Asian Diaspora's topics - tribe.net

Wall Street Fighter 4

2009-02-18T16:49:34Z

Okay, if you were an Asian American in the 90's

You drove a Honda
and you played

STREET FIGHTER 2!

So, because I love Street Fighter and I'm flat broke because of the financial crisis...

I present to you

WALL STREET FIGHTER 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlpsvq0k4MI

Enjoy

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Stand with Tibet and Support the Dalai Lama Petition

2008-03-21T19:19:34Z

Hey there asian diaspora tribe members,

If you have not already signed this petition to persuade China's President Hu Jintao to sit down with the Dalai Lama and discuss their freedom as a sovereign state, please do so.

As a person of asian heritage, I am appalled that the Chinese government continually refuses to acknowledge the freedom of the Tibetan people, forcing colonization and oppression on such a peaceful and truly world inspiring people. How can we sit by and do nothing, while admiring Buddhist teachings of peace and compassion, and allow those whom we benefit this wisdom from, suffer?

Everyday that this goes on, peaceful protesters are dying, being brutally beaten and imprisoned. So the sooner the Chinese government knows that the rest of the world does not stand for these inhumane injustices, the sooner there is a possibility for change to occur.

www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/

Sign it, cut and paste it, email it, facebook it, do what you need to do to get the message out there please!

Thank you for your reading this and taking our world into your hands.

Sebastian

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Asian-Americans in hip-hop, my documentary idea

2007-11-14T01:42:39Z

Thoughts and feedback welcomed for this documentary idea I've had for a while....

http://people.tribe.net/le4life/blog/c735cc0b-249f-4f9a-936c-ba7e63edd7a0

another documentary I want to write and direct someday is one on Asian-Americans in hip hop. In honor of that, here are some of the artists who are contributing to the movement, with links to pics. Read more info at my myspace blog...
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=116932167&blogID=230602282&Mytoken=E7CA7B56-C9D5-45F7-8E889865FE15193512761076

The Invisible Skratch Piklz, pioneers of the team battle and winners (3 yrs in a row in the early 1990's) of the World DMC's. Member Qbert has long been regarded as the best scratch artist on earth, and Mix Master Mike became the DJ for the Beastie Boys. They disbanded in 2000 and are all working separately now. Qbert recently invented the QFO, a single turntable/mixer instrument.
http://www.djtimes.com/original/djmag/may00/images/F1-b.JPG
http://www.hiphopslam.com/news/g/022/phot_Qbert-QFO.jpg

Tyra from Saigon: composer, pianist, guitarist, and scratch DJ, one of the many fine ladies featured on Femaleswitfunk.com
http://www.femaleswitfunk.com/fwf2/bioimages/tfs.jpg

DJ Mike Relm. If you're ever lucky enough to catch him on tour, you'll be treated to some synchronized music and cinematic montage. The fuker sets up a live system where he has edited footage (mostly from random films) that he can manipulate when scratching his vinyl.
http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/12/04/lv_clubland20c_at.jpg

Kid Koala, scratch DJ and downtempo producer. I just had to include him cuz I don't know many artists (much less Asian-American ones) who do his style of music.
http://image.listen.com/img/356x237/4/0/7/6/506704_356x237.jpg

Mike Shinoda got his claim to fame with Linkin Park, but then went on to form his own hip hop band Fort Minor, whose debut album featured a track about his Japanese-American family's internment during World War II.
http://www.rafu.com/images/mike_shinoda_2.jpg

Lyrics Born, MC from Berkeley/Oakland (hooray!!!) who has worked with artists and producers such as DJ Shadow.
http://media.musictoday.com/store/bands/926/product_medium/IVCD118.jpg

Native Guns = two MC's and one DJ. In addition to their collaborative album, they also do a lot of community and youth work. And they're in Oakland, yaaayyy!!!
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/beatrock/c74d0ee5.jpg

Chad Hugo is one half of The Neptunes and one third of N.E.R.D. He produced his first song (Rump Shaker) with Pharrell Williams when they were both 18.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/collective/dnaimages/040319/nerd.jpg

If Solow is part of the Southern Cali-based crew featured in Hypen Magazine and the documentary Rize, then he must be a member of The Rice Track, one of the few (if not only) groups of Asians in the underground dance scene known as krumping.
http://www.krumpkings.com/images/bio/solow.gif

Several years back, Jin made his television debut on BET 106 & Park's Freestyle Friday competition and ended up beating seven consecutive challengers, becoming the show's longest running champion. He then got signed onto the Ruff Ryders label but his debut album flopped. He has been releasing albums with other labels since and continuing to win MC battles all over the world.
http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/vlimgdata/4562134332762.jpg

I don't know if these fools are actually with any record label, but if you find any of their albums or songs online (I'm sure they have a Myspace) you might get quite a laugh. Three Chinamen from NYC rapping about the perils of being Asian in America.
http://www.escapist.net/receptacle/images/notoriousmsg.jpg

The Far East Movement, sort of like Notorious MSG but not as much absurdity and they're probably more attractive too. Passionate lyrics about what it means to be Asian-American. They got their first track deal by being on the soundtrack for Fast & the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.
http://www.theplatform2006.com/photo/random/GROUP1.jpg

Miss Info, radio personality and host who got into an argument on the air with her fellow DJ's at Hot 97 in NYC. The station had recently released a song poking fun at the tsunami disaster which had just struck Southeast Asia. Apparently, she was the only one there who thought the song was too racist and insensitive.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c286/silentkilla_911/Miss.jpg

Jeff Chang, Berkeley graduate and hip hop author/editor. One of his recent books Can't Stop Won't Stop has been hailed as the best scholastic/literary work on this music culture.
http://mcc.studentaffairs.duke.edu/images/cantstop.gif
http://www.giantpeachnews.com/news/db/archives/jeff_chang.gif

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

American Born Chinese by Gene Yang

2007-05-11T03:50:15Z

Has anyone read this graphic novel? According to the author the stereotypes are supposed to make one feel uncomfortable. Read link below:

http://firstsecondbooks.typepad.com/mainblog/2007/05/gene_yang_on_st.html

What makes me more uncomfortable are some of the comments made on MySpace, by people who didn't even read the book. Who knew there were so many racists on MySpace?

http://www1.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=books.feature&asin=1596431520

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

hi pips! join us here!

2007-03-20T19:23:34Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/galingngpinoy thanks. see yah!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

A new generation of Twinkies

2007-01-30T11:21:44Z

Not that I care anymore, but check out the new breed of Twinkies next time y'all visit SF:

ABC Twinkie Sellouts 2006:

Qualifications:

1) Yellow on the outside
2) White Supremacist on the inside

This used to be a joke from my stand-up routine, but sadly it is growing truer every day. Ugh.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 7 replies

18 Mighty Mountain Warriors

2007-01-18T03:20:17Z

http://upcoming.org/event/85363/

Did anyone see this? If so, how was it?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

Third Thursdays: How I Helped Save the World (San Francisco)

2007-01-15T07:44:03Z

hey folks,

I'm moderating a panel this week that's featuring some very cool people. If you're looking for inspiration around getting involved with the social causes you're passionate about, come hear these folks speak!

Gary

* * *

How I Helped Save the World

Thursday, January 18, 2007
7:00-9:30pm
Japanese Cultural & Community Center
1840 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

to rsvp :
http://www.thirdthursdays.org/rsvp.php

Do your New Year's resolutions include getting involved with a
non-profit or social cause? Looking for ideas or inspiration on how to
get started?

Our eclectic set of featured panelists will share stories on how they
identified niches and how they've created sustainable, meaningful ways
to get engaged with the community.

Confirmed panelists include:

Le Tim Ly
Liberation Ink
http://liberationink.com

Alice Ng
Animals Asia Foundation, USA Representative
http://www.animalsasia.org/?module=9&menupos=3&submenupos=8

Villy Wang
BAYCAT, Executive Director and Co-founder
http://www.baycat.org/html/aboutUs/villy.htm
http://www.kqed.org/arts/places/profile.jsp?id=4204

Moderated by:

Gary Chou
MANJA
http://manja.org

Pricing Plan:
recommended donation w/dinner: $10, $15 or $20
recommended donation for program and refreshments
only: $5

no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
donation supports refreshments, room rental, and
any honoria or fee waivers

Questions:
email questioncomment@thirdthursdays.org

To RSVP:
Please fill rsvp @
http://www.thirdthursdays.org/rsvp.php by
Wednesday, January 17th at 5pm.

Schedule:
7:00-7:15PM: Registration
7:15-8:15PM: Panel Discussion
8:15-9:15PM: Dinner & Discussion Groups
9:15-9:20PM: Wrap up & Shout outs*

*If an organization you work or volunteer for has an upcoming event or
opportunities to publicize, you can do a shout out. At a future event,
we may ask you to update us on event or opportunities you presented.

About Third Thursdays

Third Thursdays is a monthly dinner series for people in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors interested in Asian American & Pacific Islander (AA&PI) community issues and service opportunities. Each event seeks to educate the audience about an important issue or work in the API community and provide ways for audience members to get involved. Our events are located in San Francisco or Berkeley. The South Bay version of Third Thursdays, First Thursdays, started in 2004.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

The demise of AZN TV.

2007-01-15T07:06:01Z

So, for the longest time, folks lamented the lack of an Asian American TV network featuring Asian American programming (as opposed to simply playing language-specific programs here in states: wacky Japanese game shows, tear-jerking Korean soap operas, epic Bollywood films etc...)

Then, all of a sudden, two major players emerged pretty much out of nowhere: AZN (formerly the International Channel), and Imaginasian.

AZN was purchased by Comcast sometime last year, and Imaginasian, as far as I know is a privately funded venture.

Anyways, it looks like AZN is getting the shaft, which kinda sucks b/c they apparently had a bunch of Asian American shows in development that now may never see the light of day.

Further, they're about to do something really cool, which is an awards show featuring Asian American artists/entertainers and the like.

No love.

Jeff Yang's got the scoop on AZN:

A 24-hour channel featuring unique original programming for Asian Americans, backed by the biggest and most powerful entity in the cable business? It seemed too good to be true. And apparently it was.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/12/08/apop.DTL

Here's a link to the awards show:
http://www.azntv.com/axa/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

where's everyone from?

