8 Asians

Dear Shannon Knapp,

First and foremost, thank you for Invicta. It’s an understatement to say that it has been a blessing to women’s MMA and women’s combat sports.

I check Invicta news every day, and I noticed that in the recent flurry of signings, Invicta signed Rachael Ostovich of Jesus is Lord MMA Gym in Hawaii.

Ostovich had fought her first pro-MMA fight with one of my favorite fighter athletes, Jenny Liou of Ace Jiu-Jitsu and Subfighter MMA, who was also in her debut pro-MMA fight.

Liou won that fight against Ostovich by TKO (knee to the Body and Punches) at Destinay MMA – Na Koa 4 on January 25, 2014.

Further, Liou has just won her second pro-MMA fight against Jilian Lybarger by unanimous decision on February 22, 2014 at KOTC Radar Lock.

The video above is Liou’s most recent amateur fight on December 6, 2013, and Liou not only won against Ariel Beck with a split decision but also won Fight of the Night at Fight Force – Butte Brawl 15.

Liou has a foundation in ground game, but her recent wins by TKO and decisions show that she has definitely been stocking up her arsenal.

These facts have been bothering me because although Ostovich is a great fighter, too, Liou seems more than qualified to join the prestigious ranks of Invicta FC. Thus, as an ardent fan of Invicta FC and of women’s MMA, I earnestly urge Invicta to sign Jenny Liou.

I am very much looking forward to the six Invicta events planned for this year. Schedule permitting, I hope I can fly out from Los Angeles and see one in person.

Thank you again for showing the world that nothing is more awesome than “fighting like a girl”!

Invicta FC Fan,

Tina @ 8Asians

One of the biggest stories of the day today is that Newsweek’s Leah McGrath Goodman revealed the alleged true identity of the supposed founder of Bitcoin, which had been credited to “Satoshi Nakamoto.”

In the detailed investigative report, the article alleges that the Bitcoin founder is a Japanese American man living in Southern California named Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto. Along with other personal and background information– including that the 64 year-old man is living with his mother and recently had troubles with cancer and a stroke– the article also published a photograph of the man, a photo of his car (with license plate showing) in the driveway of his house, as well as identifying the city of his residence. Within hours, the location of his home was identified and a media storm descended upon his home. Online, reaction swiftly condemned the journalist for revealing the home address of this man and possibly putting his life at risk (the Bitcoin founder is worth at least $400m in Bitcoin, as of now).

Although Dorian Nakamoto denies being the founder of Bitcoin, it didn’t stop reporters from chasing him across town, according to the Los Angeles Times. Nakamoto said he would speak to only one reporter and then accepted a invitation to a free lunch with an AP reporter while other reporters followed and camped outside. It was covered as the “Bitcoin chase” live via social media and the Los Angeles Times.

So, is Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto the founder of Bitcoin? Well, the jury is still out on that, but one AP reporter certainly will be getting the scoop of his life for the cost of a sushi lunch. More to come, I’m sure.

UPDATE 3/6/2014: The “chosen” AP reporter was Ryan Nakashima whose exclusive article was published at 9:45pm Pacific Time: MAN SAID TO CREATE BITCOIN DENIES IT. Also, the original Satoshi Nakamoto P2P Foundation account owner replied to a very old post with a message: “I am not Dorian Nakamoto.“

Visit Asian America. Asian America is not just an identity or an idea, it’s a place as well. It is America, and certain parts of America distinctly embody the Asian American homeland. Join us as we highlight different Asian American destinations that you can add to your next travel itinerary.

Martial Arts History Museum is a center that educates the public about martial arts and provides a space for cultural and artistic experiences with martial arts, which includes learning about the many different countries known for their martial arts traditions.

Location

2319 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91506

(cross streets: Magnolia & Buena Vista)

Hours

Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 6pm.

Admission

$8 for adults, $4 for kids (6-12 years old)

Events

Gaming, workshops, demonstrations, and festivals.

Contact

Phone: (818) 478-1722
email: [email protected]

So apparently, some totally obsessed fan made a tribute game to the anime and manga series Attack on Titan. I totally understand how this fan feels. It’s simply terrible sitting around waiting for the next season to be made and released. However, though this game is not exactly visually striking, it strikes paralyzing terror in me every time one of those titans opens its mouth to bite someone. In watching the group game play video above, I found myself squealing loudly in fright as one of the Titans chomped down on one of the players. I’m not sure if people who haven’t seen the anime or read the manga would have the same sort of pre-programmed reaction to it, but I definitely feel like my imagination runs away with me and I start reliving the horrors of a Titan attack. Remember, I have Attack on Titan PTSD.

Years ago when  I saw a policeman on the TV news restrain a protester using an Aikido sankyo grip, I thought to myself, “where did the cop learn that technique?”  Only after reading an obituary did I found out.   Johnny has talked about jeet kune do and kajukenbo as uniquely Asian American martial arts, and I would add the Koga System to that list, a martial arts system that got its start in the Topaz internment camp in Utah.

