Looking ahead to the month of May, I'm putting together a feature called The 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30. Over thirty days, I'll be profiling thirty young individuals who are making an impact in their respective fields, in their communities, and the world at large.
I'm still sort of figuring out how to do this. The now-defunct APA political website politicalcircus.com put together a list like this many, many years ago, and I always thought it was a pretty good idea. So I'm bringing it back. But I need your help.
I'm putting the call out. I already have several people in mind who are going to make the cut, but this list won't be very good unless I get some suggestions from you. It could be anyone -- artists, activists, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs -- as long as they're 30 years old or younger. It could be someone you're aware of on a national level, someone in your own community, or someone you know personally.
To nominate someone, email me (with "30 UNDER 30" in the subject line) with the person's name, age, what they do, and in a hundred words or less, why you think they are one of the 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30. I'll be accepting nominations through the end of April.
To whittle down the list to thirty, I'll be conferring with a select team of (not yet determined) editorial consultants. If your nominee is under consideration, I might contact you with some follow-up questions. For the sake of my sanity, one nomination per person please. So make it a good one. And please, spread the word.
Good God. Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two American journalists detained by North Korea at the China border two weeks ago, will be indicted and tried for their "suspected hostile acts," according to Pyongyang's state-run news agency: NKorea says 2 US journalists will stand trial.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, "The illegal entry of U.S. reporters into the DPRK and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements." The report didn't say when a trial might take place, nor did it elaborate further on what "hostile acts" they allegedly committed.
Who are they kidding? Can the two really expect a "fair" trial? This is really bleak. Under North Korea's criminal code, conviction on charges of spying and illegally crossing the border could draw more than twenty years in prison for each of them.
Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured by North Korea's claims that they'll be treated well. Let's pray for some kind of international intervention, because it's obvious the regime has no intentions of freeing them soon. More here: N. Korea to Try U.S. Journalists
If you're in Los Angeles, here's something not to do this weekend: Opium Den. This is an actual Asian-themed party happening this Friday, April 3. "An Exotic Evening Inspired By The Orient," according to the promo materials. Wow, and I thought offensive racist theme parties were just for obnoxious fraternities. Can't let the college kids have all the fun. According to the event details:
Indulge Your Sense At The Opium Den, An Exotic Evening Inspired By The Orient...
Leave your cares behind and be transported to a mystical world of decadence and artistry.
Let Geishas pamper you and enjoy the delectable fusion tasting menu and delicious Cavalli cocktails.
Watch dazzling performances by samurai warriors, burlesque dancers and Cirque du Soleil acrobats. Relax in the hookah lounge.
I wonder how many actual Orientals were involved in the planning of this Exotic Evening Inspired By The Orient. What a fantastic opportunity to get your ignorant Asian fetish on for a night. Proceeds from the event are supposedly going to an organization called MENTA, though I can't find any further information on this entity. This exotic evening is brought to you by Fabulous Events. (Thanks, Chris.)
Here's an interesting article on Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ruby Yang, whose documentaries shine a light and spread awareness on lesser known, often taboo and controversial issues in Chinese society, like AIDS and homosexuality: Chinese Oscar winner happy despite lack of audience.
She won an Oscar in 2007 for her short documentary, The Blood of Yingzhou District, which tells the story of traditional Chinese family obligations colliding with the fear of AIDS in impoverished Anhui province, and the fate of those left behind. It's enormously depressing, but an amazing film.
Yet it's never been officially released in China, nor shown on state television, and probably never will be, due in part to its sensitive subject matter. She hopes, however, that the film has been able to raise awareness about AIDS in China amongst policy-makers and health professionals.
Her latest film, Tongzhi in Love, is a short documentary examining the lives of gay men in modern China. I've seen it, and it's a fascinating look cultural expectations, dutiful sons, and the dilemmas of a double life. The film is currently making its way through the film festival circuit. If you get the chance, I recommend checking it out.
The Daily Beast has more on "far-left blogger" Amanda Terkel, in her own words, explaining Fox News and Bill O'Reilly's ridiculous efforts to harass and discredit her villainous liberal views: Bill O'Reilly Is Stalking Me.
O'Reilly's producer actually tracked down and confronted Amanda while she was on vacation, basically making up lies on camera and accusing her of causing "pain and suffering" to the Alexa Foundation and rape victims. Because that apparently makes good television. On Fox News, that is.
They actually devoted an entire segment to Terkel's evil. All this, because Amanda called O'Reilly on his own previous bullshit comments about a rape victim. This has nothing to do with real, viable journalism -- this is about O'Reilly's long track record of harassment and intimidation.
I've been meaning to post something about this for a couple of weeks... Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) is a humanitarian organization focused on helping North Korean refugees and raising awareness about North Korean human rights issues. They do great work, and I've written about their efforts in the past.
LiNK is currently in the midst of promoting the award-winning South Korean feature film Crossing with a two-month, 300-screening national tour on college campuses across the country. Based on actual accounts from over a hundred North Korean refugees, the film tells the powerful story of refugees' dangerous journey across the North Korean border to freedom. Watch the trailer here.
To learn more about the film, as well the work LiNK is doing to bring relief and awareness to the plight of North Korean refugees, go to the organization's website here. Check the touring schedule to see when and where the film will be screening near you. Or better yet, maybe you or your organization can host a screening.
37-year-old Phong Thuc Tran, a former employee of Southern California Gas Co., is suspected of killing Hung Duy Dao, who was found dead in the driver's seat of his car, and his former supervisor Charles Santisteban, who was gunned down in his driveway. Tran died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while in his car parked outside the Anaheim police station.
Tran had worked as a field technician for the Gas Co. for seven years, until he was forced to resign in 2007. He apparently blamed his victims and other employees for losing his job. More here: O.C. police: Alleged gunman blamed victims for job loss.
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting profile on comic actor Aziz Ansari, who's been on the MTV sketch comedy show Human Giant, played one of the new interns on Scrubs, and will now been seen starring on the new NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation: The Rise of the Likable Jerk.
Next, you'll see him as a lotion salesman in the Seth Rogen comedy Observe and Report, and as a hyperactive stand-up comic in Judd Apatow's Funny People. Parks and Recreation premieres on Thursday, April 9.
If you're anywhere near Delray Beach, Florida this spring, you might want to check out the art exhibition Return of the Yellow Peril: A Survey of the Work of Roger Shimomura, 1969-2007, running now through May. at The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. I've never had the chance to check out a roger Shimomura art exhibit, but from what I've seen through the web over the yars, it's pretty cool.
Return of the Yellow Peril runs now through May 10. To learn more about the exhibit, go the Morikami Museum website here. To see learn more about the work of artist Roger Shimomura, visit his official website here. The piece above is a personal favorite of mine. It's called "Keep On Talkin', Michelle Malkin."
By now, you've probably heard about the four Oakland police officers who were shot to death during a shootout on March 21. I won't get into the politics of what's going on with law enforcement and the people in Oakland -- the situation is bad. But I will note that two of the officers who were shot and killed were Asian American: Fallen Oakland Police Officers Were Asian American.
According to the New York Times, the three candidates have spent upward of $200,000 each, hired campaign staffs, opened campaign offices, speechified and debated, conducted polling, recorded campaign songs and distributed carloads of campaign paraphernalia.
It's the biggest political campaign New York has seen since... who knows? All for the coveted title of the presidency of the Korean-American Association of Greater New York, a volunteer position in an organization that many Korean Americans, including its staff members, say is largely ceremonial.
But social and professional associations are a central part of Korean immigrant life, and candidates Semok Lee, Chang Yon Han and Yonghwa Ha aren't messing around: A Heated Campaign for a Ceremonial Post. The election was yesterday. So who won?
UPDATE: When all was said and done, victory for the presidency of the Korean-American Association of Greater New York went to 52-year-old insurance agent Yonghwa Ha: A Pitched Battle to Lead New York Koreans.
Hey Chicagoooo! This is your chance support some cool-ass independent Asian American cinema. The Foundation for Asian American Independent Media (FAAIM) presents the 14th Annual Asian American Showcase, happening April 3-16 at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.
The 2009 Asian American Showcase spotlights film and videos, along with music and visual art, produced by Asian American artists from across the United States and Canada, in a varied range of format and genre. Highlights include:
Dirty Hands : the art and crimes of David Choe, by Harry Kim, opening night spotlight, Friday April 3
Treeless Mountain, by So Yong Kim, closing night spotlight, Thursday April 16
The First Breath of Tengan Rei, by local directors Ed Koziarski and Junko Kajino
Also featuring Dim Sum Funeral, a comical 7day traditional Chinese funeral; the beautifully crafted coming of age drama Half-Life; and Fruit Fly, a flashy, trashy, and brazenly fun musical.
Don't miss Sarba Das's charmingly chaotic comedy about a Hoboken Hindu family in Karma Calling, or Hein Seok's documentary, The House of Sharing about an education center where four surviving Korean comfort women now live. Passing Poston: An American Story, Origns of Now: Stories of the Chicago Nisei, and The Dwelling is a documentary program about the struggles in which the Japanese and Japanese Americans historically and currently face.
Declare INDIEpendence! 2009: A Showcase of Asian American Music Celebrate the diversity of independent music in the Asian American community with performances by: Spark*Shop, Lanialoha & Kupono, Cynthia Lin and Wallet-Sized Photo. Hosted by Narciso 'Seeso' Lobo with DJ Huu T. Ly and special guest Dawen. April 15th, 2009 at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. Show starts at 8:30pm. Doors open and DJ set at 8pm. 17 and over. $10 cover.
Encounter with Distance - a visual art exhibition at the Gene Siskel Film Center Gallery/Cafe
All film programs will be at the Gene Siskel Film Center. You know I'm a sucker for Asian American film festivals. This particular one holds a special place place in my heart because it was the first one I ever attended, way back during its early years. Sounds like they've got another solid program. For more information about the Showcase, and full list of films and events, visit the FAAIM website here.
Asian Behaving Badly... Ponzi scheme edition! At this point, thanks to Bernie Madoff, everyone in America is aware of what a Ponzi scheme is. Some folks found out the hard way. This is a couple of weeks old, but it's a story out of Minnesota about Kalin Dao, one smooth-talking Ponzi schemer who bilked hopeful investors out of $10 million: Alleged architect of Ponzi scheme cast a 'spell'.
Ponzi schemes promise investors high returns, and in the early stages the architects of those schemes make good on that promise through "lulling" payments to initial investors, using fresh money from new ones. Dao was apparently extremely good at persuading strangers to part with hard-earned savings.
By the end, according to investigators, Dao's scheme had lured more than 500 clients, ranging in investments from $10,000 all the way to more than $100,000. I'm no financial whiz, but a word of wisdom: if it sounds like easy money, and looks too good to be true... get the hell out of there -- your money is halfway to gone.
Once again, we've got the latest video preview for Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero comic book anthology. This week's video is a look at "S.O.S." written by Tanuj Chopra and drawn by Alex Joon Kim. This one's definitely a more satirical piece, examining a very timely, relevant world issue in an absurd way.
"S.O.S." tells the tale of Raju "Bobby" Raval, founder of Superhero Outsource Services, aka S.O.S., provides a "super" support system for the thrifty superhero in today's tough economy -- eliminating the costly hassles of sidekicks or extra team members.
Secret Identities hits shelves on April 15. So close, you can smell it. Seriously -- when I get my copy, I'm going to smell it. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com. To learn more about the book, head over to the Secret Identities website here.
Not too long ago, I mentioned the perverted little Geisha iPhone application, where users could keep a virtual geisha in their pocket all the time, and get it to do their every bidding. Weird, I know. The damn thing will literally start dancing when you clap your hands. Some developer with Oriental fantasy on the brain also has a little too much time on their hands.
So I guess I shouldn't really be surprised to hear about an iPhone application like Cute Asian Girls. Not surprised. Yet still, appalling. What the hell? Who's the perverted Asian fetish freak who came up with this worthless app? It's all about "yellow fever," and doesn't even try to hide it. Here's the description from iTunes:
If you have yellow fever, this app is the cure!
Cute Asian Girls gives you HUNDREDs of photos of the most beautiful asian girls you have ever seen. Whether you're looking for asian girls with weapons, or girls in maid uniforms, or even just the casual girl in a summer dress, we have them all! Our photo collection is growing by the day and will continue growing by the truckload. Every day will introduce new photos for your viewing pleasure.
Download as many asian girl photos as your heart desires for free after you buy the app. Use them as your wallpaper, send them to friends, or set them as your contact's photos.
I don't think I have to explain how unhealthy someone who actually downloads and uses this application must be, considering that it shamelessly and explicitly appeals to those with "yellow fever." An exotic, Oriental sex object -- hundreds, actually -- can be yours, right in your pocket, for just 99 cents. The application comes courtesy of mobile development company StuckPixel, Inc. (Thanks, Alicia.)
Last week, we heard that the White House had named Harold Hongju Koh, dean of Yale Law School, to the key position of legal adviser to the State Department. Cool right? But wait! I didn't mean to forget Harold's brother...
Last week, President Obama nominated Dr. Howard Koh, an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health, to the post of assistant secretary for health in his administration: A Harvard dean gets call from Washington.
If confirmed, Koh would be responsible for establishing the nation's public health agenda, handling a vast portfolio that includes the US surgeon general and programs that coordinate vaccines, AIDS policy, minority health, and blood safety.
How you like that? Get ready, Washington. The Koh Brothers are running things up in this place. Howard's got the health and Harold's running legal. Recognize. More here: Koh Tapped To Be Assistant Secretary for Health.
Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, directed by Tammy Nguyen Lee, is a documentary looking back at the true story of over 2500 Vietnamese adoptees who came to America, facing a multitude of challenges and struggles, to start a new life. I first posted an early trailer about a year and a half back.
The documentary will make its world premiere this Friday, April 3 at the Vietnamese International Film Festival in Santa Ana, CA. There's more info about the screening on the Facebook event page I'm informed that they have a new, refreshed trailer here. For more information about the film, go here.
If you're in the Philadelphia area, come out this week and help the Asian Arts Initiative celebrate its Grand Opening, welcoming the public to its new home with a weekend's worth of creative fun, including the Chinatown In/flux opening reception, neighborhood walking tours, a performance showcase, and many more program highlights from the organization's 15-year history. Here's some details on this weekend's events:
Chinatown In/flux: Future Landscapes
April 3 - August 2, 2009 Opening reception: Friday, April 3, 5:30 p.m.
Rebecca Hackemann, Visionary Sightseeing Binoculars Nadia Hironaka, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio Kikuchi + Liu, Chinatown Orange Jonathan + Kimberly Stemler, the little red string
A constantly contested terrain, Philadelphials Chinatown continues to struggle for identity, survival, and growth. Through four site-specific installations in public locations, with participation of local community members, Asian Arts Initiativels exhibition hopes to catalyze imagination and action toward a positive vision for the future development of this neighborhood.
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street and neighborhood locations in Chinatown, PA
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday – Friday (215)557-0455 or www.asianartsinitiative.org
* * * * * *
Asian Arts Initiative Open House + Performance Showcase
celebrating the grand opening of our new home
Saturday, April 4, 2009
3 - 7 p.m. Open House 7:30 p.m. Performance Showcase
Free, with donations accepted and reservations for the performance showcase encouraged: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/59682
Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia (215)557-0455 or www.asianartsinitiative.org
Whether you are a regular or first-timer, you wonlt want to miss this fantastic diversity of dancers, musicians, poets, and spoken word artists blessing our new home with a live performance showcase—on what promises to be one of the most memorable nights of the Asian Arts Initiativels 15 year history!
Hosted by Edward Garcia with artists including Pallabi Chakravorty, Las Gallas, Mytili Jagganathan, Sham-e-ali al Jamil, Juliette Lee, Taiyo Na, Hanalei Ramos, Alex Shaw, YaliniDream and special guest musicians.
All Grand Opening Celebration events are free and open to the public. Donations are always accepted!
The Asian Arts Initiative Grand Opening Celebration all goes down this weekend at their new location at 1219 Vine Street. Like it says, all the events are free and open to the public. Fun, free, and you get a little bit of culture for your weekend. Philadelphia, represent. Support nonprofit Asian American arts. For more information, visit the Asian Arts Initiative website here.
The Los Angeles Times has an interesting story on Choi Won-kun and wife Lee Sam-sun, elderly farmers who became unlikely overnight celebrities after their appearance in the documentary Old Partner broke box office records in South Korea: To a South Korean farmer, this cow was sacred.
Old Partner chronicles two years in the lives of the hard-working couple as they await the death of the aging cow that has served them faithfully for 40 years. Doesn't sound very exciting, but the movie has shattered box office records, and has been heralded as a fable bout love, loyalty and rural Korean values.
The film has also made the couple reluctant celebrities. Since the movie's January premiere, the family's home has apparently been bombarded by curious visitors and photographers on a daily basis. This, of course, gets in the way of their daily routine. They just want to be left alone!
You can watch a trailer for the film on YouTube here, but without any English subtitles. I missed this film earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Somehow, a South Korean documentary about an old farmer and his cow didn't make it on to my list of viewing priorities. Now, I really want to see it.
I really wasn't going to write anything about this stupid video, and just dismiss it as silly foolishness. But you don't know how many messages I received about this in the last week, from folks who were either extremely amused or extremely angry. It seems I cannot ignore this damn video any longer: Yale Group Releases Racy (or -ist?) "Single Asians" Video
The video in question is by members of Mixed Company, an a cappella singing group at Yale, who created a video entitled "Single Asians," an utterly unfunny parody of Beyonce's "Single Ladies." It's just really really bad. Good Lord, did someone actually think this was a good idea?
It's truly cringe-worthy. More than the awful, unfunny lyrics, or that they seem to be having a wonderful time with racial and sexual stereotypes ("Me love you long time"? Really?), or that it's yet another Beyonce parody (about three months too late), I just feel really embarrassed. Embarrassed for these girls for thinking up and going through with the awkward, uncomfortable exercise.
You can watch it here. Warning: you will not be able to unhear/unsee this video after it has entered your consciousness. But you will wish you could get those precious two minutes back. It's that bad.
Knowing that one of my fave fellow bloggers, Jen from Disgrasian, was also once a member of a Yale a cappella group, I was definitely waiting for her comments on this video. She's not kind: Arr the Singre Ragies. And to echo Jen: Thanks to all who sent this one in, you know who you are, damn you.
Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES) is a nonprofit organization in Oakland's Chinatown, serving a predominantly Asian American student population through after school services. Started by UC Berkeley students as a volunteer club over 25 years ago, OASES is now a full-fledged nonprofit providing tutoring, mentorship, and enrichment services to Oakland's underprivileged youth.
However, like many nonprofits in this economy, the organization is currently facing an economic crisis, and is actively searching for innovative ways to raise funds. Here's one way you can help.
OASES is currently participating in razoo.com's "March Goodness" contest, where the nonprofit with the most donor supporters by the end of March will win $10,000. If you take a look at the calendar, there's only a handful of days left in March, so they need your help!
All you have to do is visit OASES' razoo campaign page, donate $10 or more, and you'll be counted as an official OASES supporter and added to the count. If they get the most donors, they'll win the grand prize, which will go a long way towards continuing their mission.
To help out, just click on the link here, register and donate. You can donate as much as you want, as long as it's at least ten bucks. So for the price of a movie ticket, dinner, or club cover charge, you could help OASES raise that $10,000. Remember, it's not about how much they raise, it's about how many individual people donate at least $10 dollars (but you can certainly donate as much as you like).
But you only have until Tuesday, March 31. Any donations made after the deadline -- while certainly still welcome -- will not count towards the contest. Support an organization that's been doing good work in a city that's had so much negative press lately. To learn more about OASES and their mission, visit the organization's website here.
Hooray! It's time for another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's reader is activist/organizer/blogger Tanzila "Taz" Ahmed.
Who are you? I am Tanzila Ahmed. But all my friends call me Taz. You can call me Taz, too.
What are you? I am an American, a voting American, a marginalized, history-hidden, "other" American, a second gen Muslim Bangladeshi, Bangla speaking American. I am a Desi, a South Asian American, an Asian American, a Person of Color. I am a community organizer, civic engagement advocate, policy wonk, voting researcher, racial justice activist, political campaigner, and an organizing trainer. I am a blogger, a writer, a poet, and a former punk rocker.
Where are you? I am home. After traveling the nation as a national trainer for a youth organization, and living in DC for a couple of years, I realized the importance of organizing for the people, by the people from the people. I had been a community organizer without a community. So after what feels like a long time, I have now returned back to the neighborhood I was raised in, in the Inland Empire of Southern California. I have been blessed to find a job where I can organize the community that I grew up in, with a way that is powerful and meaningful. And it feels good to build a community in the community I came from.
Where are you from? I used to hate this question as a kid, because I'd usually say, "Southern California," and people would respond with a, "No, where are you really from," in that condescending tone as if I was trying to be a smart ass with my answer. If you know what I'm talking about, go ahead, raise your hand. I see you. So, to answer the question, I'm from Southern California, born and raised (for the most part). The end.
Academically, I'm from the University of Southern California for my undergrad years, and received my Master in Public Policy from UCLA.
Virtually, I am from the South Asian American blog, Sepia Mutiny.
What do you do? On the clock, I am the Policy Manager for a local non-profit called the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) based in the heart of Orange County -- Garden Grove. Our organization does a variety of things for the local APIA community, from providing direct mental health service and afterschool programs for at-risk youth, educating the community on health issues to conducting research and developing publications on the APIA local community. My job in particular was to manage Project API Vote, which was our 2008 electoral non-partisan multilingual campaign where we educated and mobilized the community around the three elections in 2008.
Off the clock, I write. I find writing is just as important of a component to building community power as voting is. I am involved with the online youth journal WireTap Magazine and most of my articles can be found there. I am a blogger for the South Asian American blog, Sepia Mutiny, where we blog about anything with a brown tint. I write poetry and will go to local open mics, though I would hardly call it performing spoken word -- I just read out loud from my chapbook. I'm also working on writing a 'non-fiction memoir meets oral history of my history' type book.
Finally, I'm a trainer for Campus Camp Wellstone -- I get to go all across the country to train young people on how to organize strategically and efficiently using the Wellstone way.
What are you all about? Power.
I realized early on that I didn't have any and was angry by how this was driven by things I had little control over -- such as my race, class, or gender. I had been living in DC for three months, fresh faced out of college, when 9/11 happened. All of sudden, my identity of being a brown Muslim was put on blast -- I couldn't fly anymore without a "special call" needing to be made at the airport. Homeland security was knocking on my parents' door, and sitting in unmarked vehicles in front of their place. There were scary stories of people attacking my community, and yet I didn't see anyone building a political voice for these people -- the South Asian Americans that looked like me. I knew that the people in power were politicians and they only paid attention to two things: the power money and the power of vote. I was too broke to be a donor, but I knew how register people to vote. So I started an organization called South Asian American Voting Youth -- we ran campaigns all across the nation around the 2004 Presidential Election mobilizing 18-24 year old Desi Americans to get out and vote. I have now been working to mobilize voters for eleven years. Though my values may have changed slightly over the years, essentially, this is still the core to what I'm all about.