2007-01-05T18:50:12Z

So, based upon what I know of Tribe's overall demographics, I'd say the majority of folks are from the Bay Area, with decent representation from NY and LA.

Where's everyone else at?

And moreover, how's the select of asian restaurants where you live?

I'm in SF, and have particularly enjoyed the range of restaurants it has to offer--there's excellent, traditional style sushi (i'm a snob), burmese food, and tons of the usual suspects: korean, indian, vietnamese, chinese, etc...

posted in Asian Diaspora - 20 replies

Hey guys join my tribe VENTITNOW

2006-11-21T20:44:08Z

Hey guys, I've just started a new tribe called "Vent it Now" Here's the
URL: http://tribes.tribe.net/ventitnow?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5Bd91cfd23-1187-498c-ab9c-1621ea84dc62%5D

You guys can post whatever you want and your views on the world. I want to hear your controversial topics and foster debate.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Yup a new member

2006-11-03T15:50:41Z

Hey Asians. Tribe has now become my life. Me?--Ia half White half Japanese American. Looks Asian, but thinks globally--grew up in South East Asia and Japan. Hate Stereotypical attitudes towards Asian but not in despair. Love to meet others within the same gandra who wish to break down social barriers and attitudes not only between Asians and Anglos but also between Asians themselves. BTW here's an interesting article--
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/02/china.richest.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest
& this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6039296.stm

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

the new white flight

2006-08-18T23:36:43Z

This Wall Street Journal article's been making the rounds, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here.

The New White Flight: In Silicon Valley, two high schools with outstanding academic reputations are losing white students as Asian students move in. Why?
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB113236377590902105-lMyQjAxMDE1MzEyOTMxNjkzWj.html

Lots of in depth coverage here:

Sepia Mutiny
http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/002564.html

Poplicks
http://poplicks.com/2005/11/new-white-flight-really.html

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

Get $50 for participation in study on Bay Area party scene!

2006-04-11T18:02:26Z

Hi! This is a project funded by a non-profit social science research organization. I am looking for Asian Americans and Asians who have attended dance/club/rave events to participate in an interview covering the issues noted below. The Institute for Scientific Analysis is a non-profit academic research institute and is conducting interviews for a sociological research study on ethnic identity, the culture of the club/rave/dance scenes and the culture of drug use. We are interviewing people from a variety of Asian ethnic backgrounds, including Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Thais, and others. The interviews are face-to-face, and participants should currently reside in the greater Bay Area. If you qualify, you will receive $50 for your time. The interview is completely confidential and no identifying information will be associated with it. The data is used only for academic and research purposes, and most of our results are published in academic journals and presented at sociology/youth culture conferences. For more information, please call our office at 510.865.6225 or email: isainfo@sonic.net. We will need to speak with each person who is interested in participating so that we can describe the details of the interview process and ask some questions to determine eligibility.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

new french movie by vietnamese french director

2006-04-05T19:52:34Z

I stumbled upon an article from the Turkish Daily News about a new French movie 'Le Sheitan' by a Vietnamese french director, opening in February. It's a litle hard to tell exactly what the movie is about, but it seems to focus on the lives of mult-ethnic youth in the gritty suburbs of Paris. The movie's timely as there were riots and arson attacks in similar Paris suburbs three months ago.

The movie features Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel (Brotherhood of the Wolf) and includes a french vietnamese actor too. I'm not too familiar with french movies, but the director and the article say there aren't many french movies showing a diverse France.

So does any know of any movies that showcases Asians or other asian groups in France?

Here's the article url. Sorry you have to register: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=33721

gavin

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

James Shigeta @ AS AM FILM FEST

2006-03-15T00:56:13Z

Spotlight is on James Shigeta, the classic Japanese American actor(CRIMSON KIMONO, BRIDGE TO THE SUN, WALK LIKE A DRAGON)

After the screening of CRIMSON KIMONO, March 18 (Sat.) playing at the Castro 3:00pm, there will be a conversation with James Shigeta.

Watch his film and listen to what he has to say about it.

mike

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Where are the radical Asians in Kansas City?

2006-03-08T07:10:28Z

Hello people,

Just moved to KC, MO from Chicago and I would really like to know if there are any leftist, political Asian Americans here to hang out with. I've seen a good number of others Asians around town - so I know we're here!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
P.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Yellow Fever Video

2006-02-24T01:43:44Z

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5847984513475560733

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Tribe

2006-02-13T23:08:10Z

Hi folks,

Just wanted to give you a little preview of the new AsianAmericanFilm tribe. It's the official tribe for discussion for this year's festival.

You can check it out here (feel free to join):
http://asianamericanfilm.tribe.net

Also, if you're in the Bay Area, come out to the launch party on Thursday:
http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/event/LAUNCH-PARTY-San-Francisco-International-Asian-American-Film-Festival/san-francisco-ca-94105/9980e9be-f2fc-4267-9138-49ac5273a566

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Happy New Year - Crazy asian guy dancing video

2006-01-29T19:42:39Z

Hope this video brings you some laughter for the new year.

http://www.asiannetworking.com/movies/ThanhVietnam.swf

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

the asians are coming, the asians are coming

2006-01-19T06:18:57Z

hey folks, if you're up here in the Bay Area, I'm moderating a really great panel that's talking about the effect of the internet/blogging on Asian American independent media.

check out the details here:
http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/event/the-asians-are-coming-the-asians-are-coming/san-francisco-ca/8fedf460-77b5-4df2-915a-fc2ee8e80a57

it's next thursday, january 19th.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

Memoirs of a Geisha

2006-01-19T05:27:34Z

So the book to movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" is coming out, and I've already heard on the news that it's getting Oscar attention. However, the newsguy pointed out that critics may be against it because the main characters are not Japanese, and the film was shot in a L.A. film studio. But really how authentic can they get since the book was written by a non-asian, and the characters will not be speaking in Japanese?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

Green Eggs and Ham (or at least the ham) in Taiwan.

2006-01-18T19:07:47Z

Those wacky Taiwanese scientists have made a glow-in-the-dark green pig:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4605202.stm

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

A Harold and Kumar sequel!

2006-01-16T12:09:10Z

http://www.cinematical.com/2005/12/09/more-harold-and-kumar/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

Bay Area Asian Women

2006-01-11T16:17:07Z

Anybody here want to do something fun, intelligent, and courageous towards celebration of women's bodies?

Check out my listing below entitled, "Calling Women . . . "

or go to www.bodynarrative.com

I am really need of women of Asian decent to join this project. I hope you'll consider it

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Pat Morita dies

2006-01-03T03:45:05Z

This got pretty good coverage in the media, but is well worth mentioning here:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=pat+morita&btnG=Search+News

Here's the Washington Post Article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/25/AR2005112500990.html

Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, 73; Played 'Karate Kid' Teacher
By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 26, 2005; Page B04

Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, 73, whose portrayal of the wise and sly master teacher in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, died Nov. 24 at his home in Las Vegas.

There were conflicting reports about the cause of death. His daughter Aly Morita said he died of heart failure at a Las Vegas hospital. His longtime manager, Arnold Soloway, said the actor died of kidney failure at a hospital while awaiting a transplant.

As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san" in the 1984 movie, Mr. Morita taught karate and such skills as how to catch flies with chopsticks. He lost the Academy Award for best supporting actor to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields." But he won more roles, including three "Karate Kid" sequels, the last one in 1994 with actress Hilary Swank.

An experienced stand-up comic and comic actor, Mr. Morita had previously been best known for his recurring role in the 1970s and 1980s as the excitable malt shop owner Arnold on the popular television series "Happy Days." He also was a regular on "Sanford and Son" as Lamont's buddy Ah Chew. He was the first Japanese American to star in a television series with the leading role in "Mr. T and Tina," which aired in 1976.

He had worked frequently in movies since the 1980s and provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998. He had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mr. Morita's success in Hollywood was a long way from his start as the son of migrant fruit pickers in the fields and groves of Northern California. He contracted spinal tuberculosis at the age of 2, and when he was finally able to walk unassisted, he and his family were forced into the World War II-era internment camp at Manzanar, Calif.

"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 interview with the Associated Press. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."

After being released, the family opened a restaurant in Sacramento, serving Chinese cuisine because of lingering anti-Japanese prejudice. "You get the picture?" he once said to the Los Angeles Times. "A Japanese family running a Chinese restaurant in a black neighborhood with a clientele of blacks, Filipinos and everybody else who didn't fit in any of the other neighborhoods."

He eventually became a data processor with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, then secured a graveyard-shift job at Aerojet-General Corp. At age 30, he made the make-or-break decision to go into comedy full time.

His first appearances were in small clubs, until he was asked to fill in for entertainer Don Ho at a 2,000-seat hall in Hawaii. Mr. Morita unexpectedly found himself facing a huge crowd of World War II veterans, many of them disabled. They were there to observe the 25th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

"If you're a comic, these are the moments when you have to prove you've really got it," he told the San Jose Mercury News in 1998. "So, I began by telling them I wanted to apologize, on behalf of my people, for screwing up their harbor."

The vets roared. He went on to build a two-decade career in nightclubs, but not until he began making movies was he was able to develop a believable Japanese accent. He won the audition for the sensei in "The Karate Kid" even though he had no martial arts experience and the producers wanted a Japanese rather than a Japanese American actor. He agreed to use his given name, Noriyuki, rather than his stage name of Pat, for the credits, to make him sound more ethnic.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and three daughters from a previous marriage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 6 replies

Adoption

2005-12-16T02:21:53Z

A friend of mine pointed me to this recently:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlicbreath/106937.html

Here's an excerpt (there's a lot of context I'm ripping out b/c I don't want to cut and paste the whole thing):

"Last week, I overheard an exchange between two adoptees, one who was decidedly pro-overseas adoptions (at the very least in his case) and one who has been organizing around stopping Korea from sending kids abroad for adoption."

What a complicated issue.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Need Support - On October 31, ImaginAsian TV is going off the air in San Francisco.

2005-12-16T01:20:56Z

On October 31, ImaginAsian TV, the first 24/7 Asian American TV network, is going off the air in San Francisco.

