Oscars + Asian Names + Huh?

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

So while apparently I didn't get as many blog posts out last week that I wanted too - because apparently I just didn't (but I did get two new posts up at yomyomf.com on the crap ass Power Rangers and This Is Us) - I wanted to make sure and not let more time go w/o saying what an unfunny ass-hat joke that was that JK made about nice Oscar contestant Yulree's name - and sure - you have to expect something when you get something for free - but does it have to be in the form of an asshat joke about your name versus the "American" name?

Let's go with no on this one...

Some Metrics, Budgets, And Thoughts On My Micro Campaign Against The Immigration And Refugee Ban, Executive Order #13769

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Throughout life I've found myself in more autonomous groups and roles. It's one of the reasons why I started blogging. It was a way for me to take some action and do something, but also on my own terms, on my own schedule. I love the people and groups I've gotten to know, some of the shared experiences, and I have so much respect for people that can organize on the ground level, and there are just so many ways to lend a voice, to take action, to add to the discourse.

With the immigrant and travel ban order, in addition to blogging about it I wanted to do something else, and I decided on a two-pronged approach - an informational site where some of the news and highlights of what was going on could be centralized for people searching or wanting to know about it, and displaying opposition to the order to online eyes via a campaign - in some ways (not quite though) like me waving my sign and marching in protest, and in other ways, like a targeted political add, which ended up being a Facebook campaign.

For the site, it was fairly easy, I put it up myself (Microsoft Cloud) - and I'm not a design wizard so there are some imperfections - but with so many free hosting services, or publishing services - getting a site out is fairly inexpensive. At first I was thinking about having people share their stories, do a tracker type piece, but decided to keep it informational because I didn't want to take on too much (from a moderation standpoint which would have to happen), as well thought there were better places people could perform that function. I built a quick news service to grab data and put it into a data store on keywords so it would be easier to update and less manual, and may put some other tools into it later. But for now I'm satisfied with the outcome - it's another added resource in opposition that can be managed now without too much effort.

For the FB campaign, when I think about - online campaigns (no matter where they are) are like being able to buy ads on TV in some ways - but at a price far less than even traditional print and really do help to level the playing field from an access standpoint. For this campaign I decided on around a $30 budget to place ads and tags for wearenotorder13769.org for a little over two days. My goal wasn't in engagement or click thrus but simply about putting a small message of opposition in front of the eyes of people and reaching as many as I could with my budget. Over the course of the campaign around 12,000 people were reached (multiple times) with what I'd call medium filtering on the audience being targeted (I didn't go too general, but wasn't extremely targeted either).

For a newspaper ad - maybe I pay around $300-$400 for a 1/8 black and white ad for 15,000 eyeballs. For color - maybe double. And maybe I shouldn't compare the two - but I will anyway. For that price where I can target a specific audience, get a color add, some copy, and be able to track impressions, reach, click-throughs, etc. - it's a win.

I didn't care about engagement at the outset from a goal standpoint - but my CTR was .26% which is decent with around 31 click-throughs on the ad. It doesn't sound like a lot and compared to a number like 12,000 it isn't - but what's the value of those clicks, someone finding something more out about the ban, or passing that information on to a friend, or just planting another seed of resistance into their mind? It's different from commerce conversion and closing rates, but if each customer was worth $50 it would at least be profitable even if only one person would end up purchasing. But the others would still know the brand and maybe think about going there.

There's no brand and no customers in this case, but there is a message and I think at least from my vantage point, I'm satisfied with the way it's been delivered. I think on a micro/mini level we can create these campaigns, or forces of opposition, and when combined, I think they do speak to the power that we all have as individuals within a much larger collective.

Small ripples.

Get Those Lebron Sneaks + Richie Le

Tuesday, February 21, 2017



If you wanted to know - just check in with the Viets.

Good Messeges: A Little Drive, A Little CLARA

Tuesday, February 21, 2017



I think this is just a good message and a good video.

Remembering Executive Order 9066

Monday, February 20, 2017

Some links to some good articles - albeit unfortunate that they have to exist just like Allegiance which I saw on Sunday - but nonetheless - we have to remember.

