Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Whoa. He’s one of the messier 1/4 Asian Americans, but read on, he’s a 7 foot basketball player. A quote from the Rafu Shimpo from ’09: “Robert Swift, whose father is half Japanese (Okinawan), was the first Asian as well as first Caucasian player to be drafted straight out of high school and was taken with the twelfth overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Seattle Sonics.” Now, he’s left his foreclosed home a super mess. Food, feces, and guns. A great combo.
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Japanese dolls returned after “safekeeping” while the owner was in a WWII Internment Camp. Aside from the greatness of getting the heirloom dolls back, it’s amazing to see the greatness of these dolls. The details are amazing. The story is about the reuniting of two childhood friends after 70 years and it’s a nice read. (Sacbee – Friends) Photos by Paul Kitagaki Jr.
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Why were they there is the question. Who were they hiding them from? Internees were allowed to write letters and they ordered products from outside companies. The folks who owned this pharmacy in Colorado must have been afraid of something. Did they ship the orders? Was it possibly fear of being in collusion with the internees? (Huffpo – WWII)
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They are a dying breed. This is a story in the LA Times about the trade, how it got going, and where it’s going. We featured a Japanese American gardener in a past issue of Giant Robot. He’s a rare example of a “younger gardener” Brian Yamasaki. (LA Times – Japanese Gardeners)
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Perhaps the most important project to date for George Takei is Allegiance – A New American Musical. Can’t you picture George says, “It’s not only Japaneeese Americaaaan, it’s Americaaaan”. It’s about his childhood and internment camps and not the current state of his career. There’s a Q and A to read and George goes through the questions with ease. Allegiance is a musical, keep that in mind, so the hard edge will come at an audience in another way. (WNYC – Takei) [youtube]WPYEsYp8xhw[/youtube]
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