Since iaTV’s inception, we’ve provided Asians in the U.S. with a much-needed voice, and we hope to continue to do so in San Francisco, a city with one of the largest Asian populations.

Despite viewer demand, Comcast has declined to carry iaTV in San Francisco—even at no cost to them. The SF community has the power to change this. Asian Americans deserve a choice of media, but we need to take action.

Here's how we need you to help:

1. Call Comcast SF toll free at 1-800-945-2288 to request ImaginAsian TV as part of their channel lineup.

2. Write a letter of support for iaTV and send it to Comcast: http://www.comcast.com/ContactUs/CustomerService.asp. You can use our sample letter (http://www.iatv.tv/getiatv/sample_letter.php) or write your own.

3. Send us a copy of your letter with our online form: http://www.iatv.tv/getiatv/form_letter.php. We will present all amassed letters to Comcast.

4. Spread the word and pass this email on - http://www.iatv.tv/getiatv/tellafriend.php

For more info about the campaign and how you can help, visit http://www.iatv.tv/getiatv/inthebay.php.

Thanks!

iaTV

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Chinese American Women's Health Study

2005-12-12T14:15:33Z

If any of you meet the criteria for this, would you please take this online survey? Thank you.
********************
If you are a Chinese American woman between the ages of 18-30, your
participation is needed on a research study on the relationships
between eating habits, personality style, and cultural identity. Your
participation would require 5-10 minutes of your time to fill out
online questionnaires. All responses are anonymous.

This is a dissertation study being conducted by a doctoral candidate
at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant
International University, San Francisco.

For more information or if you are interested in participating, please
visit http://students.alliant.edu/schang/overview.html
You can also e-mail the researcher at chinesewomenhealth@yahoo.com.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Club/Drug Research in Guangdong, China

2005-12-12T05:48:44Z

Howdy, everyone!!! Well, I've been in China for two weeks and didn't get to really party until last night. Finally got a solid feel of the illicit drug market in this area. I'm currently in my hometown of Zhongshan, located in the southeast province of Guangdong, which is the only part of the country where Cantonese (instead of Mandarin) is the primary language. Let me say in advance that everything I report pertains to what's happening in Zhongshan. China is huge and has tons of people, as most of you probably know. So the drug & music scenes outside of my hometown may be quite different.

Anyway, my cousins, their friends, and I hit up one of the major clubs downtown. Inside, the DJs were playing what I would best describe as hard trance energy remixes of Chinese pop songs. The only music more popular than this are the original versions of those pop songs. If you go shopping, you would hear one or the other being played at any given store. Among Zhongshan youths, dance music is far more mainstream than rock or hip hop.

I had been at this club and others during previous returns to
Zhongshan, but never really did any blackmarket research before. There are no age restrictions, ID checks, admission fees, or even security pat-downs at the door. The catch is that as soon as you walk in, waitresses sit your party down at a table where you must order a round of beer. Funny, I never asked why, but they never offer any other kind of alcohol. And I'm not sure if patrons can walk up to the bar to order their own drinks. In any case, it seems that beer is the only
form of alcohol served and the only way these venues make $$. One does not have to be a certain age to purchase booze either, though I didn't get any sense that this has caused any problems around youth drinking. However, this business of beer at these clubs creates a much higher rate of poly-drug/alcohol use than what I've noticed in California.

The Chinese slang term for ecstasy literally means "head-shaking pill." So what you'd find at a club is a lot of people shaking their heads. I don't know if this dance style inspired the slang term, or the other way around. The point is that this is an easy way of figuring out who's rolling. Not that this is the best way to measure the rate of substance use at a party, but roughly ten percent of everyone inside were doing that dance, in addition to having that e-tarded look that I've seen on so many faces before, including my own, hehehe. Well, a lot of people who would have been on e really had no choice but to just shake their head, granted that the dance floor was relatively small. The majority of the space was filled with tables. Plus on the side, there are karaoke rooms that are rented out for the night. You and your friends can sing, or you can switch the TV to live footage & music from the dance floor. It's like having your own private rave. So I'm not surprised when folks tell me that the most drug use occurs in the karaoke rooms.

I told my cousin to score whatever he could for me. When his friend arrived, he got a pill, three joints, and a bag of k. I had picked up another pill at his house a week earlier. One is white with a V and the other tan with a C. I'm currently debating if I should spend $200+ to submit these tablets to EcstasyData.org for adulterant testing. But primarily, I wanted to see how easy it would be to get drugs inside
these clubs, and it was quite a piece of cake. Security didn't seem to give a shit about anything. The dealers were making transactions with their customers outside the restrooms with staff walking right past them. My cousin even told me I could smoke the joints out in the open. He also said that instead of smoking it orally, marijuana users inhale it nasally. In other words, snorting the joint? That was the weirdest thing I'd ever tried. The joints were also as thin as toothpicks, literally. If this is the kind of herb that's available in the area, no wonder marijuana is not the most widely used illicit substance like it is in the U.S. In Zhongshan, cocaine, e, and k all seem to be more popular than weed.

The preferred substance to smoke, for many Chinese by the way, is tobacco. Cigarette smoking is far more prevalent and socially accepted in China than in America. Teenagers start at an average of an earlier age and adults puff right in front of children, which means even babies second-hand smoke. Fuking sucks.

Anyway, back to the illegal drugs again, which I spent about 450 yen on. One U.S. dollar equals about 7.5 yen. The average Chinese income is lower than the average American one, but so is the average cost of living. 100 yen can buy you nearly two days' worth of meals at a standard restaurant. 150 yen bought us a round of probably fifteen bottles of Calsberg at our table. A single e pill, however, ran 100 yen. So if you ever take a vacation in Zhongshan, know that shopping,
dining, housing, and commuting will all be very cheap for your
American ass. But if you wanna do drugs, get ready to exchange some serious currency. Shit, just my luck, hahaha!!!

All joking aside, China has one of the largest drug-related health crises in the world right now. The rate of drug addiction and HIV infection among syringe users has been climbing rapidly for years. This is probably one of the reasons that the cocaine scene is somewhat isolated from the other drug scenes. My cousin who had the hook-ups at the club referred me to my other cousin for coke, but that other cousin recommended against trying to find blow cuz of the heightened risks of getting caught with it. He also said that nowadays, users are sticking to e and k cuz these drugs don't have the same addiction potential that everyone has witnessed with coke, and probably heroin and speed too, though I don't hear much about them in Zhongshan.

The health problem has grown so large that official discussions for needle exchange are actually taking place, despite how repressively anti-drug the government has always been. My cousin said that capital punishment is the sentence for being caught with a kilo+ of any illegal substance. Different sources estimate that drug dealers are
executed on a daily basis in China. On at least one occassion, China has held an anti-drug summit where criminals were lined up in front of a crowd for display before being sent to the firing squad. With these type of policies being carried out, one would think that no one in his right mind would sell drugs. That my cousins and I were able to walk into the club and openly score what we did in a few hours lends much weight against the criminal injustice system known as our drug war.

To top it all off, there is practically no drug education or harm
reduction in Zhongshan. I saw a random ass commercial showing shots of patients exercising at a rehab cut with scenic shots of China. The voice-over was in Mandarin, which I don't understand, but my cousin said that they're just telling the viewer not to do drugs. If this is the only information being distributed around illegal substances, then no wonder there's a public health crisis. If DanceSafe can ever get the funding to translate its literature into Chinese, I would definitely spearhead the project. But even my contact in Hong Kong
says that our information isn't anti-drug enough to garner support from their government, which funds the outreach agencies there, so in the mainland, it would be even more impossible. But like I said, needle exchange may take place in China in the future, and since needle exchange is one of the major harm reduction services that inspired the founding of DanceSafe, the situation may not be all that impossible after all...

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

Recent Budget Cuts

2005-12-09T17:31:36Z

Boy, I'm totally out of touch with what's going on in Congress. Never even knew these were coming down the pipeline:

http://www.apiahf.org/policy/news/PolicyUpdate0512.htm

Thanks to this listing:
http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/listing/for-more-info-on-the-cuts/san-francisco-ca/3f2ca63c-eacc-49cb-86c6-ff924026d968

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Asian and American, entranced by words

2005-12-05T16:14:58Z

Review of Asian American poets Victoria Chang, R. Zamora Linmark and Ed Bok Lee

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/04/RVGMHFU0V41.DTL

Ed Bok Lee has also performed as a slam poet, and I had a chance to see him perform a few years ago. Dude is pretty dope.

http://edboklee.com/
http://www.victoriamchang.com/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Moderator change

2005-11-29T19:57:42Z

Hi folks, I've taken over moderatorship of the tribe b/c Johnny hasn't been around, and b/c we're starting to get some unwanted spam here.

I'm happy to stay on, or to step aside if Johnny ever comes back, but for now I wanted to make sure this tribe didn't get polluted with off-topic posts.

I've deleted the previous off-topic posts by Rosita and asked her to post listings in the future.

As a side note, anyone have suggestions for a main photo?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

Club Scene Research in Hong Kong

2005-11-26T20:20:38Z

I am currently in my motherland on a multi-purpose trip. Before arriving to the mainland, I was in Hong Kong for five nights and got the chance to do some fascinating research on the local party drug scene. I visited the University of HK and interviewed Karen Laidler, associate dean of the Social Sciences dept. For years, she has been doing extensive studies on the illicit drug market in Hong Kong. I also got in touch with Cecelia Ho, a social worker I originally met at a conference in Seattle in 2002 who also happens to be one of Karen's students.

On Saturday night, Cecelia and her colleagues had some students in town from the nearby University of Macau. They were to take the students on a tour of the local dance clubs to show them what type of issues they encounter in their outreach work. Cecelia invited me to join them as the DanceSafe representative from America. What an honor, though I was a bit nervous since my Cantonese isn't all that great. But they all said it was fine, and I got to go club-hopping all over Hong Kong for free, so I couldn't really complain. It's hard for me to describe what the venues are like in terms of health & regulation because each one deals with age restrictions, liquor licenses, drug dealers/users, building safety codes, etc quite differently.

