this year's angriest posts

It's been a hell of a year! Ching chongs, tiger moms and of course, Asians in the library. Here are this year's angriest posts -- not really the angriest, just the most viewed. Check it out:

alexandra's anti-asian video about "manners"

we're a culture, not a costume

"ching chong ling long ting tong" means I love you

chick-fil-a cashier names customers "ching" and "chong"

how to hit on an asian girl

angry reader of the week: hochie tsai

Now for the last time in 2011... It's the 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 Angry Reader is HoChie Tsai.

music video: "nothing compares to you" by aziatix

Pop/R&B/hip hop trip Aziatix -- Jay "Flowsik" Pak, Eddie Shin and Nicky Lee -- has released the music video for their latest single "Nothing Compares to You," a new track from the Japanese release of their debut album Nocturnal. Appropriately, the video features footage shot in Japan. Check it out:

keanu reeves to direct man of tai chi

I am both mildly curious and just plain dreading this... Keanu Reeves is set to start working on his directorial debut, the kung fu flick Man of Tai Chi: Village Roadshow Asia, Universal Among Backers For Keanu Reeves' China-Set Directorial Debut 'Man Of Tai Chi.'

Produced by Village Roadshow Asia, China Film Group and Wanda Media Group, the film is set in modern Beijing and will start filming in February, starring martial artist Tiger Chen and Karen Mok. This has the potential to be kind of awesome or terribly stupid:

vintage video: george takei pays the billz

Oh my. Check out this vintage video, produced circa 1993, featuring none other than George Takei talking about some totally awesome promotional opportunities between Paramount and McDonald's.

I'm guessing 1993 wasn't Sulu's finest year. It's just about the weirdest (and kind of mesmerizing) thing you'll see all day: Watching George Takei talk about McDonald's for two minutes is arrestingly hypnotic.

woman convicted husband's suffocation death

In New Jersey, a woman accused of killing her husband has been found not guilty of murder, but convicted on related charges of aggravated manslaughter the attempted murder of her daughter: Elmwood Park woman acquitted of murder, convicted of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder .

50-year-old Jenny Tran was accused of smothering her ailing, bedridden husband with a plastic bag in March 2009, then attempted to kill her daughter. Her defense had tried to have her found not guilty by reason of insanity:

video: far east movement performs "jello" at taco house #1

If you've been eagerly awaiting something fresh from Far East Movement, rest assured that they've been hard at work in the studio putting down something new for the coming year. In the meantime, enjoy this cool surprise performance of their latest single "Jello" -- at a taco shack in downtown Los Angeles, of all places. Check it out:

research study on asian american lesbian identity

I recently heard from a research team at Teachers College, Columbia University, who are recruiting participants for a research study on Asian American lesbian identity development. They are looking for folks over the age of 18 who would be willing to be interviewed at Teachers College about their lesbian and ethnic identities. Here's some more information:

phải lên tiếng / speak up now!

The "Speak Up Now!" video was created to raise awareness about the plight of fifteen youth activists who have been detained in Vietnam since July 2011. Drawing inspiration from will.i.am's "Yes We Can" video, this project is dedicated to these activists and the many others who unjustly detained:

government to pay $17.8 million to military jet crash family

In San Diego, a federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to pay $17.8 million to the surviving members of a family killed in a catastrophic jet crash: Gov't to pay family $17.8M for military jet crash.

Don Yoon lost his entire family when a Marine fighter jet crashed into his home in 2008, killing his wife Youngmi Lee Yoon, his young daughters Grace and Rachel, and his mother-in-law Seokim Kim Lee.

