News Roundup

Some new from blogosphere and across the way.

PNOY Apparel Proves That Lolo is More of a Badass Than You’ll EVER Be

We get links to Asian American-owned clothing companies all the time — no, seriously, all the time — but it’s this splash page from San Diego based PNOY Apparel that won me over. Man, why can’t we get awesome jackets? If my dad ever gets me anything when he returns from Taiwan, it’s sportswear with the year “2003″ on it.

New scholarship directory for aapi students

Friends, when it comes to paying for college, we all know students could use a little help these days. That's why State Farm, OCA, the Japanese American Citizens League, and the Asian American Studies Program at University of Maryland have collaborated to present the 2009-2011 National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students.

Anthony Kim hits spectator in the ass

I was watching on Sunday as Anthony Kim and Tiger Woods entered the final round tied for the lead. Kim took the lead early but then faded from hole 5-10. He just couldn't get any putts down to chase Tiger on the back nine. But on 18, at least he got something right :)

Guaranteed Not to "Sour" Your Weekend [AWESOME VIDEO]

You may have seen this music video ("Hibi no Neiro," or "Tone of Everyday") from the Japanese band Sour already. If so, we're guessing you want to watch it again. If not, we're sure you'll want to watch it again and again.

Q and A

Hey dozens of readers. I'm toying with the idea of doing a video post in which I answer your questions. What kind of questions? Any kind! It can be Asian American or race/gender/media related (my usual schtick) or it can be totally random and ridiculous, such as (to steal blatantly from Will Ferrell) "If you were a hot dog and you were starving, would you eat yourself?"

Guest Post: Rick Lee On Asian Male Empowerment

Porn in the google age is something you can't ignore. To him, the Asian male struggle starts right here, right in front of your monitors when the lights go out at night. Recently I asked Rick Lee of Asian-man.com to do a guest post and he responded with this comment on the thread a couple days ago. I'm just reposting it here to make it visible to all the readers.

Hiep Le and Trang Vo Visit Summer Course on Global Pop

We had the pleasure of having guest performers Khanh Hiep Le and Diem Trang Vo in our class MUSI207/307 Global Pop this week. A song-writer, guitarist, and vocalist, Khanh Hiep Le now works an electrical engineer in San Diego. Le also played professional soccer when he was younger. Vocalist Trang Vo now works as a realtor and lives in Northern Virginia. Both Le and Vo came to the United States from Vietnam in the 1980s.

26 Random Asian And Asian American Hulu Links To Click On

Here's just a random list of Hulu T.V. links to follow that have some Asian faces in it (because you need more distractions in life).

1. Naruto: http://www.hulu.com/naruto
   
   
2. Heroes: http://www.hulu.com/heroes
   
   
3. House Hunters: http://www.hulu.com/house-hunters
   
   
4. Death Note: http://www.hulu.com/death-note
   
   
5. Glee: http://www.hulu.com/glee
   
   
6. Top Chef Masters: http://www.hulu.com/top-chef-masters
   
   
7. Peach Girl: http://www.hulu.com/peach-girl
   
   
8. Ghost Hunt: http://www.hulu.com/ghost-hunt
   
   
9. Shikabane Hime: http://www.hulu.com/shikabane-hime
   
   
10. School Rumble: http://www.hulu.com/school-rumble
    
    
11. Lipstick Jungle: http://www.hulu.com/lipstick-jungle
    
    
12. Ikki Tousen: http://www.hulu.com/ikki-tousen
    
    
13. Attack of the Show: http://www.hulu.com/attack-of-the-show
    
    
14. MadTV: http://www.hulu.com/madtv
    
    
15. Jyu-Oh-Sei: http://www.hulu.com/jyu-oh-sei
    
    
16. Today Show: http://www.hulu.com/nbc-today-show
    
    
17. I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here: http://www.hulu.com/im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here
    
    
18. Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry: http://www.hulu.com/strain-stategic-armored-infantry
    
