The 8Asians Talk About: Drama in the Delta, the 3D Japanese Internment Camp Video Game

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Guest Writer

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. And sometimes we talk about “Drama in the Delta,” a 3D video game about Japanese Internment Camps. Sometimes, that conversation starts out snarky but ends up being pretty thought provoking discussion about internment camp life, thanks to Koji. All that and a bag of chips, coming right up.

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Posted in History, Observations, TalkAbout, Video Games | Leave a comment

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Enters China

Posted on June 27, 2011 by John

Every July 4th weekend, Nathan’s Famous conducts its annual hot dog eating contest, which it has been running almost continuously since 1916! In an effort to promote its brand in China, Nathan’s Famous expanded the hot dog competition to its first Chinese regional qualifying event several weeks ago:

The sponsor, U.S. fast food chain Nathan’s Famous Inc., hopes to stir up excitement around its new outlets in China and has promised to send the top two winners of this event to compete in its annual international face-off in Coney Island to see who can cram the most wieners down the hatch in 10 minutes.

Hong Kong-native Chris Lam won the competition, cramming in a total of 16 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes – but pathetically low when compared to world record holder Joey Chestnut with *68* hot dogs! Chestnut, who was present at the event, demonstrated his prowess after the competition by eating 39 hot dogs in only five minutes.

With July 4th around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see if  Takeru Kobayashi competes this year without causing any trouble and see if he can ever make a comeback to defeat Chestnut, who has won the competition the past four years. If there is one thing I know Americans can lead in, it’s eating!

Posted in Business, Current Events, Food & Drink | 8 Comments

CA Controller John Chiang in the Spotlight

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Moye

The LA Times profiles the life of California Controller John Chiang after recent headlines for his decision to dock lawmakers’ pay–and dealing with his own Taiwanese Tiger Mom: “In 2006, he ran for controller. He was widely viewed as the dark-horse candidate in a Democratic primary against former state Sen. Joe Dunn, a charismatic trial lawyer who had led the Legislature’s investigation of Enron’s role in the state energy crisis. But Chiang, the wonky accountant nobody knew, mobilized a formidable network of local unions, community groups and immigrant organizations that propelled him to victory. He jokes that his mother, who had always wanted him to be a doctor, was not impressed.”

Posted in (simple), Family, Politics | 2 Comments

‘Tiger Daughter’ Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld’s High School Graduation Speech

Posted on June 24, 2011 by John

A few weeks ago, Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld of ‘Tiger Mom’ fame graduated as valedictorian and gave the commencement speech to her class. Apparently anyone in the top 20% is a valedictorian candidate and is voted by the senior class. Sophia does make a reference or two to her ‘Tiger Mom,’ but I can’t say that her speech is particularly insightful or inspiring to all; maybe to just her classmates.

Sophia decided between Harvard and Yale — she’s off to Harvard, or as she blogged, “Somewhere wicked awesome.” This doesn’t come as a surprise; both of her parents teach at Yale and what college student would want to go to school so close to their family?

The Tiger Family is apparently in China right now promoting Amy Chua’s book. I wonder what kind of reception the book is having there? Are Chinese mothers everywhere wondering what the fuss is about?

Posted in Current Events, Education, Family | 22 Comments

Jose Antonio Vargas: Dreams of an Undocumented Immigrant

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Mihee

A while back, Jeff blogged about Jose Antonio Vargas, a remarkable person and prolific writer/journalist who immigrated from the Philippines. He worked hard but tried to stay under the radar when it came to pursuing his dreams, particularly his education and vocation. Still, after studying at San Francisco State University and writing for a couple of newspapers he found himself at the Washington Post where he earned “a share of a Pulitzer writing for the Washington Post on the Virginia Tech massacre.” Among other impressive projects, in 2008, he covered the Presidential elections.

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Posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Politics | 6 Comments

Commenter Spotlight: m.wei

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Guest Writer

Commenter Spotlight is a weekly interview with the people who comment on 8Asians.com – whether what they have to say is insightful, touching, humorous or controversial, they’ve earned the respect of other 8Asians.com readers.

