Roger W. Lotchin (Professor At UNC) Claims WWII Camps Weren't Racist Against Japanese Americans And That They Weren't Concentration Camps

Friday, September 28, 2012



First, feel free to circulate the above picture.

Second, feel free to circulate the above picture.

Third, feel free to send mail to him:

Roger W. Lotchin
Professor; Adjunct Professor of the Curriculum in Peace, War and Defense
562 Hamilton Hall
CB# 3195
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
919-962-3946 (phone)
rlotchin@email.unc.edu

Fourth, feel free when you send him mail to send him a link to this article:

http://www.8asians.com/2011/08/24/the-difference-between-internment-camps-and-concentration-camps/

Fifth -- are you fucking kidding me? This guys is a professor at The University Of North Carolina and he teaches the following courses?

HIST 128—United States History Since 1865
HIST 373—The United States in World War II
HIST 374—The American West, 1800 to the Present
HIST 395—The United States in World War II: War and Society
HIST 584—The Promise of Urbanization: American Cities in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

Holy fuck institutions of higher learning - what the hell are you doing? Do you not interview your professors or can just any racist dumb MF get a job at your school?

Snippets From This Magnum Opus called "There were no concentration camps in America"

I  want to call your attention to a new addition to Wyoming culture. It is a museum of the Heart Mountain Japanese American Relocation Center between Cody and Powell in World War II.

As you probably know, the Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were evacuated from their West Coast homes to camps in the interior West and Arkansas. That was done as a national security measure because the U. S. government doubted the loyalty of many of the “Nikkei,” as the group was then called, and feared the military prowess of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The point of the museum is to prove that the camps were “concentration camps” and that they were established because of racism. Neither charge is true and neither has ever been proven. It is beyond question that many of the first generation Nikkei (a term comprising all Japanese-Americans) were loyal to Japan and some even went so far as to repatriate themselves to that country during the war and many more stated their intention to do so. The first generation had extensive pre-war ties to the Imperial Japanese government through the Japanese consuls in the United States. The pre-war Japanese claimed to have an extensive spy network on the West Coast and just before the war the government rolled up a net headed by a man named Itaru Tachibana. We don’t know whether a net existed after that point, but we do know that the Imperial Japanese servants thought that they had one. So did the American government. The United States and its allies suffered tremendous losses in the first six months of the war and the government thought that it could not fully trust the Nikkei in case the Imperial Japanese launched a raid on the West Coast. That was what caused the relocation of the Nikkei.

How many Japanese- Americans were disloyal is not known, but I have never read a piece of evidence from a reliable witness which said that all of them were loyal.

And To The Trib.com

What the fuck are you printing this vile, racist, uneducated (ironic huh?) crap for anyway? This isn't opinion - this is KKK hang everyone from a tree hate speech and there's no way around it.

Arden Cho + Blue Rain

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

AJ Rafael + Blush: Miss Out

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Vibe With It: Rocky Rivera + Bulletproof

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Blacklava 20th Anniversary

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Hope you were able to get in...and at least you can still RSVP on the waitlist...sure, you probably won't get in...but you can at least say you tried...like trying to get an HP Touchpad off Ebay that one time...when Touchpad's were hot...

Presented by Tuesday Night Project
with social media sponsors AngryAsianMan.com & channelAPA.com
and community sponsors hereandnow theater company

***FREE PRIORITY GENERAL ADMISSION RSVP SOLD OUT***
http://blacklava20th.eventbrite.com/
((Over 150 of you RSVPed but feel free to RSVP to be on the waitlist. We just need a way to manage FIRE CODE concerns in our intimate gallery setting. Thanx!))

blacklava is turning 20! let's celebrate the legacy of this groundbreaking Asian American institution AND all the wonderful friends who made blacklava what it is today!