    
19. Shuffle: http://www.hulu.com/shuffle
    
    
20. Slayers: http://www.hulu.com/slayers
    
    
21. Suzuka: http://www.hulu.com/suzuka
    
    
22. Galaxy Railways: http://www.hulu.com/galaxy-railways
    
    
23. Jackie Chan Adventures: http://www.hulu.com/jackie-chan-
    
    adventures
    
    
24. Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: http://www.hulu.com/johnny-
    
    sokko-and-his-flying-robot
    
    
25. Top Chef: http://www.hulu.com/top-chef
    
    
26. Kimora Life in the Fab Lane: http://www.hulu.com/kimora-life-in-the-fab-lane
    

The Boston Phoenix, Sam Yoon, And Getting Some Editors That Don't Suck

What typical bullshit the above picture is that The Boston Phoenix ran yesterday "covering" the Yoon/Menino race.

I mean I know the newspaper industry is crumbling to its knees because they can't figure out a model that works and they might not be paying their graphic designers a lot of cash, but don't they still have editors who aren't racist bastards - because really - who else would approve this crap ass "journalism" except for editors who have some "racial resentment"?

Get a fucking clue you dumb motherfuckers.

Answering Dr. Gail Saltz's Mail And What To Do With Your Racist BF's/GF's Parents

I happened to catch this letter on MSNBC writing to Dr. Gail Saltz on what this person should do about her BF's mom who keeps on making racist remarks and even though the advice she gave was pretty good, I thought I'd answer it myself because I'm just feeling in a giving type of mood right now.

The Question

I have been dating my boyfriend for five years. He is white and I am from a mixed racial background. His mother makes racially tinged comments to me about color, food, language, and so on. I brush it off as ignorance and try to be polite when responding, but I’m tired of it now. I’m looking to become part of the family and one day have children with my boyfriend. I won’t subject my children to such comments. His mother has even made multiple comments about her not getting blonde, blue-eyed grandchildren from me. My boyfriend is a timid person and isn’t the kind to stand his ground, whereas it’s tough for me to continue being polite when I’m provoked. I’m trying for the sake of being on the good side of my future mother-in-law. It’s a touchy topic, especially because I don’t want to accuse her of being racist and then have her hating me. What should I do?

Advice From Your Friendly Slanty

Dear WWBWSAHMWS (Women With Boyfriend Who Sucks And Has Mother Who Sucks),

First, I'm going to shorten your name to WWB - because we already know that your BF sucks, and so does his mother and I'd like to spare you any more pain about your current situation.

Second.

In a perfect world I'd say you need to drop that little motherfucker and drop his ass fast, because the last thing you need is a partner who lets you become roadkill just because he's got mommy issues.

But unfortunately it seems like you love him, and he might be great in all other areas of your life - except of course being able to stand up for you (or himself) - but that's a moot point right?

Because you don't need that.

And your kids won't need that either because when they come out of the womb they'll be all grown up and will have the wisdom of the world at their fingertips ready to take on anyone.

Oh wait...that usually doesn't happen until later and in the case of your BF...apparently a little longer (and maybe never).

But I'm being kind of a dick right now aren't I? And I'm probably not saying anything new that you haven't heard already (at least from sane people).

I guess deep down you think your BF will change and one day pony up and be the knight in shining armor you think he can be (because that's the only reason I can possibly fathom why you're still with this guy).

So what do you do?

Simple.

Just don't see his family or his mom anymore.

I mean is it really going to break you?

Are you - or your future offspring - really going to miss his racist mother who can't keep her trap shut?

No.

And you shouldn't feel bad about it either WWB. In fact there are upsides to this:

• No boring holidays to sit through.
• Helping the environment by conserving fossil fuels from having to drive there.
• Your sanity.
• But most importantly - saving money on gifts that you would have had to buy for the evil she-devil that you can put towards your kid's college funds (or possibly therapy).

Until both of them come around or you decide to leave the relationship - that's really your only choice.

The Valley Swim Club: You Suck Ass

Talk about things that never cease to amaze me, this story about The Vally Swim Club just seems like something kids should be reading about in history class from the 60's - versus in '09:

From NBC Philadelphia:

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason. "I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor. The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day they were told their membership was being suspended and that their money would be returned.

The reason given to them from John Duesler who's the President of The Valley Swim Club?

There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.