I can't imagine any amount of money that could bring comfort to a man who has basically lost everything, but hopefully Mr. Yoon can find some kind of peace. Believe it or not, government attorneys were actually trying to dispute how much the family should recieve:

new music: "love is a song" (dfd remix)

Oh look. What's this? Why, it's just our friend Jonathan Park, aka Dumbfoundead, being amazing as usual with a new video of him rapping over DJ Soulscape's "Love is a Song." The video features Umi Oh and Jennifer Field. Check it out:

man arrested in sledgehammer beating of store owner

Last week in Miami, police caught the man who brutally attacked a convenience store owner with chemicals and a sledge hammer: Rodobaldo Sanchez Arrested For Attempted Murder Of Mini Mart Clerk Cen Yue Kui.

50-year-old Rodobaldo Sanchez was arrested for the attempted murder of Cen Yue Kui. He sprayed him in the eyes with some kind of chemical, then repeatedly beat him with a hammer. The attack left Kui in coma on life support. All that for two goddamn cartons of cigarettes:

wonderfully warbly korean kids cover "space oddity"

It's a proven fact that kids love pop songs about fictional astronauts, in any language. Check out this cute video of little Korean kindergarten kids, led by their English teacher, singing a wonderfully warbly version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It's pretty great:

jeremy lin released from rockets; claimed by knicks

Ugh. What a rocky road it's been for Jeremy Lin. Earlier this month, the Harvard hoops star got dropped from the Golden State Warriors. No doubt, it had to suck to get dropped by the hometown team, but Jeremy was soon picked up by the Houston Rockets.

Alas, his time there was short-lived. Over the weekend, the Rockets released Jeremy to reduce the team to fourteen players and clear some room on the roster: Rockets release Lin to make room on roster for Dalembert.

But hold up, this roller coaster ride ain't over. Not too long after Houston let him go, Jeremy was claimed by the New York Knicks. Looks like the young man from Palo Alto is headed to Madison Square Garden: Knicks claim guard Jeremy Lin.

read these blogs

What's in a (Middle) Name? Try Everything.: Our friend Jen Wang's first post for xojane.com takes it way back to her teenage years, when her lack of a middle name became the symbol of everything that was wrong with her.

Has Asian American Studies Failed? Timothy Yu, Professor of English and Asian American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a thoughtful and provocative question on the state of Asian American studies.

Doggone: Bao Phi tackles WCCO reporter James Schugel's spectacularly disastrous, racially-tinged (and totally false) "investigative report" about a New York Chinatown market that allegedly sold Minnesota-bred dogs as meat.

The 12th Day of NBA Christmas: Not only is he responsible for making multi-million dollar, shamelessly entertaining blockbuster Fast & Furious movies, but director Justin Lin is also responsible for creating what is quite possibly the greatest fantasy basketball league ever.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• these are actual ads for a chinese restaurant


• city official resigns over insensitive pearl harbor remark


• don't cry for me, north korea


• commercial casting call for soul calibur's mitsurugi


• jeremy yamaguchi is california's youngest mayor


• eight soldiers charged in death of pvt. danny chen


• missing: 19-year-old aisha khan, last seen december 16


• angry reader of the week: cynthia brothers


• 29-year-old clara shih joins starbucks board of directors


• player kicked out of senior hockey league for crapping in opponent's glove

Merry Christmas. Stay Angry.

holiday music: "silent night" by connie lim feat. dawen

Just wanted to share this amazing, haunting version of "Silent Night" by Connie Lim and Dawen. A quiet, gorgeous version for a cold winter's night. Snuggle up with a loved one and enjoy:

aaldef summer 2012 internships

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.

AALDEF is looking to fill some internships for the summer of 2012 in New York city. Openings are available in the following program areas:

angry reader of the week: cynthia brothers

Heeeyyyy! Listen up. It's time to meet the 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 Angry Reader is Cynthia Brothers.

music student loses $172,000 on bus

Anybody lose a really expensive violin? Mu-Chen Hsieh is breathing a sigh of relief after recovering the $172,000 violin she left behind in the overhead compartment of a bus this week: Lost $172K Violin Found by Megabus.

