3.31.2013

Read These Blogs



Public Shaming: Olympus Has Fallen: Wondering what movie to see this weekend? Look no further than the film about North Korean terrorists invading the White House. The racists on Twitter have spoken.

In a Room Full of Naked Koreans, Margaret Cho's Body Is an Unwelcome Sight: Margaret Cho recently went to a Aroma Spa and Sport in L.A.'s Koreatown, and was told that her tattoos made the other guests uncomfortable. Cho talks back.

The New Change Agents: Lisa Lee & Lynn Chen: Congratulations to Lisa Lee and Lynn Chen, who were profiled as "New Change Agents" by Marie Claire for their blog, Thick Dumpling Skin, which provides a venue for Asian Americans to discuss a healthy body image.

That Other School Shooting: Jay Caspian King revisits the story of gunman One L. Goh and the mass shooting at Oikos University that happened one year ago.

This American Life: Tribes: Filmmaker Debbie Lum appears on This American Life to share the story of Stephen, the white guy who only wants to date Asian women, and is the subject of her award-winning documentary Single Asian Female.

3.29.2013

Tuesday Night Cafe kicks off its 15th Season, April 2



Los Angeles, it's back. Tuesday Night Cafe kicks off its 15th season of free art+community in Little Tokyo on Tuesday, April 2. The season opening includes music from Connie Lim, spoken word from Beau Sia, and live art with Yumi Sakugawa. There are also open mic spots for all you performers. Here's more information:

Fund This: "Voices From Laos" Speakers Tour

From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000 bombing missions, all part of what's known today as "The Secret War." This makes Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.

40 years after the bombing campaign ended, children and families are still maimed and killed by bombs that dropped but did not explode. Legacies of War is a nonprofit organization in the U.S. trying to fund "Voices from Laos," a tour of educational speakers advocating for a bomb-free Laos. Help fund this tour. They need $3,000 by April 15th to make this happen. Here's more information:

Angry Reader of the Week: Sylvie Kim



Heyyyy everybody! 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 Sylvie Kim.

Knowing is half the battle: G.I. Joe: Retaliation hits theaters



Yo Joe! At long last, G.I. Joe: Retaliation finally hits theaters this weekend.

Chink's Steaks is finally changing its name



I've written a lot about Chink's Steaks here over the years. The landmark Philadelphia eatery, which has been the target of a decades of controversy because of its name, has announced that it will be operating under a new name and logo starting next month: Landmark Philadelphia Cheesesteak Shop Changing Its Name.

Chink's will now be known as Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop. The local sandwich institution was first named for its original owner, Sam "Chink" Sherman, who was given the neighborhood childhood nickname by elementary school classmates, circa 1930. because of the shape of his eyes. Talk about some seriously racist kids.

The current owner, Joe Groh, who took over the business in 1997, says he didn't originally associate the name with a racial slur. But Groh says times have changed:

3.28.2013

Anna Kendrick goes K-Pop



You know from her star turn in the movie Pitch Perfect that she could sing. But can Anna Kendrick get down with the Koreans? In this Funny or Die video, Ms. Kendrick takes a drastic career turn and joins the K-Pop supergroup F(x) on their World Tour. Things go as well as you'd expect:

Asian tourists targeted in "broken bottle" scam

Watch out, Asian tourists. Take note that the "You Broke My Glasses" scam is making a comeback in New York City, and the con artists have been reportedly setting their sights on Asian victims in Chinatown: "You Broke My Glasses" Scammers Now Targeting Asian Tourists.

The con basically works like this. The scammer targets an unsuspecting person to bump into on the street, drops and breaks a purportedly expensive item -- in these recent cases, a fake pricey bottle of wine -- then blames the victim and demands compensation. "Hey! You broke my super-expensive bottle of wine!" (Shows him/her receipt proving super-expensive cost of wine.) "You owe me sixty bucks! Now pay up!"

According to police, the latest incidents have targeted Asian tourists:

3.27.2013

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, April 9-14



This is for all you film fans in Los Angeles. Tickets are now on sale for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, happening April 9-14 at ArcLight Hollywood. From highly anticipated adaptations like Midnight's Children, to powerful documentaries like Beyond All Boundaries and Salma, to an eclectic selection fo shorts, the 2013 IFFLA lineup has something for everyone.