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, September 29th, 2012
6:00pm - 7:30pm VIP and PRESS
7:30pm - 12am Guests with RSVP
Hatakeyama Gallery
905 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
http://www.hatakeyamagallery.com/
Light Refreshments and Cash Bar

FEATURING
* A special exhibit of original works by community artists and writers inspired by blacklava.
* Children's activities - so bring the family!
* Music and beats from our favorite DJs!
* A blacklava photo shoot!
* and more to be announced...

6:00 - 7:30 pm VIP and Press
7:30 - 9:00pm Light Refreshments
7:30 - 9:00pm Kids Activities
7:30 - 11:00pm Blacklava photo shoot
8:00 - 8:30pm Presentation

Some of the Gallery Exhibitors Presenting Original Work Inspired by Blacklava:
Tak Toyoshima / Secret Asian Man
Alfie Ebojo / Alfie Numeric
Byron Dote / +he op+imist
Jay Bartlett / Simple Studio Lighting
Steve Wong - Visual Artist
Erin Nomura - Nomura Studios
Mark Yamasaki - Graphic Artist
Yumi Sakugawa
Dean Yasutake
Shane Sato - Shane Sato Photography
Belinda Vong - By Belinda
Karin Anna Cheung - Actress/Artist/Singer
Narinda Heng
Mike Palma
Durwood - Golda and Gertie
Mike Park
Patty Lee
Max Medina
Shin Kawasaki
Kevin Cunningham
Traci Kato Kiriyama
Gina Lee
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
Emmie Hsu - Fomato
Scott Okamoto

Kollaboration DC!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Hope you got those tickets.

Saturday
7:00pm until 10:00pm in EDT
SAVE THE DATE for the 3rd Annual Kollaboration DC Talent Competition and Showcase

September 22, 2012 at George Washington University Lisner Auditorium

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/KollabDCShow3

$15 General Admission $40 VIP

VIP Ticket gives you Center Orchestra Seating, Goodie Bag, and Free Admission to Afterparty, + Raffle Ticket for pair of tickets for David Choi/CLARA C concert on Nov. 10th!!

2012 Kollaboration DC #3 Finalists (In no particular order)

1) LacsaJacaKhan - Singer/Guitarist/Rapper
2) Christopher L. Santa Ana - Singer
3) Robert Park - Spoken Word
4) GU Jawani - Dance
5) Robyn Kim - Singer
6) Jin Shin - Singer
7) Rocka - Singer
8) George Yamazawa Jr. - Spoken Word
9) Mighty Morphing Boogie Rangers - Dance
10) Jonathan C. Chen - Violinist

3X: Thai

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Super Bass Remix



Hold You Down ft. Suboi



I'mma Be The Best ft. Michelle Martinez

That's Not A Funny Clown

Monday, September 17, 2012

Aren't rodeo clowns supposed to direct attention away from the action?

I don't think you're doing that by telling racist First Lady jokes.

Retro Far East Movement: Street Lab

Friday, September 14, 2012

Kero One + KickStarter + 15 Hours Left

Friday, September 14, 2012

Go now.

Trailer: Anita Ho

Friday, September 14, 2012

The Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship For Poets of Color And Native American Poets

Friday, September 14, 2012

From The Loft

The Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship 2013
AWARD IS: OPEN

Deadline: Thursday, November 1, 5 p.m. — This is not a postmark deadline.

Download the award guidelines (PDF)

The Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship for artists of color and Indigenous artists provides writers financial support and professional assistance to develop and implement self-selecting community learning and enrichment plans.

Winners will be selected to receive grants of up to $8,000 to underwrite projects of their own design. At least one winner will be a Minnesota resident. The total number of winners will be dependent on the requests. Typically, four writers are awarded grants.

There is a $20 application fee for this Fellowship.

The Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship is made possible by the Surdna Foundation.

Save That Date: DC APA Film Festival, October 4-7, 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012



Heard from the good folks down at the DC APA Film Festial and you'll definitely want to get on down and check this out if you're in the DC area -- or close by, or even far away (because doesn't everyone need a vacation?)