Translation:

"We didn't want none of them colored folks sullying up the water we White people swim in because then it becomes tainted with Black people germs and God only knows what the hell is going to happen because when a big group of Black people get together it's just pandemonium. Since, all we're trying to do is ensure the safety of our kids."

Yeah.

Tired out-dated people who have no clue.

Don't we have a museum we can put them in?

I'm Keeping A List: On The Firefighters In Kansas

I do actually plan to write something longer on this (at least I think so...) but not really talking about the case itself I do have this to say:

With this decision bringing out all the White Pride - as in the comments Deepak Chopra is getting in SFGate - I don't want to hear squat anymore about how Asian Americans are filling up schools and there's just too many of us taking over the universities (especially since we're such a *small percentage* of the population).

Know what I mean?

Pork Filled Players: The Gary Locke Story

The Art's At The Intersection Of KSW And The Writers Lab Anthology.

Definitely sounds like a good place to get your summer reading on:

Kearny Street Workshop and Intersection for the Arts, two of San Francisco’s oldest multidisciplinary arts organizations, today announced the release of the 2009 Intergenerational Writers Lab Online Anthology. Comprised of poetry, short stories and other prose written by the diverse group of students and instructors who participated in the sixth annual Interdisciplinary/Intergenerational Writers Lab (IWL), this special collection is now available for public viewing online at http://kearnystreet.org/iwl/.

Contributors include: IWL students Starbright Elizabeth Bilyck, Drea Brown, Richard Kevin Cartwright, Mai Doan, Victoria Gannon, Betty Johnson, Carolyn Kameya, Kenji Liu, Carrie Leilam Love, Karim Scarlata and Vidhu Singh; and instructors Jewelle Gomez and Truong Tran.

The Interdisciplinary/Intergenerational Writers Lab is a unique program that challenges writers to thoroughly explore and develop their writing skills and styles in multiple genres.

The IWL 2009 program took place April 11 – June 6, 2009 and was led by two acclaimed artists: author and playwright Jewelle Gomez and poet and visual artist Truong Tran.

The goals of the IWL program are to provide local emerging writers/artists with the opportunity to challenge, develop, and expand their practice by working with established writers and artists in a variety of genres; to contribute to the development of new literary forms and language that incorporate multiple forms of creative expression; to provide emerging artists with the opportunity to connect with each other and with established writers in the literary world; to provide the community with an opportunity to engage with new work and new explorations of form and language; and to publish an online anthology that highlights work by exciting new writers committed to exploring new forms and voices.

About the Collaborating Organizations

Kearny Street Workshop is the nation’s oldest Asian American multidisciplinary arts organization. The mission of Kearny Street Workshop is to produce, present and promote art that empowers Asian Pacific American artists and communities. We envision a more just society that fully incorporates Asian Pacific American voices informed by our cultural values, historical roots, and contemporary issues. For more information please visit http://www.kearnystreet.org/.

Intersection for the Arts is San Francisco's oldest alternative art space (est. 1965) and has a long history of presenting new and experimental work in the fields of literature, theater, music, dance and the visual arts, and also in nurturing and supporting the Bay Area's cultural community through service, technical support, and mentorship programs. Intersection provides a place where provocative ideas, diverse art forms, artists, and audiences can intersect one another. For more information please visit http://www.theintersection.org/.

Cool.

visualizAsian And Kip Fulbeck

Just a word that next up on visualizAsian is Kip Fulbeck:

Because of the importance of the mixed-race AAPI community, Erin and I are proud to announce our next interview for visualizAsian.com: Kip Fulbeck, an artist, author, performer, slam poet and….uh, professor! Kip’s ethnic background is Cantonese, English, Irish, and Welsh, and he’s nationally known for his exploration of mixed-race identity. Our conversation with Kip Fulbeck will be on Tuesday, July 21 at 6 pm PT (9 pm ET).

Read more.

Start Over - Date Number One Story 1

Start Over - Date Number One Story 1 from Sujewa Ekanayake

A former couple attempt to have a first date in Start Over. Start Over is Story 1 of 4 in the feature length comedy Date Number One (2006, 2008). Start Over was directed, produced, written, videotaped & edited by Sujewa Ekanayake. Boom mic work by Fritz Flad. Film features Steve Lee & Kelly Ryan.

