A new website for DJs, mixcrate.com, created in part by 8asians alumnus Genghis Mendoza, has a story about how the DJ scene in San Francisco Bay Area became large and influential. Turntablism is now practiced worldwide, and many legendary DJs like Qbert and Babu are Filipino-Americans from the Bay Area. CSU Long Beach Sociology professor Oliver Wang did his Ph.D dissertation at UC Berkeley on this subject. “Spinning Identities: A Social History of Filipino American DJs in the Bay Area” chronicles the history of the mobile DJ scene. He has created the web site http://legionsofboom.com/ for sharing this work.
The Bay Area DJ scene definitely has had influence, even in my family. My nephew Ryan Buendia, who is currently a music producer for the Black Eyed Peas, started out as a turntablist and is part of the Fingerbangerz crew . This DJ crew has produced a lot of music for the dance crew Jabbawockeez.
As I mentioned, mixcrate.com is a site where DJs can share and promote their mixes. Created by Bay Area DJs (Genghis is also a DJ), it too is part of the ongoing heritage that Wang describes.
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First there was a bizarre Sony HDTV ad that claimed that watching their TV could improve your Chinese, and then there was the cute Asian girl Kylie pitching Microsoft Windows 7. Why not just combine those two? Here’s Kylie helping to pitch Sony VAIO Windows PCs, along with Payton Manning and Justin Timberlake. The only thing that would make this commercial more bizarre if there were a Burger King tie-in.
Shopping With GASP!
“Hookin’ Up with Mariko Izumi” is a show about what you see in this picture. That’s right, that rod she is holding is a fishing rod! Mariko Izumi hosts a fishing show on WFN, the World Fishing Network channel. She is daughter of champion angler Wayne Izumi and the niece of angler and TV host, Bob Izumi. I first encountered the Izumi family when trying to relax by watching guys bash each other on the Versus channel. I noticed a show called Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing show, and the Asian name caught my eye. Bob Izumi is a full time professional angler and in addition to being Mariko’s uncle, is an co-author of a number of books and is the chairman of of the Fish for Ever Foundation, a conservation foundation dedicated toward preserving Ontario’s fisheries.
How did these Japanese Canadians get into the fishing business? It seems that Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians have had some influence in fishing in the US Northwest and Canada. The fishing technique for salmon called “Mooching,” drift-fishing using only a banana-lead weight tied to a leader with a herring, described here, was said to be invented to by Japanese immigrant fisherman. The name, according to this account, comes from these Japanese fisherman who did so well that other fisherman would “mooch” their bait to use themselves. The Tengu fishing derby in Elliott Bay near Seattle was started by these Japanese-American fisherman in the 1930′s. A “Tengu” is a creature from Japanese mythology whose nose, like Pinnochio’s, grew when it lied, a perfect name for a fishing contest (think “fish” stories about “the one that got away”). The tournament was interrupted by the Japanese American internment, but has been going on ever since. Bob Izumi’s father started one of the first fishing tournaments in Ontario. Japanese-American and Seattle Native Mark Yuasa blogs about fishing for the Seattle Times.
Researching this post makes me want to try fishing some day. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the influence that Asian-Americans and Asian-Canadians have had on fishing in North America. Plus, Mariko Izumi’s show seems like a great and certainly easy on the eyes way to start learning about it!
If you’re able to make it to San Jose on November 20 or 21st, you should make the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors performance one of your stops! The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors are BACK in the Bay Area with a full length show for the first time in THREE YEARS! Celebrate 15 years of the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors by enjoying their sketches created and performed in Los Angeles and (mostly) NEVER BEFORE SEEN in the Bay Area!
Sketches include:
- TORTURE!
- ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!
- KOREAN BBQ!
- And more!
The Contemporary Asian Theater Scene presents The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors at The 9th Annual Asian Comedy Night!
Friday, November 20, 8pm (with cast reception)
Saturday, November 21, 7pm and 10pmSan Jose Woman’s Club
75 South 11th Street, San Jose 95112-2018TICKETS:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/84600
Friday show and reception with cast: $25
Saturday shows: $20
What you could win from 18MMW and CATS: two tickets to either performance on Saturday, November 21.