APA Film Announces the 13th Annual
DC Asian Pacific American Film
Festival, October 4-7, 2012


Washington, DC – DC Asian American Film, Inc. (APA Film) is pleased to announce the 13th annual DC APA Film Festival on October 4-7, 2012.

This year’s Opening Night presentation, on Thursday, October 4, is MR. CAO GOES TO WASHINGTON, presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American (APA) Program at the E Street Landmark Theatre. This film is a character study of then-Rep. Joseph Cao (R-New Orleans), the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Congress and the only Republican to vote for President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill.

“This is an amazing film festival this year. We’re presenting a great lineup of films, special guests, and partnerships with local businesses for great post-film receptions. We’ll have Q&A sessions with special guests to allow a unique insight into the films for our audiences and provide a rare opportunity to view otherwise hard to access cinema,” said Festival Director Tiffany Chen.

Closing the 2012 DC APA Film Festival will be DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY and SHANGHAI CALLING on October 6.

DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’: EVERYMAN’S JOURNEY is a documentary following the ups and downs as the seminal band Journey goes on tour with their new lead singer found via youtube.com, Arnel Pineda. SHANGHAI CALLING is a feature film that follows New York attorney Sam (Daniel Henney) as he reluctantly moves to Shanghai for business. Relying on the help of a relocation specialist (Eliza Coupe), a well-connected ex-pat (Bill Paxton), a clever journalist (Geng Le), and a street-smart legal assistant (Zhu Zhu), Sam might just find his true calling and a way home.

The film festival will be showing films from October 5-7. Please visit the festival website at http://www.apafilm2012.com/ for a full line up of film and special events.

The DC APA Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) with a mission to bring attention to the creative output from APA communities and encourage the artistic development of APA films in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region.

Video Release: Christian x Muslim + Jason Chu + Miyus Productions

Friday, September 14, 2012



Vocals written, recorded, performed by jason chu (@JasonChuMusic) and Rah Zemos.

A Miyus Production:
Director/Animator - Benjamin Tong
Co-Director/Producer - Adam Sun
Producer/Audio Engineer - Alex Lai
Editor/Graphics Designer - Soken Sai
1st AC - Harrison Cheung

"the sale, purchase, and viewing of cartoons is also permitted as long as all of these activities are engaged in according to the dictates of Islamic Law" - http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-383-3367.htm

The Slants + The Yellow Album + November 6 + Tour Dates

Friday, September 14, 2012

Get your Chinatown Dance Rock On.

On November 6, 2012 The Slants will celebrate the release of their third full-length album, The Yellow Album, followed by heavy touring in the spring and summer of 2013.

Nestled in Portland, Oregon's predominately white and hipster culture is all-Asian American dance rock band, The Slants. Rather than adopting the usual departure points of Portland’s music scene – alt-folk rock, shoegazer music, indie pop – The Slants took their influence from grabbing onto the corners of foundational 80s synth-pop music and blending it with modern dance rock sensibilities. They call this amalgamation of contagious, energetic, and danceable music "Chinatown Dance Rock."

For their third full-length release, The Yellow Album, the band continued in the vein of creating an album charged with energy and shaped by an intensity gained only from frequent touring. It is the sound of a band who understands its roots but isn’t afraid to branch out musically. The result is a rounded album that explores the dichotomy between darker undertones and the thrills of new love.

The Yellow Album could be a natural progression from either 2010’s Pageantry or their 2007 debut Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts. Musically, it draws from the wider synthesizer driven palette of the first album while retaining the harder hitting rock sounds of the second. The lyrics explore the personal lives and experiences of the members of the band.

Frontman Aron Moxley’s life began with abandonment. He explains, "I was one of the babies born in Saigon during the Vietnam War. I’ll never know my real birthday, let alone find out who my mother is or know if she’s still alive." The song Adopted illustrates Moxley confronting these feelings, which have plagued him for so long.
"This album is more transparent, more sincere. It came from a faulty, but true short love story that ended in numbness fueled by booze and tears. But, ultimately back to a rescue of my own heart."