Although I got to check out about five different spots, the main one we visited was Cyber 8, which has been operating for about four years, is the hottest & largest club in Hong Kong, and stays open until 8am. The night before, police had arrested over thirty patrons there for possession/sales of drugs. The manager gave us a briefing of how they run the place, had us tour the facilities, and let us take a bunch of pictures. In some ways, it was much like any legitimate dance venue I've been to in the Bay Area, and in other ways, somewhat different. As the DJ switched between house, trance, hip hop, and R&B, more and more people started packing the place up. Security with a metal detector checked everyone in at the door, although they seemed a bit sloppy or lazy cuz they didn't check my bag too hard. Inside, anti-drug posters were plastered everywhere, including in the restrooms.

The one incident that occured which disappointed me was seeing a girl who couldn't even stand up straight. Her boyfriend was trying to hold her up, but to no avail cuz he was just as wasted. A security personnel told him to carry her out. As he tried his best to, and as his friends and people in my group watched him try, this asshole began scolding us to hurry and help get her out. He was simulatenously escorting us out and bitching at us for being useless & slow. Eventually, we got her outside to some fresh air where she got better. She had only drank, and another friend she was with thanked us for helping. Cecelia and I were equally saddened by the lack of compassion and professionalism on the part of that security personnel. There was a time in San Francisco when club security just dumped any fucked up patrons on the side like trash. Now, a lot of venues have on-site EMTs roaming around with security and often make sure you're all right before they kick your ass out. Being used to those type of protocols, I was caught a bit off-guard by how poorly that incident was handled by the Cyber 8 staff. Anyway, several members stayed to booth a table while the rest of us moved onto seeing the other sites. One good thing I can say about Cyber 8 is that they allow outreach booths to set up regularly.

Because the programs that serve youths are government-funded, anything that isn't 100% anti-drug have zero chance of operating anywhere in Hong Kong. So they are limited to distributing info that only says "Drugs kill," "Just say no," etc (such as the posters at Cyber 8). But they also do other cool stuff such as go to parties and test kids' blood pressure, respiratory rate, hydration levels, etc. Once they get the results on-site, they usually sit the kids down to discuss the results, do peer counseling, and sucker them into becoming a volunteer. I gave Cecelia a bunch of advice on how outreach workers in the U.S. have gained mainstream support from authorities & established insititutions without compromising their philosophy & goals. Hope my words help her.

In terms of raves, they are close to non-existent in Hong Kong, mainly because of police crackdowns. When they did occur, they had many parallels to the Hollywood party scene in the U.S. in the sense that events are generally quite expensive and its participants includes pop celebrities. Thus, tabloid press reports on raves a lot, making media coverage of Hong Kong raves that much more sensationalistic and unreliable. Another interesting fact about the local party scene is that ketamine has surpassed ecstasy in prevalence and popularity. In fact, according to professor Karen Laidler, K can easily be found outside of dance venues, but not E. In addition, she says that most issues around substance use or abuse hasn't changed much because they have just continued at the clubs. In other words, authorities have succeeded at stopping raves, but not drugs.

So now, I'm in Canton where my research & partying continues. The scene is even more interesting here. More to come...

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

Kollektiv SF - The Sound of Breaking Ground

2005-11-05T17:37:49Z

The Kollektiv passport is stamped with sonic footprints from travels to New York, Burning Man, DC, San Diego, Chicago and now San Francisco.

For the launch party Kollektiv welcome Special Guest and originator (with Talvin Singh) of the Asian Underground sound 'State of Bengal'. Add to the mix Karsh Kale's live electronic tabla set and Janaka Selekta's heavyweight world breakbeat sounds and you have a one of a kind show. If this were not enough production designers, Bhangra music and dance performances get things festive. Don’t miss the last WORLDLY-eque show till mid 2006!

Main Room /Kollektiv Residents
Karsh Kale (Tabla Beat Science/Six Degrees)
Janaka Selekta (Dhamaal)
Maneesh the Twister (Dhamaal)
Skip Intro (Dhamaal)

With Very Special Guest: State State of Bengal (Betelnutrecords, Anokha, Sounds of the Asian Underground)

World Breaks Lounge
Soulsalaam (Hypomadic)
DJ Dragonfly (the Groove Garden)
Wolfie (Mutaytor)

Listen to Kollektiv Music Mix @ www.kollektivmusic.com

DNA Lounge
Friday November 11, 2005
375 Eleventh St @ Folsom
21 + : 9pm-2:00am
$10 Email Sign up
info@dhamaalsf.com :$15 @ Door
www.dhamaalsf.com/Worldly/worldly_1.html

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Mister Sulu comes out of the closet

2005-11-02T13:37:14Z

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/28/people.georgetakei.ap/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 7 replies

Need 3rd party credibility

2005-10-04T21:44:56Z

A workplace conversation that happened this morning:

Me: Man, I was so tired behind the wheel this morning I was a menace on the road.

Friend/Coworker: You mean you were driving shitty like every other Asian driver out there... (me slightly pissed) You know I'm just playing, right?

Me: I know, but that's like telling a N____ joke to a black person and saying you were just playing, you retard.

Friend/Coworker: (unironically) OK, fine. (Trying to be more PC) basically repeats original remark.

Me: OK. I think I've had enough of this conversation.

So this is where I need your help:
My coworker thinks that based on 2 years of friendship and working together, he is entitled to make these remarks, and that if I react badly to these remarks (which i did), it's not really his problem, so much as my inability to budget my own internal issues. I know this might make sense to a white person who thinks he knows about other races (chinese girlfriend, couple asian/hispanic friends, etc.), but to me this is total bullshit. Would love 3rd party Asian feedback on this, regardless of what side you're on. thanks....

posted in Asian Diaspora - 21 replies

Bay Area Study on AA Rave culture

2005-08-17T00:37:01Z

I just called to request my participation. Apparently, I've done more than enough partying to qualify for the study :) They need more interviews, so check it out. It's confidential, and you earn $50.

Asian Americans and Asians Get $50 cash for
participating in research!

The Institute for Scientific Analysis is a
non-profit academic research institute and is
conducting interviews for a sociological research
study on ethnic identity, the culture of the
club/rave/dance scenes and the culture of drug
use. We are interviewing people from a variety of
Asian ethnic backgrounds, including Chinese,
Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Vietnamese,
Indonesians, Thais, and others. The interviews
are face-to-face, and participants should
currently reside in the greater Bay Area. If you
qualify, you will receive $50 for your time.

The interview is completely confidential and no
identifying information will be associated with
it. The data is used only for academic and
research purposes, and most of our results are
published in academic journals and presented at
sociology/youth culture conferences.

For more information, please call our office at
510.865.6225 or email: isainfo@sonic.net . We
will need to speak with each person who is
interested in participating so that we can
describe the details of the interview process and
ask some questions to determine eligibility.

The interviews typically last 3-4 hours and you
receive $50 cash at the end of the interview.
There will also be the opportunity to earn
additional money for friends you refer to the
study that complete the interview. The people at
the office are nice folks so call today. Pass it
on. Thanks.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

August's Third Thursdays: Youth Mentorship in the API Community

2005-08-09T18:35:45Z

For folks in the Bay Area, this is an event that I helped put together:

* * *

August's Third Thursdays: Youth Mentorship in the
API Community

Did you wish you had someone to answer "important"
questions when you were growing up?

Our next Third Thursdays panel will explore
questions concerning the importance of Asian
Americans' involvement as youth mentors. What do
APIAs offer as role models for future
generations? What is asked of people who commit
to mentoring youth? Join us at the next Third
Thursdays as our speakers answer these questions
and more.

Confirmed panelists include:
* David Kakishiba
Executive Director
East Bay Asian Youth Center

* Carol Park
Board Member and Mentor
Korean American Mentorship Program

Thursday, August 18th
7-9:30pm
Japanese Cultural & Community Center
1840 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
rsvp now at
http://www.thirdthursdays.org/rsvp.html

Pricing Plan:
recommended donation w/dinner: $10, $15 or $20
recommended donation for program
and refreshments only: $5
no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
donation supports refreshments, room rental, and
any honoria or fee waivers

Questions:
email info@thirdthursdays.org

To RSVP:
Please fill out the rsvp form at
http://www.thirdthursdays.org/rsvp.html by
Tuesday, August 16th at 5pm.

Schedule:
7:00-7:15PM: Registration
7:15-8:15PM: Panel Discussion
8:15-9:15PM: Dinner & Discussion Groups
9:15-9:20PM: Wrap up & Shout outs

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Better Luck Tomorrow

2005-08-03T15:17:26Z

Who has seen this film, and what are your thoughts regarding the emergence of positive-portrayal Asian-American film?

Also, when is the AA film festival?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

Bizarre Japanese products

2005-08-01T23:17:59Z

Without resorting to a translation site like Babelfish or something, guess what these are?

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/arune/480729/599484/588619/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 11 replies

White Rabbit Candy

2005-07-27T06:06:39Z

Hey, what the fuck happened to the White rabbit candy? It used to be just right, nice and chewy, but now you get it and you bite into it and it breaks into a million hard ass pieces. Fuck that. I've found another brand here in China that seems like it should be, called Golden Monkey. Do they have that back in the US?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 16 replies

Star War: Episode III, The Backstroke of the West

2005-07-26T17:37:40Z

If you wait for this very slow page to load, it has screenshots of a pirated Chinese Star Wars Episode III DVD on it. The subtitles were translated from:

English--Chinese--Back to English

Since there was so much lost in translation, the new English subtitles came out pretty funny, for instance, the title is not "Revenge of the Sith" anymore. It's "Backstroke of the West."

http://www.winterson.com.nyud.net:8090/2005/06/episode-iii-backstroke-of-west.html

My favorites include:

"He is in my behind"
"R2, do you is fucking!"
"He big in nothing important in good elephant"
"The front is a lemon avenue flying straightly"

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

The Problem with Twinkies, Bananas, and Asian-American Women

2005-07-24T21:00:10Z

What are your feelings on Twinkies, Bananas, whitewashed Asian-American Women, and dorky ugly white guys who have hot Asian girlfriends?

If you're female, why would you choose to marry/fuck an ugly white guy over an attractive virile Asian man of the same socio-economic class?

If any of you think I'm being flip or dramatic, I openly invite you to visit San Francisco and take a look around.

