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...)

Couple Gives UCLA $1 Million to Further Chinese American Studies

Posted on February 20, 2008 by John

Last month, The Los Angeles Times reported that Walter and Shirley Wang donated $1 million to UCLA to establish the nation’s first endowed academic chair on U.S.-China relations and Chinese American studies in the article “Couple gives UCLA $1 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Observations | 4 Comments

China’s Mao Offered to Send 10 Million Women to U.S. in 1973

Posted on February 19, 2008 by John

Last week, the U.S. State Department released the a 268-page document titled “Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, Volume XVIII, China, 1973-1976” which covered Henry Kissinger’s (Richard Nixon’s national security adviser) meeting with Mao Zedong on Feb. 17, 1973 … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Observations | 2 Comments

Duke: Interracial duos find themselves in the minority

Posted on February 18, 2008 by John

A anonymous 8Asians.com reader forwarded a link to The [Duke] Chronicle about this article, “Interracial duos find themselves in the minority:” “In the giant melting pot that is America, racial lines are becoming blurred and even erased in some cases. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 9 Comments

Huntington Library’s new garden celebrates Chinese culture

Posted on February 17, 2008 by John

If you have ever lived or visited Los Angeles, a nice relaxing stop is to visit the Hunting Library’s garden in San Marino. The Los Angeles Times (2/17/08) reports that the “Huntington Library’s new garden celebrates Chinese culture“: “In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 2 Comments

Finding the funny in outsourcing

Posted on February 16, 2008 by John

Last weekend, The Los Angeles Times did a profile on Sandeep Sood in “Finding the funny in outsourcing.” Sood is a Berkeley-based entrepreneur who runs a consulting company – managing U.S. clients who need software and workers in India who … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | Leave a comment

CareerBuilder.com “Self-Help Yourself” Commercial

Posted on February 14, 2008 by John

I just saw one of CareerBuilder.com‘s new ad which I thought was funny, titled “Self-Help Yourself.” What caught my eye is that the only speaking character in the commercial stars an Asian-American adult male, “Larry,” who hates his job: Wherever Larry walks, … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Observations | 8 Comments

Asian Americans and Gambling

Posted on February 13, 2008 by John

The other day (2/8/08), KQED did a segment on their radio show, “The California Report” on Asian Americans and Gambling: Casinos and card rooms provide a popular pastime for many Asian Americans, and with eight being a lucky number in … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 19 Comments

Immigration to Play Lead Role In Future U.S. Growth – U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050

Posted on February 12, 2008 by John

On Monday (2/11/08), The Pew Research Center , the self-described “nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world,” published the report, “Immigration to Play Lead Role In Future U.S. Growth – … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 6 Comments

WSJ: Banned in Beijing: Chinese See Green Over Chopsticks

Posted on February 11, 2008 by John

Have you ever used disposable chopsticks at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant in the United States, or elsewhere? Well, you may be surprised at how large the chopstick market is. The Wall Street Journal (2/8/08) reports in “Banned in Beijing: … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Observations | 3 Comments

Eli Stone: “What happened to your accent?”

Posted on February 11, 2008 by John

A few weeks ago, after watching the premiere of the 4th season of Lost, ABC’s new show Eli Stone premiered. The show’s namesake, Eli Stone is a San Francisco lawyer at a prestigious law firm who starts to hear music … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Observations | 5 Comments

It’s Hard Out There For an Asian Playboy

Posted on February 9, 2008 by John

In the latest issue of AsianWeek, the cover story is “It’s Hard Out There For an Asian Playboy” which profiles and reports on Jerry Tran, who is a self-described “Asian Hitch” and “hard ass drill sergeant of a pick-up artist … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | 13 Comments

The Chinese of California: a Struggle for Community

Posted on February 9, 2008 by John

The San Francisco Chronicle reports in “First Chinese had hard times in state” that the California Historical Society in downtown San Francisco has a major new exhibition of paintings, pictures and artifacts themed as “The Chinese of California: a Struggle … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Entertainment | Leave a comment