What makes you angry?
People that have really lame reasons to not vote. I mean, really, really lame reasons. For instance, "I forgot" is a really lame reason.
Long agenda-less conference calls.
Electeds who don't know how to budget, and don't know how to manage risk.
Folks doing APIA work that doesn't include South Asian or Pacific Islander groups, but still claiming they are pan-APIA.
Waiting for responses to text messaged questions.
That CA will likely spend about $66 million to hold a Special Election for a bunch of budget related propositions.
Obama boycotting the UN Conference Against Racism.
Anti-Muslim trolls in the comment threads at Sepia Mutiny.
The horrible injustices and killing going on in Gaza right now. STILL.
People that take every facebook quiz that exists and clutters my news feed.
When people think South Asian, APIA and People of Color are mutually exclusive terms for identity.
Bad spoken word performances where people hog the mic and just rant.
Hummers.
People that ask me "where are you from -- no, where are you really from?"
I recently heard from a reader named Robert, who's trying to rally up some support for a good cause... Robert Seo is a Korean American veteran of the Iraq war who lost a friend while deployed. He quit his job on Wall Street to move to South American to volunteer and to train for the Ironman Triathlon. Now that's the life!
In conjunction with the race, he's raising funds for the Jericho Project, which helps homeless veterans get back on their feet. Robert is hoping to raise enough funds to have a part of one of Jericho's buildings named after his buddy Gregory MacDonald, a fellow Marine of B Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, who died in Iraq.
The problem is, he's run into a wall for donations. He's currently looking for donors and sponsors. 100% of the funds go directly to the Jericho Project -- maybe you can help out. Learn more about Robert's story here, and follow along with Robert's efforts to train and fundraise on his blog: Race for the Fallen.
Check this out. Eden Roa Serina is the first and only snowboard racer from the Philippines on the World Cup circuit. Her goal is to be the first-ever female athlete representing the Philippines -- definitely not a nation known for its abundance of snow -- at a Winter Olympic Games. How cool would that be?
Eden was born in the Philippines, but actually grew up in the United States. Having narrowly missed qualifying for the 2006 Olympics, she's pursuing training full-time to race at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver... and looking for some sponsors. Learn more about Eden Serina at her website here.
The book focuses on the changing face of Christianity (i.e. more multi-ethnic and less focused on white, suburban America). I haven't had a chance to take a look at the book, but I know that Soon-Chan has been a longtime advocate of equality, social justice and cultural understanding within the church.
Longtime readers might remember the Rickshaw Rally fiasco from several years back. Reverend Rah was one of the more outspoken voices leading the charge against LifeWay Christian Resources and their objectionable use of stereotypical Asian imagery in children's Vacation Bible School material.
Check out Soong-Chan's blog here. Learn more about the book at the publisher's website here. The book talks about the Rickshaw Rally incident, as well as the racistSkit Guys church teaching material that was published a few years back. The book will be available next month. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.
Check out the official trailer for Tze Chun's debut feature film Children of Invention. You can watch it, along with a handful of other clips from the movie, here. I've already said quite a bit about the film, so see a little bit of what it's about for yourself.
This clip is my favorite, particularly because of the reaction from little Crystal Chiu. Freaking hilarious. To learn more about the movie, which is currently making its way through the film festival circuit, go to the official website here.
Last month, we heard that Florence Pan, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, had made the short list to fill a judicial vacancy on the D.C. Superior Court. Guess what? She got the job.
This week, President Obama announced his plans to nominate Florence Pan and Marisa Demeo to be Associate Judges in the D.C. Superior Court: Obama names nominations for DC Superior Court.
In a move that surprises absolutely no one, China has blocked YouTube. The entire site. As of this week, the entire nation of China has apparently been blocked access to the popular video sharing website, instead encountering a "Network Timeout" error message: YouTube blocked in China
Google, which owns YouTube, said it began noticing a decline in traffic from China about noon Monday. The last time this happened, about a year ago, China blocked YouTube in an attempt to squelch footage of independence protest riots in Tibet.
Many in the country speculated the latest ban may be an attempt to filter access to footage that a Tibetan exile group released. The videos show Tibetans being kicked and beaten, allegedly by Chinese police officers after the riots.
China, of course, did not directly address whether it has block YouTube. According to a foreign ministry spokesman, "China is not afraid of the internet. We manage the internet according to law... to prevent the spread of harmful information." I wonder how long it will be before this blog is blocked in China. That would be an honor.
Check out the trailer for Ang Lee's new film, Taking Woodstock. The Demetri Martin intro almost made me think it was fake, but he is indeed in the movie, and the trailer premiered on his Comedy Central show a few nights ago.
The movie tells the story a guy working at his parents' motel in the Catskills, who inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969. To be honest, I'm not really interested in this story... but if it's Ang Lee, I'll watch it. The movie opens in theaters this August.
If you live in Southern California, here's a cool opportunity to recognize an unsung local hero. Do you know someone who is making a difference by enriching our community and making it a better place to live?
Union Bank and KCET are looking for outstanding Asian Pacfic American men and women who have made significant contributions to improve the community. The stories of selected heroes will air on KCET in May. The categories for nomination are:
Arts - Individuals involved in the field of arts as artists, performing artists, visual artists, design artists. Also included are persons in management/administration levels who work with galleries, museums, culture programs, journalism, etc.
Business - Individuals who are small business owners who have achieved success as entrepreneurs. Individuals in the business field who are not business owners may be considered for demonstrating an extreme passion and advancement in their field of expertise.
Community Activism - Individuals involved in areas designed to bring about social or political change.
Education - Individuals involved in developing educational programs at any level (i.e. teachers/instructors, faculty, staff).
Social Services - Individuals who usually work with people viewed as having special disadvantages such as persons with low incomes, persons with disabilities, elders, persons with mental illness, the homeless.
Nominations must be submitted to KCET by Wednesday, April 1. To nominate someone, go to the online form here. For more information, call KCET at 323-953-5789 and/or email at kcetoutreach@kcet.org. You can nominate as many people as you'd like.
This is pretty interesting article in The Boston Globe about Councilor Sam Yoon, who is running for mayor of Boston, and his unique position as the first Asian American candidate for mayor in a city that has historically been steeped in ethnic identity politics: Trying to walk fine line on ethnicity.
So far, Yoon has signaled an intent to have it both ways when it comes to his race. It interviews, he's said that he doesn't want to be known by Boston voters as "the Asian candidate," and expressing a desire to be a transcendent political figure like President Barack Obama.
At the same time, he's put his his ethnicity at the forefront of his campaign as he seeks to energize a natural base of support and tap into Asian campaign fund-raising networks both from within and outside of Boston. If he plays it smart, he could leverage both sids of his political identity all the way to the mayor's office.
An observant reader named Van recently spotted the above image, advertising Snickers (the candy bar), on a huge billboard off I-95 in Philadelphia. Is there any other explanation for these words other than mocking what is supposed to be an "Asian" language?
Does anyone out there really know someone whose name is even close to "Chew Sum Yum"? This has to be the advertising equivalent of stupid, nonsensical ching chong gibberish. Who's the advertising genius who thought this one up -- a six-year-old? That's racist! (Thanks, Van.)
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly employs producers charged with the specific mission of ambushing and harassing those who have said critical things about him. O'Reilly has not only stalked and accosted ThinkProgress deputy editor Amanda Terkel, but he has also targeted at least 40 other individuals in much the same way.
If O'Reilly wanted statements from his opponents, there are alternative, more responsible ways of eliciting responses. Amanda was never asked to appear on The O'Reilly Factor, nor did the show ever reach out to ThinkProgress for comment prior to their decision to stalk her.
This isn't "journalism" - it's a mafia-style harassment operation. It's a campaign of intimidation and an unethical practice that amounts to an invasion of privacy. As Amanda said of her own altercation with O'Reilly's crew: "It was incredibly disturbing. The rest of the weekend, I was constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering how long they had been following me, if they're still following me."
We need to shut down the O'Reilly Harassment Machine. And the best way to do that is to demand that O'Reilly's corporate advertisers — those who are helping to fund this operation - issue a clear statement explaining their opposition to O'Reilly's brand of "ambush journalism."
Click here to tell O'Reilly's advertisers to stop supporting the O'Reilly Harassment Machine.
The goal is to hit where O'Reilly and Fox News where it hurts -- the bottom line, by going after advertisers. Learn more about what you can do to help this kind of dirty, fake-ass journalism here. Go here to send a message to O'Reilly's advertiserss, which include Capital One, Proctor and Gamble, AT&T, Audi and Johnson & Johnson, telling them how you feel about this issue.
You don't know how much this news scares the crap out of me... According to new research, those whose faces turn red when they drink -- as we all know, a condition that plagues many people of Asian descent -- may have an increased risk for deadly throat cancer: Drinkers' Red Face May Signal Cancer Risk.
The flushing response, which may be accompanied by nausea and a rapid heartbeat, is caused mainly by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called ALDH2, a trait shared by more than a third of people of East Asian ancestry. It doesn't take much -- as little as half a bottle of beer can trigger the reaction.
Those who turn red already know this. What they probably didn't know that the "Asian flush" might actually be an unusual warning sign of a serious risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer.
The enzyme deficiency results in problems in metabolizing alcohol, leading to an accumulation in the body of a toxin called acetaldehyde. People with two copies of the gene responsible have such unpleasant reactions that they are unable to consume large amounts of alcohol. This aversion actually protects them against the increased risk for cancer.
The malignancy is called squamous cell esophageal cancer, is also caused by smoking and can be treated with surgery, but survival rates are very low. Even moderate drinking increases the risk, but it rises sharply with heavier consumption. It's all in the article.
Great. You thought it was just annoying side effect of drinking. But ignoring the symptom and continuing to drink is apparently likely to increase the incidence of esophageal cancer. Not only do all these Asians have to suffer the embarrassment of turning red after drinking, we're at risk of cancer too! Damn you, body. This sucks.
Saw this video recently posted on Facebook: "Let's Go" Crudo (dan the Automator and Mike Patton). The song is "Let's Go" by Crudo, a collaboration by Dan the Automator and Mike Patton. The song is apparently featured in the movie The Shinjuku Incident (or maybe it's just an unofficial fan video cut together to the song?), starring Jackie Chan and Daniel Wu. Either way, it's kind of a cool song.
The Shinjuku Incident is being described as Jackie Chan's move away from action comedy and first attempt into truly serious acting. He apparently doesn't even fight in this one -- which is admirable, but not necessarily fun for viewers who have come to know and love his unique brand of action.
Still, it's directed by Derek Yee, who did a great job with dramas like One Night in Mongkok and Protege. Without the usual Jackie Chan action, I guess I'm curious to see if they even try to market this movie in the United States.
Meanwhile, Ling Liu over TIME informs me that they're taking questions for their upcoming interview with Jackie Chan. Submit your question to the veteran action movie star, and it might just get answered in an upcoming issue of TIME magazine: Ask Jackie Chan.
This casting breakdown, for a play called The Shanghai Gesture going up in New York, was recently passed along to me. I don't know much about this production, but judging from the characters and their descriptions, it sounds like some crazy kind of exotic orientalist fantasy. Check it out:
THE SHANGHAI GESTURE Theatre V/T: JULIA MILES THEATER, NYC CONTRACT: NY LOA
Producers: Sabra Jones Director: Bob Kalfin 1st rehearsal: March 24, 2009 1st Preview: April 21, 2009 Opening date: April 26th
SEEKING:
[MOTHER GOD DAMN] (CAST) Seeking Understudy and possible future replacement. 40's. A former Manchu Princess of Tung Kow, of the great house of Chi-Yan-Ko. Betrayed when she was 20 by a British lover who sold her into brutal sexual slavery, she is now, in 1928, the Madame of the largest most luxurious, most cosmopolitan and stylistically most chic bordello in the world. An internationally recognized beauty who has toured the world, Mother God Damn was painted by Sargent and was a well-known figure in the salons of Europe. Fluently in command of European as well as Asian languages, Madam now has an international clientele of all the top industrial and political players in the foreign and Chinese community. Proud, sensual, mercurial, she has recreated herself into the most powerful and wealthiest woman in Shanghai. Alternately playful and capricious, as well as commanding (sometimes even fearful), she has a distinct sense of humor. With a mastery of the use of theater; she uses her effects to the hilt. Underneath all this is a vulnerable, deeply hurt and deeply wronged woman who has lived and patiently waited twenty years for her moment of revenge and poetic justice.
Seeking Principals and Understudies:
[CAESAR HAWKINS] Early 30's to early 40's. Oxford educated. A tall fair-haired young Englishman, a little down at the heels in appearance. A good man at heart; a somewhat wasted opium addict. Dependant upon her, Hawkins is genuinely devoted to serving his Mistress, Mother Goddam in her luxurious bordello. Her scribe as well as jack of all trades, he is discreet, caring, respectful and considerate. It is clear she can trust him when she needs to turn to someone for help, revealing more of herself to him than she ever would to anyone else. There is something a bit sad about CAESAR HAWKINS.
[LIN CHI] An ancient Chinese man. 'The Mole. Chief Clerk of the establishment. He is a wizened, shrimpish little man with a crooked spine and gleaming eyes behind Babu spectacles. LIN CHI has been with Mother Goddam for nearly 20 years, and knows how she operates. He serves well the woman he thinks he knows, without really knowing her. [Note: Doubles in other roles].
[PRINCE OSHIMA] Early 30's. A young Japanese. Tall and aristocratic in appearance and as faultlessly dressed for the morning as Bond Street can make him. He carries a walking stick and a soft felt hat.' He speaks British English, with only a slight trace of accent. Oxford educated, he is the Ex-Attache to Pekin from Japan. He was not long in diplomatic service - it did not suit him. OSHIMA is what one might call a Japanese 'Playboy' [referred to as a 'Paris Japanese.'] This man's deeds always concern love matters. He is a person of no morals. Elegant, extremely handsome and a nee'r do well. A hedonist with all the prejudices of his class, he was, in earlier days, Mother Goddam's 'pet.'
[POPPY] 20's. Guy Charteris' daughter. 'Exquisite as a summer morning. Everything about her spells youth and 'beaute de diable.' She has the beautiful modulated voice of the well-bred English girl. She is small, slender, willowy and graceful. Yet there is an alien something in her brunette beauty.' The eventual revelation of her Eurasian mixed blood is a total surprise to both her and her father]. Sir Guy's wife died in childbirth, POPPY was brought up by her father to be a proper English young lady. Motherless, the girl grew rebellious, chafing against the conventions and hypocrisy of her social class. Under POPPY's facade, there lurks a defiant monster: a completely out of control alcohol and opium addict, and a self-confessed nymphomaniac. Shameless, rebellious, totally self-indulgent, this young woman has frightening power when unleashed; a virago when thwarted.
[MANDARIN KOO LOT FOO] 50's and up. Ex-Envoy to Russia. The Great Jade King. A man of great wealth. 'He is a tall imposing Chinaman with impressive white moustaches and goatee. He is dressed most elegantly, in rich sober silks. On his head he wears the hat and peacock feather of rank and distinction.' [Think of a Chinese Sidney Greenstreet ' a la 'Casablanca']
[SIR GUY CHARTERIS] mid-40's. Taipan of the British China Trading Company. An Englishman who made his fortune in the Orient. 'A tall distinguished Englishman, immaculate in appearance, with great charm of manner. He is graceful, easy, polished and not altogether unaware of it.' A ladies-man, and an opportunist who bought his way in. Ultimately, a man with no sense of moral responsibility. A betrayer, with the prejudices and hypocrisy of the worst of his class. A deeply shallow man.
[CREEK SIDE MARY] late 40's-50's. A cockney wharf rat. Keeper of a slum brothel catering to 'sea folk' down on the docks. Coarse, with a loud voice, she is 'a nightmare of a woman ' foul, ragged, drunken, broken-toothed, bleary-eyed, shapeless.' [Note: Doubles in other roles].
[SIR JOHN BLESSINGTON] 50's-60's. Port Judge of Shanghai. Pink-faced, portly and bland. He and his wife make up an extremely dignified English couple.
[LADY BLESSINGTON] 50's-60's ' portly, and dowdily impressive. [Note: Doubles as young girl].
[MONS. LE COMTE DE MICHOT] 50's-60's. 'Number One of the Bank of Europe-Asia.' 'Bewhiskered 'a la Napoleon', he and his wife are a French couple of extremely rich and fastidious appearance.'
[MM. LE COMTESSE DE MICHOT] 40's-50's. She is 'somewhat small, mouselike and malicious but very smartly dressed. [Note: Doubles as girl]
[MR. DUDLEY GREGORY] mid-20's, early 30's. Number One of the United States Oil Company. He and his wife make up a youngish and alert American couple.
[MRS. GREGORY] 20's ' Extremely fashionable and pretty. [Doubles as girl].
[DON QUEREBO D'ACHUNA] mid 40's-50's. Charge d' Affairs of Latin America; a Bolivian diplomat. 'Tall and foreign looking, with many orders across his shirt front.'
[DONNA QUEREBRO D'ACHUNA] late 30's, [or perhaps indeterminately older]. A climber. When she looses her 'Spanish' accent, she might sound like Jean Harlowe, revealing her origins as 'Minnie Baxter'. [Doubles as girl].
[CHO TSI] Older Chinese Woman. Mother Goddam's 'Amah' - her personal servant. [Note: Doubles as girl, other roles].
[TSA] 30's-50's. A very large imposing Chinese man; the Eunuch who maintains order in Mother Goddam's brothel. [Note: Doubles in other roles].
[NI PAU (LOST PETAL)] 20. Delicate, very fair and blonde. Exquisite, though dressed in horrid rags. Note: May appear as though she were nude, when put on exhibition to be auctioned off later in the play.
Who dreams up this kind of stuff? If I'm not mistaken, the production is a revival (re-imagining?) of a play that originally ran on Broadway in the 1920s, and was eventually made into a film. Somebody's mad opium haze fantasy of the Orient. Neither of these sound like they were very good the first time around. But hey, eighty years later, there always seems to be more room for more dragon ladies, gambling dens, generally illicit Asian activity in fiction. That's racist! (Thanks, Nick.)
Lot of sketch comedy going on this weekend in Los Angeles... Starting this Friday, March 27, "the nation's premier Asian American comedy improv and sketch group" Cold Tofu presents their latest comedy show, Tofu Exposed. Here are some details:
Cold Tofu Improv Presents
Tofu Exposed: An All New Sketch Comedy Show
Directed by Stephen Kearin
Featuring Steve Brady, Denise Iketani, John Lau, Jully Lee, Kevin Ocampo, Helen H. Ota, Michael C. Palma and Aaron Takahashi
6 shows only!
Friday, March 27th at 8pm Saturday, March 28th at 8pm Friday, April 3rd at 8pm Saturday, April 4th at 8pm Friday, April 10th at 8pm Saturday, April 11th at 8pm
Avery Schreiber Theatre 11050 Magnolia Blvd. , North Hollywood , CA 91601 (Street parking available)
$15 general admission $12 students, seniors (55+), and groups 10+ Opening Night $25 includes post-show reception
Seating is extremely limited (the theatre seats only 36), so early reservations are highly recommended. For reservations, email us at tofuexposed@gmail.com or call (213) 739-4142.
I've seen Cold Tofu in action before, and they're a funny-ass bunch. This should be another great show. To learn more about the group, and more information about the show, visit the Cold Tofu website here, and their MySpace page here.
This is an awesome story out of Thailand... This week in Bangkok, a fireman dressed up as the wall-crawling costumed superhero Spider-Man to coax a frightened autistic eight-year-old from a balcony: Thai fireman in 'spider-man' rescue of autistic boy.
Teachers at a special needs school reportedly alerted authorities when the student, scared of attending his first day at school, sat out on the third-floor ledge and refused to come inside.
Upon hearing about the boy's love of superheroes, fireman Sonchai Yoosabai jumped into action. He dashed back to his fire station, made a quick change into a Spider-Man costume and returned to the boy, urging him to come off the ledge with no problem.
Spidey saves the day. The question is, what is the guy doing with a Spider-Man getup in his locker? He apparently keeps the costume, along with an Ultraman outfit at the station in order to liven up school fire drills.
Check this interesting Daily Beast piece by Meghan McCain (yes, daughter of John), who interviews Supriya Jindal, wife of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. At 37, the youngest first lady in the United States, she also comes across as one of the GOP's rising stars. She talks about her marriage, her reaction to the negative press on the speech, and why her husband converted to Christianity: The First Lady of 2012?
On Monday night, a man confronted him in the laundromat, accusing him of "snitching." When Han picked up the phone to call police, 21-year-old Bennie Hale punched him in the face. Hale then destroyed computer equipment in the office and threw a microwave on top of Han.
But he's okay. Bruised and sore, but still totally badass. The old timer, a former tae kwon do master and veteran of the South Korean army is tough, stubborn and unafraid. Call him cranky, but he's obviously unwilling to take shit from anyone -- especially a bunch of street punks.
Hale, who has previous drug convictions, was charged with aggravated battery of a senior citizen. He appeared in court Tuesday and a judge set bail at $100,000.
Following up on the post from a couple of weeks back on the most racist laundromat in America -- U-Washee in Richmond, Indiana -- here's a photo of what might be the second most racist laundromat, spotted and snapped outside Washee Washee in Caseyville, Illinois. Don't you just want to go in there and take a look around?
No idea if it has all the same fun, racistcaricature signs adorning the inside... but do note the use of extreme ching chong font out front. They just couldn't resist. I guess the implication is that Asians -- or at least, the obvious suggestion of Asian-ness -- will be extra effective in getting your clothes clean... even if you are just doing the coin-op laundry yourself. (Thanks, Mike.)
More on Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the American journalists who were detained last week in North Korea... The United Stats says that North Korea has "assured" Washington that the two women are being treated well, adding it was "aware" that they faced espionage charges: NKorea to treat detained journalists well: US.
I'm sorry, but do assurances from the North Korean government really comfort anyone? Unfortunately, for now, it's all we really have to go on. U.S. officials are pressing for the Swedish government to be provided with consular access to visit Lee and Ling, who work for Current TV.
In Seoul, a South Korean daily reported that North Korean intelligence officials are questioning the journalists and will likely try to persuade them to confess to spying. South Korea's National Intelligence Service, however, declined to comment, and an analyst said he doubted whether the pair would be charged with spying.