The idea of redemption from all-consuming pain is also reflected in other songs, including Misery and Been Through Hell. Moxley states, "I like to write songs that are deeply personal, that mean something to me. I think they’re more real and they’re things that other people can relate to as well. Things got as bad as I thought they could ever get, I hit rock bottom. But I kept moving on."

During the past two years, The Slants had to balance a rigorous international touring schedule, a lineup change, writing songs for the album, keeping personal relationships from falling apart, fundraising for the tsunami relief effort in Japan, and a fight with the United States Patent and Trademark Office that made headlines across both legal blogs and Asian culture outlets.

"We were pulled into an unexpected struggle," explains founder and bassist Simon Young. "A touring band has enough to worry about, let alone an international disaster involving friends and family or dealing with a legal battle against the United States government."

The trademark battle was sparked by a government attorney’s claim that the band’s name was disparaging to Asians. "It was like banging our head against the wall, trying to convince someone that we were not offensive to ourselves, that the community was in overwhelming support of our band."

Despite the frustration, Young used the opportunity to bring an entire community together in order to defeat the poorly written, antiquated laws that were affecting numerous minority groups. The title track Yellow reflects the constriction experienced by the band.

The album title itself was birthed in a more playful approach to the idea of ethnic pride. "We’ve actually been sitting on the idea for a few years," says Moxley. "The Beatles had The White Album, Metallic and Jay Z had The Black Album, so we wanted to have The Yellow Album." The juxtaposition of a tongue-in-cheek album title and some deeply serious songs reflect a band who can still embrace tragedy with a punk rock swagger.

With The Yellow Album The Slants continue to combine their 80s music heritage, floor-filling dance beats, and cultural experiences that provide the backbone for every note. The result is a collection of undeniably catchy songs that will make you want to dance. However, this album will also resonate with you, providing so much more than an enticing chorus. The Slants manage to combine heart and musicality, a combination that is becoming increasingly rare. The Slants have arrived and are ready to induct you into the Slants Army. It’s time for you to listen.

Tour Dates:

9/22/12 - Melody Ballroom (private event for Jefferson Smith) - Portland, OR
10/20/12 - Columbia City Theater (21+) - Seattle, WA
10/27/12 - Crystal Ballroom (Portland Erotic Ball, 21+) - Portland, OR
11/02/12 - NekoCon - Hampton Roads, VA
11/03/12 - NekoCon - Hampton Roads, VA
11/04/12 - NekoCon - Hampton Roads, VA
11/09/12 - The Someday Lounge (CD RELEASE SHOW, 21+) - Portland, OR
12/01/12 - Ash St. Saloon (Heather's going away party, 21+) - Portland, OR
1/04/12 - Destination Anime at Emerald Coast Convention Center - Destin, FL
1/05/12 - Destination Anime at Emerald Coast Convention Center - Destin, FL
3/22/13 - Zenkaikon at Lancaster County Convention Center - Lancaster, PA
3/23/13 - Zenkaikon at Lancaster County Convention Center - Lancaster, PA
3/24/13 - Zenkaikon at Lancaster County Convention Center - Lancaster, PA
3/25/13 - Zenkaikon at Lancaster County Convention Center - Lancaster, PA
5/24/13 - Ultimacon at Sheraton New Orleans - New Orleans, LA
5/25/13 - Ultimacon at Sheraton New Orleans - New Orleans, LA
5/26/13 - Ultimacon at Sheraton New Orleans - New Orleans, LA

Be An Intern At CAAM!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Do it.

Now.

Please?

Join CAAM's Team!

CAAM is searching for enthusiastic individuals to join the CAAM fam. SFIAAFF31 is almost here and we have some exciting internship opportunities in marketing, outreach, and event planning. Interested in helping us present the largest Asian American film festival in the world? Visit CAAM's website for more information on how to apply.

