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Wednesday, Nov. 4 I had the opportunity to attend a women's group at the Hmong Center of Green Bay. It ended up being a surprise baby shower for Bao Vang. Coincidentally, she is one of the people I will be interviewing next week if everything works out. As I walked in the door I was the only non-Hmong there;however, I was welcomed in like I had been part of their group. The meeting started off with shouts of surprise and congratulations for Bao and Noah. Bao had come to the meeting expecting that she was presenting, she preferred the alternative. Games had been played like make a diaper using toilet paper, find the pins in the rice, pin the pacifier on the baby and guess the wrapped baby item.

Then we ate a curry soup called khaubpoob. The contents were bamboo, chicken, noodles, coconut milk, red curry, mushrooms, cilantro and cabbage was optional.

Throughout the night they spoke some in Hmong some in English. A 7-year-old girl sat next to me and was interested in learning more about me and what I was doing there. She ended up translating for me, which I appreciated. Without her I would have been lost. 

Everyone has their own story. I have already had the opportunity to interview three people for my story. The first was a second generation Hmong, who is a student at UW-Green Bay. The second is considered a 1.5 generation Hmong and she works at UW-Green Bay. Next I was able to gain a different perspective from Ray Hutchinson, a UW-Green Bay professor of sociology and urban and regional studies. He is a member of the Hmong Studies Center on campus.

Tonight I will be attending a meeting at the Hmong Center of Green Bay(https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hmong-Center-of-Green-Bay-Inc/199444786776259). I am looking forward to this opportunity to hear more people's stories.  

During the Vietnam War the Hmong were recruited by the United States to help fight off communism. More than 30,000 Hmong soldiers were in the Vietnam War. Many Hmong died during the war and since. They fled to refugee camps in Thailand that were overcrowded and had little resources. Through sponsorships the Hmong started coming to the United States.

The Hmong are a culture without a country. Since the 1970s more than 260,000 Hmong have come to the United States from refugee camps in Southeast Asia. Traditionally the Hmong are a nomadic group. However it is not a home country that unites these people, but the values of community and traditions.

                      Compared to other cultures, the Hmong have only been in the United States for a short period of time.  During the time of the Vietnam War some Hmongs joined forces with the United States, which put all of the Hmongs in danger and forced them to find alternatives, such as refugee camps in Thailand and Laos. As of 2010, there are approximately 260,000 Hmongs in the United States according to the 2010 Census. With the top three highest populations in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Hmongs came to the United States in three waves, the first one started in 1976. Since then, the Hmong have faced the challenges in trying to preserve their traditions and beliefs in a fast-paced American society. The Hmong value spirituality, community and family, especially the respect of all of these. For the fast-paced American culture the values are more centered around time and success. This has created clashes within and amongst the Hmong generations because they are facing decisions about whether to fight to preserve or to become more assimilated.

           Veterans transitioning to civilian life, have the goal of gaining normalcy. The Veterans Administration creates stigma for veterans when they face a program "Gatekeeper." and have to justify their need for assistance.

    For many veterans, the most daunting task of returning to civilian life after service is having to change their profession. Educational benefits for returning veterans are available for this purpose, however, some disabled veterans need more help.

The history of Erik Buell Racing starts with the history of the man behind the name, Erik Buell. He founded the Buell Motor company in 1983 producing only one motorycle, the RW750 race bike. In 1993 he partnered with Harley Davidson to make Buell Motorcycles. Through October 30, 2009 Buells were made ending with a model line up of six motorcycles but financial troubles within Harley Davidson led to the end of Buell at this time.

Erik wasn't done though, two months later he started Erik Buell Racing. Still based in East Troy, Wisconsin Erik Buell Racing focused on the racing efforts of Buell still racing in AMA pro series. There was not much focus on road bikes at this time other than offering support for current buell owners until the launch of the 1190RS in September of 2010. This was a production version of their 1190RR race bike.

From 2011 until just recently the only real action coming out of Erik Buell Racing was in the AMA Superbike series where the 1190RR competed against the likes of Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, and Ducati.

Although many were excited for the public relase of the 1190RS, it was priced high at around $40,000 and had a very limited production making it one exclusive motorcycle that was not very attainable by the average consumer.

That al changed in 2013 when EBR released the 1190RX at the AIMExpo. Things had been looking good for EBR coming into the relase of the 1190RX as India's Hero MotoCorp Ltd., purchased a 49.2 percent stake in Erik Buell Racing giving them the funding they needed to get things rolling in a very serious way.

The 1190RX relase brought some very exciting news along with the relase of the new mass production motorcycle. The first was the fact that the 1190RX had some very impressive numbers and a price tag half of the ultra-exclusive 1190RS but EBR also announced that they would be entering in competiton in the World Superbike Series for the 2014 season along with their current efforts in the AMA Superbike series in America.