This is a mess. All of it, of course, happening under the shadow of rhetoric, rising tension and speculation overs an upcoming North Korean missile test, and the already-fragile state of six-party nuclear disarmament talks. The issues are supposedly separate... but you can't deny that things are in such a bad state right now, it could have an effect on the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling.
As rumored last month, on Monday, the White House announced that it planned to nominated Harold Hongju Koh, dean of Yale Law School, to the key position of legal adviser to the State Department. He would serve as principal counselor on all legal matters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Koh tapped for State Department.
Koh, who is considered an authority on national security law, was a frequent critic of the Bush administration's handling of suspected terrorists in detention. In June 2004, he described the quality of legal work in Justice Department memorandums on torture as "embarrassing" and "abominable." Hear that, John Yoo?
Earlier this year, when the Supreme Court announced that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was suffering from early-stage pancreatic cancer and speculation rose about a possible vacancy on the high court, Koh's name was among those mentioned as a possible candidate.
It kind of took me all of Tuesday to recover, because Monday night's World Baseball Classic final, South Korea vs. Japan, was a hell of a game. I won't try to feign impartiality -- I was rooting for Korea, and Japan's 5-3 victory in the 10th inning was kind of heartbreaking. I shake my fist at you, Ichiro. I drowned my sorrows with a mixture of beer and cup ramen.
But any way you look at it, you have to admit, the WBC was an amazing tournament, and the final game summed it all up, with the old rivalry making it that much more thrilling. The rest of the United States might not have cared, but on Monday night, at Dodger Stadium and beyond, the fans on both sides were having a blast: 'Baseball War' for Asia's old rivals.
The Los Angeles Times recently ran a story on a recent wave of foreign exchange teachers from the Philippines who are primarily being recruited to fill chronic teacher shortages in math, science and special education throughout the United States: Filipino teachers exchange homeland for jobs in America.
More than 100 school districts, including at least 20 in California, are recruiting from the Philippines. The Los Angeles Unified School District has hired 250 to 300 teachers from the Philippines -- the largest contingent among more than 600 foreign exchange teachers overall.
Why the Philippines? The Philippines apparently has an abundance of teachers, which allows U.S. recruiters to avoid perceptions that they are taking educational resources needed by Filipinos. And most Filipinos speak English and can understand some Spanish.
And of course, Filipino teachers are lured by far better pay in the United States. Most teachers in the Philippines earn $300 to $400 a month, less than one-tenth what they can pull down in Los Angeles.
It's a pretty fascinating phenomenon. I wasn't really aware of it until I heard about this upcoming documentary, The Learning, by award-winning filmmaker Ramona Diaz. The film follows a group of Filipina schoolteachers who have migrated to Baltimore, Maryland, to teach in inner-city schools. Watch a trailer for the film here.
Recently spotted... a Vietnamese restaurant with a very clever name and sign.... but probably a little too clever for its own good. I love it. No doubt capitalizing on the local Silicon Valley tech industry appeal (the Mission Blvd. sign indicates it's probably in San Jose, or Santa Clara, or Fremont), you might just mistake it for the official noodle shop of Steve Jobs. I'm sure the pho is delicious. That said, good luck handling the inevitable legal onslaught from Apple's lawyers. (Thanks, Michael.)
This is a really interesting story from the San Diego Union-Tribune, on Heihachi Ishikawa, aka "Ishikawa Fisherman," one of a number of Japanese Americans who would regularly risk theirs lives and sneak out of the well-guarded Manzanar internment camp to go fishing: Internment camp detainees risked all to fish.
More than 150 of the Manzanar internees apparently "escaped" camp to go fishing. Manzanar was the first of ten internment camps that housed an estimated 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast at the start of World War II. From March 31, 1942 to November 21, 1945, Manzanar would hold more than 11,000 internees.
Cory Shiozaki, currently a docent at Manzanar, and a member of the Manzanar Committee, is working on a documentary, From Barbed Wire to Barbed Hooks, to preserve the stories of how internees busted out of Manzanar to go fishing in the Sierras.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the annual pilgrimage to Manzanar. Sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Manzanar Committee, it will be held Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the Manzanar National Historic Site. For more information about the event, go here.
Choi, a grandmaster in tae kwon do, held a ninth-degree black belt, won numerous martial arts titles and opened multiple schools in the Oregon area, teaching thousands of students during the course of his career. He also helped establish tae kwon do nationally, serving in the sport's governing body in the United States. More on his career here: Grandmaster Tae Hong Choi Passes Away.
As I mentioned last week, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) held a national teleconference yesterday focusing on outreach to Asian American and Pacific Islanders for the 2010 Census. Here's the press release with the recap:
CAPAC Engages Asian and Pacific Islander Communities to Participate in 2010 Decennial Census
Washington, DC - This afternoon, on behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Reps. Mike Honda and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott hosted census stakeholders for a national census teleconference meeting that focused on outreach to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (audio available here: honda.house.gov/media/2010_Census Teleconference.mp3)
During the call, the Census Bureau, congressional leaders, community stakeholders, and ethnic media reporters engaged in a dialogue on outreach to this growing and diverse population, currently constituting over 15 million people in the United States. Participants hailed from throughout the United States, including California, Ohio, Texas, New York, Washington, Florida, Minnesota, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, and other areas with significant Asian and Pacific Islander populations.
"We each have a critical role to play to make sure that our communities are counted," said Honda, chair of CAPAC. Honda, member of the Commerce, Science, Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau, advocated for the $1 billion of census funding that was included in the economic recovery legislation, boosting resources for the constitutionally mandated count. "We need trusted opinion leaders and nonprofits in our communities, ethnic media outlets, and congressional district offices to help get the word out."
Congressman Scott discussed the stakes in an accurate decennial count for Asian and Pacific Islander communities. "It is incredibly important that our communities know about the decennial census, and fill out those forms," said Scott, chair of CAPAC's Civil Rights Task Force. "Certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including provisions that protect language minorities, are triggered by the decennial count. The decennial count also affects bread and butter issues in our communities. Each person left uncounted costs a local jurisdiction $24,000 of federal funding over a course of 10 years."
Community advocates highlighted the need for the Census Bureau to ensure diversity when hiring partnership specialists. Terry M. Ao, director of census and voting programs, at the Asian American Justice Center noted, "An accurate census count is extremely important to the Asian American community because census data are used to determine voting representation and to distribute federal funds for key services like education and housing. But historically, a disproportionate number of Asian Americans have been missed in the census. AAJC is working with community leaders, government officials and the Census Bureau to ensure that Asian Americans are fully counted in the 2010 census."
Concerns about funding available for census outreach efforts were also raised. Vincent Pan, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a San Francisco-based advocacy organization noted, "In this economy, I'm extremely concerned that community based organizations most capable of assisting Census efforts do not have access to the local or state resources that they have had in the past."
Finally, during the discussion, the vital role of ethnic media outlets was also highlighted. "There are more than 800 Asian Pacific American media organizations throughout the U.S. and this doesn't even include the vast number of new media," said Bill Imada, chairman and CEO of IW Group, a full-service communications firm that specializes in Asian American markets. "This figure represents more than a 300% growth rate since 1990. The growth of APA media in this country clearly demonstrates the importance these organizations play in providing culturally relevant and accessible news information to our communities around the country. We need the support of community-based organizations throughout the country to get the word out about the importance of the Census."
You can hear a recording of the teleconference here. It's a little dry, but important. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. To learn more about CAPAC, go here.
If you're in Los Angeles this weekend, you should head over to Little Tokyo to check out the third season of The Sketch Comedy Show. The award-winning sketch comedy troupe, presented by Projekt Newspeak, returns for its first show of the year this Saturday, March 28 at East West Players in Los Angeles. Here are some details:
Project NewSpeak presents Season 3 of...
SKETCH COMEDY SHOW.com
Directed by Brian Corpus
Saturday, March 28
TIME: doors open 6:30 pm | show starts at 7:00 pm
LOCATION: East West Players 120 Judge John Aiso St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Guest Performers: Vudoo Soul, Derrick Jackson Guest DJ: Phatrick
CAST: Davis Choh, Earl Baylon, Jeremy Lalas, Kris Clemente, Eddie Kim, Surina Jindal, John Wrot, Jason Owsley and Jeena Yi
Just take a look at that flyer! Zany, right? Don't miss out. Buy your tickets online, and get more information about the Sketch Comedy Show on their website here or here. In these times, we could all use some laughs. This should be a really fun night.
A bunch of folks have written in to tell me about this incident involving Fox News, who apparently sent their employees to stalk Amanda Terkel a blogger for Think Progress. She was followed from DC, into Virginia, across the state, and then ambushed and interrogated while she was on vacation, basically in an attempt to smear and discredit her... all on behalf on good ol' Bill O'Reilly: I Was Followed, Harassed, And Ambushed By Bill O'Reilly's Producer.
I won't get into the issues behind the ambush, but it pretty much stems from Amanda calling O'Reilly on his usual hypocrisy and bullshit, this time involving a segment on rape victims. There's video and analysis of the whole thing here: O'Reilly Producer Stalks Amanda Terkel: THE VIDEO. And here's a Facebook group in support of Amanda Terkel: We stand with Amanda Terkel.
Last week in Los Angeles, authorities arrested and charged 50-year-old Robin Kyu Cho with the 2003 triple murder of a woman, her 2-year-old son and his babysitter, capping a six-year investigation: Neighbor charged in 2003 Park La Brea triple murder.
Authorities haven't said what Cho's motives were for the killing, but according to prosecutors, a combination of physical and circumstantial evidence connects him to the murders of Chi Hyon Song, 30; her 2-year-old son, Hyun Woo Song; and the 56-year-old nanny, Eun Sik Min.
Prosecutors said they have filed a special circumstance of multiple murders, making Cho eligible for the death penalty. The district attorney's office will not decide whether to seek the death penalty or life without parole for Cho until his case moves closer to trial.
Looks like it doesn't have to be Halloween for racist costumes to pop up in our everyday lives. Jennifer tells me she recently spotted this little doozy on the racks while shopping for school supplies at the chain store U.S Toy Company. It's the Asian Moustache!
Note the totally authentic pagoda silhouettes in the artwork for full effect. At least the caricature doesn't have slanted eyes and buck teeth. Still, what exactly makes this "Asian"? They could've easily put this on the shelf and simply called it "long black moustache" without getting all racial on us.
The U.S. Toy Company website also has the Asian Moustache available with some crazy-ass eyebrows. Three assorted styles! For just $6.99, you too can have the facial hair of Asia. Just throw on a pair of Slanties, and you'll fool everyone! Ugh. (Thanks, Jennifer.)
This is a really interesting article on the increasing number of reported incidents of brutal hazing rituals -- sometimes resulting in death -- among Asian American fraternities: The New Animal Houses. NPR's Tell Me More picked up on the story with its own really interesting, really sad segment: Asian-American Frat Life Marred By Hazing.
It's true, we've recently heard about a significant number of hazing-related deaths among Asian American fraternities. However, I wouldn't necessarily single it out as an Asian American thing. There are fraternities/sororities, sports teams and other organizations that engage in hazing, regardless of race and/or culture.
Having never been involved in an Greek organization before, I can't really speak to why young college students are compelled to join, and then go through the harrowing, dangerous and/or humiliating rituals they sometimes have to endure just to "belong." (I am not, of course, talking about all fraternities, but you can't deny that these practices do indeed occur.)
But I do know when a fraternity is collectively involved, it makes it that much harder for any one person to shoulder the blame and take responsibility when something goes horribly wrong. If they entire fraternity, as a collective entity, was taking part, who is really to blame?
Which member of Lambda Phi Epsilon at the University of Texas takes responsibility for the events that led to the death of Jack Phoummarath, who died of alcohol poisoning as a result of hazing? Who's the sad sack who gets to face Phoummarath's family and tell them what happened that night?
All I know is, hearing Jack's sister Marion in the NPR story, her voice cracking at the mention of her brother... it just breaks your heart. No one should have to go through that. It's senseless.
All right! It's time for another video preview of Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero comic book anthology. (Is it just me, or does the guy doing the opening narration sound remarkably like Adam West?) This week's story is "The Citizen," written by Greg Pak, with art by Bernard Chang. It's probably the book's most "superhero-esque" character in the traditional sense.
The story follows Frank Murakawa, a Sergeant from the Arizona National Guard who was exposed to unknown chemicals during a training accident endowing him with amazing abilities -- turning him into... THE CITIZEN. Incarcerated for attempting to arrest the former President of the United States for war crimes, The Citizen finds himself released from prison by the new Commander-in-Chief, enlisting his help.
For the record, I'm told that Greg had written in Barack Obama as the story's President way before he had even won the DNC's nomination -- and way, way before all these other comics did it.
Are you tired of me talking about Secret Identities? Sorry. I'm a geek, I'm excited about this book, and I'll keep mentioning it here until it hits stores next month... and probably some more after that. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com. To learn more about the book, go to the Secret Identities website here.
Last week, we heard the sad and unfortunate news that activist and educator Richard Aoki had passed away. During the 1960s, he was one of the few Asian Americans active in the Black Panther Party, and the only one of attain a formal leadership role as Field Marshal. Here's a longer, more detailed obituary for Aoki that ran last week: Former Black Panther leaves legacy of activism and Third World solidarity. (Thanks, Momo.)
This is pretty cool news... The indie comedy Made in China, directed by Judith Krant and produced by James Choi, took the jury prize for best narrative feature last week at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin: "Made in China" tops SXSW awards. Here's the synopsis:
Slinkys, Pet Rocks, Ant Farms. Behind each of those great novelties is the story of a great Novelty Inventor. 'Made In China' is the story of one such inventor. Johnson, a self-styled novelty inventor from a small town in East Texas, is determined to bring his big idea -- "a humorous domestic hygiene product" -- to the world. Johnson's journey takes him to the Mecca of the novelty world: China, where anything is possible and everything has its price. Lost in the backstreets of Shanghai, Johnson discovers that it takes more than a million dollar idea to make it to the big time. It takes guts, determination, and a fist full of sneezing powder.
The film also earned a special jury award called the SXSW/Chicken & Egg Emergent Woman Award. Dammit, I'm really bummed I didn't get to catch the film at its world premiere in Austin last weekend. (My panel was happening at the same time as the screening.) I'll have to catch it another time.
It's the Hollywood studio project that seems to have hit every single speed bump possible. For fans of the Green Hornet, it's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. For the purposes of this discussion, for me, it's always been about who would play the vital role of Kato -- the role originally made famous by Bruce Lee.
We were excited to hear Stephen Chow's named thrown out as a possible actor to play Kato, and absolutely elated to hear last fall that he had not only signed on to star, but also direct the movie. The excitement was short lived, when we heard he was backing out of directing duties. Bummer, but at least he'd still be playing Kato, right? Sadly, no.
With all that's happened with the project up to now, I'm not really surprised. It seemed like he was on his way out a long time ago. I assume they're actively looking for someone to replace him -- a Green Hornet must have his Kato. But damn, I seriously can't think of anyone who'd be better for the part.
Six years ago, our friends Hyphen started their cool, independent, community-based Asian American magazine. To celebrate, they're throwing a party: Six In The City. This Friday, March 27 at Club Six in San Francisco. Music, fashion, art, cake... it's going to be a fun time. Here are the details:
HYPHEN is turning 6... that's like 30 in independent magazine years! Celebrate with us.
Six in the City Friday, March 27th, 2009 9-2a @ club six, san francisco
$10 | $20 w/ a subscription (50% off) | 21+
*free subscription to first 50 guests! (courtesy of IW group)*
music ~ fashion ~ art ~ cake ~ photobooth fun ~ prize giveaways
Indeed, in independent publishing years, six years is actually more like twenty. So happy birthday and congratulations, Hyphen. Make plans to help them celebrate and head on out to the party this Friday. And if you haven't already, why not support the magazine and subscribe?
Newly appointed Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu has found himself "dumped into the deep end of a pool," having to navigate all the questions and scrutiny that come along with Washington politics: Energy Secretary Serves Under a Microscope.
The guy may be Nobel laureate and brilliant scientific mind, but I don't think anyone quite prepared him for the bureaucratic beast of D.C. He's definitely not a career politician, but he knows what he's talking about, and he's equipped to get the job done right.
Both teams have played their asses off this whole tournament, and tonight, South Korea faces Japan -- for the fifth time in the tournament -- at Dodger Stadium for the title: Japan has a date with Korea in final.
This is the final matchup that was meant to be. Sure, this is only the second WBC tournament, but the intense Korea/Japan rivalry has spanned decades, centuries, and has manifested itself in many different ways.
While everyone else is preoccupied with NCAA basketball, this is game the rest of the world (well, at least two entire nations) will be watching tonight: South Korea-Japan rivalry shows no sign of cooling.
Take a listen to some good-ass hip hop, and check out this video for "Children of the Sun" by Deep Foundating featuring Hydroponikz, Nomi, Koba, Kiwi, Encite and Heber Bartolome. That's a lot of people populating one track, but it's good stuff. A health dose of Filipino pride and what's described to me as that "boom-bap era hip hop." (Thanks, Jay.)
If you're in New York, you must check out the East Coast premiere of Tad Nakamura's short documentary A Song For Ourselves, about the life and work of activist/musician Chris Iijima. It'll be screening this Friday, March 27, 7:00pm at Manhattan Country School, where Chris was an elementary school teacher for ten years.
To honor his life and work, an endowed fund in Chris Iijima's name was started to support faculty development, the promotion of innovative curriculum and the unique sliding scale tuition policy which makes it possible for children of all economic backgrounds to attend Manhattan Country School. All proceeds from this even will benefit the Chris Iijima Fund.
Director Tad Nakamura will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. To RSVP and request tickets, go here. I got all this information from an email that was forwarded to me, so I'm not sure about further details. To learn more about A Song For Ourselves, go here.
The 2nd Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is also now accepting submissions for narrative, documentary and short film categories. The early submission deadline is May 8, and the regular deadline is June 13. For more information on submitting your film to the festival, go to the Withoutabox page here. The festival will take place this fall, October 8-11.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund's new report, Asian American Access to Democracy in the 2008 Elections, documents violations of the Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act and other incidents of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement from 52 cities across the country during the November 2008 Presidential Elections.
Last week, AALDEF presented Congress with the report at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on "Lessons Learned from the 2008 Election": Asian American Voters Face Discrimination in the 2008 Election.
On November 4, 2008, AALDEF monitored 229 poll sites in 11 states -- New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia -- and conducted a multilingual exit poll of 16,665 Asian American voters. Some of the problems encountered by Asian American voters include the following:
Language assistance, such as interpreters or translated voting materials, was far from adequate, if it existed at all. Some poll workers were completely unaware of their legal responsibilities or outright refused to make language assistance available to voters.
New York City and Boston are required to provide language assistance, while other cities voluntarily provided assistance. However, at a poll site in Chinatown, NY, only one interpreter was available to assist hundreds of Chinese American voters. Poll workers were told they did not need more interpreters. A poll site in Dorchester. MA was missing Vietnamese provisional ballots. Boston had partially translated ballots with candidates' names written only in English. Chinese American voters had difficulty identifying their candidates of choice. Philadelphia voluntarily provided a language line that poll workers could call and get on-the-spot assistance for voters. However, during the Presidential Primary Election, poll workers did not know it existed, did not know how to access the line, or the line was overwhelmed and constantly busy.
Some poll workers were rude, hostile, and made racist remarks. For example, poll workers in New York said they didn't trust Asian American voters and denied them the right to vote or described them as "terrorists." A Sikh voter was made to vote by provisional ballot because a poll worker said there were too many Sikh voters and she couldn't figure out which one the voter was.
Voters' names were missing from or had other errors in voter roll books, often due to faulty processing or mishandling of voter registration forms. Many were simply turned away.
Although HAVA requires that voters be offered provisional ballots, poll workers denied voters this right. In Lowell, MA, voters were told to go to City Hall. In Philadelphia's Chinatown, poll workers would not distribute provisional ballots because of shortages. Voters were turned away and unable to vote.
Poll workers made improper and excessive demands for identification, misapplying HAVA's ID requirements. These demands were often only made of Asian American voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Some states requiring all voters to provide identification only applied identification checks to Asian American voters; white voters were exempted.
Not surprising, really. It seems that many Asian American voters faced discrimination on a variety of levels at the polls, from general ignorance and inconvenience, to just outright hostile racism.
AALDEF sent complaint letters to local election officials that detailed these voting obstacles and offered recommendations for improvements. Complaints and recommendations are great, but I hope these local agencies follow through to make sure this does not happen again. To read AALDEF's report, download it here (PDF).
Last week, thirty-eight graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York came out of the closet with an offer to help their alma mater educate future Army leaders on the need to accept and honor the sacrifices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops: West Point grads form gay support group.
The thirty-eight graduates are the founding members of Knights Out, "an advocacy and education organization that strives for the best possible leadership of all soldiers, regardless of their sexual orientation."
The goal of Knights Out is to serve as a connection between gay troops and Army administrators to provide an "open forum" for communication between gay West Point graduates and their fellow alumni and to serve in an advisory role for West Point leaders in the eventuality that the military "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy is repealed by Congress.
Among the soldiers who came out, and has been prominently featured in press about Knights Out is National Guard 1st Lt. Dan Choi, an Iraq combat veteran who graduated from West Point in 2003 with a degree in Arabic language. Here he is with Rachel Maddow: Gay Soldier Talks About Discrimination in Military.
The guy is obviously an upstanding, qualified soldier with an impressive service record, regardless of sexual orientation. Isn't the U.S. military denying itself of critical skills and experience by discharging a soldier like Choi? The guy has chosen to stand up, be counted, and do the right thing -- regardless of the repercussions.
Submit your best festival photos and enter to win a trip for to Las Vegas and a $500 Macy's shopping spree. For details on how to enter (and vote), go here. For the record, I think this one is my personal favorite.
The North Korean government has officially confirmed that it's holding two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee of Current TV, for allegedly "illegally intruding" on its territory. The two were arrested March 17 after crossing the border with China: North Korea confirms it detained 2 US reporters.
The two reporters were in the border area with a male cameraman and their guide as part of a reporting assignment on North Korean refugees. They were headed to the Chinese city of Yanji, across the border from North Korea's far northeastern corner, where they planned to interview women forced by human traffickers to strip for online customers.
According to the South Korean Chosun Ilbo, the journalists and cameraman Mitch Koss were following a guide across the frozen Tumen River when North Korean soldiers armed with rifles approached them from a half-hidden guard post. Koss and the guide pushed the North Korean soldiers away and ran back toward China, but Ling and Lee were caught.
So what is happening with this? A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Seoul said he had no further information. State Department officials said Washington is in contact with North Korea about the detentions. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "is engaged on this matter right now." In other words, we have no idea what is going on.