When Racist People Have Too Much Time On Their Hands

Friday, September 14, 2012

Apparently what happens is that they:

1. Get a mannequin.

2. Paint the face black.

3. Write the words "N*GGER HANG".

4. Get a rope.

5. Make it so the mannequin looks like it's being hung.

And do it in the IT department of the Kaiser Hospital Riverside.

Real Quote

IT employee Tyree Hale is convinced that the doll was meant for him because he is usually the first one to arrive in the morning. Hale, who is Black, was asked by the news outlet, why he didn’t file a police report when he saw the doll and he replied, "Sometimes we just shine it off because we’re just trying to stay working and pay our bills."

No matter where you are in regard to race and racism, I'd like to think a lot of people will at least understand where that quote comes from.

Because we've all had to make choices at one time or another.

We've all let something go at least once in our lives.

But I will say this.

If that shit happens wherever I might be working at the time...

I'm blowing that MF up.

Racist Receipts + I Guess I'll Never Go To Hooters Now

Friday, September 14, 2012



While it might surprise some people, I've never actually been to a Hooters (at least that I remember), and now, since apparently some of them like to print the word "CHINX" on your receipt, I don't think I'll ever actually go to one of them.

I'm not a Hooters fan anyway - because somehow they just seem sleazy to me - even if they're in the city they still seem like suburban sleaze and that's not good sleaze to me - give me good old fashioned, in your face, true naked, we're going to fuck you up sleaze.

Or at the very least, don't call me a mother fucking Chink when I pay for my hot wings.

Random Things I Like To Do When I Masturbate

Friday, September 14, 2012

I don't really know why I'm writing this post, besides the fact that I just thought I'd write up on things I like to do when I'm getting my groove on, which if you've seen me, you don't really want to think about me getting my groove on, but that's just the way it is - it's always the people you don't want to see naked that you always see naked.

Why can't you see the people you want to see naked naked? I don't know either, but I'm sure I'll be thinking about it as I also try and figure out how to use the word "transmogrification" more in my daily communication.

Anyway, for better or for worse, on to my list.

1. Watch the news. Sure, this might seem like an odd thing to do when you masturbate, but sometimes I need a break, especially if it's a MMS (I'll let you figure that one out) but I still don't want to stop the action either and sometimes I just feel glutinous -- so I just go slow and learn something at the same time - multitask - I mean who says I can't be free and loving myself while also learning about what the hell is going on in Libya. Exactly - no one.

2. Rub My Balls. I think this one is self explanatory.

3. Watch YouTube Videos. Sometimes I like a beat when I get down and who says I can't watch music videos at the same time? It's not like I'm watching cat videos (because that would just be weird).

4. Have Five Screens Of Porn On At The Same Time I don't know about you, but trends tell me that as a population we like to be immersed in our media - clearer, crisper, better, and just more - IMAX, 3D, Surround Sound, 4K, even the new iPhone's mapping program wants to immerse you in the experience (and I wonder what the GDP increase to traffic accident ratio is) - it's not my fault I'm glutinous. I'm just a product of society.

5. Have A Smokey Treat. Unlike a cigarette after sex, if I'm alone (because who hasn't liked themselves some mutual masturbation with another party) I figure why wait right? I mean that's kind of the whole point of doing what you do with the shades closed (because I'm all about the privacy) isn't it?

To The Women Who Want To Have Sex With Me

Thursday, September 13, 2012

First, let me say thank you. Second, let me say that I don't have that type of money. But if you're not asking me to have sex with you for money, and we just happen to meet and you bat your eyes at me with that "Damn you're sexy look," and do that thing where you stretch out in front of me where I can get a full look at you and all of your glory, and by glory I mean, well, all of your glory - let me say that I might simply mistake that for you just stretching out and not caring about who you're stretching out in front of and that your eyes maybe weren't actually saying "Damn he's sexy" but rather "I'm kind of tired and I need to open my eyes a little more because I want to make it seem that what he's saying is actually semi-important to me, even though it's not."

