State Defunding Erodes Promise of College for Next Generation

Oct 30, 2012

 Although record numbers of California high school students are graduating, meeting CSU and UC admission standards, and preparing to pursue advanced degrees or workforce training, state funding for California’s public colleges and universities is eroding dramatically, along with the promise...

Temple Killings: A Teachable Moment for Sikh Youth

Aug 14, 2012

FREMONT, Calif. – Manat Kaur is in many ways a typical 14-year-old, indistinguishable from others her age in her usual outfit of sneakers, jeans and T-shirt. But when asked, the soon-to-be high school freshman makes it a point never to...

Sikh Youth Find Strength After Oak Creek Shooting

Aug 14, 2012

FREMONT, Calif. – Manat Kaur is in many ways a typical 14-year-old, indistinguishable from others her age in her usual outfit of sneakers, jeans and T-shirt. But when asked, the soon-to-be high school freshman makes it a point never to...

What Do Dreamers and Rodney King Have in Common?

Jun 20, 2012

After ten years of congressional stonewalling on the Dream Act, the President acted -- and for many of the undocumented students affected, Obama's executive order is akin to a modern-day version of the Emancipation Proclamation.Of course, just like anything else...

New Center Harnesses Mobile Tech to Fight Trafficking

Apr 19, 2012

In the effort to combat human trafficking, mobile technology is becoming an essential tool. That’s why in late 2011, Kavitha Sreeharsha and colleague Kelly Heinrich left their positions with the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice to...

After Iraq -- US Abandons Engagement for War on Tyrants

Dec 20, 2011

The Iraq War may well never be over since its objective of regime change continues to dictate U.S. foreign policy and spawn endless conflicts. Nine years after the second intervention against Baghdad, it is abundantly clear that Saddam Hussein’s prophetic...

Chinese Culture and the Politics of 'Kung Fu Panda'

New America Media, Commentary, Andrew Lam Jun 15, 2011

In the age of globalization, there’s a caveat that often rings true: “You know your culture is a big hit when somebody else is trying to sell it back to you!” Nowhere is this more obvious than the example of the run away box office smash, Kung Fu Panda, and its sequel. A wildly successful animation produced by Steven Spielberg in 2008 about a panda who wants to learn kung fu and his bumbling way toward greatness, the movie became the biggest box office hit in China’s history.

Former U.S. Soldier Told He Has No Country

New America Media, news report, Viji Sundaram Mar 07, 2011

After spending nine years in the U.S. Army and being honorably discharged, Ramdeo Chankar Singh thought citizenship was in his grasp. Now, though, he faces deportation.

Mideast Revolutions and 9-11 Intrigues Created in Qatar

New America Media, News Analysis, Yoichi Shimatsu Mar 02, 2011

In the 2005 political thriller "Syriana", starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, Qatar is at the heart of an international intrigue. The title was based on the concept of "Pax Syriana", a secret arrangement between two mutually hostile powers to divide a region into their respective spheres of dominance.