- The war of words between directors Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood on the role of African Americans in the fight for Iwo Jima is heating up. From this Time article by Alex Altman: “‘Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one Negro actor on the screen,’ Lee said at the Cannes Film Festival. ‘In his version of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist.’ Eastwood’s counter: ‘Has he ever studied history? [African-American soldiers] didn’t raise the flag,’ he said. ‘If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, they’d say, “This guy’s lost his mind.'” Eastwood also told Lee to ‘shut his face,’ prompting Lee to amplify the racism charge: ‘[Eastwood] is not my father and we’re not on a plantation, either,’ he fumed. ‘I’m not making this up. I know history.'”
- The Contra Costa Times describes how a life-planning class for Japanese-speaking seniors in El Cerrito is thriving and looks to continue well into the future.
- Ernie Harwell of the Detroit Free Press introduces us to an expert on Japanese baseball.
- On the heels of a world record-setting performance in the Speedo LZR swimsuit, Japanese swimmers look like they may be allowed to choose their suit of choice from foreign manufacturers in the Beijing Olympics.
- Roger Shimomura, a former internee turned artist, will have his work displayed this summer. From the Joplin Independent: “[The exhibit] showcases a selection of works that illustrate Shimomura’s uniquely bicultural style and penchant for integrating images from ukiyo-e woodcut prints with images from American popular culture. It’s been described as ‘Pop Art with a Japanese twist.’ Using humor as a weapon, his artwork moves from ironic constructions of cultural identity to biting denunciations of racial prejudice.”
- Beth Bragg, from The Seattle Times, seeks to answer the question: Why do Japanese climbers meet their demise on Alaska’s Mount McKinley more frequently than other adventurers?