Which basically means that if you want to try and pick me up, you're going to have to grab me, and by grab me, I mean actually come up to me and press yourself against me, and then, well, grab me.

Between the legs.

However, I do have to warn you that even though I might think I'm in a gonzo movie, because that stuff just doesn't happen to me (unless I'm downtown, have had a few beers and happen to meet someone else who was apparently in the same state that I was) - I'm just going on record that it even then, even though I'll know you want to have sex with me - I probably won't have sex with you.

I only say probably because there is the remote chance I would - but the world would have to be ending and sex with you would have to mean that by having sex with you we would be saving the world - something along the lines where the friction created would emit a nuclear strength type of force/awesome blast killing aliens - which I have to admit would be cool, and if it was guaranteed that would happen, than the odds just might go up.

But outside of that I would have to say no.

I'd have to decline.

I'd have to say no thank you, but thank you very much for rubbing up against me and grabbing my goodness and asking if I'd like a taste of your goodness too, which I'm sure would be good, but again it would be no and it would be because of K-Girl - and not just because K-Girl is K-Girl, but because if there's one thing Koreans are good at, it's burying shit in the ground, and honestly, I don't want my goodness chopped off, stuck in a pot, and served as a tasty side dish to uninvited guests.

I just don't want to go out like that.

I can't go out like that.

So I'll just decline and say thank you for the lift and bid you a good day.

Santa Clara: 4th Annual NAAMBA Leadership Conference & Exposition

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Thursday at 12:00pm until Saturday at 6:00pm in PDT

Mark your calendar now! Join us for the 4th Annual NAAMBA Leadership Conference & Exposition in Santa Clara, CA, September 13-15, 2012!

The theme this year is 'Tomorrow's Leaders Today.'

http://www.asianmba.org/4th-annual-naamba-highlights

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Who Should Attend:

HR Executives/Recruiter/Diversity & Inclusion Leaders/Asian ERG Leaders & Members/MBA Students & Alumni/M.S. or Advanced Degree Holders/Prospective MBA Students/Working Professionals/Community/Entrepreneurs

Participating Industries Include:

Banking/Finance/Government/Legal/Technology/Engineering/Healthcare/Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals/Insurance/IT/Hospitality/Consumer Goods/Energy/Telecommunications & more...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

4th Annual NAAMBA Leadership Conference & Exposition
Tomorrow's Leaders Today

September 13-15, 2012
Hyatt Regency & Santa Clara Convention Center
5101 & 5001 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054

Conference Theme:

Our conference theme this year is Tomorrow's Leaders Today, which reflects NAAMBA's commitment to cultivating and developing Pan-Asian talent today to become the leaders of tomorrow. Our organization’s core mission is to empower and advance Pan-Asian professionals globally. Through mentoring, networking and professional development opportunities, NAAMBA strives to equip its stakeholders with tools and resources for becoming effective and inspirational global leaders. Slated to become a major initiative of NAAMBA, there is no better time than now to launch Tomorrow’s Leaders Today as the conference theme.


Conference & Exposition Highlights:

- Largest event of its kind in the U.S., attracting approximately 3,000 attendees
- Offering top Pan-Asian talent acquisition, branding and marketing opportunities for multinational corporations (MNCs), non-profit, government, and academic institutions
- Connect with present and emerging Asian American leaders from diverse industries, MBAs, top executives, industry experts, recruiters, and prominent community figures
- Participate in powerful seminars and panel discussions with focus on career development, HR, and entrepreneurship
- Participate in engaging networking sessions
- Attend the Mentoring & Networking Breakfast
- Attend the 3rd Annual Employee Resource Group (ERG) Summit presented by the NAAMBA National ERG Council
- Attend the 2nd Annual Women Leadership Summit presented by the NAAMBA Women Leadership Council
- Attend the prestigious NAAMBA Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Featuring Diversity Career Fair, Jobs in Asia Pavilion, MBA School Pavilion, Resource Pavilion
- Meet with recruiters from leading corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations
- Featuring unparalleled Employer Showcases by MNCs presenting unique opportunities to connect one-on-one with recruiters
- Participate in the NAAMBA Global Case Competition

Baiyu + Covers + Give Your Heart A Break

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Growing Young + DFD

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

David So + Road Rules!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Beautiful Night 아름다운 밤이야 BEAST cover by Arden Cho

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Alfa + Kawehi: Bar Lubitsch

Monday, September 10, 2012

Tuesday
8:00pm until 9:30pm in PDT
We drink. We play. We be merry. Join us for a night of FUN at Bar Lubitsch!

