September 2012

9.30.2012

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Wearing Asian American Culture On Our (Short-) Sleeves: 20 years ago, Ryan Suda started a Hawaiian-inspired surfwear company called Blacklava. Then he took an Asian American Studies class, and was inspired to make t-shirts with a message. Happy 20th anniversary, Ryan.

I'm An Asian Woman And I Think Blog Posts Defining That Identity By Who Someone Like Me Would Or Wouldn't Date Are Bullshit: "The idea that you have to be racist to throw off sexual oppression or sexist to throw off racial oppression -- but that you can't fight both at the same time -- is a very old and very stupid one propagated by -- you guessed it! -- racists and sexists."

Why the RadioLab interview went wrong: The public radio podcast show RadioLab is getting significant pushback for its awful, insensitive mishandling of an interview with Hmong veteran Eng Yang.

A Mockumentary Nets Real Players: Grace Lee's new film Janeane From Des Moines, which stars Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum -- unbeknownst to them -- sounds like an incredible, provocative feat of filmmaking.

Japanese gardener one of the last of a disappearing breed: Tadashi Hamada has been a gardener for 50 years and has seen things change. The younger generations have moved into other fields, but that too is the natural order, he feels.

this week's angriest posts

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

how to drop knowledge on a reddit user

body of missing northwestern student found in harbor

hari kondabolu publicly talks $h*t about famous indian people

ice cream company under fire for racist facebook comment

san francisco police have been categorizing all asian arrests as "chinese"

angry reader of the week: diane mizota

unruly "model" restrained on flight

seattle attorney charged in multiple attacks on asian massage therapists

new billboard urges asian immigrants to vote in georgia

bruce lee vs. david carradine: stop-motion showdown

Please consider making an Awesome pledge to the Awesome Asian Bad Guys Kickstarter. Thank you. And stay angry.

9.28.2012

moca presents extreme makeover: the comics edition, october 10

This one's for my fellow comic book fans in New York... Next week, the Museum of Chinese in America presents Extreme Makeover: The Comics Edition, a panel discussion with prominent comic book creators moderated by Jeff Yang. It's happening Wednesday, October 10 at MOCA. Here's some more information about the event:

This sounds like a great opportunity for young people in the metro-Detroit area...

The Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Program at the University of Michigan is an outreach program to Asian Pacific Islander American high school students. The sessions, which meet Saturdays and begin in October, focuses on Asian American heritage, identity and awareness.

Here are some more details about the program:

This one comes to us from Montana, where a simple question on a local ice cream company's Facebook page has turned into a full-blown failtacular social media debacle: Wilcoxson's Ice Cream CEO Matt Schaeffer Sparks Social Media Firestorm, Claims Innocence.

Last week, an unidentified user on the Wilcoxson's Ice Cream Facebook page left a comment inquiring whether the company's cookies and cream flavor had gelatin in it. The commenter, who self-identified as Muslim, was concerned about the ice cream's possible pork content.

Wilcoxson's terse response: "We don't deliver outside of Montana, certainly not Pakistan." Seriously. The exchange set off a viral Facebook bomb:

In Seattle, an attorney is accused of attacking and raping three women -- all Asian, all employed as massage therapists -- within the last month: Attorney charged with rape; police may have DNA evidence.

47-year-old Danford "Dan" Grant, a married father of three, is charged with three counts of first-degree rape and one count each of first-degree burglary and second-degree rape. He is also charged with one count of attempted second-degree rape involving a fourth woman.

Court documents suggest that police may have DNA evidence connecting him to two of the alleged victims. Detectives believe the women were targeted because they're "particularly vulnerable" as non-English speakers and new immigrants:

It's that time again. 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 Diane Mizota.

You had me at secret kung fu village. I've seen a lot of martial arts movies. I am a fan. There are so many great kung fu flicks... but few movies have promised this level of kung fu asskicking insanitaaaay. Behold, the amazing, crazy-ass theatrical trailer for Tai Chi Zero, featuring giant evil steampunk machines, brain aneurisms, explosions and the power of tai chi:

All right. Coming at you with another update on the Kickstarter campaign for National Film Society's upcoming web series project, Awesome Asian Bad Guys. We've got a hefty, ambitious goal of $50,000, so it's my duty as executive producer to make these pleas for your pledges.

