Fundraising underway for new Philippine Center in West Mifflin.

The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh is raising funds to convert the former Fellowship Hall of Resurrection Church in West Mifflin into the region's first Philippine Center. The FAAP President writes in the latest FAAP newsletter:

For the past 40 years it has been our dream to have a home for the Filipino American community in Pittsburgh. A place where we can have offices for our staff; conduct business meetings, social gatherings and community service events; a Filipino school, community kitchen, storage for costumes, cultural exhibit, and library among others. In 2012, a group of FAAP directors and members was tasked with revisiting the dream. In 2014, a feasibility study was formulated to answer fundamental questions and to provide the framework by which we can proceed to establish and operate a Philippine center in Pittsburgh. Soon after, the board created a Philippine Center Committee that has been working ever since to find a suitable property, and, in partnership with the Fundraising Committee, to seek potential donors/benefactors and to come up with fundraising strategies.

Panda Supermarket delays July 18 opening.

via @PandaSupermarket2017

Squirrel Hill's Panda Supermarket has delayed their opening again, according to last night's Facebook announcement:

Hello everyone! Since some systems are still in operation and adjustment, so the scheduled opening time(7/18) will be postponed. Promotion will also be extended for a week. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
Please continue to follow the public page of Facebook and Wechat. We will update all the notice about the store in time, thank you!
大家好，由于店里的系统问题还正在调整处理中，所以原定的明天的开业时间将往后延迟。同样促销活动也会往后延迟一个星期。为此带来的不便请见谅！请大家持续关注Facebook公众页面以及微信公众号，我们将及时发送更新通知，谢谢！

The promotion in question is a 10% discount for liking its page on Facebook. The store is located at 5846 Forbes Ave. (map), on the first floor beneath Bangkok Balcony.

Mongolia's HAYA to make US debut at IUP in 2018.

The Mongolian music group Haya (Хаяа), will make its US debut in April 2018 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. A profile of the April 5, 2018 "Migrations" concert, from its management company:

“Migration” is about searching for one’s own spiritual home, experiencing the beauty of life itself, and returning to a simplistic, survivalist lifestyle. HAYA Band’s “Migration” Concert employs innovative musical language alongside classic traditional songs, fusing a variety of musical elements such as chants, the Mongolian horsehead fiddle, plucked string instruments, throat singing, and shaman drums. Their music is refined and captivating. Their shows have a distinct “ceremonious” feel. Migration provides us with a path for escape from this fast-paced modern world, a contemporary migration to another realm, one surrounded by the wonders of nature and life.

Single tickets will be available online starting August 29. IUP is located roughly 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, and the concert will be held in the Fisher Auditorium of the IUP Performing Arts Center from 8:00 pm on April 5.

K-pop Dance Class at Yanlai Dance Academy from July 22.

The Yanlai Dance Academy in the North Hills will host a K-pop Dance Class on weekends from July 22 through August 19. Classes run from 2:00 to 3:00 pm and are $13 for drop-ins or $10 per session for the whole term. The school is located at 2260 Babcock Blvd (map).

Who's Hiring? 7/17 roundup.

A quick look at some local eateries, groceries, and businesses looking for workers. In many cases, proficiency in more than one language is required.

• Bubble Pi Baking Arts - [Squirrel Hill] Part-timer wanted. Contact: 317-506-8722
• Chaya - [Squirrel Hill] Servers wanted, proficiency in Japanese and English required. Contact: 412-422-2082
• Ineffable Ca Phe - [Bloomfield] Cooks, baristas, servers, dishwashers. Contact: ineffablecaphe at yahoo.com
• Oriental Market - [North Hills] Asian grocery requires Chinese proficiency. Contact: 412-548-3648.
• Panda Supermarket - [Squirrel Hill] Contact: 412-230-8902

If you have a listing, please send information to pennsylvasia at gmail.com or send a message on Facebook.

"Storytime: Japanese and English" at Carnegie Library in East Liberty, July 18.