8:00 pm - Mike Bauer (www.facebook.com/mbauermusic)
8:30 pm - Alfa (www.facebook.com/alfamusic)
9:00 pm - Kawehi (www.facebook.com/kawehitom)

$8 cover / 21+

Get On Out: Giant Robot Biennale 3 + JANM

Friday, September 07, 2012



The Japanese American National Museum presents Giant Robot Biennale 3, its third show in conjunction with Eric Nakamura, owner of Asian American pop culture juggernaut Giant Robot. The expansive show features a gallery of eight emerging artists along with a customized vinyl figure collection.

Following two previous successful exhibitions at the National Museum, the Biennale continues to push the envelope with a creative, fresh, and uniquely interactive experience. This year’s exhibition highlights the works of Rob Sato, Deth P. Sun, Ako Castuera, Eishi Takaoka, Saelee Oh, Sean Chao, Albert Reyes, and Zach Gage, all with long ties to Giant Robot. Each artist brings their original style, from whimsical wall paintings and creatures in clay worlds, to a life-size “haunted” maze especially built for this Biennale.

Using figures created by Uglydoll creator David Horvath, Nakamura curated Project Remix, a custom vinyl show with over 80 artists from seven countries—including the rare combination of both established customizers and fine artists. Special additions to the exhibition include an original piece from Japanese painter Masakatsu Sashie as well as arcade machines running Jeni Yang and Beau Blyth’s new indie video game, Catburger.

Be sure to check the exhibition video about the show! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OeF2bkeHls

For more info, visit http://www.janm.org/grb3

About the opening party:
Opening Party
September 22, 2012
6pm – 10pm
free!

Celebrate the opening of Giant Robot Biennale 3 with curator Eric Nakamura, JANM President/CEO G.W.. Kimura, GRB3 artists,
and Money Mark! program starts at 7:30pm, performance at 8pm.

100 N. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.janm.org

Guest Post: Gangnam Style (AKA PSY-Sanity)

Thursday, September 06, 2012

When I started writing this post a few days ago, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” had 50M+ YouTube views and has now exceeded 60M. Not only has the video gone completely viral since its mid-July release, but it has also been widely covered in the news, including CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post but one of the best pieces is by Sukjong Hong. If you’re not in the know, PSY is a S. Korean entertainer whose “Gangnam Style” music video has become somewhat of an overnight sensation. If you look beyond the catchy music and dancing and bizarre style of the video, there is the parody of the moneyed and powerful.

It’s a minor detail but Gangnam actually refers to the entire area south of the Han River. Gangbuk is the area north of the Han River. Some of the neighborhoods referred to by “Gangnam Style” and the news covering the viral video are actually Apgujeong, Chungdam and Sinsa, home to the luxury galleries and showrooms of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Ferragamo, Coach, etc, an occasional S. Korean celebrity sighting, an over-priced Banana Republic store, boutique designer shops and where drink prices and the cover charges for clubs are at least twice that of those in Gangbuk. Supposedly Paris Hilton and Beyonce made appearances at Circle, a posh Sinsa club that is now closed, when they visited Seoul. At one time banned from certain clubs in Gangbuk, American GIs migrated to the club scene in Gangnam. The area around Gangnam subway station is not somewhere you want to be when the language institutes dismiss the final evening class as the streets overflow with students pursuing the tool that will open numerous doors for them: use of the English language.

