You can always count on Japan for being the first in technology, weird porn and stationary. You can add anime eyes to the bun, with these these freaky tinted lenses (which first made the rounds online) now gaining popularity in North America. The lenses are extra large with a dark rim to cover the whites around the pupil, creating an illusion of wide, large eyes.
The New York Times featured the trend in their Fashion & Style section this weekend, and thanks to Lady GaGa and popular YouTube stars like Michelle Phan, both Asian and non-Asian Americans are wearing these contact lenses.
These days girls of many races are embracing the look. “Circle lenses are not just for Asian people,” said Crystal Ezeoke, 17, a second-generation Nigerian from Lewisville, Tex. In videos she posts to YouTube, Ms. Ezeoke’s gray lenses make her eyes look an otherworldly blue.
Oh, and they’re totally against the law, too.
It is illegal in the United States to sell any contact lenses — corrective or cosmetic — without a prescription, and no major maker of contact lenses in the United States currently sells circle lenses.
Awesome! I love buying beauty products online, but knowing that these things meant to touch my eyeballs aren’t even government approved make me feel even better.
Subscribe to our mailing list
Get the day's stories from 8Asians.com, delivered to your inbox every evening at 6:00pm PST.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Kremlins 2: The New Batch | ||||
|
||||
Olivia Munn made her second appearance on The Daily Show this past week, and this time around, she does a fairly decent job of trying to be comedic and funny, compared to her debut last month. If you haven’t heard, the FBI arrested 11 suspected Russian spies last week who have been incognito in the United States for as long as up to ten years.
Maybe the remake of Red Dawn should actually be focused on the Russians again instead of the Chinese.
Shopping With GASP!
By Ken
I grunted at Chris Tashima. I’ve known him for 20 years, long before he won the Academy Award for Best Live Short for his film Visas and Virtue. I adore the man, but all I could manage was a grunt.
Last Friday night at the Arclight Theatres in Hollywood, we protested against The Last Airbender, the latest in the trend of movies displacing APIs in favor of Caucasians. There, amongst several long-accomplished actors and community leaders, we lent our voice and visibility to a cause that we take extremely personal. But it’s a fight that we’re pissed we are still fighting.
20 years ago, the casting in Miss Saigon, their use of racist cosmetics and the content of the show incited us to protest the Broadway musical. For many of us, that coalescence of community was a turning point in our career focus. We also hoped that the image of our community would improve.
And so I grunted at my buddy at the Airbender protest, because it was, “Here we are again.”
No one can articulate it better than Eugene Franklin Wong, especially in his book, On Visual Media Racism. It should be a must read for any API in the arts. Every day I am more impressed with Mike and Dariane at Racebending.com, and so it is with humility that I address some of the counter arguments about why we are protesting. And I promise not to scream, “Just go to your college library and check out On Visual Media Racism!”
Four Filipinas who were working in the Emergency Room of Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore were summarily fired, allegedly for speaking Tagalog on the job. The hospital has an English only policy in the emergency room, but the nurses and secretary contend that they were only speaking Tagalog while taking a break. “I feel I was harassed and discriminated against because of my national origin,” nurse Hachelle Natano explained. The fired women have since filed a discrimination lawsuit.
I really don’t have a problem with an English-only rule when doing job activities. As the article points out, good communications in the Emergency Room can be critical to saving lives. That’s quite reasonable. If the nurses were only speaking Tagalog on their break, then that’s quite unreasonable. In addition, one of the women was a secretary who wasn’t directly involved in patient care. Moreover, they were dismissed immediately with no written or oral warning and with no documentation on where they broke the rule. The nurses’ lawyer, Arnedo Valera, believes the English-only rule at Bon Secours Hospital was too broad and so lacking in clear guidelines to be fairly and legally implemented. “All it takes is just one word. That can be a greeting, a remark or even the name of a Filipino dish. Based on this rule, you could say ‘bagoong’ (a fermented fish sauce) and lose your job.” Perhaps they were saying the name of the hospital, which ironically means “good help” in a language other than English.
Another thing that struck me about this firing is that this happened in the middle of a supposed “nursing shortage.” If these nurses are such a scarce commodity so treasured, why were they fired so quickly? One wonders why new nursing graduates have trouble finding jobs. The Wife’s cousin had a business recruiting nurses in the Philippines, but she shut it down as hospitals no longer needed her services. Perhaps the medical industry is trying to increase the supply of nurses in order to hold down the cost of nurses wages. If so, that’s bad news for the fired nurses.
[Image credit: © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons]
Over the last year that I’ve produced content for channelAPA.com, I thought it was interesting that we never actually had a video of our own to explain what it is that we do. Fortunately, we’ve just compiled a promotional spot that gives you the rundown of what we’re all about. In this video, we’ve included just a handful of the many talented artists and public figures that have helped make our online broadcast become what it is today.
Special thanks goes out to our friends at Plan C Group for allowing us to use Jaeson Ma’s “Love” as well as PlayStation PULSE’s very own Christina Lee for lending her voice to our cause.