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The old adage that half the fun is getting there couldn’t be more true. When we booked the flight with the popular Taiwanese airline EVA Air, we didn’t think the one we got was going to be one of the airline’s Hello Kitty flights. It wasn’t indicated as such on our reservation, although when we got our luggage checked in and our boarding passes, it got our hopes up.

We watched with unexpected delight when our plane rolled in like so. Everyone in the waiting area got up to take pictures.

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Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez accept the Oscar® for the category Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original Song) for “Let It Go” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA Sunday, March 2, 2014. (Photo credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S.)

Robert Lopez made history when he won the Oscar® for Music (Original Song) at the 86th Academy Awards® for writing the music and lyrics of “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (along with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez).

Robert is only the twelfth person who has achieved an “EGOT” (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award) and he completed this achievement faster than anyone has previously done: in only ten years. He is also the youngest person to EGOT in competitive categories at the age of 39.

Robert is also Filipino American and thus, is the first Filipino American (and first Asian American) to achieve EGOT.

During his backstage interview, he was asked about his Filipino background:

Q. So, Robert, not only did you make history by joining a group of people who have won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony but in the Philippines you just made history by being the first Philippine[sic] American to win an Oscar. So, your thoughts please.

A. (Robert Lopez) Filipino pride. I’m so excited. I’m just sending love to the Philippines. I know they’ve had a tough year and I just send out my feelings to them.

It must be pretty chaotic for the press that is working backstage, but I have comment about the question itself.

First, Robert Lopez made history everywhere (not just in the Philippines). Second, it’s “Filipino American” (and not Philippine American). Nitpicking aside, I’m glad that Robert acknowledges not only his Filipino background, but also that the Philippines have been hit hard in the past couple of years by terrible disasters. Kristen followed up, saying that they’ll be doing a benefit concert for the Philippines on March 12th, in New York City.

Congrats to Robert and Kristen for their Oscars®. (Cutest husband-wife acceptance speech/song ever!)

8$ is a series which occasionally highlights interesting crowdfunding projects. Every day, the 8Asians team is inundated by many worthy pitches. We are unable to highlight every one that comes our way, or even the ones we might individually support. The projects selected for 8$ are not endorsements by 8Asians. (To be considered for 8$, we highly suggest you not harass the writers or the editors of 8Asians.)

WHO: The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) envisions a strong and sustainable Asian American Theater community that is an integral presence in national culture—evocative of our past, declarative of our present, and innovative towards our future.

WHAT: Indiegogo project: CAATA Fund Drive

In 2006 the BIG BANG Conference in Los Angeles launched a national Asian American theater movement. The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) was born and we have organized two festivals in New York City, a conference in Minneapolis, and the first Conference/Festival (ConFest) in Los Angeles in 2011.

Preparations are currently underway for the next ConFest, the 4th National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival, which will take place in Philadelphia in October 2014.

CAATA is a volunteer-driven organization that exists to support the vibrant, growing, and changing field of Asian American Theater across the country and the globe. As a member of this community we are asking you to support CAATA in order to keep this movement going.

WHEN: Deadline to contribute is Sunday, March 16, 2014 (11:59pm PT).

WHY:
About the Indiegogo, from CAATA:

Upcoming ConFest
Over 4 1/2 days, the 2014 ConFest will bring to Philadelphia approximately four Asian American theater productions, twenty panel discussions and three plenary sessions by established and emerging leaders in the community including a keynote address. In addition, curated open-mic events, ongoing video demos with artists sharing work-in-progress, neighborhood artist/open studio tours, new play readings, workshops, special events and open space gatherings round out the program.

The 2014 ConFest is currently entitled “Home: Here…There… Where?”. Through the lens of the Asian American experience of migration and the search for a sense of “place” and equity on personal, community, and global levels, the ConFest will examine Asian Americans’ relationship to broad definitions and meanings of home.

What Your Help Can Do
Your support goes to support the ConFest and beyond. CAATA’s programming is expanding to meet the needs of our community and we need your help to sustain our efforts. Your donation today could help cover:

• $75 for a one-way train ticket for a ConFest panelist or keynote speaker
• $100 for 2 months service with Constant Contact to keep the community informed
• $500 one-month office rental to establish NYC residency to be eligible for grants
• $1,000 web page update or cost of travel for two artists
• $10,000 for performance and conference venue rentals for the Philadelphia ConFest
• $100,000 40% of ConFest Expenses including housing and travel for artists from across the country

CAATA’s Board Steps Up!
Our goal was to raise $30,000 from our national network of supporters and collaborators. CAATA’s Board has jumpstarted this campaign by donating the first $5,000 and we ask you to help us raise the remaining $25,000.