And so... here's National Film Society's latest video featuring me, talking about my favorite Awesome Asian Bad Guy and throwing down some cash on the spot to help make this Awesome Asian Dream an Awesome Asian Reality:

Terrible news. The body of missing Northwestern University student Harsha Maddula has reportedly been found in Wilmette Harbor: Authorities: Body found in harbor missing Northwestern student.

Maddula has been missing for six days, last seen at an off-campus party early Saturday morning. His body was discovered in the harbor between two boats, and his wallet, identification and cell phone were found in his pants pocket.

His disappearance launched a massive search involving a team of 21 law enforcement agencies and fire departments from three counties, as well as student volunteers. But the search has ended in tragedy:

shine presents: jeremy needs you, september 29

For folks in the Bay Area, passing along word about this bone marrow drive happening this weekend on behalf of Jeremy Kong, a two-year-old Chinese American kid who is suffering from a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia and is need of a bone marrow transplant. Are you the match?

Jeremy's loved ones and supporters are throwing a party and bone marrow drive this weekend. It's happening Saturday, September 29 at Shine in San Francisco. Here are some more details about the event:

The twisted, provocative indie flick Chink is currently in post-production and they're currently fundraising via Indiegogo to finish the film. Directed Stanley Yung, the film is being touted as the first Asian American serial killer film. Here's the video pitch, which include some creepy footage from the film, with Stanley and stars Jason Tobin and Eugenia Yuan:

Asians behaving badly... unruly and inappropriate airplane passenger edition. This week on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Orange County, passengers had to restrain a guy who was allegedly harassing people: Passengers Restrain Man Accused of Grabbing Women on Flight.

26-year-old "actor-model" Arash Durrani was reportedly behaving erratically on the flight, slurring his words, pacing up and down and scaring children. At one point, he grabbed a woman's hair and told her to kiss him.

Basically, the guy was pretty muchasking to get tackled and restrained. And that's what happened:

Props to my man Mike V. for reminding me of this awesome blast from the past... Fellow fans of the old G.I. Joe cartoon will get a kick (no pun intended) out of this fun clip from the season one mini-series "Pyramid of Darkness," which features the introduction of Quick Kick:

This is kind of amazing. Jezebel relayed this story about a guy who surreptitiously snapped a photo of a Sikh woman and posted it on Reddit under "FUNNY," expecting folks to join in with ridicule of her untrimmed facial hair -- an observance of her belief in the sacredness of the body, which means keeping it intact, hair and all. What happened next was unexpected: Reddit Users Attempt to Shame Sikh Woman, Get Righteously Schooled.

The Reddit post eventually found its way to the woman in the photograph, Balpreet Kaur, who posted a polite, intelligent response -- not to justify her appearance to this Reddit asshole and his ilk, but simply to explain, enlighten and hopefully make the world a little less stupid.

But that's not the most awesome part. The original poster, "european_douchebag," then went ahead a posted this response apologizing to Sikhs, Balpreet and basically the entire Reddit community for "being the part of reddit that is intolerant and douchebaggy":

plate by plate new york, october 5

Hey, hungry New Yorkers. Make some plans to eat, drink, eat and drink some more next Friday. You're invited to Project by Project's annual tasting benefit, Plate by Plate. It's happening October 5 at the New York Public Library.

This year, restaurants include Blue Ribbon Sushi, Blue Smoke, and Macau Trading Company, and beverage purveyors World Sake and Sapporo. Founding event chef Kerry Heffernan of Top Chef Masters will return this year to help Project by Project celebrate its 15th year anniversary.

Here are some more details:

Ridiculous. Just how old and crappy is the San Francisco Police Department's data entry system? Up until recently, the department only had four categories for identifying the race of someone arrested: White, Black, Other and Chinese.

That's it. Basically, according to the SFPD's decades-old computer system, nearly all arrestees of Asian descent were classified as "Chinese" regardless if you were Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and on and on: Police list arrested Asians as 'Chinese.'

What kind of ignorant, archaic stupidity is this?

Hilarious. The latest video from 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors is an epic, irreverent stop-motion showdown: Bruce Lee vs. David Caradine. Bruce Lee and David Carradine meet up in the after life and argue over who stole the old Kung Fu TV show from whom. With a surprise cameo:

Hey actors! Passing along this casting call along for a theater company in San Diego...

The Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company is holding auditions next month for its upcoming production of David Wiener's Extraordinary Chambers, running June 6-20, 2013.

They are seeking actors local to San Diego or Los Angeles for the following roles:

In Chicago, authorities are searching for a Northwestern University student who has been missing since Saturday morning: Search for missing Northwestern student now at Wilmette Harbor.

18-year-old pre-med sophomore Harsha Maddula was last seen just past midnight Saturday leaving a party near Northwestern's Evanston campus. He was with up to four people and didn't appear to be intoxicated.

The search has been widened to Wilmette Harbor and nearby areas, where Maddula's cell phone last sent out a signal. However, the investigation thus far doesn't show any sign of foul play:

Even with all the attention social media messaging gets these days, there's still something to be said about a good old fashioned billboard. Take, for instance, this "Vote For Our Future" billboard that the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center unveiled this week in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

12th annual cape new writers awards presentation and staged reading, september 27

For those of you in Los Angeles... This week, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment will announce the winners of the 12th Annual CAPE New Writers Awards, spotlighting the work of Asian Pacific American writers.

The Awards Presentation and Staged Reading is happening Thursday, September 27 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details about the event:

With the premiere of Mindy Kaling's new Fox sitcom The Mindy Project, it's kind of a big moment for Indian Americans in the public eye.

In fact, comedian/writer Hari Kondabolu says there are now enough Indian people that he doesn't have to like you just because you're Indian. There are now many Indians to choose from -- to both like and hate.

Here's a clip of Hari taking aim and dropping some knowledge in this recent brilliant bit from Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell:

Today, September 25, is the first ever National Voter Registration Day, when thousands of volunteers and organizations in communities across the country will "hit the streets" in a coordinated effort to get Americans registered vote. Do not miss your chance to vote in the upcoming election.

In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn't know how to register. Yo, that's not cool.

But here's the worst part. In comparison to any other racial/ethnic group, our community has the largest voter registration deficit. That's right. We suck at voting. Come on, people. Let's do something about this. Let's work together to make sure nobody gets left out this time around.

And dude, it's so freaking easy. Just follow the links on the National Voter Registration Day website or 18 Million Rising. And spread the word.

9.24.2012

angry poetry corner: "ford" by tiffany nguyen

We're getting poetic up here. It's time for another installment of Angry Poetry Corner, a regular weekly spotlight on the work of API poets -- not necessarily angry -- curated by Cara, our Angry Asian Intern.

Because you could use a little more poetry in your life.

In the corner this week, a poem by Tiffany Nguyen:

Read These Blogs

We must fight rise of homegrown hate: Kanwardeep Singh Kaleka, the nephew of one of the victims of the Oak Creek shooting, calls attention to hate crimes and the need to address domestic terrorism.

Immigration Debate: The Problem With the Word "Illegal": It's inflammatory, imprecise, and most of all, inaccurate. So why does everyone - from Chuck Schumer to Mitt Romney - use it? Probably cuz they're racist. Jose Antonio Vargas weighs in.

"I Refuse to Ever Date an Asian Man": Racetrolling, Self-Sabotage, and How Not to Read Junot Diaz: A response to the recent controversial xoJane piece, in which Jenny An confesses to be a "racist" for never wanting to date an Asian man. Professor Timothy Yu takes the article to task with an analysis of sensationalist language, internalized racism, and failed satire. The only unfortunate thing about Yu's response is that it took twice the amount of mental heft to write than the original piece.

Why the Rise of Asia In Fashion Isn't As Beautiful As It Seems: Another great one from Jeff Yang, this time about whiteness and exoticism in the fashion industry and how crap like the Hollister models incident in South Korea and Victoria's Secret's disgusting "Go East" campaign happens.

this week's angriest posts

Not necessarily the angriest, just the most viewed.

umma gangnam style on ellen

monsters calling home get their big break on jimmy kimmel, courtesy of honda

no answers in mysterious tourist deaths

jr aquino's blind audition for the voice

can you spot the gangnam style?

epsn commenter arrested after making violent threats

the many deaths of al leong

angry reader of the week: laura tevary mam

filipino nurses win language discrimination settlement

jeremy lin is one of the most influential men of the year... and still sleeps on his buddies' couches

Please consider making a pledge to National Film Society's web series Awesome Asian Bad Guys. Your support is appreciated!