I'm not trying to incite drama. So let's keep the conversation civil and avoid the usual "Let's personally attack Justin" bullshit. Thanks! :)

posted in Asian Diaspora - 55 replies

superstitious parents

2005-07-24T04:44:26Z

does anyone else have extremely superstitious asian parents? partake in superstition yourself? i went through a really major breakup several months ago, and my mom insists that i get these specific facial freckles removed to rid me of my bad relationship mojo. after months of her nagging, i'm thinking about just going to the dermatologist to appease her and make her feel better that my freckles will not prevent her from having future grandchildren someday. sigh*

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

Untold Stories of World War Two

2005-07-21T04:29:07Z

Hi everyone,

I recently spoke to Roger Han of the Alliance for Preserving the Truth of Sino-Japanese War, the group that's keeping the flame of truth alive about the horrors the Japanese soldiers (and high-ranking officers) inflicted upon the millions of Chinese people. The most famous incident would have to be the Rape of Nanking, where in one month (December 1937), hundreds of thousands of Chinese women were raped, tortured, and executed in one city, Nanking.

Several books and documentaries have been produced about this tale of genocide, but the truth still needs to fight to survive.

The late activist Iris Chang is no longer around to tour the world spreading the truth about the real atrocities. She also demanded that Japan formally apologize for their role in raping and killing millions of Chinese girls and women.

Any activists here with the desire to keep the flame alive?

In Japan, the generals that oversaw the genocides are still considered war heroes to this day.

German apologized for its role in wartime genocide. France apologized for the whole Algeria incident. Isn't it time for the lofty Japanese to apologize for the crimes of their fathers and grandfathers? Or are they too proud of their former rape/pillage mentality?

IF any of you are interested in why I'm taking a personal interest, here's why. My maternal grandmother surely would have been raped and killed when she was a little girl had it not been for the ingenuity of her parents. They rolled her up in a rug and made her stand still in the corner of the room when the young, horny Japanese soldiers came in searching for fresh virgin Chinese to rape, torture, and kill. Not finding her, she survived while her friends were not so lucky. Most of the girls in the village were raped, mutilated, photographed, then slaughtered. If she had been killed by the Japanese soldiers, my mom wouldn't have been born and I wouldn't be writing this long-ass post today.

For those of you interested in the Preservation of Truth about Sino-Japanese War, we need all the help we can get. Here's how to contact Roger Han and the Alliance:

811 Sacramento St., San Francisco, CA 94108
http://www.sjwar.org e-mail: info@sjwar.org
Tel: 415-398-7758

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! :)

posted in Asian Diaspora - 3 replies

Experiences working in Asia

2005-07-15T19:40:54Z

The thread about working as an English teacher brought up some interesting discussions. Today I realized that I've spent a total of... 8 months working in Hong Kong over the years, and the professional world has its own odd quirks we don't always experience in the US. These are some observations I had about the HK workplace:

#1: You can never admit to making a mistake, as this is losing face. You can say, "I meant to do it that way, but I'll redo it," but you can never say, "I made a mistake." At least this was the case in the late 90s. I had a friend over here who was working as a Civil Engineer. She was telling me that her general contractor spent a day drilling holes in the wrong place in some I-Beams. When she pointed out that they were wrong, the contractor claimed that he meant to do that, because it helped him make the new holes in the right place. He then had his men spend a day plugging and welding all the holes they'd made by mistake.

#2. The myth that all Asians work incredibly long hours compared to us lazy Americans is just that, a myth. I'm guessing this got started with stories of the Japanese "salary men" who work 100 hour weeks. I've noticed, though, that in HK, the work day tends to start around 9 or 9:30ish and ends around 5-6:30. They also get a lot of time off compared to us. I think there is some segment that really wants the rest of the world to think they work long hours, though. My friend whose uncle lives in HK had expressed interest in coming over to work. Her uncle responded with the, "ha, you lazy Americans couldn't hack it here! We all work a hundred hours a week! You wouldn't last a single day!" I told her HE might work a hundred hours a week, but the rest of the HK work force most certainly does not, so I think he was just blowing smoke.

#3. I think some degree of sexual harassment is tolerated here, as I don't think they have the same kind of rules and policies against it like we have in the US. I was talking the other day to an Australian-Chinese woman (ethnically Chinese, but lived her whole life in Australia,) and she had nearly quit and gone home at first, because the constant sexual harassment had made her so uncomfortable. I don't know if she was singled out because she's a westerner of asian descent or something, but I have never heard the caucasian women say it was a problem.

That's all I can think of right now. I would be curious to hear others' experiences of working in asia.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 6 replies

Jazz

2005-07-15T17:40:41Z

Anyone else out there a jazz music fan?

Also, is anyone familiar with Asian Improv Records?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 8 replies

HOT 97's Rick Delgado Lands Job in San Francisco

2005-07-15T17:19:11Z

Hey guys,

So the creator of the infamous tsunami parody song that got HOT 97's Miss Jones' in the Morning team and Emmis in so much trouble has come west to San Francisco ... where there are many Asian Americans.

I'm working on an article about this recent development. I'd love to get your reactions.

Anyone in the Bay Area listen to Wild 94.9 fm (Delgado's new home)?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Driving while Asian

2005-07-15T03:14:44Z

What are your opinions of driving? I know a lot of Asians who like to race and drive fast in their customized import cars, as well as others who could care less about driving.

Some of my friends proudly brag about their reckless driving and damaged driving records as badges of pride.

Others are super-cautious and never take any risks behind the wheel.

What kind of driver are you? What kind(s) of cars do you like? Do you have a laundry list of moving violations?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 8 replies

Asian Americans teaching English in Asia

2005-07-14T22:32:17Z

I'm curious to learn of your experiences and the kind of reception you got.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 11 replies

An Asian American in London

2005-07-14T09:51:53Z

Hi, I grew up in the U.S. but now live in London. While I used to feel really connected to Asian American history and issues in the U.S., I really don't know what the UK ethnic studies scene is about -- if there is one. I know Cultural Studies is quite strong, but I wanted to know if anyone knew of academics or groups that might express the same interests. Personally, I would love to know more about Chinese immigrant history here. Thanks!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Gadjo Project at Catalyst Cocktails (8/11)

2005-07-12T19:43:37Z

Hey everyone!

Come check us out from 6:30-8:30 PM at Catalyst Cocktails, a swingin' Art Deco bar in the heart of San Francisco. No cover! Just bring your friends and a desire to enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverages while groovin' to great acoustic jazz music. See ya there!

www.catalystcocktails.com
www.gadjoproject.com

Gadjo Project, Live at Catalyst Cocktails
Thursday, August 11th
6:30 - 8:30 PM

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Some help on some numbers?

2005-07-07T01:54:00Z

HI,

I'm researching some facts for my upcoming theatrical piece but unable to find some solid numbers for the amount of refugees that fled from China to Hong Kong during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Can someone guide me to the right place?

thank you

Rob

www.revolutionarychickens.com

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Where were the Asian zombies?

2005-06-30T21:12:42Z

Just got back from the Romero sequel Land of the Dead with my friend Mike and a few of his co-workers.

Shortly after the film, we discussed this and that, and the subject of Zombie ethnicity came up. I didn't recall seeing any Asian zombies.

Where were they? Waiting in line for watermelon Tapioca drinks? :D

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

Gwen Stefani and the Harijuku Girls

2005-06-27T21:53:48Z

What do you think about this? I find it pretty offensive that these little Japanese girls are basically accessories for Gwen.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 32 replies

Religion

2005-06-24T23:10:38Z

What do y'all believe in? I myself have been raised in the secular but ethical Chinese tradition. Plus, I've taken too many evolutionary biology courses to ever choose bible stories over scientific inquiry. How about everyone else?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 25 replies

Doctor, lawyer, or engineer...

2005-06-22T20:02:19Z

How many of y'all had parents who wanted you to be one of three approved careers?

It's usually something like Doctor, lawyer, engineer...

What did your folks want you to be when you grew up?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 18 replies

Booted off the Bloodhound Gang tribe!

2005-06-17T19:49:28Z

Hey peeps!

I was having a little fun over in the Bloodhound Gang tribe.

I was actually surprised that there is even a tribe dedicated to these assholes, but then I looked closer and it is pretty lame with only 55 members.

Anyways... here's the strand I started that got me booted. Enjoy!

http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/thread/9e92d19d-9c9f-4383-b838-2dfdc54cd203?tribeid=7aaec42a-ebf0-4b8e-bf1a-a4ad378d4256&r=10535

posted in Asian Diaspora - 3 replies

49er's Disgrace

2005-06-02T19:12:00Z

A 49er's Training video made by PR man, Kirk Reynolds, went way too far in trying to "describe" San Francisco's diversity and how players from around country should try and deal with it.

Here is a sample of the stuff in the video as found in the SF Chronicle article:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/01/MNGHQD1IOT1.DTL

First stop, Chinatown. Reynolds says the team reads everything written about the players and the organization. Then, to illustrate the point, a bespectacled, buck-toothed Chinese man in an aloha shirt (played by then-49ers trainer and martial arts expert George Chung) is asked to translate an Asian newspaper story.

Sure -- the man says in theatrical Asian accent. "Tim Latte (Rattay, a Niners quarterback). He feel good now. He feeling good. No plactice with the team, so most of the time he play with himself."

Another show stopper: "49ers love being in community. Very patriotic . . . support president and his George Bush erection."

"Erection?" Reynolds asks.

"Yes," the Chinese man responds. "It say, 'You like Bush -- then you like his erection.'

"My name is Suck Hung,'' the Chinese man says as he's leaving. "My brother's name is Suck Young -- my whole family suck."

And that's just the film's opener.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

Movie night?

2005-05-28T17:27:44Z

Was wondering if anyone would be interested in getting a regular get-together and movie night on? I'm thinking some Stephen Chow movies, a wall projector and some food? I'm in downtown Oakland, right by the lake and Chinatown...

Chris

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

manga hair?

2005-05-21T06:58:43Z

http://www.garnierbeautybar.co.uk/manga/index.asp

I just don't know quite what to think...

(courtesy of angryasianman.com)

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

Hot 97 all over again - sort of????