That’s right! The lucky winner wins a pair of tickets to see 18MMW Saturday night!
How do you enter?
Simply leave a short comment stating why you should win. (Be sure to use the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you’re the winner.)
Hurry, the deadline to enter is: Wednesday, November 18 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time) One lucky winner will be selected and contacted on Thursday.
Rules for entering:
- Please be in the San Jose area (or willing to travel to SJ on your own dime) and serious about using these tickets; if you’re too busy to use these, please don’t take them away from someone who will!
- Tickets are non-transferrable; they are good for you and a guest.
- Contributors to 8Asians and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
Prizes courtesy of: 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS).
I wrote previously about Shirley Tan’s plight of possible deportation and separation from her family, and followed up later with a post on the act of Congress that let her stay with her family in the United States. Tan has been busy testifying before Congress, meeting with White House officials, and speaking to the media about the need for immigration reform to make sure what happened to her family doesn’t happen to any other LGBT families.
Tan’s hard work has earned her the award for 2009 Activist by The Advocate magazine. To read the full write-up about Shirley and the 2009 People of the Year, pick up a copy of the December/January issue of The Advocate, on newsstands now. If you’re interested in helping pass the UAFA in Congress, you can visit the Immigration Equality page that lists ideas including writing and calling Congress, writing to editors, and signing a petition among other activities.
Barack Obama’s bow-at-the-waist to Emperor Akihito has garnered some pretty harsh responses in the US. Namely, it is anti-Obama critics jumping on the President’s gesture with the ferocity of a jock at my high school who’s just been implicated as being gay.
That the President of the World’s Super Power akin to something along the lines of God of Earth, the United States of America should feel the need to bend over for a small Asian man (repeatedly, as Obama also bowed in an equally as controversial greeting to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah at a G20 meeting recently) is thought of as repulsive, weak and definitively, unamerican by his critics.
Never mind that in Japanese tradition, the Emperor is a direct descendant of a divine being (the sun goddess, and thus probably even more powerful than any ‘god of earth’) and in American tradition, the president is just some chap who is popular.
Are the Obama critics really so afraid of being respectful of Asian traditions that they care about the angle of the President’s back? Is the WW2 anti-Japanese sentiment resurging to combine with some weirdo homophobic pride in a hybrid critique of the nation’s first non-white president?
Perhaps it would be more productive to critique the deep bowing of Obama to a symbolic ruler who represents a government that refuses to acknowledge many of its wartime atrocities and genocidal policies towards its Indigenous cultures. Or would such a critique be too close to the truth of America’s own national history?
No doubt by now, you’ve probably heard of the Fort Hood murder rampage by Major Nidal Malik Hasan. This past Tuesday, the funeral for the thirteen fallen soldiers was held; in attendance along with President Obama was Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. The Times does a nice profile of the challenges Shinseki faces since he’s been sworn into office:
“For months, Mr. Shinseki has been crisscrossing the country as President Obama’s pinstriped evangelist for veterans’ care, raising concerns about a coming tide of post-traumatic stress cases, traumatic brain injuries and other physical and psychological scars of battle… The problems are daunting. Nearly 8 million of the 23.4 million veterans are enrolled in the veterans system, which administers compensation for disabled veterans and runs the nation’s largest health care system … But amid the plaudits, some advocates wonder how well a general can run a bureaucracy filled with unionized civil servants. He can hire and fire at will only a few dozen of the department’s 298,000 employees. And some friends worry whether Mr. Shinseki, famously plainspoken and earnest, can survive in sharp-elbowed Washington.”
After reading the daunting challenges, who the hell would want this job? I give a lot of credit to Shinseki to taking on the challenges of trying to transform this unwieldy government agency; it’s a true testament that Shinseki has risen to every call of duty.