9.21.2012

blacklava 20th anniversary celebration, september 29

A huge congratulations to our good friend Ryan Suda, the guy behind the Asian American apparel company Blacklava, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Twenty years of outfitting Asian American community empowerment. Throw the man a party.

To commemorate the occasion, Blacklava is throwing a big ol' party and gallery art exhibition. It's happening Saturday, September 29 at the Hatakeyama Gallery in Los Angeles. Here are some more details about the party:

Real quick, my friends. National Film Society's web series Awesome Asian Bad Guys is currently up for Indiewire's Project of the Week. I humbly ask for your support. Please vote for the project here. Thanks.

The winning filmmaker will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms and will become a candidate for Project of the Month. That winner will be awarded with a creative consultation from the fine folks at the Tribeca Film Institute. Just click to vote!

For more information about Awesome Asian Bad Guys, and to make a pledge to the project, visit the Kickstarter campaign page here.

music video: "5 bit blues" by kid koala

Check out this cool new video from producer/turntablist Kid Koala, for "5 Bit Blues." The single-shot, carefully-choreographed video combines developing Polaroid photos and eerie images from a photocopier to go with the gloomy, downtempo track. It's pretty mesmerizing:

Oh hell no. This week in Queens, authorities are investigating racist graffiti that was discovered spray painted on two separate locations in Flushing: Officials condemn racial slur painted on Flushing property.

The graffiti, consisting of racial slurs targeting Asian Americans, was found on a storefront on Union Street, as well as on the side of a van belonging to the World Journal, a popular Chinese newspaper:

Okay, everyone. Gather' round. I would like you 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 Laura Tevary Mam.

More news out of Philadelphia about robbers targeting Asians. This time, the thieves appear to be going after Asian casino winners: SugarHouse Winners Targeted, 4 Robberies Reported: Cops.

According to police, a criminal team is responsible for at least five incidents in the past few months where winners have been followed from the SugarHouse Casino and robbed after returning home.

In almost all of the cases, the victims were Asian:

poketo & the bold italic present bold rush, september 28-29

It's a Poketo party! Next week in Los Angeles, our friends at the art/design/lifestyle store Poketo are hosting Bold Rush, its first pop-up shop and art show in collaboration with The Bold Italic magazine.

The two-night event will also feature food, live music, and ping pong. It's happening Friday and Saturday, September 28-29 at the Poketo Store in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. Here are some more details about the event:

This week, the Jubilee Project and ISA launched a new PSA, (Don't) VOTE, as part of their #TakeAction Campaign, an effort to empower and inspire young people to make their voices heard. Produced in partnership with 18 Million Rising, it features Wong Fu, KevJumba, Far East Movement, Clara C, Legaci, and a bunch of other people young folks might recognize:

IGN recently posted a good interview with John Cho, who talks about working on the upcoming Star Trek sequel (without giving away any secrets), his role on the new NBC comedy Go On with Matthew Perry, and that Harold & Kumar animated series he's got in the works with Kal Penn.

Here's the first part, where he talks about the potential crazy animated adventures for Harold and Kumar ("Harold and Kumar Go to Space"?): John Cho Talks Go On and Harold and Kumar's Animated Series.

Just for fun... Harry Shum Jr. drops a #gangnamstylebomb on his cast members on what looks like the set of Glee. This pretty much made my day.

sikhs testify at senate hearing on hate crimes

Yesterday on Capitol Hill, a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Comittee held a hearing on hate crimes and domestic extremism: Congressional hearing addresses hate crimes after Sikh attack.

The hearings included emotional testimony from family members of victims who were killed last month in the hate crime shooting spree at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin: Sikh Temple Shooting Victim's Son Asks FBI To Track Hate Crimes Against Sikhs.

janm presents giant robot biennale 3, sept. 23 - jan. 13

Los Angeles! Swing by the Japanese American National Museum this Saturday, September 22, for Giant Robot: Biennale 3, a team effort between JANM and Giant Robot founder Eric Nakamura.

The show will include a gallery of works from eight emerging artists and a custom vinyl figurine collection designed by the Uglydolls creator. Don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds cool. Here's more info:

New music website Tunezy.com, which allows artists to sell merchandise, engage with fans and host online performances, is teaming up with popular YouTube musicians Gabe Bondoc to present its first virtual concert series.

