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The University of California Irvine is hoping to launch a study about Asian Americans and their sleep habits.
 

Researcher Sunmin Lee wants the D.R.E.A.M. Project to be an objective scientific look at Asian American sleep health. Lee cites incidents and stories of Asian Americans not sleeping well, lying awake stressed about language barriers impacting job opportunities or becoming a target for racism or violence amidst the pandemic. 
 

The study is seeking Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese volunteers in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Participants will get a sleep diary, wear a bracelet which will record vital signs and undergo health examinations over the course of two to three years.  

Poor sleep has been linked to greater risks of type II diabetes, depression, obesity, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.

• Chef Vince Nguyen of Berlu in Portland is breaking new ground for his Vietnamese tasting menus which combine both traditional and modern techniques. One course may be frozen durian custard with melon-shiitake tea or honeycomb toast with banana butter and fried shallot.

• Sunshine and lanterns: The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens will house the Asian Lantern Festival which will run from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15. Around 50 lanterns will light up the zoo on select nights. The team behind it traveled from China to make it possible.  

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• Alameda’s Archives: A new project in Alameda, California is creating historic markers connecting modern Japanese community landmarks with the sites of former Japanese businesses. The four markers will highlight Alameda’s historic Japantown. 

• U.S. protects Saudi prince: The Biden administration said the high office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should shield him from a lawsuit over the killings of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. This is a reversal for Biden, who previously denounced the prince over the murder. The U.S. government argued it is a matter of legal precedent and the prince may have immunity.  

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• Junta’s jailing no more: Myanmar’s ruling military freed almost 6,000 prisoners in a mass amnesty. Some notable people among them were a former British ambassador, a Japanese filmmaker and an Australian economic advisor to former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

• Silk Soon: Sony will team up with Amazon Prime Video to launch a new Spider-Man spinoff, “Silk: Spider Society.” It will center around the superhero Silk, whose civilian identity is Korean American Cindy Moon. 

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• Oscar’s overhaul?: Academy president Janet Yang said next year’s Oscars ceremony will have improvements, but “nothing drastic.” More announcements about the award show will be coming soon.

• A UC Irvine medical school professor used $400,000 in state funds for Instagram photos. 
   
• A man in China has gone viral for chain smoking while running a marathon for over three hours. 
   
• “World of Warcraft” and other games from developer Blizzard will be pulled from China after failing to renew a licensing deal with the country’s gaming partner NetEase. 
   
• Naomi Osaka is one of the celebrities named in the lawsuit against FTX cryptocurrency exchange, which declared bankruptcy last week. 
   
• Monkey smuggling can get you 145 years in jail, just ask a Cambodia wildlife official.