2005-05-20T02:43:39Z

Asian-Americans protest radio hosts' remarks
Duo on 101.5 mocked candidate in Edison's Democratic primary
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
BY SULEMAN DIN
Star-Ledger Staff

A New Jersey radio station is facing protests from Asian-American groups angered by a talk show broadcast on Monday that lampooned Edison's Asian-American population, and the Korean-American candidate in the township's Democratic primary, Jun Choi.

New Jersey 101.5 FM's afternoon drive-time show, "The Jersey Guys," with hosts Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, discussed Choi's and Mayor George Spadoro's efforts to win the election by tapping into the township's burgeoning Asian- American population.

Carton, 36, said he was offended by politicians "bending over backwards to cater to fringe people."

"I don't care if the Chinese population in Edison has quadrupled in the last year, Chinese should never dictate the outcome of an election, Americans should," Carton said.

Carton repeated a number of stereotypes about Asians, and affected a Fu Manchu accent while imitating the voice and dialect of Asian-Americans.

"Would you really vote for someone named Jun Choi?" Carton said, announcing the candidate's name in a sped-up, high- pitched voice. Carton also criticized Spadoro for pandering to the Asian population.

Choi listened to the show as it broadcast live but said that he was not angered by Carton's comments.

"I think it is sad that in 2005, shock jocks, in attempts to get higher ratings, will appeal to the worst feelings and the lowest instincts of humans," Choi said.

Spadoro also criticized the radio broadcast as "outrageous and objectionable."

"I'm very troubled and object to the inflammatory and insensitive remarks about a serious issue, the election of officials in a democratic process," Spadoro said. "Everything that I've worked for as mayor, these comments run contrary to."

Groups representing Asian- Americans said they would protest the radio station.

The Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York is calling on the radio station to fire Carton and Rossi.

"I was enraged," said Christine Bae, president of the association, which represents more than 2,000 Korean-American attorneys in New York and New Jersey.

Bae sent out a letter yesterday to the radio station's general manager, Eric Johnson, and to Millennium Radio group Vice President Andrew Santoro.

Her organization today, Bae said, will be filing official complaints with the Federal Communications Commission and the state ELEC.

"I really feel strongly that the show was intimidating and interfering with the voting rights of people," Bae said.

Bae said that she stopped working on an antitrust case just to start calling people about the show and draft official complaints.

"There is no reason in this age for anyone to send that type of message," Bae said. "This is racial and ethnic hatred."

Also considering action against the show is the New York-based South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow, said its executive director, Deepa Iyer.

"It makes it out to seem that an influx of people are taking over the neighborhood, the businesses, and now the voting booths," Iyer said. "These inferences infuriate me."

Iyer said her group is in contact with a number of organizations interested in filing complaints about the show, and that a transcript of the offending broadcast is being forwarded around the Internet.

It is not the first incident involving Asian-Americans and radio shows, Iyer said. Earlier this year, a New York radio show was roundly denounced and lost advertisers after it played a song that mocked the Asian victims of the tsunami, and a Philadelphia radio station suspended two hosts for racial slurs against Asian-Indians.

"These sorts of stereotypes feeds into the mentality people have about Asian-Americans," Iyer said. "These things lead to bias, employment discrimination and hate crimes."

Johnson, the station's general manager, defended Carton and Rossi's show.

"Our talk show hosts give strong opinions, and we've been doing it for 15 years," Johnson said.

"I've heard them do Italian accents, Jewish accents," he continued. "Carton has made fun of his heritage, it's all tongue-in-cheek."

The backlash over the radio hosts' comments is not the first time the show has sparked controversy.

In January, acting Gov. Dick Codey confronted Carton in the radio station after the radio jock made remarks on the air about first lady Mary Jo Codey's battle with postpartum depression.

Mental health advocates lambasted Carton for stigmatizing people with mental illness.

Choi said he is not going to get distracted by the radio show as he conducts his campaign.

"I'm confident that we will have the support of all segments in Edison," Choi said. "What makes this country great is that I, the son of immigrants, can run for office."

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/111458008975470.xml?starledger?nmx

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

My rant against "Crash"

2005-05-17T03:52:37Z

"Crash" is a new film coming out (this weekend, I believe) about a random group of strangers in L.A. who get caught up with each other one night. It's played by a long list of big-name stars. I haven't seen it yet, but have read a few reviews. The story is about racism and how all the characters are both victims as well as perpetrators of it. That's a fine, solid premise cuz most race-related films seem too one-dimensional to me.

Now for my rant. The filmmakers seemed to have gone to great lengths to cover the general population of white, black, brown, etc characters. But considering how large of an Asian population there is in L.A. they didn't seem to try very hard to include yellow. Apparently, there are two Korean characters. From what I've read, they don't seem to have very significant roles in the film. Nor are they on the list of starring actors, so they probably have supporting roles at best. The absence of Asian faces is a widespread problem in U.S. cinema, unless you count the tired old portrayals of us as martial arts masters or illegal immigrants with fake-ass accents. I plan on seeing "Crash" and will post a more informed critique of it afterward. But I have my doubts at this point.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 9 replies

From the South China Morning Post, an article on American TV

2005-05-07T18:22:26Z

I saw this article in a Hong Kong newspaper and retyped it here. I just thought it was kind of funny to see a Chinese newspaper comment on American television:

"A dearth of quality, prime-time television roles for Asian-American actors is fuelling the image of an asexual, isolated community obsessed with professional status.

Lending a twist to the usual complaints by minority groups of negative stereotyping, a report commissioned by a Washington-based civil rights group highlighted the fact that the tiny number of regular Asian-American characters in TV dramas uniformly hold high-status jobs, often in medicine or law enforcement.

'The truth is that our community has an equal number of people who are struggling below the poverty line,' said Kren Narasaki, president of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium. 'They face the same problems and challenges as members of other minorities, but they don't have the same resources directed at them because of this idea that they're all high-performing graduate students,' Ms Narasaki said.

Asian-Americans rarely feature at all in US sitcoms."

Well, duh.

I thought that one thing Margaret Cho said was really funny--that when she was a child, she dreamed of being on TV someday. She said something like, "maybe someday I can be an extra on M*A*S*H!"

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Becoming American - the process

2005-04-22T16:56:15Z

Hey everyone,

I'm working on another assignment about the green card/work visa process.

If you're like me, you were born in another country and had to do A LOT to prove your worthiness to work/become a resident/become a citizen of the USA.

My question to is: Have you ever met/been duped by those Asian immigration consultants who help you fill out the necessary paperwork?

I know when I was going through the process, my mom took me to a Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall place which specialized in helping Vietnamese language speaking immigrants (I didn't understand what I was signing because I unfortunately only speak/read English).

If you've gone through similar experiences with those immigration consultants or know someone who has, drop me a line.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

"revelation"

2005-04-21T12:35:44Z

hey, just back from a ten-day trip to da muthaland (i.e., korea). Wow. Talk about changing my perspective on things. I haven't been there in 17 years--last time i was just an angsty teen, and korea was merely a second world country, developing. How it's changed! I loved it. We went to places like jeju island, pusan, surak san, seoul, etc. I even got to see the 38th parallel! lol The nature there is so beautiful, the architecture (old skool). And the plethora of cherry blossom trees everywhere in bloom. I was particularly loving the mountains--they were the stuff from my asian art history classes :-)

It was difficult for me growing up in a white suburb of l.a. where we were one of two token asian families. It was difficult to accept that i was asian. Throughout the years i've been working on those issues, and to some degree i was nervous before going, but seriously, this visit has really changed my old view of the place.

Something amusing is that several people thought i was japanese. The korean girls tend to have the same hairstyles with slight variation. Mine definitely looked "japanese" compared to theirs. Then again, my hairstyle IS modeled after a japanese hairstyle *hehe* Also, i have tattoos--koreans aren't into tattoos.

Anyhow, just sharing with everyone. Wanna go back!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 3 replies

On Iris Chang

2005-04-18T00:48:23Z

I've been waiting a long time for an in-depth article on Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking, who committed suicide earlier this year.

It's long (something you should consciously plan to sit down and read), but gives you a good idea of what was going on in her final days.

Historian Iris Chang won many battles
The war she lost raged within
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/17/CMGCNBQRRP1.DTL

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Wanna help me pass out on Stilts while supporting the MS Society?

2005-04-13T02:23:34Z

Dear Friends,

Or better yet...

HEY Everybody!

With all this traveling around the world doing my best to support
people and their needs, I
wanted to do something a little more local.

Sooooo... I've decided to participate in the MS Walk on April 17th in
New York City.
It's going to be a 7.5 mile walk and I'm going to give it a go
walking it on stilts.

Yup, my homemade beat up ole' wooden 3ft wooden pegs..

And this is where I ask for all your help.

If you would like to pledge a couple of dollars,(or a hundred or two, but seriously, any amount would be tremendous)
please visit my personal page on the MS Society
website or email me at mswalk@roblok.com

I'm trying to raise at least a grand and would appreciate any help.

Here's a link to my donation page:

http://msnyc.kintera.org/walk05/stilts

My team name?
Cabrini Cabare

Thanks

ROB LOK

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Why do AAs decorate their cell phones?

2005-03-22T17:35:13Z

Hey everyone,

Everyone does it ... or knows someone who does.

Tell me, what is the deal with Asian American young adults accessorizing their cell phones with shiny, cute and colorful contraption? I've seen patent-worthy add-ons with Asian American guys even!

These things can't come cheap, so is the cell phone the new sports car for AAs? Are kids spending too much money on their cell phones?

I ask a lot of questions because I work for a newspaper and I like to write articles that delve into pop culture and well, multiculturalism.

What do you think about the crazy cell phones?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 3 replies

Margaret Cho in Hawaii

2005-03-18T22:02:07Z

I just got my tickets to see Cho this Sat! I can't wait to laugh my ass off. Just wanted to share my joy!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

How Asians in Asia view the U.S. (long ramble)

2005-03-18T09:12:49Z

I think it's pretty amazing how a lot of Asians who have never been here view the U.S. Last week, as I was riding to the Hong Kong airport with a particularly talkative cab driver, I was really amazed at how he viewed the U.S. When he realized I was an American-born Asian, he became rather excited and kept telling me how fortunate I was, and how excited he was about his own plans to move his family to L.A. in a few years. He seemed to think that picking up and moving from Hong Kong to L.A. would automatically solve all of his problems, most of them financial, and that L.A. would be a much better place to raise his daughter.