It's happening live on Saturday, September 22 at 1:00pm ET. But to join in, you have to earn Notes from Tunezy. For further information about the virtual concert with Gabe Bondoc, head over to Tunezy.

mocamomo profiles chinese artist hua tu nan

This cool video profile, produced by Mocamomo, featuring Foshan-based street artist Hua Tu Nan, who combines his training in classical Chinese and illustration with western graffiti styles. His work also uses elements from ink painting, drum rhythms and a variety of cultural symbols:

Oh man. Can I get "dammit" for news like this? This week in Southern California, a guy was arrested after making online threats on an ESPN message board, talking about killing children and alluding the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting: Eric Yee ESPN Death Threat Comments Land Ex-Yale Student In Jail On $1 Million Bail.

And yes, it's an Asian guy. 21-year-old Eric Yee was charged with a single count of possessing an illegal firearms after authorities found an unregistered weapon in the house he shares with his parents. The gun apparently belongs to his father, who was also charged with possessing an illegal firearm.

This is specifically David Choi and Clara C fans in Southern California... The two popular singer/songwriters are teaming up and hitting the road for their nationwide 2012 Fall Tour, which gets started next week in Los Angeles. There will be music and good times for all.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a pair of tickets to David and Clara's Los Angeles show, happening Saturday, September 29 at the Troubador. Want to go? Scroll down for details on how to enter. First, here's a list of all the fall tour dates:

You knew it had to happen. As soon as we saw the video of dancer/choreographer Mike Song and Mrs. Song breaking it down, Gangnam Style, we knew the mom-and-son dance duo would inevitably find their way on to television talk land. Come on, it's so awesomely dance-tastic, there's no way this could not get on Ellen And of course, they rock it:

Man. I am reeling from Monsters Calling Home's amazing, game-changing performance last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Yes, this up-and-coming itty-bitty indie band of church kids rocking out on a national television.

How the heck did they get there? It all started with this video, "Fight to Keep," which the band shot, recorded and performed inside their Hondas:

The Glamourbaby Diaries, created by writer/speaker (and former Angry Reader of the Week) Ruby Veridiano, is a writing program with a focus on women's empowerment and Asian American women's history explored through the lens of fashion.

Ruby and Co. just dropped this brand new short documentary on the Glamourbaby Diaries, featuring the voices of young women encouraged to redefine glamour through strength, passion and purpose:

plate by plate san francisco, september 22

Hey, San Francisco. Feeling hungry? If you're looking for an evening of food, fun and community, look no further than Plate by Plate, Project by Project's annual tasting benefit. There will be tasty dishes and all kinds of wine to go around, plus a silent auction and live entertainment. It's happening Saturday, September 22 at The Bently Reserve in San Francisco. Here are some more details:

Are you a hard-working film lover who will hustle to help put together one of the best damn film festivals in the land? The Center for Asian American Media is on the lookout for enthusiastic individuals to join the CAAM Fam.

The 31st San Francisco International Film Festival is just around the corner and they've got some cool internship opportunities in marketing, outreach and event planning. Here's some more information about the festival internship:

Something new from The Like Me's! Shot on location in beautiful Kampong Cham, Cambodia, here's the official music video for "Dontrey Sni," the latest from the Bay Area all-female all-Southeast Asian pop rock band. Take a look:

This is a frightening story about two tourists, Kari Bowerman and Cathy Huynh, who were backpacking in Vietnam when they suddenly and mysteriously fell ill and died -- and no one is sure why: Mysterious tourist deaths in Asia prompt poison probe.

Both were vomiting, had difficulty breathing, low blood pressure and showed signs of severe dehydration. The scariest part is that their symptoms match a string of mysterious tourist deaths in Southeast Asia. Investigators with the World Health Organization suspect some kind of poison, but it's difficult to be sure.

People, tune into Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Monsters Calling Home, who I once called my new favorite band, will be performing on the show this evening. Whaaaaa? This is awesome! How did this incredible opportunity happen? Tune in to ABC tonight to find out.

9.30.2012

9.29.2012

9.28.2012

9.27.2012

9.26.2012

9.25.2012

9.24.2012

9.23.2012

9.22.2012

9.21.2012

9.20.2012

9.19.2012

9.18.2012

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