These three were by and large my three favorite artists who performed at Kollaboration last month, so this is a great chance to catch them doing their thing in one fun evening at a smaller, more intimate venue. For more info on the show, go to this Facebook event page here.
I heard they actually packed the house in San Diego a few nights ago. People apparently got turned away! So get there early. It should be really cool evening of music and general hotness.
I love this piece: Nobody's Model Minority. Shiwani Srivastava has a really smart, WTF response to this extremely misguided commentary in Forbes broadly painting Indian Americans as "the new model minority," invoking Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and recent spelling bee winners. Uh, did this guy not get the memo?
Squeezing an entire community into the "model minority" mold is not cool, as complimentary as you might think your intentions are. The guy suddenly starts seeing a bunch of Indians in the media and realizes they might just on to something. Sorry Mr. Richwine, but you have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
Opening in limited release (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York) today from Focus Features is Sin Nombre, the debut feature film from award-winning director Cary Joji Fukunaga. I missed it earlier this year at Sundance, where he won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award, but I caught it last week at South by Southwest, and damn... it's amazing.
The film tells the tale of a Mexican teenage gang member running from his violent past (and his unforgiving former associates), who crosses paths with a migrant family making the difficult, dangerous journey across the Latin American countryside to the United States. Together, with trust and faith, they just might survive the journey towards the hope of new lives.
Stark, brutal, and exceptionally well-made, I actually found myself a little short of breath when the credits started rolling. It's a stunning work, and I highly recommend checking it out, now or when it eventually comes to your city. To learn more about the film, go here. Here's also a good interview with the director: Cary Fukunaga on the Making of Sin Nombre.
On Monday, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will be holding a national census teleconference, hoping to bring together a large group of representatives from grassroots APA groups around the country to talk about how we can ensure an accurate count of the APA community for the 2010 Census. Here's the information:
CAPAC to Hold National Census Teleconference:
Engaging Asian and Pacific Islander Communities for the 2010 Decennial Census
This coming Monday, please join the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) for a national census teleconference on ensuring an accurate count of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for the 2010 census. The call provides an opportunity for the Census Bureau, congressional leaders, community stakeholders, and ethnic and mainstream media to have a dialogue on conducting outreach to this growing and diverse population.
Event: National Census Teleconference on ensuring accurate count of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
Date: March 23, 2009, 2-3pm EST
Speakers:
Rep. Michael Honda, CAPAC chair (other CAPAC members invited) Arnold A. Jackson, Associate Director for Decennial Census U.S. Census Bureau Terry Ao, Asian American Justice Center and the 2010 Census Advisory Committee Bill Imada, IW Group Other speakers to be determined
Looks like this is going to be a really important, useful call. As you might know, the Census Bureau faces particular challenges in minority communities. Racial and ethnic minorities, particularly those in highly dense urban populations and those who are linguistically and culturally isolated, are often difficult to reach. Many are distrustful of authorities or reluctant to participate in a government count.
But here's the thing. The census provides data that determines the distribution of approximately $300 billion in federal funding each year, including funding for Medicaid, substance abuse prevention and treatment, child and foster care, and vocational education. States and localities use census data to plan public service projects including resources for hospitals, employment assistance, and schools. People use this data for everything, and to put it simply, it's important to ensure that our community gets a piece of that pie.
Last night, moviegoers celebrated the Closing Night of the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, closing out another year of what is arguably the best Asian American film festival in the country (yeah, I said it). Where does the week go? While the festival boasted a schedule some of the best and brightest of what's happening in Asian American, it presented awards in the Narrative and Documentary competitions to a select handful of films. The winners were:
NARRATIVE COMPETITION
The Best Narrative Award is presented to the best feature-length narrative film by or about Asian Americans or Asian Canadians, as selected by a three-person jury. And the winners are…
BEST NARRATIVE HALF-LIFE Dir. Jennifer Phang
SPECIAL JURY AWARD CHILDREN OF INVENTION Dir. Tze Chun
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The Best Documentary Award is presented to the best feature-length documentary film by or about Asian Americans or Asian Canadians, as selected by a three-person jury. And the winners are…
BEST DOCUMENTARY THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWN Dir. Brittany Huckabee
SPECIAL JURY AWARD DIRTY HANDS: THE ART AND CRIMES OF DAVID CHOE Dir. Harry Kim
If you didn't seem them, they're all definitely films to put on your list to watch. More info here: 2009 SFIAAFF Awards Winners announced! But the party don't stop. The San Jose portion of the film festival kicks off tonight with the Opening Night screening and gala reception of David Boyle's White on Rice. South Bay, represent! For details about tonight's festivities, as well as the rest of the weekend's screenings, go to the festival website here.
Heard about this local dispute in New York, and just had to shake my head. The owners of a planned karaoke joint in Bay Ridge recently saw their request for a liquor license rejected amid allegations by some Community Board members that place was actually a "den of prostitution": Board thinks karaoke is just off-key prostitution.
These people obviously have a deep misunderstanding of karaoke culture. People just want to sing in rooms! Sing, have a drink, and enjoy themselves with friends. The fact that they're concerned about its proximity to schools is laughable. But because the establishment is Asian-owned, there must be something illicit going on, right? That's racist!
It is once again time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, putting the spotlight on you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's reader is UCLA graduate student/soon-to-be professor Julie Park.
Who are you? Julie Jinwon Park, not to be confused with singer/songwriter Julie Park, UMCP Sociology/AsianAm prof Julie Park, or the lady who owns Julie's Park Cafe & Hotel.
What are you? A second generation Korean American... who needs to spend less time on the internet.
Where are you? Riverside, California--the self-proclaimed nexus of power in the Inland Empire.
Where are you from? Born and raised in Dayton, OH, birthplace of aviation and the site of the 1995 Bosnian Peace Talks.
What do you do? I'm a grad student at UCLA. My research broadly addresses race in higher education and my dissertation looks at race relations in a campus fellowship (InterVarsity). I spend my days analyzing data on random things like affirmative action, student perceptions of diversity, and Korean cram schools... I also spend a lot of the procrastinating on the interweb, which is why I'm such a devoted AAM reader. Starting this fall I'll be teaching at Miami University back in Ohio.
What are you all about? I've been minorly or majorly fascinated with race since elementary school, so I feel blessed to have a vocation that lets me study race for a living and help people make sense of it. My main joy these days is my baby nephew. I relocated to Riverside last year to help start a church, so I like to think that we're helping build social capital in the IE. I love to eat. In moving back to Ohio I hope to have a positive influence on the future decision makers of the state--as Ohio goes, so goes the nation! I also enjoy getting together with friends once a month; someone gives a lecture on a movie and then we watch it. (http://laaf.kitanji.com) As you can tell, it's a wild and crazy life.
What makes you angry? I used to be really, really angry in college but I think I've mellowed out a lot since moving to California. Things that make me moderately angry include paying too much money for mediocre or bad food, sitting in traffic, and Jim Cramer et al. Things that make me more angry: injustice, deception, abuse of power, lack of opportunity/an unequal playing field, and costly stupid mistakes.
Maybe you've heard... among the numerous Asian pop stars trying to make the jump to U.S. audiences, Korean recording artist Se7en is gearing up to release his English-language debut album. This is a bit short notice, but he'll be making a club appearance tonight, March 20 at The Circle in New York City. He'll be performing the first single, "Girls" from his forthcoming album.
I don't know, does Se7en have what it takes to grab western audiences and make it here in the United States? Crossover success has been elusive thus far for the few who have tried. Though I'm completely unfamiliar with his music, I did see Se7en perform at an event a few months back. Not bad.
The way I see it, whether or not you like him, or BoA, or Utada... theoretically, there should be room for Asian artists in the United States. I mean, plenty of awful pop music makes it big here all the time. How about some equally bad and/or halfway decent music originating from Asia? We could make room for them in our hearts, couldn't we?
Remember this crazy story from last year, about the father who threw his kids off a bridge? Yesterday in Alabama, after deliberating for only 45 minutes, a jury convicted Lam Luong on five counts of capital murder: Jury convicts Alabama dad of throwing 4 kids off bridge.
Luong admitted to throwing the children, who ranged in age from 3 years to 4 months, off the Dauphin Island bridge. During opening arguments in the trial, prosecutors told jurors Luong threw the kids off the bridge "so he could see the look on his wife's face." He was apparently on crack at the time.
The sentencing phase of Luong's trial begins today. Jurors will decide whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole. I don't know what kind of man would do such a thing. It's sickening, and I hope the guy goes away for a long time. More here: Man guilty of murder for tossing 4 kids off bridge.
I can't find the original source where this came from, but this news about a hate crime at UCSB earlier this month, apparently being spread around through Facebook, just got passed along to me...
In the early morning of March 2, Thanh Hong, a Vietnamese American student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, was assaulted in front of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house, where four men yelled racial epithets at him and attacked him. Here are the details:
"Early in the morning of March 2, 2009, Thanh Hong, a Vietnamese American student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and his Asian American friend walked home through Isla Vista -- the college town adjacent to the UCSB campus. On their way home, Thanh and his friend passed in front of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house. Four men emerged from inside the fraternity house, approached Thanh and his friend, and began yelling racial epithets at them including: "Chink," "Chinamen," and "Gook."
Thanh and his friend tried to walk away. Before they could, however, one of the men -- without provocation -- punched Thanh's friend in the face, and then attacked Thanh. The man from the fraternity house continued using racial slurs during the attack. Eventually, he stopped his attack and started laughing, providing Thanh and his friend an opportunity to escape. Thanh suffered a facial laceration requiring several stitches and his friend suffered a concussion resulting in partial memory loss.
The University of California Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office were called and opened an investigation into the case. The police questioned members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity who all denied any involvement. The fraternity also denied that any attack had taken place, even though the sidewalk in front of their house was stained with Thanh's fresh blood. I still haven't been able to ascertain where Thanh is originally from."
The incident occurred on March 2, but is barely gaining recognition this week. Please help us in spreading awareness about what has taken place.
What the hell? I can't seem to find anything else about this, but it's absolutely outrageous. If this did indeed happen like it's described, these guy, whoever the hell they are, need to be prosecuted. That's racist! Does anyone know anything more about this case?
Here's the latest video preview for Secret Identities, the Asian American superhero comic book anthology. "A Day At CostumeCO.," written by Editor-in-Chief Jeff Yang and illustrated by A.L. Baroza, follows a Super Mom (both literally and figuratively) as she juggles a hectic outing with her family at the local superhero, big-box store outfitter, CostumeCO.
After talking about this project for months -- no, years -- it's almost here. While I got a look at a preview of Secret Identities several months back, I can't wait to get my hands on the shiny print copy. If you dig comic books, and want to read some cool tales by and about Asian Americans, this is the book for you. Here's the official press release I received the other day:
SECRET IDENTITIES: THE ASIAN AMERICAN SUPERHERO ANTHOLOGY BURSTS OUT OF A PHONE BOOTH AND INTO A BOOKSTORE NEAR YOU!
Pioneering Graphic Novel Collection Brings Together Top Comics Creators, Authors and Filmmakers to Tell Thrilling, Hilarious and Provocative Original Tales of Asian American Caped Crusaders and Masked Marvels
New York - Imagine, if you will, a young man—quiet, unassuming, with black hair and thick glasses. He's doing his best to fit in, in a world far away from the land of his birth. He knows he's different, and that his differences make him alien, an outsider—but they also make him special. Yet he finds himself unable to reveal his true self, his hidden self, to the world...
For many Asian Americans, this chronicle is a familiar one, because many of us have lived it. But it also happens to be the tale of a mild-mannered reporter named Clark Kent - better known to the world as Superman. And the parallels between those stories help explain why Asian Americans have become such a driving force in the contemporary comics renaissance, as artists, writers—and fans.
But there's one place where Asians are still underrepresented in comics: Between the four-color covers themselves. That's why, in SECRET IDENTITIES, Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow and Jerry Ma have brought together 66 top Asian American writers, artists and comics professionals to create 26 original stories centered around Asian American superheroes - stories set in a shadow history of our country, from the opening of the West to the election of the first minority president, and exploring ordinary Asian American life from a decidedly extraordinary perspective.
The anthology, from leading independent publisher The New Press, will be available in bookstores and comic book specialty retailers everywhere beginning April 15. A regularly updated website (secretidentities.org) and blog (secretidentitiesbook.blogspot.com) feature weekly video teasers and exclusive behind-the-scenes news, interviews and character art from the book.
"Each of us grew up inspired and delighted by the incredible icons of the comic book universe—Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, the entire pantheon of heroes—but we also wondered why so few of them looked like us," says Jeff Yang, the book's editor-in-chief. "We didn't want our kids to grow up wondering the same thing."
At the same time, SECRET IDENTITIES is about more than just whiz-bang action. "We wanted to use the conventions of the superhero comic book to expose the real face of the Asian American experience, usually hidden behind the mask of misperception and stereotype," says Parry Shen, managing editor of the anthology.
"Our hope was to use this unique lens as a way to examine issues that all too often go overlooked or unspoken—things like the challenges faced by new immigrants, gender roles and race relations, and parental and peer pressure," says Keith Chow, education and outreach editor, who is also developing a teacher's guide to be used as a companion to the book.
"We also saw it as an opportunity to showcase some of the amazing talent present in our community, and unleash that talent to create the kinds of heroes we always wanted to be when we were kids," says the book's art director, Jerry Ma.
Among SECRET IDENTITIES' creators are: Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Bernard Chang (Wonder Woman), Greg Pak (The Hulk), Sonny Liew (Liquid City), Billy Tan (Secret Invasion), Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics), Cliff Chiang (Green Arrow/Black Canary), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight), Greg LaRocque (The Flash), Christine Norrie (Black Canary Wedding Special), Tak Toyoshima (Secret Asian Man) and Francis Tsai (Heroes for Hire) - as well as new and established creators from film (directors Michael Kang, Ted Chung; actors Sung Kang, Leonardo Nam, Dustin T. Nguyen, Kelly Hu), television (Survivor'sYul Kwon, Gilmore Girls' Keiko Agena) and literature (author Jamie Ford, playwright Clarence Coo).
The book's editors and contributors will be going on a nationwide tour in support of the anthology, currently planned to include stops in New York, NY; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Durham, NC; Austin, TX; Tacoma, WA; Seattle, WA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Baltimore, MD; and San Diego, CA. Updated tour dates and details can be found on the Secret Identities website.
Secret Identities will be available in stores on April 15. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com. Some of you who ordered early might have already received it in the mail! To learn more about the book, go to the Secret Identities website here.
Awwww yeah. My boys, the Far East Movement have teamed up with street wear company Orisue Clothing and mobile electronics giant Alpine Electronics for a collaborative music video and limited edition t-shirt project, "LOWRIDIN x FETISH."
Produced by Iron Brothers Entertainment, the videos are for FM's first major radio single "Lowridin," and their street wear anthem "Fetish," both off of their sophomore album Animal. Take a look and learn more about both of the videos here. I've got my t-shirt. How about you?
This week, Congressman Mike Honda, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, sent a letter on behalf of CAPAC to President Obama urging for comprehensive immigration reform this year. Here's the full text of the letter:
March 17, 2009
President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
On behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), we urge you to enact just and humane comprehensive immigration reform this year that will reunite and prevent the separation of families, secure our nation, and restore our economy.
An estimated 1.5 million Asians constitute over 10 percent of the undocumented population in the United States, and 2 million, or approximately half, of those waiting in family immigration backlogs are Asian. Immigration raids tear families apart, dreams of undocumented students are suspended indefinitely, and growing immigration backlogs keep close family members separated for years, sometimes decades.
CAPAC is also committed to working with you to address concerns regarding past actions of the Department of Homeland Security. In particular, we are concerned about the treatment of detainees, due process rights, federal-local immigration enforcement agreements, and raids in worksites and immigrant communities.
Members of CAPAC are encouraged by your leadership and statements on this issue during your campaign and in the early weeks of your Administration. We particularly appreciate the immigration proposals you presented in the Blueprint for the Change We Need for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during your campaign.
Immigration reform must remain an early priority in your Administration. We commend your commitment to this issue, and look forward to working with you in the coming weeks. Our nation urgently needs an effective and working immigration system that reflects the best of America's values.
Sincerely,
Michael M. Honda Chair Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
For a minute, it seemed like immigration was the burning issue that was on everyone's mind. But when it became obvious that the economy had taken a turn for the worse, immigration reform suddenly seemed to get shelved in the public consciousness. We need this back on the table, Mr. President.
All right, I guess this is the semi-regular, every-couple-of-weeks Lost check-in? Have you been watching? Dammit, this show rules. I find myself really really looking forward to Wednesday nights. They've taken the show to places we never anticipated, and they're completely pulling it off. And best of all, they've convincingly managed to vastly improve Jin's English, which has got to be relief for Daniel Dae Kim.
With the whole time-bending thing, we've seen actor Francois Chau reprise his role as Dharma doc Pierre Chang... and from the season premiere, we know he has a kid. (Maybe Baby Miles?) They've also introduced a few new characters, including Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana, one of the Ajira Airways survivors, and Reiko Aylesworth as Amy, one of the Dharma folks, circa 1977.
Now, some bad news. Spoiler sites have heard on good authority that one of the major characters will die by season's end. As previous seasons have proved, Lost has no problem killing off cast members. The characters in the running for the chopping block are apparently Ben, Daniel, Sawyer, Jin and Miles. Man, I seriously hope it's not Jin or Miles. I'm nervous. But I guess we'll see. For now, enjoy the season. It's kicking ass.
According to media reports, North Korean soldiers have detained two female American journalists, on the border between China and North Korea. The journalists had apparently ignored warnings to stop filming in the area and were arrested: N. Korea Said to Detain U.S. Reporters.
Laura Ling, who is Chinese American (and sister of Lisa Ling), and Euna Lee, who is Korean American, were believed to have been detained by North Korean border guards on Tuesday morning in Chinese territory near the Tumen River. The two work for California-based online media outlet Current TV.
North Korean guards reportedly ordered them to stop shooting footage of the country from China, and then cross into China to arrest them when they continued to film. Their Chinese guide, an ethnic Korean, was also detained. More here: NKorea military detains US journalists.
As of the time of these reports, there wasn't a lot of official information on any side. The U.S. embassy in Seoul has expressed "concern" over the fate of the two women. Pyongyang has yet to comment on the incident, and China says it's investigating. Well, someone knows something, and they better get on this.
You've got to be kidding me. This can't be real. Please tell me this is a Photoshop job. A photo has surfaced on the internet featuring Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers fame, perhaps taking cues from his friend Miley Cyrus and doing the dreaded chink-eye! In all its racist glory.
Alas, there's no Asian friend accompanying young Joe in this photo. In fact, the photo appears to be cropped, so there's no indication where or when or with whom this photo was taken. But there you have it. Joe Jonas is indeed rockin' the chink-eye: Joe Jonas' Asian Eyes Picture: Another Miley?
What the hell is it with these young celebs and their tendency towards racial mockery? What is it about this ridiculous gesture that idiotic young people love to do so much? Like I've said before, it's pretty much the international gesture for "chink." And that foolishness has got to stop. That's racist!
Is Joe Jonas really racist? I don't know. But I know that he's 19-years-old -- old enough to know better. I would hope. At the very least, he has exercised a severe lack of judgment. Like Miley Cyrus, he answers to a lot of people, and millions of fans who look up to him.
I hope he steps up and does the right thing. Apologize, Joe. And not just some half-assed regret about being sorry-if-you-were-offended by me and my friends just making some "goofy faces." How about taking responsibility for your actions? Seriously. Tired of this nonsense.
He says he's doing it because he's proud to be British, and standing up for the once-great nation of Great Britain. Right, because refusing to serve non-English speakers will somehow put the Great back in Britain. I think the guy has a seriously misguided sense of national pride.
Have you been watching the action in the World Baseball Classic? I actually haven't been following the tournament until a few nights ago, when I caught South Korea playing Mexico, and then last night, when Korea beat Japan, 4-1. Very fun, cool games, with more action to come. It's too bad that most of America doesn't really care.
While most sports fans are pre-occupied college basketball's run-up to the NCAA tournament, or content with just waiting to see their teams play in the regular Major League season, the WBC has demonstrated how significant the contest is for those from abroad who now call the U.S. home: Expatriate Enthusiasm on Display at Classic.
Just tune into any of the games Korea is playing in, and take a look at the crowd. It's loud and proud. Last night was particularly awesome, seeing two national rivals in a serious baseball showdown. Japan plays Cuba tonight, with the loser eliminated, and the winner playing South Korea on Thursday night. You can follow it all on the World Baseball Classic website.
Remember that Bruce Lee Broadway musical they announced last year? They're looking for someone to play the musical Bruce Lee. Specifically, adult Bruce and young Bruce. Here's the official casting call that's been circulating:
BRUCE LEE: JOURNEY TO THE WEST Elephant Eye Theatrical and Broadway Asia will produce this new musical for the 2010-2011 Broadway season.
Music and lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by David Henry Hwang, Directed by Bartlett Sher Casting by Tara Rubin Casting
Bruce Lee: Journey to the West follows the martial arts legend's difficult road to success, as he's guided by a powerful ally: The Monkey King, a beloved and playful warrior god from Chinese mythology. In a show fusing sources as diverse as martial arts, Chinese Opera, modern dance, and pop music from the 1950's to the present day, Bruce and Monkey struggle to master their skills and purify their spirits, on their quest to unite East and West.
Seeking:
ADULT BRUCE: Asian. 20's-30's, muscular, handsome, charismatic. Actor must sing well and move spectacularly, training in martial arts is a plus.
JUN FAN (YOUNG BRUCE): Asian. Actor 15-20 to play 15. Skinny, gawky, perhaps even a bit nerdy-looking, but able to project fierce intelligence, unbridled energy and boundless self-confidence. Must be able to sing well and move, though dance requirements for this role are less demanding than for Adult Bruce. (Please note if the actor is under 18.)
EPA & OPEN AUDITION in LA
THURSDAY, MARCH 19th, 2009 EPA - 9:30AM (details at actorsequity.org) OPEN CALL for all performers - 2:00PM sign-up
Debbie Reynolds Studios (6514 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood 91606)
Please be prepared to sing a rock or pop/rock song. An accompanist will be provided. Please bring a picture and resume.
Please send submissions via US Mail/messenger to:
TARA RUBIN CASTING ATTN: BRUCE LEE search 570 7th Avenue, Suite 401 NYC, NY 10018
Or email BruceLeeCasting@gmail.com
Are you the one? Can you sing well and move spectacularly? You could be the musical Bruce Lee they're looking for. Bruce Lee: Journey to the West will tell the story of Bruce Lee's rise to success. It'll hit the Broadway stage in 2010 or 2011.