Man confronted about racist tweets, cries like a baby



That is one pitiful sight. Behold, a guy who regularly spews all kinds of vile racist and sexist comments on Twitter, but when confronted about it in real life, breaks down and cries like a blubbering baby: FDNY EMS Lt. spews racist, anti-Semitic tweets, but cried when confronted.

34-year-old Timothy Dluhos, a FDNY EMS lieutenant, uses an image of Hitler for his profile photo, calls a gold Nazi-era swastika pin his "most prized artifact" and doesn't seem to have a problem making racist remarks about "chinks," "coloreds" and Jews. Sounds like a really charming guy.

But when reporters from the New York Post showed up outside his home in Staten Island, inquiring about his behavior on social media, Dluhos apparently broke down crying right there on the street:

The Wolverine is going to kill a lot of ninjas and yakuza



So Wolverine is going to Japan. We knew that. 20th Century Fox's just dropped the first trailer for the adamantium-clawed mutant's latest movie adventure, The Wolverine, and from the looks of things, it looks like Logan is going to romancin' an Asian lady and killing a lot of ninjas and yakuza dudes. Oh, you like ninjas? There will be ninjas. Here's the official international trailer:

Kenneth Choi cast in NBC's Ironside pilot

Some more television news... Actor Kenneth Choi has joined the cast of the NBC pilot Ironside, a remake of the old Raymond Burr detective drama that ran from 1967 to 1975: Kenneth Choi Joins NBC Pilot 'Ironside', Erin Pineda Added To Fox's 'Dads.'

The show is about a wheelchair-bound police detective, Robert T. Ironside, played by Blair Underwood. Trivia side note: hardcore fans know that Bruce Lee guest starred on an episode of the original Ironside, "Tagged For Murder," in 1967. Here's a cool vintage video clip of Bruce in action.

Choi is perhaps best known as Jim Morita, one of the Howling Commandos in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger (or maybe you remember him for his awesome William Shatner impression in that one Priceline commercial). In Ironside, he will play Captain Ed Rollins, Ironside's supervisor:

3.26.2013

Is it too early to name Judith Hill winner of The Voice?



In case you missed it, here's the video of singer Judith Hill blowing the judges away during her blind audition the other night on NBC's singing competition The Voice, with her soulful rendition of "What a Girl Wants."

Originally selected as a backup singer for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour before his sudden death, you may remember Judith's head-turning performance of "Heal the World" during the King of Pop's memorial service. Here, she clearly show's that she's got what it takes to be a star all on her own:

The Worst Movie Trailer I Have Ever Seen: The Sequel



The laughably awful feature film Birdemic caused a stir for all the wrong reasons, achieving instant cult status before anyone even saw it, based on the epic, so-bad-it's-awesome quality of its trailer gone viral.

So how does writer/director James Nguyen, the self-proclaimed "Master of Romantic Thrillers™," follow up his craptastic cult classic? With an even worse one. Behold, the fantastically terrible new theatrical trailer for Birdemic 2: The Resurrection. Yes. You're damn right there's a sequel. Take a look:

3.25.2013

Missing: Sunil Tripathi, last seen March 16



In Rhode Island, authorities are searching for a Brown University student who has been missing for over a week: Sunil Tripathi: Search for Missing Ivy League Student Expands Across Northeast.

22-year-old Sunil Tripathi, a philosophy major, was last seen in the Brown campus area on the morning of March 16. He reportedly left his apartment alone without his wallet and cellphone, and left his bicycle behind.

With no leads, and no signs of Tripathi in the Providence area, the search has expanded across the Northeast to Boston, Connecticut, New York and Philadelphia. The FBI has also joined in the search effort:

Wolverine versus lots of Ninja Dudes



The Wolverine follows the further movie adventures of Logan, everybody's favorite admantium-clawed X-Man. And as we've known for a while, it's set in Japan. 20th Century Fox is dropping a bunch of new content this week, including artwork, photos and a trailer. From the looks of things, Logan is going to be raging and killing a lot of Asian dudes in this movie. Check out the ridiculous poster with all the ninjas:

Artist Julia Kim Smith asks Google "Why"



Artist Julia Kim Smith did some Googling, using the search engine's Autocomplete feature, to ask "Why" and find out what people wonder about her, an Asian woman, and came across some "unsettling abstractions, truths, fallacies, desires, and fears about all of us." Take a look:

Teenager dies in hiking accident



Some tragic news out of Southern California... On Friday near Pasadena, a teenager hiker died after falling from a cliff: 17-Year-Old Girl Who Died After Fall at Eaton Canyon ID'd.

