Three charged in Chicago Auto Show vandalism

Alleged vandals claim they were angry about U.S. jobs supposedly going overseas.

Think of it sort of as a hate crime... against foreign cars!

Last week at the Chicago Auto Show, a trio of suburban dumbasses were arrested for doing about $30,000 damage to seven vehicles because they were angry about U.S. jobs supposedly going overseas.

3 charged in auto show vandalism spree.

Bryan Kjellman, Richard Data and Edmund Grzeszkiewicz, of Orland Park, Illinois, were each charged with one count of criminal damage to property for allegedly doing thousands of dollars in damage to the interior of the seven 2011 Toyota vehicles. Yeah, that's going to save American jobs:

video: crazy amazing 8-year-old krumpin kids

Saw this on Boing Boing the other day and had to share... Check out this crazy video of these little kids with some amaaaaazing dance moves: Video Hella Tight Krumpin 8-Year-Old Kids Freestyle To Step On Stage.

Insanity. The kids are 9-year-old Gavin, 9-year-old Kris and 8-year-old Kida, aka The ART of Teknique, based in Sacramento. Awesome stuff.

asian american teenage girls have the highest rate of depression

According to a new report released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Asian American teenage girls have the highest rate of depressive symptoms of any racial, ethnic or gender group: Asian American Teenage Girls Have Highest Rates of Depression; NAMI Releases Report.

The report is based on a "listening session" with mental health experts from different Asian American and Pacific Islander communities held in Los Angeles in November 2010. Here are some report highlight statistics:

angry reader of the week: camden lee

Hello, good people. Here is 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 Camden Lee, who answered these questions on his phone, on the way to ECAASU 2011.

matcha: sacred offerings, february 24

Hey, San Francisco! Get your friends together and make plans for the year's first MATCHA, the Asian Art Museum's monthly after-hours music/art mixer. This month's event, Sacred Offerings, is a spotlight on Balinese music and costumes. It's happening Thursday, February 24 at the Asian Art Museum. And they're giving some free passes! See below for more details:

2011 day of remembrance at the smithsonian, february 19

If you're in the Washington D.C. area this weekend, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program invites to you to the 2011 Annual Day of Remembrance at the Smithsonian, observing the 69th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which imprisoned 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

The event will include guest speaker Terry Shima, 442nd RCT veteran, and a screening and discussion of the documentary 442: Live with Honor, Die with Dignity. It's happening Saturday, February 19 at the Smithsonian Institution. Here are some more details:

afterschoolspecial's what's in your head spring 2011 tour

Heads up. San Diego-based rap/rock band afterschoolspecial, fronted by our friend Dan Matthews, is headed out on the road for the first leg of their upcoming What's In Your Head 2011 spring tour. They put on a really fun, energetic show, so mark your calendars and make some plans. Here's a little promo video with Dan making the tour announcement:

2011 oca scholarship program

Students! I know you're out there. An opportunity for you... OCA is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2011-2012 academic year. High school seniors and college students who are currently in their sophomore/junior year are encouraged to apply for the 2011 OCA Scholarship Program. Here's the announcement blurb with some more information:

free download: "nice guy" by melissa li & the barely theirs

I'm a few days late on this one, but still worth sharing... On the occasion of Valentine's Day, Melissa Li & the Barely Theirs dropped a "Super Gay Super Cute V-Day" song. And if Valentine's Day seems like the appropriate time to gently let down your sweet and caring boyfriend to tell him you're gay and sleeping with his ex, this is the song for you: "Nice Guy." If you really need it spelled out for you, here are the lyrics:

congresswoman says she can identify who is "illegal" from their "olive complexion"

Using her keen powers of observation, Kansas Rep. Connie O'Brien knows an "illegal" when she sees one. She knows, just by looking at someone, whether or not the individual is originally from this country. The dead giveaway, according to her: "the olive complexion." I'm totally not kidding: KS GOP Rep. Connie O'Brien Says She Can Tell Who Is 'Illegal' Because They Have 'The Olive Complexion.'

O'Brien revealed her amazing powers of deduction at a recent hearing about in-state tuition being granted to the children of undocumented immigrants. She shared an anecdote about how her son had encountered difficulty getting financial assistance to attend college... and it was all the fault of the girl waiting in line with them at the financial aid office:

who are the world's biggest boozers?