Okay, so get this. This stupid, trendy eyewear brand is called Slanties. Yes, you read that right. I thought at first that this had to be a joke, but from what I can tell, they're completely serious. Have ever seen anything more stupid? Now you can do the chink-eye without lifting a finger!
According to the Slanties website, the design is apparently based on "ancient Inuit eyewear." Why then, are they called "slanties"? There can be no other reason other to invoke a racial physical stereotype. Behold, an entire photo gallery of hipster racial mockery in the name of trendy fashion.
That's racist! Though, perhaps what is most offensive is that these damn things cost $75.00. I swear, if I see someone on the street wearing one of these, someone's precious seventy-five dollars is going down the drain. Literally. More on this over at Racialicious: Slanties Eyewear?
UPDATE: Jasmine points out that you could just buy these specs for the bargain price of $2.99 and achieve the same slanty effect.
Look, the current state of the economy has got everyone an edge. And no one is cool with the executives at insurance giant AIG who were reportedly receiving bonuses from bailout money: Obama tries to stop AIG bonuses: 'How do they justify this outrage?'. But Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa seriously crossed the line when he appeared when he spoke on a radio station about the issue:
"I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little better toward them [AIG executives] is if they follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, 'I am sorry,' and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide," he said.
"And in the case of the Japanese, they usually commit suicide."
Wow. I didn't know Grassley had such deep, extensive knowledge of Japanese culture. I wonder if his knowledge of Japanese business practices extends beyond viewings of Gung Ho and Rising Sun. The Senator has since apologized, more for the suicide part, and backed up a bit on the Japanese part: Iowa Senator Says AIG Executives Should 'Resign or Commit Suicide.' No need for dramatics, Senator.
The latest developments in the Avatar live action movie casting debacle... Aasif Mandvi, Shaun Toub, Cliff Curtis and Keong Sim have joined the cast of M. Night Shyamalan's big screen adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon animated series: Four more land roles in Shyamalan's "Airbender."
Mandvi will play the Fire Nation's Commander Zhao, Curtis will play the Fire Lord Ozai, and Toub is cast as Uncle Iroh, a retired Fire Nation general. Sim will play Earthbending Father. I don't know what any of that means, but I'm assuming these are not main characters.
What, now Paramount wants to add a little brown and yellow to the movie? These guys are all fine actors (Cliff Curtis is a particular favorite of mine), but let's be real -- this is obviously an afterthought, and they're now filling roles with a bunch of South Asian-looking characters.
The fact of the matter is, the film's starring roles are still mostly white. And the fan protests continue. Personally, at this point I doubt they'll be changing anyone in the cast. We're looking at an extremely ridiculous Avatar movie in our future. The momentum will soon shift from protest to boycott...
The new official website for the movement is racebending.com, where they've got the full roundup of news, resources and tips on what you can do to help protest the movie. You can start by signing the online petition. It'll help them to get a head count of who's on board.
This is an outrageous story out of Iowa... Lori Phanachone is a Laotian American high school senior at Storm Lake High School. She's a member of the National Honor Society, has a 3.9 grade point average, ranks seventh in the her class of 119 and has been offered a number of college scholarships.
But to school officials, she is considered illiterate and has been serving three days of in-school suspension. Why? Lori refuses to take the complete the English Language Development Assessment, a test she says is demeaning and racist: Student rejects 'demeaning' test, is suspended.
According to administrators, taking the test is mandatory because Lori indicated on her school registration that English was not the first language spoken in her home. Her parents are Laotian and still speak little English. These adminstrators obviously don't know a damn thing about growing up Asian in America.
So speaking Lao at home automatically puts Lori's English proficiency in question? If that's the policy, it's flawed to the core. Does the school district not realize that it's entirely possible that Lori somehow earned that 3.9 GPA while also being completely fluent in something other than English?
No doubt, she could rock that exam, but that's not the point. Lori was born in California and lived in New York before moving to Iowa with her family. She has apparently never been enrolled in any English Language Learning or ESL program. But she refuses to deny her family, culture and identity, and that's why she's taking a stand. She shouldn't have to take this damn test.
Now, she faces another three days of suspension for continuing her refusal to take the exam. She could be suspended again and then expelled for a fourth refusal. According to school administrators, her college scholarships -- $86,000 at Buena Vista University and more at Iowa State University -- could also be at risk.
This is utter bullshit. Ridiculous, racist, and an absolute insult to someone who is obviously bright, accomplished, and completely proficient in English. I give mad props to Lori Phanachone for standing up for what she believes in. I wish I had her kind of conviction when I was in high school. Fight this, girl.
By the way, the assistant principal, Beau Ruleaux, actually told Lori to give up her refusal to take the exam because she's "no Rosa Parks" and wouldn't succeed in her protest. The guy sounds like an ass. How about he takes the English Language Development Assessment and we see how well he does?
If you'd like to support Lori Phanachone's fight and speak out against this ridiculous, useless English exam, here's some contact information for administrators at Storm Lake. Let them know that you stand by Lori, and this is indeed an issue worth protesting:
Paul Tedesco - Storm Lake School District Superintendent ptedesco@slcsd.org
Mike Hanna - Principal mhanna@storm-lake.k12.ia.us
Beau Ruleaux - Assistant Principal bruleaux@slcsd.org
The phone number over at Storm Lake High School is: (712) 732-8065.
He's talking out of his ass the entire time -- Dobbs is obviously under the asshead assumption that every holiday but the 4th of July and Christmas is an "ethnic holiday." Then he throws in this "St. Jin-Tao Wow" bit for comic relief. Ah yes. Always go with the ching chong when you want to invoke funny and foreign. That's racist!
Here's an op-ed piece in the Harvard Crimson by several members of the Asian American student community addressing recent racist incidents at Harvard, Dartmouth College and other institutions, and calling on all affected communities -- not just Asian -- to come together and rally against these and other intolerant acts: The Writing on the Wall.
They're organizing a rally for the Harvard community to stand together and speak out against bigotry, discrimination and intolerance. They'll be gathering tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18 at noon in front of the John Harvard statue, where there will be brief speeches from UC President Andrea Flores and other student leaders. Here's the letter that's being circulated:
Dear fellow student,
The Harvard community has witnessed a series of discriminatory incidents in the past few weeks. The racial slurs written at the Chinese Students Association's Graffiti Party, the negative reaction to the appointment of Professor Jim Kim as Dartmouth's new president, and xenophobic comments on the Crimson's website are only the most recent of many events demonstrating that discrimination still presents a real challenge, even here at Harvard.
Over the past few years, no community has been exempt of overt bigotry. The Quad incident, the vandalizing of the Chabad House Menorah, and other incidents affecting the Latino and queer communities are only a few of too many examples of individuals being marginalized. While each incident may represent a minor, isolated instance of discrimination, collectively these events remind us that the preservation of a progressive community requires regular diligence and attention, generation after generation.
It is now our responsibility as privileged members of Harvard's accepting community to respond firmly; intolerance is intolerable. As such, the leaders of a multitude of student organizations have decided to hold a rally. This rally will be a peaceful demonstration of solidarity within Harvard's student community.
We will be gathering in front of the John Harvard Statue on Wednesday, March 18th. The rally will start promptly at 12:00 PM and will include a number of brief speeches from UC President Andrea Flores and other student leaders. Every supporter of the rally will be wearing a crimson shirt that day to signify the theme of the rally: "Many Colors, One Harvard." In addition, every participating student organization will hold up their student group banner or poster to demonstrate our plurality and our unity.
Please join us in this moment. We call upon you, the Harvard community, to seize this unique opportunity for solidarity. This Wednesday at noon, we will rally together as one community, with one voice. We will gather in front of University Hall to demonstrate our commitment to tolerance and acceptance. Though we cannot eradicate discrimination through a single rally, we only ensure its survival through silence. Help us make this moment one that we can all be proud of.
It's signed by the leaders of all the Asian American student groups, as well ass the Black Students Association, nearly all of the Latino and South Asian groups, the Queer Students Association, the Democrats, and the entire undergraduate student council. For some reason, this trend of racist incidents on college campuses seems to be getting worse. There comes a point where you can no longer stand by and let people get crapped on over and over again. I think it's pretty damn cool -- and absolutely necessary -- that Asian American students are leading this charge. For more information about the rally, visit the Facebook event page Many Colors, One Harvard.
All right. You've heard the singles, "Eat You Up" and "I Did It For Love" (with Sean Garrett). You saw the first music video, like, months and months ago. Now you can finally get your hands on the self-titled English-language debut album from South Korean pop star BoA is in stores today, March 17.
From what I've seen, BoA's very good at what she does. I haven't yet heard the whole album yet, so I can't tell you if it's any good, but based on the first two singles, I'm sure it's everything you'd expect -- whether you like that or not. Get it at the usually spots like Amazon.com and iTunes.
As I mentioned the other day, BoA will be giving a free live performance this Saturday, March 21 at Universal City Plaza. I recently had the brief chance to interview BoA, where she talked a bit about her music, her career, and her crossover to the U.S. market. Here it is:
You've enjoyed enormous success in Asia, for a long time. What was your motivation for coming to America?
I always wanted to come to America and pursue a music career here. I think it is very healthy for everyone to set new challenges for themselves. Hopefully, my American fans will enjoy my new album!
What has the most difficult thing for you, both personally and as a performer, about making the transition to the United States?
Learning English was really difficult when I first came over, but it's getting easier and I've learned a lot. As far as performing, my choreography has never been so crazy, but I love it.
Who are some of your creative influences? What music or other artists inspire you?
Michael Jackson! I've been following his career since I was so young and he's definitely someone that I really respect. Anyone that can put on a great show for their audience is very inspirational to me.
Though you're extremely well-known in Korea, the majority of western audiences are just starting to hear about you. How would you like to be known? What kind of pop image would you like to project?
I want people to enjoy my stage performances. I've been working with some amazing choreographers who have similar dancing styles as me, so I'd like people to focus on my dance and choreography.
How would you describe your debut English-language album -- both in attitude and sound?
Fresh and upbeat! We have some new sounds and great songs that would work sound great at the clubs! Personally, I think my album will be great for people who want to blast their music in the car or at home.
In the last few years, there have been a few unsuccessful attempts by other Asian artists to cross over -- why do you think it's such a difficult hurdle?
I'm not really sure, but there could be a lot of different reasons like cultural differences or just the industry itself.
Why do you think there are so few Asian or Asian American artists in mainstream American music?
In the past, there were never many Asian faces in American entertainment or media, but I am slowly starting to see a lot more Asian celebrities in the American media, which is a great step.
How would you describe your general strategy for breaking into the United States?
Haha, you'd have to speak with my management about that one. In my opinion, strategy is all really based on the situation you're given.
How has your experience been performing for U.S. audiences thus far? I know you've performed in New York and Los Angeles. Did you enjoy performing at Kollaboration?
Yessss, I had so much fun, I didn't know there were going to be so many people at these events! I just want to say thanks to all my fans here in the US and all the support that they have been giving me. I feel really blessed!
What makes you angry?
I think angry is a strong word but one thing I am pretty big on is keeping time. I don't like being late or behind schedule.
Heard from Phil Chung, who informs me of a free reading of his new play this Thursday, March 19 at the Democracy Forum of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles. The play is based on the life of Toraichi Kono, who worked as Charlie Chaplin's personal valet for two decades before being arrested as an enemy spy during the anti-Japanese hysteria of World War II. Here are the details:
EAST WEST PLAYERS and THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM present a FREE reading of MY MAN KONO
A new play by Philip W. Chung Directed by Jeff Liu With: Matt Braaten, Paul Byrne, Elizabeth Ho, Jennifer Holloway, Jun Kim, Michael Krawic, Tohoru Masamune & Donovan Oakleaf
Based on the life of Toraichi Kono who worked as movie star Charlie Chaplin's personal valet for two decades before being arrested as an enemy spy during the anti-Japanese hysteria of World War II. MY MAN KONO is the second place winner in EWP's Pacific Century Playwriting Competition.
Thurs., March 19, 2009 7:30 PM FREE ADMISSION
Democracy Forum of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (right across the way from the Japanese American National Museum) 111 N. Central Ave. Los Angeles, CA (In Little Tokyo on the corner of Central and First)
PLUS: The world-famous KOGI BBQ TRUCK is usually parked in front of JANM on Thurs. from 5-8 Pm. Check their schedule next week to see if they'll be out there on the reading date and if so, come out early and check it out: http://kogibbq.com/about/
My Man Kono was the second place winner in East West Players' Pacific Century Playwriting Competition. I wrote about this project last summer, back when it was a reader of just the first act. This time it's the full play. And yes, you read that right -- the world-famous Kogi truck will be parked on its usual Thursday evening stop in front of the Japanese American National Museum. Bulgogi tacos and a historical play. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
Calling all filmmakers -- aspiring and otherwise -- in Los Angeles... Producer extraordinaire Karin Chien (Robot Stories, The Motel, Santa Mesa) is returning to repeat the successful financing and distribution seminar she taught last summer. It's this weekend, March 21-22. Here are the details:
FILMMAKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: Getting your Film Financed and Distributed Instructor: Karin Chien Dates: Sat/Sun, March 21 & 22 Location: Blank Spaces, 5405 Wilshire Blvd, LA CA 90036 Cost: $250 or $200 Early Registration by March 13, 1 Day Only $150. To Register: email karen@zuzufilms.com or call Karen Lin @ 323-610-2413
Word is, the last one was extremely enlightening and helpful, so they brought it back. But seats are limited this year, so sign up as soon as possible. For more information, contact Karen Lin at karen@zuzufilms.com, or just take a look at the giant-ass flyer above.
Nearly two months after the historic presidential inauguration, and what are people still clamoring for? Aretha's hat. The now-famous, bow-adorned chapeau worn by the Queen of Soul became an instant sensation, sending people in search of where they could their very own Aretha Hat.
The hat came from Mr. Song Millinery in Detroit, and designed by Luke Song, whose phone started ringing off the hook since the inaugruation, and hasn't stopped: Orders for 'Aretha's Hat' Still Going Strong.
He's received more than 5,000 orders for the spring version of the Aretha Hat, and he can probably expect a lot more. Ms. Franklin has apparently decided to lend her hat to the Smithsonian, where it'll be on display until it moves to a permanent place in Obama's presidential library. The Hat is legendary.
If you're in Southern California, and a fan of Korean pop... or just curious about what a Korean pop supermegasuperstar making her U.S. crossover debut looks/sounds like, you might want to head over to Universal City Plaza this Saturday, March 21 to See non other than BoA perform live. She'll be performing her first single "Eat You Up" and her latest single "I Did It For Love." See the above flyer for details.
Did you know that this Friday, March 20 is National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day? In honor of this occasion, the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center is coming together with several other organizations to host a Sunrise Ceremony and Procession to create awareness and expose the impact and stigma of HIV/AIDS in American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities:
3RD ANNUAL NATIONAL NATIVE HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY SAN FRANCISCO COLLABORATIVE EXPOSES THE IMPACT AND STIGMA OF HIV/AIDS IN AMERICAN INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN COMMUNITIES
San Francisco, CA. March 20th is National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an opportunity to honor those we have lost, and those who still stand, in the fight against HIV/AIDS and educate the community about the needs of Native people in the US. Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center and Shake the Feathers-a collaboration between Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits, Native American AIDS Project, and Native American Health Center-have come together to host a Sunrise Ceremony and Procession on Friday, March 20, 2009. A Breakfast Reception will follow the ceremony.
Though HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease, a number of factors-including the dearth of culturally competent health care and testing services, the lack of accurate data collection for infection rates, and the shame and fear surrounding the disease-contribute to its impact in Native communities. Native populations are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and, according to the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, HIV infection only continues to increase. American Indians and Alaska Natives had the third highest rate per 100,000 people (above Whites) of AIDS diagnoses in 2006, despite having the smallest population. Data for Native Hawaiians are typically included in the umbrella category "Asian/Pacific Islander" making it impossible to quantify the effect of HIV/AIDS on the growing number of Native Hawaiians living outside of Hawaii. In 2007, it is estimated that Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders represented 8.9% of Hawaii's population, but account for 13% of the total reported AIDS cases. From 2003 - 2007, the average rate of AIDS cases for Native Hawaiians and Part Hawaiians was 10.0 per 100,000 people, compared to Hawaii's total rate of 7.8 per 100,000.
This federally recognized day allows diverse Native communities, so often ignored and invisible in the larger US landscape, to come together and break the silence. It is both a celebration of communities and cultures refusing to forget and a memorial for those who have fallen. A Sunrise Ceremony and Procession will be held from 7:00 - 8:30 AM in Civic Center Park, adjacent to City Hall, featuring dance, music and prayer from American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners. A breakfast reception will follow from 9:00 - 11:00 AM at A&PI Wellness Center (730 Polk Street, 4th Floor, between Eddy and Ellis). This community gathering will include a screening of public service announcements and a short documentary acknowledging the impact HIV/AIDS has had on our communities. Complimentary breakfast will be provided and free, confidential and anonymous HIV testing will be available for everyone.
If you're in San Francisco, come out and support American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities to address the impact and stigma of HIV/AIDS. For more information about the event, go to the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center website here.
I have no doubt it's going to be friggin' awesome. In anticipation of the upcoming release of The Eternal Smile, here's a Newsarama interview with the two authors: Gene Luen Yang & Derek Kirk Kim on The Eternal Smile. The book will be available from First Second Books in late April.
Jay Chen, a reader who is on the Board of Education of the Hacienda La Puente School District in California, has written a really good blog entry on the selection of Dr. Jim Yong Kim as Dartmouth's new president, and the ensuing racist reaction, as well as the recent general trend of anti-Asian incidents at some of the nation's elite universities: Race at the highest levels of education.
Speaking of the incident at Dartmouth, students representing the New York City Asian American Student Conference have crafted their own response to the racist email that was circulated after Dr. Kim's appointment:
Earlier this week, Dr. Jim Yong Kim was announced the 17th president of Dartmouth College by its Board of Trustees, making him the first Asian American individual to hold the presidency of an Ivy League institution. This momentous occasion is a cause for celebration in not only the circles of American higher education but in the Asian American community as well. Dr. Kim's distinguished professional history in the non-profit health sector, his leadership in the World Heath Organization's fight against HIV/AIDS, and his experience as a researcher and educator make him an ideal role model for young Asian Americans. The board of the New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC) would like to extend its sincerest congratulations to Dr. Kim.
It is unfortunate that an event that should invoke pride in America's diversity was immediately greeted with ignorant and hateful commentary. Generic Good Morning Message (GGMM), the daily Dartmouth email update, was intrinsically tasteless, socially and culturally insensitive, and harmfully racist. Under the flimsy guise of satire, the author attempted to pass off statements that ridiculed immigrants by likening the accomplished humanitarian to a democracy-hating "Chinaman" and mocking his ethnic heritage through hate speech that has permeated our history. Particularly disturbing was the underlying assumption that all people of Asian ethnicity, regardless of their upbringing or accomplishments, should be viewed as outsiders and a threat to a fictional racially-homogeneous United States.
While we applaud GGMM's timely apology and willingness to attend diversity training seminars, this incident is an indication of a deeper, more troubling issue. In recent years, there have been similar incidents across college campuses (such as the University of Colorado's 2008 press article, "If it's war the Asians want," written by Max Karson) - and the problem is not being addressed. This disturbing trend becomes increasingly clear as Asian American attendance in higher education institutions continues to grow. The alarming reality is that while the immediate controversy is generally resolved by getting the offending party to apologize and/or attend educational workshops, racial stereotyping of Asian Americans is still often condoned without questioning. Most derogatory comments made about people of Asian descent are often considered to be relatively humorous and are not condemned as gravely racist - we must ask ourselves, why is this so?
We must spread awareness about issues in order to combat bigotry within our community. It is not enough to acknowledge that this is an issue, have it be swept under the rug, and watch it recur. NYCAASC calls on all individuals to take a more proactive stance by empowering themselves through education and by challenging assumptions so that these incidents will no longer persist.
The New York City Asian American Student Conference is an annual gathering dedicated to promoting awareness of APA issues and history among young activists, organized by students from New York University, Columbia University, Hunter College, and Fordham University. To learn more about the 3rd annual conference on April 18th, go to the NYCAASC website here. (Thanks, Eric.)
This weekend, we heard about the death of activist and educator Richard Aoki. Known for his lifelong dedication to revolutionary politics and the struggle for human rights, he died due to complications from longstanding medical problems. He was 70.
We often hear about Aoki's unique and noteworthy position as a Field Marshall in the Black Panther Party. While there were several other Asian Americans active in the organization at the time, Aoki was the only one to attain a formal leadership role.
He was also a founding member of the Asian American Political Alliance, a leader in the Third World Liberation Front Strike at UC Berkeley, coordinator for the first Asian American Studies program at UC Berkeley, an advisor for Asians for Job Opportunities, and a counselor, instructor and administrator at Merritt and Alameda Colleges.
The movie to watch today is SFIAAFF's Centerpiece Presentation at the Castro Theatre: Fruit Fly, director H.P. Mendoza's feature follow-up to Colma: The Musical. It's described as "a toe-tapping musical, or a tribute to San Francisco, or a young Filipina American seeking her true self, or a nice tune about versatile bottoms, or maybe a crooning love-duet between a man and his Macbook image, or especially a song filled with enough unprintable slang to burn the ears off of every Prop-8'er in the state." Hell yes. This is a movie for our time. Watch the trailer here.
All right. One last minute reminder... if you're attending the 2009 SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, please come out to our panel, Can Social Media End Racism? with me, Latoya Peterson of Racialicious, Kety Esquivel of CrossLeft, and Jay Smooth of Ill Doctrine. It's today, March 15, 11:30am-12:30pm, in Room 8 at the Austin Convention Center.
For those who can't make it, my fellow bloggers and I are organizing some kind of reader/blogger meet-up gathering somewhere around the convention center, in the afternoon following the panel. I know -- that's vague. Email if you'd like to know where, once we figure it out. I guess I'll also post our whereabouts after the panel on Twitter. See you there.
UPDATE: Mega meetup! If you'd like to meet up with us after our panel, we're gathering in the lobby of the downtown Hilton today at 12:45pm... then we'll figure out where to go from there. See you!
Whatever It Takes: Christopher Wong's feature documentary debut telling the story of a South Bronx high school in its dynamic first year. I've actually been looking forward to seeing this film for several years, ever since I saw some early footage of the charismatic Principal Edward Tom in action. It looks great. To learn more about the film, and watch the trailer, visit the film's website.
Children of Invention: Tze Chun's debut feature film about two children who must fend for themselves when their mother is picked up for unwittingly taking part in a pyramid scheme. I wrote about this film extensively when I saw it at the Sundance Film Festival. It's a really nicely directed film, with fantastic performances by Cindy Cheung and the two lead children.