In late May, you may have seen this YouTube video about a smoking baby that went viral, making the late night talk show scene, and wondered if the video was for real. Well, it is. And the crack news team at CBS News sent an investigative team all the way to Indonesia and spent two days with the smoking baby and his parents to find out more. Pretty crazy. The mother asks – what can I do? Well, she can stop the baby from smoking! I mean, it’s not like the baby can steal money to buy cigarettes. It’s a baby. Stop giving cigarettes to your kid!
UPDATE, 7/16/10: This giveaway is closed. The final winner list is posted.
With summer Hollywood movies such as The Karate Kid and The Last Airbender catching the attention of Asian Americans– for better or for worse– the next one on my radar is Christopher Nolan’s Inception, which opens on Friday, July 16.
Leonardo DiCaprio is the top-billed actor but, Ken Watanabe is the second-billed star in this highly-anticipated blockbuster with the role of Saito (The Tourist). The sci-fi action film also has a nice showing of a couple of Asian American actors– Dileep Rao (in a co-starring role) and Yuji Okumoto (of Karate Kid II fame)– in notable roles.
Although Watanabe plays the villain to DiCaprio’s character Dom Cobb (The Extractor), the Saito character still one of the most significant dramatic Hollywood roles for an Asian actor in years.
The part was specifically written for Watanabe by writer/director Christopher Nolan. “I wrote the part specifically for Ken because I wanted to work with him again I enjoyed directing him so much on Batman Begins, but his role was smaller and we didn’t have a lot of time together,” said Nolan. “This time I made sure he had a bigger part. Ken is an extremely charismatic performer, a true movie star. He is a consummate actor who knows how to get the most out of every scene. It’s just a pleasure to watch him work.”
Well, I’m just glad there’s a major Hollywood film this summer that not only stars both Asian and Asian American actors but that people aren’t threatening to protest!
Ok, ok, so you just want to know how you can win some free Inception gear? Read on!
What you could win from 8Asians & Warner Bros: An Inception Prize Package!
What’s in the Inception Prize Package?
An Inception hat, cup, and t-shirt (sorry, you don’t get to pick the size), like in the picture.
How do you enter?
Answer a trivia question* about the movie and supply your contact info at this Google Docs form: http://bit.ly/8Asians-Inception
Question #1) What theater company did Ken Watanabe begin his acting career at?
Question #2) Name 3 of the 6 countries that ‘Inception’ was filmed in.
Question #4) Why is Ken Watanabe’s character (Saito) referred to as “The Tourist?”
Can I enter more than once? Yes! But pay attention! The trivia question will change throughout the run of this giveaway, so please check back often! (Please enter ONE TIME per trivia question!)
I never had to fill out any forms before to enter a contest here! Why do I have to do this now? We’re just trying to capture all the info needed to fulfill the prizes faster. And also, this way the answers to the trivia questions don’t get posted in the comments.
BONUS: Leave a short comment here sharing some thoughts about why you want to see this film or why you want to win the prize. (Doing this doesn’t increase your chances of winning, but it certainly doesn’t hurt!)
Hurry, we will be announcing winners until all the prizes are gone so the sooner you enter, the better!
FIFTEEN lucky winners will be selected and contacted until the prizes are gone.
UPDATE: As of 7/16, this giveaway is closed. Answers to trivia question and winners are announced here!
Rules for entering:
1) Please be in the US or Canada. Sorry, we will not be shipping anywhere else!
2) Contributors to 8Asians and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
Prizes courtesy of: 8Asians and Warner Bros.
After Senator Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) passed away, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, was sworn in as the Senate president pro tempore last Wednesday. The position, customarily reserved for the most senior senator in the majority, puts Inouye as third in the line of succession for the presidency, after Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It also makes him the highest ranking Asian-American in the United States. Inouye, 85, was first elected to the Senate in 1962.
Whether you like it or not, shopping is the cheapest therapy out there, and it’s a lot healthier than eating your feelings. That’s why we here at 8Asians are proud to launch GASP!, a sister website dedicated to all things shopping related for products that highlight the Asian and Asian-North American community. GASP! — which stands for GO ASIAN SHOPPING POWER! , bad grammar on purpose – will offer readers a chance to window shop through their browsers for the perfect thing you’ve always wanted, whether that’s cool T-shirt designs by local APA craftsmen (and craftswomen), limited edition art prints, books or random tchotke that only crazy Japanese people would invent, we’re all over it.
So be a friend and check us out, or subscribe to our RSS feed! If you’ve got a product that would be perfect for GASP! to feature, we’d love to hear from you; see you there!
It’s heartbreaking to hear about young, vibrant people whose lives are cut short for any reason. I can only imagine the heartbreak that Julie Pham must be reeling in with the loss of her only child. But to find out that her daughter didn’t just die in a car crash– to find out that she was murdered first and then deliberately run off the road– must be utterly nightmarish.
19 year-old Vanessa Pham and her overturned car were discovered Sunday evening along a wooded area of Route 50 in Virginia. Police found Pham inside, dead from trauma to the upper body. However, investigators did not think her injuries stemmed from the crash and now the autopsy confirms that she was the victim of homicide. Pham’s family is now struggling with their loss, and the knowledge that someone deliberately took the woman’s life.