17-year-old Esther Suen, a senior at Mark Keppel High School, suffered a fatal head injury and died at the scene after falling from 200 feet from a cliff while hiking with a group of friends at Eaton Canyon:

3.24.2013

Read These Blogs



Asian Americans attack cultural labels at summit on stereotypes: A brief Los Angeles Times recap of the "Beyond the Bad and the Ugly" conference that went down over the weekend in Little Tokyo. (Photo by Daren Mooko)

Acceptance by Example, on the Field and at Home: In this New York Times essay by NFL linebacker Scott Fujita -- the grandson of Japanese American internees -- explains why he speaks out for marriage equality.

This Is Personal to Me: Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono is invested in immigration reform. Here's why.

Hollywood's Changing Its Movies to Appease the Chinese? Good: Money has always shaped filmmaking, and the yuan's new allure will make for a more-diverse movie industry and less simplistic portrayals of Asian characters onscreen.

As Hacking Continues, Concerns Grow That Chinese-Americans May Suffer: "As tensions build between Washington and Beijing over cyberattacks, with a growing body of evidence that much of the hacking is coming from China and that the United States is a major target, as The New York Times has reported, are Chinese-Americans feeling the pressure?" Legal scholar Frank H. Wu weighs in.

3.22.2013

2013 MAASU Spring Conference, April 5-6



Think fast, Midwest. MAASU (Midwest Asian American Students Union) is having its annual Spring Conference on April 5-6 at the University of Michigan. The theme this year is "Magnify: Explore Yourself/Amplify: Inspire Others," and includes workshops, speakers, and special performances. Here's some more info:

Angry Reader of the Week: Parvesh Cheena



What is up, my people? I'll tell you what's 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 Parvesh Cheena.

This is how Jeremy Lin celebrates March Madness



On Thursday night, 14-seed Harvard stunned the NCAA tournament and busted many a bracket by beating 3-seed University of New Mexico, 68-62. The team's most famous alum, Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin, celebrated with a very spirited evening of Twitter updates, culminating in the photo above. BuzzFeed chronicled the whole thing: Jeremy Lin Lost His Mind Over Harvard's Shocking March Madness Win.

3.21.2013

MOCA presents 9-MAN: The Panel, March 27



9-MAN is director Ursula Liang's documentary about a streetball game that originated in New York's Chinatown. It's a fast-paced and chaotic sport, and its rules are unique to Chinatown. So why haven't you heard of it? Because it's played only by men, and two-thirds of the players have to be "100% Chinese."

Curious to know more? If you happen to be in New York next Wednesday, March 27, you can catch a preview of Liang's documentary followed by a panel with the director, nine-man athletes, and historians at Museum of Chinese in America. Here are some more details about the event.

Fund This: Twinsters, a documentary about possible twins, separated at birth, reconnected through social media



I just heard about this feature documentary project that's trying to raise funds through Kickstarter, and felt deeply compelled to share. Twinsters aims to tell the story of Samantha and Anais, two women who were adopted from South Korea and raised on different continents. Recently connected through social media, they believe they are twins separated at birth.

Last month, Samantha Futerman, an American actor living in Los Angeles (you might recognize her from 2005's The Motel, or her recent appearance in 21 & Over) received a Facebook message from Anaïs Bordier, a French fashion design student living in London. It was a message that changed her life.

Anaïs' friend had seen a YouTube video featuring Samantha, and was struck by their physical resemblance. And not just in an all-Asians-look-alike kind of way, but in a are-you-guys-twins? kind of way. Upon further research, Anaïs discovered that they were both adopted and born in the same city on November 19, 1987. The evidence strongly suggested that they could be biological twin sisters, so Anaïs reached out to Samantha.

Watch this video to see the two Skype for the first time:

Bad day for the Enterprise. Let's hope Sulu wasn't driving.



As a Trek fan, I am obligated to share the latest action-packed international trailer for this summer's Star Trek Into Darkness, which looks pretty darn awesome. To make it at least a little bit relevent to the purposes of this website, yes, we do indeed get another way-too-quick glimpse of John Cho reprising his role as Hikaru Sulu, acting all urgent and stuff. Take a look:

3.20.2013

East West Players and Visual Communications present "Breaking Into Television," March 25

Hey, Los Angeles. Are you interested in making a career in TV?

