3.30.18 - 4.5.18

• NBC News: Congress passes law allowing national cemetery burials for Lao and Hmong 'Secret War' veterans.

• Lao Khaen music declared humanity’s heritage by UNESCO.

• Celebrate #LaoNewYear with Krysada Binly Panusith Phounsiri and EraNetik Kennedy Phounsiri at  Market Creek Plaza at 3:30 PM on April 8th!

• Mother’s seek to combat breastfeeding stigma in Asian-American communities.

• For your viewing pleasure: Brief History on Asian America

• Charlotte Observer: Asian Americans think an elite college degree will shelter them from discrimination. It wont.

• Legacies of War: March 2018 Newsletter featuring: Huge win for UXO sector in Laos; Announcing LaoNow 2018; Join the Circle of Hope

• Laotion Times: Harrison Ford Visits Luang Prabang

• #RepresentationMatters:

  • Executive Director Kulap Vilaysack's documentary will be be premiered at this year’s Bentonville Film Festival. It was also chosen to be the centerpiece documentary at this year’s CAAMFest!

  • All Raise’s founding members made history by becoming the first all-women venture capitalists featured on the cover of Forbes magazine.

  • Entertainment Weekly: Pixar’s Short Film ‘Bao’ (created by Domee Shi) is your ‘Incredibles 2’ Appetizer

  • Writer of ‘The Song Poet’ - Kao Kalia Yang talks about how she has no memory of Laos.

  • Founder of FilmHero, Sysamone Phaphon, talks about What Indie Filmmakers Need To Generate More Revenue And Visibility on Forbes.

• #LaoFoodMovement:

  • Laos Angeles Roots member, Saengthong Douangdara spreads the Lao food love at William Sonoma in Beverly Hills!

  • Malina Syvoravong shares one of Saengthong Douangdara’s recipes on the North Coast Journal.

• ATTENTION: Submit your shorts to NBC Universal Short Film Festival by April 30th!

3.23.18 - 3.29.18

• Watch the US Drop 2.5 Million Tons of Bombs on Laos.

• ATTENTION: 23 and Me is giving out free genetic tests if all four of your grandparents were born in Laos!

• The Guardian: Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

• #RepresentationMatters:

  • Miya Cech cast in The Darkest Minds directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

  • Phillip from You Offend Me You Offend My Family discusses Asian representation in American film industry and documents Asian Americans at the Los Angeles Gun March: #MarchForOurLives.

  • Diversity is dominating the 2018 box office.

  • Pixar's next short film 'Bao' explores an empty-nesting Chinese mother - directed by Domee Shi.

• In motherland news:

  • We are witnessing the motherland developing quicker than ever before.

  • Nobphalat Sikaiphak crowned Miss Grand Laos 2018

  • Borneo Bulletin explores the hidden waterfalls in the land of 4,000 islands

  • Lao government looks to solidify ties with neighboring states and major powers like Russia.

  • Laos ties with Bangladesh 2-2 in soccer.

  • Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith wants to make the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party more transparent.

  • The Rosewood opens second Southeast Asian location in Luang Prabang.

  • Visitor attraction now open at the Vientiane City Wall.

• #LaoFoodMovement:

  • Vanh Sengaphone & Thip Athakhanh open up Snackboxe Bistro in Atlanta.

  • Laos in the House hosting 3rd Annual Pop Up Dinner in Philly.

  • Observer Dispatch spotlights Taste of Laos in Utica.

• #ImmigrantsMakeAmericaGreat:

  • Amphone Phetsisouk, definition of a refugee who risked everything to come to America, laid to rest at 63 years old.

  • Clarkston Community Center hosts first International Spring Festival with Lao culture featured.

  • Bounlorm Soumetho (family member to many Laos Angeles Roots Members)  acknowledged for his leadership in the Lao American Community of Minnesota.

3.2.18 - 3.8.18

- Little Laos on the Prairie: 10 Lao Diaspora Women You Should Know in 2018 

-  Fashion Icon & Founder of the Moda Box, Monica Phromsavanh, speaks about her hurdles and discoveries of becoming an innovative entrepreneur. 

- This year’s Oscar nominees are more diverse. Is Hollywood shifting in a new direction for gender parity and racial diversity? Oscar winner, Frances McDormand, ended her speech by calling for more actors to have inclusion riders in their contracts.

- This year has brought some victories for Asian Americans behind-the-scenes. Kazuhiro Tsuji is the first Asian American to win an Oscar for Best Makeup & Hairstyling!