My stylist used to be in Gangbuk and then moved south of the Han River to Chungdam. The price of my haircut went north and the business went south. It was a bit of an irony that I was paying more and yet their swanky new surroundings were actually seeing less business than when they were north of the river. Having clients like Daniel Henney and up and coming JYP stars didn’t help the business and I was merely paying for real estate. I was told at one point that I was in their top 5% of customers. Still not sure exactly what that meant but it resulted in a complimentary head spa treatment featured on MBC that was the best pampering money can’t buy. The salon is still open but business is not what it once was.

While I lived in Seoul, most of the time I resided in Gangbuk but I spent a fair amount of time in Gangnam, specifically Chungdam and Apgujeong, tutoring students and I also lived south of the Han for a time. My 1st Gangnam neighborhood, Banpo, was more of a working class area with back street markets but I was within walking distance of BMW and Mercedes traffic jams and the Sinsa neighborhood, which at times felt more European than Korean. This is where I would go for good non-Korean food. My 2nd Gangnam neighborhood was home to JYP Entertainment. Often when I walked to the bus there would be a group of school girls waiting outside the JYP studio in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite celebrity. One of my students wrote a paper on the similarities and differences between Gangnam and Gangbuk and pointed out that the school girls’ uniform skirts were shorter in Gangnam. True. There is also more cosmetic surgery in Gangnam. In addition, there is also a derogatory term for those who live in Gangnam. At the same time, Itaewon, located north of the river and sometimes referred to as “the armpit of Korea,” is opening a number of upscale restaurants, definitely not targeting budget travelers.

PSY has always seemed controversial and bizarre and pushed the envelope. I’m not a huge fan but do find him interesting. I think his popularity stems in part from the fact that he is not the stereotypical K-pop star. I’m interested to see what will happen next. Will his success in the US continue or is this just an isolated incident? Are people really enjoying him as an entertainer or are they actually making fun of him? Is it a case of enjoying Asians on stage only? Will he be able to sustain his overnight global popularity? Hollywood and US entertainment have exploited S. Korean entertainment for some time with film remakes so one has to question if PSY will now also be exploited or better yet, will he allow it. He was in LA earlier this month to discuss possible career options in the US.

With all the media coverage and tweeting about “Gangnam Style” one thing that has not been mentioned is the fact that S. Korea has enjoyed post-war economic recovery partially as a result of exporting approximately a quarter million of its citizens through inter-country adoption (ICA). Matthew Rothschild wrote “Babies for Sale” prior to the Seoul 1988 Olympics. In his piece, Rothschild questions the system where numerous S. Korean children are being sent away to western countries. ICA is now a multi-million dollar industry which systematically incorporates numerous human rights violations, yet continues to be seen by some as a humanitarian effort. Contrary to popular belief, most of the children (about 1,000 per year) being sent away today are not coming from orphanages. They have families. Single or unwed mothers who desire to raise their children but due to societal stigmas they face an enormous amount of pressure to relinquish their children for overseas adoption. S. Korea has yet to develop a comprehensive social welfare system that provides services for everyone, regardless of class and social status. Thus, the economy has never had to support everyone – just those who fit a certain profile. Had S. Korea taken care of its own children, would Gangnam even exist as it does today? Would PSY’s video have been produced and gone viral?

E. Lee is a 1.X generation Korean American who lived in both Gangbuk and Gangnam 2004 – 2008 and who hopes for a day when ICA from S. Korea is no longer necessary.

Must See Serial Killer: CHINK

Wednesday, September 05, 2012



I don't really use the phrase "Must See Serial Killer" -- but if you haven't seen the trailer for CHINK yet -- well -- you really must see it.

Unless you're not a fan of suspense or horror.

Or serial killer movies.

Or movies that look to bend the genre adding in a different twist to the serial killer film (because every serial killer needs a reason to be who they are).

Check more out down at TwitchFilm.

The Crumbles (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

I really liked the movie and the soundtrack was a part of it - and if you thought so as well - hey - the official soundtrack is out now.