The 19-year-old New England Conservatory music student was traveling from Boston to Philadelphia when she got off the Megabus... without her 1835 Italian-made violin. Fortunately, it didn't get too far before she tracked it down a few days later:

holiday music: "blue christmas" by cynthia lin

Here's a little holiday treat from Cynthia Lin. The San Francisco-based singer/songwriter shares her little ukulele version of Elvis Presley's yuletide tune "Blue Christmas," with David Kelly on bass. The track is available as a free download on her website. Here's a preview:

asian store owner accused of racism

Heard about this news out of Dallas... A group of African American leaders are calling for a boycott of a convenience store, where the Asian owner is accused of disrespecting Black customers with racist remarks: Black Leaders Call for Boycott of Asian-Owned Business.

It all apparently started when a customer tried to buy $5 worth of gas with his debit card, which didn't meet the store's required minimum for debit or credit card purchases. When he complained about it to the owner, that's when they started slinging slurs:

stan lee to launch original new indian superhero

Stan Lee (not Asian), the legend behind some of Marvel Comics' greatest superheroes, is launching an original new superhero for the Indian market: Stan Lee to Create Indian Comic Superhero 'Chakra - The Invincible.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee is working with a team of Indian artists and writers at Liquid Comics on Chakra - The Invincible, which tells the story of a Mumbai teenage tech genius, Raju Rai, who develops an enhanced suit that activates mystical powers:

aisha khan found safe and unharmed

Last week in Kansas, authorities were alerted to the mysterious disappearance of 19-year-old college student Aisha Khan, who went missing Friday after texting to her sister about being harassed by a drunk man. Her family was certain she had been abducted, and an extensive search was launched, but turned up nothing.

However, on Wednesday, police confirmed that Aisha Khan has been found safe and unharmed. She wasn't abducted or held against her will. She is apparently okay and totally not kidnapped at all: Missing Kan. student Aisha Khan found safe, cops say she was never abducted.

sixth and seventh fast and furious movies in the works

We knew that a sixth Fast and Furious movie was in the works. This was all but guaranteed when they dropped that juicy parting gift just before the end credits rolled in Fast Five (though I'm sure $620 million+ at the global box office pretty much sealed the deal). So get this...

Producer/star Vin Diesel recently revealed that there will not only be a sixth movie, but a seventh one too. They're apparently being written simultaneously: Vin Diesel Confirms Seventh 'Fast and Furious' Movie in the Works.

norm chow signs on as hawaii's head coach

It's official. Norm Chow has signed on as head football coach at the University of Hawaii. This is not only his first head coaching position, but it also makes him the first Asian American head coach of a major college football program: Hawaii officially hires Norm Chow.

Chow, 65, is in his first season as offensive coordinator at the University of Utah. He previously served as offensive coordinator at UCLA, USC, North Carolina State, BYU and for the Tennessee Titans. And now he's coming home to Hawaii, back to his roots:

these are actual ads for a chinese restaurant

This is pretty astounding. These ads, spotted by copyranter, are part of a campaign for China Times, a restaurant in Dubai. If you can't decipher the copy, it says "BRINGS OUT THE CHINESE IN EVERYONE."

This is a real, recent campaign from an actual ad agency, DDB, who got paid money to come up with this stuff. Yup, in the year 2011. More ads here.

Gawker nails it on the head -- what truly astounds is that someone thought this was a good idea. And this presumably had to pass through numerous sets of eyes (no pun intended) to get approved: Someone Thought These Were Good Ads For a Chinese Restaurant.

eight soldiers charged in death of pvt. danny chen

Eight American soldiers have been charged with manslaughter, among other crimes, in connection with the death of Private Danny Chen, who apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while serving in Afghanistan: 8 Charged in Death of Fellow Soldier, U.S. Army Says.

