Richard Aoki - Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party

Richard Aoki, a third generation (Sansei) Japanese American, was one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party and became a Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party.   There is a documentary about Aoki (1938-2009) that will premiere in Oakland, California, on November 12, 2009.  The documentary discusses how Richard was a major force within the party. He was the first to contribute fireams to the party and he provided weapons training.  He was a strong civil rights activist.  I just recently learned about Aoki because of the promotions for this documentary. Not something you learn in school.

Shall We Dance?

"Shall We Dance?" is an enchanting Japanese 1996 movie about an accountant who feels he is in a rut and that his life is boring.  He secretly takes up ballroom dancing and it changes his whole outlook on life.  I saw this in a movie theater and really enjoyed it.  It is now on dvd.

Here's the movie trailer:

There was a remake with Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon, but that pales in comparison in my opinion.

This is so cool! I just learned how to embed and size a YouTube video in my blog!