On Monday, March 25, East West Players and Visual Communications have teamed up to host "Breaking Into Television" with Disney ABC Director of Talent Development and Diversity, Frank B. Gonzalez. Come to the David Henry Hwang Theatre and get some tips on writing and directing for network TV. The evening will also include a Q&A with current ABC program writers.

Here are some more details:

3.19.2013

The She Book Reading by Michelle Myers, March 22



Philly, don't miss out on this one. On Friday, March 22, Michelle Myers (half of the fantastic spoken-word duo Yellow Rage) debuts her latest poetry collection, The She Book, at the Asian Arts Initiative. The She Book was written "to celebrate the strength and beauty of women, especially in their most vulnerable moments." Here's more info about the evening:

Apply to AAWW's 2013 Open City Fellowship

Open City, an online magazine published by the Asian American Writers' Workshop, documents the pulse of metropolitan Asian America as it's being lived on the streets of New York right now. Open City grants a $5,000 fellowship, career guidance, and publishing opportunities to five Creative Nonfiction Fellows to write and produce both short-form and long-form editorial content on the vibrant immigrant communities of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Are you an emerging Asian American writer who needs mentorship, financial support and a place to publish? You're invited to apply for the Open City 2013-2014 Creative Nonfiction Fellows. Past Open City Creative Nonfiction Fellows have gone on to publish in the Atlantic, The Nation and the New York Times. This could be you, so get on this with your writerly self.

UPDATE: Here's a new video on Open City Creative Nonfiction Fellowship:

Dan the Automator & Emily Wells are Pillowfight



I'm a little obsessed with Pillowfight, the latest brainchild of producer Dan the Automator, aka Dan Nakamura. Here, he collaborates vocalist Emily Wells, with some contributions by Kid Koala and Lateef the Truthspeaker. I've been meaning to mention it here for a while -- it's been playing nonstop on my iPod for weeks.

You might know of Dan the Automator's awesome work with Gorillaz, Deltron 3030 and Handsome Boy Modeling School. On Pillowfight's self-titled album, with Wells' sultry vocals, he takes a turn into downtempo sexy cool. And I'm really digging it. Here's the music video for "Get Down," directed by David Choe:

Lee & Low Books receives $500,000 award from First Book

Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher specializing in diversity. With an emphasis on publishing works by artists of color, the company's goal is to meet the need for stories that children of color can identify with and that all children can enjoy. Pretty cool, right?

Even cooler, some cool news: Lee & Low was recently awarded a $500,000 award from First Book. The award, The Stories For All Project, aims is to introduce a significant number of multicultural books into the hands of low-income children: First Book, Stories for All Project Chooses LEE & LOW.

Lee & Low was one of two publishers chosen to receive the award. Here's part of the announcement by publisher Jason Low:

Steven Yeun talks naked ankles, his Korean dad and awkward fan moments on Jimmy Kimmel Live



Your favorite zombie apocalypse survivor Steven Yeun, who plays Glenn on The Walking Dead, was recently a guest on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he talked about his rad Korean dad and showed off his sexy, naked, sockless ankles. Here's part one:

An actual Japanese guy joins the cast of Godzilla



Warner Brothers announced that principle photography has officially begun in Vancouver on a new big-budget modern movie reboot of Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards, with a cast that includes Juliette Binoche, Brian Cranston, David Strathairn, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, among others.

But sorely missing from this ensemble was anyone resembling the fierce movie monster's Japanese roots. Maybe that's why they announced that Ken Watanabe, Actual Japanese Person -- and lately, the studio's go-to Asian guy -- had also joined the cast "Godzilla" Begins Shooting; Ken Watanabe Joins Cast.

Mee Moua schools Senator Sessions on immigrant families

Immigration policy should not be written by men who do not know a damn thing about the lives of immigrants.



This is awesome: Witness Embarrasses GOP Senator Who Wants To Divide Immigrant Families.

On Monday, Mee Moua, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center, testified before a Senate Judiciary hearing on how comprehensive immigration reform should address the needs of women and families. You see, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) wants to cut out families from the immigration system, because keeping immigrant families together is apparently not in the best interest of the United States.