Dirty Hands: Harry Kim's fascinating, provocative documentary on street artist/thief/porn illustrator/so-called artistic sellout David Choe. It's just an insane, frenetic portrait a guy with amazing talent, a massive rebellious streak... and a lot of personal issues. Shocking, intriguing, hilarious at time. It's a trip.
STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE By David Yoo. Hyperion. $16.99. (Ages 13 and up)
It wouldn't seem possible to make high school jocks, popular girls and losers fresh and hilarious, but Yoo does it. His Romeo and Juliet story is a winner (outcast Albert Kim with popular girl Mia? No way), but it's Albert's ice-dry telling of his tale of woe that sets it apart. From his uncool Korean parents with their "legitimately tragic childhoods" to the angry little kids next door ("a barrage of iceballs arc overhead like grenades"), Albert views growing up with all the comic sweetness and unsentimentality it deserves.
You might remember I wrote a little bit about this book when it was published last fall. I think I said this before, but I really wish there were books like this, with characters and stories I could really relate to, when I was growing up. Dave's written a fresh and funny book that readers of all ages will really enjoy.
I want throw up another plug for Tony Lam and Curtis Chin's documentary Vincent Who?, an examination of the landmark Vincent Chin murder case and its impact and legacy on the Asian American activist community.
I ran into Curtis at ECAASU, where he screened a bit of the film for the students in a workshop. He's been on a whirlwind screening schedule at colleges and community organizations all over the United States, and is currently in the middle of a spring tour.
If you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend checking it out. While Renee Tajima and Christine Choy's 1987 documentary Who Killed Vincent Chin? recounts the details of the murder and its ensuing trial, Vincent Who? examines how the case galvanized the Asian American community, created a movement, and inspired a whole new generation of activists.
I recently met a few college students who, prior to seeing Vincent Who?, had never heard of the Vincent Chin murder case, but were profoundly moved and inspired after seeing the documentary in a screening at their school. I'm hoping that more young people will do the same. To see the list of upcoming screenings, go here.
It's time for another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's reader is one of those guys everybody knows, Mr. Grant Sunoo:
Who are you? Grant Murata Sunoo, Angry Asian Man Reader of the Week (AAMRotW!)
What are you? I'm 1/2 Korean, 1/2 Japanese. I'm 4th generation (on both sides!) I'm tall. I'm a proud graduate of Cal State Northridge's Asian American Studies program and UCLA's Urban Planning MA program. I'm ANGRY! Actually, I'm in a good mood at the moment..... but it won't last long, because I'm usually.... ANGRRRRRRY!
Where are you? Right now? Big Bad South Central Los Angeles.
Where are you from? LA. Born and raised.
What do you do? I get paid to work at Coalition for Responsible Community Development, where we are working to build supportive housing for homeless youth. By night...I am a hitman for the revolution! I also like to cook. (Probably mostly because I like to eat.....) When I'm not doing any of the above, I'm reading AngryAsianMan.com!
What are you all about? A hawiian elder once told me the following: "Nana ho'olohe, pa'a ka waha, hana ka lima."
His translation: Look with a critical eye. Read the mannerisms, the posture and so forth of a person. Read his body language. Hear with your ears. Listen to what is said, but also what is not said. Shut your big mouth. Too often people use their mouth to communicate, but they're not listening. Enough of the talking. Work with your hands. Whatever needs to be done, do it. If you put all that together, that's what we try to teach our kids. That you have to take into consideration all of those things, so when it's time to work, work.
I think that says it all right there. When it's time to work. Work. I also love that the Hawaiian version of that sentence is so short, but it translates to so much in English.
I'm about making the change that needs to be made and creating peace by fighting for justice.
What makes you angry? Injustice. Racism. People who think that Asians don't have issues too. People who think being poor is limited to those who are black or brown. CA Prop 8. My AIM screenname notwithstanding....aZiAnPrYdE. People who ask me if my Korean side is in constant conflict with my Japanese side. Inauthentic ethnic food. Hipsters. People who don't register as bone marrow donors with A3M! Michelle Malkin. Gentrification!!!!!!
All right. If you're headed out to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, here's some cool stuff to check out... Tickets are no longer available online, and some of the screenings are completely sold out, but with some planning, patience and tenacity, you can probably score some tickets waiting in the rush line.
The Chaser: Na Hong-jin's gritty, brutal thriller about murder, vengeance and one man's quest for justice was a smash hit in South Korea. I've been dying to see this one. The movie's already (unfortunately) been tapped to be remade by Warner Brothers.
Tokyo Sonata: Acclaimed Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa returns to SFIAAFF with his latest film, a portrait of a modern Japanese family stifled by their inability to communicate honestly with one another -- a winner at the Cannes Film Festival.
Half-Life: Jennifer Phang's feature film debut Half-Life, a selection at last year's Sundance Film Festival, has been described as "an Asian American Beauty set against the backdrop of global decay and illuminated by splashes of Waking Life-style animation."
The Speed of Life: I've been really looking forward to see director Ed Radtke's latest ever since I saw this cool trailer last summer. It just looks like a quirky and eclectic story with an offbeat cast of really wonderful, memorable characters.
Directions in Sound: And don't forget SFIAAFF's annual kickass music showcase of rising stars and underground sounds, featuring Nosaj Thing, Trackademics, Mochipet, Kush Arora, DJ Zita, Tokyo Component, DJ Pickpocket and Citizen Ten.
Hyphen just posted a pretty good interview screenwriter Alex Tse, who took on Alan Moore's dark, epic graphic novel about costumed heroes and turned it into the script for Zack Snyder's dark, epic Hollywood movie about costumed heroes: Watchmen's watcher, Alex Tse.
As expected, Watchmen came in number one at the box office last weekend, taking in about $55 million. Too bad Alex doesn't really get to see any of that cash. But I think he's doing all right.
He talks a bit about his experiences in the industry, as well as dealing with diversity in his scripts, particularly in writing the project that got him his big break, Sucker Free City, which I've said many times here how much I enjoyed. Next up: an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic sci-fi tale, The Illustrated Man.
Bye, bye Bernie. Bernie Madoff, pretty much the most hated man in America for orchestrating the biggest financial swindle in Wall Street history, has plead guilty to charges related to his $65 billion Ponzi scheme, and was ordered to jail to await a sentencing. He could be in prison for the rest of his life: Madoff pleads guilty to fraud.
One related note about this high-profile case is that it's being presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin. Appointed in 1994 by President Clinton, he's the first Asian American appointed as a U.S. District Judge outside of the Ninth Circuit.
Now, Chin has the task of handling one extremely nasty case, where everyone is looking for a scapegoat for the nasty state of our economy. He's ordered that Madoff should be jailed while awaiting sentencing, scheduled for June 16. See ya, sucka. Your justice will be served by Judge Denny Chin.
It should be clear that Kundra, however, is not the target of the investigation. According to the FBI, Yusuf Acar, who works in the District's technology office, and another man, Sushil Bansal were arrested as part the Bureau's corruption investigation. They haven't revealed any specific information about the case. More here: Obama official not a target in FBI raid -DC spox.
Awwww yeah, Bay Area. The day has come. The 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival kicks off tonight. This festival holds a special place in my heart, and I look forward to it every year. You can always count on a solid program of films, events and community love from SFIAAFF, and this year looks to be no different.
The festivities kick off tonight with the Opening Night presentation of Lee Yoon-ki's My Dear Enemy at the Castro Theatre. Starring two of Korea's most talented actors, Ha Jung-woo and Jeon Do-yeon, winner of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival best actress award for Secret Sunshine, the film is described as a breezy, charming dusk-to-dawn odyssey through Seoul. I can't wait to see it.
After the screening, head on over to the Asian Art Museum for the Opening Night Gala to mix and mingle with friends and filmmakers. Drinks, desserts, movie talk. It's going to be a really fun evening, so make plans to be there. Tickets are no longer available, so you'll have to try your luck at the door. The Castro is huge, so I have feeling if you're patient, plan ahead, and get there early, you'll get a ticket..
I've always got love for you, SFIAAFF. Over the next few days, I'll try to highlight some of the films at the festival that might be worth checking out while you're there. The festival runs March 12-22 at venues in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. For more information, and the full schedule of films, visit the SFIAAFF website here.
Everybody's favorite South Korean pop megastar Rain, and a whole bunch of folks in his company, J Tune, are being sued for bailing on a 2007 concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court: Make it Rain -- Korean Singer Sued for $30 Mil!
Concert promoter Andrew Kim apparently took a huge financial hit when Rain was a no-show for the concert. He's seeking $30,000,00, plus punitive damages. Unfortunately for Rain, this is one conflict that cannot be settled on the dance floor. Or can it?
Who is the true originator of cashew chicken? What culture really spawned this ubiquitous dish, seen on Chinese food menus all over the place? This New York Times article examines the Missouri origins of this deep-friend chicken chunk dish, the first in a series of articles exploring American cuisine and its ongoing evolution. And indeed, cashew chicken is an all-American cuisine: Missouri Chinese: Two Cultures Claim This Chicken.
What in the world did I just watch? This trailer for Boogie Town just landed in my mailbox, and I'm really scratching my head. Two and a half minutes of something kind of crazy. It's like this weird, dark, Matrix-like version of You Got Served... by the guys who made You Got Served.
According to IMDb, it's a modern day West Side Story for the hip hop generation, set in a New York city of the future, where everyone strangely has blue eyes, and people settle their differences... with dance battles! And just like You Got Served, the plot appears to be fairly insignificant. But oooh, the dancing.
Is this one of those Asians vs. Blacks movies? Like Romeo Must Die? (By the way, there's a girl in this movie that looks a lot Aaliyah.) Brenda Song is in the movie, as well as Bruce Locke, and a handful of other Asian faces (including the requisite Basco brother). I'm pretty sure I spotted Quest Crew. And was that Kaba Modern?
It's the next big dance flick, baby. I'm not quite sure what that jumping back and forth thing was at the end. I guess You've Got Served meets West Side Story in the future wasn't enough -- you have to add super powers. The trailer says you can expect to see the movie this summer. (Thanks, Jake.)
This is for all you readers in Toronto... the big annual Kollaboration show in Los Angeles a few weeks back was a huge sold out success. But guess what? The good people of Toronto get their own Kollaboration too! Kollaboration Toronto is this Saturday, March 14 at the John Bassett Theatre. The lineup includs Alvo, Ground Illusionz, Heena & Bryan, I am, J. Reyez, K3, KOREsthetics, and Missing in Venice. Here are the details:
Where: JOHN BASSETT THEATRE Metro Toronto Convention Centre (Packed venue of 1,300 seats!) 255 Front Street West
When: Saturday, March 14, 2009 7 P.M.(DOORS OPEN AT 6 P.M.!)
Ticket prices: $20 - General Admission $40 - VIP Seating (Includes line bypass & reserved seating area)
Where to buy: Please HURRY and buy your tickets A.S.A.P. before they run out! For the past three years, we have sold out!
* Purchase via PayPal * Morning Glory - By Christie Station * Morning Glory - By Finch Station
GUEST PERFORMERS:
* John Ki - Stand up Comedian * Brian Cho - Our first year 1st place winner
The show has apparently sold for the past three years, so if you plan on going, you best purchase your tickets as soon as possible. For more information about the show, go here. Big props to my man PK, who has grown this thing into a multi-city sensation. It's all about empowerment through entertainment. It's a movement, and they're taking over the nation (plus Canada).
This is an editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer about recent troubles for the Asian Arts Initiative, which has been around for fifteen years, but apparently isn't doing so well these days: Time is short for Asian Arts.
The arts organization, which was displaced from its operating location two years ago by a Convention Center expansion, has not yet secured all of the funding for its new location at 1219 Vine St. The deadline is September, and things aren't looking good. But they're hosting a benefit event next month:
Asian Arts Initiative 2009 Benefit Banquet and Auction Friday, April 24, 2009 6 - 9 p.m.
Ocean City Restaurant 234 N. 9th Street, Chinatown, Philadelphia $65 per seat
Save the date for a night of food and fun to support the Asian Arts Initiative! Your seat at our Banquet includes a mouthwatering 10-course meal, a diversity of performers, and our always popular silent auction!
Things are tough all around, and nonprofit arts organizations suffer especially when giving is down. To learn more about the event, the work of the Asian Arts Initiative, and what you can do to help, go to the website here.
Have you bought your tickets to the International Secret Agents SF concert yet? Friday, March 20 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Looks like the show is sold out. Following up from last year's successful concert in San Gabriel Valley, they've got another killer lineup this time around for all my people in the Bay Area. Performers include:
ABDC DANCE SET (featuring Della and Meme of A.S.I.I.D., Glenda of Fanny Pak and DJ Virman of FM and ABDC Tour)
DJ ROMEO (Wild 94.9 San Francisco)
The show is apparently completely sold out, but I thought I should mention it anyway -- these guys are putting together a killer show, it's awesome to see them doing their thing. They've been on this mad hectic ticket tour at locations all over the Bay Area. Looks like the legwork paid off. For more information about the show, go here.
The Washington Post has an interesting story on recent trends in interracial marriage in America -- specifically, a decline in the rate of Hispanics and Asians marrying partners of other races in the past two decades: Immigrants' Children Look Closer for Love.
Sociologists and demographers are just beginning to study how the children of recent immigrants will date and marry. Conventional wisdom has it that in the open-minded Obama era, they will begin choosing spouses of other ethnicities as the number of interracial marriages rises.
But scholars are coming across a surprising converse trend. According to U.S. Census data, the number of native- and foreign-born people marrying outside their race fell from 27 to 20 percent for Hispanics and 42 to 33 percent for Asians from 1990 to 2000.
Scholars suggest it's all about the growing number of immigrants. It seems that the large immigrant population fundamentally changes the pool of potential partners for Asians and Hispanics. Thus, the second generation is more likely to marry people of their own ethnicity.
It's not quite like it was before, when there were only two Asian kids in your school -- you and this other boy/girl -- and everyone thought you two should go together to the prom. Forced coupling. Now half the school is Asian, so it's not such a big deal. Something like that.
Boom! It's the new theatrical trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the story of everybody's favorite adamantium-clawed mutant superhero. See how many shots you can count of Hugh Jackman jumping/riding/running/walking away from a gigantic explosion. Watch it here.
We also get a couple more shots of the very handsome model-turned-actor Daniel Henney as Agent Zero, who appears to be very handy shooting two guns at the same time. Will the role make Daniel a star in the United States? X-Men Origins: Wolverine opens in theaters on May 1.
If you're in Los Angeles, here's info about an interesting panel discussion happening next week about Asian Americans and the model minority myth. Did you know that Asian Americans are among the most impoverished communities in Los Angeles? Get the facts.
The panel will include Wendy Chang of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Stewart Kwoh of APALC, and Marshall Wong of API Equality-LA, and moderated by Lina Paredes of the Liberty Hill Foundation. Here are the details:
MODEL MINORITY?
Asian Americans are among the most impoverished communities in Los Angeles. Get the facts. Find out how your giving can change lives.
Asians have long been considered the "Model Minority." We'll dispel the myth.
Find out about activism addressing social injustice. Learn about giving trends among various generations. Understand the importance of philanthropic work.
Thursday, March 19, 2009 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM L.A. Music Center/Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Featured Panelists: Wendy Chang, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy Stewart Kwoh, Asian Pacific American Legal Center Marshall Wong, API Equality-LA
Moderated by: Lina Paredes, Liberty Hill Foundation
They make it pretty clear that the "model minority" is indeed a myth -- and they will be dispelling it. Looks like it's going to be a really interesting, provocative discussion, with information on how you can be part of creating change in the community. For more information about the event, go here.
Oh Harvard, hallowed campus of higher learning, enlightened thought... and racist graffiti. These are the future leaders of America! Members of the Chinese Students Association discovered racially charged messages written on the walls after a graffiti-themed party: Party-goers Leave Racist Messages at CSA Party.
At the party, attendees were encouraged to write phrases on strips of tape and paper in glow-in-the-dark highlighters. But after the party, when the lights when up, students discovered racist, inflammatory messages like "Chinese people perform genocide" and "Chinese people suck" written on the walls.
As you can guess, with hundreds of people at the party, it's pretty much impossible to find out who's responsible for the messages. Why is it that when Asians try to gather for a good time, some racist ass always has to mess with everybody's fun? Either with a comment or general jackassery. That's racist!
Comic book writer John Layman, known for his very weird, quirky stories, recently discussed his upcoming new series... and the main character happens to be an Asian guy. Chew is a police procedural starring Tony Chu, a federal agent who gets psychic impressions from the things he eats. Uh... what?
(I'm assuming Tony Chu is Asian. I don't have anything else to go on, except for the character's name.)
Chu is "cibopathic," which apparently means he can eat an apple and tell you what tree it was harvested from and what pesticides were used on it. Or eat a burger, and feel what the cow felt when it was slaughtered. Or he can on a murder victim, and see the victim's last moment, and the murder... and so on.
Weird. Really odd. But I'm intrigued. I suppose I could really go there and complain about stereotypes of Chinese people willing to eat anything. But I have the sneaking feeling that the only reason this guy's name is Tony Chu because it goes so well with the meaning of the title. Just a guess.
Here's a recent Newsarama interview with writer John Layman: John Layman on Debuting 'Chew'. People are already starting to compare it, in some ways, to Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man. Really? More here: New Y The Last Man Makes Cannibalism Sexy. The book, with art by Rob Guillory, debuts in June.
We all know that gambling addiction is a particularly acute problem in the Asian American community. Here's an article from the Sacramento Bee about problem gambling among Asian Americans, and some of the obstacles our community often faces in getting help: Asian American gambling addicts face cultural gap in getting help.
Studies have shows that Asian Americans are particular prone to gambling addiction, yet they're rarely the ones who call California's state gambling hotline. There seems to be a cultural disconnect, from language barriers to even just a lack of understanding that they need help: Asians' gambling needs more attention.
On a related note, if you're in the Boston area, I recently heard about this upcoming lecture/panel discussion next week on gambling addiction in the Asian American community: Beating the Odds: Addressing Problem Gambling in the Asian American Community. Wednesday, March 25, 2:00-3:30pm at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Presented by the the Institute for Asian American Studies, the event will feature Dr. Timothy Fong. Chien-Chi Huang from the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and Tram Tran from the Boston Police Department. For more information, visit the Facebook event page here.
I across this a while ago, but a good reader sent it in and reminded me about it... a racist, old school blast from the past, that is unfortunately still very much in the present. Here's a great feature (with photos!) examining the "U-Washee" laundromat in Richmond, Indiana -- an establishment completely built on racist Chinese stereotypes: Keeping whites and colors separate: The "U-Washee."
This is an actual working laundromat decorated with signs featuring all sorts racist yellow-skinned chinaman caricatures, wonton fonts and faux ching chong grammar... and no one really seems to give a damn. Zero outrage. The article seems to suggest that it's an Indiana thing.
Ridiculous, right? You too can wash and dry your clothes amidst the sight of smiling slanted-eyed racist themes. Does the decor actually figure in with the laundromat's business strategy? Do people feel more comfortable cleaning their clothes with pictures of Chinese laundrymen around -- offensive or otherwise? That's racist!
The author of the piece points out that his intention is not to demand or threaten the owner of U-Washee, but to speak up and break the cycle of complacency and help the business move past the anti-Chinese racist stereotypes. I'm curious to know what happened after this was posted last month... (Thanks, Danny.)
The new theatrical trailer for this summer's big screen revamp of Star Trek recently hit the web... it looks pretty freaking awesome. We don't get a much better glimpse of John Cho as Sulu, but there is certainly the indication that he's going to be a bit of a badass. I like it. It's a damn good trailer, and as a huge Trek, I'm seriously pumped to finally see this movie. Star Trek opens in theaters on May 8.
I just heard from Helen, who's organizing an online drive to register donors for the National Marrow Donor Program. My friends, you might not have a lot of money, or time, but you do have the opportunity to directly impact the life of someone in need. By registering as a donor, you have the chance to help a patient with leukemia, lymphoma, or another blood related disease.
I'm sure you've heard this before. These diseases can be cured through one way-- an unrelated bone marrow or stem cell transplant from the "perfect match". Because these matches are based on genetic tissue typing, the best chance of finding a perfect match for a patient is someone from their same ethnic group.
Only 30% of currently registered donors are ethnic minorities, which makes it that much harder for a minority patient to find a perfect match. And it's exceptionally difficult for multi-ethnic patients to find matches. If you have a minority or multi-ethnic background, please consider registering to help patients like:
Krissy Kobata, a 26 year-old woman with MDS and is searching for a transplant. Matthew Nguyen, a 27 year-old man with AML is searching for a transplant. Alexander Phan, a 4-year-old boy.
They're looking for committed donors in good general health between the ages of 18-60 who are willing to donate for any searching patient. To register, go to join.marrow.org. Be sure to enter the promo code: hkmarrow3. If you've already joined, make sure all your info is still accurate and up-to-date so they can get in touch if you're a match. What do you have to lose? You could save a life, and everybody wins.
Believe it or not, this is the official music video for Swedish indie rock band Peter Bjorn and John's "Nothing To Worry About," off of their upcoming album Living Thing. Cool song... but this video is weird! (Thanks, Jenny.)
I'm told that these men, with insane, gravity-defying hair, gyrating hips and mad black leather, are actual dudes known as the Yoyogi Rockabillies. How they have anything to do with Swedish rock, or this song, I have no idea. But it's kind of fascinating, isn't it?
For over 90 years, the historic Union Church of Los Angeles has been a home for worshipers in Little Tokyo's Japanese American community, but has seen its congregation numbers dwindle in recent years. Over time they've lost folks to the suburbs, and... well, age.
With a need to jump start the church's membership, Union Church has partnered up with one of Los Angeles' most prosperous congregations, Bel Air Presbyterian: A Little Tokyo church finds the answer to its prayers.
The rescue plan: Use high-energy worship services, complete with ear-thumping Christian rock music, to help Union Church attract the young professionals who populate downtown's lofts and condos. Will it be the infusion of energy this church needs?
Korean American residents in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey recently had the rare chance to see a first-run South Korean movie, Portrait of a Beauty, in a proper AMC multiplex theater. The evening definitely reflects the major population shift that's happening in Bergen County: For Korean-Americans, a Big Night Out.
One screen at the AMC Loews in Ridgefield Park will show first-run Korean movies -- a first for a major U.S. theater chain. And if enough seats fill up, they hope to expand to AMC theaters in other cities with large Korean populations, including New York and Los Angeles.