Anyway, not that I wanted to rain on the guy's parade or anything, but I said that I actually liked Hong Kong, in a lot of ways, more than L.A. For instance, I said, there was no such thing as a bad neighborhood in HK. Some are not as nice as others, but as far as a really bad, dangerous neighborhood, there just wasn't such a thing. He said, "oh, Tsim Sa Tsui a bad neighborhood!" at which point I had to stifle a giggle, because by U.S. standards, TST would be considered the safest of safe places. He said that a couple of times he had *gasp* seen fistfights in TST. I explained to him that in L.A. there were actually neighborhoods where accidentally driving in at the wrong time would get you shot. This was a foreign concept to him. I told him about a few other incidents that never made it to the news in Hong Kong, such as the Columbine shootings, to which his response was, "why they do that?" Statistically, (I just looked it up,) Hong Kong averages 1.6 murders, 2 rapes, and 159 robberies per year for every 100,000 residents. L.A. averages 29 murders, 55 rapes, and 1,118 robberies per 100,000 residents by comparison.

Anyway, it was about a half-hour cab ride to the airport, and I figured out what a few of his assumptions were during that time:

#1: There is no poverty in the U.S., and everyone here is rich and has high-paying jobs. There is no divide between the haves and the have-nots.

#2: Nothing exists besides the major cities (L.A., New York, Chicago, etc.)

#3: If you immigrate to the U.S., everyone will gladly welcome you here with open arms and be ecstatic to see you.

#4: We have the best school systems in the world.

Anyway, this was really an eye-opening experience for me, because my dad, who immigrated in 1951, said it's how most people in Korea viewed the U.S. way back then. It made sense then (Korea, 1951,)-- that mentality that moving to the U.S. would solve all problems because nothing ever went wrong there, but to hear it in Hong Kong in 2005 was a bit shocking. Hong Kong isn't exactly a village of mud farmers; in a lot of ways, they're way ahead of us. If I spoke the language, I'd live there.

My advice to him was to someday take a trip to the U.S. before uprooting his family and moving here, then get in a car and drive across the whole thing from the West Coast to the East Coast.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 10 replies

Asian American Film Festival in SF

2005-03-15T18:47:11Z

Has anyone checked out the Asian American Film Festival in SF? By the way, has anyone checked out Alice Wu's Saving Face movie? I hear that there's been a buzz about it and it seems to be the headlining film at the festival.

http://www.naatanet.org/festival/2005/html/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 8 replies

Pan-Asian Food

2005-03-12T06:22:35Z

Just wondering what your thoughts were on this.

http://www.o-dub.com/weblog/2005/02/pan-asian-pet-peeves.html

posted in Asian Diaspora - 18 replies

The Cheng Chau Bun Climb

2005-03-10T05:58:10Z

Well, I already mentioned this in the Asian Homestyle Cooking tribe, but it's so intriguing and amusing to me that I thought it deserved mentioning here too.

Outside of Hong Kong, there is a tiny fishing island called Cheng Chau. Every May, Cheng Chau has a festival dedicated to... steamed buns of all things. The highlight of the Steamed Bun Festival used to be the Steamed Bun Climb, where bamboo towers were built (approximately 50 feet tall,) then covered with steamed buns. Contestants in the Steamed Bun Climb would then climb the towers, rather violently, trying to collect as many steamed buns as possible. The buns at the higher sections of the towers were considered more valuable (in terms of good luck) than those at the lower sections of the tower. In 1978, one of the towers collapsed, and a lot of people were injured, though no one was killed, and the Bun Climb was banned.

As I was in Hong Kong again recently (well earlier today, actually,) I read in the paper that for the first time since 1978, the Cheng Chau Bun Climb has been revived. This time, they are going to weld the towers out of steel rather than tying them together with bamboo. The Cheng Chau Bun Climb is going to happen again for the first time in 27 years.

I'm going to be in HK again in April. Maybe I can extend my trip until May...

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

The Effeminate Asian Man Myth

2005-02-21T11:51:43Z

I'd like to share a revelation I had last year regarding this stereotype. First of all, though, I need to say that for most of my life, I wasn't even aware that this stereotype existed. Maybe it's cuz I don't watch TV, but it never occurred to me that society saw us Asian dudes this way or that we were portrayed this way in the media.

Whatever insecurities I've had in dating have been due to the fact that I'm only 5 ft 2 and that I'm better at art and poetry than more masculine stuff like cars or sports. It had nothing to do with my skin color. Besides, I've connected just as well with white girls as with Asian ones. So I must admit that I felt out of the loop when I started meeting Asian guys who would express their frustrations regarding this stereotype.

Then, last year, I was at a club with a buddy of mine and we were talking to two Chinese girls. One of them said she only dates white guys because Asian guys are too shy to her. This got me asking: if we Asian guys have a harder time getting dates, is it really because women aren't giving us a fair chance, or is it just because we don't have enough confidence in ourselves? Remember, she never said that white guys are more masculine or have bigger dicks, just that they're not as shy. So this has nothing to do with the stereotype, but rather with our own behavior, which I wouldn't be surprised if it's driven by excessive fear and self-consciousness.

I guess this is the main reason I don't watch TV or read magazines. The portrayals of people in the media are so distorted that I wouldn't be surprised if we begin internalizing those portrayals at a subconscious level and actually buying into the stereotype. Fellow API men, think about that next time you approach a woman.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 6 replies

NYC radio station ridicules tsunami disaster with racial slurs.

2005-02-20T08:28:36Z

Well, since I don't live in NYC, I have no idea what Hot97 is, or who Miss Jones is. Apparently, the hiphop radio station ridiculed the tsunami disaster with a song they aired. These are some of the lyrics:

"All at once you could hear the screaming chinks and no one was safe from the wave there were africans drowning, little chinamen swept away you could hear god laughing, 'swim you bitches swim'

So now you're screwed, it's the Tsunami
you better run or kiss your ass away, go find your mommy
I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head
and now the children will be sold to child slavery"

The link is here:

http://www.hiphopmusic.com/archives/000759.html

Interesting how it's perfectly okay for a mostly-black station to use the term "chink," but if an Asian radio station has used the word "nigger," I'm sure there would be a riot or something, and Al Sharpton would be in front of the station protesting.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 9 replies

You are not really Asian...you are American

2005-02-20T00:50:21Z

I am Chinese-American...but I am only half. My mother is Chinese. Now, I live in Korea where "real" Asians tell me I am simply American, not Asian at all. It is funny that they look at me and see me that way. In the U.S., before I moved to San Francisco, I had primarily white friends. I was very "Asian" and "Chinese" to them...and growing up in a primarily white neighborhood and schools, I always stood out as Chinese. But now...time for a shock. Compared to Koreans from Korea, I am simply American. I can only speak some Mandarin, I really don't know much about the culture...from China. I worked in Chinatown for 2 years so I know a little...but I realize I am very Americanized. It is just a big shift in my perspective of my own identity.

The funny thing is when the Korean teachers told me this, I thought it was an insult. Like I wasn't Asian enough for them to consider me Asian. But then, after speaking with some friends who knew Korean culture, they said that it was meant to be a compliment. From a homogeneous culture/country such as Korea, Koreans don't always understand the concept of other ethnicities being part of one nation. They couldn't see me as both Asian and American. They thought that it was a downgrade to have to include the Asian component not understanding it is part of who I am...part of my identity. So them saying that translated as..."you're good as any American!!!" Interesting, huh?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2005-02-14T21:54:40Z

Happy new year everyone! :)

posted in Asian Diaspora - 7 replies

Really off Topic but..World Theater Workshops

2005-01-22T20:03:29Z

Hi,

I've coorganized a series of World Theater Workshops with a heavy Asian influence.

If you're in NYC, come on by!

rob lok

Expand your performance vocabulary this year!
Bond Street Theatre presents.....

?World Theatre Workshops

5 instructors, 5 weeks
2 days a week      (Sunday & Monday nights -- Jan 30-31, 7-9pm : Feb 6-28, 7-10 pm)

A must for all physical actors and performers! These classes explore basic principles of movement
as demonstrated through dynamic physical theatre and dance styles from around the world.
The program is more than a overview -- we will discover and compare the differences in
balance, shape, weight placement, tempo, and musicality in each form.

Classes will include theatre-dance-movement forms including:
Vongku Pak - Korean mask dance
Sachiyo Ito - Japanese movement styles, Kabuki, and Noh
Caren Calder-Pummer - African dance and body percussion
Kuang Yu Fong - Chinese Peking Opera forms and object manipulation
Potri Ranka Manis - Philippine movement styles.

Here is an opportunity to experience some of the most compelling physical theatre styles in one workshop series.

When? January 30 through February 28.    Sunday & Monday nights -- Jan 30 & 31, 7-9pm : Feb 6-28, 7-10pm

Where? Bond Street Theatre @ 2 Bond Street, NYC (2 blocks north of Houston, btwn Lafayette and Broadway, Subway: B, D, F, V to Broadway/Lafayette)

Fee? $350

There will be an open 45-minute warm up session for workshop participants led by members of Bond Street Theatre before each class.

For more information or reservations:
Bond Street Theatre
212-254-4614
www.bondst.org

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

What's their age?

2005-01-22T02:41:40Z

So somewhat continuing my previous post, the question I pose is this - Assuming people see you younger than you really are, how does this affect your dating and outlook?

For example, it causes you to restrict your dateable age range. Or it possibly means nothing to you.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 3 replies

Lucy Liu Discussion

2005-01-03T13:15:43Z

Hey Guys,
Check out this discussion about Lucy Liu on "Asian Girls Rock" tribe. I found it amusing and yet caddy considering it's a bunch of white dudes.

http://honolulu.tribe.net/tribe/29a969d0-65d5-4ad3-9eec-7c846b8e4b4d?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5B29a969d0-65d5-4ad3-9eec-7c846b8e4b4d%5D&r=10020

Enjoy,
Jubei

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

China crowns Miss Plastic Surgery

2004-12-22T15:37:25Z

I'm sure everyone saw this already:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041218/ts_afp/afplifestylechina_041218185659

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

What's your "age"?