- Asian American actors Jake Choi and Henry Golding both book big network mainstream media tv shows and movies. 

- #LaoFoodMovement Chef Seng listed as one of the semifinalists in the 2018 James Beard Awards. James Syhabout continues his press tour with Food & Wine discussing his end goal with Lao Food. 

- Narintohn Luangrath shares her take on the current events along with her families immigration journey on Baltimore Sun. 

- Clare Ramirez, discusses how she has more in common with undocumented immigrants than other Americans. 

- Congressman Jim Costa continues his advocacy for securing recognition and honor for Lao American veterans serving alongside American armed forces during the "Secret War" 

- All-China Women's Federation gave equipment and supplies to the Lao Women's Union to further improve the conditions at all levels. 

- New satellite installed to supplement existing telecommunications infrastructure in Laos. 

- The Lao government took steps to reverse illegal wildlife trafficking and environmental crimes. 

- For your listening or viewing pleasure: Kulap Vilaysack guests on Unladylike Podcast, "Lao Diaspora" DJ Vannasnone Keodara guests on Here & Now's DJ Sessions, Seraphina Lotkhamnga created a Spotify Playlist, and Ruby Ibarra dropped her most recent music video. 

2.23.18 - 3.1.18

- The SEAD Project: Spring Language Courses to Learn Lao now open for registration!

- Community leader Nor Sanavongsay is donating his birthday to, Sahtu Press, one of the nation’s first Lao American-owned and staffed literary publishers.

- James Syhabout continues his press tour to promote his cookbook and autobiography, Hawker Fare. He visits The Splendid Table and LA news source KTLA.

- Exploring the Asian American model minority in two ways, the different relationship with politics than other racial minorities and the Southeast Asian community, a population born from refugees and resettlement. 

- Jared Leto stars as a white man who becomes head of the Yakuza. Oh, brother. 

- President Trump threatens to remove ICE from the state of California. Go ahead. 

- Artist Sisavanh Houghton is exhibiting now at the Lauren Rogers Museum Of Art. 

- Asian-American Women In Hollywood Say It’s Twice As Hard For Them To Say #MeToo 

- At least three global surveys disclosed their findings recently, with all three indicating that Laos is going backwards in term of in global development rankings. 

- A TECH firm chief temporarily swapped his day job for the dusty roads and soaring mountains of Laos in a bid to clear unexploded landmines.

- Despite working with limited funds, state censorship, and only having three working cinemas in the country - local directors are creating a thriving film industry in Laos. 

- Recognizing the potential and prospect to develop tourism, the Lao government is determined to bring the tourist rate up exponentially. 

- Laos is pushing hard to meet United Nations (UN) development targets. The government risks bankrupting the nation in the process.

- UNILAD Adventure captures the beauty of Laos with drone footage.

- Two restaurants are open, "ma der, ma der!" Zaap Kitchen in Dallas, TX and Lao Bar in Seattle, Washington. 

- New Business Alert: Online retailer Talaat Sao!

2.16.18 - 2.22.18

- In an interview from last year, Kulap Vilaysack gives background on why she feels Laos Angeles is necessary.  

- Black Panther director Ryan Coogler can teach Hollywood about making the industry more inclusive.  

- New business alert: Talaat Sao

- Director Dr. Steve Arounsack's documentary "Getting LAO/D" premieres on Friday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the 2018 Seattle Asian American Film Festival.

- Rebecca Rusch’s journey on the Ho Chi Minh trail as captured in Blood Road opened her eyes to the millions of deadly unexploded ordnance (UXO) that still litter the Laos countryside.

- A champion mountain biker faces her toughest challenge: clearing bombs from Laos.

- Author puts Lao coroner-detective on Asian literary map. 

- For nearly three decades, the American master weaver Carol Cassidy has been working with Laotian silk weavers on the grounds of a grand old colonial mansion in Vientiane.

- Chinese company signs agreement to build elephant protection center in Laos.

- The Gibbon Experience is a good example of when tourism combines with forest conservation.

- Government moves to boost visitor numbers amid multiple challenges to sector. 

- China Southern adds Lao route to their flight paths. 

-  Khaen declared humanity’s heritage. 

- Laos remakes itself as an adventure center, an evolution that serves the country and its visitors well.

- Saengthong Douangdara did a sakoo yat sai cooking demonstration on KTLA, a local LA station. Recipe can be found here.