Vanessa had just finished her first year at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, and had recently gone home for the summer.
The latest news reports in the Fairfax area are warning of a “killer on the loose” since the police say they have no reason to conclude Vanessa knew the person that stabbed her several times in the chest.
Vanessa did have a boyfriend from college, Aaron Apsley, who lives in Ohio and had been planning to visit her on Tuesday. He went to Viriginia anyway, to attend a candlelight vigil for her instead.
As police pursue her killer, Vanessa’s family tries to come up with the money to lay her to rest. They put all their funds into her college expenses for her art school where she just completed her freshman year. She had only been back home for a month.
If you would like to help the Phams, contributions can be made to:
Navy Federal Credit Union
Vanessa Pham Memorial Fund
P.O. Box 3100
Merrifield, VA 22119-3100
[source]
Anyone with information related to incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477 or through the website http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.
Earth! Wind! Fire! Water! Heart!
No, that is not in reference to Captain Planet and the Planeteers, it is the foundation of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest cinematic venture, The Last Airbender – well, minus the “heart.” – and I say that literally and figuratively.
Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon of the same name, The Last Airbender is obviously about the last airbender. And what exactly is an “airbender?” Well, I am glad you asked.
I previously blogged about Jennifer Pae running for Oakland city council, but what I didn’t realize was that Jean Quan was running for mayor. Just the other night, I received a Facebook invitation for a fundraiser for her. Jean Quan was Oakland’s first Asian American woman city council member.
If Quan wins, she’ll not only be the first Asian American to be Oakland mayor, but the first woman to accomplish that feat as well. Quan has a major opponent in former California State Senate leader Don Perata, who is better funded and I have to believe, more well known.
Quan’s background, and those similar to hers, fascinates me:
“Oakland is my home. My family has been part of this city for over a century, since my great-grandfather, grandfather and his two brothers took the ferry to Oakland after the 1906 earthquake to become a part of the new Chinatown.”
Before moving to California, I had known about the Chinese who immigrated to the United States who helped build the railroads. But I had never actually ever met or known anyone whose families preceded the 1960s with immigration reform until I met Evan Low.
Personally, much like the governorship of California, I am not sure why anybody would want to be the mayor of Oakland. The problems there just seem so intractable. Whoever does eventually win to become mayor, I wish him or her the best of luck!
There might be a time in the near future that both San Francisco and Oakland both have Asian American mayors. Now that would really change the literal face of government in Northern California. Imagine all three major cities – San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose – in the Bay Area had Asian American mayors. Then I’m sure Hollywood would be making Red Dawn III: Invasion from Within.
Custom Search
Recent Posts
- Cherry Blossom Favor Candles
- Michelle Kwan Inducted Into Figure Skating Hall of Fame
- 7500 Teaser Trailer Reveals My Worst Nightmare
- Some Skin Whitening Creams Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
- I am Bruce Lee Documentary Trailer & Why We Should Remember His Legacy
- Sukiyaki Western Django
- NPR Interviews Fred Korematsu’s Daughter On His Civil Rights Work & Celebrating Fred Korematsu Day
Recent Comments
- : Did... did the overhead luggage compartment just eat Jamie Chung? – 7500 Teaser Trailer Reveals My Worst Nightmare
- : I'm such a scardey cat. I couldn't even watch the entire trailer. Someone tell me when it's over, ok? – 7500 Teaser Trailer Reveals My Worst Nightmare
- : Who better to be the Founding Father of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), than someone of mixed racial heritage? Who more likely to teach non-Asians in... – I am Bruce Lee Documentary Trailer & Why We Should Remember His Legacy
- : One person says in that video clip that Bruce Lee was "the superhero of the Asian community." Funny, but back before he was rich &... – I am Bruce Lee Documentary Trailer & Why We Should Remember His Legacy
- : I never understood it. I have international friends, especially in India, and this role on the Disney Channel does not do that ethnicity justice. I... – Is The Portrayal of Ravi On Disney Channel’s “Jessie” Racist, Unfunny, or Both?
APA Events
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) East West Players presents THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) OR (Orphan Relief): China Care Bruin’s 4th Annual Awareness Night
Feb 10: (Los Angeles, CA) CAUSE: Women in Power Annual Luncheon
Feb 15: (Seattle, WA) Pork Filled Players Enter The Year of the Dragon Spam*O*Rama
Feb 16: Adam WarRock and Kirby Krackle: West Cost Tour Dates!!!
Feb 16: (New York, NY) Amar Chitra Katha: Monica Ferrell, Chitra Ganesh, Keshni Kashyap, and Himanshu “Heems” Suri of Das Racist
Feb 17: (Los Angeles, CA) All My Sons- Feb 18: (San Francisco, CA) NAAAP-SF Lunar New Year Gala 2012
Staff and Contributors
- Editors
- Ernie Hsiung - Founder, Editor-in-Chief
- Moye Ishimoto - Co-Editor, Editorial
- Joz Wang - Co-Editor, PR & APA Outreach
