Hello, everyone!  
 

A new study has found that Asian students display advanced math and science skills as early as kindergarten.
 

The study analyzed a national sample of 11,000 U.S. elementary school students and found that 16% of Asian students displayed advanced math skills in kindergarten. Advanced skills were shown by 13% of white students and 4% of Hispanic students and Black students. These differences remained consistent up to 5th grade. It is worth noting that the study composed Asian Americans as a homogenous group. 

Researchers of the study say the largest contributor for the differences in skill among racial groups were largely due to socioeconomic factors. The study implored schools to start supporting elementary school students of color in STEM fields. 

• Kenneth Mejia has become the first Asian American elected to citywide office for Los Angeles. The 32-year-old accountant and activist is also the first Filipino American to helm the position of  Los Angeles city controller. 

• Anti-Hate Week from San Diego to Los Angeles: Just as San Diego County did earlier this week, Los Angeles County officials have launched their own United Against Hate Week running Nov. 13th through the 19th. The campaign includes an art-led engagement activity to encourage others to respond to acts of hate and a rollout of the first government hotline for reporting acts of hate and supporting survivors.   

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• Chinatowns go viral: James Beard Humanitarian Award recipient Grace Young has launched a social media campaign on Tuesday to bring people out to support their local Chinatowns. #SupportChinatown has taken off on Instagram, and to participate, simply mention a Chinatown restaurant or business in need of spotlighting.  

• University under lockdown: China has locked down one of its renowned academic institutions, Peking University, after one case of Covid-19. Classes were moved online and students and faculty were barred from leaving campus grounds unless necessary. The university has 40,000 students across multiple campuses.  

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• Bloated boat: Another wooden boat carrying 100 Rohingya Muslims has landed on a beach in Indonesia. The boat carried 61 men, 36 women and 22 children. The arrival of the boat is part of a wave of recent boat refugees fleeing from thee Buddhist-majority Myanmar amidst the country’s security forces killing and raping the minority group and burning thousands of Rohyingya homes.   

• Ke Huy Quan’s point of view: Ke Huy Quan, known for his roles as Waymond Wang in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and as Short Round in the “Indiana Jones” films defended the adventure series amidst criticism that it was racist. He says, “We’re talking about something that was done almost 40 years ago. It was a different time. It’s so hard to judge something so many years later. I have nothing but fond memories. I really don’t have anything negative to say about it.” 

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• Lee leaps for more: Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee has announced that she has her eyes set on a 2024 Paris Olympics bid. In a video posted online Tuesday, the gymnast said, “I don’t want it (the Olympics) to just be once in a lifetime. I have my sights set on Paris in 2024, and I know what I have to do to get there. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work.”

• New York Times food critic Pete Wells bestowed a coveted 4 stars for the ten-seat sushi counter Yoshino.  
   
• Floor patterns under China’s second largest freshwater lake were exposed by a heatwave. Some say the patterns come from old fish traps, others think it was aliens.
   
• South Korea is cutting funding for TBS, a notable broadcasting channel. This comes amid criticisms that press freedoms are being fettered under President Yoon’s administration. 
   
• The Byodoin Temple's Phoenix Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lit up for the first time in three years. 
   
• World Cup organizers have apologized to a Danish television station following their live broadcast being interrupted by Qatari officials who threatened to break their equipment.