The next installment of the monthly program "Storytime: Japanese and English" will take place on July 18 at the Carnegie Library in East Liberty.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in both English and Japanese for children and their parents or caregivers. For children age birth-5 and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

Studio Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) at Cinemark theaters around Pittsburgh, July 23 and 24.

The 1989 Hayao Miyazaki film Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便) will play at Cinemark theaters in western Pennsylvania on July 23 and 24, as this month's installment of the GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest 2017. A synopsis from distributor GKIDS:

From the legendary Hayao Miyazaki comes the beloved story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt. It is tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and set out into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her life journey with her chatty black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a sea-side village, where a bakery owner hires her to make deliveries. Rarely has the animator’s art been so brilliantly rendered as in this delightfully imaginative film – a beautiful and timeless story of a young girl finding her way in the world.

The English-dubbed version will play at 12:55 at the Cinemarks in Monaca, Monroeville, North Hills, and Pittsburgh on July 23, and the English-subtitled version will play at those theaters at 7:00 pm on July 24. Tickets are currently available online.

University of Pittsburgh hiring Assistant Instructor of Korean

The University of Pittsburgh announced today it is hiring an Assistant Instructor of Korean.

Position available at University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of East Asian Languages & Literatures in Pittsburgh, PA. The individual will be responsible for the following duties: Teach Korean language to graduate and undergraduate students; Work closely with the language coordinator to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the Korean language program; and Perform other academic duties as required.

Requirements: Must have Master’ s degree in Korean Language , Linguistics or related field. Must possess one (1) year of experience teaching Korean at the University level. Must possess native or near-native proficiency in both Korean and English.

Those interested should send resumes to the administrator listed on the job advertisement.

Korean is the fastest-growing language at the university level, according to the Modern Language Association, and enrollment in first-year Korean courses at Pitt has increased nearly three-fold in the last decade.

1973 Japanese animated film Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ) in Pittsburgh, July 14 - 20.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers announced today the 1973 Japanese animated film Belladonna of Sadness (哀しみのベラドンナ) will play in Pittsburgh from July 14 through 20. A RogerEbert.com review provides a summary:

Beginning with a pop ballad of love, “Belladonna” tells the story of Jeanne, a beautiful young woman who falls in love with hunky Jean. The two, blessed by God, marry, with all the requisite expectations of happily-ever-after. But soon the nightmare begins. On their wedding night, the lord of the village rapes Jeanne. Jean is helpless to intervene. At first broken by the experience, Jeanne eventually vows revenge, with the help of a pact with the devil, who appears to her in explicitly phallic form and grows larger the more Jeanne submits to him. As Jeanne grows more and more powerful, she poses a threat to both the village lord and its priest, who seems to always be beside him. Jean seems progressively more wimpy, succumbing to drink and excess. The men grow weaker as she grows stronger, until she becomes a powerful witch and must be taken down. But that becomes difficult, because the peasant villagers have become attached to her—she provides them healing and hosts nights of unimaginable pleasure in the forest. Violence is the only recompense.

The film will play in Japanese with English subtitles at the Harris Theater for the week and at the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland on the 16th; showtimes are available online. The first screening is on the 14th at 5:30 pm. The Harris Theater is located at 809 Liberty Ave. in the downtown Pittsburgh Cultural District (map), and the Melwood Screening Room is located at 477 Melwood Ave. in Oakland (map).

Pitt hiring part-time Chinese instructors for Fall 2017.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is accepting resumes for part-time Chinese-language instructor positions for the Fall 2017 term through July 19.

EALL anticipates openings for part-time instructors in the Chinese language program beginning in the fall 2017. Candidates must have native language proficiency, hold at least a college degree, and be authorized to work for the University. Prior experience in teaching foreign languages and familiarity with CALL, language pedagogy or linguistics is highly preferred. If interested, please send your CV and a sample lesson plan designed for college-level Chinese class to Juchun Wei at juchun [at] pitt.edu by July 19. Candidates with desirable qualifications will be contacted for interview and teaching demonstration. Interview and teaching demonstration will take place during 7/24-26.