Race Roundup

Racist White Canadians attack a black Canadian on video

One man has been arrested and more arrests are expected, RCMP say, following a vicious assault in Courtenay, B.C., that police believe was racially motivated. Jay Phillips was attacked Friday in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant by three young men. A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows Phillips, 38, fighting back as he’s surrounded by the trio. It’s not known who shot the video or posted it on the website. Phillips, who is black, said the attack was unprovoked. He said a truckload of men drove by and started shouting racial epithets. “We’re going to kill you, we’re going to lynch you — really vile stuff.”

Perez Hilton Possibly Racist? Gasp! What a Shock!

In an interview with The Advocate, Perez Hilton explains that he wanted to call Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas a "n*gger*, during an altercation he had with the singer. "But Perez tells me that, in the heat of the moment that night, he almost chose to use a different word. “I thought about calling him the n word,” he says over the phone a week after the incident, “but I thought the f word was even worse. I was so filled with hate at that moment because I was hated on so much, and I reacted in the worst way possible. Then I went on to make a bunch of other mistakes. I shouldn’t have made the video. I shouldn’t have released so many statements."

Listeners Say Local DJs Went Too Far With Racist Comments

Allen said she was listening to the program with her family when she says she heard a slew of racist remarks. In a letter to NewsChannel5, she said the host said African-Americans have a "distinct musky smell," and that they are jealous of whites. "The one host made the comment that African-Americans are jealous of the scent of white people's smell of success," said Allen. NewsChannel5's Maurielle Lue went to the WMMS station to talk to the program manager, but no one from the show wanted to talk, and some said they shouldn't have to.

Fire officials investigate racist graffiti at station

City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones, who has called for zero tolerance in cases of racial infractions, today suggested the U.S. Justice Department might be better equipped to investigate the graffiti incident. “I think there is more than graffiti,” she said. “I absolutely have good reason to believe there may be retaliation for something.” Jones, who earlier applauded the allocation of money for fire department sensitivity training and urged that it be extended to other city departments, declined to comment further. Fire Capt. Otis Jordan, president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association, however, said that one of the women who made today’s discovery recently had filed a complaint regarding vandalism in Station 54’s women’s quarters. Jordan said the complaint concerned the disconnection of cold water in the women’s shower. Jordan also reported that someone had urinated in the sinks and against the walls of the women’s restroom.

Muslims welcome withdrawal of offensive fireworks, ‘Run Hadji Run’

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today welcomed the decision of a fireworks retailer in Wisconsin, Fireworks City, to withdraw a product called “Run Hadji Run,’ which was deemed offensive by local Muslims. The fireworks display a picture of Arabs/Muslims riding camels, with a fighter plane overhead. On another side there is what appears to be Uncle Sam yanking the long beard of a man in traditional Muslim attire.

And In Random Koda Kumi Pop News

Just in case you were wondering, the triple A sided "3 Splash" get's the official release today.

My World Is Beautiful Because Of The PLANiTb Accoustica Mix

Chosan Nguyen The Shoplifter

Because we all have nothing better to do than read Page 6 gossip (at least me) I couldn't help but post up this snippet about how pianist Chosan Nguyen - who's been dating film guy Brian Grazer for a year is getting flanked in P6 because *get ready for it* apparently she got caught shoplifting in St. Louis four years ago.

I didn't look up what she got caught shoplifting (because I'm not that interested) but I figure it can't be that bad if she's not still in jail and really - who hasn't five finger discounted at least one pair of underwear and some underwear accessories during their puberty years?

Since, it's not like you're stealing a Lexus - you can only get out of the store with so much shit.

Sam Yoon + Podcast = Goodness

Got word sent out that Byron down at the big WOWO has a new podcast with Boston candidate Sam Yoon (who you should already know by now especially if you're reading this blog) and while I haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet myself - just got the link a bit ago - I'll definitely be listening on in soon, and if you want to hear more from the Boston candidate himself - you will too.

Read the post. Check the podcast.