Monthly Archives: January 2013

8Questions with Quentin Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH2Fl0aq_ko Writer, director, and producer Quentin Lee was born in Hong Kong, immigrated to Canada as a teen, and is now active in the industry in Los Angeles. He attended UC Berkeley, Yale, and UCLA in the U.S. Lee’s films … Continue reading

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Movies | 2 Comments

Provincial Minds in Los Angeles and Race

“We should be worried about online silos [news, information, opinion, and discussion communities that are dominated by a single point of view]. They make us stupid and hostile toward each other.” Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia and Citizendium Six years … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, Observations | 21 Comments

Photographer Quang-Tuan Luong in Ken Burn’s “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”

In my continuing research for my COWBOY NINJA historical western (free to read here), I’ve taken to watching the amazing PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns. This thing is 6 episodes long, nearly two hours … Continue reading

Posted in History | Leave a comment

What Asian American Kids Watch on the Internet: Atban Klann’s Puddles of H2O

When Number One Son asked me to look at this video, I wondered “what is ‘Atban Klann’?”  Before they formed the Black Eyed Peas, apl.de.ap and will.i.am (then Will 1x) were part of the group The Atban Klann (ATBAN stands … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Kylan Arianna Wenzel Is First Transgender Woman Allowed To Compete In Miss California Pageant

Regardless of the outcome of the 2013 Miss California USA pageant, when Kylan Arianna Wenzel takes the stage representing Century City, she will make history as the first transgender woman to compete in the U.S. pageant since a rule change … Continue reading

Posted in Health and Beauty | 1 Comment

An Asian American Journalist Talks about Overcoming Depression

In this piece from The Fil Am magazine, Asian American journalist Ryan Macasero opens up about his struggle with depression.  He talks about how depression first set in during childhood and how free mental health services in college helped him … Continue reading

Posted in Health | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

8Questions with Dan Lin, Producer of ‘Gangster Squad’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilrVR0miPU Terminator Salvation. Sherlock Holmes 1,2, and 3. Lego: The Piece of Resistance. Godzilla. Stephen King’s It. Death Note. Justice League. What do all these disparate movies past, present, and future have in common? One amazing Taiwanese American producer, Dan … Continue reading

Posted in 8Questions, Entertainment, Movies | 2 Comments

Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly’s Comments on Asian Americans and Backlash

Last Thursday on his show, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News personality and reporter Bill O’Reilly , did a segment on some of the fiscal and social issues facing Hawaii. As a vacation destination, O’Reilly is a big fan of Hawaii, but … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Politics | 38 Comments

Judge Refuses to Block California Shark Fin Ban

U.S. District judge Phyllis Hamilton refused to block the enforcement of California’s ban on the sale of shark fins, rejecting charges that the law is discriminatory against Chinese Americans.  Two organizations, Asian Americans for Political Advancement and the San Francisco … Continue reading

Posted in (simple), Discrimination, Environment, Food | Tagged , | 3 Comments

TechCrunch: How The Huang Brothers Bootstrapped Guitar Hero To A Billion Dollar Business

Living in Silicon Valley, TechCrunch is one of those “must read” tech blogs to find out what’s going on in the Valley and the tech scene overall, especially related to tech startups. A week ago or so, Startup Grind (“a … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Entertainment, Local, San Francisco Bay Area, Video Games | Leave a comment

Dueling Sulus:George Takei vs. John Cho Rap Battle Video by 18MMW

From Thailand tourism, the history of China, and proper Chinese mockery, the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors are back with a rap battle between George Takei and John Cho. Which Sulu reigns supreme? Check it out as stop motion action figures … Continue reading

Posted in Comedy, Entertainment, Movies, TV | Leave a comment

Another Perspective: What Does “Asian American” Mean?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Johnny C previously wrote Asian America: Confusion from Within, Abroad, and Why, inspired by the same Economist article. –Joz White. Black. Asian. Common words that are used to define a person’s ethnic background in a very crude way, … Continue reading

Posted in Observations | 8 Comments