Daily Archives: October 16, 2008

2008 Taiwan Film Festival

The 2008 Taiwan Film Festival opens Thursday and Friday, October 16-17, at Fromm Hall on the beautiful campus of University of San Francisco! Fromm Hall is located just off of Parker Avenue, between Golden Gate Avenue and Fulton Street. Film Festival will continue to Stanford University, University of Washington, University of Oregon and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Here’s the tour schedule for the 2008 Taiwan Film Festival:

University of San Francisco

10/16 – 10/17

The 2008 Taiwan Film Festival will run at the University of San Francisco’s Fromm Hall October 16-17, 2008. Cheng Wen-Tang’s SUMMER’S TAIL will screen at 5:45pm on Thursday, October 16, and will be followed by a Q&A with the director and a special live musical performance by lead actress Enno Cheng. On Friday, October 17, the documentary THE GANGSTER’S GOD will be featured, with the director in attendance. TFF will also be showing films at Stanford University on Oct 17-18.

Stanford University

10/17 – 10/18

The 2008 Taiwan Film Festival will run at Stanford University (Cubberley Aud.) on Oct 17 & 18. Jay Chou’s directorial debut SECRETS will screen at 8pm on October 17. October 18th will features three films, including two documentaries: ELEPHANT BOY AND ROBOGIRL and FOR MORE SUN, as well as Lin Jing-Jie’s award winner feature THE MOST DISTANT COURSE. Filmmakers will be on hand for Q&A during Saturday’s films.

University of Washington

10/19 – 10/22

The Taiwan Film Festival (TFF) will showcase the best of the Republic of China’s contemporary films. With a focus on “Youth and Redemption,” the festival will return to the University of Washington (Seattle) from October 20-22. The festival begins Monday, October 20 with an opening reception and live musical performance from Enno Cheng. Besides starring in the first feature SUMMER’S TAIL, she is also a celebrated pop singer in Taiwan.

University of Oregon in Eugene

10/23 – 10/25

THE GANGSTER’S GOD begins this year’s Taiwan Film Festival with a live performance from Enno Cheng at the opening reception that follows. A celebrated pop singer, she also stars in SUMMER’S TAIL, the second film in the festival. The carefully selected lineup includes FOR MORE SUN, THE MOST DISTANT COURSE, ELEPHANT BOY AND ROBOGIRL, SECRET, THE LOST KINGDOM and SPIDER LILIES. Filmmakers will be present for Q&A at 4 of the 8 films.

University of Nevada Las Vegas

10/24 – 10/26

This 3 day festival begins with SECRETS and ELEPHANT BOY AND ROBOGIRL. Highlights includes a live performance by Enno Cheng, star of Cheng Wen-Tang’s SUMMER’S TAIL. A celebrated pop singer, she also stars in SUMMER’S TAIL, which starts off the three-day festival. The carefully selected line-up includes THE WALL PASSER, FOR MORE SUN, THE LOST KINGDOM, THE GANGSTER’S GOD AND THE MOST DISTANT COURSE. Filmmakers will be present for 4 of the 8 films.

Summer’s Tail Trailer

The Asian American Vote

National Asian American Survey recently did a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual survey of more than 4,000 Asian Americans likely to vote in the election was conducted from Aug. 18 to Sept. 26. It is the most comprehensive survey to date of the political views of Asian Americans, with interviews conducted in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. This groundbreaking study was conducted by researchers from four leading universities: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley); University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside); and University of Southern California (USC).

Here’s some of the results from the study:

* About 80% of likely voters who are Asian American list the economy as one of the most important problems the nation faces, followed by the war in Iraq. On both issues, there are strongly divided opinions between Obama and McCain supporters.

*A large proportion of Asian American likely voters remain undecided, 34%.

* Overall, 32% of all Asian Americans identify themselves as Democrats; 14% as Republicans; 19% as independents; and 35% as nonpartisan, not fitting into any of the major party categories.

* One third of Asian American citizens get informed about politics from Asian-language television and newspapers, and more than one in four (28%) say they would use Asian-language ballot materials.

* The researchers’ 2008 National Asian American Survey (NAAS) shows that 41% of Asian Americans are likely to favor Obama, while 24% support John McCain. In battleground states, where either candidate could win on Election Day, Obama leads with 43% of Asian Americans supporting him and 22 percent favoring McCain.

In the New York/New Jersey:

* Asian Americans in New York and New Jersey cite the economy and the war in
Iraq as the nation’s top problems

* More than one-third (37%) of Asian American likely voters in New York
remain undecided, while nearly half (45%) of New Jersey Asian American
likely voters were undecided.

* 37% of Asian American likely voters in New Jersey support Senator Barack
Obama while 18% support Senator John McCain.

* Among Asian American likely voters in New York, 42% support Obama
and 20% support McCain.

