Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

On fringes today in film, Asians had early pioneer

Posted on March 20, 2008 by John

Stephen Whitty does a nice profile of Japanese-American actor Sessue Hayakawa, an early pioneer in a new medium of silent films, and one of the most well known Hollywood movie stars in his day: “Born in 1889 to a prominent … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Movies, Observations | 1 Comment

Taiwanese in Bay Area return to island for closely fought presidential election

Posted on March 20, 2008 by John

On Saturday, Taiwan holds it’s presidential election. The presidential race is pretty close, as “China Tensions [with Tibet] Sway Taiwan Election.” The San Jose Mercury News this morning on their front page reports that “Taiwanese in Bay Area return to … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Politics | 2 Comments

WSJ: Are Hard-Working Chinese Kids A Model for American Students?

Posted on March 17, 2008 by John

Have you ever read or heard about the book The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman? Well, this Wall Street Journal article only reinforces the fact that, as this world become more integrated, it will get more competitive. Bob Compton, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 17 Comments

‘Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students and The Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize’

Posted on March 16, 2008 by John

This past Friday, The Wall Street Journal had a book excerpt from Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students and The Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize and one of the five students the book profiles is an Asian-American … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Observations | 17 Comments

Tibet – the next Tiananmen Square?

Posted on March 16, 2008 by John

If you’ve been following the news the past few days, you’ve probably heard or read about the protests by Tibetian monks and citizens protesting against the Chinese government’s “occupation” of Tibet. The protests heightened Saturday and “Chinese Forces Say They’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination | 16 Comments

March 13 – 23: San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF)

Posted on March 15, 2008 by John

For those of you who live in San Francisco or who are in the area, this is a reminder that the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) is currently going on and runs through Sunday, March 23rd. … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Leave a comment

Olympians air a gripe about Beijing

Posted on March 14, 2008 by John

If you’ve ever been to Beijing, you will quickly realize that the city’s pollution is one of the worst in the world. I remember visiting last year as I got in close to dusk, and seeing the red sun amongst … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 8 Comments

S.F. restricts China protests for torch relay

Posted on March 13, 2008 by John

The 2008 Olympics will be in Beijing, starting this August 8th, 2008. As part of the ceremonies prior to the opening of the Olympic Games, there is an Olympic torch relay around the world. San Francisco has the distinct honor … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, Politics | 3 Comments

“Love Story”:GE Healthcare Re-imagined in China

Posted on March 13, 2008 by John

I was watching television the other day and saw this GE commercial and thought it was quite cute – in sort of a “chick flick” kind of way. The commercial takes place in rural China, where a local town man … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment | 31 Comments

Pitching L.A. to the Chinese

Posted on March 12, 2008 by John

Apparently, the city of Los Angeles has someone working full-time in China to promote Los Angeles as a vacation destination to a growing number of well-to-do Chinese who can afford to travel abroad: “In June, China and the U.S. are … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | Leave a comment

Sam Yoon: Boston Politician Embroiled in Clinton-Obama Race

Posted on March 12, 2008 by John

I came across this article on Sam Yoon, Boston’s first ever Asian-American to hold elected office in the city of Boston (elected in 2005). Yoon currently sits on the Democratic National Committee’s Rules Committee. “A seat like this is usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Politics | 3 Comments

The First Korean in Space Is a Woman

Posted on March 11, 2008 by John

As I had mentioned “One Giant Leap for Kimchi,” South Korea will be sending it’s first astronaut into space April 8th on a Russian rocket to to the International Space Station. However, that astronaut will no longer 31-year-old Ko San, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 4 Comments