OC Register

Warnings were not given and explanations were not offered. But when that first wave of arrests came, word spread quickly. Everybody knew. So two months later, on Feb. 19, 1942, the Japanese American community in Southern California – the nation’s largest at about 35,000 – was less shocked than it was horrified by what occurred: Executive Order 9066.
SGV Tribune
In the weeks after 9066 was signed, families throughout Southern California -- home to the biggest Japanese American population in the country -- sold their belongings, packed what they could carry and reported to ominously named “assembly centers,” where they stayed until the internment camps were ready for occupation.
LA Times
He’s 94 years old and still clearly remembers. Tokuji Yoshihashi remembers Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and wondering what would happen to Americans like him who looked like the enemy. He soon found out.
Hoodline
Attendance at this weekend's Bay Area Day of Remembrance was at an all-time high. “We have Trump to thank for that,” says Peter Yamamoto, volunteer at the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS). “Now people want to know the history.” Speakers at the event drew parallels between Executive Order 9066 and President Trump’s immigration policies, noting that both used fear and the disguise of “military necessity” to target American citizens based on their race or religion.

Hmmm: American Girl Is Making Korean And Hawaiian Dolls

Friday, February 17, 2017



Well - I guess this is good news.

This week, the iconic doll makers also announced plans to release Native Hawaiian and Korean American characters in 2017.

One is a Korean American filmmaker named Z Yang (second doll from the left in the picture below), and the other is a Native Hawaiian girl named Nanea Mitchell who grew up during the start of World War II (third doll from the right).

Even if it should have happened earlier.

Again...You Voted For Him White People

Thursday, February 16, 2017



The Guardian:

Minutes after Donald Trump insisted he was “the least racist person” at a press conference on Thursday, the president asked a black reporter to arrange a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

The American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan asked the president if he was going to include the CBC in conversations he will have about his “inner city” policies.

Trump responded by repeatedly asking Ryan if she could set up a meeting with the caucus, members of which the president suggested could be “friends” of hers.
Trump uses press conference to declare administration 'fine-tuned machine'
Read more

“Are they friends of yours? No, go ahead,” Trump said. “Set up the meeting.”

Japanese American Cultural & Community Center + Artists at Play

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Peep this.

(Los Angeles, CA) Chay Yew’s frank drama, Question 27, Question 28 will be presented by Artists at Play and the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The reading is directed by Alison De La Cruz and will perform on Sunday, February 26 at 3 pm at the Black Box in the Aratani Theatre. Ticket reservations are available at http://bit.ly/2k4KJku.

In 1942, ten weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The order authorized the removal and unjust internment of 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II. Yew’s play traces this moment in history serving not only as a reminder of the past, but as a cautionary tale for the present.

"During this time of increased racial and religious tension, Artists at Play felt it was necessary to join the many voices speaking out against discrimination towards the Muslim community,” said Producing Artistic Leader Stefanie Lau. “Question 27, Question 28 provides another avenue to show that xenophobia and the scapegoating of an entire group of people is wrong, dehumanizing and not representative of the American values we hold dear."

Based on transcripts, documents, personal testimonies, Question 27, Question 28 weaves stories of the struggles, resilience and courage of female Japanese American detainees held in the American internment camps and the painful aftermath.

The cast includes Shannon Holt, Dian Kobayashi, Marilyn Tokuda and Tamlyn Tomita. The stage manager is Cailin Luneburg. The reading is pay what you can to attend.

Tasty Politics: Notorious MSG, Wonton Violence, How Did I Not Catch This Yet?

Monday, February 13, 2017



I blame it on my poor lack of detail albeit it is fun listening to it now. Download it @ The Notorious MSG Bandcamp page: https://notoriousmsg.bandcamp.com

Bambu + Info Trap + Mark De Clive-Lowe + Beatrock

Monday, February 13, 2017



Trippy and I like it.

Waterside funk.

MV: KỂ TỪ ẤY

Monday, February 13, 2017

Tết's Over But The Food Lingers On

Monday, February 13, 2017



The food lives on.

Tết Saigon 2017.

YouTubed.

Monday Good Covers: @TheFuMusic, This Town

Monday, February 13, 2017



Just the right song for his voice.

Creamy and smooth.

Asian Americans, Strees + Eugene Lee Yang, Ashly Perez, DAN AKA DAN

Monday, February 13, 2017



From a couple of months ago, but still fun if you haven't seen it.

Well you know - as fun as health can be?

3X: Alfa

Monday, February 13, 2017







At Short Of The Week: Pokey Pokey

Friday, February 10, 2017



http://www.jakeanime.com/about-coeq

Junjie “Jake” Zhang is an independent animation artist, illustrator and educator living in LA and Hong Kong. He likes to explore and develop different visual styles to express his artistic opinions and stories. Most of his films are black-humorous, ironic and fantastic, reflecting social and political issues indirectly.