In California:

* A very strong majority (76%) of Asian American likely voters report that “the
economy” is one of the most important problems facing the nation, while 35% say “the war in Iraq” is among the top problems.

* Roughly one-third (33%) of likely Asian American voters in California remain
undecided. By comparison, recent surveys of the general population show that
undecided voters are roughly 8 percent of the electorate.
* 42% of Asian American likely voters in California support Senator Barack
Obama while 24% support Senator John McCain.

* Important regional differences in California include: higher support for McCain in
the regions of Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire; greater
identification with the Republican Party in the same regions; and lower
participation rates in the Inland Empire region (51% likely voters among adult
citizens) when compared to the rest of California (67%).

* Asian Americans in California generally oppose Proposition 8, which would
“define marriage as between a man and a woman, thus barring marriage
between gay and lesbian couples.” 57% of likely voters did not favor the change, 32% favored the change, and 11% said they did not know if they favored or opposed the change.

Clearly, there is a large undecided Asian American group of voters. To win these votes, both Obama and McCain need to demonstrate how they will solve the economic problems first. The next hot topic to address after that is the war in Iraq. With less than a month to go, McCain and Obama have to convince the undecided that their respective plan for the economy and Iraq is the best. Remember, you can make a difference. Vote this November.

My Vote My Voice – Reel in the Vote 2008

The Virtual Forbidden City

The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time is a partnership between the Palace Museum and IBM. The goal of the project is to provide the means for a world-wide audience to celebrate and explore aspects of Chinese culture and history. The website gives gives you the ability to enter the gates of the Forbidden City and enjoy a full immersive experience inside the walls of the Forbidden City.

The Virtual Forbidden City is a 3-dimensional virtual world where visitors from around the world can experience the Forbidden City in Beijing. You can explore the magnificient palace as it was during the Qing dynasty, which ruled from 1644 until 1912, the end of the Imperial period in China.

The Forbidden City was created to embody the idea of the emperor as the center of the universe, and to evoke a visceral sense of his power. This huge palace complex was completed in 1420 and covers more than 72 hectares (178 acres). It contains hundreds and hundreds of exquisite buildings and historic artifacts. Now, using virtual world technology, you can experience the awe inspired by this vast and amazing space. And rather than experiencing its wonders in isolation, the Virtual Forbidden City allows you to see and interact with other users and a range of helpful automated characters. As you explore the Virtual Forbidden City, you can choose to simply observe the buzz of activity, or you can take tours and participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of Qing culture.

While it provides an immersive and compelling experience in its own right, the Virtual Forbidden City also provides an unequalled way to plan a visit to the Palace Museum in Beijing, as the Forbidden City is now known. If you are lucky enough to be able to visit the Palace Museum, you will be much better able to find your way and to understand the significance of places and things that you encounter because of your experiences in the Virtual Forbidden City.

Given the depth and longevity of Chinese history and culture, the Virtual Forbidden City can only begin to reveal the countless amazing stories that can be told. Hopefully, your explorations here will encourage you to learn more about what you encounter, and to continue to return to the Virtual Forbidden City to discover things that you haven’t yet experienced.

The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time is a partnership between the Palace Museum and IBM. The goal of the project is to provide the means for a world-wide audience to celebrate and explore aspects of Chinese culture and history. The website gives gives you the ability to enter the gates of the Forbidden City and enjoy a full immersive experience inside the walls of the Forbidden City.

The Virtual Forbidden City is a 3-dimensional virtual world where visitors from around the world can experience the Forbidden City in Beijing. You can explore the magnificient palace as it was during the Qing dynasty, which ruled from 1644 until 1912, the end of the Imperial period in China.

The Forbidden City was created to embody the idea of the emperor as the center of the universe, and to evoke a visceral sense of his power. This huge palace complex was completed in 1420 and covers more than 72 hectares (178 acres). It contains hundreds and hundreds of exquisite buildings and historic artifacts. Now, using virtual world technology, you can experience the awe inspired by this vast and amazing space. And rather than experiencing its wonders in isolation, the Virtual Forbidden City allows you to see and interact with other users and a range of helpful automated characters. As you explore the Virtual Forbidden City, you can choose to simply observe the buzz of activity, or you can take tours and participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of Qing culture.

While it provides an immersive and compelling experience in its own right, the Virtual Forbidden City also provides an unequalled way to plan a visit to the Palace Museum in Beijing, as the Forbidden City is now known. If you are lucky enough to be able to visit the Palace Museum, you will be much better able to find your way and to understand the significance of places and things that you encounter because of your experiences in the Virtual Forbidden City.


Visit The Forbidden City: Beyond Space & Time program can take part in activities such as archery, cricket fighting, and playing the ancient game of Weiqi.

The Virtual Forbidden City