2004-12-09T10:20:23Z

It invariably comes up speaking with my Asian friends that we often look much younger compared to our non-Asian counterparts. My question to the tribe is - how old do people typically see you as?

Buying a car recently and meeting my parents' colleagues shows that people take me for just entering college or mid-college years (~20 y.o.). They are of course shocked to find that I've been working for 2+ years out of college.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

new tribe: our dreams

2004-12-08T13:42:11Z

You can talk about your dreams in this tribe...either sleeping or day-dreams. Those in the tribe express themselves freely, talking about their lives and how to use their dream interpretation as a medium for change. There are only a few posts so far...but an intimacy has already started developing...people making discoveries.

Hey guys...check out my new tribe!

Shannon

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

Asian Radio Stations

2004-12-04T21:14:56Z

Here are two radio stations to check out:

www.MandarinRadio.com and www.PopGoesAsia.com

On MandarinRadio I play mostly Mandarin Chinese Pop - with a few Asian hits so big they defy the language barrier. It's available for dialup users.

On Pop Goes Asia I play a mix of music from all over Asia.
I even have a 3 hour program of Asian Christmas music!
It's Broadband only (CD quality sound)

Both stations are free and give track info in English. This is very helpful if you want to find something to download or buy. It is really hard for me because I know only 200 or so Chinese words, a few more Japanese, and almost zero Korean or Thai.

No I'm not Asian. My wife thinks it's a past-life thing. Enjoy!

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

Author Iris Chang dead of apparent suicide

2004-11-22T20:49:22Z

Sad day. I really liked her work:

News coverage:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Entertainment/Abroad/0,,2-1225-1243_1619252,00.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/11/11/MNGB59PKL01.DTL
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1100159628195960.xml
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/11/11/obit.chang.ap/

posted in Asian Diaspora - 2 replies

Asian American Arts Across Generations

2004-11-19T02:12:18Z

Hey Folks,

I'm moderating a really awesome panel this evening at the Oakland Museum on Asian American Arts. Just wanted to let y'all know.

As an aside, I'm curious if there are other folks in this tribe who are either artists or work w/artists?

Gary

------

Today!! Asia Society Northern California Program

Asian American Arts Across Generations:
Migration and the Politics of Identity

Thursday, November 18, 2004

5:30 pm Registration
6:00 pm Performances and panel discussion with the artists
7:30 pm Reception and exhibition open

James Moore Theatre, Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street, 10th and Oak Street, Oakland
*One block from Lake Merritt BART station
$5 Students with ID; $10 Members; $15 Non-Members

Join us for an evening with artists and performers le thi diem thuy, DJ
Maneesh the Twister, Sue Li-Jue, and Kristina Wong as they explore questions
of migration and Asian American identity through art. Spoken word, musical,
and theatrical performances will be followed by a conversation with the
artists about their work and the ways in which Asian American art is
evolving with each generation. After the program, the Oakland Museum of
California will be open exclusively for Asia Society guests to view the
exhibition, What's Going On? - California and the Vietnam Era.

le thi diem thuy, author of The Gangster We Are All Looking For, is a writer
and solo performance artist. Maneesh the Twister is co-founder, producer,
and DJ for Dhamaal, San Francisco's critically acclaimed artist collective.
Sue Li-Jue is Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer for Facing East
Dance and Music. Kristina Wong, an LA-based solo performer, writer, actor,
educator, activist, and filmmaker, is known for her quirky, culture-jamming,
subversive style. Gary Chou (moderator) is the editor of manja.org.

Cosponsored by the Oakland Museum of CA in association with NAATA, East
Meets West Foundation, Kearny St. Workshop, manja.org, and SF PALM

Space is limited, and advance registration is encouraged.
To register, please call (415) 421-8707.

Please visit the Asia Society website at www.asiasociety.org

Asia Society Northern California Center
500 Washington Street, Suite 350
San Francisco, CA 94111
T: 415-421-8707 F: 415-421-2465

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Looking for Chinese-American Primary Doctor

2004-11-05T20:16:16Z

Does anyone have recommendations for a male Chinese-American primary doctor in SF? Preferably late 30s or older and ABC or Taiwanese. As I get older, I'm starting to realize that genetics play a pretty big role in health, so someone who personally has that background is more likely to pay attention to issues that also impact themselves.

Thanks.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 1 reply

Out of the ordinary

2004-11-02T15:46:17Z

Are any Asians in the tribe "not your typical Asian?" And have you guys ever gotten rude looks/comments from other Asians?

I'm an ABC and I must say that I'm not your "typical Asian." First of all I'm gay. That in itself is probably one of the biggest no-no's. I'm open about my sexuality and it seems that I often have to hide this part of my life in fear of being ridiculed and/or prejudged. I live in Huntington Beach so the area is primarily caucasian; the cool thing about living here is that desptie the fact that OC is fairly conservitive area, most of the people I've met have been totally cool about the fact that I'm gay. I'm not afraid to hold my bf's hand in public and nobody seems to be bothered by it. However, whenever I travel to more prominant Asian communities I have to watch myself. I've tried being openly gay however it seems that EVERYBODY and their mother starts staring and whispering.

Another point is the fact that I'm heavily into body modifications. I have fairly noticable piercings and once again, I get the dirtiest looks from people when I'm in Asian communities.

My point in writing this is the fact that I think it's rediculous that Asians are so stubborn and stuck to tradition that they can't accept other people for their differences. Just because I'm gay and have body mods doesn't mean that I'm a bad person. It's bullshit cuz most Asians are just putting up a front. A perfect example of this is how Asian guys have that "oh I'm so hardcore, I'm badass, don't fuck with me" attitude when in reality most these guys are so intimidated that they won't even look me in the face with my piercings becuase they're a bunch of chicken shits.

I'm currently a fourth year college student double majoring in finance and communications. In addition I work for one of the world's largest bank corporations. I'm a productive member of society. But that shouldn't matter. What should matter is the fact that I'm confident enough to be myself in spite of all these uber traditional assholes who can't accept me for who I am. Asian people are over critical and it's stupid that we have to live up to their standards.

*I'll stop bitching now*

posted in Asian Diaspora - 17 replies

The Asian Tattoo Artist

2004-10-31T05:59:28Z

Hey check this link out...a friend sent it to me and we were wondering if it was true or not. I found it funny.

http://www.soufoaklin.com/tattooartist.html

posted in Asian Diaspora - 12 replies

Japanese Bitch Slap

2004-10-22T05:01:46Z

http://www.ifilm.com/viralvideo
Look for the link for Japanese Bitch Slap.

I don't know about you, but I just don't get it...

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

off topic, but...

2004-10-15T02:11:07Z

MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE REGISTERED TO VOTE!!!

for FAQ's regarding voter registration and absentee ballots,
here's a link.

http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_faq.htm#vr

DEADLINE IS OCT. 18!!! you can order a form on-line through this link.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 5 replies

Chinese Wedding Balls

2004-10-04T22:23:48Z

Greetings, all !
here's some obscuranta for you ...
recently I've seen an intriguing hnadcrafted object in some gift/home furnishing stores in LA.
They are dodecahedrons (?) about the size of a basketball - basically a bumpy sphere composed of many little 5 or 6 -sided faces - each "facet" is covered in a different beautfiul piece of embroidered silk fabric.
I was told they are "chinese wedding balls" or "chinese good luck balls" and that they are tossed around in the air for good luck after a wedding !
Is this just a clever marketing tool for an interesting objet (which I suspect)- or is this a real custom ? I went online and looked up traditional chinese weddings and this was not mentioned anywhere.
Second - anyone know a good source for these things other than the ridiculously over-priced trendy stores I've seen them in ? and what the heck are these things really called if they are not "wedding balls" ? any info appreciated and I hope I never have to refer to "wedding balls" using this term again ...

thanks! Michelle

posted in Asian Diaspora - 0 replies

racism

2004-10-03T06:39:44Z

out of curiousity..

what are peoples experiences with racism/assumptions based on their physical appearance?

yesterday i became upset when some older(60s+),white man came on the bus and muttered as he sat down next to me "all these foreigners taking over.."(there were quite a few asians on the bus)

anyway, i was irritated and doubted that i could reason with someone that old and ignorant...so after I snapped that I was born here..and he snapped at me to shut up...I lapsed into petty viciousness and said "look you'll be dead in 10 years(pause) and that's a good thing!!!"

Yes, yes..i should have handled it better...but i'm interested in other people who have had situations....and how they reacted

posted in Asian Diaspora - 40 replies

Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi in Memoir of A Geisha

2004-10-03T06:17:30Z

Check it out here:
http://www.worldmoviemag.com/index.php?request=News&key=426

On a movie board several of us complained about the casting and others see it as an overreaction. So I thought I would post the info here and ask whether you are offended by this and why.

posted in Asian Diaspora - 4 replies

hi guys,,,

2004-09-17T21:53:35Z

Pretty interesting tribe we got here... I assume majority of everyone here is amer-asian?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 17 replies

MTV is desperately seeking self-hating Asians?

2004-09-17T19:50:16Z

I offer this without comment:

http://newyork.craigslist.org /mnh/tfr/24074122.html

MTV News & Documentary show "My life Translated" is a series about multicultural teens in America who grow up with one set of values at home and experience an entirely different set socially on the outside. It's a fascinating look at the lives of young people juggling two different worlds; what it means to be "all American" when you don't quite fit the textbook definition.

We are looking for Asian documentary subjects between 15 and 25 who are thinking of having double eyelid surgery, have already had the procedure, or are planning to have it. Is this something your family and friends accept or do you feel conflicted about having it? Have your parents pressured you to have it, or is it your own decision?

We want to talk to you! Please write to us, tell us your story and your contact information to: allamerican@mtvstaff.com

posted in Asian Diaspora - 15 replies

Who would spend money to buy this?

2004-09-15T08:49:18Z

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0919637264/102-2215848-1663325

posted in Asian Diaspora - 12 replies

Do you identify?

2004-09-05T23:54:32Z

As an American-Born Asian mix, I don't see myself identifying with a particular ethnicity. I'm curious. Do your parents try to pass on the traditions and try to raise you as an Asian instead of an American?

posted in Asian Diaspora - 13 replies