8Asians readers, meet commenter m.wei:

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do for a living?

I’m part of the Chinese 1.5 generation immigrant tribe: born in Beijing and grew up mostly on the East Coast before moving out here to California after school. So that means unfortunately I have a foot on two boats; however, I think I’m in good company as most Asian-Americans are looking for the same probably non-existent idea of “identity.”

By day I’m a mild mannered project engineer and by night I’m a raving internet flame warrior. But recently I think I’ve learned to channel my rage to artistic endeavors instead of attacking the bottle.

More from his interview, after the jump! Continue reading →

Posted in 8Questions, Commenter Spotlight | 12 Comments

Ai Weiwei Released from Detention

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Ernie

A follow-up to Tina’s post on Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei: After 81 days in detention, China’s best-known artist, Ai Weiwei, has been released from prison, on bail. “I’m back with my family. I’m very happy.” The state news agency, Xinhua, said police had released him “because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes” and a chronic illness. Speaking from his home in north Beijing, the usually outspoken artist said he could not comment any further, adding: “I’m on bail. Please understand.” Whether his stifling is the permanent effects of his imprisonment remain to be seen.

Posted in (simple), Current Events | Leave a comment

Jane Lui Seen Through the Eyes of a Music Snob

Posted on June 23, 2011 by tinabot

Back in 2005, I was dragged by a friend into a large conference hall where some girl named Jane Lui was performing. I had somewhere else I wanted to be, but since my friend was one of the organizers for the event, I decided I would forsake the autograph of a favorite author and help fill out the seats.

I was told she had an amazing voice, but I was skeptical. My teenage years were spent adoring Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, and Fiona Apple.  I’ve got a special place in my heart for the female singer/songwriter. That’s another way of saying I’m a snob about the genre. As an adult, I was often told “she’s got an amazing voice!” more times than I can count only to be sorely disappointed.

My opinion of Jane Lui after the jump.

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Posted in Music, Reviews | 1 Comment

Asian American Commercial Watch: 2012 Honda Civic “Ninja”

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUhkN_VLGFg

I caught this recent Honda commercial during the NBA Finals. Although I found the accompanying song’s lyrics a bit repetitive, I found it to be surprisingly quite catchy along with the action going along in the commercial.

Posted in Entertainment, TV | Leave a comment

APA Spotlight: Ling Woo Liu, Director, Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Koji Steven Sakai

APA Spotlight is a weekly interview of Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIA) community leaders. It is a spotlight on individuals who have dedicated their careers to issues surrounding the APIA community with the goal of bringing much deserved recognition to their work and cause(s).

Ling Woo Liu is the first director of the Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education, a program of the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco. She has a wealth of media experience and a passion for giving a voice to the voiceless. She spent five years living in Asia, including three years as a print reporter and video producer for TIME in Hong Kong, and two years as a television reporter in Beijing. She has reported for the Associated Press and freelanced for a range of broadcast and print media in Asia and the US. Ling is the director of Officer Tsukamoto, a documentary film about the unsolved murder of a Japanese American police officer in 1970. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ling holds master’s degrees in Journalism and Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UC Berkeley.

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Posted in 8Questions, APA Spotlight | 1 Comment

Overweight or Overdone: A Panel of Little Girls Discuss Body Image

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Mihee

ABC News gathered a panel of 5 to 8-year-old girls and asked their opinions on what’s fat, what’s thin, what looks good and what looks bad. Their bluntly honest answers aligned, sadly, with a recent study that suggested almost half of 3-to-6 year old girls worry about being fat.” I was struck by the Asian American girl sitting in the front row; while innocent and somewhat cute, I did cringe hearing her say in response to the question, “Why do you want to eat healthy?” – “So I don’t get heavy so my dad can carry me.” Somehow these children are associating light (or skinny) with healthy, which is just the beginning of unhealthy perspectives on body image. Definitely depressing.

Posted in (simple), Health, Lifestyles | 23 Comments