This piece was written for the youth participants and alumni of the Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF), the oldest summer conference serving people of Taiwanese heritage. It was originally published at the TAF website and has been republished here with permission.

photo credit: davidreid via photopin cc

By Ho Chie Tsai

The first time I listened to a presentation about the 228 Incident, one of Taiwan’s most tragic and defining moments in history, my only memory was that I chuckled and giggled alongside my group of friends during a moment when the speaker passionately proclaimed in his accented-English that this was the Taiwanese “holocaust.” It was August of 1986, and I was 14 years old–a “freshman” at TAF.

I was young, and I didn’t know better. It wasn’t that I thought the turn-of-events being recounted was something to be laughed it. On the contrary, the audience was rather solemn, maybe even slightly bored. But that microphone-enhanced proclamation of “holocaust” simply refocused everyone’s attention… in a humorous and unintended way. Even though the speaker’s imperfect accented English reminded me of my parents’ own, that teenage version of me wasn’t that forgiving. And so yes, I laughed. In fact, looking back, I realize now that I knew very little about my heritage and our people’s history. I certainly didn’t have much pride in my identity as a Taiwanese American, and it manifested as silly behaviors of a teenager.

During the TAF camp of the 80′s, our Monday afternoon schedule included a “Taiwan Culture” session. It was an attempt to help our young emerging 2nd generation audience, of which I was a part of, to be more knowledgeable about our parents’ experiences and the issues that they cared about. Our invited program speaker was usually a 1st generation immigrant parent. There really wasn’t much choice; we didn’t have many 2nd generation speakers that we could relate to and who were knowledgeable about Taiwanese history and politics topics. As passionate as the 1st generation parents were about teaching us history, though, perhaps we weren’t all that interested since we were doing what most high school students typically do–trying to be “cool” and to find acceptance wherever we could. It didn’t involve knowing the details of some history of a “foreign” country that my parents left.

Over time, I’ve come to realize how wrong I was, and how insecure my identity was at that time. I didn’t know how much I needed to be at this “Taiwanese camp” that my parents forced me to attend. However, the full week’s experience and the people I met changed me. I made friends who struggled with similar issues of identity and teenage angst. I was inspired to be like the dedicated counselors and advisors that lifted me up every day. I discovered a foundation of self-pride and acceptance like I had never known before. After that week, I longed to know more about my heritage and my parents’ stories. I wanted to know what it meant to be Taiwanese American.

And I wished I could go back to the early part of that week and listen more closely to the history that was being taught. But with more respect and attention.

Although it took me well over a decade to fully learn and understand the interpretations, nuances, and sensitivities surrounding Taiwan’s complicated history and turn-of-events, I continue to have such an appreciation for its evolving story. And each year now, I remember 228 – short for February 28, 1947, the date which marked the massacre of an estimated 20,000 Taiwanese and the imprisonment of approximately 140,000 more who were suspected of opposing the newly established Nationalist KMT’s Republic of China government. It would also mark the beginning of the “White Terror” martial law era and foreshadow the mass migration of 2 million people fleeing China to Taiwan after losing their Civil War to the Communists in 1949.

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As I’ve been devouring all the Invicta FC fight videos I can find, one particular fighter from Japan has really caught my eye. Mizuki Inoue is fresh out of high school, and yet she’s touted as one of the most skillful strikers out there, a real stand-up prodigy. Watching this fight above between Inoue and Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC 6 will show you just why she is so impressive, and not just for her young age. She bobs and weaves and strikes while dancing around her opponent with some gorgeous footwork, in some ways strikingly reminiscent of some of Mike Tyson’s moves, pun intended.

Having started MMA when she was in 6th grade, her young age and combat arts technical genius is simply exciting because of how far she can go with a long and prosperous road before her. She’s adorably deadly already, and I just can’t contain my excitement wondering what kind of athlete fighter she’ll be in five years, in ten years. I hope we see her again soon this year in one of Invicta FC’s six events. I’m looking forward to seeing some more of her sharp moves!

8Asians is an official media partner of this project.

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) is proud to present our national #APIVoices YouTube Video Contest! This is YOUR chance to share a topic that you
feel is relevant to the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community, and challenge the stereotype that social issues do not affect APIs.

Select video submissions will be posted to the OACC YouTube page.

WHAT: Create a video that describes an issue you care about as a member of the API community

WHERE: YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook

WHEN: March 14th – April 14th

WHY: API issues and concerns are not explored enough in our schools, in our media, and in our society. time for us to speak out and be heard!

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While I weep quietly in my little corner of the world, I’m thinking only one in a hundred people who saw the title of this post have any idea what Buyuden even is. It is, in my opinion, one of the best Japanese manga out there ever.

The story starts with Take Isamu, a top student at his upper elementary school who excels at everything from math to sports to catching the eyes of the ladies, and he knows it too. His being oozes superiority complex. That is, until he runs into some delinquents that give him a beat down. Then a new girl at his school jumps in and, with some fancy boxing footwork and an iron sense of justice, defeats the bullies. His new schoolmate, the girl Kaname Moka, is a boxing prodigy. Instead of being grateful, of course, Take is completely humiliated from being saved by a girl and yells at her for coming to his rescue. She calls him a “weak man” and takes off.
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