The charges suggest that investigators believe the soldiers did not directly kill Pvt. Chen, but their actions -- including physical abuse and racial slurs -- led to him to commit suicide. So much for looking out for your fellow soldier. I guess that doesn't include looking out for the Asian guy serving next to you.

commercial casting call for soul calibur's mitsurugi

Take a look at this recent commercial casting call for Soul Caliber, the popular video game, for the role of "Mitsurugi." I'm not too familiar with the game, so I had to do a little research (i.e. Wikipedia), but you'd be correct to assume that the character, as the name would indicate, is Japanese. But note what the casting call specifies under ethnicity:

jeremy yamaguchi is california's youngest mayor

Oh yeah! Almost forgot to mention this news out of Orange County... Earlier this month, the city of Placentia, California elected 22-year-old Jeremy Yamaguchi as its mayor. Yes, mayor: Yamaguchi becomes Placentia's youngest mayor.

As far as records indicate, this makes Yamaguchi, who was first elected to the City Council at age 19, the youngest mayor in the history of Placentia and possibly the entire state of California. Not bad for a guy who just finished up his undergraduate degree at Cal State Fullerton:

kim jong il dropping the bass

Man, this is one of the funniest things I've seen in the wake of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il's death: kim jong-il dropping the bass.

Oh, you didn't know the Dear Leader could get down like that? Some Photoshop-savvy people have an awful lot of time on their hands to doctor the late despot into photos of notable DJs. And for that, I thank you.

By the way, Speakeasy also has a handy roundup of the best Kim-related clicks on the web, broken down by category: Kim Jong Il: A Guide to the Best Links on the Web.

man bites salesman's ear in possible hate crime attack

Dammit. Another one of these? Last week in the Houston area, a man was arrested for brutally attacking a Pakistani American home security salesman in a possible hate crime assault: Family says attack on Muslim man in Tomball should be hate crime.

David L. Nienberg is charged with aggravated assault after allegedly trying to stab 61-yar-old Yaqub Bham with fork, biting off part of his ear and beating him so badly that he broke ten ribs. Bham, a salesman with ADT, had come Nienberg's home to inspect the property. That's when things got violent:

[updated] hundreds march in vigil for private danny chen

UPDATE: Eight American soldiers have been charged with manslaughter, among other crimes, in connection with the death of Private Danny Chen, who apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while serving in Afghanistan.

* * *

Last week in lower Manhattan, friends, family and supporters marched and demanded answers in the death of Private Danny Chen, who died while serving Afghanistan after reportedly being subjected to "racially charged bullying."

Army officials said they were launching an investigation into Chen's death, but that was two months ago. No one has provided any new information: Chinatown Groups March for Answers in Soldier Death.

angry gift guide: same difference by derek kirk kim

Just in time for the holidays, Same Difference, the award-winning debut graphic novel by Derek Kirk Kim, is back in print. It's easily one of my favorite books from the last decade, and now it's available in a new hardcover deluxe edition from First Second.

Originally serialized on Derek Kirk Kim's website, Same Difference made a huge splash when it was published back 2003, winning both the Eisner and the Harvey -- two of the comics industry's highest honors.

The book tells the story about a couple of twenty-somethings trying to deal with adulthood and personal relationships with humor and truth. Here's the publisher's back-of-the-book description:

the end of wong fu: a christmas story

If you're a fan of Wong Fu Productions, you'll enjoy this new short... Wes, Ted and Phil present a spooky holiday tale of being careful what you wish for. The Ghost of Chris takes Phil on a journey to a not-so-distant future in which Wong Fu Productions no longer exists: The End of Wong Fu: A Christmas Story.

player kicked out of senior hockey league for crapping in opponent's glove

Now this is a headline: "PLAYER KICKED OUT OF LEAGUE FOR DEFECATING IN OPPONENT'S GLOVE FOLLOWING A FIGHT ON THE ICE."

Tell me that doesn't intrigue. And yes, it's all true. Asian behaving badly... stinky glove edition: How A Senior League Hockey Fight Ended With One Player Pooping In An Opponent's Glove.