An observant reader named Yuki snapped this photo at an ice cream shop she came across in Lima, Peru. Yes, that is an actual item on the menu called the "chinito" -- a chinaman caricature made from ice cream, complete with slanted eyes (made from... what are those?), a fu manchu mustache and accessorized with one of those funny umbrellas. It gets points for creativity... but damn, that has to be the most racist dessert item ever. (Thanks, Yuki.)
If you're in the Boston area, mark your calendars for this cool event later this month. On March 27, Deported Diaspora and UMass Boston's Asian American Studies Program present "The Takeover Part Uno," a fundraising concert featuring Hari the Comic, Tem Blessed, Shokanti and Third World Entertainment. Should be a great evening, for a great cause. Here are some details:
The Takeover Part 1 A Deported Diaspora Fundraiser
Featuring
Hari the Comic Tem Blessed Shokanti 3rd World Entertainment
Friday, March 27, 2009 7pm-1030pm
Snowden Auditorium in the Wheatley Building @ UMass Boston
Tix $20 w/DD shirt $10 Regular $FREE for UMB Students
For more info, departeddiaspora@gmail.com
Proceeds will benefit Deported Diaspora, a multiracial organization whose purpose is to organize families and communities to fight and raise awareness of the U.S. deportation system through education, advocacy, and art. You might remember them mentioned in this New York Times story from last fall. For more information about the organization and the event, go here.
Two stories, each on the different side of an Olympic controversy, nearly seven years later... Here's an interesting article on former South Korean speed skating star Kim Dong-Sung, whose bid for gold ended with disqualification in a controversial race at the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City: Speedskater Finds Career Where He Least Expected.
Kim was in the middle of a celebrating what he assumed was a his gold medal vistory in the 1,500 meters when he learned he had been disqualified for interfering with U.S. star Apolo Anton Ohno, who ended up receiving the first-place. It was a massive upset, with an entire country up in arms over the controversy. Some 16,000 angry email from South Korea apparently crashed the U.S. Olympic Committee's computer system.
At the time Kim vowed never to return to the United States. Today, he's had a change of heart, coaching young Olympic hopeful speed skaters in the Washington suburbs. He started coaching about two years ago, and hopes one day to create a U.S. Olympic champion. The guy has definitely had a change of heart since 2002.
On the other hand, Apolo Anton Ohno has won multiple medals, appeared on a Wheaties, signed with a Hollywood talent agency and competed on Dancing With the Stars It seemed like he was poised to transition out of skaing. But now, he's jumped back onto the ice, and plans to compete -- and win -- at the Vancouver Olympics in 11 months: Picking Up a Career in Perfect Stride.
Last week, Yahoo! Movies unveiled the new theatrical trailer for Pixar's upcoming animated feature Up. It's about a 78-year-old man named Carl Fredricksen who goes on a fantastic adventure. In his flying house.
The movie's in theaters on May 29. And that's all I really need to know. I'm there. Because really, in my book, Pixar hasn't made a bad movie. I'll gladly plunk down the ticket money to watch anything they make.
But as an added incentive, what's cool is, the kid accompanying Carl on his journey is a cute, chubby 8-year-old Asian kid named Russell, who's very prominent in the trailer. According to IMDb, he's voiced by Jordan Nagai... and best of all, no annoying fake Asian accent!
Who's the hottest person working in the White House? The Huffington Post recently ran an extremely important, non-frivolous poll asking readers to vote for who they think is the White House's Hottest.
Among the nominees is 25-year-old political advisor Eugene Kang, who can be regularly seen hanging a few steps from Barack Obama, and is known to play a mean game of golf with the Prez. And he's apparently single.
At the moment as I write this, "Gene" is currently holding at a measly 8.77% in the HuffPost's poll. Not so good. How about some more love for Eugene? Dude doesn't have to win, but he can do better than that... at least better than Rahm Emanuel!
An update on the van accident that killed two toddlers in New York's Chinatown back in January... The families of the two children are calling on the Manhattan prosecutor to convene a grand jury to investigate the accident, which hurt a total of 14 victims on East Broadway: Families Seek Inquiry in Chinatown Deaths.
The driver of the van, Chao Fu, has not been charged. He had left the van on East Broadway with the engine running, believing that the vehicle was in park. The van then went into reverse and struck a line of children from the Red Apple Child Development Center, killing Hayley Ng and Diego Martinez.
On Monday, the families of May and Diego, back by friends, parents of the other injured children, and transportation activists, demonstrated in front of the prosecutors office. They want justice, accountability, and for someone to bear the burden of responsibility for this tragedy.
Here are the latest installments in a series of video previews promoting Secret Identities, the upcoming Asian American comic book superhero anthology, boasting a variety of stories by Asian American writers and artists. Each week, they're posting a new promo (with movement and sound!) highlighting one of the stories.
The one above is for "You Are What You Eat," written by actress Lynn Chen and drawn by Paul Wei. The story follows a bulimic teenaged girl, Ting on her birthday. What she initially perceives as a "gift" from grandma to help with her eating disorder, in actuality begins to expose Ting towards discovering a healthy Yin/Yang balance of food -- with surprising effects.
This week's video is for one of my favorite stories in the anthology, "The Blue Scorpion & Chung," by acclaimed writer Gene Yang and artist Sonny Liew. The story obviously takes on the old Green Hornet/Kato sidekick dynamic... and completely flips it on its head. How cool would it be to see this story fully animated? Or better yet, live action?
The editors of Secret Identities -- Parry Shen, Jeff Yang, Keith Chow and Jerry Ma -- are taking their show on the road with a multi-city tour in support of the book this spring. For more information, go to the Secret Identities website here. The book will be available in stores on April 15.
I've been meaning to write about Brooklyn-based electronic pop/rock band Blip Blip Bleep for the better part of a year, ever since I heard their EP, Alarm Clock, Snooze Bar, Get Up. For some reason, it's been coming up on my shuffle a lot lately, so I guess that's a reminder to spread the word about them.
The brainchild of producer Sean Han, this band freaking rocks, with a cool, pulsating electronic pop/rock sound. They remind me a little of The Killers, mixed with Postal Service and a dash of Erasure thrown in for good measure. I think my favorite songs from the EP are the title track and "Street Lights" (but actually, I dig them all). As you can probably guess, lots of blips and bleeps.
You're going to love it. For more information on Blip Blip Bleep and to hear more of their music, visit the band's website here, and check out their MySpace page here. And pick up Alarm Clock, Snooze Bar, Wake Up at the usual places like Amazon and iTunes.
Have you seen the lame series of "3comonomics" commercials for Wendy's? They've been on the air for months, and I could've sworn I'd posted something, but I guess I haven't had a chance to comment on them yet. They're lame. Watch one of them here.
If you've haven't seen any the spots, they're all basically three guys, presumably co-workers, eating lunch together. The smart guy, the clueless guy... and the dorky Asian guy, complete with awkward bowl haircut.
He usually stays silent for the bulk of the commercial, except to perhaps punctuate the situation with a funny punchline or comment. The dorky dude is there for comic relief, and of course, he had to be Asian, right? That's racist!
Do not get in the way of an Asian man and his racquet sports. Specifically, badminton. This is an awesome story of 86-year-old Chinese American man who took on the city of San Francisco when it started messing with his favorite sport... and won: San Francisco Loses at Badminton, Outmatched by an 86-Year-Old
Since January, Ed Leong has campaigned against the city's new badminton court fees -- $4 to rent a court for 45 minutes -- which he says unfairly affected ethnic Asians, who, as you may know, really really really love to play badminton. And dammit, they want to play for free.
Now, we all know times are tough, and city budgets are tight. But San Francisco didn't impose similar fees for basketball and volleyball, which are played on the same gym floors as badminton is. What is up with that?
Word of the fee spread through the city's Asians communities. Leong collected 200 signatures opposing the charge, presented a petition to Mayor Gavin Newsom's office, staged a rally in front of City Hall and persistently called local politicians to complain.
City Hall found it too hard to fight the community outcry. Ed Leong had effectively become a pain in their ass. The Parks Department eventually declared it would drop the badminton charge in March and come back in April with a lower fee -- $1 for 45 minutes -- for badminton, volleyball and basketball alike. Like I said, do not mess with Asian Americans and their badminton. You will lose.
The drama follow survivors of a base attack who find themselves on a ship that cannot return to Earth. The group struggles to survive on the mysterious journey. Phillips will play Colonel Telford, the leader of the crew, and Ming-Na will play Camille Wray, a high-ranking human resource executive.
The series is scheduled to debut in October on the Sci-Fi Channel. You know, I was never really into Stargate SG-1 or Stargate: Atlantis, but these shows -- based on the 1994 feature film -- have been hugely successful. I might have to tune in to see what the fuss is about.
This San Francisco Chronicle article is a few weeks old, but it's an interesting look (with photos and video) at Camp Tule Lake, where 18,000 Japanese Americans and transplants from Japan -- as well as 800 German officers and 150 Italian prisoners of war -- were incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II: WWII internment camps part of park system.
In December, thanks in part to the work of camp survivors and their families, Tule Lake was named a national park as part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, freeing federal funds for preservation.
After decades of rotting and decay, the dark history of the Tule Lake prison camps will soon be memorialized with a visitors' center, tours, website and other tools intended to explain how thousands of Americans were imprisoned there. It seems to me, in times like these, such lessons are more important than ever.
Ann Coulter is an evil idiot. We all know that. So I guess shouldn't be surprised that she made this awful, dumbass crack last week about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: Ann Coulter: Wasn't Bobby Jindal Great in 'Slumdog Millionaire?' Right. Slumdog. Bobby Jindal. Both Indian, sort of. You're so damn clever, Ann.
Look, we all know his speech got him some notoriety. The televised Republican response to Obama's address to Congress, was widely considered a resounding flop -- even by members of his own party. By now, you've heard the comparisons to Kenneth The Page.
As much as I am fundamentally opposed to Jindal's politics, I have to acknowledge how significant it was that the nation's first Indian American governor was given the high-profile distinction of representing the GOP in this manner. He's an accomplished man, with an impressive resume.
Why then, does Ann Coulter feel the need to reduce Governor Bobby Jindal to an unfunny ethnic joke? Oh yeah. Evil idiot. I think it's probably safe to say that Jindal and Slumdog are the only two Indian-related ideas in Coulter's evil idiot head. And maybe Apu from The Simpsons. That's racist!
According to the press statement from the Department of Justice, the Silvas committed a bias-motivated assault on the couple at a public beach in South Lake Tahoe. They first confronted the victims verbally, using derogatory racial and ethnic slurs, then assaulted the couple, including striking one of the victims with a shoe and then hitting the other repeatedly in the head.
At the hearing, the judge sentenced Georgia Silva to one year in jail, and Joseph Silva to six months in jail and three years' probation.
Prosecutors initially tried to add a hate-crime enhancement to the case, but th judge found the incident didn't fit the legal definition of a hate crime and dropped the enhancement last summer. I still don't quite understand how this is possible. You mean to tell me they just happened to be shouting racial slurs Vishal Wadhwa when they were kicking him in the face?
If you're in New York, and want to support some really cool activist art, you might want to check out the Asian Women Giving Circle's Celebration of Arts and Activism. This Wednesday, March 11, 6:00-8:00pm at the Gana Art Gallery.
Check out hand-drawn comic books by Asian American teenage girls, a "digital quilt" that weaves the stories of women garment workers in New York City, and a multi-media performance piece by "Maria the Korean Bride," among other cool projects that will be on display.
The arts projects, each of which received a 2008 grant from the Asian Women Giving Circle, will occupy individual "booths" at the Chelsea art gallery where they will showcase their work. There will also be arts and crafts for sale, along with an auction. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Asian Women Giving Circle, which is currently soliciting proposals for its 2009 grant cycle.
The 2008 grantees that will be on display and performing at the event are:
Asian American Writers' Workshop - Drawing in Color: Empowering Girls through Comics The Asian American Writers' Workshop created an out-of-school program for teenage girls to create their own superheroes and comic books. Fifteen high school female students of diverse ethnicities met over six weekends to talk about gender and ethnic stereotypes in mainstream comics while creating comics of their own. www.aaww.org.
Katie Quan & MoCA - Digital Quilt This project, conceived by Katie Quan, a former garment worker, union organizer and now the associate chair of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, is a multi-media piece that "weaves" together the untold stories of Asian women labor activists from New York and China. To create the piece, Chinese American women garment workers took part in a course taught by award-winning filmmaker Nancy Tong where they learned to operate video cameras and record their own stories in their own words. The Digital Quilt will be the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas (MoCA)'s first labor exhibit at its new location.www.ilr.cornell.edu.
Maria Yoon - Maria the Korean Bride Maria the Korean Bride is a poignant, funny, multi-media solo performance project drawing on the personal experiences and pressures surrounding marriage -- from the perspective of an unmarried Asian American woman in her thirties. Maria Yoon's theatrical performance includes art, film, monologue, movement and audience interaction. While creating her piece, Maria traveled around the country, dressed in the traditional Korean wedding costume, and married a different man in each state. The video footage she recorded from her many marriages forms a visual backdrop to her theatrical performance. www.mariathekoreanbride.com.
Slanty Eyed Mama / Kate Rigg - The Urban Tao A tour-de-force multimedia play with live music, poetry, & graffiti art design by artist Kate Rigg, The Urban Tao is designed to be performed by one to four actors in the style of The Vagina Monologues. The piece is one of an ongoing series by the artist which chronicles the contemporary experiences of Ameriasians in America. The piece also features a soundscape composed by Rigg along with a DJ and a percussionist. www.slantyeyedmama.com.
Tea & Justice - a documentary film by Ermena Vinluan "Tea and Justice" is a documentary film about three immigrant Asian women New York Police Department (NYPD) officers featuring candid, intimate, fascinating and occasionally painful interviews. Each officer tells the story of her immigrant family's beginnings in this country, her inspiration for choosing a non-traditional career, and her experiences confronting sexism and racial stereotyping in her jobs and in her community. www.TeaAndJustice.com.
Sakhi for South Asian Women - Arts and Empowerment A 10-week interactive workshop exploring issues around domestic abuse through poetry, prose, and film sponsored by Sakhi for South Asian Women and the Indo-Caribbean Women's Empowerment Group in Richomond Hill, Queens. www.sakhi.org.
Center for the Study of Asian American Health - Heart Health Project The Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) at NYU Medical Center received a grant to create the Heart Health Project, an intergenerational photography project about cardiovascular health, the leading cause of death among elderly Chinese women. The project is an intimate portrait of the lives of s six senior women and six young women including their diet, exercise and other daily habits using photovoice, an innovative photographic technique. www.med.nyu.edu/csaah.
Girls Write Now This mentoring project for Asian high school girls in NYC matched each girl with an Asian American woman professional writer for weekly mentoring throughout an entire school year along with monthly workshops. One workshop invited the girls to write about "two truths and one lie" about things their hands have touched using different poetic genres and forms. www.girlswritenow.org.
The Asian Women Giving Circle made grants to support projects led by Asian American women in NYC who use the arts in some way to further a social justice goal. Only applicants from New York City's five boroughs were considered. With some exceptions, most projects received $10,000 grants. For more information, visit the Asian Women Giving Circle website here.
In 2007, Susan Kim, a Korean American nail salon worker, was awarded $182,000 in back pay, overtime wages and damages against her former employer, 167 Nail Plaza, who fired her in 2005. Her victory inspired other exploited nail salon workers to speak out about their difficult working conditions.
Awesome, right? Chalk one up for workers rights. The only problem is, the lady still needs to get paid. A year and half later, Ms. Kim has yet to receive any of the money owed to her from the defendants, Mou San Rim and Dong Rim Park, who apparently no longer own the nail salon: Nail Salon Worker Awaits Her Back Pay.
The rumors are true! Councilman John Liu has formally announced his campaign to serve as the next Comptroller of the City of New York: Liu Adds Name To Comptroller Race. According to Liu, his background in finance makes him the perfect candidate for the job:
"Now more than ever, we need a Comptroller who will root out waste and inefficiency as budget cuts are imposed, and ensure accountability and equal opportunity as billions in stimulus funding arrive," John said earlier today. "With my professional background in finance and my experience in city government, combined with my demand for fairness and equality, I will be that Comptroller. I will be the Comptroller who will scrutinize the details without losing sight of the big picture."
I'll be completely honest -- before I heard about Liu's announcement to run, I wasn't even sure what the city Comptroller was. But hey, Liu's got the skills, the experience, the credibility... and a lot of campaign money. This should be interesting: A candidate for controller challenges the old ethnic alliances.
Just saw this funny ad for MLB 2K, starring San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. The 24-year-old pitcher scored himself the cover of the video game after winning the 2008 National League Cy Young Award. This is just one of several Tim Lincecum-starring skits and videos related to 2K9. Watch them all here.
Some follow-up on Vince Weiguang Li, the man who brutally murdered a man by beheading him on a Greyhound Canada bus last summer... Last week, a judge ruled that Li is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill. I don't think this comes as a surprise to anyone: Judge rules bus beheading suspect mentally ill.
Li, according to witnesses, repeatedly stabbed then decapitated McLean while riding on a Greyhound bus. Defense psychiatrists testified that Li was suffering from schizophrenia and believed God wanted him to kill McLean because the young man was a force of evil.
The ruling means that Li, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his seatmate, Tim McLean Jr., will be hospitalized at a psychiatric facility until he undergoes a review by Manitoba's Criminal Code Review Board.
Ah, John McCain. The former GOP presidential candidate who was famously known for his computer illiteracy, is now apparently using Twitter. Because it's what all the cool kids are doing. And John McCain, as we all know, is um, cool.
The Republican Senator recently started using the social networking site to single out projects he deems unworthy of funding in a $410 billion budget bill in the Senate. Among the "pork" projects, according to McCain, including $237,500 for expansion of the Japanese American Museum in San Jose's Japantown.
Yes, San Jose has a Japantown -- one of the last three remaining authentic U.S. Japantowns. Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Mike Honda secured that money to help the museum, which has raised $50,000 privately but lost a $600,000 state grant to budget woes. Construction has been halted for lack of funds.
It's McCain 2.0! Honda apparently tweeted right back: "Jap. Museum boost tourism (thus jobs) in SJ Japantown, last of 3 authentic US Japantowns. Zoe & I proudly supported its funding." Damn right.
MTV Iggy, the Asian-inspired global pop culture brand (picking up where MTV Chi/K/Desi left off), is presenting a special live performance with South Korean girl pop supergroup Wonder Girls this Tuesday, March 10, 2:00pm at the MTV studio in New York City.
MTV will apparently be simulcasting the performance on the largest HD screen in the world, right in the heart of Times Square. Yeah. That screen.
You've never heard of Wonder Girls? You mean you haven't heard or seen the insanely catchy music video for "Nobody"? Or learned the "Tell Me" dance? You just might be the only one.
A limited number of lucky fans will make it inside the studio to be part of the audience. If you want in, email mtviggy@mtvn.com and tell them why you should be part of this epic event. Details here: MTV Iggy Presents The Wonder Girls.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama announced that Vivek Kundra, D.C.'s chief technology officer, and an adviser on Obama's transition team, will be the Federal Chief Information Officer at the White House: D.C. Tech Chief Tapped for White House Slot.
Kundra, 34, is expected to oversee how government agencies purchase and use information technology and will be in charge of all federal technology spending. He'll also be responsible for making sure agencies' networks and systems work together and share information while maintaining security and privacy standards. Here's the official White House press release I received last week:
President Obama Names Vivek Kundra Chief Information Officer
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, President Barack Obama named Vivek Kundra the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the White House.
The Federal Chief Information Officer directs the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending. The Federal CIO establishes and oversees enterprise architecture to ensure system interoperability and information sharing and ensure information security and privacy across the federal government. The CIO will also work closely with the Chief Technology Officer to advance the President’s technology agenda.
President Obama said, "Vivek Kundra will bring a depth of experience in the technology arena and a commitment to lowering the cost of government operations to this position. I have directed him to work to ensure that we are using the spirit of American innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. As Chief Information Officer, he will play a key role in making sure our government is running in the most secure, open, and efficient way possible."
The following announcement was made today:
Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra formerly served in Mayor Fenty's cabinet as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the District of Columbia, responsible for technology operations and strategy for 86 agencies. He has been recognized among the top 25 CTO's in the country and as the 2008 IT Executive of the Year for his pioneering work to drive transparency, engage citizens and lower the cost of government operations. Kundra is also recognized for his leadership in public safety communications, cyber security and IT portfolio management. Before Kundra came to the District, Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed him Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the first dual cabinet role in the state's history. Kundra's diverse record also includes technology and public policy experience in private industry and academia. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and holds a MS in Information Technology from the University of Maryland.
The chief information officer is a newly created position -- the job actually didn't exist in previous administration. But it's not surprising that Obama would be on top of this, as the candidate that effectively leveraged social networks and other internet tools on the campaign trail, and promised to create a technology czar with the aim of helping the government operate more efficiently. New president, new technologies. About time.
Another violent crime in Philadelphia targeting an Asian American business owner... Police are looking for the suspect responsible for fatally shooting 68-year-old Joseph Chung Ha in an attempted robbery at his dry cleaner shop: Dry Cleaner Murder Suspect Sought.
Ha, a husband and father of four, ran his dry cleaning business, Alert Cleaners, in the city's Olney neighborhood for over two decades. According to police, Ha was walking to his car in the evening after work when someone shot him twice in the chest in an apparent robbery.
Anyone with information is asked to call authorities. Police are searching for a male suspect with a thin-to-medium build in his early 20s. More here: Olney bizman dies in likely holdup try.
Aww yeah. Another week, another Angry Reader, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's reader is community organizer Trinh Le, coming at you from Biloxi, Mississippi. Meet Trinh!
Who are you? Trinh Hoang Nu Le, but you can call me Trinh. Who is Trinh Le? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
What are you? 2nd generation Vietnamese American. I am a daughter of political refugees... "boat people'" as you'd call them. I grew up in a working class family, got a college degree in Sociology and Asian American Studies, and now I am living in the South!
Where are you? Biloxi, Mississippi... right along the Gulf Coast. Right after college, I applied for the NAVASA Dan Than fellowship so that I could work with the Vietnamese community and join the movement of rebuilding the Gulf Coast post-Katrina. Being a Cali girl and all, it took me awhile to adjust to life in the South. But there's definitely some perks, such as Mississippi blues, crawfish boils, and sweet tea! Not to mention the history of the Civil Rights movement is RIGHT here. You won't find a more jam-packed fun-filled MLK weekend celebration anywhere else.
Where are you from? That's a hard one, because I've lived in nine different cities all my life (and I'm only in my mid-twenties). But if I had to choose, it'd be San Diego because that's where I spent my high school years.