You can read the review and watch the short @ shortoftheweek.com

http://junjiezhang.org/

Goodread: Carol K. Park + Memoir of a Cashier: Korean Americans, Racism and Riots (Book Signing Feb. 21)

Friday, February 10, 2017



Sounds like a good read.

And there's a book signing.

What more do you want?

When the Los Angeles Riots began April 29, 1992, 12-year-old Carol K. Park was working weekends in her mother’s gas station in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles.

The bulletproof booth that shielded the young cashier from physical harm could not protect her from simmering racial tensions that ignited after the acquittal of four white and Hispanic Los Angeles police officers in the beating of a black motorist. A total of 53 people died in the riots, thousands more were injured, and damage to businesses – particularly those owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants – and other property topped $1 billion before the violence ended on May 4.

Park recalls the “melting pot of violence and discrimination” she experienced in her youth in “Memoir of a Cashier: Korean Americans, Racism and Riots.” The book, released this month, is published by the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California, Riverside. A book signing is scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Interdisciplinary 1113. Reservations are requested and may be made by emailing YOKIntern@outlook.com. Parking is free in Lot 24.

Get more info

No Ban No Wall + Resist: Wearenotorder13769.org

Thursday, February 09, 2017



While the site just got up and running live a day ago, and there are still tweaks to do, functions to add, etc. - www.wearenotorder13769.org was created to help against the fight and offer another resource of information and action - more tools are coming soon and there should be a place in the coming days to add and upload a story in protest and opposition - but I wanted to make sure that I got out something sooner rather than later. More updates on the site as they are made.

Wednesday Night Tóc Tiên ft Suboi - Tâm Điểm Ánh Nhìn

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Binge Catch-Ups: Fresh Off The Boat + Dr. Ken

Monday, February 06, 2017



I've had to catch-up on some episodes of some of my favorite TV shows over the last week or so (as I've missed a decent amount of episodes) and ten years ago I wouldn't be able to talk about shows like FOB and Dr. Ken and the advancements I think we've made in being able to be reflected in prime-time television shows. Definitely not there yet - we've got work to do - but I was watching the last couple of episodes of Dr. Ken and the ensemble cast has really come a long way since season 1 (and I think the switch of having Allison work at Welltopia works out great) with a lot more nuance to the stories (and the fact that they've been given the time to work together is great and hopefully they come up for renewal next season). With FOB - there's just so much there to love there - and it's a pretty straight comedy in that way but that deals also with some interesting topics at time - and the reflective nature with race and being an immigrant, and Asian American - to look back on history in that way - it's something special to watch.

Good TV.

CAAMFest 2017 Early Bird Tickets

Friday, February 03, 2017



Check out all the info @ the CAAM site.

"Last week, CAAM announced that pre-sale, early bird tickets are available for the CAAMFest 2017 Opening Night Film and Gala, Closing Night Film, the All-Access Pass and CAAMFeast Awards. We are excited to announce that starting January 31st, you can also buy early bird tickets to our CAAMFest Centerpiece Documentary and Narrative films. Please see below for more information. The early bird prices listed below are valid January 31st- February 8th unless otherwise noted."

Hyolyn Showcase in New York & Los Angeles

Friday, February 03, 2017


South Korean superstar Hyolyn (from the group Sistar) debuts in the US as a solo artist with showcases in New York and Los Angeles on March 18 and 19 respectively. Renown for her beautiful voice and energetic performances, Hyolyn is excited to be performing full length sets at both locations with limited meet and greets for lucky fans.

Hyolyn will be supported by: DJ Eman (in select cities), Lijah Lu with Taja Barber, and more artists to be announced!

Presented by: Starship Entertainment and Transparent Agency.

The locations and show-times are as follows:

March 18- NEW YORK SHOW
Flash Factory
229 W 28th Street,
New York, NY 10001
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

March 19- LOS ANGELES SHOW
The Mayan
1038 Hill Street,
Los Angeles CA 90015
7 PM- 10 PM.

Ticket Price information:
Early Bird - $40
Pre-sale - $60
VIP Meet and Greet (very limited)- $180


Tickets and Very Limited Meet + Greet will go on sale
Thursday, Feb 9, 2017 at 3pm Eastern Time.

Tickets will be available at http://transparentagency.com/hyolyn