37-year-old defenseman Zung Nguyen, who played for the Boston-area Rogue Squadron, was permanently booted out of the New England Senior Hockey League for literally crapping into another player's glove. His motive? Revenge. It all apparently started with an altercation on the ice between Nguyen and Dave Bermingham of the Young Guns:

missing: 19-year-old aisha khan, last seen december 16

UPDATE: Aisha Khan has been found safe and unharmed.

* * *

Saw this Sepia Mutiny, spreading the word... In Kansas, police are searching for a Pakistani American college student who went missing last week after leaving frantic text messages about a "creepy guy" who was harassing her: Missing woman told relatives of drunken stranger.

19-year-old Aisha Kahn, a student at Johnson County Community College, was last seen Friday morning at the University of Kansas. Shortly after Aisha was dropped off at the campus, she began sending text messages to her older sister about an altercation with a drunk stranger:

29-year-old clara shih joins starbucks board of directors

If you haven't heard... Last week, it was announced that social media entrepreneur Clara Shih, founder of Hearsay Social and author of The Facebook Era, has been appointed to the Starbucks Board of Directors: Twenty-Nine-Year-Old Hearsay Social CEO Clara Shih Joins Starbucks Board Of Directors.

Hearsay Social is a software as a service dashboard that helps national big brands with local branches (i.e. Best Buy, Starbucks) manage their Facebook, Twitter and other social media presences. Shih will replace Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg on Starbucks' board:

don't cry for me, north korea

This video footage, taken from North Korea's official state media, of people in Pyongyang weeping hysterically over the death of Kim Jong Il is pretty much the weirdest thing you'll see today:

city official resigns over insensitive pearl harbor remark

Ah, the inappropriate Pearl Harbor joke. Some fool always thinks there's an appropriate time and place for it, and they're always wrong. Even better when it's coming from a city official: Hanford official resigns over remarks.

In Hanford, California, planning commissioner Jim Morgenthal has been forced to resign after making an insensitive remark at a public city council meeting on December 6, the day before Pearl Harbor Day.

The dumbass remark was directed at Hanford Sentinel reporter Eiji Yamashita, who is of Japanese descent:

read these blogs

Why I Protest: Dr. Arthur Chen of Oakland, Calif.: As part of the magazine's tribute to The Protester -- TIME's Person of the Year -- here's a great interview with Dr. Arthur Chen, a 60-year-old family physician, advocate for health care reform and unlikely participant in the Occupy Oakland movement.

A Response To New York Times' "The How of an Internment, but Not All the Whys": Koji of 8Asians sounds off on Edward Rothstein's offensive and ignorant museum review of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center.

When Japanese-Americans Were Interned in Camps: Some New York Times' Letters to the Editor responding to Edward Rothstein's piece.

Opinion: If I Were a Rich White Dude: Jeff Yang responds to Forbes columnist Gene Marks' "If I Were a Poor Black Kid," his much-criticized and parodied piece offering advice to poor black youth on how to succeed in life.

At Palisades Park memorial, Korean women tell of WWII abuse: Last week in Palisades Park, New Jersey, 84-year-old Ok-seon Yi and 83-year-old Yongsoo Lee visited a monument dedicated to the thousands of women who were victimized as sex slaves by the Japanese during World War II.

oh shit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, 69, has died. Good riddance.

this week's angriest posts

Not really the angriest, just the most viewed.

• "lonely" 27-year-old posed as harvard freshman for months


• parents asked church member to discipline their kid -- with a beating


• yo yo ma on the floor of a bathroom, with a wombat.


• firefighters in pearl harbor photo identified!


• angry gift guide: kid's walker


• chan sung jung defeats mark hominick in seven seconds


• university of illinois professor injured in hate crime knife attack


• guest post by oiyan poon: the college admissions debate & the asian american 1%


• new york times museum review offers possible justifications for internment?


