Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

The most watched player by Asian Americans is still Jeremy Lin. The season is long and sometimes we forget about the guy, yet he’s trucking along and played well against his old team. He was a hero last year, this year, he’s quickly becoming status quo which is a great. Why not an Asian American playing well in the NBA? 22pts 8 assists. [youtube]fP387y4P1MY[/youtube] Youtubelink
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This is a strange looking ship that’s being built to protect a family in China. Yet there is a Christian cult in China called Almighty God that’s hardcore believing the world will end on December 21st. The ship and the cult seem to no be related. Yet, who says that a ship is the answer? Is it water that’s the doomsday problem? Read more about the cult. (LA Times – Doomsday China)
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The connection runs deeply. From Inouye being on the Board to being married to a previous CEO. LOS ANGELES —DECEMBER 17, 2012—Japanese American National Museum’s statement on the passing of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye: “The Japanese American community is deeply saddened by this loss,” said Dr. G.W. (Greg) Kimura, President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum. “Senator Daniel K. Inouye is irreplaceable. He embodies the very best of our community and our nation. He fought with valor and distinction on the battlefield and he was a tireless supporter of civil rights and social justice for all Americans. His legacy will live on in the many lives and institutions he touched, like the National Museum, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his wife, Irene Hirano Inouye, and their family during this difficult time.”
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Statement on the Passing of Senator Daniel K. Inouye Monday, December 17, 2012 (Inouye Statement) United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye, World War II veteran, Medal of Honor recipient and Hawaii’s senior Senator, passed away from respiratory complications at 5:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His wife Irene and his son Ken were at his side. Last rites were performed by Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black. He is survived by his wife, Irene Hirano Inouye, his son Daniel Ken Inouye Jr., Ken’s wife Jessica, and granddaughter Maggie and step-daughter Jennifer Hirano. He was preceded in death his first wife, Maggie Awamura. Senator Inouye’s family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the extraordinary care he received. The story of Dan Inouye is the story of modern Hawaii. During his eight decades of public service, Dan Inouye helped build and shape Hawaii. Senator Inouye began his career in public service at the age of 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He served with ‘E’ company of the 442 Regimental Combat Team, a group consisting entirely of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Senator Inouye lost his arm charging a series of machine gun nests on a hill in San Terenzo, Italy on April 21, 1945. His actions during that battle earned him the Medal of Honor. Following the war he returned to Hawaii and married Margaret “Maggie” Awamura, and graduated from the University of Hawaii and the George Washington University School of Law. After receiving his law degree, Dan Inouye, returned to Hawaii and worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu. He recognized the social and racial inequities of post-war Hawaii, and in 1954 was part of a Democratic revolution that took control of the Territorial Legislature. Following statehood in 1959, Dan Inouye was privileged to serve as Hawaii’s first Congressman. He ran for the Senate in 1962 where he served for nearly nine consecutive terms. Dan Inouye spent his career building an enduring federal presence in Hawaii to ensure that the state would receive its fair share of federal resources. He worked to expand the military’s presence on all major islands, stabilizing Pearl Harbor, building up the Pacific Missile Range and constructing a headquarters for the United States Pacific Command. He has worked to build critical roads, expanded bus services statewide and secured the federal funds for the Honolulu Rail Transit project. He championed the indigenous rights of Native Hawaiians and the return of Kahoolawe. He fought for the rights and benefits for veterans. Senator Inouye has left an indelible mark at the University of Hawaii, including support for major facilities and research assets. He has long supported local agriculture and alternative energy initiatives. Dan Inouye was always among the first to speak out against injustice whether interned Japanese Americans, Filipino World War II veterans,...
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When I moved to Mongolia, I quickly got a job as an English teacher at a small private school in Darkhan. A new friend, who was also a teacher helped me get the job, and connected me to other teaching opportunities to supplement my teacher’s salary. I’m taking a break from full-time teaching for the time being, but I still have some private students, and when my friend presented me with an invitation for a visit with her 10th grade English class, I couldn’t refuse. It’s that time of year when kids already have one foot out the classroom door. They’re ready for the holidays and looking forward to a short break from their studies. In Mongolia, the holiday hype is all about New Year’s Eve, with Christmas (minus the Baby Jesus) lumped in. Mongolia may be a primarily Buddhist country, but the commercial nature of the holidays has translated well here. Christmas carols are blaring at the department stores, and cellphone ringtones have been changed to reflect the season. Lots of ABBA’s “Happy New Year” and Wham’s “Last Christmas” is going around.  Keeping this in mind, the topic of the class visit needed to be lighter fare. The class wanted to know about me. They wanted to know where I came from and what I did when I was there. I came up with a lesson plan that included back issues of Giant Robot, a vocabulary worksheet about Christmas in the US, and most importantly, the Big Boss Robot  and the Uglydoll Icebat snowflake template! Eric and Martin have spoken at countless academic institutions over the years, so I’d like to think I was continuing a GR tradition, but once the templates and the scissors came out, the educational value of my lesson plan dissolved into a full on crafting session.  Giant Robot is as much about creativity as it has been about documenting and sharing culture, so in the end, it all worked out pretty perfectly. Everyone got in on the action, sharing three pairs of scissors their teacher had rounded up from neighboring classrooms. I had brought enough templates to practice with though, and enough for everyone to get a chance at creating both characters. I also encouraged the class to create their own designs based on the same principle as the template Eric created. Some students started experimenting when their templates were finished. Spreading holiday cheer and creativity Giant Robot style! From chilly, snowy Darkhan, wishing all of you a happy, healthy and creative holiday – however you spend it! Just make sure it includes friends, imagination and sharing. It’s better that way.
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