Monthly Archives: August 2015

Traveling Japan: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

The Arashiyama area is a “touristy” location, which makes it sound like one of those ugly tourist traps flooded with souvenir shops vomiting cheap goods onto sidewalks. Not so. It does have souvenir tourist shops, but a lot of the … Continue reading

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Experian’s “Furniture Showroom” – Credit Swagger

https://youtu.be/oJmQ2it2TSw While watching The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, I saw this recent Experian commercial (as part of a series of “credit swagger” ad campaign) starring Taiwanese American actress Camille Chen: “A woman stops into Sittingham’s Furniture and thanks to … Continue reading

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First Invicta FC Champion from Japan: Ayaka Hamasaki

It was just last December 2014 when Herica Tiburcio from Brazil took the Invicta FC atom weight championship belt from America’s Michelle Waterson with a guillotine choke. On July 9th at Invicta FC 13, Japan’s Ayaka Hamasaki challenged Tiburcio for … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “Between Mao and McCarthy,” by Charlotte Brooks

Charlotte Brooks’ new book, Between Mao and McCarthy, is an impressive scholarly tome on the evolution of Chinese American politics in the years after World War II. It looks specifically at the evolution of politics in New York and San … Continue reading

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8AsiansNews: Giant Freshwater Stingray in Southeast Asia

A giant freshwater stingray, was found in Southeast Asia, and is possibly the largest freshwater fish in the world, as reported by National Geographic Fellow Zeb Hogan. The stingray is featured in a series about monster fish that are endangered.

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ESPYs 2015: Ken Jeong “Apologies” on behalf of Alex Rodriguez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=782UgtfudtA   Recently, the ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) show aired, and as part of that show, there was a comedic bit in between presenting the awards where actor Ken Jeong apologies on behalf of Alex Rodriguez for all sort of things … Continue reading

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Traveling Japan: Miyajima

The island of Itsukushima and the Itsukushima Shrine on the island are popularly known as Miyajima. I had no idea this place existed until one of my traveling companions requested to go there on one of our day trips. Staying … Continue reading

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AMC’s Hell On Wheels: How the Chinese Built America

The untold story of the Chinese immigrant experience during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Back in 2011, when AMC launched its new television series Hell on Wheels about the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, there was some concern about “Do Chinese Pioneers … Continue reading

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Traveling Japan: August 6th, 70th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing

I thought it appropriate to post about my trip to Hiroshima, Japan on the actual 70th year anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States in World War II, August 6, 1945. Taking a day trip down … Continue reading

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The 8Asians Talk About Jennifer Pan, “Tiger” Parenting, and “Everyone Loves Raymond”

Our internal e-mail lists have us discussing all kinds of stuff: Asian American identity, representation in the media, the experiences of activism in an academia setting and its progression as we transition to the working, adult world. The subject of … Continue reading

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Simon Tam of The Slants: “I am not the floodgate of racism that some think I am.”

I am not the floodgate of racism that some think I am. I am not the Pandora’s Box of hate speech that some afraid I’ve turned into. I am an anti-racist, social justice activist who has been battling in the … Continue reading

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Traveling Japan: Fushimi Inari Shrine

The Fushimi Inari shrine is meant for grain, wine, rice, and general prosperity. It’s most recognizable for its thousands of torii of all sizes, purchased by individuals, organizations, or companies for luck. The amazing result of such a tradition is … Continue reading

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