and has led two Congressional delegations to Seoul.

"In order to ensure his survival, Kim Jong Il tries to keep an iron grip on all information in North Korea.  The propaganda is so great, that defectors actually report that they believed that their impoverished country was wealthier than South Korea.  Radio Free Asia is countering this propaganda, bringing objective news to the North Korean people.  Surveys indicate that North Korean defectors are listening to RFA's broadcasts," said Royce, a long-time supporter of U.S. international broadcasting efforts who helped to shape the broadcasting provisions in the legislation.

The legislation calls for the increase of radio broadcasts into North Korea to twelve hours per day.  To address the issue of access to suitable radios in North Korea, the legislation also requests a report detailing the steps the U.S. government is taking to increase the availability of information inside North Korea - including the provision of radios - to maximize North Korean's access to foreign broadcasts like Radio Free Asia.

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Julianne Lignelli
Communications Director
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (CA-40)
2202 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4111 phone
(202) 607-3683 cell
(202) 226-0335 fax
julianne.lignelli@mail.house.gov

(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR04011:@@@L&summ2=m&)

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October 6, 2004

TASK FORCE TARGETS HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Agencies start public education campaign to combat crime

By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER

SAN FRANCISCO -- Look carefully at that woman.

Does she appear tired, scared, depressed, intimidated? Are there signs of physical abuse? Does she seem not to speak English? Is she working somewhere she can't seem to leave, somewhere she's controlled at every moment?

She might be a victim of human trafficking, and federal and local agencies and community groups want people to know what to do when they see her. They gathered Wednesday to unveil a "Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking" public education campaign and announce a new regional task force to combat the crime.

Sharon Fujii, regional administrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, called human trafficking "a form of modern-day slavery."

She and others at the news conference noted it's a crime victimizing people at the margins of society, who often go unnoticed and are too fearful of harm, shame or deportation to speak out for themselves.

The new campaign uses paid ads, public service announcements and in-the-field outreach to persuade victims to come forward and accept the protection and aid available for them, as well as to educate people how to recognize and report such victimization. Television ads already have begun airing in 22 markets across the nation.

Brad Schlozman, the Justice Department's deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, said the government has prosecuted 155 people nationwide for human trafficking since 2001 in its attempt "to take the battle into the dark places where victims are exploited."

U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan announced the formation of a Bay Area task force "to help put an end to this terrible crime" with "a new collaborative approach."

Federal and local prosecutors and law enforcement will share information and resources with a wide range of organizations from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights to Standing Against Global Exploitation.

Ryan said thousands of people are brought into this country each year with promises of legitimate jobs or free passage, only to have their passports, money and property seized by smugglers who hold them in indentured servitude -- as prostitutes, domestic workers, sweatshop laborers and so forth -- until their "debts" are paid off.

Ryan cited recent Bay Area cases such as that of Berkeley businessman Lakireddy Bali Reddy, sentenced in 2001 to 97 months in federal prison and $2 million in restitution payments after pleading guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and transportation of minors for illegal sexual activity.

The Rescue & Restore program's toll-free hot line for victims or observant citizens is 1-888-373-7888. For more information, see www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking

Contact Josh Richman at jrichman@angnewspapers.com.

(http://www.theargusonline.com/Stories/0,1413,83~1971~2448920,00.html)

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About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.