Sessions asked Moua if the government can legitimately decide that it can admit one qualified family member over, say, another less motivated, potentially less productive individual. In turn, Moua, who happens to be badass, politely schools the hell out of Sessions with her response. Oh, yes. Let us go to the video:

Campus attack thwarted at University of Central Florida

Holy crap. On Monday in Orlando, police identified the body of James Oliver Seevakumaran, a former business school student who killed himself before he was able to carry out a planned armed attack on the campus of the University of Central Florida: James Seevakumaran, evicted UCF student, ID'd as man found shot dead on campus; planned wider attack, police say.

Seevakumaran's body was found in with a .45 caliber handgun, a .22 caliber tactical weapon, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a backpack filled with makeshift explosive devices, as well as notes and writings that indicated a carefully planned attack timeline.

Police believe Seevakumaran pulled a fire alarm in an apparent attempt to force other students out in to the open so he could slaughter them. But instead, he killed himself when police arrived to quickly for him to carry out his plans.

3.18.2013

Dosa Hunt & Indian Bastards From Hell at CAAMFest, March 21



If you're in San Francisco, you're invited to CAAMFest for the West Coast premiere of Dosa Hunt, described as the greatest hunt for South Indian food in New York City ever committed to film.

Directed by Amrit Singh, executive editor of Stereogum.com, the short film puts Singh, pianist Vijay Iyer, and members of Das Racist, Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer and Neon Indian into an Indian disco van on a culinary quest to track down NYC's best dosa.

After the screening, stick around for a filmmaker Q & A, as well as a special set by Indian Bastards from Hell (Heems & Dap of Das Racist). It's all going down Thursday, March 21 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Take a look at the trailer:

Be part of the live studio audience of ISA's new game show



Hey, everybody. If you're in Southern California, ISAtv invites energetic fans to be part of the live studio audience for the taping of their first-ever game show, ISA! a mix of celebrity competition, comedy, music and variety. It's happening Saturday, March 30 in Los Angeles. Here are some more details:

This Was Supposed To Be Funny: "Which Kind of Asian is This?"



This is a clip from Comedy Central's The Jeselnik Offensive: Which Kind of Asian Is This? In this new game, Anthony's audience learns about cultures and how best to mock them. Relax, it's a joke, right?

The Mind of Chef Season 1 DVD



If you missed the television broadcast, season one of the PBS cooking/traveling series The Mind of a Chef, is now available on DVD. Narrated and produced by Anthony Bourdain, the show takes you on a cultural and culinary journey into the mind of noted chef/restauranteur David Chang, the guy behind New York City's wildly popular Momofuku restaurants and the and the New York Times best-selling cookbooks Momofuku and Momofuku Milk Bar. Take a look at the trailer:

Actress suing IMDb is calling nine other actors to testify

The latest news in the saga of Huong Hoang, aka Junie Hoang, the actress who is suing the Internet Movie Database for posting her age on her public IMDb profile...

Hoang is scheduled to bring her claims before a jury in a federal courtroom in Seattle beginning April 8... and she's not coming alone: Actress Suing IMDb Plans to Have Nine Other Actors Testify at Trial.

Hoang's lawyers reportedly want to bring nine other actors and actresses you've probably never heard of onto the witness stand to testify about their own efforts to get IMDb, an affiliate of Amazon.com, to remove birth dates. Hoang is not messing around:

Skull Reaper A-ji is for the people



I don't know much about the problems and concerns of people in Oita, Japan. But I do know that there is one hero who will do what it takes to tackle those problems head on: Skull Reader A-ji, city councilman. But only if they'll let him wear his mask: Japanese politician banned for wearing wrestling mask to meetings.

Skull Reaper A-ji, who was elected to the city council on a platform of educational reform and improved social welfare facilities, has been banned from council meetings for refusing to take off his full-face, red-and-black leather wrestling mask. For some stupid reason, Skull Reaper's stuffy fellow councillors have deemed the mask "inappropriate" for the assembly:

Patrick Chan wins third straight world figure skating title



On Friday night in Ontario, 22-year-old Canadian skater Patrick Chan won his third consecutive world figure skating title, becoming the first men's singles skater in 13 years to win three straight championships: World figure skating championships: Canada's Patrick Chan wins third straight title.

Victory number three wasn't flawless. Heck, it was pretty darn dreadful -- he fell twice during his free skate to La Boheme -- but he came into the evening with a huge seven-point lead, thanks to a strong world-record short program score of 98.37:

3.17.2013

Read These Blogs



Gangsta Rap Swap Meet Proprietor Wan Joon Kim Has Died: Wan Joon Kim, proprietor of the Cycadelic Music Corner at the Compton Swamp Meet, and one of the most unlikely influential figures in the history of Los Angeles hip hop, died last week. He was 79.

