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...)

I want my BTV – Bedroom TV!

Posted on April 18, 2008 by John

Did any of you have a television in your bedroom while growing up as a kid? I didn’t, and in general, wasn’t too interested in having one in my room. Recently, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health published … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles, Observations | 6 Comments

Chinese Duke student gets threats after China protest

Posted on April 17, 2008 by John

On the radio the other day (4/15/08), I heard on KQED a radio piece on The World (and in In The New York Times today -“Chinese Student in U.S. Is Caught in Confrontation“), discussing a situation regarding Grace Wang, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, Politics | 54 Comments

Dancing with the Stars: Jaryd & Cara

Posted on April 15, 2008 by John

Jaryd & Cara I was over a friend’s house tonight and channel surfing when I came across Dancing with the Stars. I’ve never watched the show before, so I was surprised and shocked to see the “Ballroom Kids” competition, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Observations | 2 Comments

Chink’s Steaks

Posted on April 15, 2008 by John

I just came across this interesting story in The Washington Post titled, “Asian Groups Fight to Change Eatery’s Name.” There has been a popular restaurant in Philadelphia that opened in 1949, that bears the nickname of the restaurant’s original owner: … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Food & Drink, Observations | 17 Comments

Pong Dynasty: In Table Tennis, Chinese Rule

Posted on April 11, 2008 by John

A common stereotype amongst Asian-Americans, and I am sure specifically Chinese-Americans, is that we play ping-ping (or more properly named, table tennis) and we are good at it. Well, apparently, we are. The Wall Street Journal reports that the top … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, Sports | Leave a comment

Victoria’s Secret’s Asian mannequin

Posted on April 10, 2008 by John

I was walking around the Embarcero with a friend this past weekend and noticed as I passed by a Victoria’s Secret that one of the mannequins is Asian. I was so shocked, I just had to take a photo with … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | 16 Comments

Where’s the freak’n torch? – Torch leaves San Francisco after surprise route designed to thwart protesters

Posted on April 9, 2008 by John

Where’s the freak’n torch? I took some time off to make my way up to San Francisco to attend the historic San Francisco 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch relay, parking in Chinatown and walked to Justin Herman Plaza, where the closing … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 8 Comments

Tuesday’s SF pre-Olympic Torch Relay Roundup

Posted on April 8, 2008 by John

Today is the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco – and possibly one of the largest protests in San Francisco history? Some headlines from yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle: “The world should stand beside Tibet” “Torch arrives quietly in … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 2 Comments

Baidu for Obama?

Posted on April 8, 2008 by John

If you follow the “web 2.0” world, TechCrunch is a “must read” and I caught their blog posting “Baidu Loves Barack, I’m Sure He’s Thrilled” and saw that on Baidu’s front page today, they have a cartoon of Barack Obama, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | Leave a comment

60 Minutes: China Investment An Open Book? Sovereign-Wealth Fund’s President Promises Transparency

Posted on April 8, 2008 by John

In the latest episode of 60 Minutes (Sunday, April 6, 2008), the weekly investigative news show does a segment on China’s Sovereign-Wealth Fund, which has about $200 billion in assets, in “China Investment An Open Book? Sovereign-Wealth Fund’s President Promises … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 4 Comments

Pro-Tibet protesters climb Golden Gate Bridge cables

Posted on April 7, 2008 by John

Source: Flickr/sfthqphotos If you were watching the news or checking out the web during lunch today or this afternoon, you probably saw or read about “Pro-Tibet protesters climb Golden Gate Bridge cables:” “The protesters, two men and a woman, scaled … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, Politics | 3 Comments

San Francisco Asians fret over insult to Olympic torch

Posted on April 6, 2008 by John

In today’s Front Page, The San Francisco Chronicle writes about “S.F. Asians fret over insult to Olympic torch.” If you haven’t been hiding under a rock the past month, you know that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch relay will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations, Politics | 10 Comments