Culture
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When Ieoh Ming (I.M.) Pei (1917-2019) was famously tasked with redesigning the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, he faced the challenge of merging the past with the future. As a visionary who believed, “Architecture is the very mirror of life. You only have to cast your eyes on buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of a place; they are the reflection of society,” Pei saw buildings as part of history, culture, and progress.
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In the grand slam of baseball history, Bobby Balcena (1925-90) stepped up to the plate in an era when opportunities were scarce. Though his time as the first Asian American, and first person of Filipino descent, in Major League Baseball (MLB) was brief, it was undeniably significant.
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Mitsuye Endo (1920-2006) may not have been a lawyer, a politician, or an activist, but she was a 22-year-old secretary with a determination that shook the U.S. Supreme Court and changed the course of American history.
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From a rural community in Hawai’i, to defying gravity, Ellison Onizuka (1946-1986) was a man of any historical milestones. He was NASA’s first Asian American astronaut, the first astronaut of Japanese descent, as well as the first Buddhist and person from Hawai’i in space.
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On Lainie Sakakura’s first day as a Rockette in 1994 - even before rehearsal started - she watched another Asian woman walk across Radio City studio and say to her, “Hi, I’m Setsuko Maruhashi and I’m the first Asian Rockette, and you’re the second. I have waited 10 years for you to walk into the room.”
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The business tycoon revolutionized California’s agricultural industry with his potato empire.
Meet George Shima (1864-1926), the man who went from spud to agribusiness stud. A classic example of the “Horatio Alger” path to the American dream, Shima rose from poverty to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in California.
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Kanaya Nagasawa's pioneering efforts led to Napa Valley becoming one of the world's leading wine-growing regions for more than a century.
Entertainment & Media
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In a world where punchlines are currency and laughter is universal, comedians from the API diaspora are leading the comedic revolution with fierce, witty banter and unapologetic voices through stand-up, Netflix specials, and crowd work.
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My husband and I were on an episode of HGTV’s “House Hunters International.” The process was a lot of fun and came with a few surprises along the way.
Food & Drink
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THE PECULIAR GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS certification for “most beautiful milk shop in the world” goes to this dizzyingly ornate 19th-century establishment founded by brothers Paul and Friedrich Pfund. The business opened at a time when food contamination was rampant.
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There was a time when being the D.D., or designated driver, felt like a punishment, with non-alcoholic options limited to soda or water. Now, those days are gone.
Travel
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From Peru to Egypt, tourists can actively participate in digs, preservation projects, or workshops led by experts in the field.
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In these small towns from Scotland to New Zealand, books shape identity, tourism, and community.
In the Welsh village of Hay-on-Wye, where sheep outnumber people and books spill onto the streets, a quiet revolution began.
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In July 2022, I fulfilled my lifelong dream of moving to Europe.
When my husband and I got married in January of that year, we didn't opt for the typical wedding registry. Instead, we sold, donated, or tossed almost everything we owned. Even our cars — which we sold two days before we left the US — had to go.
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Two years ago, my husband and I (along with our two cats) made the big move from Massachusetts to Berlin for a work opportunity.
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The pint-sized principality of Liechtenstein sits landlocked between Austria and Switzerland defies its under-rated tourism image with majestic Alpine peaks, rich culture, and princely wines. It is one of two countries in the world that are completely landlocked, following Uzbekistan.
Sustainability
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“Taylor Swift is singing us back to nature.”
Hear me out - if you think about it, pop culture is how we see and know things. For fans of Swift, the last few years have been nothing short of overwhelming and exciting, especially with the worldwide Eras Tour and the recent announcement that the re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor’s Version) will be debuting this October. Many of her tracks on the ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ albums include vivid imagery and specific lyrics that connect to nature and focus attention to the environment.
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“Schwarz, schwarz, verstehst du?” said the elderly woman who lived next door our Dusseldorf flat after I offered to take the bag in her hand down the six flights of stairs to the Keller (the basement, in US terminology) for her. My attempt to offer was a combination of pointing to the bag, pointing to myself, and mimicking a finger walking motion with my hand, which she seemed to understand.
I slowly took the small bag in my hand and replied smiling, “Ja, alles gut,” giving her a thumbs-up to reassure her that I knew what I was doing. Luckily, ‘Schwarz’ was one of the few colors and words I had learned in the three weeks since moving to Germany two years ago.
Corporate
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How you onboard your newly hired or newly promoted managers can make or break your organization. It’s essential to support these new leaders as it impacts their team and the company’s success. Managers need to learn not only the foundations, but also the technical aspects, organizational, cultural, and social nuances.
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Many organizations underestimate the power and impact a strategic remote onboarding program can have. More than one third of companies (even before the virtual shift) lacked a structured and thorough onboarding process according to Business News Daily, a news and resource site for businesses, HR leaders, and managers. If they had one, it relied heavily on being in-person, and they isolated their focus to only the first day experience with new hire orientation and not on the experience during the first year.
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Bersin by Deloitte is a leading provider of research-based people strategies. In their recent study, it was found that a significant portion of employee turnover - 22% - occurs during the first 45 days on the job. In a time where we are coming out of a global pandemic, companies are evaluating their hiring strategies to combat The Great Resignation and are aspiring to become Destination Employers. Having a comprehensive, compliant, and customizable global preboarding and onboarding program could make that difference for the new employee experience.
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Onboarding at any new job is reminiscent of that first day of school. You’re ready to put your best foot forward at your new company and show them why they hired you. But you’re not the only one trying to impress. During onboarding, the company has an opportunity to make a great first impression — to excite and engage a new employee to not only want to stay, but to feel they truly belong.