Another side of illegal immigration: Unlike their parents, who generally remain silent and live in fear and shame, young Asians and Pacific Islanders are joining to advocate immigration reform.

Six Words: Ask Who I Am, Not What: For the month of March, NPR is collecting 6-word thoughts on race and cultural identity for their Race Card Project. Reservationist Jessica Hong came up with these words to talk about the constant questions about her heritage.

Lena Dunham Went to India And Felt Really Sorry for All of the Stray Dogs: Lena Dunham went to India for a spiritual journey. Surprise, surprise, she ended up with some problematic conclusions.

Have Frat Boys Finally Jumped the Pop Culture Shark?: Jeff Yang's latest "Tao Jones" column takes on the decline of frat boy culture and the implications for people of color.

3.15.2013

Angry Reader of the Week: Christine Kwon



Hey, everybody! It's time again 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 Christine Kwon, Managing Director of CAAMFest.

BooBoo and Bingbing join the X-Men



If you've been following developments around the next X-Men movie, it seems like every other day we're hearing about new additions to the epic, franchise-spanning cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past. The latest actors to join the bulging ensemble include Fan Bingbing and BooBoo Stewart: Booboo Stewart & Fan BingBing Cast In X-Men Days Of Future Past.

Director Bryan Singer recently tweeted a revealing photo of a wall with a multitude of headshots representing the new and returning X-Men: Days of Future Past cast, including a couple of previously unannounced actors -- Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and Twilight actor Booboo Stewart:

3.14.2013

Scott Sassa resigns from Hearst over sexting scandal



Ooooooh. Scandal! According to Page Six, Scott Sassa has resigned as president of entertainment and syndication of Hearst Corp amidst an alleged scandal involving an extortion plot, some sexting and a stripper -- three things that never go well together: Scott Sassa out at Hearst Entertainment.

Sassa resigned after the New York Post published a story saying that he had been exchanging a string of naughty texts with a stripper, who in turn tried to blackmail him, saying she'd expose the messages to senior officials at Hearst if he didn't pay up. He didn't. And things blew up:

Gabriel's Heart Mountain 3.0 at the Digital Media and Learning Conference

Got this info passed along to me, and I am intrigued... If you're attending the MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Conference this week in Chicago, check out this panel on Civic Dimensions of Play, which will include a presentation by 13-year-old Gabriel Tajima-Peña -- yes, son of filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña -- on the virtual Japanese American internment camp he constructed using the multi-player online building game Minecraft. Here's some more background on the presentation:

3.13.2013

AADP presents Laugh For Lives, March 15



Laugh for a good cause, San Francisco. This Friday, March 15 is the Laugh for Lives comedy benefit hosted by AADP, a non-profit that advocates for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases. This year's line-up includes comedians Monrock, Jimmy Ouyang, and Kevin Shea.

3.12.2013

East West Players presents Evoke: A Festival of Diverse Voices, March 14-17



If you're in Los Angeles this weekend, catch EVOKE: A Festival of Diverse Voices at East West Players in Little Tokyo. This second installation, which runs March 14-17, focuses on new work from South Asian artists. Following each performance is a post-show discussion. Here's some more information, including the list of performers:

Nominate an AAPI woman as a Champion of Change

Heads up. The White House Champions of Change series spotlights ordinary citizens who are demonstrating extraordinary commitment to their community, their country, and their fellow citizens.

This May, on the occasion of AAPI Heritage Month, the White House Office of Public Engagement, White House Council on Women and Girls, and White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will honor a small group of AAPI women as Champions of Change. That's where you come in.

Do you know an AAPI Woman who is a Champion of Change? Members of the public are invited to submit nominations online. A small group of AAPI women who represent diverse experiences and backgrounds will be honored as Champions of Change and invited to the White House for an event in early May.

Go to the White House website to submit an awesome AAPI woman as a Champion of Change (under "Theme of Service," choose "AAPI Women Leaders"). The nomination deadline is March 29.

Music Video: "Slow Motion" by Azuré feat. LV



Been slowly catching up on a bunch of new music that recently came my way... Here's the latest music video from Bay Area rapper Justin Park, aka Azuré: "Slow Motion" featuring LV. I've always got some time to listen to some of that Azuré flow. I always enjoy this guy's stuff. Check it:

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