According to the World Health Organization's map of global alcohol consumption, the biggest boozers in the world are in Europe and the former Soviet states. I mean, damn, Moldova -- you drink a lot.

But it holding down for Asia... South Korea! Rocking that red. Depending on who you are, this map pretty much explains everything. (Thanks, Chris.)

uc student regent jesse cheng accused of attempted rape

Here is the situation, as I understand it. Last November, Jesse Cheng, the University of California's Governing Board's student regent and fifth-year Asian American studies major at UC Irvine, was arrested for sexual battery: Jesse Cheng, UC Student Regent, Was Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Rape Female Student in his Apartment Near UCI; DA Didn't File Charges.

However, the Orange County district attorney's office apparently declined to file charges. This only recently came to light after the alleged victim, a female graduate from UCLA, brought her story to the UC Irvine student newspaper, New University: Student Regent Under Investigation.

official san jose sfiaaff launch party, february 17

South Bay, represent! For those of you in San Jose, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival has not forgotten about you. You're invited to join the Center for Asian American Media for the Official San Jose SFIAAFF Launch Party. It's happening Thursday, February 17 at Motif Restaurant & Club. Here are some more details:

white house initiative on asian americans and pacific islanders: aapi teacher recruitment and youth education roundtable

This week, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is presenting a panel discussion on the importance of clasroom careers, part of a national campaign by the Department of Education to recruit highly qualified and more diverse teachers. It's happening Thursday, February 17, 4:00pm PT at Granada Hills Charter High School.

The panel participants will include singer/songwriters Clara Chung and David Choi; Sefa Aina of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and Taryn Benarroch of the U.S. Dept. of Education TEACH Campaign. The event will be available for live viewing on the WHIAAPI's ustream channel. Here are some more details:

andrew figueroa chiang's "nice to meet you" tour

Heads up, East Coast. Soul pop singer/songwriter Andrew Figueroa Chiang has embarked on his first ever East Coast Tour, with stops in D.C., New York and ECAASU, and is hoping to see your awesome, smiling faces in the crowd. Here are some more details about The Nice to Meet You Tour:

justin lin to direct universal's terminator reboot?

What's this now? Terminator... directed by Justin Lin? Word on the street is, Universal Pictures is interested in resurrecting the Terminator franchise, and they're apparently looking at director Justin Lin to take the helm: Universal Interested in Resurrecting TERMINATOR Franchise with Director Justin Lin.

So that series reboot director McG attempted with 2009's Terminator Salvation didn't go over so well with moviegoers, and the franchise was basically left in limbo after ending up in bankruptcy. The rights were eventually snapped up by a hedge fund, and now Universal is looking to get in on the action:

tim lincecum on the cover of gq

Just wanted to share this badass image of San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum rocking the February 2011 cover of GQ, one of multiple covers celebrating "The 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time." Check out that leg!

They call him The Freak. The 26-year-old pot-smoking, two-time Cy Young winning Freak. World Champion San Francisco Giant Freak. Definitely cool. But I'm a little annoyed that the GQ piece identified Lincecum as "a skinny little white kid." Hey, how about giving some credit to his Filipino roots!

Temple law student not guilty in Philadelphia shooting

Gerald Ung claimed self-defense after shooting a man six times during a street altercation.

In Philadelphia, an update on the case of Gerald Ung, the Temple University law student who shot a man six times during a late night street altercation last year... Yesterday, a jury found him not guilty in the shooting of Edward DiDonato Jr.

Temple student not guilty in Old City shooting.

Ung, who was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of an instrument of crime, testified that he shot DiDonato in self-defense after being followed, threatened and lunged at by DiDonato and three of his friends. Looks like the jury agreed:

video: "the way you are" by kina grannis & david choi

And these awesome videos just keep coming... Check out this video for "The Way You Are," the long-awaited new collaboration between Kina Grannis and David Choi. If I'm remembering correctly, the last time these two got together for an original song was back in 2008, for "My Time With You," and that was pretty friggin' wonderful. This one's quite wonderful too:

lisa lee and lynn chen launch thick dumpling skin

It's my pleasure to help spread the word about Thick Dumpling Skin. Launched by two good friends to this blog, Hyphen publisher Lisa Lee and actress Lynn Chen, it's a new community-focused website on Asian Americans, eating disorders, and body image.

By curating stories from guest contributors within the Asian American community and encouraging readers to share their own, they're hoping to put a cultural perspective -- and give an important voice -- to this too-often silent issue.