What do you do? Now as a New Voices fellow, I am the community empowerment coordinator at Hope CDA, a local community development agency that does housing recovery and community development. Basically, that's code for community organizer. My job is to empower residents in East Biloxi to organize and advocate for themselves. Almost anything and everything fits under community empowerment, and the activities range from knocking on peoples' doors get them to come out to a Block Captain meeting to talking to local small business owners about the challenges that they face rebuilding post-Katrina. From facilitating a voter registration & education campaign to researching local casino development. East Biloxi is very diverse, mostly low-income communities of color. 20% of the population was Vietnamese before the storm. Although there's been progress, there's still a lot of work to be done.
What are you all about? As Chris Iijima once said, we need to begin to think about values, and about how people without voice get voice, and how as Asian Americans we can do that or help people do that... that's what it means to be progressive. And that's what I'm all about: uplifting and being an advocate for disenfranchised communities' voices when they have often gone unheard. And this happens everywhere, but I'm honored to have the opportunity to fight for social justice here in Biloxi, Mississippi. I think it's a beautiful thing to be a witness of what's going on in the Gulf Coast. There is this resilience here that amazes me everyday, and that is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
What makes you angry? There's many things that make me angry, but here are a few that popped into my head:
When people think Katrina only hit New Orleans. When people think that we've already recovered from Katrina, and if not, it's our fault. When people think that Katrina only affected African Americans. There is a sizeable Vietnamese community on the Gulf Coast (New Orleans, Biloxi, Bayou La Batre)... many of which were affected by the storm. Lots of low-income white folks were affected in Mississippi as well. When people ask why folks are rebuilding, they should just "move," even though folks have lived here for generations. When people don't think language access is an issue for immigrants, and that they should just "learn English," even though the language is a big reason why Vietnamese folks are having a much more difficult time rebuilding. When people understand and "get" racism, but not necessarily sexism, gender politics, and homophobia... and the intersections that exist.
Right now, about to board a plane to western Massachusetts, via Connecticut, to attend L.E.A.D., the 5 College Pan Asian Network's 3rd Annual Spring Conference. Looking forward to meeting and speaking with you all there.
Can Social Media End Racism? Sunday, March 15th 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Room 8, Austin Convention Center
The tangled issues of race and privilege in our society come to a boiling point on the internet. Exploring the complicated place of race in society, this presentation examines the ideas of race in the digital environment with a specific focus on social media.
So, um... can social media end racism? I'll give you the short answer: no. But we'll try to make it a fairly interesting and provocative discussion anyway. At any rate, I hope it'll be a chance to meet and engage with a lot of bright, like-minded folks when it comes to talking about race in the digital environment.
More information about the panel here. My fellow bloggers and I are also trying to organize some kind of reader/blogger meet-up gathering somewhere around the convention. Details to be determined... but to stay in touch, please join our recently created Facebook group for the panel here. Hope to see you there!
Fanboys, rejoice. The day is finally here. Watchmen opens in theaters everywhere today. The big scren Hollywood adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark, critically acclaimed graphic novel finally arrives for all to see. Fans weep with joy. Non-fans scratch their heads as they wonder what the hell is happening. There is a naked blue man.
As I mentioned before, one of the people responsible for finally bringing us the Watchmen feature film is screenwriter Alex Tse, who had the monumental task of adapting what is regarded as the greatest graphic novel of all time.
Props to Mr. Tse. I have seen the movie, and I enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but it does an admirable job of presenting the graphic novel's dense, complex superhero story -- widely considered almost un-filmable -- as a digestible cinematic experience.
That said, some Asians faces you might see in Watchmen:
Lots and lots of faceless Viet Cong soldiers being obliterated by a wave of Dr. Manhattan's super-powered hand. This is probably what would have happened if the United States had a godlike nuclear-powered being on their side during the Vietnam War. Instead, they probably had more guys like...
The Comedian, aka the biggest bastard in the movie, who shoots a Vietnamese woman dead after she comes to him, pregnant with his child. It's just one of a lot awful things he gets away with. But, as you'll see, he gets what's coming to him...
Also spotted a handful of Asian thugs amongst the group that attacks Dan and Laurie. Dan and Laurie, in turn, kick everyone's ass. A lot.
Alas, Asians don't get too much love in Watchmen. Granted, these are all scenes lifted straight from the source material (except for the Asian street thugs -- that's added color). Here's hoping that one day we'll get to see something compelling from the Secret Identities anthology get made into a film... and then Asian Americans will actually get to play someone cool in a comic book movie. Someday.
American Idol just got interesting again. Early on, you know I was pulling for 21-year-old Anoop Desai of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This Desi kid has got some serious soul! He made it to the top 36, but unfortunately didn't get enough votes to make the cut past that round, much to the dismay of many.
But wait! Anoop makes it back in with a wild card! Not the top twelve -- the Top 13. The first-ever Idol Top 13, thanks to the surprise addition of fan-favorite Anoop. So good, they had to make an extra spot just for him: Top 13 finalists chosen on 'American Idol.'
Oh snap! Quest Crew wins! The breakin' boys from Los Angeles win season three title of America's Best Dance Crew. I think most folks saw this coming, since they've clearly been one of the strongest competitors since episode one. But the all-girl Beat Freaks seriously gave them a run for their money. All the way to the end, both crews definitely earned their spot in the finals.
But it's all about Quest Crew, baby. A group of Asian Amerian men have, once again, represented and kicked some serious ass on this show. That makes this third season in a row that an all or mostly Asian American group has won America's Best Dance Crew -- JabbaWockeeZ, Sup3r Crew, and now Quest. Recognize, suckas! (Much love to Beat Freaks.)
Just saw this here. I swear, this is totally real. Is anyone completely disgusted by the racist and sexist implications of this ad for Imedeen skin-whitening supplements? Who the hell thought this was a good idea? How do these ads get made? (Thanks, David.)
Ah. It appears that he'll still just be known as Dr. Sanjay, and not Surgeon General Sanjay. President Obama's high-profile pick for Surgeon General, CNN correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, took himself out of the running this week: Gupta withdraws from surgeon general search.
The surgeon general is the nation's doctor, and while the job doesn't involve much policymaking responsibility, it's a bully pulpit for promoting improvements in public health. Gupta apparently wants to focus on his medical career and spend more time with his family. It's too bad. He definitely would've added a coolness factor to the position.
This is really unfortunate, but I'm not surprised in the slightest.... Soon after Dartmouth College announced that it had appointed Dr. Jim Yong Kim as the school's next president -- the Ivy League's first Asian American president -- the racist comments started flowing, including a widely-distributed email from the Generic Good Morning Message (GGMM), a student-written/edited "tongue-in-cheek" daily news update: E-mail on Kim stirs controversy. Here's the email in question:
Date: March 3, 2009 11:06:39 AM EST To: GOOD-MORNING@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU Subject: Good Morning
This is the Generic Good Morning Message for March 3, 2009.
Yesterday came the announcement that President of the College James Wright will be replaced by Chinaman Kim Jim Yong. And a little bit of me died inside.
It was a complete supplies.
On July 1, yet another hard-working American's job will be taken by an immigrant willing to work in substandard conditions at near-subsistent wage, saving half his money and sending the rest home to his village in the form of traveler's checks. Unless "Jim Yong Kim" means "I love Freedom" in Chinese, I don't want anything to do with him. Dartmouth is America, not Panda Garden Rice Village Restaurant.
Y'all get ready for an Asianification under the guise of diversity under the actual Malaysian-invasion leadership instituted under the guise of diversity. It's a slippery slope we are on. I for one want Democracy and apple pie, not Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen. I know I sure as shit won't ever be eating my Hop dubs bubs with chopsticks. I like to use my own two American hands.
The author of the original e-mail apologized for "inappropriate" and "insensitive" comments in an e-mail to the GGMM listserv on Tuesday, saying that the comments were intended to be satirical. The GGMM staff also offered a follow-up apology, saying they regretted their lack of oversight. IvyGate's got a good roundup: Dartmouth Students Jump to Racist Conclusions About New President.
The email, written by anonymous GGMM intern "Lozar Theofilactidis," was allegedly a sad and pathetic attempt at being "humorous and satirical." Right. I'm sorry, you don't write all that racist bullshit without actually believing some it. I love how every time some ignorant ass thinks he's being clever, and writes some racist nonsense in a column, he then tries to pass it off as "satire."
Here we have a great moment, a reason to celebrate a significant achievement for an impressive and qualified Asian American... and some idiot decides celebrate by composing a tirade of Asian "jokes." That didn't take long, did it? Never mind Dr. Kim's inspirational work as a world health official, and his plans to bring that leadership to Dartmouth. To some, he'll always just be a Chinaman. That's racist!
I recently heard about Roxana Saberi, an American freelance journalist living and reporting from Tehran for NPR, the BBC and other news organizations, who has been detained by the Iranian government for the past month, since January 31: American Journalist Arrested In Iran.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Saberi was detained for engaging in "illegal" activities because she continued working after the government revoked her press credentials in 2006. She was apparently arrested after buying a bottle of wine.
Saberi, who is half-Iranian and half-Japanese, was born in the United States and grew up in North Dakota, where she was a star high school soccer player and pianist. She was even crowned Miss North Dakota in 1997. She was last heard from on February 10, when her father spoke to her.
Just saw this posted on Los Angeles Craiglist this evening, from someone who is definitely not happy that all the Asians are taking over! his imaginary little kingdom. I have a feeling it's going to be taken down soon, so here's the full the text of the tirade, for record's sake:
Asians are taking over! (Southern California) Reply to: pers-udn4y-1060995109@craigslist.org Date: 2009-03-04, 8:09PM PST
Anyone read the LA Times article on the "White Flight"? For those of you that DONT live in Arcasia, Temple City, Rosemead, Alchanbra, Chan Gabriel or surrounding areas you have NO idea what its like to be here if you are ANYTHING other than Asian. I grew up in this area my whole life and you asian fucks come here and use your fucking opium money to buy our land, build a million fucking wedding shops and refuse to put signs up in ENGLISH! FUCK YOU! I get treated like shit EVERY FUCKING TIME I GO IN YOUR STORES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD! You shitbags come to our country to get away from your fucked up communist homeland and try to force us to adhere to your fucking shitty culture, way of life and fucking LANGUAGE! America is the only place where you can come to, NOT LEARN HOW TO DRIVE and PAY someone for your drivers license. I am getting tired of being behind you fucks! You drive 10 miles per hour in a 40 zone, cant even use your turn signals and just generally SUCK AT DRIVING! I'm also getting tired of seeing those fucking chink mansions getting built everywhere. Not only you destroy parts of American history they are just FUCKING UGLY! Here is the normal Chinese female in a nut shell. Family is rich from using the American system and sending money back home, fucking up our economy even more, little tiny ugly ass football of a dog that you don't even know how to take care of properly, you either drive a Lexus, BMW or Benz... wait... YOU CANT DRIVE! And you most likely live in a ugly ass huge fucking eyesore of a house and expect everyone non-Asian to lick your asshole. Not to mention NONE of you look decent, you all think that wearing Ed Hardy shit with no ass makes you popular or good looking. HA! Take your Asian welding masks, gloves and long sleeves off when you are outside, the sun isn't going to kill you, get some color. Oh wait, I forgot, that if you aren't pale and ugly everyone will think that you are a farmer.... My bad. I use to not be racist until I felt like I was black in the 40ies living here. What good do Chinese and Taiwanese bring to us? Nothing that I can think of... All you guys do is make fun of all non-Asians, fuck our economy up and treat the rest of us like shit in our OWN country! At least when the Mexicans come here most of them just want to work and raise a family with as little fuss as possible. Plus they have shared their culture with us, NOT FORCED IT ON US. I'm getting tired of being treated like shit in my own neighborhood, WE WERE HERE FIRST! QUIT TRYING TO FORCE US TO YOUR WAYS! If you DON'T LIKE US THEN MOVE BACK TO YOUR FUCKING HOMELAND! Oh and one more thing, HIRE AN ENGLISH SPEAKING AMERICAN TO SPELL CHECK YOUR SIGNAGE OR LEARN ENGLISH!
Do I really have to say it? That's racist! Hey asshole, we're here, and we're not going anywhere. If that disrupts your ignorant, racist American existence... tough. We're sure as hell not going back our "fucking homeland." Because we're already here. Get over it.
Hey, just heard from Evelina, who wrote this cool (cover!) story for Pacific Ties, UCLA's AAPI newsmagazine, on bloggers and the role they play in building awareness and creating dialogue in the AAPI community: Blogosphere: The New Frontier?
The story highlights some of the folks doing their thing on the blogosphere, talking to folks like Jen and Diana at Disgrasian, "Slanty" at Slant Eye for the Round Eye, the multitude of voices who represent 8 Asians, and Lena Chen of the infamous Sex and the Ivy blog.
Oh yeah... and me. I always feel like I stumble through these interviews, usually at a loss for words as I try to articulate why and how I do what I do. But when I look at it in the context of the article, I guess it's not so bad. Thank God for editing. Anyway, read the story here, or take a look at the entire issue here.
The bitter battle to recall her stemmed from last year's epic debate over the renaming of San Jose's Vietnamese business district, a fight that caused a huge rift within the city's large Vietnamese community, alienated other residents and dominated local politics for months.
News of Nguyen's triumph came soon after the polls closed at 8:00pm on Tuesday. With 9,500 votes cast in the weeks before Election Day, all precincts reporting and fewer than 1,200 late and provisional ballts left to tally, when all was said and done, voters had favored the Councilwoman by a wide 55 percent to 45 percent.
It looks like Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, the city's first Vietnamese American council member, ain't going nowhere just yet. This seems to be the end of the "Little Saigon" saga... but what does it now mean for San Jose's Vietnamese American community, and the rift this whole saga has caused?
Koji over at the Japanese American National Museum tells me about a great way you can support the museum, and get a really cool piece of art in return. JANM is giving away a limited number of posters of the cover art from Giant Robot Issue 57, featuring a rendition of President Barack Obama by street artist David Choe.
Signed by co-publishers Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong, the 17"x22" poster is the Museum's gift to you when you donate at least $40.00 to JANM. But supplies are limited -- they apparently only have 200 copies.
I just ordered mine. I've actually meaning to support the museum for a while, so this is a nice bonus. Times are tough, and like many nonprofits, they could use your help. To support the museum and receive your gift, go here.
Finally, we get answers about last December's Marine fighter jet crash near San Diego that killed four people in their home. A Marine Corps investigation has found that the crash was "clearly avoidable" if the pilot and officers on the ground assisting him during the emergency had followed proper procedures: Deadly Fighter Crash 'Clearly Avoidable'.
The investigation concluded that the fighter was brought down by a rare double-engine failure, but the second engine failure apparently could've been prevented. If checklists had been followed, the plane would have continued on course to the nearest available airstrip, instead of being redirected to one further away that took the disabled plane over heavily populated neighborhoods.
As a result of the investigation, 13 Marines have been disciplined, including four who were relieved of their duties. The plane's pilot, who safely ejected just before the plane crashed, has been grounded ever since and will receive a further review to determine if he should keep his wings.
While releasing the report, the 3rd Marine Air Wing's Brig. Gen. Randolph Alles apologized to the families of people killed in the crash. I don't know how much comfort that was to Dong Yun Yoon, the man who lost his entire family -- his wife, his two young children, and his mother-in-law -- in that one horrible moment. More here: Jet Pilot Had Landing Options Before Crash.
If you're a high school student in the Bay Area, or know someone who is... This weekend, Asian Educators Alliance (AsEA) presents its first ever High School Student Leadership Conference: Unlearn, Rethink, Inspire, Do Something! Saturday, March 7 at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. Here are some details:
AsEA High School Student Leadership Conference: Unlearn, Rethink, Inspire, Do Something!
March 7, 2009 in San Francisco
Registration: 9:30am-10am Conference: 10:30am-3pm
Lick-Wilmerding High School Keynote speaker: Dennis Kim from Youth Speaks.
Asian Pacific Islander (API) Youth in the Bay Area!
Join us for our inaugural leadership conference for Asian Pacific Islander High School students at Lick Wilmerding High School on March 7th from 10am-3pm. Don't miss this opportunity to meet with other dynamic API youth looking to make change in their schools and in the wider community. Hear from activists from amazing community organizations like Youth Speaks, Breakthrough Collaborative, Blink! and the Women of Color Resource Center and participate in discussions about the current state of Asian America. All attendees will leave with a list of API community organizations that have internships for dynamic, activist Asian Pacific Islander youth looking to create change.
For the past five years AsEA has been holding a conference for adults, but this year it's all for high school students, focusing on leadership and activism. It should be a really great event, with a keynote address from Dennis Kim (aka Denizen Kane) of Youth Speaks. And it's all free! For more information, and to register, go to the AsEA website here.
This week, the Justice Department, under the direction of Attorney General Eric Holder, finally released the controversial anti-terror memos used by the Bush Administration to support its suspension of constitutional rights in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks: Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos.
Call it house cleaning. The Bush administration eventually abandoned many of the legal conclusions written by the Office of Legal Counsel, but the documents themselves had been closely held. The Obama administrationis basically saying it's time to get that crap out in the open. Chickens come home to roost, y'all.
The nine legal opinions, largely authored by Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo, basically argued that in the battle against terrorism, the President had broad authority to set aside constitutional rights. Torture, wiretapping, unwarranted search and seizure -- all that stuff. Green light. Read the released memos here.
You suck, John Yoo. More over at Daily Kos: Justice Department Releases Yoo, Bybee Memos. The Orange County Register has an interview with Yoo, who recently took leave from his duties as a professor at UC Berkeley's law school to teach a semester at Chapman University: Ex-Bush lawyer talks about torture memos. My guess is, his days as a Cal professor are numbered...
Carmen sends me this one... This is an actual Spanish-language print ad for a weight-loss product that asks: "Have you ever seen a fat Chinese woman?" Nope, says the stupid consumer. There is no such person, or they all apparently live in hiding. It must be all that tea they sip!
You've got to love advertising that boldly generalizes an entire population: When Cultural Stereotypes Become Central Selling Point. Photo of skinny Asian woman included, of course, for the full effect. It's gotta be the tea. Ridiculous. Disgrasian's got their sassy take here.
But wait, it gets worse. Note the toll-free number they give you at the bottom. 1-877-CHINITO ("little Chinese"). And a little chinky caricature face to drive it all home. That's racist! My guess is, you drink the tea, and you will indeed lose weight... because of all the diarrhea.
The New York Times ran a story last week on the now-famous Kogi truck, Los Angeles' meal-on-wheels sensation: For a New Generation, Kimchi Goes With Tacos. The superdelicious mobile Korean fusion variation on the Mexican taco truck has been attracting Twitter-powered lines of eager eaters all around the city.
The article is interesting because it's not just about Kogi, but the recent surge of second-generation Korean Angelenos who have played their own variations on traditional cuisines and taken it far beond the boundaries of Korean-dominated neighborhoods.
In addition to chef Roy Choi of Kogi, they talk to the people behind restaurants like Gyenari, gastropub Father's Office (which offers what is possibly the best burger in Los Angeles), and popular ice creamery Scoops -- all run by Korean Americans.
It's a very interesting look at the changing culinary scene in L.A. What other city would dream up kimchi sesame quesadillas and bulgogi tacos? Now I'm hungry.
Today, Boston City Councilor announced his candidacy for Mayor. We already knew it was happening. I guess today was the official, formal, make-no-mistake-this-is-really-happening announcement. Here's the email I received from The Committee to Elect Sam Yoon:
Dear Friends,
Today, I am formally announcing my candidacy to be the next mayor of Boston.
With all the challenges we face, our city needs a new vision – to grow our economy, keep our streets safe, improve education, and make city services more accessible. Watch the following announcement video on my thoughts about this race: Sam Yoon Announcement for Mayor.
We're going to wage this campaign from the bottom-up, reaching out to the citizens of Boston and asking them to take action, tell their friends, organize their community, and bring change to our city government. It will be all of us — coming together at the grassroots — that will make this campaign a success.
So, today, I ask that you take a first important step. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about our candidacy:
We have a lot to talk about and I look forward to hearing your input on how we can make Boston a better place for all of us.
Thank you,
Sam Yoon
An Asian American man, the next mayor of Boston? To some, it might sound like a crazy idea, but hey, this is a year for crazy things happening in politics. Sam Yoon is running for mayor -- spread the word. Tell your friends, family and neighbors. If you'd like to contribute or volunteer for his campaign, go to the Sam Yoon for Mayor website here.
Yesterday, President Obama has announced former Clinton administration official Nancy-Ann DeParle as director of the White House Office on Health Reform, a key position in the administration's ambitious health care reform agenda: Obama taps Sebelius, DeParle for health posts.
DeParle is currently the managing director at CCMO Capital, a private-equity firm. She is also a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a group that advises Congress on Medicare payment and policy issues.
She apparently has deep roots in the Washington bureaucracy, an intimate familiarity with health policy and respect on both sides of the political aisle -- not to mention degrees from Harvard Law School and Oxford University. In other words, she's highly qualified to help overhaul our nation's crappy health care system.
Some snags, however, have already seemed to come up. DeParle's business ties to companies that have a direct stake in the health care debate has immediately raised questions about a possible conflict-of-interest: Obama Taps Health Aide With Links to Industry.
Still, she has an impressive professional/academic background and personal story that's hard to deny. The daughter of Chinese immigrants who grew up in a small town in eastern Tennessee, DeParle was raised by a single mother who died of lung cancer when she was 17. More here: Nancy-Ann DeParle, Head of White House Office of Health Reform.
In Philadelphia, the fight against plans to build a casino near Chinatown continues... Asian Americans United, one of the organizations that has been leading this battle, is throwing a fundraiser to build awareness, raise some cash and keep the fight going:
Come to AAU's Benefit Party: Saturday, March 7
Dear Friend,
It takes many things to build a movement - cash, commitment, comraderie - are three that come immediately to mind. Oh, and did I mention fun? It takes fun to build a movement too.
Next Saturday, March 7, we will bring all of that together in a party where we can all
* help raise cash that is needed to keep us going strong * deepen our commitment and resolve to keeping the predatory slots industry away from our precious neighborhoods * enjoy the comraderie of good and interesting people * have fun!
*Cover charge: Sliding scale pay what you can ($5 - $20 suggested minimum)
Host: Asian Americans United Date: Saturday, March 7 Time: 7:00 pm- 11:00 pm Location: Vox Populi Gallery 319 N. 11th Street 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA Contact: Ellen Somekawa aau@aaunited.org 2159251538
That's this Saturday, March 7 at Vox Populi Gallery in Philadelphia. For more information about the event, go to the Facebook event page here. For more information on the anti-casino movement, visit the Asian Americans United website here. Stop the Gallery CasiNO!
. To learn more about the book, head over to the Secret Identities website 