Tuesday, 11 November, students at Sisowath High School received the first copies of a textbook detailing the autogenocide led by the Khmer Rouge regime in the years 1975 – 1978. Published by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, this textbook replaces five lines written on the Pol Pot era in current history books. Due to the changing political climate of the country, teaching about the events during Democratic Kampuchea has been anything but straightforward. With the Khmer Rouge retaining political influence well into the mid-1990s and former cadres occupying government roles, an honest portrayal of this period has been scant and gradually minimized from public education. This textbook comes also with the documentation of testimonies from the on-going Khmer Rouge tribunals conducted some 45 minutes outside of Phnom Penh.
Considering that I had the benefit to take an Asian American Studies course and learn about the genocide, I find it to be an odd privilege to possess this knowledge in light of the release of this textbook. In the United States, many Khmer Americans either seek to hear the stories of their parents, sometimes successful and other times not; or maybe never think to ask because their parents fall silent on why they ever came to the US. Public k-12 education also has not been a reliable institution to learn about a genocide that occurred partly in reaction to a US-supported ruler.
I find it shocking that many young people in Cambodia today do not believe the stories of their elders surrounding the genocide. It only makes more salient the notion of what is the “official record” that is accepted history. Who writes the textbooks, who is left out, who is valorized — such factors have significant impacts on how a generation is raised. Hopefully this textbook will correct a dangerous historical amnesia in Cambodia’s up and coming new leaders. With almost half the population under the age of 20, I believe the imperative of knowing one’s history is even more marked in Cambodia. The author of the textbook expressed, “The young generation has the responsibility to repair this broken glass. They need to understand what happened in their country before they can move forward to build up democracy, peace and reconciliation.”
Chinese model Liu Wen will be Victoria’s Secret’s first Asian model for their annual Fashion Show, to be taped on Thursday, November 19th and to be aired on Tuesday, December 1st on CBS. When you think about it, there are plenty of Asian and Asian American female models in the fashion industry today; does this mean Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is behind the times? (Hat tip: pinoyboy on twitter).
The initial meeting of MAPID’s API Writer’s Group!!
Writers will be challenged by exercises and assignments, both group and individual. Participants will also be able to get positive and supportive criticism and feedback on their individual projects. OIne of the goals is to prepare participants to be a professional writer.
There is no fee.
At this time, the capacity has been reached for the writers group.
More information; mapid.us/writersgroup.
Previous release:
NOVEMBER 15, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: KEN CHOY at [email protected]
Mavericks of Asian Pacific Islander Descent (MAPID), the producer of Breaking the Bow, announces the Asian Pacific Islander Writers group. Focus is on new and emerging writers but all are invited to apply. Due to space restrictions, the group will be limited to 10 at this time and will be formed by an application process. The group will explore varied forms of written expression including but not limited to playwriting, screenwriting, short story and long form writing. The group will concentrate on individual and collective writings with a possible project arising from the group for production at Breaking the Bow 2010. Commitment and a supportive nature are imperative. The group will also participate in giving back to the community which may include volunteering opportunities. Diva attitudes and selfish personalities need not apply.
Meetings are slated to be held evenings of every 2nd Monday of the month in Studio City, CA. Meetings will begin in January 2010.
Interested writers should send a brief bio or resume if any, and a narrative not to exceed one page that includes reasons and objectives for joining the writers group. Include contact information as well.
Please paste requested info into an email with subject header “MAPID Writers Group.”
Send to Ken Choy
[email protected]
For more information, please contact Ken Choy at [email protected]
A bunch of white white supremacists pulled a fast one on the Student Newspaper staff of Lowell High School in San Francisco, pulling a bait-and-switch and redirecting a web address left in an ad to an a “campaign to inform, awaken and radicalize our White American youth.” Except they may want to work a bit harder on their research when sending ads to high schools: Lowell High, the High School the supremacists targeted, is only 15% White. (The school is over 60% Asian.)
The 8Asians tumblr highlights Asians [& uber talented non-Asians] who draw, dance, build, film, sing, write, invent, paint, teleport, and of course, tumble. It’s curated by Jun, Moye and Ernie.
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