• jeremy lin heading to the houston rockets

The Chick-fil-A post from last week was also quite popular.

angry reader of the week: jon monteverde

You know what time it is. It's time to meet the 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 Angry Reader is musician Jon Monteverde.

crazy-ass kaiju christmas card

Saw this on io9 a couple of weeks ago. What in the world? Check out this crazy-ass vintage-looking Christmas card, recently "discovered" by artist Brad McGinty. Get yours here -- five for five bucks.

4-year-old kyle crawford needs a bone marrow match

Got word from out of the Bay Area about a family that is desperately searching for a bone marrow match for a little boy in need: Peninsula Family Searches For Bone Marrow Donor.

Four-year-old Kyle Crawford was recently diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells.

To survive, he'll need a bone marrow transplant, and it will likely have to come from somone who is half-Chinese and half-Caucasian like him.

Teachers at Kyle's preschool are setting up a way to get people tested to see if they might be a bone marrow match. If you're in the Bay Area, here's some information on how to get tested and registered:

angry gift guide: bruce lee tin tote

Okay, so how cool will you look carrying this handsome Bruce Lee Square Tin Tote? You will be the coolest! You will be the envy of strangers on the street. The product description says it's great for storing and toting around "schools supplies, CDs and much more." More like great for storing your awesomeness.

family members testify in jet crash trial

This week in San Diego, surviving members of a familiy killed by a catastrophic jet crash testified in a federal court trial that will determine how much in damages should be paid out in compensation: Trial begins in Marine jet crash that killed family.

Three years ago, San Diego resident Don Yoon lost three generations of his family in an instant when a malfunctioning Marine fighter jet fell out of the sky and crashed into his home, killing his wife, two young daughters and his mother-in-law:

the un-aired lowe's commercial

So we know that Lowe's, being a company of punkass cowards, pulled advertising from the TLC reality series All-American Muslim under pressure from the conservative morons of the Florida Family Association, who objected to the show because it showed everyday Muslims as, you know, normal people. Here's the commercial they would have run:

legislation could help indonesians facing deportation to stay

In New Jersey, federal lawmakers are trying to push through legislation that will help a group of Indonesian immigrants stay in the United States: Indonesians in NJ fear deportation despite deal.

Two years ago, a community of Indonesians in central New Jersey was spared deportation after a pastor brokered an agreement with immigration authorities that allowed them to stay in the country temporarily. But now they're facing a renewed threat of deportation.

The Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney of New York and Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, would allow Indonesians who fled religious persecution in their homeland and meet other criteria the opportunity to reapply for asylum:

a very special holiday go!ohana, december 16

If you're in the Bay Area, Rama invites you to A Very Special Holiday Go!Ohana, their monthly APA talent showcase, and this one's their biggest one yet, featuring the likes of Taiyo Na & Derek Kan of Magnetic North, Kiwi, Cynthia Lin, Sam Kang and more. It's happening Friday, September 16 at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley. Here are some more details:

andrea jung steps down as avon ceo

Andrea Jung, the longest serving female CEO at a major American corporation, has been let go from Avon. This week, the cosmetic 125-year-old global cosmetic company announced that she will be replaced as chief executive: Avon's Andrea Jung loses CEO title.

The company has an annual revenue of over $10 billion and operations in more than a hundred countries. But its share price has tumbled 45% this year. So Jung, who has run Avon since 1999, got the boot. She will remain with the company as chairman:

angry gift guide: prints by martin hsu

Just in time for the holidays, our artist friend Martin Hsu just put up some cool new signed prints in his store, including some fun Super Mario Bros. and Goonies themed art. There's even a rather risque Harry Potter piece.

It's pretty gorgeous stuff, and for you special readers, get 15% off your order when you use the coupon code holiday2011. To see all of the art, as well as some really great t-shirts, check out Martin Hsu's online store here.